After telling her agent and her parents about the shocking news, they all made their way to Seoul, South Korea. Jen’s nerves got to her as she wished the flight was quicker. She was so excited to be able to get an opportunity to work in the K-Pop industry. She hopes to break down the barriers of being a foreigner and an African American in the K-Pop industry.

Although she still was not aware of how different their work ethic is from America, she believed that she will be ready for the challenge.

After the plane lands, safely, the party finds someone that had Jen's name on a sign and they were escorted to Big Hit's building. Jen was in awe, gazing at the window as the car went past various streets in Seoul. She never knew how beautiful the area looked until she saw it up close and personal. She was looking forward to doing everything here. Eating, shopping, school, taking walks around, everything. So many things went through her head that before she knew it, the car stopped and they were in front of Big Hit's building.

Jen's stomach drops at the sight.

She was here.

The agency that wanted her.

The place who thought she had what it takes.

Big Hit Entertainment.

Her mom puts a hand on Jen's thick curly hair. "Sweetie, are you ready?" She smiles. Jen nods twice and they all get out the car. As they head inside, they go to the receptionist to let them know about their reason for being here and they make their way to Bang Shi-Hyuk's office.

"Music and Artist for Healing, huh?" Jen's dad reads the slogan and nods in approval. "I like it."

"Sweetie, you haven't said a word. Are you okay?" Jen's mom looked concerned at her daughter's silence.

Jen looks up and smiles nervously. "I'm excited just nervous."

"Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry, honey."

"You can come in." A staff member says as he opens the door for them.

As soon as they all walk in, they see the man himself, Bang Shi-Hyuk. "You must be Jennifer Walker." He speaks in Korean. The sound of his voice made her timid as she bows politely. She'll have to get in a habit of bowing in South Korea. As she looks at him, she starts to remember his face. He was the one sitting in the middle during her audition.

"Yes, I am." Her voice affirms in a shaky tone in Korean.

He lets out a chuckle. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No, sorry, just nervous."

He nods and smiles. "Don't be. I want this to be a happy environment."

"Thank you. These are my parents." She introduces as her parents continue to look at her in surprise at how well her Korean was. "And my agent." She points to Diana as he nods.

"What is he saying? And what did you say?" Jen's mom eagerly asks.

"I just introduced you guys." Jen responds in English.

"Your daughter did very well during the audition. I believe she'll do great things for my company. She's in good hands here." Bang PD notes as Jen translates happily at his kind words.

"Thank you for allowing our daughter to chase her dreams here." Her father speaks.

"Sit down, please. I want to discuss the contract." Bang PD motions them to sit as they comply.

As he starts going over the contract, Jen's butterflies came back in her stomach. Would her family let her be out of the country for so many years to become a K-Pop star? Hopefully become a K-Pop star in South Korea? She'll miss birthdays, weddings, graduations, births, even funerals.

"What is he saying?" Diana asks.

"H-he's talking about the contract. They need my parents and I to sign it. And it's for a lot of years." Jen explains in a soft tone.

"A-a lot of years?" Her mom asks as she bites her lip and looks at her husband. "We're not going to see you that often, are we?"

"If I am in a group and our schedules are fully packed and etc, most likely not, mom." The teen could see the tears developing in her mother's eyes. Her mom grabs her hand and squeezes it.

"My little girl...in South Korea...chasing her dream to perform." Her mother sniffs and wipes her tears.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Her father asks in a serious tone, keeping his emotions together. "Is this truly what you want, Jennifer?"

"Mom, dad, I really want to do this. I'll call, I'll text, I'll skype you, anything, I will keep in touch. If I can visit I will, I promise. I want this. I love K-Pop, I truly believe this company is the best for me. I'm going to train hard to achieve my dream. Please. Let me do this." She pleads with a sad smile.

She looks at her mother's red eyes. "We're not going to be able to see you that often. We're not going to watch you grow up into a beautiful young lady." Her mom runs her hand through her daughter's hair as she smiles sadly.

