Chapter 8

Bianca knew she looked a mess, but what confirmed it was the look on Kev's face when she opened the door for him. She could swear she saw him physically swallow the words on his tongue and just hug her instead, which she was grateful for. She was in no mood for banter right now.

"I promise I feel better than I look, but I have just enough time for an eye mask before I put on my makeup," she says, making a beeline for the bathroom when they let go.

"Pop it in the freezer few minutes, you have plenty time," he says and she pulls two out of her makeup and skincare bag and places them in the little freezer part of the mini fridge.

"Alright, this is what I'm wearing. I don't know what I'm doing today other than settling in, so I went with cute and comfy," she says, reaching inside the closet and pulling out her outfit—a black, long sleeved romper that would hang off one shoulder just a little, a camo utility jacket, and camo vans to match.

"Okay, this is cute, love the jacket," he says, nodding his head in am impressed manner.

"What are we doing for hair and makeup?" he asks and she shrugs.

"I was thinking a high pony...and maybe some winged liner or something to distract from all this," she says, gesturing to her dark, puffy under eye area.

"Hmm, what about wearing your glasses? I think that'll help, and your braids would look good just parted down the middle," he suggest and she takes a moment to envision it before agreeing.

"And put some color on your lips. That'll distract from the eyes too," he says.

"Yes sir," she salutes, taking her eye masks out of the freezer and placing them under her eyes before sitting on the edge of the bed and laying back.

"Did you make sure you have everything already?" he asks and she nods.

"I swept the room 3 times. My makeup bag, phone, and charger are the only things I have left to grab," she says.

Kev plops down onto the bed next to let and lays back, staring up at the ceiling too.

"I remember when we were kids and one of us were sad, we would go out and lay in the grass and look up at the sky. We'd try to guess what each other was thinking when we saw a particular cloud and die laughing at our ridiculous guesses," he says and she chuckles in response.

"I could never guess what you were thinking because it was always the most off the wall shit. You've always had more imagination than me, hell more than the average human I think," she says, making him laugh.

"Well that's because I'm an alien superstar darling," he says with a playful roll of his eyes.

"Anyways, I brought it up because even when I would come up with the most outrageous things, you never shot me down for it. You would try to see it my way and if you couldn't, you just praised my imagination and moved on. I don't think you realize how important that was to me. You are the most supportive person I know and the fact that you've always been that way, even as a kid, is...a remarkable thing B," he says and she looks over at him, touched and mildly surprised at the direction the conversation had taken.

He turns on his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he looks down at her.

"What I'm getting at is, I want you to start giving yourself that same grace. When you need support, I want you to feel comfortable accepting it. You give so freely but when it comes to receiving, you shut down. You don't have to deal with this alone. You have me and Jungmin, your parents, our grandparents...and we want to be here for you. Please let us," he says softly and after a moment of silence, she nods, trying her hardest to blink away the tears that welled in her eyes.

For so long, it was just she and Rome—him and her against the world. He was the only one who she allowed herself to be truly vulnerable with. Everyone else was counting on her in some way or another to be that brave, encouraging figure in their lives; and so she played her part. Now that her world had been turned upside down, it was difficult for her to accept her new position as the one who needed the strength and encouragement from others. It made her feel inadequate, so she'd rather hide away instead.

"Promise?" Kev asks, holding his pinky out towards her and she hooks hers with his, twisting their hands until their thumbs pressed together to seal the deal.

"Promise," she whispers.

Bianca didn't know what she was expecting to see, but this bright, cheery house nestled in the mountainside wasn't it. She'd heard Jungmin and Kev speak about idols residing in dorms, so she'd imagined something much more uniform. The surprise was a pleasant one though and so was the journey there. They'd passed through downtown Seoul and up the mountainside from there, or rather alongside it. It was like being in two places at once, city on one side and countryside on the other. Just beyond the city lay a dense residential area—mostly apartments at first—and then houses, spaced further apart the further they went. They were nowhere near the peak of the mountain, but they were a good ways up, and it was a good distance between this house and the nearest neighbor, at least the way she came.

