If you work faithfully and have fun, it's simple Stronger than a broad road

-T.O.P’s Turn It Up

Nervous.

Yes, he was nervous but there wasn’t much more he could do to. Ji Yong had already sent in their demos to the CEO and so the only thing he could do was wait. Worries began to worm their way into his head. Would the demos be good enough? Was he good enough to even be considered for such an industry? YG Entertainment had their own reputation to maintain and Seunghyun didn’t want to tarnish it but if there was even the smallest chance to be a part of such an industry then he wanted to take it. Still he wondered how long it would before he got an answer. The suspense was killing him, literally. He kept his cellphone by his side constantly, even at dinner his mom would complain because he was flipping it out every minute or so just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Sometimes he’d wake up in the middle of the night because he would swear he heard his cell go off but then to his dismay he would find it was just his imagination.

A month had already gone by then and he couldn’t help that his hopes were starting to fade. So one day he was laying on his bed, eyes closed and head bopping to the music that was being pumped into his ears. He had been so focused on listening to a song that he almost missed the sound of the ringtone. He turned his head to see his phone vibration against the desk, lights blinking for an incoming call. He stretched one of his long arms over to grab the phone lazily. Upon inspecting the screen for caller ID, he unplugged one of his earphones before flipping his phone open to answer. “Ye Ji Yong-ssi?”

The speaker on the other line asked, “Ah, is this Choi Seunghyun?” In response to hearing this stranger’s voice, Seunghyun frowned a bit. The call had been from Ji Yong’s phone but clearly he was not speaking with said friend.

Slowly he answered, “Ye, this is he.”

“Hello then, this is Yang Hyun Suk. I am the CEO of YG Entertainment I apologize for being so informal with contacting you through a friend’s phone but I wanted to discuss the topic of the demos you sent in,” stated the other man.

There was shock in the boy’s eyes now as he shot up in an upright position on his bed. It took a few seconds for him just to register who he was addressing, a short awkward pause settling between the two. He had heard correctly right?

“A-A-Annyeonghaseyo!” Seunghyun greeted YG formally, bowing his head as if the person were standing in front of him.

“Ye, are you shocked? Again I apologize.”

“No, no it’s fine,” Seunghyun insisted.

“Right, well about your demos . . . I’ll keep it short and simple,” YG said. Seunghyun tensed up on the other end waiting for the CEO’s decision that could very much change his life or bring his music career to a halt. His heart beat faster with anticipation, a drop of sweat forming on his brow from the nerves.

Here it comes.

“Would you be interested in auditioning for us?”

At first, nothing came out of the young boy’s mouth, just air as his mouth dropped opened at the offer. Blinking his eyes, he snapped out of his trance and replied quickly, “Ye, ye, ye I would!”

“Right then, I look forward to meeting you soon,” YG continued.

“Ye, thank you for the offer! I promise to work very hard,” Seunghyun said, again bowing his head as if the CEO were standing in front of him. The conversation ended after YG gave his farewell and even after that Seunghyun was left in a state of shock, staring at the handheld device in his hands while his brain worked to register what just happened. He was going to audition for YG Entertainment. Choi Seunghyun was going to audition for YG Entertainment. Had this day really come? He could feel the sudden rush of excitement through his bones, his mouth opening and closing. He ran both of his hands through his hair as he let out a sigh of relief. Then he couldn’t stop moving around his bed, standing as he paced back and forth in his room. He needed to tell someone.

In that split second, Seunghyun was out his room and heading down the hall screaming at the top of his lungs, “OMMA!!!!!”

~A Month Later~

The “idealistic version” of an idol. What is the idealistic version of an idol exactly? A doll made to follow orders? It could very much well be just that. Or maybe this was just the world of business . . . Maybe it’s just a friendly warning that the public could be worse than the company itself, judging those who do not fit their “idealistic version” of an idol. Once you’re out there in the real world, there’s no sympathy for petty mistakes, no control over what others say, whether it be by ear or online, and there’s no way to change how people think. In the music industry, it’s business. In the real world, it’s just the way things are.

The cool air whipped by Seunghyun’s face as he sat along the edges of the Han River. Only a few seconds ago had he pulled the battery from his phone to avoid further distractions. Here he wanted disconnected himself from the world for a moment. He wanted some time to himself, to think and reevaluate himself. He knew that they had tried to let him down gently, using words like “idealistic version” to replace words like “too chubby”. It was like a little white lie and though he appreciated their choice of words in the end he wished they just said to his face. The truth is harder to accept when it’s sugar-coated in white lies. Now he was left wondering, where does he go from here?

He could quit now. Maybe the idol world just wasn’t for him. He was fooling himself to chase after a dream such as this. Yet why was he getting so down on himself? If weight was the only problem it could be solved right? It’s harder to lose weight, easier to gain, but with the right motivation he could do it. If he could do that then there wouldn’t be any other reason for them to reject him once again.

A dream that seems so far-fetched doesn’t always appear so. Hard work and determination was the key, with a little encouragement on the side. Isn’t that what Ji Yong did for him? Encouraged him to join? What kind of friend would he be to let all their work in those demos go to waste? He’d gotten this far with help, now it was time for him to show them that he could stand on his own as well.

He could do it.

“I could do it,” Seunghyun said as he stood up. Suddenly he had his hands cupped around his mouth and taking a deep breath in he let out a scream. “YAH! CHOI SEUNGHYUN CAN DO IT! FIGHTING!” The water near him rippled a little from the sound waves, his voice carrying over the river before silence fell around him again. It was settled then. Choi Seunghyun would join YG Entertainment.