"If any boys give you trouble...I'm a phone call away babygirl." Her father places a hand on her shoulder as he tries to hold back the tears. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you. I love you guys." Tears raced down Jen's cheeks as she tries to wipe them away.

Her father turns to Bang PD and nods. "We'll sign it."

Bang PD nods and hands them the contract. Jen's father signs it first and shortly afterward, her mom does the same and hands the pen to Jen. She lets out a breath and signs her name before handing it to Bang PD with two hands. "Thank you. I will work hard." Jen bows with a bright smile.

"As of today, you'll be a trainee. I'll be watching you, kid." Bang PD smiles.

---

After receiving a new iPhone and keys to the dorm to stay at with the other chosen female trainees, Jen spends a few more hours with her family before a heartfelt goodbye as they go back to America. Her agent, Diana, stays with her in Seoul as she works with Big Hit as well.
Once she heads to the dorm, she is greeted by the rest of the female trainees and quickly opens up to all of them.

They welcomed her with open arms and she was grateful that she could communicate with them, with the Korean that she knew without any language barriers.
One thing she did wish she learned before she got to Seoul was how to eat with chopsticks. It took her forever to learn how to use chopsticks when eating and how different Korean eating habits were from America's. She had a lot to learn about South Korea's culture and was looking forward to it.

The next day was Jen's first day of training. Learning various dances and getting singing lessons. She also met other dancers and trainees. Training was so much different than America, it was insane. She admired how passionate and hard the dances were.

A few weeks went by and on a certain Thursday night, after dancing was over, she decided to stay a little longer to clean up her choreography that she learned for hours.

With her curly hair, basically a puff ball after all the perspiration, she groans at how she was going to be doing her hair while in South Korea. Maybe she should get a weave. But she'll probably have to order weaves to have it shipped to her. And order American products to her. She should've thought things through.

As she packed up after spending another hour practicing, she hears a happy English voice behind her. "Hello~" The cheerful voice filled her ears. She stands up and turns around to see a guy with curly blond hair and a boxy grin on his face.

"H-hi! Are you talking to me?" She responds in English with a smile.

"Y-yes. You...Am-erica? America?" He questions in broken English.

She chuckles and nods. He sounded really cute while trying to speak English. It sounded like he was asking her if she was American. "Yes, I am. And I speak Korean. I'm still learning but I should be fluent soon." She answers in Korean as his eyes widen. His happy vibes were getting to her because she couldn't stop smiling at him. His positivity was off the charts. She really needed that.

"Really? That's great!" He goes back to his native tongue. "My name is Taehyung."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Jennifer. You can call me Jennie, Jen, any nickname you can think of. How long have you been training?"

"I've been training a while, I'm working with BTS, right now. My stage name is V. But don't tell anyone, I'm a secret member for now. I haven't been revealed yet." He playfully grins at her.

Jen couldn't help but drop her jaw. "You're a part of the upcoming new group? Gosh, I want to try to get that spot as the Bangtan Girl. I've been hearing everyone talking about how they want a girl in the group."

"Ah, the girls are training really hard for that spot. I wish you luck! How do you like it here so far?"

"I love it here. Everyone is so welcoming. I still need to learn how to eat properly with chopsticks. I was a bit too excited to come here." She sheepishly grins and rubs the back of her neck.

"I don't mind teaching you!" He eagerly offers.

"Sounds like fun! You're really nice. Can I call you Tae?"

"Anything you like! Can I call you Ennie?"

"Haha, sure."

"I gotta go. I wanted to stop by and say hi. I hope to see you, again! Let's exchange numbers! Have you tried Korean beef yet?" He takes out his phone.

"No, I haven't. Is it good?" She takes out her phone.

"You'll love it! Hopefully, when we're both free, I'll take you so you can try some."

"O-okay!" She exchanges numbers with him. She was still in awe at how friendly he was. She had a strong feeling they were going to best friends very soon.

...And boy was she ever correct.

