Chapter 2
✩Smoke and Mirrors✩
In the hallway near the recording studio the next hopeful yawned widely before standing. As he started walking he could hear the brunette that was next to him mutter ‘he seems arrogant’ to herself. He frowned as he entered the room. It’s not that he’s arrogant, he just doesn’t have that fear of performing.
He had done some street performances that helped him get over that paralyzing fear. Now he just feels excited to perform. After the man had closed the door behind him he quickly began asking questions.
“Name?”
“Han Taesun”
“What will you be showing me?”
“I will sing.”
The man suddenly stopped speaking and fussed with the camera. It didn’t take too long before he explained to Taesun what he needed to do. Following directions, Taesun took the pictures and then sang for the man.
He was happy with the way he sang, but he couldn’t tell by the expression on the man’s face what he thought. He was thoroughly overjoyed when the man congratulated him and told him that he was no longer Han Taesun the street performer, that he was now Han Taesun the trainee.
Taesun exited the room happily and went directly to the front office. Just as he opened the door the woman spoke.
“Sit.”
Taesun did as told. He was a little surprised. Was everyone in this building so curt with their words? Without looking at him she continued to ask more questions.
“What’s your number and name?”
Taesun looked down at his shirt. His number, 120, was printed quite clearly on the piece of paper that was pinned there. Supressing a sigh he responded.
“120, Han Taesun”
She typed into the computer before spinning her chair and retrieving a piece of paper from the nearby printer. Taesun simply watched silently. After a while of watching her type and retrieve printed papers she finally turned to face him. He was a bit shocked to see that she looked at him with a smile.
“First of all, Han Taesun, congratulations. You must be happy.”
Taesun nodded, and she continued.
“It says here that you possesses at least satisfactory abilities in singing dancing and rapping.”
Again, he nodded while she spoke.
“You will be training all three of those skill sets here. On Monday morning you are to report to the 3d dance studio for your first dance ‘class’ , as the trainees here call it. Have you put any thought into housing?”
She passed a few papers across the desk. Taesun was instantly overwhelmed, but tried to ignore the papers and listen to the suddenly chatty woman. He nodded his head to her questions.
“Yes. I was actually told that I would be able to live in the dorms?”
She nodded her head and turned to type again. This time she spoke as she typed.
“Alright. So you would like to live in the company dorms. I am assuming you have no preference as to who your roommate would be. I will place you in dorm 223B, with Mr. Lee Hyunsoo. The dorm building is located directly next to this one. When you walk out the door make a left and walk straight probably 20 steps. The entrance is right there…”
Taesun couldn’t do anything but nod repeatedly. He wasn’t gathering the smallest bit of this information because she was talking so quickly. Really, he didn’t understand how she could type and talk this much at the same time. It was like she didn’t even breathe.
“… you take the stairs or the elevator up to the third floor and your dorm should be there. You can move in as soon as you want, the dorm is vacant at this time…. Unless Mr. Lee Hyunsoo is already moving in. Alright?”
She didn’t give him time to answer before she passed more papers over the desk.
“These are all forms that you need to sign, and there are also directions to this building and the dorm building, along with your dorm assignment and your schedule for the first day. These don’t need to be returned to me until Monday so you can just bring them in as you are heading to your first class.”
Taesun nodded, expecting her to having something else to say. When he realized she wasn’t doing anything more than simply staring at him he stood and bowed.
“Thank you.”
She nodded and spun her chair back around so that she was facing the computer. Taesun exited the office and began heading to his newly assigned dorm.
“I need a nap.”
“Ah…. He seems arrogant” She pursed her lips and muttered. The boy who had been sitting next to her was called up, and his first response? A yawn. Was he really that confident? She was nearly shaking in her boots. That is—if she was actually wearing boots. She looked down at her sneakers and made a face.
The longer she waited the more nervous she got. She was counting how many people passed, and from what she could tell there were already 8 people. There might have even been more since she could only tell by their facial expressions.
She sighed and looked around many of the people that were seated in the hallway were whispering, including a few trainees that were passing by. She was startled when she heard the door open and quickly faced the direction of that arrogant boy. He had a smile on his face, perhaps his arrogance paid off.
“145”
She jumped up in reaction to hearing her number. Hopefully she would hear her name soon because she was starting to respond to ‘145’. She didn’t want to leave this audition and respond every time she heard that number. People would start calling her that because it was the only thing she acknowledged as a name.
She quickly made her way into the room, and then stood in front of the camera when the man gestured to it.
“Name?” he asked.
She puffed her chest out. She would show the man confidence, it was the best thing a person could wear.
