A fairly uneventful, but natural first chapter to ease you into the story. It's a tad bit lengthy, because I combined my original drafts for the prologue and the first chapter. I felt that the flow would be better if they were together like this. Enjoy! Quick Vocabulary
>Jinjja: "Really?" or "Ahh seriously..."
>Ne: "Yes"
>Anieyo: "No"
>Eoh: An utterance used to mean "Okay"
>Wae?: "Why?"
>Geurae: "Is that so?" or "I see..." or even "Okay." (note: as with most things, it's more polite with "yo" at the end)
>Uri: "Our"
>Mian: "Sorry" (informal)
>Annyeong: "Hi"/"Bye" (informal)
>Kamsahabnida: "Thank you" (formal)
>Silheo: "I don't like it" or "I don't wanna" (informal, and kinda cute honestly hehe)
>Joha: "Good"
>Arasseo: "I know" (often used with the feel of "I hear ya")
>Eomma: "Mom"
>Ssaem: "Teacher" (students use this when they know their teacher well)
>PD-nim (Producer-nim): A respectful way to address a producer (of music, TV stuff, etc)

---

 

"Something wrong?"

I looked up at Hyejin from my phone. "Hm?"

"You look disappointed about something." She glanced at me as she stirred her iced coffee.

I sighed. "The producer I was supposed to shadow is going abroad for a project."

"Ahh. Isn't there someone else you can shadow?"

"Well, I mean, sure, but I really wanted to work with this one..." I pouted and sank into my seat as I continued scrolling on my phone.

Hyejin gave a thoughtful hum. "Don't worry about it too much. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"I wanna be optimistic and say yes, but I feel like the only reason this happened was because the universe hates my guts."

"Aigu..."

"Ah. It's almost time for your next class, isn't it?"

"Oh?" A bit surprised, she took a look at her wristwatch. "Ah, jinjja, I thought I'd be early for sure this time..." She murmured to herself, now shuffling through her bag on her lap.

"Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this class just isn't for you."

She narrowed her eyes at me as she got to her feet with her purse. "I'm gonna buy something to take along."

"Eohh."

 

I heaved a sigh as we walked out of the cafe.

"Like I saaaid, don't stress about it. I'm sure something will work out for you."

"I hope so..."

Hyejin smiled and fluffed my hair a bit. "Chin up, chinguuu. I'll come by later if I'm not busy, alright?"

"Neee. Now go, you're late for class."

"Ne eomma~"

I made a face at her as she gave me a quick hug, then watched for a moment as she headed down the street. Adjusting my bag strap on my shoulder a bit, I turned and began walking in the opposite direction towards my own school.

 

The wait outside the staffroom was taking longer than I'd anticipated. I stared at the wall across from me, subconsciously tapping a foot to the rhythm of the song I was listening to. The colour of the paint was complemented nicely by the potted plant in front of the wall. What type of plant is it? I see it just about everywhere... Before I could unlock my phone to consult Naver about it, the door next to me was opened, taking me by surprise. I watched as a small group of students walked out of the staffroom, chatting casually. Once they were a short distance away, I removed my earphones and packed them away with my phone.

"Ah." I looked up as a familiar figure now exited the staffroom. "Ssaem!"

He stopped and looked back at me. "Oh. Soonae, is everything alright?"

I got to my feet and set my bag on the bench as he approached me. "Actually, about the internship..."

"Ahhh, right, I heard that Yoo-PD is going abroad for a while."

"Ne..."

"It's a pity... Did you have anyone else in mind?"

"That's the problem, actually... I was wondering, is it possible to maybe...shadow the same producer as another student?"

"Well, it's possible but..." He tilted his head with a doubtful expression and took in a sharp breath of air. "Several students are already planning on doing that at SoRim Entertainment. If you're willing to try another company, thennn..." He offered discreetly.

I made a complicated expression, causing him to smile.

"Of course you aren't..." He gave a soft sigh. "Alright, I'll see what I can do for you."

"Anieyo... I couldn't burden you like that..."

"Are you sure? I do want to make sure you get a good placement, you know?"

"I know..." I murmured, tugging at my sweater paws as I looked away in thought. I looked up at my teacher again. "I'll look into other companies, and I promise I'll hand in my application as soon as possible."