Whenever they both were free, he would hang out with her and show her different sights in Seoul. She even fell in love with Korean beef. Taehyung was right when he said that she would love it. As the weeks went by, Jen continues to train and while remaining best friends with Taehyung. She had gotten used to his goofiness and he made her less homesick whenever she thought about America.

---

It was March 1st as Jen just got off the phone with her parents and her two older sisters who were 18 and seniors in high school. Her sisters, Alani and Vienna were preparing to apply to colleges and improving their SAT and ACT scores.

Alani wanted to major in Journalism, to get into interviewing. Jen could see her being an anchor and interviewing celebs and hosting shows. While Vienna wants to major in Theater, getting into plays and other acting gigs. She was proud of them, and they were proud of her too. They told her how much they missed messing with her and it feels weird without her home.

One thing that got to her was the fact that she will be missing their graduation. She informed her family about the upcoming practice for the Bangtan Girl audition. It was tomorrow.

The next day, Jennie made sure to get to the practice room early, wearing grey sweatpants, a black tank top with a black sports bra. She made sure to put her curly thick hair in a messy bun, and begins to stretch. She saw there were 8 other girls in the room, that also wanted a spot to be the Bangtan Girl. She lets out a breath. This was going to be a tough competition.

She prayed that things will go smoothly and that everyone does well.

After everyone stretches, Son Seongdeuk, the choreographer for BTS arrives. He looks at every girl in the room as he stands before them. "All right, so the group I'm looking at now, is the group that wants to be that special young lady to be the Bangtan Girl of BTS."

"Currently BTS is working on two songs and we have the instrumental for them. I'm going to teach you the dances for both songs. No More Dream, and Bulletproof. I want to see how your flow is and your unique style to the dance. After a few weeks, we'll have the audition." Mr. Son continues as he walks around.

"Now let me inform you of what we are looking for. The Bangtan Girl is fierce, tough, has attitude, beauty and as the song says, bulletproof. What we are looking for is someone who can fit that persona." Mr. Son informs. "And you nine ladies believe you have what it takes. And I want you to show me. Now. I'm going to show you the dance for Bulletproof. Have a seat and watch."

The girls comply and sit down while he puts on 'We Are Bulletproof Pt 2. The first few beats made Jennie nod her head. The beat was sick...but as soon as he started dancing, her eyes were about to pop out at the fierce dancing the choreographer was showing. Her jaw couldn't be shut as she watched how quick and strong the dance moves were.

'I...I have to LEARN THAT!? I can't do that! Is it too late to back out?! Wait no. No backing out. You gotta show them how much you want this. Things are going to be OK.'

'Yooooo. How am I supposed to whip my head back and forth that quick?'

'How can I move my chest like that?'

'BRUH...Those fluid movements and smooth footwork! I never did that!'

'I'm screwed.'

'H-how do you do that!?'

'Is that even HUMAN!?'

'The human body can do that?!'

Were all the thoughts in her head as she continues to watch his dancing. After he was done, the girls clap and Mr. Son tells them to stand up so they can begin learning the Bulletproof choreography. The dance was hard and intense. Extremely intense. Nothing that she has ever danced before. It was more fluent and harder than any dance she danced in America but she was determined. After practice, she was exhausted and stayed one more hour to try to work on the dance before her body just couldn't take anymore for the day.

A week went by after learning the Bulletproof dance and they went to the No More Dream dance. Jennie still was mind boggled at how she managed to do a hip thrust after some difficulty. Guys make it look so easy. She wasn't used to moving that part of her body yet.
It must've been a hilarious sight to see her practicing hip thrusting back at the dorm while the other trainees were there. A week went by after that and it was now Friday. Mr. Son just finished the final practice day for the No More Dream dance.

Jen lays her back on the floor, panting heavily. "So. Much. Dancing. I need a hot bath." She murmurs in English before forcing herself to sit up. She looked around at the other girls who were just as exhausted, if not even more than her.

