Round Robin

Far over the misty mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old… Hyukjae desperately wished to be exactly there instead of being caught were he was sitting right now.

“…I understand why they all say Toby’s cool. He really is.“ Jaekwang was sitting next to Hyukjae, looking up at the big screen, sighing silently in disappointment about himself. The boy was a real feast for the eyes, even now when there was neither training nor anything else up, his whole appearance looked on point. But someone like him not being chosen to perform was basically shoving into Hyukjae’s face how far away he himself was from standing on a stage like that. The beauty and the beast. It wasn’t that nice to be considered as the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The possibility to watch the concert, which he had been excluded from, live in one of the BigHit HQ offices wasn’t making him feel any better, either. 



And it wasn’t only Jaekwang who was disappointed. All of those sitting in the room, watching the live broadcast of the very concert none of them had been able to participate at, were drowning in self-pity. Everyone except for Taehyuk who was busy with checking his phone.

“Awww man, Taehee! Why do you do that to me?!“, he yelled and started pouting, hitting the surface of the couch with his fists like a little child. Those sitting around him were immediately looking at him with irritated faces.



“What’s wrong, Taylor Swift, did the manager break up with you?“, Hyukjae couldn’t hold back and started nudging him. The younger one was hissing at him shortly before pushing his phone into Hyukjae’s face.



“Look at this!“, he told him and further pressed the display towards Hyukjae’s face. “They uploaded a trainee list on the official BigHit website! I knew Taehee wasn’t running around, taking photos of us for no reason! But this?! Common, Taehee! Why didn’t you pick one of the photos of my photoshoots?!“ Frustratedly Taehyuk sunk back into the couch, crossing his arms and glaring at the TV screen. Again Hyukjae could only feel mistreated by fate and the genetic mixture that made him look like he did when people like Taehyuk were able to look incredibly handsome when they were pouting. If Hyukjae dared to copy him, he’d look like a giant, bloated fish. “First they’re not letting us perform at the concert and then they’re uploading crappy profile pictures…“, Taehyuk further complained.



“They did what?“ From the other corner of the room Evan was changing his focus from the trainee performance to the boys with the phone in their hands. He soon approached them to grab it and check what they were talking about himself. At least he didn’t run around as if he just jumped out of a fashion magazine. His sweatpants were giving Hyukjae hope. Hope that something like commoner’s style was still appropriate among the trainees. “AAH NOOO!“, Evan also exclaimed.



Hyukjae could only laugh about how they were reacting. The photos weren’t showing the best sides of them but even if the pictures had been great how much of a difference would it have made to those who were performing at BigHit United right now? The one he felt really bad for was Sian who was sitting unusually depressed on his seat, his throat protected by a ruff and his right foot stuck in a cast. Even his wrists were bandaged and a lot of bruises covered his whole body. How much the latest incident was getting to him showed in how different he was right now. All the more he must have felt bad about having to give up his spot for the performance everyone had reached for. It hurt to see him like that… but Hyukjae didn’t dare to cheer him up… since there were other trainees sulking just as much.



Alone on one of the chairs, Yoosung was trying to stare down the TV. His glasses were reflecting the scenery on screen, still not hiding his eyes that could have shot burning laser beams towards it to completely burn it down. Even though Yoosung had Soohyun to back him up, he still hadn’t been save from BigHit’s strict hand of choosing only those who were meeting the standards to be on stage. Two major things had been needed to qualify for a stage appearance: Dancing skills and visuals. It was easy and unfair. But that was how it was.

Another picture of misery was to be found in Ilsung who didn’t even bothered to get a glimpse of what was happening during the concert. He was sighing, his eyes directed towards the floor. It must have been hard to have been a former BTS line-up member and then for whatever reason not being picked to stand on stage with the other trainees at a concert like this. 



