“So what are you going to do after college?” your roommate asks looking up from her laptop while simultaneously popping a grape into . She leaned back and stretched out, sore from sitting in the same position for so long. 

It was one of those lazy Sunday afternoons where you guys didn't feel like going outside and just wanted to spend the whole day indoors lounging around staring at your laptop with a blanket wrapped around your body to preserve heat. Since winter had barely passed, the weather was still quite chilly, despite the bright rays of sun hitting the earth trying to wake up the plants that had been dormant for months with it's warmth. Sunny weather with a cool breeze. 

“Ugh, I don’t even know. I’m so stressed right now, it’s either I look for a job or go to grad school, but I don’t even know what I want to do.” You groan while sluggishly looking at the long list of career suggestions online. It was still the spring semester of your senior year in college, but you knew you should already be considering plans after graduation. A lot of other students in your class already had jobs lined up, gotten into Med school, or planned a gap year to travel the world. It seemed like everyone had their life figured out except you, and it just added stress to your lost, indecisive self. 

“Oh come on, you’re smart and can pretty much do anything you want. I think you should consider being a translator or something since you’re fluent in Chinese, English, and Korean. I heard interpreters make a lot of dough.” She says while giving you an encouraging smile.

Of course you knew your language skills were probably your strong point, being lucky enough to have a Korean mom and Chinese dad as well as growing up in the United States, but it was always something you took for granted and the thought of making a career out of it never really appealed to you. Yeah, being an interpreter/translator was a good option, but you wanted that satisfaction of achieving a goal through hard work and not just have it handed to you on a silver platter. It sounds cheesy, but you did actually want to make a difference in the world. 

“Wow, you almost sounded like my mom right there, she's always going off about how I should find a job where I can make a living, but also have it be suitable for a modern day woman” You say while rolling your eyes playfully. “I'm already stressed enough as it is, what makes her think I even have the time and energy to think about starting a family. I don't even have a boyfriend for heaven's sake." You facepalm and proceed to curl up in a fetal position. "But What made you suddenly ask anyways? Have you already decided?” You ask, looking over at your roommate, who's in the same boat as you when it came to plans after graduation. 

“Didn’t I already tell you before that I’m planning on becoming a Kpop stylist?” She says as if it were a completely rational answer to a serious quesiton. It doesn't even come out in a jokingly sort of way because you can tell when she's being completely serious, but this isn't the first time you've had to try and snap her out of her delusions.  

“Ok, I know you’re completely obsessed with Kpop and you study fashion and design, but let’s be real, you can’t possibly think being a stylist for a Kpop group is a realistic goal can you?” You sigh and look at her with a raised eyebrow.

Your roommate’s lips form into a pout. “It’s the only thing I want to do, a long time dream of mine. I know, I sound delusional, but my passionate heart tells me to give it a shot.” She pats her chest and pretends to get all emotional.

None of this was new to you. You've known since the first day you met her that she was an avid Kpop fan, and she wasn't even the type to try and hide it. She’s been deep into the Kpop scene since the beginning of high school, and although she thought she would slowly move on from Kpop throughout college, she kept falling in love with the new groups. Even though the new ones could never replace her old bias groups, she still fell for the likes of Red Velvet, GFriend, Twice, BlackPink, EXO, GOT7, NCT and her current ultimate bias group… BTS. She also pretty much knows all there is to know about the Korean entertainment industry, a "magical world of musical gods and goddesses" as she likes to refer to it as. 

You on the other hand, knew absolutely nothing about Kpop, let alone who any of those idols were. The most you could do was recognize some of their songs, thanks to your roommate who would often times blast music throughout the whole apartment. 

You sigh and give up trying to be rational. “Okay…if that's what you really want.” But just before you could comment anymore about her so called “dreams”, her phone started ringing, and of course the ringtone was BTS’s “Blood, Sweat, and Tears”, a song you’ve heard waaaaay too many times because she refuses to put her phone on vibrate unless she’s in class. Although the song was decent, you felt that you could never in a million years understand your roommates obsession with it.

“WHAAAT!?! You can’t go anymore?!?! Who am I going to go with then? Can’t you ask your professor if you can makeup the test?” You overhear your roommate on the phone. You were wondering what happened as you watched your roommate hang up and cover her face with her hands. Just as you were about to ask, she slowly looks up at you and her face forms an expression that looks like she just thought of a great idea. Oh great. You knew that look, and you knew that everytime that look showed up on your roommates face, you were in for something you probably didn't want to be. You raise your eyebrows while looking at her.

“MinChannie” your roommates coos, attempting to use her aegyo on you. “Remember that BTS concert I was telling you about a few weeks ago?” You nod hesitantly, remembering how she freaked out when she got her hands on the tickets and couldn't sleep for days due to the excitement. How could you forget? She continues as you stare at her, waiting to hear something you probably didn't want to. “Well, Sooyeon can’t go with me because of a test she has to take, so…..”

“No” You quickly cut her off, you knew where this was going and you didn't like it. You were not planning on spending a full day with thousands of crazy fangirls all drooling over a group of idol guys. “I’m still looking for a job and planning my future remember? I don’t have time for that.” You turn and walk back to your bed. 

Your roommates runs over with a pleading look in her eyes. “Pleeeaaaase” She begs grabbing on to you hands. "I just don’t want to be alone, and it’ll be really fun. Can’t you just think of it as an early birthday present?” She looks so desperate you were questioning if maybe she might just burst into tears. You couldn't even fathom how much this concert might mean to her, and even though you didn't understand her "feels" when it came to BTS, you weren't going to be a heartless friend because you just didn't have it in you to reject her like this. 

You take a deep breath and consider the pros and cons of going to a Kpop concert with her. Weighing the gains and losses that were about to be dumped on your already sad looking future.

“Fine” You sigh, and finally give in after realizing life can only go uphill after hitting rock bottom. It can’t be that bad, right? You think to yourself after you agreed, and your roommate proceeded to hop up and down, prancing around the room like she just won the lottery. 

BTS songs were enjoyable from what your roommate has exposed you to so far, and their performances did seem really incredible. You decided to try and enjoy the thought of going to a concert, it’ll at least be a good way to de-stress from all the career planning you’ve been burying yourself in.

.....