Bang PD stands up after watching the whole dance practice. "You ladies have homework. The audition for the Bangtan Girl is on Monday. You have the weekend to practice. The homework is to create a verse for Bulletproof. Mr. Son gave you the instrumental when you first started learning the dance, so you can practice during your free time. The Bangtan Girl always sings with the Bangtan Boys. I want to see what you can come up with for the song and bring in your own attitude and style to it."

"Just one verse?" Jen asks in Korean, earning a nod from him as they get dismissed.

How was she going to create a verse? It's been a while since she wrote a song. The last song was during her Singing Exhibit for her birthday last year.

---

During the weekend, Jennie could not think of anything. When she tried to, it went well but she ended up scrapping it and throwing it in the recycle bin because it wasn't what she thought it would be. It was tough to admit that she started to get a writer's block.
Saturday night she tries again, listening to the instrumental a couple times.

"I have no fear so don't try to stop me..." She writes and looks at it. "Eh...something needs to go in the middle of that..." She ponders in English.

'Tellin' me your doubts won't change my mind'
'Staying up all night dancing'

"Ugh, I don't like it." She throws it away and sighs, running her hands through her messy curls. "I hope to learn more about lyric writing while I'm in this company. Right now this is terrible." She groans and tries again.

'Unlike you partying all night while I focused on my dreams'
'Everywhere I go, everything I do, I will show you and all the people who looked down on me'
'I'm in my own lane'

"Ah...this is so corny!" She exclaims "They're not gonna accept this." She frowns. "I'll just put down what I can. I can't stress over it."

---

Monday came by quickly as the girls, Bang PD, Namjoon, Mr. Son and Taehyung were in the practice room. Jennie wore white sweatpants, a white jacket, white Nikes and a white tank top for the occasion. She even put a black bandana as a crown over her curly hair that was put down.

First, all the girls were to dance the Bulletproof Dance. Jen's efforts were successful, thankfully remembering the dance. She tried to put more flavor into it with thuggish facial expressions that didn't seem too forced, and it went well, showing more attitude to fit the instrumental.

After that, one by one the girls presented their custom verses while doing random dance moves to go with the verse and beat of the song. Namjoon had his glasses on and his head down, deep in thought as he listened to each girls' verses. Jen had a hard time trying to figure out what he was thinking when each girl auditioned. Meanwhile, V kept dancing and nodding his head to their verses.

Each girl did so well, but she hoped that she can stand out from them.

"Next." Mr. Son turns to Jennie. She swallows hard as she lets out a shaky breath and stands up and receives a mic.

'I got this...remember what you practiced girl. Time to slay them all.'

Jen gave herself some last words of encouragement as she stood in the middle of the practice room. The girls watched behind her while she stood in front of the men watching her. She turns to Mr. Song and nods as he puts on the instrumental of Bulletproof. The instrumental comes on for the second verse of the song as she begins.

'Badda bing badda boom'
'Jennie's here'
'I have no fear...so don't try to stop me
'Hah!'
'Tellin' me your doubts...won't change my mind.' (Namjoon slowly looks up and watches her.)
'You want me to party? I don't have time'.
I've been busy workin' (she slowly shimmies to the right with the beat)
I've been busy dancin' (she slowly shimmies to the left with the beat)
I'm never prancin'
'Just enhancin' (She flips her hair)
'I will persevere and you can't stop my flow' (She stands tall, looking strong)
'I'm in my own lane'
'I'm here to attain' (She makes a fist up in the air)
'I got people asking, Who's the girl?' (She looks both ways)
'The one with the curls, representing the girls' (She ruffles her curly hair while strutting forward)
I'm the one with the swag and I don't mean to brag but I broke oppositions to get where I am at today!" (She lets a fierce expression appear on her face as she ends her verse right before the chorus part came.)

The song stops and she lets out a breath as everyone applauds for her. A proud smile came across her features as she bows to everyone, thanking them.

