The click of her short heels made her feel like an official business woman as she walked down the outdoor corridor. But butterflies did flips in her stomach. Barely two weeks after graduation, she had an opportunity at a real Hollywood agency to start her career. The smells of California sage drifted around her as she read each of the suite signs. She stopped at a door next to the sign that read "Wood Entertainment." She pulled it open.

Sitting at the reception desk was a girl talking on a headset. Trish waited for the girl to finish, pausing a moment to take in the room. It was stark, but sleek. A single, white orchid sat on one side of the reception desk and its twin was on a low table between tufted, white leather chairs in the waiting area. Very modern. Very Hollywood chic. Trish let out her breath, not realizing she'd been holding it.

"May I help you?" The girl said without even looking up.

Trish turned back to the receptionist with a big, award-winning smile. "Hi, I'm here to see Felicia."

"You can take a seat. I'll let her know you're here. Your name?"

"It's Trish. Patricia Russo."

The receptionist nodded as she touched a button on her desk and spoke quietly for a second. "Felicia said she'll be right out."

Trish sank into the deep seat of the chair and reached for a magazine from the shiny coffee table. She recognized the Kpop stars Blackpink and BTS on the cover. She'd been studying up on Kpop at Felicia's request, but then paused in trying to read the article. It was in Korean. A quick look at the other one, featuring Red Velvet and Taemin, she realized all the headlines were in Japanese. Her stomach sank. She might be in over her head here.

She waited a few minutes, but Felicia hadn't come out. Her phone buzzed, and she checked her phone, just to make sure it wasn't something super important. It was a spam to her email. She realized she caught herself thinking it was a message from Brian, her ex-boyfriend. More like Jerk McLerk Brian. He had seemed okay with her moving, but had been standoffish as she packed. That didn't seem like him. Then, he'd sent her a text last night. She told herself not to look at it to spoil her first day. But, did she listen to herself? No.

Trish, it's been great these last few years. But now that you've moved to LA, I think it's time to go our separate ways. I'll always love you.

-Brian

She kept thinking to herself as she waited, You've moved to LA. This is the start of something bigger. Brian was the past. This is my future now.

Just then, Felicia exploded into the room glued to her phone. "I told them to set it up. Tomorrow is the shoot. It should be all ready by now." Stopping in front of Trish, she waved at her to follow. Trish barely had time to grab her bag and get across the room to catch the door before it closed.

They went down a hallway as Felicia continued the conversation. "He needs to have everything exactly right or he will be impossible to deal with. He is very particular about what he needs before he does anything for Friends5. If it isn't in his trailer tomorrow, we're going to hear about it. Make sure it happens."

She turned into an office, tossing the phone onto a desk. "I'm sorry about that. I've been putting out fires all morning."

"It sounded that way." Trish smiled, trying to defuse some of the negativity from the call. "I'm glad to finally be here." Trish reached out to shake her hand, and Felicia took it.

She gave a strong shake back, motioning for her to take a seat. "Thank you for taking the position. I need young bloods like you to reach this new Kpop market."

A rather cute guy, around twenty-seven and dressed in a suit, peeked through the door. His brown-gelled hair gave him a model, GQ look. "We've got the caterers set up and the crew is sorted, Felicia. Tomorrow seems to be set."

"Except for a trailer." Felicia waved at the man. "He needs a private trailer and the rental place says they are out."

He nodded. "I'm on it," and was gone in a rush.

Felicia sat down in her chair and leaned back. She wore a perfectly tailored suit which flattered her tall frame. From the moment Trish had sat down, she knew she wanted to work for her. Felicia was a titan in the world of promotions, responsible for launching some of the biggest names in music. Now, she was taking on Kpop as Hollywood promoters and music companies scrambled to make deals with the emerging music genre in the American market. Capital Records working with SM Entertainment in Korea paved the way for SuperM and for Kpop music to cross into the United States. All the companies were now scrambling to create the next Kpop sensation here. Trish wanted to be a part of this new Kwave.

"So, welcome to your first day. I needed you here yesterday." Felicia smirked. It might have been intimidating with anyone else, but somehow her tone gave an air of authority as well as the feeling she was being brought into a secret circle of confidence. Felicia made her feel comfortable rather than intimidated. "Starting tomorrow I need you to work with the Kpop group, Friends5. Have you heard of them?"

She took a moment, sorting through the names and faces she had been looking up. "Yes, I have been researching Kpop groups and Kdramas since you offered me the job."

"Excellent, that's what I like to hear. They're getting ready for a big launch here in the states that includes a performance at the U.S. Music Awards show next week and a concert tour starting in about eight weeks. We were one of the first agencies to launch a Kpop group in the U.S. and the demand is almost impossible to keep up with. We will have more groups heading this way in the next two years, plus we are working on getting the top Kdramas translated and managing the distribution and release events for those. You have a passport, right?"

"Uh, yes, I have a passport." Trish's head was spinning from the quick shift.

"Great. You might have a chance to travel the world. But that all depends on what promotions we're running and productions we are handling. Right now, Friends5 is the priority. I've got to put you on that as well as my other assistant, Michelle. Did you two meet yet?"

Trish thought back to the man she'd seen and the receptionist in the hall. "I don't know."

Felicia waved at her. "Oh, no matter. There's a staff meeting at eleven. You can meet everyone then. In the meantime, let's get you set up with a laptop, phone, and email. The Friends5 video shoot is tomorrow, and I need all hands-on deck."

"I'm your girl." Trish sat up, pulling her shoulders back, feeling that she'd landed into the trenches. And it felt awesome.