Chapter 6

"So where are you from if you don't mind me asking. When you speak English, I can't really place your accent," RM says as they sit down at a table next to floor to ceiling windows that gave a stunning view of the busy city below.

"Ah, see my accent is kind of a weird mix of Southern and northern dialect. I was born and raised in Alabama, which is in the south, but I spent...almost 10 years in Hyde Park, New York. It's where I went to college," she explains and he nods.

"That explains it. It's not weird, just unique. I take it you liked New York considering you stayed so long after you graduated college," he says not missing a beat.

"Yeah, it was great, but I spent a lot of my time after graduating studying abroad. Hyde Park is a nice area. It has the charm of New York without the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities," she says, omitting the fact that she only stayed there that long so her ex husband could finish medical school.

"So you studied abroad after you had already graduated? Don't you usually do that as a student?" Jin asks, looking to RM for confirmation.

"Yes, but I decided to enroll in the graduate program just for the sake of being able to study abroad. I didn't want to do it during my undergrad studies because I wanted to have experience first. People tend to think that studying abroad is just touring and taste testing, and maybe it's like that for other schools, but not mine. It was so strenuous that we'd lose half the participants a third of the way through," she says and both men raise their brows, curiosity peaked even more.

"Wow, why would they quit?" Jin asks, intrigued.

"A mixture of not knowing what to expect plus the stress of taking over a kitchen in a foreign country if I had to guess," she says, chuckling before continuing.

"My first term studying abroad, we had three days in each city. Day one was spent shadowing a chef. We'd taste test during the day as well as have lunch and dinner at that restaurant. We were split off into pairs by the way. Day two would be taking over the kitchen under supervision of that chef. Mind you, there was always a language barrier. The chefs hardly ever knew enough English to actually instruct in a way we'd understand, so we had to take notes and take in as much as we could visually. It may not sound like a big deal but when you have a restaurant that seats a capacity of anywhere from 50 to 100 people and you're relying on the memories of recipes you saw executed only once before while the chef and supporting staff yells and curses at you in a language you don't understand...it's a lot," she says, her facial expression emphasizing what she was saying.

"I see why they quit. That sounds like what nightmares are made of," Jin shudders, making her laugh.

"Absolutely. Saying it was stressful feels like an understatement. A lot of people would quit before the dinner rush was over and that was the worst because if you were paired with someone that quit, now you had double the work. The chef would only step in if you were crashing and burning. It was so bad that at the end of the night, no matter what country we were in, the chef would pour us a drink," she giggles, amused by the memories.

"Shit, sounds like you'd need it after a day like that. What would you do on day 3?" RM asks, propping his chin in his hand, immersed in her storytelling.

"Oh we'd actually try to relax and sight see on the third day. We'd have one meal together—usually dinner, where our host—the instructor from the school who put all this together, would hand down constructive and sometimes not-so-constructive criticism from the chefs we worked with, give us tips, answer any questions we had...," she trails off with a wave of her hand.

"So you finished the program...and did it again willingly," Jin says, making them laugh.

"Yup, I did. I've never been the type to shy away from a challenge. When we were abroad, those chefs looked at us like they just knew we were going to fail and call me crazy, but nothing motivates me more than being underestimated. Looking them in the eye after running their kitchen successfully and earning that universal nod of respect from one chef to another...It's incredibly rewarding. I proved to both them and myself that I'm resilient, like yeah I've been fighting tears since 5 o'clock, but they didn't fall though. I may have folded a little but you couldn't break me," she says, making them laugh.

"So other than it being rewarding, I kept going for the experience. I knew that once it was over, I would have to find a job in or around Hyde Park, which would not be easy—at least for the level of cooking I wanted to start at. I didn't want to start out in fast food at all and I didn't want a starter position in a more distinguished restaurant either. I guess you could say I was overly ambitious," she chuckles.

That she was, but it paid off. Her first official job was at a prestigious restaurant a city over from Hyde Park and she'd never forget that interview. With no pleasantries exchanged beforehand, the man that would be her future boss had bluntly asked what made her think she, a graduate with no prior job experience, had what it took to be one of his line cooks. It had been apparent that he was in a rush and probably hadn't even read her resume, but her answer is what convinced him to hire her on the spot. She had to pop her shit, but that was something that gave her an edge. Chefs, especially the greats, aren't necessarily known for being nice.

"Well sir, I'm not just any graduate. I'm a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. I'm not sure if you're aware, but in order to graduate, I had to complete a year long internship. I chose one of the CIA's affiliate restaurants, The Bocuse where I worked every position in that joint for free. If that's not enough work experience for you, I studied abroad for two years—translation got thrown into kitchens all over the world and told to sink or swim. Have you ever been yelled at in a language you don't understand while preparing dishes you learned from sight the day before?" she'd asked, giving him a few seconds pause to answer before ranting on.

"I didn't think so, so trust me—there's nothing in your kitchen that I can't handle. If you don't believe me, I have no problem proving it to you," she'd said with a little unbothered shrug.

He said nothing for a few beats before leaning back in his chair to retrieve an apron from a stack behind him. Just like that, she landed her first job as a sous chef.

"There's no such thing in my opinion. Your experiences kind of remind me of ours. Did you know that some of our members had no prior experience in music or dancing?" RM asks and she shakes her head no.

"I had no dance experience—went from not dancing at all to attending dance class every day with these super talented choreographers," RM smiles, drumming his finger on the table.

"And I had no experience singing nor dancing so I was taking singing lessons and dance lessons," Jin says, shaking his head.

"Wait—so how—you just auditioned without knowing how to do either?" she asks him with a little confused chuckle.

