“Eomma,” you immediately hollered as you entered your home. Your house was really spacious, but it’s not really big. It only had two rooms, a living room and a kitchen. You kicked off your shoes near the door. “I’m home!” you yelled aloud.

Your mother stepped out from the kitchen. “JC-ah, you wouldn’t believe what happened today,” you could sense the excitement in her tone.

Your other squat in the living room and signaled you to sit beside her. You do so.

 “What is it Eomma?”you asked after being seated.

Your mother eyes were sparkling. “Now, I know you have a lot of idols presently. I see them everywhere, from your laptop, to your walls, your phone…,” your mother lead on.

You felt embarrassed with your mom knowing such things. “Okay, okay,” you hurriedly said trying to get her to reach her point. “What about it?”

“Well, there was a JYP scout who saw one of your singing performances, she went here earlier to have you immediately recruited. Since you weren’t here, I showed her the video compilation of all your performances, and she loved it so much that she made me sign your contract.” She paused as she saw you digesting all the information given to you. She then hugged you. “Oh, honey, you’re going to become an idol!”

Your mother maybe happy but you weren’t. You didn’t want to become an idol. You broke away from her hug. “Eomma, even though I like watching idols, I don’t want to become one,” you said in a gentle tone. “You know I want to become a doctor right? That’s why I’m working hard now, to earn money for medical school after high school,” you explained.

Your mother sighed. “I know that, JongChae… It’s just that, I’m afraid we may not afford the expenses needed for medschool…,” she paused. “I just thought that right now, somehow, you debuting and earning as an idol would be more realistic than you going to medschool and spending the little money we earn,” she said in a somewhat ashamed of the poor situation they have.

You sighed. Your dream ever since you were little was to become a doctor. You just did that singing thing to earn the cash prize in competitions.

Your mother surveyed your sad eyes. “I’m sorry JC-ah, I know I shouldn’t have signed anything without informing you first,” your mother apologized.

You didn’t like seeing your mom so sad like that. You knew how tough it was to raise a child as a single parent. Heck, the very reason you want to work is because you want your eomma to save money for herself. You earn so that you can fund for your education. Your mom was right, with your current jobs, there was no way you could afford your college education.

“It’s okay, eomma,” you assured her. “I’ll go to JYPE tomorrow to see about that contract. I’m sure we’ll have something figured out,” you said trying to fake a smile. Inside you were really scared. *Stardom isn’t for me. I don’t want to be a trainee. I can’t be as fabulous as those idols in TV.*

After that talk with your mom, you almost had a sleepless night, thinking of the future. YOUR FUTURE.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You took the bus to Cheongdam-dong. On the way there, you noticed an eye-catching building.

 You stuck your face closer to the window. *OMONA! That’s SME’s new building!* You spazzed in your head imagining your favorite idols, SHINee, TVXQ  in there. You were actually very SM biased, even though you don’t appreciate the “slave contract” issues that usually surface. You imagined being trained there instead of JYPE. You sighed. *What if SME took me instead of JYPE? Nah, SME has too many qualifications. I would never be scouted for SM. Even if I was, I would never debut.* Nevertheless, you imagine being able to hang with your favorite idols. *That would have been nice… I guess JYPE’s nice too…* Though you kinda thought of JYP as a company where it keeps on battling SME. Especially when you looked back at the time when Wonder Girls’ and SNSD’s comeback were at the same month. *Wait, why am I even thinking of that? I’m not going to be part of any entertainment company.* You had these thoughts while you were in the bus, which suddenly cleared up when you knew that the JYPE building was near.

 You got off the bus to marvel at the JYP Entertainment Building. You knew all the idols on the window-billboard things. 2AM, 2PM, Wonder Girls, Miss A… etcetera. You gawked at the building. *Woah. I’m actually entering a big shot entertainment company?*

You got interrogated by the guard before you got in. He wasn’t going to let you in, until a lady dressed in a formal dark blue blouse and pencil skirt approached you. “Hello, are you Nam JongChae?” the lady asked you nicely.

“Uh, neh,” you answered reluctantly. *Why does she know my name?*

“Annyeonghaseyo, I’m Ms. Jung MinKyung,” she said as she shook your hand. “Guard, it’s okay to let her in,” she said to the security guard bugging you earlier.

She lead you to a room that looked like a conference room. “Hello, JongChae, I was the scout who came to your house yesterday,” Ms. Jung told you formally.

“Um, about that…,” you started still intimidated by the lady in the kill heels who was supposed to be the person who scouted you.

“Yes, Ms. Nam?” the lady raised an eyebrow.

“You see, I really don’t want to be a trainee,” you said straightforwardly.

Ms. Jung’s eyebrows furrowed. “Well, you can’t be an idol overnight,” she started to say but you cut in.

“Actually, I just don’t want to be an idol,” you said more firmly.

She opened her expensive looking leather bag and pulled out her iPad. She played an audio of you singing. Your eyes widened. “Why do you have that?” you blurted out.

“I was watching this performance of yours. I recorded it because I knew you had potential,” she said cranking up the volume at the part where you sang the high 3-octave notes.

You pursed your lips to listen to the song. It was Good Day by IU. You sang that in one of the contests where you got first place.

“You know, IU was once a trainee for JYPE,” she suddenly mentioned.

“I knew that. But that doesn’t make me change my mind,” you said as a matter of factly.

“But you have the talent, the looks could always be improved, and with a little more training, you’ll be an idol in no time,” she assured trying to persuade you. You won’t budge though.

“Didn’t IU have those too? Yet she didn’t debut under your label. Plus, I heard JYP hates the fact that a talent like her was let go,” you were going to cite other things when a familiar voice echoed.

“That is why we won’t let it happen again, Ms. Nam,” the voice said. You looked around to the direction of the speaker. *Holy… It’s actually him!* You saw JinYoung Park in tie and suit. *JYP? In person?*

“Ms. Jung,” he said in a boss-like tone. “I didn’t know the person you scouted still has,” he cleared his throat. “Career path problems.”

“Mr. Park, please let me talk to her for a bit,” she said trying to hide desperation.

JYP seemed to be in deep thought for a while. “You don’t want to be an idol then?” he asked me.

“Neh,” you answered boldly.

“Then what do you want to be then?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“I’d like to be a doctor,” you said honestly.

“I see,” JYP responded.

Ms. Jung interrupted. “But how will you enter medical school? Your mother told me you couldn’t afford it.”

You sighed. “I’ll find a way.”

“How?” JYP suddenly asked.

You shrugged your shoulders. “I’ll work part time.”

JYP pulled up a smile. “You are aware that those kind of minimum wage jobs won’t be able to make you last until your first term right?”

You bit your lip. He was right.

JYP reached for Ms. Jung’s iPad and played your singing again. “A talent like this is a pity to let go,” he remarked. He smiled warmly and asked you again, “Are you sure you don’t want to be an idol?”

 You shook your head in response.

He slouched down his seat. “But you want to go to medschool and can’t afford it?”

You nod your head.

“Ms. Nam, how about I make a deal with you?” JYP asked you as he sat up, still with a smile on.

“A deal?” you and Ms. Jung questioned.

“Yes, a deal," JYP clarified.