Tuesday had arrived. This morning, before class, I needed to try and give my parents a call. I hadn't heard from them since I'd gotten here and to be honest, it was a little worrying. So, I took a seat on the couch and dialled my Mum. The tone echoed through the apartment as I waited. A second later, her voice came through on the other end.
"Hello? Jia?"
"Mum, yea it's me. How are you?"
"Oh it's good to hear from you, I'm alright" she replied, "How're your studies?"
"They are going well!" I told her. I heard a faint noise in the background that sounded like my dad.
"Jia" My mum's voice suddenly dropped slightly, it gave me the feeling that something was off.
"Yes..?" I hesitated, not really wanting to hear anything bad.
"There's something I need to tell you. Please don't be disappointed," she began to say.
"...Yes?" I now knew something had definitely happened.
"It's about the rent... Your Father is.. going through some debt troubles and.." I gathered that this wasn't what she was wanting to tell me so I stopped her before she could finish.
"It's fine! Don't worry. I've got a job and I'm saving now. How long do I have?" I started mentally trying to calculate how much I needed and get an idea of the time frame.
"Well, that's the thing.. I'm so sorry sweetie. It will only cover it until the end of this week." Her voice was sombre. I felt my heart sink a little at the news. It was somewhat sudden, I knew it was coming but not this soon.
"It's okay, I'll figure it out.'' In all honesty, I was trying to reassure myself more than her. I heard a loud crash in the background and my mum panicked.
"Oh shit sorry baby I have to go, I'll call you later."
I sat there for a moment as the call dialled out. A flood of thoughts started going through my head. How the hell was I supposed to get the money by the end of this week...?
I sighed and fell back onto the couch. My head started to feel heavy at the thought of it all. After a few minutes of trying to calm down and think logically, I pulled out my laptop and started sending out resumes for any job I could find. I spent most of my day doing this until it was time for my afternoon class.
It was hard to concentrate as I sat through the lecture. The professor's words went in one ear and out the other. I gazed out the window at the campus scenery that lay outside, giving in to my thoughts.
The bell rang, snapping me out of it, so I quickly shoved everything inside my bag and went to go and find Hoseok. I'd promised I would go and watch him perform this afternoon and even though I was stressed out, I couldn't leave him hanging after he'd gone to the trouble of inviting me. As I walked down the street I passed by some clubs, one, in particular, had a notice board and when I took a closer look I saw that they were scouting for workers.
I stopped momentarily to read it, only to realise they were hiring new hostesses. This sort of job was one that you could make really good money from if you were good at what you did. I decided to take one of the contact flyers and shoved it in my bag. I could always give it a try and if it wasn't for me I could just find something else and quit later...
I kept walking until I started to see the familiar sight of a crowd gathered on the street side. Did they already start? I panicked a bit, not wanting to be late and missing out! I jogged up, relieved to see that no one was dancing yet and that they were still setting up.
The fact that the crowd had already gathered was a good sign, maybe Hobi's dance crew was famous around these parts. Speaking of Hobi, I should probably find him and say hi before the show begins.
I went around to the side where there was a space to walk in and out of the centre of the crowd. That was where the crew was setting up. I instantly spotted Hobi who was plugging in some speakers. He looked up and around, noticing me straight away. I called out to him and gave a wave, he grinned as he stood up and jogged over to me.
"Ohhh Jia, you made it!" He excitedly pulled me into a hug.
"Of course! No way I could miss this!" I laughed, giving him a quick pat on the back before he pulled out of the short but comforting embrace.
"I've figured it out!" He then exclaimed, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Figured out?" I questioned. His smile was really something else, just like his charisma.
"The best view, C'mon," he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the three thick concrete steps that were close behind the performance area. As he took a huge step onto the first one he pulled me up with him. I soon saw that it gave a good elevated view of the space they would be dancing in. And, even though it was from behind it was still much better than not being able to see over people's shoulders.
"Wow you're right, this is perfect! I'll be able to see everything perfectly!" I beamed, looking back from the stage area to him. Hoseok gave me a small nod before letting go of my hand and stepping back down.
"Yep. Sure will. We're starting in a couple of minutes so I have to get ready."
"Okay, I'll be here! Good luck!" I called out.
"Thanks! I'll see you after the show." He gave a small wink before going back over to his crew.
I took a seat on the step and watched as they all started to jump around and hype up the crowd.
"Alright, alright, who's ready for the show to start!" One of the dancers spoke over the mic. The crowd cheered in excitement. The dancers along with Hobi started to take their places and the music started to play.
I watched on as they started to bop around, people cheered as they did. The excitement built up so I joined in and started clapping and calling out too.
