Julia’s focus moved past Tae and around the place he’d made into a home. “Wow, you did a great job renovating down here. It’s looks amazing,” she said.
He followed her gaze as she took in the subway tiles he’d done for the kitchenette backsplash, the headboard he’d built from reclaimed barnwood and stained gray, the navy velvet loveseat he had reupholstered that fit perfectly in the corner. She lowered her gaze to the polished concrete flooring.
“These are great area rugs. Nice choice. Tae, you’ve always had such a great eye for space planning, aesthetics, and design. You should do this for a living.”
Tae tried not to immediately put his guard up the moment Julia mentioned working or what a career should or could look like for him. He was ultrasensitive to this line of conversation with most people. Always feeling like what he was doing now wasn’t respectable enough. But he knew she wasn’t nagging him. She was just observing.
“Thanks, Jules. Hey, we’re gonna be out here,” he said, opening the door to the backyard, changing the subject.
Julia followed him outside, and he heard it: the small gasp she let out when she saw what he had prepared. Here, in Tae’s backyard, he’d created a mini concert venue. He’d strung lights between all the trees, laid blankets out on the grass, hung a huge white sheet up for a screen, and had the projector ready. He even built a mini stage with the wood from some old pallets his parents had out in the shed. And on the main blanket, he had two fully charged fan light sticks that he’d borrowed from some neighborhood girls and set to blinking purple, a bottle of wine, pizza, and a concert DVD ready. Maybe it was a little overboard.
He worried it was a little too cheesy, janky even. But he couldn’t afford to get her tickets to a real K-pop concert, even if one had been playing in town tonight. This would have to do.
But seeing Julia’s eyes in awe as she took it all in made it worth it.
“What is this?” she asked in an amazed whisper.
“It’s your first BTS concert. I’m so glad you like the music. I had a feeling you would. Their message is just as powerful as their talent. But when you see what they do when they perform on stage, you’ll be amazed. So for tonight, let’s enjoy the show.”
Maybe some would say this was childish or corny. But K-pop had shaped Tae’s life growing up and to this day, and he wanted to be the one to introduce Julia to BTS. Their music had gotten Tae through some of his darker moments the last few years.
“Tae, this is so cool! Okay, I’ll admit it. You were right. I really like their music. Some of their songs are serious bops. And the lyrics, touching on mental health and societal issues, are powerful. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Tae smiled, letting out a relieved sigh. Julia got it. He had hoped she would.
“Well, it sounds like you’re already a member of the BTS ARMY. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Randall Park, Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers... oh, and John Cena... all ARMY. You’re in good company.”
“Well, ifJohn Cenais ARMY...” she said and smiled.
Tae liked this. He liked that he could share this side of himself with Julia without feeling foolish. He liked that she could tease him and it made him laugh. She felt like an equal in these moments, even though in reality, she was way out of his league.
“What’s all of this?” she asked, pointing at all the supplies Tae had prepared.
“Come over here and have a seat. This is the light stick I was telling you about. For BTS, it’s called the ARMY bomb. But other bands have slightly modified versions, and they’re called by different names.”
“I had no idea this subculture existed. It’s like a world in and of itself. How did you get into K-pop?”
“Well, while you all were listening to One Direction growing up—”
“I was not into One Direction, mind you.”
“Oh, that’s right. You were listening to the newest trends in nature sounds. What was it back in the early 2000s? Frogs? Roaring brooks?”
“Ha ha. I happened to be more into underground hip-hopat the time. I just never told anyone, since I was afraid I’d be kicked out of youth group.”
Tae nodded his head, impressed with this confession. “Well, I was listening to Super Junior, BigBang and SHINee. My cousin sent us over the CDs from music stores in Korea, and Min and I jammed to them. I was that goofy kid practicing the choreography in the mirror.”
Silence. Shit, he’d shared too much. He just confessed to be being a total dork dancing to K-pop choreography. He was suddenly terrified to look at Julia.
“Well, okay then, teacher. I doubted that you were expert enough to be the one to get me up to speed. But you’ve proven yourself worthy... almost. I’m thinking that in order toreallyshow your mastery of K-pop, I’m going to need to, ahem, see some of this choreography, you know, with my own eyes. That way I can trust that you’re the real deal.”
“Ha ha, Jules. You wish. So not gonna happen.”
“How am I gonna not make a fool of myself on my date tomorrow if I don’t know what the choreography looks like?”
“Jules, we’re about to watch the concert. Just—”
“Dance for me!” Julia’s face lit up with laughter as she egged Tae on to show her some moves. He hadn’t seen this side of Julia, the complete abandonment of seriousness and just pure joy. He didn’t want to sayno.
