CHAPTER ONE
❧ W O L V E S & W A R R I O R S ❧
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"Nightmares are haunting me, a compass that lost its way,
With those demonlike lips, are you going to speak easily?"
- Warrior, B.A.P
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C H A P T E R
O N E
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I made a long look at Hae Ra as she rolled her eyes.
"Yah, _______, stop it. You're just applying for a cleaning position. You won't be required to talk to anyone, and you can quietly do your job. I already talked to the manager - do you know how hard it was to get the work for you when you have a non-existent resume and you need to return home early to pick up your brother?" She glanced at me for a long time, before hoisting her makeup case and waving it front of my face. "I really did want to get you a better job, _______, perhaps even as an assistant or a stylist, but no one would take you in because of how inflexible your hours were. You need this job desperately, honey - and now's the chance to take it."
I nodded soberly, staring at the bucket and the mop in front of me.
"Come on. You know you've been stuck in the house for so long. And you know Sol doesn't like it when you don't do anything. It makes him worried too," She nagged. I shook my head in what was a purely selfish motive - I knew that I was causing my brother to become anxious. It had already been five years, but I couldn't hold a job and I couldn't handle being around others. Looking down at my feet, I gave one more glance at the tools in front of me, before making a determined face.
I could do this. I would do this.
"Great! I'll pick you up after your shift ends. Does that sound good?"
I nodded one more time, but Hae Ra was already leaving, her cell phone glued to her ear as she barked orders on to the other line. Especially after the idol group she was working for had suddenly risen in popularity, her schedule was constantly filled and she barely had time for other events. I was grateful that she even took the time out to find me a job - really, it was supposed to be me that should have worked harder to search for it. Grabbing the uniform on the desk in the small storage closet I'd been given access to, I quickly changed into it - a simple navy shirt and black jeans. It signaled a fresh start - the first time in years I'd been willing to step out again - and attempt to bring myself back into society.
You can do this, ________. You can do this.
Breathing in deeply, I set to work, scanning the lobby of the building for any crowds of people that I would have to avoid. I flinched as a man in a business suit walked by me, his sharp voice frightening me as he barked orders to his secretary. The revolving glass door at the front kept making loud noises as it creaked on its hinges, and the receptionist at the front desk talked in a hurried chatter, mingling with the footsteps of the other workers to create a cacophony of sounds. Lowering my head, I set to work wringing the mop in the bucket, soaking it in the water so that I could start cleaning the floor. Hae Ra was right; within a couple moments I felt settled at the repetitive work, and not having to greet others was already a huge relief to me. Despite the noise of the place, I was already lucky that there wasn't the frantic hustle of a waitressing environment - which was one of the former jobs I had failed to keep because of my inability to speak and fear of loud noises.
It was then that I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder, and saw a thin man smile at me.
"You're _______, right?"
I shook my head to signal yes after spotting the nametag on his chest, realizing that he was my new manager. Bowing slightly, I saw his eyes crinkle as his smile grew. He looked to be a kind man, and I was extremely grateful that he'd been willing to hire me - even though he kept his hand on my shoulder for longer than I felt comfortable with. "Keep up the hard work. If you have any problems, you can just come to me to solve them. I'm short on staff today, though, and Room 506 needs cleaning because the former owner is leaving. Would you mind going up there to check on it?"
Blinking twice, I shook my head furiously, hoping that I wouldn't let him down. He smiled at me again and tapped my shoulder gently.
"Great. I will check on you after you're done," He said, briskly walking away as his radio crackled, calling him to an emergency clean-up on the third floor.
Nodding once more, I rubbed my shoulder, still feeling uneasy at having been touched by another person so easily. I still wasn't used to being so close to the presence of someone else, but I decided to bury the feeling back into my chest. It was nothing, you're just being too scared, I thought, as I went to the elevator and scanned the directory. Finding the location of the room, I checked to see if anyone else was near the area, and when it was all cleared, I stepped into the , holding a garbage bag, a mop, and a water bucket - ready to accomplish the first task of my job.
Yong Guk looked furiously at the CEO in front of him.
"What do you mean by cancelling my contract?"
The CEO sighed, as Yong Guk stared at him from across the table. Concept pictures, lyrics, and laptops full of the music Yong Guk had created were strewn across the hardwood tabletop, years of his soul poured into rhythms and beats that he'd created during his trainee days. In a couple months, he was supposed to make his solo debut - he'd already earned respect from the others for his unique rapping style as well as his ability to compose music. However, even he knew that time was running out - he was already 23, and these days, idols were debuting at ages where they hadn't even completed or started high school yet. Although he was frustrated at having stayed in the company for six years without any notice of breaking it into the industry, months ago he'd been notified that he was ready, and he had been preparing for his debut ever since.
"If you looked at the trends in the music industry, right now groups are more popular than solo artists. You refuse to be part of a group, so we hoped to debut you alone - but there's no interest in a solo singer at the moment."
"I'm not a solo singer, I'm a rapper-"
"Exactly. No one holds an interest in Korean hip hop anymore. Don't you notice? If you want to go mainstream, you have to have a balance. You look at groups like Big Bang - yes, they do rapping. But at the same time they're marketed as an idol group, and do you know why? Because even though they say they are hip hop artists, they have many members they can transition from pop to hip hop music easily, and they have the good looks of idol stars as well. That's their selling point. They can be both unique and make their own music, while also appealing to the mainstream crowd, meaning that they're a triple threat. But you? You're just a rapper. You can't sing. You're not extremely handsome. All you can do is rap. You can't even dance!"
Yong Guk frowned, glaring at the liar in front of him, closing his eyes as he listened to the truth.
"The real reason is, even though you're talented, we don't want you because there are too many strange reports about you, like how you can read minds and possibly even talk to demons. What happens if that gets out during your debut? That will ruin the company image. People say you're haunted by ghosts or you've been possessed by the devil - we can't keep our company's reputation if someone like you is working for us."
The damn liar was scared? It wasn't as if he asked for this ability. He'd complied with all thier demands, followed thier strict rules and trained just as hard, if not harder, than the other rookies that were in the company at the same time. SM Ent didn't specialize in rap music, but because they were interested in branching out into more genres, they decided to try and hone his talent as well. But it was disappointing, so bitterly disappointing to see his juniors, Exo, have their debut over a year ago - despite the fact that they were scouted even later than when he was first admitted into the academy. And no he was just stuck in the middle of nowhere, always wondering when it would be his turn as well.
"You think that the gossip about me is true, don't you?"
The CEO looked shocked for a moment, before frowning back at him. "It's not that I believe it's true - but look at you! Your innate ability to know things like that - it's not right. And admit it, there have been some moments where it's as if you can read what other people are thinking. I just don't want people to think badly about you, Yong Guk ah -
"It doesn't matter anymore - when you believe the lies about me, too. I'm leaving," Yong Guk said, grabbing as much of the work he'd created the past six years into his arms, slamming the door as he walked out. Walking to his office, he dropped everything that he'd made - his blood, sweat, and tears - on the ground, furious at everything and everyone. He'd been hoping for years that he would finally have the chance for others to hear his music, but now everything was gone because of the stupid ability that he'd possessed. Once again, he'd lost everything - because of the fact that he was able to read minds - something that shouldn't even have been possible. Closing his eyes, and clenching his fists, he let out a yell, punching the wall and indenting a hole the size of his fist into the surface.
"Damn it!" He cursed, resting his forehead against the wall.
It was then that he heard a rustle beside him, and turned to see a small girl, holding a garbage bag and a mop - and looking scared for her life.
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