“Jaekwang-hyung looks super handsome on the profile picture! I didn’t know you can smile like that in front of cameras! You always look so… earnest during photoshoots…“, David had also grabbed his phone to browse through the BigHit website, checking the profiles. The kid was making amazed sounds whenever he crossed another picture he found handsome. And he was also laughing when he found some funny pictures as well. “Evan, look at that irritated face! When did Taehee take that picture of you?! Hahahahaha!“



“Hey boy, what about me then?“, Taehyuk nagged when David was praising Jaekwang but didn’t say anything about the other visual among the trainees. The competition between Jaekwang and Taehyuk wasn’t something of a big secret whereas Taehyuk was claiming the title of the best looking trainee already for himself no matter if things had been talked out with those to vote or not. He was just way more confident than Jaekwang was.

It was a little sad to see it that way… but Hyukjae knew that Jaekwang wasn’t saying anything because he was moderate. He was lacking confidence a lot. And that lack of confidence was a result of lacking skills. Among all those super talented trainees Jaekwang was one to only stand out because of his looks - and looks only. Taehyuk was similar to that but Taehyuk was the kind of person with a bubbly personality, a charming person that could captivate others not only with his handsome looks. Jaekwang was… different. And he was insecure. No surprise he was looking up to someone like Toby who had it all. Skills, looks… about personality… well, that was open to dispute. Hyukjae didn’t know Toby that well. But if Chaerin was protecting him, there must have been something in him that no one else was able to see or simply didn’t want to see. Being a genius always had its dark sides. Maybe that was Toby’s. Being forever misunderstood.

“I don’t know why you’re making a fuss over those profiles. They won’t get us any further… THIS is going to bring us further.“, Yoosung was finally speaking up and pointed directly at the screen. “So if you want to discuss further about profiles instead of silently watching the concert, get your asses out of here or I’ll kick you out personally.“



Enough said. Nobody opposed to it and silence quickly filled the room again, the only sound being the voices coming out of the TV. There was peace… until one of the BigHit executives entered the room. It wasn’t Hitman Bang who probably was enjoying the concert live right now, watching how his artists were bringing him in money and fame, neither it was one of the managers the boys knew. It was one of those people who sometimes judged the weekly evaluations.



“Ah, good thing all of you are here.“, he said, his suit making him look pretty important. He strangely reminded Hyukjae of Taehee. “I see you’re all watching the concert. We thought it would be nice for you to watch, so Hitman Bang came up with the idea of the live broadcast for the trainees only.“



To be honest it felt more like BigHit was shoving into the trainees’ faces what they had just missed by not being good enough. Even after training for such a long time. But Hyukjae remained silent. The urge to comment was itching inside of him but being cocky in front of an executive wasn’t something that would help him getting further ever.



“I’m sorry I have to disturb and interrupt you, though. There are important news I have to inform you about.“ And with that said everyone was paying full attention to him. “As you may have noticed there had been a major change within the company and the concepts of handling trainees. A lot of you already had to leave. With the recent contract you signed, your former contracts are all invalid now. This all happened to eliminate those who are not suitable candidates for the new BigHit boygroup that is currently planned and which will debut in November.“

The moment Hyukjae heard the words every single BigHit trainee was dreaming of at the moment, he shortly forgot how to breathe. Whole Middle Earth was suddenly blooming in joyful colors and the Shire was so close that Hyukjae felt as if he could jump onto the next horse and ride into the long awaited adventure. Hyukjae noticed how Jaekwang next to him got all excited, too. The difference was that Jaekwang was making those weird alien sounds that reminded Hyukjae a lot of a whining Butterfree.



“We will notify those who will be part of the group’s line-up as soon as possible. Until then all schedules are canceled.“





First thing every single trainee was doing once they were back at the dormitories was packing. It made sense in the end. There were only two outcomes possible. First, they got into the group and had to move to the new boygroup’s dormitory. Second, their contracts would be terminated and they had to move back home. Whatever it was, they would move and leave behind the life they used to live until now. It was unfair how the news of a possible debut were now dawning on the boys, causing them more fear than happiness as the chances of being kicked out were higher than really debuting.

