Chapter 2: Thank You, JYP
*Flashback*
Mina and I had a fine Friday morning until we read the email about our next RealGOT7 shoot. Our boss asked us to finish Episodes 4 and 5 within the day, and to pack our bags for weekend work. Apparently we were scheduled to shoot and stay overnight at a resort owned by one of JYP's friends.
Pandemonium. We didn't even have a cut-to-cut draft to begin with. But we managed to finish everything by 9PM and before heading home, Mina and I decided to get ramyeon for dinner. It was the first time since I came to JYPE that I got to really spend time with her.
At the ramyeon house she asked me what I thought of our work so far and I honestly said I have been enjoying every minute of it, no matter how hard it got. "But how is it different from your job in Australia?" She asked.
"Oh I mostly worked freelance. I edited my friend's YouTube videos and got paid for each one. I was also a waitress at a Korean restaurant owned by my mom's friend where I had to dress up in a hanbok every day after school for almost two years." I answered, secretly thankful for the times I spent smelling like kimchi on my way back to the university dorms because the money I saved up from it helped me a lot when I was starting out in Korea on my own.
"Wait, I thought your family's rich, why did you have to work after school?"
"What made you think my family's rich?"
"Because you dress up so well!" She said in an accusatory tone I wasn't used to. I almost spat ramyeon soup out of my mouth. "I see it all the time. I know that you take the labels off your clothes but I've seen those things in magazines so I know that they're branded and where EXACTLY you bought them. Most of the clothes you wear are not even in Korean malls yet!"
"Mina-yah! How do you even notice these things?!"
"Well, that cap is definitely legit but obviously you decided to remove the authenticity sticker," I cringed and decided to wear my cap backwards. "I know some people who would wear shirts with price tags on them just to make a point, but you... You're different." She smiled at me before diving back into her ramyeon, her thick ponytail of curly back hair bobbed behind her. I felt my cheeks reddening at the unexpected validation.
"Okay, I'll be completely honest. My mom has a jewelry business and my dad started out as a small-time carpenter from Busan," I said, realizing that it's been more than a year since I last told my story to somebody. "They live in a bungalow house on a street where mostly rich people live. We have the smallest house in that neighborhood but it was made out of high grade wood and has a lot of windows. My dad worked really hard on that house and he raised us to live conservatively."
"So who else is living in that house now?"
"My older brother," I answered, taking my phone and showing her pictures of my home and my family in Australia.
"Oh wow, your brother is good looking. He dresses well too!" Her comment made me laugh. Mina was the one who asked GOT7's stylist about their outfits during the photo shoot, and that's where I got the idea for the OBB. We were cowering by the dressing rooms then when the stylist noona asked us for our opinion on the sweater pairings. At that time, my first thought was that Mina seemed to have an amazing eye for detail, much like magazine editors and art directors. I know this because my mother has a lot of friends and business contacts in Australia's magazine industry and most of them are my godmothers.
"I won't deny the fact that I buy branded clothes, but I never wanted people to know that. Growing up, we were only allowed one designer item per year. My dad hates expensive clothing but I have decided that since I'm making my own money now, I should dress myself nicely. I still remove the labels though, out of habit and out of respect for my dad."
"I think you're really lucky. People like us can't even buy designer items, much less get one every year," Mina joked. "But I'm glad to know that you work hard for what you have." I smiled and thanked her. Had I known her in high school, I would have had a better time.
"Omo! Since we're on the topic of clothes, I just remembered I have nothing to wear tomorrow!" Mina's face showed pure dilemma but I couldn't quite keep myself from laughing.
"Araseo, let's finish this up and go to my apartment. You can pick out clothes from my closet."
*Flashforward*
It's fun to see them acting foolish on tape, but it's another thing to see them being idiots in the flesh. JB is surprisingly mischievous. In the clips I edit, he usually broods in the background while the rest of the boys fool around. Today he's even more energetic than Jinyoung, who's always up for fun as long as it's safe. Jinyoung's nagging is off the charts today. Off cam, he keeps nagging about the boys running around shirtless or jumping into the pool too hard. I guess this is why the fans call him GOT7's mother.
If he's the matriarch, and JB the patriarch, Jackson may as well be the prodigal son. "Who paid for this place?" Jackson asks, always the spendthrift. The leader gamely answers, "JYP," and the rest of the boys clap their hands for the PD. "JYP, kamsahamnida!" Jackson says on cam, much to the director's delight.
"I wonder what it's like being so close to the boss and calling the PD by that name?" Mina whispers. We are sitting by the house with our laptops, watching the boys and the film crew from afar.
"I don't know, but I heard Jackson is the closest to PD. Look at all the side projects he's getting!" I say, whispering conspiratorially. "He has more TV show appearances than Jinyoung and JB combined—and they both started off on TV!"