He studied my features for a moment before giving another soft sigh. "Well, alright. But don’t hesitate to let me know if you change your mind."

 

I walked out of the lobby and into the school's courtyard. As I descended the front steps, I returned the greetings of two classmates who were heading past me in the opposite direction.

"Ah, Soonae."

I turned to the girls in question.

"I emailed the audio files, okay?" One of them said.

"Ah, ne. I'll work on it diligently~"

"Ne~ Kamsahabnida~"

I offered a polite smile as they walked away, then continued towards the gate. Someone I knew was sitting by the central fountain tuning his guitar. He glanced up at me as I approached him.

"Aw, that's no good, I was supposed to surprise you..." I complained.

He smiled, not shifting his attention from the guitar. "I'll make sure I'm less alert next time."

I sat next to him, sliding my bag off my shoulder and onto my lap. "Did you get new strings?"

"Mm."

"They look good."

"Sound good too." He made a gentle strum.

"Wuah..." I shuddered a bit and hugged myself loosely- a natural reaction to pleasant sounds.

"Right?" He gave a boyish grin and began turning one of the tuning pegs again. "The third string is a bit off though," he muttered, half to himself.

"Joha," I approved when he gave the string a test strum. He nodded in agreement and set the guitar down across his lap.

"So, how's our favourite prodigy doing these days?"

I made a face at him.

"It's true."

"Anieyo." I sighed, looking up thoughtfully as I leaned back a bit.

"Ready for the Summer thing?"

"I wish. I have to change my mentor."

"Ah, jinjja? Wae?"

"Yoo PD-nim is going abroad."

"Ahhh...Did you have anyone else in mind?"

I shook my head "no" with pout and began idly kicking my feet. Jeongwon allowed a few seconds of thoughtful silence to pass by.

"You're still thinking of applying to SoRim though, right?"

After a moment, I looked at him with a knowing smile.

"I mean, I'm just checking since you said it's your dream company and all," he said, half defensively, half shyly.

"Arasseo."

"I'm serious...There's nothing else..."

I giggled a bit and sat up straight. "Uri Jeongwonie~ Don't get too lonely because I'm not around, okay~?"

"Aiguuu...Who said anything about feeling lonely?"

"Ssaem said he could try working something out for me there, but I didn't wanna burden him."

"He likes you enough as a student, it wouldn't burden him at all... Ah jinjja, you should've just accepted the help..."

"Yahhh..." I narrowed my eyes at Jeongwon. "Yah, you're more selfish than I thought..."

He made the V-line sign, causing me to roll my eyes. I pulled my bag back over my shoulder and moved to get up.

"Anyway~ I have to go now."

"Come to think of it, just now..." I looked at him in question as I brushed off my bum. "You spoke to me informally again."

"Ah, geurae~? Mian."

"Ahh..." He got up and began packing his guitar into its case. "You know, I'm your senior."

"Ne. And so, what?"

"Yah, I demand more respect."

"Jeongwonie annyeong~" I began walking away.

"Yah, Kang Soonae... Yah, atleast say Jeongwon-oppa!"

"Silheo~" I looked over my shoulder with a sweet smile, causing him to shake his head in disbelief.

 

---

 

Hyejin ended up being too busy to come over tonight after all. With a soft smile, I sent off a reassuring reply to her text, also giving her a little motivation boost to help with all the work she had to do. I giggled at all the "Hwaiting!" stickers she sent in reply, then gently tossed the phone onto my bed. Humming a song, I made my way back into the bathroom to wash the mask off my face.

"And to the farthest place~ I go..." I made a few 'dum's in imitation of the guitar tune at that part of the song, and continued singing, despite my vocals being constantly disrupted as I ran handfuls of water over my face.

Once I finished rinsing away the mask, I patted my face dry on a towel and made my way out of the bathroom. My apartment was really quiet. I would've been grateful for Hyejin's company tonight; We always found little things to talk about, and had food to snack on together. I looked around in the living area as I went to turn off the light, but my hand hovered over the switch when I noticed my guitar leaning against the side of the couch. I smiled a bit and made my way over to it.

"You look lonely," I said quietly as I picked it up. "Yosh~ I'll play something before going to sleep."

The sound of a string rang out as I bumped into something in the now dark room. "Miaaan."