The butterflies were no longer in her stomach and she was glad to get it over with. She hoped it was enough to please them to earn that spot.

---

Next day was the most nerve wrecking because Jennie was called to Bang PD's office. She didn't know if she had done something wrong or if it was good news. She knocked on his door and he told her to come in. She walks him to see him turn around in his chair and looking at her sternly.

"Y-you wanted to see me?" She asks softly, trying to ignore his stern look. Was he mad at her?

"Do you know why you're here?" He questions in a sharp tone as he crosses his arms.

"I-is it because of my audition?" She looks uncertain.

"How do you think you did? Do you think what you've done was what we were looking for?" His voice was serious as he narrows his eyes.

'I'm about to get dropped aren't I?' She thought nervously.

"Y-yes I do." She quickly lets out. "I think I've done well and tried my best."

After a few seconds of silence and staring, he speaks up again. "Well you thought right, Bangtan Girl." He drops his mean demeanor and smiles. "Welcome to BTS."

"Wh-what?" Her ears perk up as she widens her eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I had to keep myself from laughing." He chuckles. "I was trying to act as serious as possible. I hope I didn't scare you, too much. Congratulations, you are the Bangtan Girl. Your audition was great. You've done well."

"No way. No friggin way, are you cereal right now!?" She starts to form hot tears in her eyes as she starts to get emotional.

"Your stage name is Jennie just like in your verse. I'm looking forward to watching you grow here, kid. I'm sure BTS will have as many male fans as females now that you're apart of it. I'll be watching you closely. I have faith in you, kid." He smiles as hot tears form in her eyes and she bows.

"Thank you so much." She wipes her tears. She had to urge to hug him but she wanted to try to stay professional.

"Your stuff is being moved to BTS' dorm. You'll be staying there for now on. Head over there." He dismisses her.

She leaves the office and jumps up and down, running down the hallway, jumping and turning around. She quickly calls her parents. "Mom!"

"What?! What happened!? Is everything okay!?" She exclaims in panic at Jen's sudden yelling.

"I'm the Bangtan Girl! I passed the audition! They picked me!" She yells as her mom screams and yells to her husband to tell him the good news.

"I knew you could do it kiddo!" Jennie hears her father's voice.

After she finished her conversation with her parents, she calls V and meets him in front of the Big Hit building. V runs and wraps his arms around her in a giant bear hug, spinning her around.

"I knew you could do it Ennie!" He laughs.

"This is so surreal, Tae. I'm in BTS!" She shakes him as he continues to laugh at her excitement.

"Come on, let's head to the dorm."

"R-right now?"

"Yeah!" He grabs her hand and walks with her. "Don't be nervous! They're all very eager to meet you!"

"Seriously?"

"We found out right after the audition and when you girls left."

"I still can't believe this is happening." She runs a hand through her hair.

"Believe it Ennie!"

As they make their way to the dorm, Tae opens the door. "MEET THE NEWEST MEMBER OF BTS! THE BANGTAN GIRL! JENNIE IS HERE!" He happily yells in the dorm.

Almost instantly she hears yells and happy screams of excitement as the guys rush up to her while V gently pushes her inside and shuts the door. She almost laughed at how eager everyone was to meet her. They were bursting with energy. She could get used to this warm welcome.

"There she is!" Hobi screeches out of excitement

"We've been waiting for you!" Jin grins.

"She's pretty!" Jimin yells.

"H-hi!" She nervously greets as they all start talking at once.

"Yah! Guys, don't smother her! Let her breathe! One at a time! One-at-a-time!" Tae protectively grabs her hand and takes her further into the dorm as the rest of BTS follow them, continuing to ask questions.

"You two are just in time for dinner! Let's eat!" Jin announces.

"Aren't you gonna introduce us to her, Tae?" Jimin points out as they get settled to eat

"Ladies first." Namjoon gestures as Jen smiles nervously.

"My name is Jennifer, you can call me Jennie, Jen or whatever nickname you come up for me. I'm from America. I'm 15. Bang PD told me my stage name in BTS will be Jennie. I have two sisters that are 18, and I'm looking forward to working with you guys."