“Hyung… don’t you want to pack, too?“, Jaekwang asked, noticing how Hyukjae was only standing in the room, watching how Taehyuk and Jaekwang were gathering all their belongings, trying to somehow press them into their suitcases. Taehyuk seemed a little more upbeat than Jaekwang.



“We might debut, no matter if you’re dropped out or not, you should pack!“, Taehyuk told the older one. “I’m packing to move into a new dormitory and then debut! There’s no way BigHit would kick me out! Not with all the modeling jobs I regularly get. No way!“ A hint of fear was underlining Taehyuk’s voice nonetheless. He was probably trying to encourage himself by telling him he couldn’t be dropped so easily. Hyukjae didn’t feel like doing the same, still.

“I think I’m just staying like this, not packing, not moving. I’ll protest. They kept me ten years like this, I refuse to let them change anything without my consent.“, Hyukjae told the two boys nonchalantly and walked over to his bed, falling into his sheets and looking up at the ceiling.

Everything would change, even if he refused to accept it. He knew… and he was scared, too. 




Four days passed like that. The trainees were kept in the dormitories like animals in their cages, Yoosung even wandering around in circles as if he was a lion making his rounds, unable to go anywhere else. He was so nervous, he was constantly coming up with new theories.



“BigHit is crazy to debut a boygroup in November. Did you see all the groups having their comebacks during that time? Even BTS has a comeback, the new group won’t win anything.“, Evan mentioned while reading the list of comebacks on his phone. “Groups like GOT7 and Monsta X already had their comebacks… those are hard to beat but come on… BTS and SHINee?! What is Bang PD-nim thinking?!“



“It’s obvious.“, Yoosung reacted. “It’s to cover all the loss we might make with the debut.“ None of the trainees sitting in the dormitory kitchen could follow. Neither Evan, nor Ilsung, nor Hyukjae. “If the new group succeeds with the sales, it’s a good outcome. If the group fails, BTS can make up for the loss with their earnings. I guess that was what they were thinking. But still… no matter who of us will debut, I highly doubt that the group can win against any of those big names on the list.“



Hyukjae sighed. Their future looked dark no matter how he tried to see it. The usually positive guy looked at the other boys’ gloomy faces when suddenly one of the other trainees rushed into the kitchen.



“CHECK YOUR PHONES!“ David stopped in front of the older trainees, breathing heavily as if he had ran two rounds around the building. His hair was all messy, he must have napped for a bit but whatever he had seen on his phone’s screen had caused him to be wide awake again.



“…I got a mail from one of the executives.“, Evan said and with it explained David’s uproar. They were sending out the notifications. “They want me to be at the company in two hours.“ His eyes widened. “Check your phones!“



While everyone was checking their phones, Jaekwang shortly stopped by the kitchen, looking at Hyukjae with a flustered expression on his face. Was he also called over to the company? More hesitant than willingly Hyukjae copied what everyone was doing. 



7 PM, training hall B.

Nothing more was written than that. Training hall? Sounded as if he would be dispatched in a pretty cruel way.



“7PM, B?“, Jaekwang asked. Hyukjae shortly nodded.



7PM was in two hours… so everyone was called there at the same time but to different places…
 



Jaekwang and Hyukjae were the first to arrive in the trainings hall. But on their way to the hall they had met several other trainees who were waiting in front of offices or practice rooms. It was weird… weird how the company was handling the announcement of the official line-up. It almost looked as if they were trying to keep it a secret for whatever reason. And it was making those anxious who saw participants of the BigHit United concert waiting together in front of the rooms. When Hyukjae noticed Yoosung and Haejoon being called to the same place, he kinda knew where it was going.



“I’m sorry.“, Jaekwang muttered and looked down on the ground.



“For what?Did you fart? Then you're lucky since nobody is here yet and only I will die!“, Hyukjae joked, slightly punched Jaekwang’s shoulder and then sat down on the floor. Jaekwang still just looked at him as if his favorite puppy had just died.



“The fact that you’re here with me… it means we’re both out.“, his friend explained depressed.



