Finally, it's Luhan's turn! :) You will realise that there will be some odd foreign words that you might be unable to understand in this chapter, most of them are accompanied by this sign--->( * ). So, just scroll to the bottom of the page to see the meaning of it~! Enjoy:D -CLAIREBACON96

LUHAN'S POV

        WHAT.THE.FUDGE.

        WHAT.IN.THE.WORLD.OF.FLYING.FUDGE.CAKES.IS.THIS.

        I gripped firmly onto the armchair of the spinning leather seat, testing my grasp on reality, desperately hoping that I would wake up from this horrifying nightmare of mine.

       But, it's still there.

       That stupid piece of proposal was still lying there.

       Unmoving, and well... It's still there.

       "Just imagine all the fans you will get there!!" The CEO of SM entertainment, Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim paused dramatically. "With your huge, sparkly anime* eyes, your doll-like features, your charming smile, lean figure and your undeniable, effortless and absolutely rare kawaii*-ness." He spinned around and his body contorted inward abruptly like a cocoon.

       Kawaii*-ness...? My right eye twitched.

       "YOU WILL BE THE ULTIMATE BISHOUNEN*!!!" He clutched onto his tie, loosened it and batted his eyelashes (wait...I don't see any) to emphasize his point. There was a glint of madness in his eyes and I was torn between hurling up my lunch in disgust or gulping it down in fear and reverance at the sight of this mad genius who has an eye for potential stars.

       Shakily, I thumbed open the proposal and speed-read through it. WHAT? Debut in Japan? Shikada Akira as my stage name? Flower-boy type? Target audiences and fans: teenage girls, noonas, otakus* and hetero--------WHAT?!

        I felt every nerve in my body go stiff. My fingers were clenched so tightly that I could sense that the crescent marks that my nails were digging into my palm at the moment was probably going to penetrate my epidermis. The epidermal cells at the base layer of it which undergoes continuous cell division would probably get dug out too... I could feel adrenaline and thyroxine coursing within me which were probably secreted by the adrenal and thyroid gland... And...

        Shoot, I have got to stop doing that. Dang it, but if I don't do that, Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim would probably be knocked out cold already by yours truly. What happened to good old-fashioned talent and hardwork? I want to be acknowledged for my singing and dancing too! Not just my looks... As I was saying, if I didn't calm myself down... you know like in Sherlock Holmes the movie? Before Sherlock strikes, he could already anticipate his opponent's actions and had all his moves planned out? Yeah? Yeah, same logic, I can do that too. I could see myself tearing the proposal in front of his face and flipping my hair like a boss. Then, I would turn around and walk away when his hand would land on my right shoulder. He would turn me over and almost -slap my handsome face with the darned proposal when I would grip his hand single-handedly, twist it, and in a swift and agile motion, flip him over my shoulders. Right before I step out of the room, I would be like "Akira can kiss my arse!" I hiss,"and call me kawaii* again." I put on my 80's sunglasses and did a slick neck-slicing motion on my neck with my fingers before leaving him on the ground, begging for me to stay and offering me a role as an action star.

        Sadly, that was all only in my head.

        Who am I kidding? I am only a humble trainee from China. To even be given the opportunity to debut and to have the honor of meeting Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim in person was nearly impossible. To be offered a debut so soon, it is a dream come true for every single trainee in any entertainment company, especially since it is SM entertainment company we are talking about here. The company which produces successful and popular K-pop stars and groups.

        Here's the catch, okay? Even though it might sound harsh, but it is an undeniable fact and the truth hurts, all the time. Dreams can only take you that far,(the furthest being becoming a trainee). Talent? There are so many talented people out there and with the competition you might face, you are only like a tiny pathetic dust mote in the air. You look good? Well, do you come in a freaking package?  Which includes talent, charisma, passion,dedication and drive? If not,  just dream on, dear friend. This world is not for you.

        In my opinion, the most vital components are undying determination and endless hard work. For my case, I have a goal which ignited the fire within me, and that made me different from the rest.  Pff.... love for music? It's all pure sweat and blood. One day, when I become strong and influential enough...

        ...I will launch a large-scale search for Bianca...

        Pay for her surgery...

        So, she won't suffer any longer....

        I just pray and hope with all my might that I am not too late...

        That's the sole reason why I am here. Why I am in SM entertainment. Why I am now in Korea. Why I am in this very room. It is not a matter of want, it's a need for me. So that I would be able to become somebody, an undeniable existence that people just cannot ignore and overlook. And most of all, a man who is strong and capable enough to protect and cherish my loved ones and never ever letting them slip out of my fingers again.

