WELCOME TO YG OPEN AUDITIONS

The wide yellow banner was imposingly situated above outside an auditorium. The hall was packed with hopeful auditionees, boys and girls alike, all in their stage clothes, earphones plugged and bodies memorizing their dance step. Somewhere at the back of the crowd were Jiyong, Seunghyun, Bom and Dara.

Bom was especially nervous, her strage fright multiplied as she saw the number of people that were gathered. The auditions took place by batches inside the auditorium, so they wouldn't actually perform in front of the whole crowd, but to a select YG judges and talent scouts. But still, the tremendous pouring amount of people made her too nervous to even breathe properly. She took a deep breath and slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"We'll be alright, Bommie," Dara said and linked her arms with Bom's. She gave her nervous bestfriend a smile. Bom nodded in reply. They practiced their group routine for the past few days. It was the same routine that they did for their school showcase before. And they did it without flaws. But still, Bom's mind went blank as she tried to picture herself in front of the judges. Just think, Jiyong and my friends are there with me, I shouldn't be nervous, she thought.

Finally, the group reached the registration table at the middle of the hall. It was Seunghyun who got the application forms for them and handed them one each. Bom's trembling hand held the form as she scanned what was written. Hm, YG Open Auditions, she silently read. Hmmm, okay... w-wait, what!?

"Individual auditions!?" she exclaimed out loud which caused the person in charge of the registry to look up.

"Yes, this is for the individual auditions." the lady said. "We no longer accept group auditions."

Uh oh, Bom thought as she felt three pair of concerned eyes on her. This was the worst case scenario for them, and Jiyong had warned them about it the day before. He said that if group auditions are not allowed, then they should be prepared for a backup plan and find a solo performance for their own. Bom had prepared for this too, but the thought of being up on the stage alone magnified her fear.

"You can back down, Bom," Jiyong reassured her and he went beside her. He squeezed her cold hands. He understood how nervous his girlfriend might be feeling right now and he didn't want to force this on her.

"I'm fine, guys," she weakly responded. "I'll do this."

"Are you sure?" Jiyong said with a look of concern.

"I thought about this last night. I decided that this is my dream too. And I'll be by your side no matter what."

Upon hearing Bom's determined declaration, each of them gave a happy response. Dara clapped her hands enthusiastically. Seunghyun gave a sigh of relief and a thumbs up. And Jiyong couldn't feel anymore prouder. Unable to control his monkey like antics, he gave Bom a tight backhug.

"Y-yaa, Kwon Jiyong," Bom protested. "Let go of me!" But all Jiyong did was to laugh in reply.

They filled up their forms and got their audition numbers. Seunghyun was 435, Dara 436, Jiyong 437, and Bom 438. I'm the last one on our group, she thought and it made her even more nervous. The current batch inside the audition room was 350-360 so there was still a long way to go before their turn. They found a place to sit while Seunghyun and Dara went out for a while to buy them drinks to cool down.

"I'm really happy about your decision, Bom," Jiyong said when the two were left alone amidst the crowd. "Although it was a bit surprising."

"Aish, it did surprise me too," Bom softly answered and took his hands to hers. "But I realized, dreams are precious to us because it's what shapes our future. So, Jiyong-ah, don't give up on yours."

"I won't," he replied and suddenly gave her cheek a quick kiss.

"Yaaa, you're even making me more nervous than before."

"Sorry," Jiyong muttered but with a big grin on his face and his arm around her shoulders. "By the way, what song have you decided on?"

Bom glanced at him and stuck out her tongue, "It's a secret. Mehrong."

It took them around an hour and a half of waiting before their turn came. They were escorted inside the audition room along with six others. The room was smaller in comparison to the vast waiting hall. The judges were seated behind a white minimalist table with glasses of water and clipboards for each evaluators. They were seated sternly and gave a brief smile as the auditionees entered. But the smile faded as soon as the doors closed. Jiyong suddenly recognized one of the judges that sat across them -- Mr. Lee. He hesitated before he gave a small bow. Mr. Lee in return gave a wave of his hand, surprised to see Jiyon back so soon. The first number was called and asked to come forward.

"430."

A medium-built guy with dark complexion and slanted eyes came forward. One of the panels asked him what he was going to do. The guy sang a ballad, his voice hitting the right notes perfectly. Wow, Bom thought as she watched from behind. Will I be able to sing like that too? She closed her eyes and tried to recall the lyrics to her song. I won't mess up right? I can do this Park Bom. Her nervousness was shown through her body. She kept fidgeting her legs. Her hands were cold and sweaty. Her lower lips trembled. Her mind was too preoccupied that she couldn't even watch the rest of the auditions. Finally her number was called.

"438."

She stood up and made her way in front of the judges. From behind, she saw Seunghyun and Dara silently cheering for her. She saw Jiyong mouthing the word 'fighting' to her and a fist pump. Bom cleared her head and breathed slowly.

"Good morning, what are you going to do for us?" the female evaluator asked.

"I'm going to sing," Bom said in an almost whisper.

"Make your voice louder," the evaluator sharply replied.

"Ah, ne, cheosonhamnida," she said with a bow. 

