Chapter 14

“Hurry up, Namjoon! We’re going to be late!” Yoongi calls out from the bottom of the stairs, eyeing the clock in the kitchen.

Namjoon comes sprinting down the stairs. He appears uneasy as he ruffles through his bag, checking he has everything.

“Sorry, I… I’m a little anxious,” Namjoon grins nervously. Yoongi gives him an understanding smile.

“I know,” He gasps as he remembers something he forgot, “One second,”

Yoongi rushes into the lounge room.

“Mum, the form,” He calls. His mother jumps out of the armrest and grabs a piece of paper off of the lamp table.

“I signed it. Your father also signed it, just in case,” She smiles. She passes him the form and pats his cheek gingerly, “I am so proud of you,”

“Thanks, Mum,” Yoongi beams proudly, “We’ll see you later!” Yoongi rushes over to Namjoon.

“Wait!” Yoongi and Namjoon turn to find Yoongi’s mum shuffling towards them.

“Uhm…” She eyes Namjoon cautiously. She steps closer to him, grabbing his hand and holding it gently, “Will you be alright?” She asks.

Last night, Yoongi had his parents sign the parental permission form the agency emailed them just after graduation last week. Namjoon hasn’t seen his parents since he moved in temporarily with Yoongi, so Yoongi’s mother offered to sign it for him. Namjoon had refused, knowing that the agency wouldn’t accept it. He said he is hoping that with his skill alone, they will help him obtain the signature or look past it.

“I’ll be fine,” Namjoon replies warmly, “Thank you for everything, Mrs Min,”

“Don’t worry about it!” She waves her hands impatiently, “I just hope that it all goes to plan,”

“It will mum, don’t worry about us,” Yoongi steps forward and hugs his mother tightly, “We’ll see you later this afternoon,”

“Alright,” She says. She starts ushering them out the door, “Quickly or you’re going to be late!”

They wave to her from the front gate one last time before they start running down the path that leads to the bus stop near Yoongi’s house.

The trip to the agency is uneventful, but Yoongi can’t help watching Namjoon. He has his headphones in, practising to the last second. His hands are shaking, and he clings to the hem of his shirt for support. Yoongi has practised as much as he needs to, so he feels more excited than nervous.

When they arrive at their stop and jump out, Yoongi pats Namjoon on the shoulder, smiling brightly.

“We’ll be alright, Namjoon,” He says as he pulls out one of Namjoon’s earpieces, “Don’t worry too much,”

Namjoon nods, still looking unsettled. They start trekking towards the agency.

When they arrive, they pause to look up at the tall building. It is taller than all the buildings surrounding it, but it doesn’t stand out that much. They won’t be entering this building today; they will be in a nearby building.

They enter the designated building for the auditions and gasp.

The room is full of people. Various ages and styles of people fill the room. There would have to be at least 100 people here.

“We must have picked the open audition…” Namjoon frowns, “So there should be 98 people in here,”

Yoongi and Namjoon look grimly at each other. Open auditions have a lower success rate than closed auditions. Will they be seen through the crowd? Will they be remembered?

“It’s okay,” Yoongi grins, “We didn’t apply, we were invited. I bet we will stand out,”

Namjoon looks towards a group of girls their age wearing shorts and skirts. They already look like kpop idols just by their appearance.

“Maybe,” Namjoon agrees blankly.

They head to the front desk, grab their number and take a seat.

They sit there for over an hour, watching people enter and leave continuously. Namjoon starts practising again and Yoongi runs through his lyrics, just in case.

Suddenly, Yoongi hears their names.

“Suga and RM?” The staff member calls, eyeing them all.

“That’s us!” Yoongi calls out. They stand and head into the audition room. As they pass they hand the staff member their forms. The staff member takes the forms down to the judges.

Once they leave, Namjoon and Yoongi wait for the judges to speak.

“So…” The centre judge starts, “You’ll be auditioning separately?”

They nod silently. Yoongi is finally starting to feel nervous. The judges look strict and bored. Will they be memorable enough?