"You have a pretty smile!" Hobi points out. "So adorable!"

Jennie starts to feel her face heat up and her brown skin began to get a little red at the constant compliments. She wasn't used to this at all. She buries her face in her hands.

"Ahhh she's blushing!" Hobi yells as the guys start getting wild but Namjoon.

"Yah! Pipe down!" Namjoon calms them down and turns to her. "Hello, I'm Namjoon. Better known as Rap Monster. I'm the leader of the group. Looking forward to working with you. I was impressed by your performance."

"Nice to meet you. I noticed you watching me closely. I was a bit intimidated." She admits.

"Haha, really?" He raises a brow.

Yeah like you and the glasses and everything. You scared me a bit." She chuckles. "You were really staring."

"You just caught my attention." He smiles, revealing his dimples. "They made a good choice. Looking forward to seeing what else you can do."

"He's not scaring at all, trust me." Hobi reassures. "Hello~ I'm Hoseok. You can call me by my stage name is J-Hope or Hobi."

"I'm the oldest, Jin. Anything you need, just let me know." Jin smiles politely.

"I'm Jimin. The coolest member of the group." He boasts as the guys disagree and start hitting him with pillows, making Jennie laugh out loud. She could get used to their shenanigans.

Jungkook was usually shy around girls but Jen's demeanor made him relax and less nervous. He smiles awkwardly and looks away, avoiding eye contact until he heard her warm voice which made him look into her eyes.

"Hi, I'm Jennie. Nice to meet you. Your name?" She greets.

"I'm Jungkook." He responds with a cheesy grin.

"I'm Min Yoongi. You can call me Suga." He greets as she nods and smiles.

"Eat up!" Jin gestures as they all begin to eat. Jennie finally managed to use chopsticks the proper way and chowed away.

"So how old are you?" Namjoon asks.

"I'm 15." She responds.

"Guess you'll be apart of the Maknae line." He confirms. "Your birthday?"

"November 10th."

"Ahh she's younger than Jungkook! She'll be our baby girl!" Jimin announces.

"So what is America like?" Tae asks.

"It's what you make of it. I hope one day we'll all be able to go together and you can experience it yourselves." She smiles. "I still need to get used to eating properly and bowing here. I'm still not adjusted to your culture yet but I will soon. Please be patient with me guys."

"You'er fine, don't worry about it." Yoongi waves her doubts away.

"What are your passions" Hobi asks.

"I really love performing and meeting fans. I just love to sing and dance for fun. Music is my life." She happily reveals.

"What do you like to eat? I can put it as future references." Jin chimes in.

"Some foods I like are pizza, white chocolate, fish and chicken."

"Once we get some Korean food in you, I'm sure that'll also be your favorite foods, too." The oldest adds.

"I bet they will."

"Hey what's your favorite color?" Jungkook eagerly asks.

"I like purple." She responds.

"Any hobbies?" Namjoon questions.

"I like to play the guitar. Play occasional video games and golf." Jen addresses.

"Golf?" Jin asks in amazement.

"I'm not that good yet but I like the spot. It's fascinating to check out." She points out.

The rest of the dinner went great as she starts to feel less nervous and excited to be working with BTS. The boys were so nice and welcoming towards her.

"Oh yeah, let's show Jen her room!" Yoongi announces as he stands up. The boys escort her to a small room in the dorm. "Since you're a girl, we're sure you wanted your girl time and privacy. It's smaller than the rest of ours. I hope it's all right."

"No it's perfect." She shakes her head and turns to them, looking appreciative. "Thanks guys."

Later that night, everyone got ready for bed. Jennie said good night to everyone and laid under the covers in her new home. She laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm going to like it here...I'm so happy. Thank you Lord for this opportunity." She sighs in content and falls asleep.

Notes

While performing, the words in bold are words that Jennie sings in English during the BTS songs.