It was then that Mr. Lee finally recognized her, having watched the tapes that Jiyong had given to him before. At first, he really had no intention to watch them because he thought that Jiyong wasn't serious and was just playing around. He left the tapes lying in the office, which he chanced upon one more time last week. With nothing better to do, he took the tapes and played it in the watching room. It's the video girl, he took note of the girl nervously standing before them. When he watched the tapes, Mr. Lee took notice of Bom's charms. Well, we'll see about her talent today, he thought.

Bom closed her eyes for a moment. This is it, she thought. She opened and sang:

You and I together
It just feels so right
Ibyuliran maleun never
Geu nuga mweorahaedo nan geudael jikilgae

Bom looked at Jiyong the whole time she sang. She found strength and courage in his watching eyes. And as she sang, it was as if she's speaking the lyrics to him.

You and I together
Nae du soneul nochijima
Annyoungiran maleun never
Naegae I saesangeun ojik neo hanagiae

The female evaluator put her pen down and intently listened to Bom who sang with her whole feeling. Mr. Lee was also speechless. She had seen Bom sing during the school showcase, but if he would compare it to how she was now, it feels like her raw talent turned to an almost professional like quality. At the back, Jiyong, Dara, and Seunghyun all had that same reaction. Even Dara felt like there were tears coming out of her eyes.

"My Bommie, look at her now," she said wiping invisible tears. "She's grown up so well."

Seunghyun looked at Jiyong and nudged him, "Hey, do you know that she's singing to you right now."

"Not 'know'," Jiyong answered and shook his head. "I can feel it."

You and I together
Nae du soneul nochijima
Annyoungiran maleun never
Naegae I saesangeun ojik neo hanagiae

She finished her song, and with closed eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over for her. As she opened her eyes, she first looked at Jiyong who gave her a heart sign, then to Dara and Seunghyun who clapped at her, and finally to the judges before her who still had stoic expressions.

"That was a heartfelt performance," the female judge said and gave her a nod. "What were you feeling when you were singing?"

"Uhm," Bom fidgeted as she faced the judges. "Well, there's this person who told me to never let go of his hands. And that's what I'm doing right now, being by his side and walking towards the future together."

"And who might this person be?" 

Bom opened but before she could speak, she interrupted her. "No need to answer, dear. I'm sure it's personal."

"Park Bom-ssi," Mr. Lee called out to her. "Thank you for auditioning. We'll evaluate your performance and send a reply in 3-4 weeks regarding the results. Kamsahamnida."

"Ne, kamsahamnida," Bom answered with a 90 degree bow and walked towards the back.

The auditions were finally over for them, but of course it was just the first part. Waiting for the results was more nerve-wracking. But at least, all of them felt a little relieved, especially Bom. Their next agenda for the day is to send off Seunghyun who still has a flight to catch back to Jeju. Seunghyun checked his watch. He still have an hour to go before his flight. They all took a cab, much to Seunghyun's dismay since he never liked send-offs, and arrived just in time. 

"Seunghyun-ah, we'll see you after 3 to 4 weeks, huh?" Dara said, hinting that they would all pass the auditions.

"Heyy, Dara, don't raise our hopes up yet," Bom replied.

"But we all did great, right?" Dara said with a pout.

"How about this," Jiyong suggested. "No matter what the results are, you'll be back after 3 to 4 weeks, okay?"

"You guys," Seunghyun muttered and gave a facepalm while laughing. "It really is hard to argue with you. It's not like I'm always free when I'm in Jeju."

"But still, we're your friends," Bom said. "Won't you miss us?"

"It's just in Jeju! Sure it's a plane ride away, but it's not like it's in another country or across the ocean. And we can all talk in the phone or send messages, right?"

"Promise?" Bom asked him.

"Of course," he replied and grouphugged them. "This is why I hate send-offs..."

"Waeyo?" Jiyong asked with his monkey smile. "It makes you not want to leave?"

"Noooo, it's so hard to send you off guys when I'm the one who should be leaving!" Seunghyun joked.

They bid their final goodbyes once again as it was time for Seunghyun to board the plane. After saying their farewells, they took a taxi again to the park which is the common place for them. Dara's house was to the west of the park, while Bom's was to the south. Stalling for time and still not wanting to come home, Jiyong volunteered to walk Bom home.

"You were realy good a while ago," he complimented her for almost the hundredth time today.

"It's all thanks to you," Bom said with a smile as they walked towards her home. "Jiyong-ah, do you know what happened when I told my parents about wanting to audition?"

"Mhm?"

"At first they were shocked, and looked at me like I was out of my mind. I think they were ready to put me in an asylum or something. That's how crazy their reactions were. But I showed them that I was serious and that I really had made up my mind about it. And they're happy for me and supported me."

"Ahhh," his voice trailed off. "That's good to hear" He thought of his father. The wait for the results were more burdensome for Jiyong, since it will be the proof that he needed to show his father that he can make it on his own. And that he was capable of having a dream of his own. 

Bom's footsteps stopped. She looked at Jiyong and held both of his hands. The backdrop of the setting sun was behind them. 

"Jiyong-ah, I'm sure your father would feel the same way," she comforted him and gripped his fingers.

"I hope so too, Bom," he answered with a nod. "I hope so too."

~~