I was eventually settling into the middle of my bed, the room lit only by a dimmed bedside lamp. After stretching my fingers a bit, I positioned the guitar before me and prepared to strum the first chord. Quietly, I counted myself in and my nails gently down the strings. "Tonight..I'll send the glow of the firefly from that day..to your window..."

 

Even after I'd finished singing, I found myself leisurely continuing the song on the guitar, making subtle alterations here and there, and just finding peace of mind in the pleasantness and beauty of the sounds. Like this, my loneliness and worries to faded into the quiet night alongside the tune.

I pulled the covers over the lower half of my body and to my side with my phone to make a call.

. . ."Moshimoshi~ Abe Minseo desu. Ima, denwa. . ."

With a pout, I moved the phone from my ear and ended the call, opting instead to leave my mother a message. She was probably busy. After making sure to advise her to get some rest so that she wouldn't get sick, I reached across to my bedside lamp and tapped it off.

 

---

 

"Well, that's it for today's class," said the lecturer. "Please work hard on your assignments- the due date is next week Tuesday. And please prepare well for the end-of-month assessment. That will be all."

"Eonni annyeong~" The girl who had been seated beside me picked up her bag to leave.

"Ah, ne," I responded, having been a bit distracted. "Jalga~" As she left, I took a glance at my watch then began packing my things.

"Soonae."

I looked at the person, then stood up. "Ssaem."

"Have you decided on someone as yet?"

"Ah..." I rubbed my arm a bit nervously. "Anieyo...Did the application deadline change…?"

"Ani." His expression brightened. "Actually, that's great! I got an opportunity for you."

"Jinjjayo?"

"Mm. Yoo PD-nim actually got in contact with me. He felt sorry towards you, so he reached out to a friend of his and put in a good word for you."

"Oh!"

"I have the information here," held up his phone briefly, "so I'll email it by the end of the day, okay?"

I nodded eagerly. "Ne, of course! Kamsahabnida!"

He chuckled a bit as I gave a full ninety-degree bow. "I knew something would work out for you."

A flood of relief came over me.

 

---

 

"Big Hit Entertainment?" Hyejin asked, resting her chin on my shoulder as she read the email. "I've never heard of them."

"I heard about the CEO before," I said, scrolling down a bit. "He won a bunch of awards over the years."

"Jinjja? Is he that good?"

"I dunno."

"Aren't you supposed to be knowledgeable about all of this?"

"Yah. I can't follow up on every single producer."

She took in another mouthful of popcorn.

I nudged her away. "Stop chewing next to my ear."

Hyejin giggled a bit and adjusted her chair closer to mine. "So, you're gonna choose them, right?"

"Yoo PD-nim recommended me, so I can't pass this up."

"Geurae."

I gave a thoughtful hum, then opened a new tab and began typing. "I might as well check out the company's artistes."

"Oh? An idol group?" Hyejin leaned closer to the monitor and scanned the photo results.

"Bangtan...Sonyeondan?"

"Mwoya..." She chuckled. "That's kinda cute actually."

"Ahhh, Homme is signed with them too. I guess it's only two acts..."

"Well, it's a small company, right?"

"Mm.." I pouted.

"Gwenchanhaaa. There's usually some great thing that comes out of this type of situation."

"Whaddo you mean?"

"Like...You know in the movies where the lead aims for something huge, but ends up having to settle for less?"

"Mhmm..."

"In those situations, even though they're disappointed at first... Somehow, they end up turning that 'less' into even more than what they would've gotten from the huge thing." Hyejin stared ahead of her and tilted her head thoughtfully, then looked at me. "You get it, right?"

"You're so weird."

"Yahhh, I just said something really philosophical and life-changing you knowww?" She complained.

I smiled at her. "Let's see what happens, I guess."

 

Hyejin shifted next to me, turning onto her other side. I glanced at her, then lowered my phone's screen brightness before continuing to scroll through the list of songs. Big Hit's idol group had a lot more songs than I'd imagined. Pursing my lips thoughtfully, I scanned over the titles in the 'Most Popular' section.

"Bomnal..." I said quietly to myself. Since it was Spring, I guess I'd listen to this one first. I set the song to play then rested the phone atop my tummy with my hands over it. Staring at the ceiling in the dark room, I listened carefully to the song's intro.