Namjoon goes first. He rolls up his earphones and shoves them into his pocket. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Once he opens his eyes, he looks more confident. Almost as if he has been possessed by the creation of RM.

He opens his mouth a begins.

Namjoon wrote a complex verse and chorus rap that will definitely get their attention. He switches between English and Korean, using play on words and complex sentences. His flow and lyrics remind Yoongi of professional hip-hop artists. He was made for this.

Namjoon’s lyrics are about growing up surrounded by kids with no dreams and adults destroying their kid’s dreams. Yoongi helped him create a beat for it.

Once Namjoon is finished, the judges look more alert and excited. They applaud him.

Even though Yoongi felt a little intimidated by the number of people auditioning, Yoongi knew they would do well. They were invited to this audition because they know the producers. This entertainment supports and seeks underground rappers. Most of the other people auditioning look like they are auditioning for a big Kpop agency.

“Alright, your turn Suga,” One of the judges gestures for Yoongi to step forward, looking warmer than before.

Yoongi has decided to rap lyrics that he has been working on for a very long time. They are fast in places and don’t need music to sound good.

He steps forward and delivers the lines he has been working on for years. A few of the judges bop their heads along to the beat Yoongi is creating with his words. Yoongi starts to feel more confident, moving around the room and dancing a little to get the judges more excited.

By the end of his performance, Yoongi can already tell they have smashed the audition. The judges applaud again, looking pleased with their find.

Namjoon and Yoongi bow and go to leave. However, one of the judges stops them, frowning down at the forms in front of him.

“Kim Namjoon?” The judge looks to them, “Where is your parental form?”

Yoongi looks at Namjoon, to find his expression blank.

“My parents… they don’t want me to do this…” Namjoon replies honestly. He looks confident, but he is fiddling with the headphones in his hand.

The judge nods and whispers to the nearest staff member. Once he is done, the staff member rushes over with a card.

“Try speaking to them one more time,” She hands the card to Namjoon, “If it doesn’t work out, give them this number and we’ll talk to them,”

Namjoon takes the card before looking up at the staff member.

“Does that mean we’ve passed?”

The staff member looks behind her to make sure the judges are not listening before leaning closer, smiling.

“He rejected a kid before because he didn’t have his permission form signed,” She whispers, “I’m pretty sure you two are trainees now,”

Namjoon beams, barely containing his excitement.

“Thank you!” Yoongi and Namjoon bow towards the judges and then the staff, both grinning happily. Once they are out of the audition room, they cheer.

“Are you ready for the trainee life?” Namjoon asks Yoongi, grinning as he opens the exit door.

“Hell yeah!” They jump around, the fulfilment of their dream becoming too much to handle. They start walking to the bus stop, a little skip in their step.

“Now,” Yoongi looks serious as they finally calm down, “Are you ready to see your parents?”

Namjoon’s smile slides from his face. He frowns, looking down at the card.

“I can do it,” He nods before looking up at Yoongi, equally serious, “Will you come with me?”

“Of course,” Yoongi smiles, “I’ll support you,”

Namjoon nods, a small smile on his face. They climb onto the bus and head home. The trip is silent. Both of them are equally nervous about what waits for them at Namjoon’s house.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Namjoon gulps as he pounds on his front door. Yoongi is standing a little behind him, looking a little uncomfortable. After a long pause, the door opens.

“Joonie?” Namjoon visibly relaxes as his mother answers the door, “You’re here already?”

Namjoon frowns and glances at Yoongi.

“Already?” He asks.

“Yeah,” She smiles, looking visibly shaken, “I just got off the phone with your new boss,”

Namjoon’s face goes white as he realizes what has happened. The judges must really want Namjoon to have already called his mother.

“Is Dad home?” Namjoon asks quietly.

“No,” His mother purses her lips, “He’s been silent since you left. He hasn’t said a word,”

Namjoon shuffles uncomfortably.

“Probably for the best,” Namjoon glances at Yoongi then back at his mother, “Can we come in?”

“Of course!” Mrs Kim beams at Yoongi, “Come in!”

