Taemin glared at his mentor, “This is stupid, Ruma.”

“This isn’t stupid, Taeminnie. Now stay still so the noona can finish fixing your hair.” Yiruma chuckled, smiling at his fifteen year old apprentice.

“Why do I have to do this?” Taemin pouted, crossing his arms while the woman fixed his hair.

“Because you’re going to be in tons of newspaper and magazine articles, and all over the internet! Not that you aren’t already, but you know perfectly why, mister. It’s not everyday a prodigy puts together their first album.” Taemin pouted at the word prodigy. Just because he was smart, did not mean he was a prodigy. “And don’t you even deny being a prodigy, peanut.”

Taemin turned to glare at his mentor when the noona finished his hair. “Yah! I hate that nickname.”

He then turned to the mirror to look at his reflection.

Yiruma grinned, “And that’s the whole reason I love it.”

Taemin huffed, getting up to follow his mentor into the room where he would have his many interviews for the day.

______________

“And when did you become Yiruma’s apprentice?”

Taemin smiled at the woman, “When I was seven, so, eight years ago.”

The woman nodded, and the camera stayed focused on him. “What made him decide that you would be his apprentice?”

Honestly, this was his fourth interview, and they asked all the same questions. Couldn’t they all just do it at the same time?

But his still smiled, “I don’t really know, to be honest. I was just playing while I waited for my teacher to come in for my lesson, and the next thing I know he’s standing in the doorway clapping and asking me to be his apprentice.”

“So it’s true, you are a prodigy.” Taemin pouted.

“I mean I guess, that is what everyone keeps telling me. I don’t really know, prodigy is such a…weird word.” The woman chuckled, sending him a smile.

“You are as humble as they say you are, Taemin.”

“Uhh, thanks!” He smiled, tilting his head to the right a little.

“Well, we know all the old facts, why don’t you tell us more about you, Taemin-ah?”

Taemin bit his lip, thinking. “Well, what do you wanna know?”

She laughed lightly, “Why don’t you start off with your hair? It’s been blonde since you were born, hasn’t it?”

Taemin pouted, “Neh. Besides Korean, I’m also part Russian and German, so I inherited the recessive gene, I suppose.” Why