I
Opportunity

            A rather calloused thumb slid over the otherwise smooth screen of the phone, opening the messaging application. The most recent message was up on top of the list, with the sender’s name labeled as ‘Manager Sejin’. The owner of both the said thumb and phone, Seokjin, touched the message open again, despite having read it already earlier this morning. He wanted to make sure he got Sejin’s instructions correct about waiting for him at the conference room at nine, and not chalking it up to just groggy dreaming of the other day’s meeting instead. It had been a hectic couple of months this October and November after all—he was admittedly a little tired lately.

“From: Manager Sejin
Meet me in the conference room by nine. It’s important. Thanks.”

So he read the message right after all, he thought. Seokjin pressed the phone’s top button to turn it off, then placed the gadget down on the table. He let himself lean back on the soft office chair while his fingers tapped on the armrests. The digital clock above the room’s double doors read five past nine in the morning. Their manager wasn’t all that late, but Seokjin was, of course, growing a bit bored. It didn’t help that he could hear the other members (mostly the younger ones) from outside the hall. It was supposed to be time for warm-ups now, but since they had just wrapped up the promotions for their recent hit, everyone was allowed to be lax, at least for today. Seokjin assumed the others were horsing around first and, despite being the eldest in the group, his status as the youngest in his family still gave him the playful aspect. Dare he admit it, he did want to join in the fun.

            Ah well. I can join later on anyway. He thought to himself with a small smile. Since he hadn’t gotten his own warm-up yet, Seokjin decided to at least stretch a little. He stood up and rolled his shoulders first, finding that they needed to be released of tension, and then moved onto some gentle neck rotations. His sleep last night was rather uncomfortable so he found these small exercises quite helpful. Afterwards, he intertwined his fingers and stretched his arms forwards. It was only then that he felt the callousness of his hands. He remembered how he kept on skipping lotion the past week until now because he ran out of the brand he wanted and never found much time to go out and buy some more. He would have requested it from the staff, but that was imposing too much, he knew. Or if it didn’t, Seokjin would still feel bad somehow. He decided he’d drag Yoongi out with him soon to stock up on toiletries for the dorm. Yoongi was partially at fault for his lotion running out that fast after all. He would say he wasn’t too concerned about his looks but he can hog skincare products if he could.

            Seokjin shook his head. Yoongi would complain. He’d bring Jimin instead.

          His dragging thoughts of lotion and other random items needed for the dorm was abruptly (and fortunately) interrupted when the conference’s double-doors opened and Sejin entered.

            Seokjin smiled and gave a light bow. “Good morning, hyung!”

            Sejin gave his own greetings back and motioned for Seokjin to take a seat while he himself took the one in front of the idol.

         “Sorry I took so long,” the older man started as he removed his bag and adjusted his seat on the leather chair. They made a lot of noise for such little movements. He ignored it, though, and placed a manila envelope on the table in front of Seokjin. “I had to get this from the office.”

            Seokjin eyed the envelope curiously. “What’s that?”

            Sejin smiled. “An opportunity. You’re the next one to act, Seokjin.”

            The young man’s eyes widened and he stood up from his seat, leaning over the table. His gaze moved from the envelope to his manager repeatedly, until he settled on the former.

            “Are you serious?” Seokjin’s voice wavered and he would have been embarrassed had he not been more excited. “Is this real? Like, really real?”

            The other nodded. “When did I ever lie to you? We’ve finally gotten you a role that you can start on.”

           Seokjin forgot all about his chair now and maintained his stance over the table, even though he felt a little uncomfortable. He didn’t mind. He had better things to think of now.

            “What is it? Is it a drama?”

           Sejin snorted a little. If he did not know Seokjin personally, he wouldn’t have thought the idol was a twenty-five-year-old young man. He shook his head to answer. “No, it’s not a drama. You’d be surprised by what role you were given. I was surprised, too, but here. Take a look.” He then flipped the envelope over to reveal the label that was attached to it.

“Kim Seokjin (BTS Jin) – Lead role
‘Romance in Jinhae’
Film by Dir. Baek Ilseong
CJ Film Division”

            It was not at all considered a ‘manly’ thing to do, but Seokjin’s gasp sounded like a child’s. A film. A film. It was literally labeled as a film. Sejin let out a hearty laugh at the reaction and bid Seokjin take the envelope to open while he himself calmed down. Seokjin didn’t even need a cue and he grabbed the documents in a heartbeat, yet he was internally torn between opening it in a hurry and being careful on not ripping it with his own hands. He was able to pull out a three-page formal invitation directed towards Big Hit Entertainment and Seokjin himself, including basic details about the film. The shine in his eyes was enough to show his appreciation for the papers in his hands. He scanned the invitation again for the schedules and was surprised. Seokjin turned to his manager.