Hyukjae wanted to somehow cheer him up again but to be honest he just didn’t know how. And he also didn’t want to evoke false hope in Jaekwang just in case they would really be kicked out. However, the next trainees entered the hall and it immediately took a load of Hyukjae’s mind when he saw who exactly was entering.

Kangjoon and Sian, the two bboys entered and Hyukjae almost jumped up again to celebrate. They wouldn’t be kicked out! Not if the two only bboys in all BigHit were here with them. The bboys thought differently, though.



“AH !“, Kangjoon exclaimed as soon as he saw the two early arrived boys. “They’re going to make us leave!“



Wow. He didn’t even try to be nice in front of Hyukjae or Jaekwang. And he wasn’t hiding his feelings either. Kangjoon looked disappointed, angry and even as he was about to cry. Like a grumpy kid he moved to the middle of the room where Hyukjae was sitting on the floor and Jaekwang was still statue-like staring at the ground. Sian slowly followed Kangjoon, still looking like a wreck whereas the ruff around his neck was gone.



“I was already wondering why they made us come together… screw you BigHit!“, Kangjoon hissed and propped up his head with his hands that rested on his forehead, his fingers massaging his temples as if he was suffering some serious headache.

“Yeah, nice to meet you here, too.“, Hyukjae commented on Kangjoon’s rudeness of not even greeting them.



The door to the room was opened again, this time Jongin entering. He just looked confused when he saw Jaekwang and Hyukjae and then Kangjoon and Sian occupying the room. “What is this?“, he asked and stayed in the doorway with Bangwon almost crushing into him.

“Hey, why do you stop in the middle of the way?“, Bangwon complained halfway and pushed Jongin inside to also find that weird group in the middle of the room. “Huh?“

Bangwon and Jongin both remained in the entrance, trying hard to figure out what was happening at the moment and why a group of the weirdest mash-up ever had to gather here. One half of the group was basically screaming that they would debut while the other half was saying the complete opposite. So what would it be now? 



“Good thing we’re all of the same opinion.“, Hyukjae said and grinned, obviously amused about everyone’s confusion.



“No, seriously, I don’t get it.“, Jongin said and slowly moved forwards. “As I see, we’ll all be kicked out… let me just shortly summarize this. We have one visual in here, one anti-visual, two bboys, a rapper and me.“



Was today the ‚Hey let’s insult everyone!‘- Day? Hyukjae couldn’t believe how blunt everyone was when all they needed was a little bit of positive energy. “Anti-visual…? It’s not that my face attacks Jaekwang whenever I stand in front of him, common!“, he ranted on Jongin but the boy didn’t seem to care a lot.



“We don’t look like a line-up for a boygroup.“, he figured before he joined the others on the ground. Even Jaekwang had slowly moved downwards but he still wasn’t able to rise his eyes again. But…



“We really don’t.“

As always Toby appeared when nobody was expecting him. But for the first time ever everyone in the group was more than just thankful when he showed up.

“WE MADE IT!“, Sian yelled instantly and jumped straight at Kangjoon, almost strangling him. The older of the bboys only moved helplessly while Sian was jumping on top of him like a raging monkey… or rabbit…

While the bboys were busy partying, Bangwon seemed rather cool, his only concern right now must have been that he had to spend even more time with Toby from now on. Hyukjae’s eyes wandered towards his friend who was all close to tear up but tried his best not to end up crying in front of the others.

“This line-up is messed up.“, Jongin was ruining the joyous moment of everyone. “How could the line- up end up like this when people like Yoosung didn’t get in? He deserved to be here so much more than any of you!“ Like an angry dog he was barking at the others. He was again standing on his two feet, his hands forming fists and his body shaking of all the anger.

“Hey, hey, hey! Calm down again!“ Hyukjae also got up and raised his hands in a calming manner to appease Jongin. He could understand Jongin’s anger. He would have been upset, too. But the line-up turned out to be like this and it definitely wasn’t a random choice by some random BigHit employee, right?



“Calm down?! HOW?!“, Jongin huffed.