 

---

 

Bogo~sipda.

There were glass-encased posters of the company's artistes on the wall across from where Soonae sat. She had found herself staring at one of them for the past minute or so, finding it amusing how much the photographed person resembled a bunny.

"Soonae-ssi?" A woman's voice came.

"Ne," Soonae replied, removing one bud of her earphones and turning to the lady.

"Would you like anything while you wait? Perhaps coffee, tea… water?"

"Ah, if it's not a bother... Water is fine," Soonae replied hesitantly. "Oh, can it be room temperature?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then... If I may have that..."

"Alright, please give me a moment." The receptionist smiled politely and went off to retrieve the water.

"Kamsahabnida..." Soonae said quietly as she watched her.

Despite being a small company, Big Hit’s appearance was rather close to that of a high-class company. The atmosphere was pretty nice too. Soonae glanced over all the posters one last time then turned her attention to her phone, suddenly anxious to find a distraction of some sort. After a few seconds of fruitless scrolling through her home screen pages, she decided to try texting someone- namely, Hyejin.

As she was typing the message, the receptionist returned with a bottle of water in one hand and a clipboard clutched to her chest with the other hand.

"Here you go," she said kindly, setting the bottle on the coffee table in front of Soonae, who bowed with a thankful smile. "Oh?"

Soonae looked up at the woman expectantly as she lingered. "Ne?" She responded attentively.

"Are you, perhaps, a fan of Bangtan Sonyeondan?" The receptionist queried with casual smile as she gestured at the posters.

"Ah." Now Soonae's mind went blank. Should she lie? Should she tell the truth? Could this question be linked to her internship somehow? "Actually, I'm just a casual listener of their music." She smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear- a habit of nervousness that she hoped would go unnoticed.

"Oh, really?"

"Ne... Their music is really good..." She tried not to think about her words too much and just allowed them to come out. Somewhere inside, she was desperately hoping that they wouldn’t cost her this internship position. "I never really looked into the group, so it was very fascinating to see them...like this. The members." She gestured vaguely at the posters. "I guess I'm still sort of trying to connect the visuals to the music...Something like that."

"Ahhh." The receptionist nodded in understanding. She seemed to be testing Soonae at first, perhaps to discern her motives for wanting to intern with Big Hit. However, now the look in her eyes was one of genuine curiosity, as though she wasn't sure what exactly to make of Soonae. The good thing was that she no longer seemed to suspect that Soonae came there just for the idol group. "Then, I'll be around the front desk if you need me," she said conclusively. "Bang Sihyuk PD-nim will be here in an hour or so."

"I really came too early..." Soonae muttered regretfully.

The receptionist chuckled. "Once other employees show up, I'll gladly ask if one of them can show you around until then."

"Ah, kamsahabnida. I'd really like that."

With a reassuring smile, the receptionist headed back to her position. Soonae took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. How would she survive the interview if a conversation with the receptionist made her so nervous? She shook her head to get rid of the thought then went back to texting Hyejin.

Help. I'm nervous.

With that, she rested back in her seat, attempting to collect her thoughts. Remembering the water, she leaned forward and picked up the bottle, hoping that a little hydration would help her feel better.

"Oh. PD-nim!"

Soonae looked at the entrance in surprise as someone entered. She watched the man and the receptionist pleasantly exchanging greetings.

"Ah, this young lady is here for the interview." The receptionist gestured towards her with a smile, and it was then that she remembered to swallow her mouthful of water.

"Annyeonghaseyo," the producer greeted, extending a hand as he approached her. "Bang Si Hyuk, but you can call me Bang PD-nim"

"Ne, annyeonghaseyo Bang PD-nim! Kang Soonae." Soonae got to her feet quickly and humbly accepted his handshake.

"Were you waiting long?"

"Anieyo. I got here not too long ago..."

"Ahh, that's good then. You can come to my office right away."

"Ne."

Soonae looked around curiously as she followed Bang PD into the office. He headed towards his desk and walked around it.

"You may have a seat," he said politely, gesturing towards the chair across from him.

With quiet thanks, Soonae approached it, but waited for him to sit first before doing the same.

He the air conditioning unit and took a few seconds to adjust the temperature setting. "Now then," he said, setting the remote on his desk and turning to face Soonae, "shall we begin?"

