It was around 8 PM when Alfie finally arrived at the building of Cube Entertainment in the bustling streets of Seoul. He could not believe it. This was the Mecca of K-pop. This is the place where B2ST, 4Minute, APink, BtoB and other artists resided. Now it was his chance to become a part of their family. Alfie was so exhilarated that he began to tear up once again, feeling thrilled at the thought of becoming a true K-pop star. Now it was his opportunity.

Without final hesitation, he rang the doorbell.

Ding dong!

"Who's there?" called a voice from the inside.

"It's me, Alfie, the winner of the television show K-pop Star Hunt. The judges introduced me to this company, and provided me a contract to working here with you." Alfie replied.

"One moment please." the voice replied.

Alfie tried to respond again, but the sound seemed to cut off from the speaker.

"Hello?" he called out again and again, but there was no answer, so he decided to sit on the steps in the middle of the cold November air, and wait. Five minutes passed, but no one came out. Ten minutes. Still nobody. However, Alfie was persistent.

"This was the place where I was promised to go to.....I guess they really are busy preparing-" Alfie told himself and was just about to finish when the door swung open, the edge accidentally hitting Alfie on the head.

"Ouch," Alfie exclaimed, then turned back to a middle aged man standing in the entrance.

"I am the manager," said the man to Alfie, "I am sorry, but I do not know you. Can you show me your passport and your contract please?" he asked.

Alfie complied.

"Hmmm," the manager thought, "I've never heard of you, but do come in. You look so cold! You'll feel much warmer inside!" He opened the door a little wider and let Alfie in. "Follow me." he commanded.

Alfie felt like he was in heaven. He could not believe that he was actually in an entertainment building where famous K-pop singers went to sing and dance. This must be a dream. As he glanced around, he was amazed at the beautiful furniture, and even more when he noticed that the walls were decorated with posters and photographs of Hyuna, 4Minute, B2ST, and APink, several of which had their autographs enscribed on top of them.

"This is the vocal training hall..." the manager said opening one room, "and this is the dance hall.....this is the cafeteria......and this is the training hall....." he said, giving Alfie a tour around the place. Alfie was so tired from the long journey that he felt his eyelids sliding down his eyeballs. Alfie did not want to seem rude, so he tried to force back up his eyelids, but no matter what he could not help but yawn. The manager, who finally found a drowsy Alfie lead him to a private dorm in the middle of the hall. Alfie was so tired that he did not even bother to change into this pajamas, and without thanking the manager, he fell into a deep sleep in no time.

 

The next morning, the manager woke him up at around 5 AM in the morning.

"Alfie, it's a very special day. I have something to tell you. Come down to the cafeteria for breakfast and we need to talk about something."

"Goodness," Alfie thought, "I'm very sorry I did not say "thank you" to you last night, am I in trouble?"

"Oh, no, absolutely not," the manager chuckled, "Just get ready and come down for breakfast. It's a very important day."

 

Alfie brushed his teeth, shaved, washed his face, combed his hair, and dressed, like his usual daily routine. Then he came down to the cafeteria for breakfast. The breakfast was, of course relatively humble, consisting of a Shin Ramen cup and obviously white rice and kimchi, but they were just as enough to fill Alfie's belly, which was growling.

After a fine breakfast, the manager told Alfie, "Now, I have to talk to you about the rules of Cube Entertainment building. They are a summary of what is written on your contract, but that is still no reason to break them."

Alfie nodded, ready to comply.

The manager spoke again. "Now listen carefully. Because you are within the building premises, you are expected to treat every single colleague within this business with respect, and maintain a positive image. Because you are close to becoming a singer, you are 100% likely to be a role model for teenagers to look up to, and for that, you must think carefully about the things you say, and the things you do. You know what has happened to several K-pop stars that have been involved in accidents and having their words misinterpreted, right?"

Alfie nodded, knowing that there was too many to count.

"Good. Now remember, this is a non-smoking zone, so no smoking, no alcohol, and no vandalism nor illegal activity is permitted within this zone. You are free to walk about the neighbourhood, however you are not to travel to any faraway places outside this neighborhood without our consent. If you are going to a place that requires public transit, you must inform one of our staff, so we know exactly where you are going, how you are going to get there, and when you will be back."

Alfie nodded.

"And under no circumstances whatsoever are you to disclose any private or personal information regarding any of the co-workers, or the colleagues in this business to anyone outside of the premises."

Alfie nodded once again.

"Any questions?"

Nod.

"So, would I be able to buy snacks or something from the convenience store? How would I get the money to buy them?" Alfie asked.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Each week you are allotted a weekly budget to buy additional food and drink depending on how hard you have worked for a week. And remember, only from places within this neighborhood. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"One more thing." the manager asked.

"What is that?" Alfie asked.

"Remember that you are expected to be independent from now on, and that includes doing your own laundry, washign your own dishes, cleaning your dorm, and cleaning up after you. No one will pamper you like at home. I assume that you will be a responsible person, because this isn't a boarding school, this is a business where you will be treated like an adult all the time. We do not necessarily educate you about the K-pop industry - you have to independently think yourself." the manager replied. "Any other questions?"

Shake.

"Good, now don't forget your vocal training is at 8 AM, so you have 15 minutes to prepare for it." the manager said.

Alfie sighed. He was used to having his laundry done and room tidied for him all his life, like most children of course, but this was a huge transition for him, that he felt that he had no other choice. The manager reminded Alfie of Mrs Medlock from "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett, however he thought, "People will always be like this, I'll just have to get used to them...." he thought, swallowing the words, even though he was very sensitive and emotional for a tall guy.