My phone rings loudly, my favorite song blaring from its speakers. I groan, hoping it's important because it's early - like, six in the freaking morning - and I despise waking up early, especially after going to bed so late. My roommates never fail to keep me up. It's probably one of their life goals to keep me from sleeping or something.
"Hello?" I huff, blowing a strand of fuzzy hair out of my face and attempting to lift my head from the snow-white pillow, but it was not budging.
"I have a very important job for you," Claude, my manager, squeals from the other end like a teenage girl at prom, "and I think you will love it!"
I open my eyes slowly blinking away the haze, revealing my sun-filled room, which was an absolute mess. There were books creating little forts and notes everywhere scattered like leaves, sticking out of places at weird angles. "That's great," I growl closing my eyes, "and I care at this time . . . why?" I fall unceremoniously out of bed and lay on the floor, too lazy to move my limbs as the cold floor starts working away my body heat. "Because ibighit - " (I big what?) "- has requested that you come to Korea and meet with BTS." he exclaims in a rush, way too energetic for six o'clock in the morning. I almost didn't understand him.
"BTS? What's that, 'behind the scenes, back to school?'" I yawn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and stumble to the bathroom, ungracefully tripping over a pile of notes on my way. Great I'll have to clean that up.
"What do you mean, 'what's that?!'" he yells, making me jump and almost drop my phone in the toilet as I catch it from mid air. "They're a major music group in Korea!"
"Okay," I say slowly, still reeling from the outburst, and begin to brush my hair. I'm still trying to wake up and Claude is not helping one bit. "Calm down and explain the situation."
"You are heading to Korea in an hour," he snaps quickly. "Get your bags packed and get to the airport."
Click.
"Wait, what? Claude!" I'm fully awake and aware now. Totally panicking, I throw a bunch of crap from my floor into my bag, and zip it up hurriedly, running into my door with a harsh curse on my way out.
Who am I, you ask? I'm Kate, part of the music group known as Genre. We won America's got talent - my friends and me of course. Further explanation is to come, right now I'm trying to get downstairs in one piece, without too many broken toes.
"Hey, why are you up so early?" yawns Kendra as I shove some toast into the toaster.
"I'm going to Korea!" I say, tripping over the stupid cat, Skittles as it hisses in protest.
"Hey, watch out for Skittles!" comes a shriek from upstairs, Tia coming down moments later, a total mess like myself. It seems everyone is awake now - well, awake enough. By teenager standards, of course.
"What do you mean, you're heading to Korea?" inquires Robbie as I slap some cheese on my toast. I'm not the most creative when it comes to breakfast, sometimes I even forget to eat!
"Just as I said! My flight leaves in an hour. I'm helping a group called BTS." I put my suitcase down at the door with a thud.
Kaylee comes flying down the stairs with an unholy screech. "I love BTS! Take me with you, please! Take me to see Kookie!" Jaeden tries unsuccessfully to pry her off of my leg. "Please? Come on! I'll swim all the way there if I have to!"
"Ignore her," Jaeden lares, flicking some fuzz from my hair and straightening my jacket. Noelle's voice turns stern. "You can't just leave at the drop of a hat, though, you know."
"I'm really sorry guys, but Claude called," I smile apologetically, then shove a piece of toast in my mouth. I hop on one foot, attempting to tie my shoe, and Noelle sighs.
"You are such a child," she huffs. "Put your foot down." Noelle proceeds to tie my shoe for me as I chew on the bread getting crumbs everywhere. What can I say? Toast is a messy food.
"I can't really believe she is the oldest among us. "Precious sighs in that thick Filipino accent of hers as she joins the now responsive Genre household. "She is the least mature, by far."
She opens the front door to reveal a classic yellow checkered cab already waiting, no doubt sent by Claude, and heads out with my bag to shove it in the trunk that bounces the vehicle slightly.
"Goodbye poke," Rory smiles, poking me before I leave. I look back up the stairs while I walk outside to see everyone, still in their pajamas, smiling. All except Kaylee, of course, who was being held back so she couldn't leave. This was my crew. The people who went with me through AGT, and got us all here. I take one last look and then step in the cab.

I arrive at the sleepy airport to find Claude pacing a hole into the floor, or through the floor, it's hard to say because his stress is overwhelming. "There you are!" he shouts sounding both relieved and tense. "Come on."
The next few minutes are a blur, Claude dragging me all over the airport like a ragdoll, and the next thing I know I'm on a thirteen-hour flight to Korea. The best thing about this whole thing? They stuck me with a Korean tutor, so I got a thirteen-hour Korean class. Did I say best? By the time I got there, I was so jet-lagged that I couldn't walk a straight line. I was tired of learning things and tired of planes and exhausted of airports and done with being conscious.
Finally, the chaos ends, and I am escorted to a hotel in the heart of Seoul. Of course, I'm not free yet; the minute I lay down in bed, my phone beeps. Kaylee.
"Hello," I sigh rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"How is Kookie?!" She's so loud that I yank the phone away from my ear and wait for the ringing to cease. "Where are you?! How do you say 'I love you' in Korean?! Have you met them yet?! Why didn't you bring me?!"
"Kaylee, shut up," I am not in the mood for her fangirling at this current moment in time. Thankfully, Jaeden takes the phone from Kaylee, sparing me from whatever rant she was about to speak. "Did you make it there okay?"
"I'm fine," I reassure him. "Can I talk to Paul?"
"What's up?" he questions as Jaeden hands him the phone.
"You're Korean," I say, stating the obvious as I take my coat off and jump back onto the bed. "Any tips?"
"I'll be honest, I gave up on learning Korean." I can feel my world shattering and my soul leaving my body. "Good luck, though!" he adds, hanging up before I can say anything. Abandoned by my friends! What a tragedy. I was going to go to bed despite the clock only reading 8:45 PM, seeing as I'm totally jet-lagged and ready to pass out. Claude, however, seems to have other ideas, as he bursts into my room with a makeup team. They swarm me before I can protest, and I cough at the powder that goes flying. Some of the ladies were scolding me for my ragged nails and lack of care, but I pretended not to understand.
"Claude!" I manage, indignant. He doesn't notice my pain. Oblivious as ever.
"You are meeting the Bangtan boys tonight!" he exclaims and waits impatiently for the makeup ladies to finish before grabbing my arm and yanking me out the door. "Let's go!"
We end up the SangAmDong SBS Prism Tower. While rubbing my sore arm, I get told that I'm filming something, but I'm way too tired to really pay attention to a word they're saying. I get shepherded into an elevator and, for once, Claude left me alone. Grateful, I pull out my headphones and listen to Royals by Lorde to pass time.
When a lady gets on the elevator with me, I initially take no notice. I do end up noticing that she is distressed, and take my headphones off.
"Is there a problem?" I ask in a gentle tone as she sniffles quietly.
"My boyfriend broke up with me," she replies feebly wiping away some of the liquid on her face.
"Well it's his loss," I say, rubbing her shoulder. "He's got to be blind or something."
"Thanks, I feel much better now," she says.
Almost as if on cue, a bunch of other people get on the elevator, packing us in like a can of sardines. I can't care less, so I put my headphones back in. When they get off, the lady taps me on the shoulder.
"There was a secret camera," she explains. I stare at her.
"Wait, really?" I hadn't noticed, and I honestly don't care. I just want to go back to bed.
I step off the elevator, and to my left, I catch sight of a group of seven obnoxious boys and they were dancing.