Just as he expected, his father threw a fit the moment his mum broke the news to the old man. Wooyoung was in his room at the time, having persuaded his mum to tell his dad on his behalf.

"I will not allow my son to enter an industry that treats people like dogs. He should be passing college first, getting a degree, a good job, a wife! That's the proper way of growing up. Those bastards don't even pay their stars, and you think I could sit well with it?! NO!"

"Honey, it's been his childhood dream to become a singer. You can't stop him just because they don't pay a single cent when training starts. He wants to do it."

"Woman, stop blabbering and listen to me, for God's sake! When I say no, I mean it. It's final. I won't allow it and I expect you to obey me."

"You would regret this, dear. The day we stop is the day you would find two bodies in the Han River." With that said, Mrs. Jang made her way back to her bedroom and wept by herself. Wooyoung didn't attempt to comfort her. He was just as disappointed and depressed as his mum. His dad would never allow this, not even if the world is coming to an end and the only thing Wooyoung could do is dance.

With a heavy heart and tears pooling in his eyes, he went to bed that night. In a small space near his door was a luggage of clothes and other items he had packed for his journey to Seoul in two days. There was no way he would unpack them. This was a difficult decision, but not even his dad could stop him.

_______________________

The next day rolled by like a storm. Mrs Jang wasn't talking to her husband and the other chose not to say anything either They ate breakfast together in the morning and once done, Mr Jang got ready for work. He gave a curt farewell before he left and that was the last day Wooyoung saw his dad. His mum packed up a few of her belongings and by mid-noon, they hopped into a bus departing for Seoul. It was scary for Wooyoung, the thought of leaving his father like this, but there was no turning back now.

Beside him, his mum stared off into the distant, not really enjoying the scenery but just staring, because it would keep her mind off her husband.

The journey took seven hours in total and by the time they arrived in Seoul, they were exhausted and hungry. Wooyoung found a nice seafood restaurant with a few people inside and there they enjoyed their meal. It was already nightfall by then. After dinner, they made their way to a nearby hotel. It wasn't grand, but it was good enough for Wooyoung.

Tomorrow would be a very important day for him.

________________________

The big day finally came. Wooyoung woke up early. After breakfast, his mum and him took a taxi to JYPE building. It was only until the entrance. Mrs Jang was not allowed to go any further. The guard told her that only Wooyoung was permitted to enter Jin Young's office. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks and told him that everything would be alright. "Call me if you need anything, ok sweety?"

"Ye~eomma." They parted ways after saying goodbye, Mrs Jang into another taxi and Wooyoung into JYPE building. The guard led him straight to Jin Young's office. The other contestants who made it through were already there, waiting patiently outside the office. No one said a word. Wooyoung didn't bother to strike up a conversation. He was deep in his thoughts, worried about his mum.

She's strong. I shouldn't worry so much.

Twenty minutes later, someone called his name, snapping him back to reality. Wooyoung looked over at the caller and saw it was the same lady he had seen sitting next to Jin Young two days back at the audition. She wasn't wearing a red dress this time. In fact, she was in a black suit. Her knee-length pencil skirt complimented her slim legs. And her collared shirt was neatly tucked in. She also wore a jacket over the top, with paddings on her shoulders, making her look quite professional. Wooyoung didn't realize he was staring at her with his mouth open until she chuckled at him.

"Mr. Jin Young wants to see you now. You will address him as President Park from here onwards." She said politely before ushering him inside. The other contestants looked at him dully, but he simply ignored them.

The office was large, with fully marbled floors and high beamed ceilings. The whole place was an epitome of grand. Jin Young knew how to pick the furnitures that would suit his style. The couch was a smart black, neatly arranged the centre of the room with a rectangular coffee table in front of it and a chandelier above it. There were two potted plants on either side of the couch and a large portrait of Jin Young himself hanging on the wall behind it. A plain, red carpet finished the look with a grand feel, making it look homely and comfortable at the same time. 

Across this marvelous scenery was the President's desk. It was definitely made of wood and oak. And papers were neatly arranged in a heap at one corner. Jin Young asked Wooyoung to take a seat on his couch and Wooyoung did so without question.

"Now, before I start giving you a contract under this company, I need to know who you really are. I know your name, age, and the place you came from, but besides that, nil. So tell me about yourself."

Wooyoung started talking about his life. It was fun, really. He never actually told anyone about his life so far, mainly because no one bothered to listen. But when he started talking, it was as if a switch had been blown off and suddenly it was hard to stop. He told about his passion to dance. SInging came in second because his voice didn't suit most songs, but he found ballad an easy task for him. Jin Young listened attentively.  Wooyoung also mentioned his life during high school and how he was prone to bullies.