"Ne."

"I'll ask a few personal questions first, is that okay?"

"Ne, ne."

"Alright. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two. Ah, wait, no. Recently...I turned twenty-three."

A/N: This is Korean age

Bang PD smiled a bit. "Don't worry, you can answer comfortably."

Soonae smiled shyly.

"I'm told that you attend the Myungsok Conservatory of Music." He raised his eyebrows, giving an expression of genuine interest.

"That's right."

"What do you specialise in?"

"I major in music production."

"Do you play any instruments?"

"Ah, ne- Piano and guitar. I'm better with guitar though..."

"Geuraeyo?" He seemed pleasantly surprised. "Johayo."

"Kamsahabnida." Soonae smiled bashfully.

"Kang… Soonae-ssi, right?"

I nodded. "Ne."

Bang PD pouted thoughtfully and looked away for a moment. "When did you first start your pursuit of music?"

"Ahh...Well, technically..." I looked around a little, fidgeting with my hands in my lap as I formed a reply. "Just a few months ago."

"Oh?"

"Ne... You see, I have a musical background due to my grandfather, who's a musician… But I didn't pursue music as a career because...well. I guess it was a bit scary."

He nodded with a mildly, but evidently sympathetic expression. "Right, that is a common theme amongst those in the creative industry. From what I gather though, you actually like music enough, right? Did your family, parents in particular, object to the idea of you becoming a producer?"

"Anieyo. Mmm...actually, my father wanted me to work in the business sector like he does. But it's not that I'd actually said I wanted to pursue music or anything. As a child, I claimed to want to become a pianist, but I can't say I've ever really had a specific goal in mind...career-wise, that is."

Again, he nodded in understanding.

"All I know is...I really do love music. I'm pursuing it seriously now- a bit late, but that's probably because I felt pressured to do something else before."

"Joha," he said, half to himself. He regarded me with what seemed to be a curious eye. "You originally sought to apprentice under SoRim Entertainment's Yuu-PD."

"Ne, ne, he's someone whose work I admire."

"Ahh is that so? He'd told me that his friend- your teacher- spoke highly of you, and that he was looking forward to working with you."

"Ah, jinjjayo??" I made a surprised expression, which broke into a smile.

"Mm, he felt sorry for disappointing you. I'm actually surprised that he chose to send you to Big Hit, though. He has many other friends, in bigger companies even, where a young, ambitious student such as yourself would perhaps enjoy working much more."

I smiled. "Anieyo... Perhaps he looks up to you a lot. In which case, I have no reason to doubt Big Hit Entertainment's abilities."

"I suppose so, huh." He regarded me with a mildly surprised, but pleasant expression.

"Oh! I've listened to the music produced by Big Hit too. Well, just a handful of songs so far, but I think your producers' works are really good."

"Oh? Possibly...Bangtan Sonyeondan's music?"

"Right, right. I'm new to them, but I think their music is very good."

"I must admit, I'm a bit surprised to hear that you're new to Bangtan."

"Ah, ne... I’ve only recently started listening to K-Pop..."

"No worries, we all have our preferences~" He gave a reassuring smile. "In fact..."

I looked at him expectantly.

"This comes as somewhat of a relief to me."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well, to put it simply, Bangtan has a lot of fans these days, and a few of them would go to great lengths to get close to the members."

"Ahhh... That's... sasaeng, I think they're called?"

"Right... Don't get me wrong though, I can honestly say that I didn't expect you to be one, seeing as you didn't even plan on coming here."

I smiled and nodded in understanding. "That's alright, it's important to protect your artistes."

"Exactly so; please forgive our caution."

“That’s alright.”

With a sigh, Bang PD leaned back in his seat and idly turned it from side to side as he looked away thoughtfully. Soonae discreetly controlled her breathing in order to remain calm and keep her expectations and anxieties at bay.

"...Geurae."

She raised her eyebrows in question as Bang PD looked at her once more.

"I'll speak to one or two of our producers today." He leaned forward and reached for a pen and a sticky note pad. With a warm smile, he moved them towards Soonae. "Could you write down your contact information, please? I'll have your schedule sent to you as soon as possible."

Soonae exhaled in relief, unable to prevent herself from smiling as she took the pen and notepad. “Kamasahabnidaaa~” She said with a bow.