Jonghyun’s life, post-meeting, was as uneventful as his life before the meeting.  No one even knew about his exciting day other than his sister – who had proceeded to mercilessly – and his boss – who was endlessly supportive of his choices. He hadn’t even told his parents, not wanting to see his father’s disappointed look as he realised that, once again, his son was focusing on his ‘pointless songs’ as opposed to a ‘useful’ pastime. His mother would be supportive, but there was always a niggling doubt in his mind that this was too good to be true and it would never come to fruition. If that happened, he didn’t want to let everyone know and then have them laugh at him because he had really believed his song was good enough to win this competition.

Ok, he realised that was an incredibly pessimistic view. He also realised that the chances of SM Entertainment backing out now were incredibly slim. But hey, who said human thoughts had to make sense? He certainly didn’t, because his definitely didn’t 99% of the time.

In his online life he was equally as tight lipped about his winning entry. Of course, this was partially because no one knew that BlingBling and Jonghyun were the same person (or that BlingBling was even male) but also partially due to his not wanting to draw attention to himself. People knew who he was online because they liked him as a person and they actually wanted to talk to him, not just because he was that guy who wrote that one song for SHINee.

Of course, there was a lot of speculation about who this Kim Jonghyun who had won the competition was – speculation BlingBling was conspicuously absent from, even when people he spoke to asked him directly. Many netizens were angry that a man had won because there was ‘no way a guy could be a SHINee fan’ and many more were just plain curious about who he was. SM Entertainment had announced that there would be a documentary focusing on the competition and the winning song about three months after Jonghyun’s meeting and people were starting to get hyped up for that. Mainly because SHINee had been given a break before promotions began and they hadn’t had any major schedules for a few months now. Their fans, despite knowing the group needed a break occasionally, had a craving for them that needed to be sated; which, unfortunately wasn’t possible during hiatus time.

There was little progress on the documentary front so far. The teen assumed it was because they needed to get the song and music video fully recorded before they aired the TV show. Thus, until that process was complete, Jonghyun wasn’t needed for his part of the recording. However, it had been four months since his meeting at the SM Entertainment head offices and he was getting a little antsy, to be perfectly honest.

It was only his occasional emails to and from Sungkyu that reassured him that things were still moving along smoothly on the company’s end. He had emailed the older man as soon as he had gotten home from the meeting and had practically overloaded his email with songs and sound clips that he was especially proud of. He had then had a minor freak out in his bedroom because ‘what if I’m totally bothering the guy and he only said to send him things because he was being polite’. However, the older man was incredibly supportive of Jonghyun’s work and honestly seemed – from his emails at least – to like all the songs he had been sent so far.

There were some songs he had been a little critical of, in terms of arrangement or the main melody or even the lyrics, but for every single piece he would point out something he really liked and suggest something to improve. Sungkyu had also come through on his promise to provide some learning resources to help improve Jonghyun’s skills. Whether they were websites, books or even other songs with carefully written comments on good techniques and effects they had used. He had even linked the teen to a documentary on Chinese history one time and issued a challenge to write a song (no matter how short or simple) based on something in the documentary that inspired him. It was basically homework, something Jonghyun had loathed in school, but he loved it. To have the attention of a professional in his dream profession helping him out was more than he had ever hoped for when he entered that competition. The man was really becoming like a teacher to the blonde teen and Jonghyun really felt his work had improved since he had begun their email communication.

It wasn’t just professional help the composer was providing, however. He had also taken the time to get to know Jonghyun and made sure to ask about how his sister was or how his work was going whenever he would email. Jonghyun, in turn, asked about the other man’s life, his wife and what working at a large company like SM Entertainment was like.

So, on the 22^nd of June, four and a half months post his initial meeting at the company, when Jonghyun received a call at work, he hadn’t been expecting it to be Mr. Song calling to schedule an interview appointment. This call, taken quickly in the break room in the back of the cafe, had resulted in a frozen Jonghyun and had required the confused cajoling of his boss to get him moving once more.

“Jonghyun, are you alive? You left Junyoung alone out there.” His boss said, hands on his hips in a stern pose as he stood above the shocked teen. However, the man’s eyes were soft and belied how much he cared for his employee and was concerned for his mental state. “Seriously, Jjong, you ok?” He asked, moving further into the small room. The lack of movement from the teen in front of him worrying him a little.

Jonghyun visibly snapped out of it and looked up at his boss before speaking in a voice so quiet the other man barely heard it. “I’m going to meet SHINee.”