“How about trying to shut your mouth, sit down again and then listen to what I have to say.“ Taehee closed the door behind him and his voice alone had the effect on the boys to keep their silence at once. All of them sat down in a circle, even Taehee who had his problems to sit comfortably in his suit. He shortly cleared his throat and wanted to properly arrange the papers he had brought when they all slipped through his fingers and landed in between the boys. “Whoops…“

The trainees were watching Taehee with seriously judgmental eyes. What was he doing? 



“So… as you might have already figured… this is the final line-up for the boygroup that will debut in November.“, Taehee explained. “And I’m sorry to tell you… but I will be your manager.“ While he was saying that, he was desperately trying to collect all of the sheets again. None of the boys was helping him. They were just watching. Watching and still judging. “So…chrm chrm. We should first talk about your group’s concept and future schedules.“ Taehee was pausing shortly, looking into the boys’ faces who all were still staring at him, some of them having their eyebrows raised. “Yeah… where should I start… this group… is going to be 100% self-produced and managed. That means you decide how the group will be, you have to think of own promotion strategies and so on. The company granted you access to both, one of the BigHit studio rooms and also one of the training rooms, so you can prepare yourselves properly.“



“Wait, wait, wait!“, Jongin was interrupting the manager. “We have to promote ourselves? Produce ourselves? There is no BigHit to support us? How is this going to work? Is that even possible?“

“Sure.“, Toby answered instead of Taehee. Once the guy had started speaking all of the boys were starting to stare at him. Toby just seemed pretty unimpressed, his arms crossed, he almost looked as if he was lecturing some little boys. “That’s why there was that competition. To see who is the best choice for this project. BigHit was testing our producing skills regarding music, dancing and group - management.“ Which would explain why most of Team A were gathered here. Still, the rest was from Team B who had ranked only third.

“Oh, then this means you’ll be our leader? Holy King Toby! Please take care of all of us and lead us to fame and glory!“ The way Jongin was talking to Toby left Hyukjae in shock. Since when was Jongin getting so aggressive towards others? He was known for his savageness but he had never attacked people that seriously. 


Hyukjae quickly nudged Taehee into his ribs, so he would stop only watching and finally say something to prevent the two boys ending up in a fight. “Uhm…about that. Your leader…“, he said and looked at one of the boys who were also watching in silence - and of course all eyes were following his again.

“ME?!“, Kangjoon exclaimed and pointed at himself. “But why?!“

“Congratulations, hyung!“, Sian cheered and enthusiastically slapped Kangjoon’s back.

“Ha! This really is a joke!“, Jongin huffed but remained a little calmer than before. The fact that the leader was not the so-called ‚highly praised god of trainees‘ must have calmed him down a lot. “So our leader, what are you saying to all of this?“, Jongin directed his words towards Kangjoon who was still too perplexed to react properly.

“Me?“, he asked again and was still pointing at himself. “Uhm…“ His hand slowly moved down, the boy breathing in shortly and then looking into the other members’ faces. He looked pretty uncomfortable. “Since we have to produce everything ourselves… wouldn’t it be important… to know about each other well? Like… strengths, weaknesses… stuff like that?“



A born leader looked different even to Hyukjae. He wanted to ask Taehee about the decision to make Kangjoon the leader when others had a lot more potential than him but Kangjoon’s suggestion was well received by the others.



“Sounds good to me! So let’s start?“, Sian lightened up the mood with the loads of motivation in his voice. He’d been so down the past days, it was good to see him back in high spirits. Funny, how easy his mood was lifting after being told to debut soon. It would have been better if the others just had shared his enthusiasm. “My name is Kim Sian! Strengths: Singing and dancing. I am a Bboy, too! Weakness? Hmm… rapping? Anyhow - I’m happy to be here with you guys! NEXT ONE!“ With that said he slapped Jongin on his back with so much strength that the older boy almost fell forwards into the middle of the circle.

“Jeez… someone put that Hulk into a cage…“, he muttered silently and then let out an unwilling sigh. “Song Jongin… I do whatever.“ He didn’t talk any further, directing his gaze at Hyukjae who quickly straightened up his back and talked loud and friendly.