They scurry in, looking like two children caught doing something wrong. She leads them into the kitchen.

“Sit!” She smiles as they take the seats at the kitchen bar. She makes them both a cup of tea before facing them, watching her son carefully. Namjoon places the permission form between them, hoping his mother doesn’t destroy it. Eventually, Namjoon decides to break the ice.

“Did… did they tell you why I’m here?” Namjoon asks.

She frowns and nods.

“To become a trainee you need to have a permission form signed,” She confirms, “But I don’t know, Joonie…”

“Did he tell you what it’ll be like?” He asks quickly.

“Well…” She bites her lip, “He did say you’d be trained to know many languages and have many talents. The money you’ll make will be very high, much higher than a lawyer,”

“Exactly!” Namjoon smiles as he finds something to persuade her, “I’ll be able to buy you a house, and maybe a car,”

“We already have a house,” Mrs Kim snaps, “Your father earns enough for us to live very comfortably,”

Namjoon sighs, looking down at the form with increasing disappointment. Yoongi decides to say something. Surely Namjoon’s mother will be able to understand if she sees what sort of people he works with.

“Mrs Kim,” She looks to Yoongi, her eyes a little wide, “I also auditioned today. Have you heard your son’s piece?”

Blushing a little, she shakes her head.

“Why would I want to hear it?” She frowns, “I don’t doubt it’s full of rubbish and…”

“It’s actually incredibly inspiring,” Yoongi cuts in before she can finish, “You should listen to it,”

Mrs Kim considers this before looking at Namjoon with sadness in her eyes.

“Go on then,” She sighs dramatically, “You’ll only harden my resolve,”

Namjoon smiles at Yoongi with thanks. He takes a deep breath and starts rapping. As he goes on, Mrs Kim slowly turns to listen, her frown lines smoothening out as he goes on. She starts tapping her finger on the bench, a small smile on her face. As Namjoon finishes a line on respect, she smiles wider.

When he’s finished she applauds him enthusiastically.

“Oh, my boy!” She rushes around the table and pulls him in for a hug, “I am so proud of you!”

A tear slides down Namjoon’s cheek as he wraps his arms around her. Yoongi grins as he watches them. As much as Yoongi suggested that he should just forget his family, he knows how important it is to have family supporting him.

“I didn’t… I’ve only seen,” She tuts as she smiles at her son’s tear-soaked face, “I’ll sign it!”

“Really, mum?” He grins as he watches her pick up the form and a pen.

“Of course,” She smiles, “I’m so proud of you, Joonie. If you can bring that music out into the world and inspire young people, I will support you every step of the way,”

“Thanks, mum,” Namjoon grins, “And don’t worry about drugs or anything…”

“I know, I know,” She blushes, “Your boss told me I don’t have to worry about that because it’ll ruin your career,”

Namjoon laughs.

“See? I told you! You watch too much American television!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” She smiles, “I hope you do well,”

“Me too,” Namjoon’s face falls as he looks to the lounge room at his father’s chair, “I just hope Dad sees what you see,”

“Don’t worry about that old fart!” She tuts, “He’ll come around. You can say whatever you’d like, and he’ll stand firm and strong. He’s stubborn,”

“Okay, mum,” Namjoon folds the form and slides it into his bag, “I should get this to the agency,”

“Good luck!” She beams as Namjoon and Yoongi slide off their chairs, heading to the front door.

“Mum…” Namjoon pauses just outside the doorway, looking back at her.

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell Dad,” He says blankly, “I’ll ask for his approval when I’m ready,”

Mrs Kim looks disappointed at this suggestion but nods anyway.

“Alright… are you sure?” She asks.

“Don’t worry, Mum,” Namjoon grins, “I got this,”

Namjoon and Yoongi wave as they leave the yard, a massive weight off their shoulders.

“I’m going to take a guess…” Yoongi turns to Namjoon, “And say that that wouldn’t have gone that well if your father was there,”

Namjoon nods but doesn’t elaborate. Yoongi doesn’t need him to explain. As long as his friend is by his side, he knows he’ll do well.