Following that proclamation the other man had given a loud laugh and a “Is that all?” After giving a rousing pep talk, the cafe owner shooed Jonghyun back to work for the rest of his shift. Once the work day was over, the older man had told the kid to take the day off before his interview and prepare however he needed to. This was partially as a favour to one of his most long-term employees – and one of his most hard-working – but it was also to help himself. The kid would not be able to concentrate the day before meeting his idols. God knows, his boss knew how much that boy coveted those singers. It was clear every single time a SHINee song played on the radio; the kid practically lit up like a Christmas tree when he heard those boys’ voices.

Jonghyun’s sister on hearing the news had, as usual, brother mercilessly before heading into his bedroom to assess his fashion situation. She had circled him, like some kind of predator as she scrutinised his appearance thoroughly before declaring he was passable but needed some work. “You’re my brother, I can’t have you looking gross on national TV. I’d be a laughing stock.”

This had all culminated in Jonghyun standing in front of the SM Entertainment building a week later. His hair was freshly dyed and he now sported an impressive dye job; it was blonde, but his sister had really pushed the envelope with her ideas, to the point that the hairdresser looked at her like she was talking gibberish. With a gradient of three colours, darkest at the back of his head, leading to a much lighter fringe, Jonghyun had to admit, it was an unusual style but it definitely looked good. He had always liked himself blonde but never before would he would have considered such an out there look. Without Sodam’s input he would probably have stayed dark or gone for a simple all-over blonde. The girl was irritating to a tee but she had a good heart and Jonghyun certainly owed her a lot. Accepting her bizarre make-overs was just one small thing he could do to make it up to her. Plus, she actually had remarkably good taste. So in the end, he benefited a lot more than she did.

He also had her to thank for his clothing. He hadn’t needed to purchase anything new as, in his sister’s words he was “surprisingly fashion conscious” but she had not allowed him to coordinate his own outfit for the day. She had dressed him in a pair of dark skinny jeans, high tops, a plain white t-shirt that showed off his hard earned figure and a leather jacket. It was quite warm that day so Jonghyun had forgone the use of the sleeves and merely slung the jacket over his shoulders. It was a simple enough outfit, but Jonghyun felt comfortable and stylish and he “wouldn’t embarrass his sister except through his actions” (her words).

She had even accosted him this morning with her makeup supplies. Smearing his face with some gunk that apparently made his skin super clean and smooth and smudging a little dark stuff around his eyes. If he hadn’t known Sodam so well, he would have protested but he knew, if he did, there was a high chance she would embarrass him greatly at some point in the near future. Annoying her just wasn’t worth it, especially as he owed her so much for attending all those SHINee events with him. Plus, he had to admit, it actually made him look good. It accentuated his eyes rather nicely and the weird creams made his skin feel like he had never had a spot of acne in his life. He might have to get some of this stuff for himself – without ever letting his sister get wind of his purchase, of course.

Stepping through the automatic doors of the SM Entertainment headquarters, Jonghyun took a deep breath and strode towards the reception desk. He had been here before, he was comfortable finding his way through the lobby. He just had to ask the receptionist to send down Sungkyu. He was so ready for this.

He was so not ready for this.

Jonghyun had, following a short conversation with the receptionist, started browsing the abstract art work on the walls. It was equally as confusing this time as it had been the last time he was here but it was something to occupy his time. It was either this, or freak out and he had made the executive decision that freaking out here would not be ideal.

The receptionist had phoned upstairs to get the composer’s attention, her long, acid-green finger nails clicking against the handset of her phone as she waited for it to connect. From the long suffering look she had shot at Jonghyun when he approached her desk, you would have assumed he had asked her to do something more taxing than her job. After he made his request – and totally didn’t stutter or look at his feet as he did so – she flicked her long hair over one shoulder dramatically and dialed the number much more violently than was strictly necessary.

Sungkyu had agreed to come down and meet the blonde, however, he had requested Jonghyun wait around ten minutes. So, here Jonghyun was, wasting those ten minutes observing a painted scene that he thought was probably a mountain view but may also have been a cuttlefish. Abstract art confused him.

“Look who scrubs up all nice and fancy.” A voice said from behind Jonghyun, making the blonde whirl around in shock to stare at the slightly taller man. “Hair and make-up will love you. You’ve made their job easier.”

Jonghyun blushed, looking down at himself. “It was my sister’s idea. She refused to let me outside without a makeover.”

“Ah, Sodam, yes?” The composer asked, “She sounds like a strong willed girl.”