He laughs before explaining how he was scouted on the street for his looks and she laughs hard.

"What? Is that so hard to believe? Look at my face," he exclaims, making her laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry! It's not that you aren't handsome. It's just the idea that I can't wrap my head around. I've heard of people being scouted for modeling, which makes sense, but music? That's...something," she grins.

"Honestly I thought the same, like what if I suck? Then what? But luckily I was decent enough to get by. It took a lot to get to where I am today. I still practice regularly," he says and she nods, sobering.

"Well as a consumer, I'm glad they took that chance on you and I'm glad you didn't give up. Clearly music is your calling. I listened to one of your solo songs the other day..." she says, snapping her fingers as she tries to recall the name.

"Abyss! It was Abyss and listening to that, I would've never known that singing was ever a struggle for you. It sounds like it comes naturally to you," she compliments, chuckling as he smiles and nods smugly as he listens.

She can already tell he's a character.

"And the performances I've seen so far have been so in sync that I wouldn't have been able to tell dancing doesn't come naturally to all of you either, so the hard work definitely paid off," she says.

"You know, if you didn't already have the job, I'd think you were trying to butter us up," Jin says, making her laugh.

"Nah, just giving credit where it's due. I'm impressed with what I've seen so far," she says, clasping her hands in front of her on the table.

Before either man could rebut, RM got a notification on his phone, Sungwon's name flashing across the banner.

"Thank you Sungwon-ssi. And I'll see you two tomorrow night. Have a great rest of your day," Bianca practically gushes before taking her leave.

After signing an excessive amount of paperwork, she was leaving with a new job and a pending deposit, an advance worth 10% of the final dollar amount she'd be paid. She'd agreed to dinner the following night so she could meet all the members with the exception of Suga, who wouldn't be coming back from the military until next month. She'd be moving into the dorms with them on Sunday—two days from now—and officially starting on Monday. Everything was moving quite quickly but she was grateful for that, albeit a little nervous. This was what she wanted—a stable income to satisfy her visa and a nice place to stay.

Her knee bounced anxiously all the way back to the hotel where she opted to go ahead and walk across the street to deliver the news rather than wait and change first. As soon as Kev opened the door, she screamed, throwing her arms around him. He screamed too, jumping around with her until they were dizzy and people walking by his open door were giving them weird looks.

"So you got the job!" He exclaims, slamming his door shut and smiling over at her expectantly as she leaned against the wall to pull her heels off.

"Yes! Not only that but I'm making bank," she grins, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Wait, we talkin big bank or lil bank? Or bank bank?" he asks, making her roll her eyes playfully.

"Bank bank," she replies as she hangs up her jacket, grabbing her phone out of the pocket.

She shows him the pending deposit and he purses his lips, impressed but not blown away.

"That's only ten percent," she grins and his eyes widen.

He looks up at the ceiling, his pointer finger moving absentmindedly in the air as he works out the numbers in his head.

"Bitch, ain't no way you makin' over half a milli," he says, making her laugh.

She gives him a look that clearly says otherwise and his eyebrows shoot up.

"Bitch, what? I'm in the wrong fucking profession. I'm so happy for you. I told you your come up was coming," he says, wrapping her up in a hug.

A few months ago, she had no sense of purpose. She went from her whole life being mapped out to unfamiliar territory quickly and hadn't the slightest clue of how to maneuver what felt like this new world she'd been thrusted into. She's thankful to Kevin for swooping in and offering a new beginning where her bleak views had told her there was none; and giving her the push she needed to reclaim control of her life and leave.

She was thankful for Jungmin too, who had nicely offered for her to stay with them once she arrived before he'd even met her. She'd turned him down, opting for the hotel across the street but she appreciated his offer a lot. He'd been nothing short of supportive and if it wasn't for him, she most likely wouldn't have ever gotten this job.

"You know what? Let's go out tonight. Where's Jungmin? I owe him some drinks. Dinner and drinks on me," she says, holding back the tears that had built behind her eyes.

"He'll be home in a few minutes," he says, checking the time on his phone.

"Okay well I'm gonna go back to my room and share the good news with my parents. I know they're still up," she says.

"Oh yeah watching Maury reruns or something," he says, making her laugh.

"Your mom is boujee as fuck, but you know she loves her ratchet tv," he says.

This is true. Knowing her mother, you'd never expect her to watch anything like that but her guilty pleasure was trash TV as her grandparents called it.

"That she does. I'll see you in a few okay. You two pick a place, price doesn't matter," she says, pointing at him as she slips her shoes back on.

"Okay big money thousandaire," he says, shoulders bouncing as he tosses his head back and laughs at his own joke.

"I really can't stand you," she says, rolling her eyes as she shrugs on her coat.

"We both know that's not true. Now go and pick something good to wear. I'm thinking that corset top," he says, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Boy the temp is dropping out there, I'm not trying to freeze my tits off," she protests as he opens the door for her.

"Hoes don't get cold," he rebuts as she steps out into the hallway.

By the time she turns around to respond, he's already closing the door and she could hear him laughing on the other side.

"Goofy bitch," she mumbles with a smile.

Her smile stays in place all the way to her room. She looks around at the space she'd called home for three weeks and sighs. Oddly, she'd miss this place, but she was sure her new home would have even more amenities. Hopefully they have a gym, she thinks as she hangs her coat up in the closet and plops down in an arm chair by the window, her phone in hand. She presses her mother's contact and she answers on the second ring. She doesn't realize how much she missed her until she heard her voice. She felt like a teenager leaving home for the first time all over again, the goal to prove her independence and make her parents proud of her. However, this time, she was out to prove it to herself.