“Son Hyukjae - right on duty! Strengths: Video games, hilarious jokes AND my golden vocals! Absolute weaknesses….hmmm, I don’t rap either - but if I try people would still find it funny, I guess! Maybe I should get the main rapper spot in that case!“ Hyukjae also tried to light up the mood but none of the others except for Sian was laughing about his words. And even Sian’s laughters died out soon when Kangjoon was giving him a stare and shook his head. Poor little boy…



Next to go was Jaekwang, who was more than uncomfortable talking about himself, his strengths and weaknesses. Especially around so many guys with at least one skill they had already mastered. Even those who didn’t start talking about themselves yet were well-known enough to not even bother mentioning their strengths and weaknesses. Bangwon was known for his producing and rapping skills, Kangjoon as dancer and Bboy. And Toby? Nobody needed to mention him, the whole company knew about his ‚glorious existence‘.

“I’m Seo Jaekwang… and I’m a visual.“, Jaekwang introduced himself and sheepishly avoided to face any of the others directly. For the first time the others reacted on one of the introductions.



“In other words: He’s handsome but can’t do .“, Kangjoon commented and caused Jongin, Sian and even Toby to laugh. Hyukjae immediately felt the urge to swear and yell at them. This wasn’t even funny! 



Next to Hyukjae Jaekwang was shrinking more and more, the embarrassment of being the only failure within the group almost killing him. He looked so pitiful, Hyukjae wanted to hug and comfort him.



“But seriously, we need to know how bad it is. We need to see and hear how much you still need to improve or how we have to cover your lacking skills up.“, Toby told him and moved his hand to direct Jaekwang to get up and stand in the middle of the circle. The shock in his face was telling Hyukjae how scared his friend was.

“W-what?!“, Jaekwang croaked in fear and blinked several times at Toby.



“Show us how bad it is. Sing, dance, rap. We need to see it all.“



Jaekwang started shaking like aspen leaves, getting even paler than he originally was. This was one of the moments that could have caused Jaekwang an anxiety attack if there hadn’t been Hyukjae to rescue him just in time.

“Hold on!“, he interfered, “I don’t think it’s necessary to do that! Bangwon will probably be the one writing the songs, right? He already worked with Jaekwang, he knows what he’s lacking at!“ Like a protecting wall Hyukjae got up and placed himself in front of Jaekwang so the boy wouldn’t even think of getting up and get humiliated in front of the group. 



“Who says that Bangwon is writing the songs?!“ As if Toby’s complaint was some kind of super loud alarm, Taehee was the next to jump up - more struggling thanks to his suit, though - and rushed between all of the guys.

“Nobody decided who is going to do what for the moment…! But I’m pretty sure that all of you have to work together… with the consent of each member… and the company, of course. So, all of you calm down again!“, he chimed in. “I think that’s enough for now…!“ 



Heaven must have heard his prayers as in that very moment his phone started ringing and when he checked the display his eyes widened. “Yes, Bang PD-nim?“ The uproar seemed forgotten when Taehee mentioned the CEO’s name and everyone was again watching him in anticipation. The phone call didn’t take long but when it was finished, Taehee pulled out some car keys out of his pockets and threw them towards Kangjoon. “Hey leader, go and get the group’s van. It’s down in the parking lot, you will know which car it is when you press on unlock. I’ll send you the address of your new dormitory, take care of the members moving tonight.“

Again Kangjoon was pointing at himself, inertly he must have cursed at Taehee for making him the leader but he soon got up and had Sian immediately following him like an obedient - yet pretty noisy- puppy. The others as well got ready to leave soon.

Hyukjae was the only one who sneaked after Taehee when he left the trainings room and quickly walked down the hallway.

“HYUNG! WAIT!“, he called after him.

“Not now, Hyukjae, this is urgent!“, Taehee responded but Hyukjae rushed over to block his way.