            “Hyung, not that I’m complaining or anything but… the expected filming for this is in January.” He said, suddenly unsure. “Will that still be okay? With the tour and stuff after all.”

           “Ah, yeah. That was what I was going to explain.” Sejin settled on his chair. “Originally, that role wasn’t for you. A few months ago, we were already forwarding your and Taehyung’s profiles to film companies for available acting roles, but most of the time, idols end up in the waiting list. In this case, however, this role was for B1A4’s Gongchan.”

            “Oh? Did he back out then?” Seokjin asked.

            “Sort of. He decided to prioritize their group’s activities this time around, and so left the lead spot of the movie open last minute. That’s when they called us up to give you the offer.” Sejin reached out to get the invitation on the table. “Said they were also interested instead in having a more mature-yet-sweet-guy look for the lead.”

            The idol laughed. “Do I seem like that?”

            “Sweet, probably. Mature? No comment.” Sejin chuckled while Seokjin whined, prompting the former to joke that if he keeps his antics up, maturity will be out of the question for sure. He then went over to scan the schedule provided in the invitation. “Well anyway, Seokjin, here’s the thing: you’re still free to accept or reject this role. The main thing you’ll miss out on are two weeks’ worth of practice in January since you’ll be traveling to Jinhae for filming. The rest will be here in Seoul, but that’s just a few days more, at least according to this invitation. So it’s all up to you.”

            Seokjin thought for a moment. On one hand, it’ll be extremely exhausting to catch up with group activities especially once he comes back from Jinhae, but on the other, he had waited for this chance for a while now. Heck, he awaited this since he started training to act (which wasn’t really a lot, but every now and then).

            He was still uncertain.

            “Do you think I can do it, hyung?” He asked.

            Sejin just cocked his head to the side. “Only you can answer that. Analyze yourself if you can balance your activities.”

           Seokjin’s eyes were fixed on his manager in front of him but the invitation he was holding drew him in more. Frankly enough, he wasn’t even after the fame for acting, but the chance to do something apart from music that could get him recognized, too. It’d also be a plus for BTS’ credibility. That is, if he can do well.

            But of course I’ll do well. I have to.

            “Alright.” He finally nodded, a small smile growing on his face as he looked at Sejin. “I’ll accept it. I really can’t pass this one up, hyung.”

            “And what about your activities with the group?” He asked in return, just to make sure.

            “I’ll work harder.” Seokjin nodded. “I’ll double up my practice and everything to make up for it.”

            Sejin nodded. “You’d best keep your word then, okay?”

            “Yes, hyung.”

            “Alright. I’m glad you actually accepted it ‘cause they already gave me the script for you to study.” Sejin took out another envelope from his bag, this one smaller. He took the liberty of opening it up and pulling out a white booklet from inside, which he then handed over to Seokjin. “Here you go.”

            “Really?” Seokjin’s voice rose up in pitch as he replied and soon the script was in his hands and he was skimming through the pages. “I didn’t think they handed out scripts already when the cast wasn’t confirmed.”

            “I told them there was a ninety percent chance you’d accept so they told me to just bring it either way.”

            “That’s pretty nice of them.” He laughed. “You know me all too well, hyung.”

            “You’ve wanted to act, and it wouldn’t hurt to have two actors from the group. Should be good. By the way, did you check out who your co-stars will be? It’s a small cast and most are amateurs like you, but Ma Dongseok is also there. He’s the most experienced among the actors. It would be nice to impress him.”

            Seokjin picked up the invitation again from the table and looked at the second page. He skipped most of the names due to his excitement earlier. “He’s cool. I like him.”

            “You cried when his character died in ‘Train to Busan’.”

            “He was great there, okay?” Seokjin retorted while he scanned the page again and found his name among the list, then read the following ones. “Oh—Kim Dasom? SISTAR’s Dasom?”

            Sejin nodded. “Mhm. She’s had experience in acting, too. Maybe it’s also nice that you have someone from the idol field as well to join you.”

         “Yeah, I agree.” Seokjin said, giving a final scan on the film’s details. The cast really was small, but he thought it was appropriate as he won’t get too overwhelmed during the shoots. At the same time, he can make new acquaintances and learn from them.