        In a world so cold and cruel, I just have to hide a storm of weeping under a face of stone.

        In a world so brutal and harsh, a heart of stone and an impenetrable wall needs to be built.

        In a world so twisted and corrupted, just like what William Shakespeare once said,

        "God has given you one face, you make yourself another."

       To survive in a world so cold and cruel such as this, I took a deep breath and composed myself. Almost unbelievably, my mask was on.

        "Well, what do you think, Lu-----wait," Lee sonsang-nim looked at me expectantly, fingers drumming his mahogany desk impatiently, "Akira-kun" He grinned.

        I shook my head, chuckled lightly and gazed at him, wide-eyed, forcing my tear ducts to ooze out some moisture. "I don't know what to say..." My lips trembled slightly and my hands clasped over my mouth.

        He bought it and grinned like a madman. "I thought so." He crossed his arms and beamed, obviously very pleased with himself.

        "But...," I furrowed my eyebrows a little and scratched my head, feigning innocence, "In Japan?" I bit my lower lips, "...I am a transfer student from China who came here to further my studies," I glanced up at him, trying to look confused as convincingly as possible, " Japan is a bit..."

        I was betting everything on this. Four years of torturous and hardcore training and I am going to be shipped off to Animeland?

        NO F****ING WAY.

        There is no way in hell am I ever going to let that happen. From the last tip-off I got, Bianca was still in Korea. I am staying right here if I am ever going to find her.

        "Are you...rejecting my offer?" Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim's voice raised his voice at me, accusingly. He grimaced, sending chills up my spine.

        Way to go, Sherlock.

        I widened my eyes, shook my head frantically and closed my eyes, in a deep breath.

        "My mother...Sh...She's...Dying," I choked on my ragged breath, "and mm...My sister...She's blind." My voice cracked at the word blind. This was my last resort, the sympathy act.

        "Are they with you now?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

        I only nodded, watery eyes unblinking.

        Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim sighed and clutched a fistful of his hair, he must be deep in his thoughts. Suddenly, his head snapped up in anticipation which made me burrow into the soft leather armchair. Later, his eyes dimmed a bit and he shook his head.

        "What is it?" I blurted out without thinking twice, desperate to find another way out of his weird Japanese la-la land idea.

        He raised an eyebrow at me and mused while eyeing me suspiciously, "Well, I have an idea that could be another option for you... But... Ah, you can't do it." He continued tapping his chin.

        What. The. Fudge.

        Nobody.NOBODY. Can have the right to say what I can do or what I cannot do. Mentally, I was shooting lasers at him. Relax. Chill.

        "Well, sonsang-nim, you won't know, maybe I can try...?"

        "Nah... You can't" He swatted his hand at me like how one would swat an annoying pest away.

        TAU FOO FAR.CHAR XIU PAU.LOR MAI GAI.TAU JIONG SHUI.JU GIOK CHOU.XIU LONG PAU.*

       "Well, there is no harm in telling me..." I pleaded, eyes opened so wide to the point I felt as though my eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets and I pouted a little, hoping I looked like how I imagined I looked like, betting on my aegyo card. *hurls internally*

       "FINE!" He slammed the table so hard that I cringed and jumped in my seat. "Do you know Kai, Sehun, Lay and those closely-knitted group of trainees that have been here for quite some time?"

       I nodded in response. Kai, so young, yet so talented, passionate and diligent. Sehun, my dongsaeng/bubble tea drinking buddy/good friend. Zhang Yi Xing, my fellow birth-country mate and training partner.

        "I am thinking of creating an ultimate rookie group," Lee Soo Man sonsang-nim's eyes twinkled, "With the combination of raw talent, top-notch looks, variety of personalities, imploding charisma, and fiery determination." He thumbed the lip of his mug, and threw me a furtive glance. I nodded again, urging him to continue, "There are a few slots left." He lifted the mug to his lips while eyeing me.

        "That sounds grea..." He cut me off once more by giving me a talk-to-the-hand gesture and drank from his cup. "Patience, patience, dear boy, allow me to finish my speech." He sighed dramatically, the scent of black coffee wafted in the air around us.

        "This is not a walk-in-the-park. That group of boys are doing really well and their dance skills are well-polished. They make fine dancers already, you catch my drift?" He raised a fuzzy eyebrow at me.

