April 1997, Busan

Another year of school was beginning, the last one. They were all eighteen, all dreaming about something different, but still dreaming. They wanted to become something, someone. But life isn't that easy and they knew, deep down, that their dreams would be hard to fulfill, almost impossible.

Nam Woohyun loved to sing. And singing was a trendy topic these days as a boy band called H.O.T was slowly taking over the hearts of the young –and not so young- Korean girls. But Woohyun only sang in the school's singing club. His parents wouldn't appreciate it if he told them he wanted to drop school to become a singer. He should, and most probably would, become a doctor, like his father and grandfather before him. It wasn't what he wanted to do, not really. Being a doctor would be nice, sure, if he could help and cure people, he wouldn't hate it but singing was something else, something that made him feel alive and was worth trying. So Nam Woohyun would live his dream, but unfortunately mostly in his shower, in karaoke or singing clubs.  

"There is someone I'd like you to meet, Woohyunie," said the singing club president one day after they were done. "He also sings and I think you could really learn from one another. His style is a bit different than yours but his voice is really great. His name is Kim Sunggyu, you probably already know about him."

And yes, Woohyun did know about this guy. Kim Sunggyu was a rebel, sort of. He had a band called 'Beat' and was singing rock songs, not so Woohyun style, indeed. People were quite scared of him because the boy was intimidating, he had small, narrow eyes that made you fill as if he was analyzing you and he never seemed to smile, except with his friends. Friends who were his band members and 1 or 2 other privileged ones. In a word, Kim Sunggyu was definitely a charismatic boy, but he was so secret that nobody really knew how he was like and what he could do. And Woohyun wasn't so sure he'd get along with him well but maybe it was worth trying.

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"Seungho-hyung wants me to meet Kim Sunggyu, for singing business. Said we would 'learn from one another'," said Woohyun as he was sitting in the school's park with Sungyeol and Hoya.

"Really? Beware of the wolf inside him then!" joked Sungyeol.

"Haha, very funy. I'm not scared of him, he's just a kid, like we all are right?"

"Some kids are more intimidating than others, but I think in Sunggyu's case, it's just a façade," said Howon.

"Yeah, I'll pray for you hyung," talked Sungyeol, "but right now, gotta go, I've some stalking to do! See you!"

"This guy is crazy," muttered Woohyun as Sungyeol was leaving them.

"He is. But at least he tries to get the guy he wants. He's braver than I am," groaned Howon.

"Yeah but it's not the same situation. It's much easier for him. He doesn't know the guy; he has never talked to him. Following him, it means nothing. And everybody knows that Sungyeol is kind of crazy so, seeing him stalking someone, it's not a huge business. But you and Dongwoo, it's way more complicated," remarked Woohyun.

"Still, he tries when I just chicken out."

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