> Dongmin grew up lonely. He was the single child of a pair of businesspeople, both steadily rising up the ranks in their respective companies. His mother was a senior manager of the finance team, and his dad a human resources manager. Raised by the household helper, the boy had spent the early years of his life begging his parents during the short time he saw them for a younger sibling, only to be brushed off every single time. He has since quickly learnt that he was only second to their work.

> Maybe his mother pitied him after seeing his persistant begging for a friend his age. Maybe his mother just wanted him away. At the tender age of 4, Mrs Choi enrolled Dongmin into the nearby dance academy. There, he found a passion for dance. He liked learning routines, like dressing up for performances, loved performing. Most importantly, he wasn't lonely anymore.

> When Dongmin was fifteen, he brought up the idea of being a professional dancer for a living. It'd work out — he's passionate about the art, his trainers said that he had the works for the industry, that they were looking to have him audition for larger plays. The idea was rejected as quickly as it was suggested. "It's not a real job", "You'll never earn any money doing that", "Only uneducated people perform for a living".

> The next time he went to the dance academy, the lady at the front desk expresses disappointment that it will be his last class with them. Dongmin doesn't react. He knows that it's the works of his mother. He doesn't tell his parents of his dreams for the future, the ones where he wants to stay behind the scenes, making pastries for consumers, arrange books on the shelves, make custom clothes for his clients. Instead, he tells them what they want to hear. He wants to be a financial manager like his mother, wants to become the CEO of a trading company. He wants to be a carbon copy of his parents.

> For the years following, Dongmin spent all his time buried in his schoolwork. He had tons more time now that he doesn't — couldn't — attend dance classes. That resulted in A's throughout highschool, earning him several scholarship opportunities once he graduated. Still, his parents still didn't bat an eye.