They started doing all kinds of cool tricks and b-boy moves, it was awesome. But more than anything, Hoseok was catching my eye, he was so smooth when he danced and I was trying my best not to fan-girl like an idiot but god, it was hard when he was just this fluid.
At the exact moment he'd finished his solo and turned around to walk back his eyes met mine, he held his gaze for a second before flashing a confident grin right at me.
I'd always seen Hobi as a friend and not as anything more but, I was starting to question why I hadn't noticed how sexy he was until now!?
Jesus, I needed to calm down. The rest of the show was high energy, by the end of it, my cheeks ached a little from smiling. Cheers erupted and then died out again as some people started to disperse. There were still a few stragglers that stayed behind. Approaching and striking up a conversation with Hobi and the other members of his dance crew.
I waited as they shook hands and enjoyed the chat. Then, a girl approached Hobi, from what she was wearing it appeared like she was also a Hip Hop dancer of some kind. She was undeniably pretty, too.
She was into him, from watching the flirty way she touched him to the giggles it was hard to tell. He seemed to be enjoying the attention as he went along with it. I never thought about it before now, but he must have been really popular with girls. It made me wonder more, what it would be like to be romantically involved with him... The cute things he might say or do... He'd never flirted with me, as far as I could tell. So, I had absolutely no idea and it left a lot to the imagination. Somehow, seeing this gave me the impression he would be really good at flirting.
I shook my head, trying to let go of the thoughts. Hobi had finished talking to that girl and was coming my way.
"Ahhhh," he gave a sigh of relief, plopped down next to me on the step.
"It's official," I announced, causing him to turn his head and look at me.
"Hm? What is?" He seemed confused, it was cute.
"I've officially become a fan." I poked my tongue out playfully and he laughed.
"Haha, thanks. But.." his expression changed as he hesitated.
"What is it?" I asked, not understanding why being a fan would cause him to look so conflicted. He paused for a moment before laughing again.
"You're my friend before anything else. Lately, I've started to realise that there's a difference."
"A difference.." I contemplated, was there more to it? He leant forward, elbows resting on his knees as he spoke to me.
"Hmm. Sometimes the line between the two isn't clear but..." he contemplated, pausing for a moment.
"Then.. how can you tell?" I questioned. Admittedly, I'd never had fans so I couldn't relate.
"I can just feel it. When someone wants to know me for me. Y'know, when it's genuine." He explained. I pulled my gaze away from him and off to the side for a moment.
"So.. Seeing as we are such good friends," he grinned cheekily, the mood shifting as he did, "Come watch me dance more often."
"Yeah, I will!" I still didn't really understand what was going through his head that had prompted him to say what he did, but, I was glad he wanted me to come to watch him. I enjoyed it and it cheered me up when I was feeling down.
"Good!" Hobi smiled back before glancing down at his watch, another sigh leaving him.
"Hey uhh, I gotta get going."
"Dance practice?" I asked, half not expecting it to be a correct guess.
"Yeah, Thanks for coming to support me though," he said as he stood up and slung his bag on.
"No problem, thanks for inviting me" I replied.
"Anytime. Alrighty, well, I'll catch ya later then." He gave me a kind wave before going off on his way. I walked back home, passing by Kodama along the way. Jin popped into my mind. I hadn't heard from him in a while, so I sent him a text to see how he was. As soon as I got home I received a reply.
Jia: Jin! How are you?! I hope you're okay, haven't heard from you in ages.. 😕
Jin: Hey pretty lady~ I'm doing okay. What about you? You didn't message me either 😂
Jia: haha, yea true 😅 I'm good! But I miss you~
Jin: Oh really?😉😉
Jin: Yeah, not gonna lie I've been pretty busy..
Jia: Aw..
Jia:Too busy to go get some ice cream with me? ☺️
Jin: Well…
Jin: I guess I could fit you in on Friday between practice🤔
Jia: 😊
Jia: I'll take it~
Jia: what time?
Jin: 2! Don't be late!
Jia: Okay! I won't, promise 🙏🏻 See you then~ 😋
I put my phone away and took a seat on the couch, my laptop was open on the coffee table. The job applications I'd sent earlier are still on the screen. I had so much fun with Hobi that I'd completely forgotten about what happened this morning.
I quickly rummaged through my bag and pulled out the contact flyer from the club poster board and set it on the table.
I'll wait a few days to see if I get a reply from any other applications first. And then, if I don't hear anything back I'll call the club. It wasn't my first choice but I hadn't gotten any requests from the agency lately, which only added to my stress. It just wasn't stable enough.
I went to bed with my worries at the forefront of my mind, hopefully, things would work out. I didn't know what I would do if they didn't...