Starting Over •JJK• ✔️

One

I lifted the lid off of the large pot on the stove. Giving the tomato sauce a stir and a sniff, I could tell that it wouldn't be much longer until it was ready. Replacing the lid and turning the burner to low, I smiled. It had been awhile since I'd had a full day of cooking like this. It felt nice to give myself a taste of home.

I flipped on the faucet and started a little bit of cleanup while I waited for the garlic bread in the oven to finish cooking.

My 1-year anniversary since starting with the company was coming up. A whole year already. Where has the time gone? It's been a wild and crazy year, to say the least. But it's also been the best and most exciting year of my life. The day that Big Hit contacted me about possibly joining their team was a day that I will never forget. It couldn't have come at a better time, either.

Back home in the States, I was working for my local newspaper as the head of the Entertainment department. My degree in journalism with a minor in photography landed me the position after only one interview and I loved every bit of it. As a huge fan of live music, it really was my dream job. I would attend the biggest concerts that came to town, snap photos of the artists, then do a write-up of the show. I got paid to see the world's best musicians.

When it came time to attend the BTS show, I didn't think twice about it. I went into it just like all of the other jobs. I'd heard of them and enjoyed the songs I knew, but I didn't consider myself anything more than a casual fan. Needless to say, they put on an incredible show and their fans were some of the most fun to interact with. I was definitely a solid fan after that.

Fast forward to a week later and the email from Big Hit came. They saw my photos from the show that had been uploaded to the paper's website and social media accounts. After seeing some of my other work, I had two video interviews with the previous head of their photography department, who was retiring. She called me not even a week later to offer me the job.

That was the much-needed change my life needed. I loved my job but knew I was capable of more. It was time to move on to something new. Not only in my career, but it was the perfect way for me to get out of the horrible relationship I was stuck in.

But we don't talk about him.

So here I am a year later with a new job in a country on the other side of the world. It was a terrifying move but everyone at the company is wonderful. They made my transition easy and couldn't have been more welcoming. It really is a big family here.

You know whose fun photo books that come with CDs, DVDs, and special packages? I put those together now. A different team conducts the formal photo shoots while my focus is on live performances. Then it's up to me to help put the photo books together. It's a lot of work with a lot of deadlines, but it's also a lot of fun. I work with an incredible team.

The timer went off, signaling that the garlic bread was done. I shut the faucet off and took the bread out of the oven, placing it on the counter to cool. I grabbed my phone and opened the group text I had with the boys.

**Who's hungry? And BYOB this time. (I mean it, Jin.)**

They all lived a few floors above me. I figured it would take them at least 20 minutes for them to start showing up, so I started boiling the pasta.

The boys and I bonded quickly when I first arrived here, which was good since my job required us to spend a lot of time together. Whether they were filming Run episodes or going live, I was there to snap candids and send them off to the social media team for upload.

I was leaning against the counter and scrolling through my phone when the first knocks sounded on the door. I had a feeling of who it was, as he was always the first to arrive. And when I looked through the peep hole, I was right. I opened the door and was greeted by his smiling eyes. He was holding up a single yellow flower, which was covering his mouth. I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Kookie."