            “I’d give you time to study the script now, but you still have practice to attend to. MAMA’s coming up after all.” Sejin stood up and walked over to Seokjin’s side, patting the latter’s shoulder and giving him a smile. “Although I want to congratulate you, I think it’d sound much better after the film’s completion. For now, however, I want you to do well. Soon you’ll get more chances like this.”

            Seokjin stood up and gave Sejin a brief but tight hug. “Thanks so much, hyung. I won’t disappoint everyone.”

            “I know you won’t. Now come on and fix your things. Seungduk must be all alone dealing with the kids. Calm them down.”

         Seokjin paused for a bit and let out a slight snort. Sejin sometimes could be forgetful, he noted. He forgot that Seokjin himself was one of Seungduk’s headaches, too. With a chuckle, he decided to let the manager remember on his own when they started practice.

            “Cheolhyun-oppa is coming over today,” Dasom said aloud from her couch, tapping at the ceramic mug in her hand which housed her half-empty drink. The weather was growing cold this time of year and the cocoa’s warmth emanating from the mug was rather helpful, even just a little bit. The drama on television wasn’t as kind, though, as it showed a man and a woman caught in a light snowstorm.

            Bora barely looked up from the magazine she was reading on the dining table as she replied. “Really? What’s up? He didn’t contact me.”

            Dasom shrugged,­ as if her co-member could see it, and focused on the plot of the drama, even though the dialogue just passed through one ear and exited the other. “I’m not sure, really. He said it was a bit important.”

           “Should I leave when he comes?” Bora asked, taking a peek at the television now. Dasom was immersed but her face was pretty blank. This kid, really... Bora giggled a little. Visiting the youngest member of the group usually gave her a relaxing feeling, probably because of how relaxed the other tends to be when at home, too. If she hung out with Hyojung, it should be for fun. If she needed a good boost and motivation, Bora might as well go to Jihyun’s place or at the gym, where Jihyun would probably be, too.

            Dasom turned her head to Bora’s direction, stuck her tongue out, and shook her head. “No. You still promised to cook me lunch today.”

            Bora grinned. “I thought you’d have forgotten by now because of that drama.”

          “I’d never forget if unnie was cooking for me.” Dasom winked. Their little bickering was interrupted by the sound of the apartment’s doorbell. Dasom was always thankful that it was just a cute jingle. Other apartments had an irritating buzzer.

            Dasom stood up and made her way through her assortment of shoes that lined the entranceway and finally got to open the door. She smiled at the visitor, of course.

            “Oppa!” She greeted. “Come in! Bora-unnie’s here, too.”

            SISTAR’s manager, Park Cheolhyun, gave a tired but bright smile at the idol and took off his shoes as he passed through the doorway. “Thanks. The wind outside got stronger and colder. The heat here is a blessing.”

            “Well, you’re always free to feel at home here.” Dasom said as she went over to her kitchen area to pour their manager a mug of the same cocoa she was having. Good thing it was still hot. She placed it on the dining table where Cheolhyun sat, which was opposite Bora.

            “Thanks again. Glad to see you two are doing well. Enjoying the little break?” Cheolhyun chuckled.

            “It’s been a few days already,” Bora answered, closing her magazine and paying attention to their manager. “I think that’s more than enough for days off.”

           Dasom crossed the room to turn off the television before grabbing her own mug and sitting beside Bora. “I have to agree. I can’t last a day, either, without doing anything. Do you know how many movies and dramas I got to watch until this morning?”

            Cheolhyun rolled his eyes at the youngest member’s mock complaint, but still shared a laugh with the two. “I’m just thankful your couch is really far from the TV or else your eyes will strain.” He then exhaled, as if taking the outside air from his lungs. The scent of Dasom’s home had always been sweet like a very light touch of lavender. It was a welcome scent.

            Dasom took a gulp from her cocoa and then watched Cheolhyun as he rummaged through his brown leather bag. The latter pulled out a couple of envelopes—one white, the other a dull yellow—and placed them on the table.

            “Good thing you’re here, Bora. Saved me time instead of having to head over to your place, too.” Cheolhyun said.

            “Couldn’t you have called us to the office instead?” Bora inquired.

            The manager shook his head. “That’s alright. You guys deserve the rest so I decided to drop by instead. Besides, I had a long meeting this morning so getting out of there gave me a breather.”

            He then handed the white envelope to Bora and the yellow one to Dasom.

            “We’ve got you some activities to do for the following months, so I hope that satisfies your craving for something to do.” He motioned for them to open the documents, but instead of letting them find out for themselves what activities they got, he spoiled it before the contents were emptied. “Bora has been invited for OnStyle’s Get It Beauty for a couple of episodes, and we got you for one of Music Bank’s special holiday shows as an emcee. Both of these are to air on December.”

