Taehyung had been waiting for this day for months: his 18^th birthday. His parents had been hinting at his present for about a year now. It started when he heard his mother humming America’s National Anthem one morning when she was making breakfast, which Taehyung thought was odd because she never hummed, and he didn’t even know that she knew The Land of the Free’s song that is bound to get stuck in your head after hearing it. Then it was his dad who gave him a Korean to English dictionary that he had said he found among his things from his college days. Taehyung had always wanted to learn English, but never found the time. So, whenever he could, he’d read the dictionary and practice saying the words out loud. Using any website he could find, he’d play audio files and repeat the words. By the time his birthday came around, he had read that Korean to English dictionary from cover to cover about ten times over, and had managed to learn how to say full sentences with almost no stuttering…almost. But Taehyung was going to make damn sure that he would be able to hold a conversation if need be, especially with what he had planned for when he got there.

              “Happy Birthday, Tae!” his mother came into his room, holding a cupcake with a candle on it, followed by his father, who had a red and blue envelope in his hands. It was about nine in the morning, but Taehyung had been awake for about an hour already, having been too excited about his trip.

              “Thanks, mom.” He replied, accepting the cupcake she held out to him. He gave each of them a one-armed hug, trying not to get frosting on their clothes. His parents looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to blow out the candle. He gave them a small smile, silently wishing his mother would stop cheating and his father would be around more. He blew out the candle, his parents clapping, unaware of what their son was thinking.

              “So, are you ready for your present?” his father asked, excitedly clutching the envelope tighter in his hands. Taehyung nodded enthusiastically, reaching for the envelope. His dad chuckled and handed it over to his son. As the teenager held the envelope, he realized that he wanted this moment to last a long time. This is one of the few moments where his family actually seemed…happy. He knew that the minute he opened the envelope, his parents would be urging him to hurry up and pack his things so he could make the flight that was most likely in a few hours or the next day.

              He slowly opened the flap of the envelope and pulled out a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles, California, along with about one thousand dollars in cash. Taehyung stared at the large amount of money in his hand, not having expected this part of the gift. He had no idea what to say.

              “So, do you like it?” his mother asked, sounding slightly concerned at his lack of response. All of the sudden, Taehyung leaped off his bed and pulled his mother and father into a bone-crushing hug.

              “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!” the boy practically shouted in their ears. His parents laughed as they wrapped their arms around their son, glad to see that he liked his gift, secretly relieved to see him like this, as they had not seen him smile in quite a long time.

              “Alright, we better let you start packing. Don’t forget to pack enough for the entire week. Your flight leaves at 7 o’clock.” His mother said, letting go. His father nodded and backed away as well, smiling at his son before he and his wife left the room to let him pack. Taehyung felt a slight sadness after his parents left his bedroom, but he ignored it and proceeded to pack his luggage. He wasn’t so much as packing than he was just throwing random articles of clothing and toiletries into his suitcase. He also managed to shove his laptop, camera, and chargers into his bag while still being able to close it. He shoved his phone in his pocket as he rolled his luggage bag out of his room to set it by the front door. It had taken him about two hours to pack, so he still had about nine hours until he had to leave for the airport. He planned to spend the rest of his time with his parents, since he wouldn’t be seeing them for about a week. But, when he looked for them, he found his dad already on the phone with a customer and his mother was on the phone with her “coworker”, which Taehyung knew to be her lover. So, instead of having quality family time on his birthday before he leaves, he spent the remainder of his day in his room sketching a dragon he had been working on for a few days.

              When it became six, he called a cab and said goodbye to his parents, excited to be going to America for the first time, but also disappointed because he would have liked to spend his actual birthday with his parents.

              An hour later, he was on the fifteen-hour flight to Los Angeles. He slept for most of the flight, and sketched for the rest. Once the plane landed, it was about ten in the morning. Taehyung got off the plane, collected his luggage, and flagged down a cab to take him to the hotel that he’d be staying in for the next week. He dropped his things off in his room before going to the one place that he had been looking forward to going to for a year now: a tattoo parlor.