"Hey, don't talk about JB like that you know he's my bias!" Mina pouts at me and I burst out laughing. She's a total fan. She told me last night that she asked to be transferred to our web show after the first season. "I know your bias is Jackson but be considerate about me too," She says, poking at the fact that Jackson is my entry point to GOT7.
I am no fan, compared to Mina. But I'm partial to Jackson because of his warm and funny personality. He's the kind of guy you could watch for hours and his facial reactions are golden. We all agree that TV people love him because of his unassuming charm. Other talent companies wouldn't want their artists to be so busy with side projects but JYP allows Jackson to take on other shows because he's a hard working kid—at least that's what I have heard.
"Sarang-ah, these pool games make me want to jump into the water too!" Mina grumbles. I sigh while scrolling through the bulk of video clips we need to sort and backup.
"Well then tear your clothes off and jump, who says you can't?"
"I always forget you're a foreigner," She says, shaking her head at me. "First of all, they're still filming. The director would kill me for sure. Secondly, this isn't Sydney, we don't just take our clothes off and jump into the water. Look at Jinyoung. He's wearing a jacket in the pool!" I turn my head to look where Mina's looking. There he is, splashing around with a blue and white jacket even with the sun beating down on him.
"Oh yeah, why is he wearing a jacket anyway?"
"Because he's wearing a tank top underneath and he doesn't want anything inappropriate to show,"
"We'll why is Yugyeom wearing a tank top then?"
"Because he's a pure and innocent boy." She points to the unsuspecting maknae and I immediately swat her hand before anyone notices. We then decide to take our laptops to the rooftop of the rest house and work on the archives from there. This way, we won't have to censor our mouths all the time.
Before we know it, it's almost dinner time. Mina and I have talked about the rest of our K-Pop bias list while sorting through one whole season's worth of footage. It's past 7PM and the house seems abandoned except for the laughter coming from outside. We creep our way back to the filming site to find that the boys are now positioned on the other side of the pool, the smell of barbecue wafting through the air.
We wait until the whole shoot is done before finally eating our own dinner of jjajangmyeon and exploring the resort. We walk around the garden, and then around the pool, talking about random things until we notice that we are the only ones left outside. "Mina-yah, I think it's time to swim!" I say, looking around to see if there's anyone else lurking around.
"Aishhh, jinjja?! What if someone sees us?"
"They're probably too tired to care anyway," I say, hastily taking off my sandals and my dress. "Come on, you said you wanted to swim" I fold my clothes and set my belongings aside, my body in full view as I'm wearing only my red bandeau bikini.
Mina scans the area cautiously before whisper screaming at me in the dark. "OMO! Why do you look like an idol?! Your S-line is amazing. How am I supposed to strip when you look like that?! I'm going to look like a fat squid beside you!"
"Mina-yah, hajima! No one's looking so strip down and I promise I won't judge." I wait for a few seconds with my arms crossed in front of me.
"Okay, okay," She responds before finally taking off the maxi dress I have given her last night. I roll my eyes at her. She's anything BUT a fat squid. We silently slip into the pool, wading wordlessly in fear of being discovered. "I haven't done anything this crazy in ages!" Mina says, her face lighting up with joy in the darkness.
"You think this is crazy? Skinny dipping is crazy, this is nothing." I answer cockily, moving towards the side of the pool to prepare for a lap.
"What, so you've tried skinny dipping before?!" She asks, possibly scandalized at the thought of me swimming completely naked somewhere in Australia. I smile at her in response, resolving not to tell her that I actually went skinning dipping with a boy from my swim team because from the looks of it the details might give her a mini heart attack.
After five laps, Mina finally whines about the cold and waddles out of the pool. "Oh gosh, I feel so cold how can you be so comfortable doing laps?" She watches me finish my 6th round.
"I was in my university's swimming team and we practiced early in the morning so I'm used to the cold," I respond while watching her dress up.
"That's cool. Hey, I'm going ahead upstairs to wash. I'll let you know if anyone's still up," She says, leaving me floating in the water. I look up at the sky to find stars blinking down at me and I can't help but smile. Things are getting better now. It may seem weird to think that way a month into my new job but I'm still optimistic. I close my eyes to feel the water rippling all around me, the cold wind kissing my nose. Something's telling me that I'm about to witness something huge, something new. I am, after all, now working at one of South Korea's top entertainment companies.
Beep!
I swim my way out of the pool to check my phone. "Coast is clear!" I know for sure that we have gotten close because I can now hear Mina's cute voice in my head while reading her text. I wear my dress again and start walking towards the garden at the back of the house, water dripping from the ends of my hair.
The silence is deafening as I walk and my dress is clinging onto my wet body. It's a good thing to be walking in semi-darkness right now because I'm pretty sure my red swimsuit can be seen through my wet dress.
"Coco, wait..." I suddenly hear a faint voice followed by tiny dog barks behind me. I freeze, scared to death because I know that voice. I've memorized it so well despite the fact that he barely says anything. Coco continues to bark at me. I feel panic rising upwards from my gut as I stand under the faint light of the house.