“I have questions and I won’t let you go if you don’t answer!“, the trainee told him and spread his arms, seriously looking at the manager. Taehee sighed and stayed right where Hyukjae had stopped him. “Why… why was Jaekwang put into the line-up?“, he asked. He knew better than anyone else that Jaekwang was struggling the most among the trainees. No matter how much Hyukjae appreciated him as his friend, he knew that the visual was not ready to debut yet. He was simply lacking in everything… how were the boys supposed to succeed with someone like that in the group? Of course Hyukjae wanted to keep Jaekwang in the group but he couldn’t see why the company would add someone like Jaekwang to the group. And he also didn’t want to see the other members bashing on his friend.

“There is a reason for everyone being chosen.“, Taehee answered and gently patted Hyukjae’s shoulder. “For Jaekwang it was you.“ There was nothing more needed to kick Hyukjae out of his tracks and the trainee was taken aback enough to be easily pushed aside by Taehee. “We both know that you’re not the kind of person to work without certain motivation and you were chosen because of your outstanding vocals. Jaekwang was lucky that you were added to the group.“

So BigHit was using Jaekwang to make Hyukjae work properly? Why was Hyukjae right again with his assumption that Jaekwang wasn’t chosen for his own sake…? Whatever would happen… if Jaekwang would ever find out about him only being chosen to put pressure on Hyukjae, the boy would be even more devastated.

For whatever reason Bang Sihyuk had called Taehee into his office again, Taehee was again feeling really uncomfortable when he knocked at the door. At the phone Hitman Bang had sounded so enthusiastically… that never meant something good. Not good to Taehee at least.

“Get in.“, Bang Sihyuk’s voice called him in and with a sigh Taehee opened the door.

To his surprise the CEO wasn’t the only one in the room. At one of the comfortable looking leather seats a young man was sitting. He looked pretty nonchalant, the way he was sitting at the seat caused Taehee to frown. With his legs apart, chewing some gum, looking up at Taehee with a raised eyebrow. His clothes were also speaking for themselves. Snapback cap, worn out jeans and a giant black hoodie. He was having that attitude… Who did he think he was…? Dok2?

“Taehee, let me introduce Han Geunji to you.“, Hitman Bang introduced that guy to Taehee and then threw the bomb right into Taehee’s face. “Geunji, this is Ahn Taehee, he’s going to be your manager.“

Wait, what?! WHAT?! WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

“Uhm… sorry, I think I misunderstood you. I’m going to be… his manager?… but ain’t I supposed to manage the new boygroup?“, Taehee cautiously asked.

“That’s what I’m saying! You’re going to manage Geunji since he’ll be part of the new boygroup! I managed to get him sign into the company, he’s one of the best choreographing trainees I’ve ever seen. You have to add him to the line-up!“ Bang Sihyuk was all into it when he was praising the new guy. But in contrast to him Taehee was far from being excited.

“…but I already decided the line-up… and I already announced it…“, he muttered.

“You did?“, the CEO asked and then shortly paused. “It can’t be helped then… we have to drop one of the boys out of the line-up. Let me check the line-up myself, I’ll decide who has to leave.“

And great Hitman Bang spoke to his disciple. Hallelujah!

author notes

The (ALMOST) final line-up is revealed! But one of the members is going to be replaced by Han Geunji, Black Dragon's very own wrecking ball! - at this point congratulations to Geunji for being the first save member xD - 
I'm kinda sorry for all those characters who didn't make it, but be assured that they will still appear every now and then in the story, especially since many of them are friends with at least one member in the group and there will also be an explanation later what happened to those who didn't make it in the group after the release of the line-up.
I really want to thank all of you for applying on this point. Everyone of you made it possible for me to start this story and make it how it is now. I started liking each of the characters in their own way and now feel very sad that the boys' dreams will be shattered T_T Also special thanks to all of your nice comments! I'll definitely respond to them again soon when I have some free time again.

btw you should check out Formidame's ff to Arora, Black Dragon's sister group, some of the trainees already appeared as cameos in her story ~^o^~

“ never lose hope - you don't know what tommorow may bring”