“14—ah… no… Kim Kymin. Kim Kymin”
Her confidence quickly deflated when she saw his shoulders bob slightly with a quiet chuckle. Well, that is embarrassing. He looked up from the paper with a small smile on his face.
“Miss Kim Kymin. What will you be showing me today?”
She told him that she was going to sing. He nodded and explained to her how this section of the audition would go. She nodded as he spoke, and then did as she was told. When he asked her to sing she sung loudly and confidently. He held up his hand when he wanted her to stop. She didn’t stop.
Her eyes were closed as she sang so she didn’t see him raise his hand, she just kept singing. After a minute she heard her name.
“Miss Kim Kymin……Kim Kymin.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him seated in front of her with his hand up. She quickly stopped singing and bowed in apology.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Without responding he lowered his hands and returned his eyes to the paperwork on his lap. Minutes passed with Kymin standing awkwardly in front of the camera waiting for a response. Thankfully he stood, the small smile from earlier on his face.
“Congratualtions Miss Kim Kymin. You are now a trainee. You can speak to the woman in the office on your way out about your schedule and housing.”
She jumped in excitement
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
She bounced in his direction and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. His body stiffened and she quickly let go.
“Ah! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry….”
Kymin rushed to the door and stepped out, thoroughly embarrassed. Her mother told her to learn more about how she should act when she got to Korea. She should have listened.
Kymin set off down the hall in a brisk walk, still embarrassed that she had hugged him. As the embarrassment wore off, though, her brisk walk turned into an awkward skip.
“Is he okay? He is sleeping? It’s 3 in the afternoon. Why is he sleeping? Oh you went to the park? Okay. I will be home soon….Alright…..Okay….See you then….Bye.”
He pulled his phone away from his ear and pressed the ‘end call’ button. He had asked his neighbor to watch his son for him while he was at this audition. It wasn’t often that he was away from his child and it made him nervous that he was in someone else’s care. He sighed and rubbed his head. For most the stress of the audition was big on people, for him the stress of not being with his son weighed heavily on his mind.
He looked up quickly when he heard his number called. He stood up and made his way into the room. The man who called him hardly even shut the door before he began asking curt questions.
“Name?”
“Ahn Chan.” He straightened his clothes, not paying too much mind to the man.
The man explained how the pictures would be taken, and then asked what Chan would be showing him. Chan told him he was going to act and the man pulled a laminated piece of paper from under the small stack of papers in his lap.
“Memorize the first couple of lines and recite them when I ask you to.”
Chan nodded and looked down at the paper he was handed.
You! Before you start talking like you know everything, do you even know what it’s like? I work hard. I start my days before you even wake up so that I can put food on the table for my family. You feel you have the right to judge me? I’m sure you have never even earned an honest dollar in your life.
Chan scowled inwardly. There wasn’t much backstory given within the few lines, but what was he to do? He had to read them. The man began directing him,
“face forward, left, right. Okay”
Chan did as he was told. Too quickly the man asked him to recite his lines. Chan took a breath and thought about how hard he worked so that his son had a happy life. How angry would he be if somebody challenged that? Chan pulled his emotions together and recited his lines, yelling at some points, and balling his fists.
When he was done the man, once again, looked down at the papers in his lap. Chan let out the breath he was holding and waited. What could possibly be on those papers that required him to look that carefully so often? Then man looked up.
“Mr. Ahn Chan, Congratulations. Your son will be proud. You are now a trainee. Stop at the office to the right of the main doors before you leave to discuss housing and your schedule.”
Chan smiled. His son would be proud. He couldn’t wait to get home and wrap his son up in the biggest hug ever.
He bowed.
“Thank you”
The man opened the door and let Chan out of the room. Chan made his way to the office, tears b his eyes. He was happy, he felt like he was finally doing something that his son could be proud of. He blinked a few times before entering the office.
Once inside it was like he had gotten hit in the face with a wall of water. He could do nothing but sit in shock as the woman talked. He was sure she never even paused to take a breath. He gathered his papers that the tossed across the desk, and answered all of her rapid-pace questions. All of the information that was thrown at him was so fast it made his head spin.
Almost as quickly as he had entered the room he left. Directly outside the door he stared down at the papers in his hand.
“Dorm 110A….” he muttered before making his way out of the building. He couldn’t help but keep thinking how happy his son will be.
Congradulations to wolflaire, lydiaju and mycockiness!!!
Yup, I accepted a 5th applicant. I couldn't help it. it was so original and held the potential for A LOT of really cute scenes.
Well, the second chapter is up. All of the chosen applicants have been revealed and I will probably start writing the 3d chapter now, so you can expect that soon. I hope it is good so far guys!!!!
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