“And some.” Jonghyun muttered, drawing a laugh from the older man.

“Shall we head upstairs?” Sungkyu asked, gesturing towards the bank of elevators. “I’ve been assigned your guide for today. Junghoon, that’s Mr. Song, decided you’d be more comfortable this way.” Leaning closer to the short teen he whispered conspiratorially, “Personally, I think he just wanted me to do his work for him.” Standing up straight once more, he gestured for Jonghyun to enter the elevator that had just arrived. The composer continued as he pressed the button for the correct floor. “I don’t really mind, though. I’d love to chat with you a little more about your compositions. And I’d love to have your input on a few things.”

Looking up at the man, Jonghyun grinned, “That sounds great.”

“That’ll be after your interview and meet and greet, of course.”

“Oh God.” Jonghyun muttered. The other man’s arrival had managed to take his mind off of his impending meeting with SHINee but that one statement managed to make all the overwhelming feelings flood back at once. Staggering slightly, the blonde used the wall of the elevator for balance as he tried to breathe.

“Were you this dramatic last time we met?” Sungkyu chuckled as he rubbed the teens shoulder in mock comfort.

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” Jonghyun protested. “This is different to all the other times. I’ve seen them but I’ve never met them before and-“ He broke off before he rambled any more. He knew, even in his nervous state that, once he got started on his favourite topic, it was hard to get him to stop and it often annoyed other people.

“You’ve never met them?” Sungkyu asked, surprised. “From your emails you struck me as a super fan. I assumed you’d been to all the concerts and fan-signings.”

“I have.” Jonghyun said, as he unsteadily stepped off the, now stopped elevator, and followed the composer down the hall. “Well... all the concerts at least. I never went to the signings.”

“May I ask why not?” The composer said, holding open a door for the blonde and heading down, yet more, corridors.

All the corridors Jonghyun had seen in this building so far looked exactly the same. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he lost his guide. He might be stuck in the labyrinth of dull browns and greys for the rest of his life.

“I never really...” Jonghyun trailed off, trying to think how to phrase what he wanted to say. “I never felt like I fit in with the other fans. They were all...” He hesitated, once again and continued speaking after an encouraging look from the older man. “They were all, well… girls. And I didn’t fit in with that. The concerts are ok but even there I get strange looks. I don’t know. Maybe I just need to deal with it.”

“Just be confident.” Sungkyu grinned, clapping the shorter man on the shoulder and steering him into a room full of people. “Be yourself and don’t be afraid to express your love for something. If people judge you for it, who cares? You are doing something you love and that’s always worth it.” Seeing Jonghyun’s posture straighten, ever so slightly, the composer hoped his pep talk had given the boy the push he needed to make the most of this day. Nudging him gently towards one of the many women in the room, he smiled gently, “Subin will be doing your hair and make-up, just sit down and let her do her thing.”

“Ok.” Jonghyun agreed, looking up at the man from under his fringe. “And thank you.”

“Come along, sweetie.” The woman, probably around five years older than Jonghyun himself, said, gently. “Someone did a good job on you today, don’t need to fix much. I’ll just make you a little more camera ready.” She said, gathering an array of tools in front of her and selecting a fine-toothed comb which she brushed through Jonghyun’s fringe and used to style the hair artfully across his forehead. “I adore this colour. Whoever did this did an amazing job.” She said, making small talk, trying to calm the still slightly nervous teen down.

“Thank you.” The boy said, softly, looking down nervously, before having his head moved back up by the stylist as she continued to fiddle with his newly-coloured locks. “It was my sister’s idea. I just let her and the hairdresser have free reign. It was easier.”

“Your sister has good sense. She ever considered going into hair design?” The woman said, grinning as she fluffed out the teen’s fringe with a round brush.

Jonghyun couldn’t help but let out a loud snort before blushing as he realised how uncultured he appeared. He may not be interested in women, per se, but that didn’t mean he was willing to look like a pig in front of them. “No, not at all. She’d probably yell at the first argumentative customer she had.”

“Such a shame,” The stylist said, continuing to tease and spray certain sections of Jonghyun’s hair. The front section now swooped nicely across his forehead, neater than he would ever have been able to achieve it personally and the back had a lot more volume than he was used to. Turning his head slightly, as the stylist moved away to collect some more tools, Jonghyun couldn’t help but admire the style. Everyone was right, his hair did look good like this.