Just as the driver got out to help her with her bags, the garage door opens and out comes Namjoon and who she recognizes as Jungkook. She couldn't see his face very clearly at first due to the black, Calvin Klein bucket hat he was sporting, but his tattoos stood out bright against his skin in his sleeveless tee. They were both dressed very casually, Namjoon in a slightly oversized Tshirt and sweatpants; and Jungkook wearing cargo joggers with his sleeveless tee. Still, they looked like they'd just stepped off someone's runway and Bianca's mouth got drier the closer they got.

"Bianca Noona! Welcome," Namjoon says once they're in front of her and she smiles.

"Thank you, it's good to see you again," she says and he returns it.

"Likewise, this is Jungkook," he says, gesturing to the man beside him, whose kind eyes were now visible to her.

His eyes crinkle adorably as he smiles at her, extending his hand to shake. She grasps it firmly in her own but his hand easily swallowed hers, his grasp gentle.

"It's nice to meet you Noona, I've heard good things," he says and spares Namjoon a glance as she returns his pleasantries.

Jungkook grabs both her suitcases and Namjoon grabs her duffle, leaving her with only her purse to carry as they head inside. She notices how effortlessly he walks despite lugging her heavy luggage and Namjoon scoffs playfully.

"Show off," he mutters underneath his breath, which makes her giggle.

"Anyways, this is the foyer. Our shoe rack is in this closet here," he says, sliding the the door open so she could step out of her shoes.

"These are for you, we guesstimated your size so please let us know if they fit weird so we can get you some more," he says, passing her a brand new pair of pale pink slippers.

"Thank you, they fit great," she says after she'd slipped her socked feet inside. They had to be made with some sort of memory foam with how her feet sank into them.

"Okay, good. Well, those stairs lead downstairs where the living room, kitchen, sunroom, entertainment room, gym, and studio are. I'll take you down there after we put your bags down in your room," he says just as Jungkook bounds back down the stairs empty handed.

"I set your bags by the door, hope you like your new room," he says and she thanks him as he slips passed them and down the stairs.

"Alright, so all of our bedrooms are up here. There's a little sitting area right here. You're welcomed to the books in the book case," he says gesturing to the little area at the top of the stairs.

There was a built in book case on the left side, two love seats facing each other, and a cushioned window seat underneath a large window that looked out over the back yard, or should she say back forest from what she could see. She could already see herself curling up there with a good book.

"There are eight rooms—four to our right and four to our left. There are four bathrooms, two on each side. You'll be down here on the left with Jin, Suga, and myself. Suga isn't here yet, but he'll be in the room directly across from yours when he gets here," Namjoon informs with the ease of a seasoned tour guide.

This is my room," he says, pointing to the first one on the right.

"This is Jin's room," he says pointing to the one directly across from his on the left side.

"These are bathrooms," he says, pointing to the doors in the middle on each side.

"This is your room, and that's Suga's," he says, pointing to the open door on the left and then the closed one on the right.

They step into her room, Namjoon nearly running into someone as they were coming out.

"Oh, hey Hobi-ah, this is Bianca noona," he says, stepping back out of the way.

"Bianca Noona, this is Hoseok."

"Ah, it's nice to put a face to the name. You can call me Jay. I hope you like your room. I was just putting the finishing touches in there, let me know what you think. We could always change what you don't like," he says and she smiles, bowing back to him before peering in, him and Namjoon both moving aside so she could enter.

"This is beautiful. I couldn't imagine changing anything. Thank you," she says, slightly taken aback with how nice her room was.

"It's no problem at all. We want you to be comfortable. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Jay says with a blinding smile before making his leave, his phone buzzing in his hand.

He exuded kindness just as he did on screen—really they all did—and it made her relax a little more inside. So far, it seems as if everyone really is just as nice as they present themselves to be.

