The morning sun bathed Seoul in a soft golden glow, making the skyscrapers look almost gentle against the sky.
Sherri adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder, her nerves buzzing as she stood in front of the gleaming glass building of SKY Entertainment.
Today was the day.
Her first official day as a marketing intern.
Her first step into a world she had only ever admired from the outside.
She took a deep breath, smoothed down the wrinkles in her blouse, and pushed the door open.
Inside, the lobby was buzzing with life. Staff members hurried past with clipboards and coffee, stylists carried garment bags across the floor and somewhere in the distance, Sherri could hear faint strains of music coming from the practice rooms.
She approached the front desk where a friendly-looking receptionist greeted her.
"Hello! You must be Sherri," the woman said, checking a list on her tablet. "Welcome! HR is expecting you on the 7th floor."
Sherri bowed politely and thanked her, trying to mask the slight tremor in her hands. She stepped into the elevator, watching the numbers climb higher and higher, her reflection staring back nervously from the polished doors.
When she finally reached the marketing department, a woman in her late thirties named Ms. Park introduced herself as Sherri's supervisor.
"We're a small team but very hands-on," Ms. Park explained warmly. "You'll be assisting with social media campaigns, fan events, and promotions. A lot of it involves direct coordination with the artists."
Sherri nodded eagerly, absorbing every word.
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of working so close to the idols she had admired for so long.
"And," Ms. Park continued, handing her a tablet with schedules, "your first assignment will be supporting Slay Kids for their upcoming anniversary project."
Sherri's hands tightened around the tablet.
It was real.
This was happening.
"Today, they have a brief photo shoot here in the building," Ms. Park added casually. "You're welcome to sit in and observe, maybe take some behind-the-scenes notes for the social media team."
Sherri bowed again, hiding the wide grin threatening to break across her face.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for the opportunity."
---
An hour later, Sherri found herself standing near the back of a large photography studio.
Lights flashed, music played softly in the background, and stylists fussed over the Slay Kids members as they posed for the cameras.
Sherri kept to the shadows, clutching her notepad, reminding herself to stay professional. She wasn't here as a fan. She was here as staff.
But it was hard — so, so hard — when her eyes kept drifting toward Hyunjin.
He wore a sleek black jacket over a simple white T-shirt, his silver hair styled just messily enough to look effortlessly cool.
When he smiled between shots, joking with the photographers, Sherri felt an involuntary flutter in her stomach.
Beside him, YoungBok laughed easily, his boyish grin lighting up the entire room.
Where Hyunjin was smooth and magnetic, YoungBok was playful and grounding — a perfect balance.
It wasn't hard to see why fans adored them.
It wasn't hard to see why Sherri had been drawn to them even before she knew their names by heart.
As the shoot wrapped up, the members were allowed a short break. Staff bustled around resetting equipment, and Sherri scribbled quick notes, trying to stay invisible.
But fate had other plans.
She was reviewing a list of hash tags for the upcoming posts when she heard a voice — warm, curious — call out behind her.
"New face?"
Sherri turned, heart leaping into her throat.
Standing just a few feet away was Hyunjin, a towel slung loosely around his neck, sweat making his forehead gleam under the lights. He was smiling at her, not the polished stage smile, but something softer, more genuine.
Sherri bowed instinctively. "Yes! Hello. I'm Sherri — new intern with marketing."
Hyunjin tilted his head slightly, studying her with open curiosity.
"You speak Korean very well," he said.
She laughed nervously. "Thank you. I've been practicing for a long time... I'm still learning."
Before she could say more, another figure joined them — YoungBok, a bottle of water in hand.
"Hyunjin, don't scare the newbie," YoungBok teased, flashing Sherri a friendly grin.
"I'm not scaring her," Hyunjin protested, laughing.
YoungBok turned to Sherri, extending a hand. "I'm YoungBok. Nice to meet you."
Sherri shook his hand, feeling strangely at ease despite the chaos in her chest.
They were both so... Normal. Kind. Human.
Not distant idols towering above her, but real people standing right in front of her.
"We'll be seeing a lot of each other then," YoungBok said cheerfully. "Welcome to the madhouse."
Hyunjin chuckled beside him. "Yeah. It's a good madhouse though."
A staff member called them back then and both boys offered Sherri a little wave before jogging off toward the center of the studio.
Sherri stood frozen for a moment, blinking after them.
She let out a slow, shaky breath, her heart thundering in her ears.
She had survived her first encounter. Barely.
But something about the way Hyunjin had looked at her — curious, lingering just a second longer than necessary — made a tiny spark light somewhere deep inside her chest.
She shook her head quickly, forcing herself back into work mode.
This was just the beginning.
A professional relationship.
That was all.
Still...
She couldn't help the small, secret smile that tugged at her lips as she scribbled another note into her tablet:
> "Slay Kids — group dynamics: powerful yet warm. Member interactions: genuine. Star factor: overwhelming."
And under that, almost without thinking, she added:
> "Hyunjin — dangerous smile. YoungBok — disarming laugh."
Maybe, just maybe, Seoul had more in store for her than she had ever dared to dream.
---