              He walked into the parlor, heart pounding at the thought of his mother ever finding out about this. He walked up to the counter with a woman sitting behind it, reading a magazine that had Pierce the Veil on the front of it. She looked up and gave Taehyung a smile. “Hello, sir. How may I help you today?” she asked. Taehyung took a deep breath, trying to remember the English he had been practicing over the past few months.

              “Uh…h-hi. I’m here to make an appointment.” He managed. She tilted her head slightly in confusion at his stuttering, but then realized he is struggling because he doesn’t speak English very well.

              “What is your first language?” she asked, opening a white binder she had next to her, looking through it for an opening.

              “Korean.” Taehyung replied. She nodded, writing something in the binder. She then asked for his ID and for what size tattoo he wants. She gave him the range of prices so he knows how much to pay after he receives it.

              “Are you ready right now? Because we have an opening in fifteen minutes.” She questioned. Taehyung nodded assertively. He had been waiting for a year; he was ready. “Alright, please have a seat and I’ll call you when they’re ready.” She informed him. He sat down in the chair next to the door and waited to be called. Exactly fifteen minutes later, she called his name and told him to go to the third door on the left. He gave her a quiet “thank you” before walking to the door. He wasn’t sure if he should knock or not, but he knew the tattoo artist would be expecting him anyway.

              He opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him. When he turned around, there was a young man sitting on a stool, wearing a tank top that proudly displayed the full sleeves of tattoos he had, some Taehyung could make out, and others he couldn’t. When the man looked up, he had a large smile on his face that reminded Taehyung of a child in a candy store.

              “Hello, my name is Hoseok and I’ll be drawing on you today.” He kidded, holding his hand out to the boy. Taehyung was startled to hear the man speaking Korean, but relieved to not have to struggle to communicate. He smiled, and shook the man’s tattooed hand. “So, what type of tattoo do you want?”

              “I would like a quote down the side of my torso.” He replied. Hoseok nodded, beginning to clean the needle.

              “And what would the quote say?”

              “I promise to never give up.” Taehyung choked out the words that Jungkook had told him a year ago. Hoseok must have noticed, because he stopped cleaning the needle to look up at Taehyung.

              “You okay?” he asked, placing the needle on the table next to him.

              “Yeah…it’s just…”

              “It’s personal, I get it. I just want to make sure you are positive you want this because once you get it, it’s permanent.” Hoseok reminded him.

              “I do. I’m positive.” Taehyung answered, sitting in the reclining chair in front of Hoseok.

              “Good. You ready to start?” Hoseok smiled.

              Hoseok was surprised that Taehyung didn’t even flinch when he began with the actual needle. Usually he gets a hiss, sometimes even a yell or a cry. So, because he didn’t have to do any calming, he just began to make conversation.

              Taehyung learned that Hoseok was from Gwangju and had been a tattoo artist for two years now. He was only 20 years old, and was planning on moving back to Korea in a few weeks. He wanted to open his own parlor in Seoul, if he can. Taehyung briefly asked if Hoseok had any recommendations on what to do while he was in Los Angeles and Hoseok had a counter-suggestion.

              “Well, I get off at about five. How about I show you around?” he suggested, smiling up at Taehyung. The teenager thought about it, and it didn’t seem like a bad idea (other than the fact that he’d be letting a stranger covered in tattoos give him a tour of a city he’s never been to). He didn’t know anyone and Hoseok speaks fluent Korean, which would give him someone to talk to without having the question whether he’s saying things properly.

              “Sure, sounds good to me.”

              For the next week, Hoseok and Taehyung were inseparable. Hoseok, who later mentioned that his friends called him J-Hope, showed him the Los Angeles Zoo, Universal Studios, Disneyland, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It had been the best week of Taehyung’s life. J-Hope also told Taehyung all about being a tattoo artist and how he enjoyed doing what he does. Taehyung had never considered becoming a tattoo artist, but with the way Hoseok describes being able to go to work and create art every day, he began to think it wasn’t that bad of an idea.