After getting his make-up fixed and somehow being on the receiving end of a lecture on the best products to use for his skin type, skin colour and his style from the enthusiastic Subin – which Jonghyun would never admit to listening intently to as he planned to utilise the information later (his eyes had never looked more mysterious and alluring, okay?) – he was finally camera ready. Around five minutes of waiting later, the teen was herded out of the room and into another, larger room by Sungkyu.

“Now, you don’t need wardrobe.” The man was muttering, “They want you to look like yourself.”

Jonghyun looked at him in confusion, “I just had my hair and makeup done...”

“Yes, yes. Yourself but fixed.” The man said distractedly. “What else were we meant to do? I am not cut out for this people management thing. Give me a song book and I’m good. But no,” The man continued muttering to himself as he paced back and forth along the edge of the small room.

“Uhh, sir?” The blonde asked, getting a little worried for the man. They had become quite close over the last few months, however, Jonghyun wasn’t sure he wanted to see the moment the man had a breakdown and he definitely wasn’t sure he could handle it. “Are you ok?”

“Hmm?” Sungkyu asked, looking up from the floor, despite his feet still carrying him in his continued pacing. “Yes, sorry. I just can’t remember our next destination and pacing helps me think.”

“Ok,” Jonghyun chuckled, “just don’t think too long. I don’t want to be late for my interview.”

“Interview.” The composer agreed, before stopping pacing and looking at the teen in triumph. “Before the interview you have to see the music video! That’s it! It’s this way.” He said, probably the most enthusiastic Jonghyun had ever seen him, as he dragged the teen out of the small room and down yet more creepily identical hallways.

Eventually they reached a closed door. The older composer opened it silently and stuck his head in to check it out before beckoning for the teen to follow him inside. Sitting comfortably in two of the arranged chairs – claiming two in the middle of the room for themselves, directly facing the large projector screen on the wall – the two males got comfortable and waited for the screening to begin. They didn’t have to wait long, according to Sungkyu, they were only waiting on Woo who was apparently looking forward to showing off his work.

Not five minutes later, the exuberant man slammed the door open, “Kiddo! Welcome back. I hope you’re ready for this because I think it is a show-stopper.”

With little more conversation, the screening was underway and Jonghyun was completely astounded. If he hadn’t spent so many hours working on his song, to the point that it was practically burnt into his brain, he wouldn’t have recognised it as his own work. The professional treatment had done wonders; changing the fake electronic sounds of his computer program into slick beats and nice sounding backing music. And the group’s singing, it was beyond incredible. If he wasn’t afraid of sounding hedonistic, he would have declared this to be his favourite SHINee song of all time. The group had taken his work, already tailored to each member’s original talents and quirks and still managed to make it uniquely theirs in ways Jonghyun hadn’t predicted. The singing was smooth, the rap was punchy and the high notes were to die for. It was official. Jonghyun was even more in love with SHINee than he had initially thought.

After that experience, Jonghyun had been waved off by an excited Woo and escorted to another room by Sungkyu. The new room was a little different from the meeting room’s Jonghyun had previously seen. This room was larger with a fake homey backdrop set up and a set of plush couches placed in front of the mock peaceful scene. The whole set-up faced a bank of cameras and a whole host of people were bustling around trying to get things set up. The overall atmosphere of the room was completely separate to the relaxed setting they were clearly trying to portray.

Jonghyun was a little overwhelmed as he slowly trailed after Sungkyu, into the maelstrom of busy people. Seeing him fall back a little as he looked around the large room, the composer grabbed the teen’s wrist and guided him gently through the crowds, sitting him down in a chair near the set and telling him to wait there whilst he found the person in charge.

Jonghyun did just that as he was half afraid he would be swept away if he so much as took a single step away from his current position. This was a world he had never experienced before and a world he had never thought he ever would experience. It was all a little overwhelming to be honest. Leaning forward in the seat, Jonghyun looked around the room trying to spot his composer mentor which was easier said than done considering the organised chaos surrounding the blonde. Giving up after a few minutes, he settled back in his chair and entertained himself with trying to work out what was going on around him. This was both interesting and had the added bonus of taking his mind off the fact that, any minute now, Sungkyu would return and Jonghyun would be interviewed for national TV. What if he made a fool of himself? Did he get to veto any cuts he didn’t like? He gulped and shifted lower in his seat, trying not to attract the attention of any of the many people working on the set.

He wasn’t ready for this.

 

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CHAPTER NOTES: SHINee next chapter, I swear. I like all the Jonghyun backstory but I’m sure some people are antsy for the rest of the boys to make an entrance. 

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