"It wasn't easy getting away from them, but I found places they wouldn't step into. And that was where I spent most of my high school time. Eventually, graduation drew closer and I was happy to finally get away forever. My mum enrolled me under a Broadcasting course in Howon University and I plan to study the subject myself."

"That's interesting. Have you appeared in front of a camera before?"

"Once. In school. We had a dance-off and I won second place." Wooyoung replied honestly. It was intriguing for Jin Young. And it amazed him even more when Wooyoung said, "I can write my own songs."

"Really? I would like to hear one now."

"I didn't bring my guitar. Is acapella ok with you, President?"

Jin Young simply nodded his head and waited for Wooyoung to start. It was a cute song, actually, with a cute lyric to match Wooyoung's rather young looks. At the end of it, both Jin Young and the lady standing next to him were satisfied with Wooyoung. "Well, that was unexpected but nevertheless, I like it. It suits your character. My secretary here would show you to your dorm now." He said, ushering his secretary to take charge. 

Wooyoung was extremely excited to hear this. "But my luggage. It's still at the hotel."

"We'll give you time to get it later. No contracts witl be signed for now. You need to settle in first and there's still a lot of competition ahead. This audition was merely to welcome good talents. But only the best can stay."

What? I'm not actually 'in' yet? I thought I was...It was a disappointment to Wooyoung actually. His mother had such high hopes on him. Still, it wasn't about to dampen his mood. He followed the secretary lady out the door, past the still-waiting contestants, down a long corridor and into an elevator. It went down a few floors and stopped with a ting. Then she led him into another corridor with many doors along it. She brought him to a door marked 'Dorm Room 15' and knocked on the door.

"Ye~who is that?" A male's voice asked from the other side. He opened the door and Wooyoung was surprised to see such a beastly-but-drop-dead-good-looking guy standing in front of him.

"Taec, this is Jang Wooyoung and he's your new room mate. He's here for the auditions and Jin Young couldn't find another empty dorm to place him in. So you guys would need to share."

The guy took one look at Wooyoung and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ok Taecyeon."

"Nice to meet you too." Wooyoung said shyly, scooting closer to the secretary. He wasn't good with meeting people. It took him a lot of courage and encouragement from his mother to even bring him here.

The lady simply chuckled at Wooyoung's reaction. "He's a little shy, Taec. Well, I'm off now. Take good care of him from here on." She her heels and left the two guys behind. Taecyeon moved aside to let Wooyoung in. "Come on in. It's half yours now."

Wooyoung quickly dragged his feet in. He kept his head down, afraid to meet Taecyeon's face. That guy was a good deal taller than him. And probably stronger too, from the looks of those arms. He bet a million won Taec has six packs on that well-toned body of his. Wooyoung decided to scan the dorm instead, just to avoid the big guy for a moment.

There was a living room with a TV and a couch. An open kitchen was placed nearby and it was also well-taken of, from the looks of it. Three other doors probably led to a bathroom and two rooms. One would naturally belong to this possibly brooding beast behind him and another would probably be his. He wondered how it would look like but he was too afraid to look.

It turned out Taec wasn't as brooding as Wooyoung thought him to be. The big guy smiled naturally, and a lot too. He striked up the conversation first, asking Wooyoung if he would like a glass of juice. Wooyoung nodded his head and Taecyeon immediately busied himself in the kitchen. While Wooyoung watched quietly, the big guy looked like he was having fun. Physical-wise, Taecyeon certainly looked menacing, but he was actually very goofy. Slightly immature too.

They talked a great deal after Wooyoung got his juice and there was more to the big guy than meets the eye. "I'm a stunt actor." Taecyeon said. "Basically I do all those things normal actors can't do. And I need to train a lot to maintain my body. It's not an easy job but I enjoy it. The downside of it is that I can't be on camera the way I want to be."

"Well, it's still pretty awesome. I mean, you could do cool things. I would like to do the same thing but as you can see, I'm not quite as toned as you." Wooyoung said , with a sad smile on his face. But it was replaced with a warm smile almost instantly. "I'm more of a dancer."

"I guess you can call me a dancer too." Taecyeon remarked. "It's just that I have a little more edge in my dancing skills and it involves weapons and car chases."

It was getting dark outside, and Taecyeon agreed to follow Wooyoung back to the hotel after they were done with dinner. Mrs Jang was happy to see her son, safe and sound. It saddened her to see him go again but it was a sacrifice worth making. She bade him farewell before leaving on a bus back to Busan. That would be the last day Wooyoung saw his mother.

His training will be starting soon and he might not see his parents for a while.