He could practically feel his eyes rotting as he skimmed through another set of audition videos. As the pressure settled in, Heohyun finally realized the

predicament he’d gotten himself into. Cramps began to sink into the muscles of his hand as he blew through profile after trainee profile; making notes, starring

particularly impressive idols-to-be but in front of him sat hundreds of different possibilities and only six slots to fill. What if the choices led the group to be too

vocal focused. Ballad groups barely kept their heads above water these days. But constructing a group that could perform every dance known to mankind and

couldn’t carry a note in a bucket could be equally as catastrophic. His pen rattled around in his mouth as he chewed on it like it were gum, he could almost

taste the ink threatening to poison his taste buds.

          Heohyun’s tired eyes slid toward the clock mounted on his wall. It was the first, and so far only, personal touch to his newly gifted office. It read

3:27 p.m. Despite feeling like it might be twelve hours off, Heohyun gathered a handful of his prospects on paper and hurried through the maze of halls

until he reached the dance wing. Behind every door he peeked his head through lay a studio filled with the blood, sweat and tears of CCM’s future. He

dove in and out until he could spot a familiar face among the crowd of boys. In a class of about 25, he was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few of the

trainees whose videos he studied among the mob. Seperating their profiles from the rest of the cluster, he took notes diligently as they cruised through

a piece they’d apparently been working on. Asking the instructor, Kim Soohwan, for his input as well while the kids danced none the wiser. His motives for his

appearance weren’t even questioned whereas before he’d be shocked to make it past the door before being put out. It seemed the news of Heohyun’s

mission had spread well already.

          Somehow, no matter how well they moved, the others couldn’t seem to draw his attention from one trainee in particular. He certainly wasn’t the best

dancer, his movements choppy and far from the fluidity his peers possessed, but something about the way he never quit drew Heohyun’s eye. Not when he

slipped up or fell behind. Not when he bumped into the others or received annoyed glances. Not even when the music had stopped playing. This guy kept

moving until he could barely breathe. Unable to shake his curiosity, Heohyun questioned the instructor himself. With a humorless chuckle, the man shook his

head, “Don’t worry about him, he won’t be here much longer. Honestly, I don’t know why he stuck around this far.” Heohyun absorbed this new information

carefully as the only other adult in the room picked up his abandoned stacks. He peered over the group thoughtfully as they took a well-deserved break.

“Here, let me point out a few trainees with some decent potential for you. My star pupil’s in vocal training right now but I’ll send him your way next time I see

him."

          The first to be spotlighted was rather simply dressed in sweats and a tee. He was leaning against a slim, seated boy who seemed more than a little

annoyed at the added weight. Park Woohyun, not exactly a natural but the hardest working. He’s come a long way since the days of his clumsy audition video

he was now one of the best dancers in the room. Soohwan then brought Heohyun’s attention to the kid being used as an arm rest. Seong Haeri, former SM

trainee. He can pick up choreography faster than anyone in this room but his attitude isn’t the best. The last of Soohwan’s star pupils was centered in a group

of boisterous boys, all shaking with laughter and smiles stretched across their faces.Soohwan pulled his profile directly from the stack frowning as he looked

over it. “This kid…I don’t really know about.” The hesitation in his voice easily caught Heohyun’s attention. “Why? What’s wrong with him?” With a shrug

Soohwan answered, “The kid’s a great dancer. No doubt about it. But teaching him choreography is nearly impossible. You’d have an easier time pulling teeth

from a shark.”

Mostly satisfied with what he’d learned, Heohyun gathered the mess he’d brought into the otherwise tidy studio until his handy dandy

distraction reappeared, weighed down by the bags of snacks he returned with. Heohyun kept his eyes glued to his form until he could pinpoint what exactly

about him made him so noticeable. And once he had, he wondered how he could’ve possibly missed it before. Nudging Soohwan with his foot, he jerked his

head in the trainee’s direction. “What’s his story?” Soohwan followed his line of vision to the trainee passing out goodies and keeping none for himself. “I told

you, he doesn’t have much time left here. Bae Seungmin, he likes to call himself Kenny.” He shared off handedly. It was kind of a shame all his training would

be going to waste but no one was going to watch a cripple hobble around on stage. “He’s getting a little old to be a trainee and, in case you haven’t noticed,

that leg’s keeping him out of the race.” Heohyun excused himself respectfully and made the trip back to the dimly lit room he called his office.

          It’d been quite a productive trip but now he found himself having his heartstrings played like a harp as he went through his applicants once more. Kenny

Bae, another former SM trainee, released because of a leg injury in 2011. Heohyun combed through the audition tapes until he came across the set from

2011. With renewed fire, he sat through trial after trial until it was Bae Seungmin’s face on the screen. It must’ve been filmed within months of his injury. He

was still awkward with his bad leg, its movement stiff, heavy. He’d opted to get the dance portion out of the way first. The choreography wasn’t particularly

difficult but Heohyun found himself cringing alongside the on-screen judges by the time it was over. His arm movements were precise and speedy but he’d

nearly toppled over trying to execute the matching footwork. While he’d tried not to let the pain show even through the video you could see Kenny"s chest

heaving with effort.

A stage hand had pulled a chair onto the dance floor and coaxed the young boy into his seat. Kenny had resisted but eventually the pain

became to much. With his leg outstretched he’d apologized to the judges for his shortcomings before proceeding to the next requirement of the audition. The

moment he opened his mouth there was no doubt in Heohyun’s mind how Kenny had been allowed to pass the audition after all. The difficulty of the song he

chose surpassed that of anything Korean pop had to offer these days but Kenny managed to execute it perfectly, emulating what he described an operatic

classic. He finished his song with pride as the judges rose from their seats for a standing ovation. The most confident he’d been since the moment he’d

introduced himself, with a broad smile Kenny thanked the judges for their consideration and made his exit with his head held high despite the limp in his walk.

Turning the monitor off, Heohyun scribbled out several names on a sheet of paper. The first wave of his hopefuls in this process.