            Bora’s face featured her signature charming smile as she looked over the official invites, quite grateful for more emceeing gigs but a little bit unsure about the beauty show. Her uncertainty was voiced aloud in a joking manner. “You sure you invited the right person for Get It Beauty, oppa?”

            Cheolhyun nodded. “They want a fresh faced-beauty for the winter season after all. Good thing we got to push you through for this, too. You haven’t been on Get It Beauty again, have you?”

            She shook her head. “Not really. Jihyun and Dasom have, though, but that’s a given with their—” Bora went and pinched Dasom’s cheek and she laughed at the latter’s pained expression. “— pretty faces!”

            Despite her cheek hurting a bit, Dasom still sent flirty eyes towards Bora’s way as a response to the compliment. “Unnie always tells me I’m pretty.”

            Cheolhyun was too used to the girls’ playfulness this way that it was easy to tune it all out when he needed a discussion to happen. “Anyway, as for you, Dasom, I’ve got the script for your movie. It underwent a few more revisions but it’s all good now.”

            Dasom pulled out a white booklet from the envelope and flipped over the pages. The script was fairly lengthy, but she accepted it gratefully. “Honestly, I was waiting for this. I’m going to read it over tonight.’

            “Good. Your script reading’s going to be on the nineteenth of December so it would be great if you could practice it all over. Ah, and by the way, the lead actor’s changed.” Cheolhyun explained. “B1A4’s Gongchan withdrew from the role. You’ll be working with BTS’ Jin. They confirmed just a few days ago. You’re familiar with him, yes? Or the group at least?”

            “Bangtan? Yeah. They’re really popular lately.” Dasom looked up at her manager, who searched through the contents of the yellow folder again and pulled out a separate two-page document of the film’s details, including the revisions.

            “They included this again, just so you’ll see what they changed and all that.” Cheolhyun pointed to the new list of cast members joining the film. “There. Kim Seokjin.”

            “I’m not sure who’s who in the group, though. Let’s see…” Bora took it to herself to pull out her phone and search for BTS and the members’ basic profiles. “There he is! Jin. Vocals and visual. He’s pretty cute, Dasomie.”

            Dasom chuckled and looked over the images on Bora’s phone. “Oh, right. I remember him now. They released their album last month, right? I liked their new song.”

            “Me, too.” Bora scanned the profiles once more and grinned. “Dasom, he’s older than you by a year.”

            “Really? Then it’s gonna be another round of ‘sunbaenim’ to me from someone older. I always found that funny.”

            “I barely hear that now ‘cause I’m already old and a ‘sunbae’.” Bora pouted.

            “Unnie, you’re not that old.”

            Cheolhyun finished off his hot cocoa and packed up most of his other items in his bag. “Your schedules are pretty much prepared for the upcoming months, so I’ll be seeing you more again this December. There are also the year-end shows to practice for. And, Dasom, you’re also leaving for Jinhae in January so mark your calendar.”

            Both Bora and Dasom also kept their respective documents in their envelopes and stood up to accompany their manager to the door.

            “Thanks for stopping by, oppa.” Dasom said, bidding their goodbyes. “We’ll see you at the office.”

            And with that, Cheolhyun left.

            “Well then!” Bora grinned. “I think I really want to have lunch now while reading up on these activities. But cooking would take too long, Dasomie.”

            The youngest couldn’t control her laughter at the way Bora’s face pouted. Dasom slapped the other’s arm playfully. “Unnie, that face doesn’t suit you.”

            “That’s mean!” Bora joked as she went over to get her phone from the dining table. “I’m getting takeout. Does jajangmyeon sound good?”

            Dasom nodded as she sat back down on her seat. “As long as you order me some extra radishes with it.”

            “No problem. I want radishes, too.” Bora then went on over to one side to call one of the restaurants they frequented nearby while Dasom grabbed her remote control to turn her television on again. She wondered if the drama earlier was already over. As soon as the screen lit up, however, a chicken commercial was playing instead, showing a familiar boy group as the endorsers.

            That’s Bangtan. She noticed, and immediately her eyes found her soon-to-be co-star. She wondered what he would be like.

            Dasom smiled and shook her head. She wouldn’t know until she meets him, after all, and so decided to focus on the script she had in her hands for now. The nineteenth was still a month away.

A/N:

• I assumed that Park Cheolhyun was still SISTAR's manager (or at least one of them). I got it from Showtime.

Feel free to tell me what you think! The second chapter is under construction. Thank you for reading!