        I shook my head honestly, as I felt a bit lost.

        He massaged his temples."This group needs more powerhouse vocals." He finally got to the point.

        I jumped out of my seat immediately. "I will train. I will train so hard and do my best to reach the high..." He patted my shoulders and motioned for me to sit down. Reluctantly, I did.

        "You, Luhan, my dear boy, are a very diligent and motivated boy," He looked at me warmly,"But I cannot feel your passion and emotion when you sing, and talent...Can't be trained."

        Ouch.That burned.

        I stared at my worn-out sneakers, clenched my teeth together tightly and tasted something metallic in my mouth. I felt my heart growing colder and more bitter by the second. 

         I wasn't good enough.

        "But that's not the point," he stuck out his forefinger, "You should have let me finish what I wanted to say first." And he muttered something about young people these days.

         I snapped my line of sight back to him, a glimpse of hope warming up in my heart.

        "I will give you.... A week," he flipped his table calender while keeping his gaze on me and raised one finger. The fine wrinkles at the edge of his eyes disappeared.

        I looked at him straight in the eye, unwilling to back down from his fiery gaze. I steeled myself for what challenge he was going to throw at me.

        "Go look for someone worthy enough to become the main vocalist of this ultimate rookie group." He drawled.

        My eyes widened in surprise.

        "If you succeed," His dark charcoal black pupils dilated and bore into mine intensely, "Convince him to train and debut with you."

        One sip of coffee.

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

        I closed the door behind me, then froze at the spot, still in a daze and trying to digest all that had happened a while ago. Sigh, I should leave because I felt like I was about to go mad. I was about to drag my feet away when...

        "Jinjja? She's up already? Is she oka..."

        Thump! I fell on my . I looked up and saw a tan boy with toned muscles struggling to put on his sweatshirt over his upper body which was damp with perspiration and his other hand was fumbling around on the floor, trying to pick up all his belongings that were spilled at the same time. I quickly picked up his bag of M&Ms, wallet, red headphones and iPod for him. Kai opened his backpack hastily and snatched his things away.

        "...Yah...Hyung...D.O hyung, you there?" He finally managed to put on his shirt and was slightly yelling into his phone with a panicky expression on his face, eyes darting from left to right.

        "Yeah. On the way now. Catching the next bus. Gimme 5 minutes." The dark-haired boy met my gaze, eyes gleaming with joy, he gave me a meaningful look and a small apologetic smile while still talking on his phone, he dashed off.

_____________________________________________

DICTIONARY

ANIME-Japanese animation

MANGA-Japanese comic

KAWAII- An adjective in Japanese meaning "pretty; cute; lovely; charming; dear; darling; pet" It's stem is two kanji meaning "can love". It is commonly used by anime and manga fans.

BISHOUNEN/BISHIE- Japanese term literally meaning "pretty boy", as in an attractive member of the male gender. It is a japanese word adopted by female anime fans in the rest of the world to denote any anime, manga, or video game character they happen to find good looking.

OTAKU-Japanese term that refers to people with obsessive interest, commonly the anime and manga fandom.

Tau Foo Far,Char Xiu Pau,Lor Mai Gai,Tau Jiong Shui,Ju Giok Chou,Xiu Long Pau- Names of chinese cuisines XD

____________________________________________________

Author's message

 As I have mentioned in my foreword, this is my first fanfiction, so I applied for some reviews. I really want to thank I-HearYourVoice and BAEK% Review & Graphics Shop for the kind service that they provide. Here is the link to their beautiful shop :) http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/536018 

Of course, I would like to introduce Sabrinamay, my awesome unnie and partner-in-crime as this story's co-author :) She will be more of a beta-reader, meaning she checks my grammar, and will stick with me through thick and thin ^^ . She is currently running her own review shop as well, so you can seek her out for advice if you are looking for some guidance. Here is the link to her shop :) ---->  http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/570066/the-feather-of-truth-review

Lastly, yay!! New poster for Luhan's POV chapter by my lovely dongsaeng, 4everexotic_!! I love it so much, thank you again from the bottom of my heart :). 

Once again, thank you so much,so very very much, for reading, commenting, subscribing and upvoting!! :'D Haha, and do tell me what you think about this chapter :).

Coauthor's message

Hi there :) I am the new co-author for this story. Thank you for all the support that you have given my jagiya and please continue to shower her with your love :P If you ever want me to review or proof read your story, let me know. Ciao! ^.^