"It it okay if I set this down here?" Namjoon asks, gesturing to the bench at the end of her bed.

"Sure, thank you," she replies, placing her purse there as well, making sure her phone was in her pocket.

"No need. Brunch is here so we'll finish our tour while they get it set up if you don't mind," he says and she shakes her head, gesturing for him to lead the way.

They make their way down the stairs they came up initially and turn left on the landing in the foyer, going down the stairs there.

"This is the sitting area," he says, gesturing to the large room they'd stepped down into. There was a large TV mounted on the wall to the far right and all the furniture faced that way too, the large sectional and the table in front of it filling the space.

"The kitchen is that way," he says, pointing to the left.

"But we'll work our way back to it. Everyone's definitely swarming around in there now," he says making her chuckle.

He shows her the entertainment room first, a room filled with table games like pool and air hockey, arcade games, a bar, every type of video game you can imagine underneath the large TV inside, and even a long desk with a few computers on it for PC gaming.

Next was the gym, the small dance studio, and their music studio. He informs her that they keep their music studio pristine so she'd probably never have to clean in their before they make their way through the left side of the house.

"The kitchen has three entrances—one from the living room, one here, and one on the other side," he says as they pass a swinging door. She could hear the sound of voices and movement inside and it has her wondering just how big this kitchen was.

"Sounds like my kind of kitchen," she grins and he smiles as they pass it.

"That's right Miss Chef. I hope I'm not teasing you too bad by saving the kitchen for last," he teases light heartedly and she laughs as he opens the door to the sun room for her.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm not brimming with anticipation," she teases in a slightly exaggerated tone as she takes in her surroundings.

The left side of the room was filled with seating options, comfy chairs and love seats, a long table and benches down at the end; and nearly the whole right ride was plants, not yet big enough to block the window view of the back yard where a nice sized pool, hot tub, and some lounging furniture lay. Beyond that there was a clear patch of grass before the forest.

"We eat here sometimes when we want to be outside without the mosquitoes," he says and she nods, gently swiping her hand across the waxy, green petal of what looked to be some sort of pothos plant.

"Will I have to water these or does someone come to care for them?" She asks, turning to face him.

"Actually I, um, usually I care for the plants," he says.

"All of them?" she asks, raising her brows and he nods, smiling somewhat sheepishly.

"Cool, let me know if you need any help. I don't mind," she says, turning back to the pathos plant.

They're fast growing plants that will easily take over a space if you don't give it some sort of direction.

"Are you going to relocate this once it starts growing or let it grow in here?" She asks and he seems a little surprised by her question.

"I was thinking about putting it upstairs and letting it frame the window nook in the sitting area," he says and her face lights up as she envisions it.

"That would be beautiful, can't wait until it grows then," she smiles before moving on to the next plant.

They lose track of time as they discuss each one as well as his plan for some of them once they get too big for the space and they're both startled a little when the door bangs open a little harder than expected.

"Oop, sorry. I was looking for you two to tell you the food was set up. I should've checked here first," Seokjin says, just as surprised at how easily the door swung open.

"It's nice to see you again, Bianca-ssi," he says, placing one hand in the pocket of his jeans.

"It's good to see you again too," she smiles before following Namjoon to the door.

"Sorry, I was talking your ear off. Nobody else here really cares about plants like that," Namjoon says and she chuckles.

"It's okay. I love plants. My grandparents are florists," she says and his eyebrows shoot up.

"So that's why you know so much," he says and she nods.

They finally make it to the kitchen—Seokjin, then Namjoon, and then her—and she stopped short at the sight, her eyes sweeping over the massive area.

"Is it everything you anticipated?" Namjoon asks, making her scoff playfully.

"And then some. I've seen a lot of kitchens, but this one is one of the best residential kitchens I've ever stepped foot in. It's huge," she says with awe in her tone.

"This used to be a dorm, but they remodeled it and made it into a house instead. They left the kitchen this size and just added the dining area over here," a deep voice says on her right, making her look over at him.

Ah, there he is—her bias but not bias. She loves his voice and his casual fashion sense, which he exhibited right now in wide legged sweat pants and a simple, white T-shirt with a thin cardigan over top, thin bracelets littering his wrists.

"I'm Taehyung, but you can call me Tae or TaeTae," he bows and she does the same, noting the way his cheeks spread adorably when he smiled.

"It's nice to meet you Taehyung. I'm Bianca. Call me whatever you're comfortable with...Bianca, B, Noona," she smiles.

"Noona it is then. This is Jimin. He's been really anticipating your arrival," Tae says, making Jimin laugh.

"Oh?" she asks, amused with how hard both men were laughing.

"It's nice to meet you Noona," he says, bowing and offering his hand.

She bows too and they share a brief handshake and she notices his hands are as warm as his face looks.

"It's not like he made it seem. I just really wanted to ask you about duck," he starts to explain but Jin cuts him off.

"Yah! At least let the woman sit down before you berate her with work related questions," he scolds and she's ushered to a seat between Namjoon and Jay.

On the right side of the table sat Jin, Namjoon, her, and Jay. On the left sat Jungkook, Jimin, and Tae.

"I don't mind," she says they start to pass around the food, taking little portions of some of the foods they offered until her plate was full.

"I just wanted to ask if you knew this duck recipe. I had it in China and I've been craving it ever since," he says and she chews her food and swallows before replying.

"Tell me what it looked like and what it tasted like and I might know. Chances are it was roasted if you ate it in China. Was the skin crispy and browned?" she asks and he swipes through his phone for a picture as he explains the taste and texture to her.

"Oh yeah, I'd say it's just roasted duck. Have you ever had it in a lettuce wrap?" she asks and he shakes his head, intrigued.

"You must try it then. I make this garlic scallion sauce and puréed kimchi paste to go with it and it's so good. A Korean chef taught me the recipe," she says and he sits back in his chair, looking down at his plate like he didn't want his food anymore.

"That sounds delicious Noona. If Suga were here, he'd be drooling. He loves duck," Tae says.

"Can we have that this week, please?" Jimin asks and she nods.

"Sure, we can have it Wednesday if you don't mind waiting until then. I'm supposed to grocery shop tomorrow and I can pick some up then, but it has to marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours, although 24 is best," she says.

"Does it really make a noticeable difference?" he asks more out of curiosity than impatience.

"It does. You can have mediocre duck on Tuesday or immaculate duck on Wednesday," she says and Namjoon chuckles beside her.

"I'll wait," Jimin sighs, making her chuckle at how pouty he looked.

"So Noona, how long have you been cooking?" Jay asks from beside her.

"Professionally, six years. Two years restaurant experience and the last 4 years at a private chef," she answers.

"Not to mention all that studying abroad you did," Jin adds.

"Yeah, just about two years doing that as well," she chuckles.

"That's a long time. Do you ever get tired of cooking?" Jungkook asks and she shakes her head.

"No, it's truly my life's passion. It doesn't ever get boring to me because there's always new things to learn and things to improve. The possibilities are endless with food," she says.

"I feel that way about music. I feel like to truly master your craft, you have to become a student to your craft," he says and she nods.

"Definitely, the moment you close yourself off from learning is the moment you stifle yourself forever," she says and Jimin looks between the two.

"You two sound like fortune cookies," he says, making them all laugh.

They spend the rest of brunch getting to know each other, her answering their questions and then asking them one of her own afterwards. She likes how naturally warm they are and they like the same about her, finding her incredibly easy to talk to. It's one of the many reasons why Joon and Jin had been sold on her so fast back when they met her at the company. She talks to them like they're normal people and they're all relieved that they seem to have skipped that initial awkward and unsure stage they went through when welcoming new staff into their spaces. They could all feel that this was a start to not only a great work relationship, but friendship as well.