Five pairs of feet drag themselves behind the six-foot giant strolling in front of them. Walking in straight lines seems like a chore for them at this point. Their limbs are sore and numb after a straining 14-hour practice at the dance studio the night before. They have been practising like this for weeks. Their minds barely functioning like normal human beings due to the lack of fluids in their bodies. There is only one thing in their minds – sleep. Perhaps they don’t even need to fall asleep. They just need a flat surface to lie down, stare into space and take a well-deserved break.

But of course, there is no such thing in their hyung’s book.

“Sleep when you die. Time is essence.” Jihoon constantly tells the five boys bluntly. He says it so often that it feels like each alphabet has been carved deep into every cell in their brains. They know that it is a waste of time to protest against work.

The quintet is none other than the group which the world star has spent two years scouting and nurturing. They are finally going to debut soon under the name MBLAQ – Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality.

Who knew a simple term like ‘absolute quality’ could be such a heavy burden on the shoulders of a bunch of young guys? No one takes it more seriously than Jihoon himself. Having experienced and endured rigorous training himself from the successful Park Jin Young since his teens, he knows that success only comes with effort, perseverance and determination. He expects his protégés to learn and hold on to this concept if they want to follow his footsteps of becoming a world-class artist. He wants to the best quality from raw talent.

It is only touching on the month of September, but the weather today seems to be the coldest autumn day Seoul has ever experienced. The cold weather clinging on their exhausted bodies like skin causes them to tag behind their boss like zombies.  

Jihoon finally stops in front of a building unfamiliar to the members. “Remember I told you there is another group planning to debut around the same time as you guys?” He looks at them with small but strong eyes, his voice filled with confidence and authority. They nod their heads, trying their best to focus. He points at the building, “We’re meeting them and their CEO today. He’s a good friend of mine. I thought it would be good for you to meet your peers.” He leads them into the building.

The doors open into a small but classy looking interior. They look up and find themselves staring at a logo in the shape of a cube – Cube Entertainment.

They remember hearing of this company a few times before from their staff. Apparently, the CEO – Hong Seung Sung – used to be the president of their hyung’s former agency. They’ve always wondered why he left JYP since the company is one-third of the Korean entertainment industry giants. But they never had the nerve to question his past.

They walk past the dance studio. They can’t help but peer through the transparent opening on the door.

“Hyung, look! Their practice room is so big! How envious…” the youngest Mir admires the sophisticated interior and well-equipped facilities in the room. The members have always silently complained about the lack of proper air-conditioning in their rehearsal studio back at J.Tune.

“Come on, stop looking.” Seungho quickly pulls him along before they lose track of Jihoon.

They finally arrive outside the representative’s office with a silver plate labelled ‘CEO Hong Seung Sung’ on the door. Jihoon turns to the boys with a stern expression painted on his face, “Behave yourselves.” The five quickly smoothen out their shirts anxiously and straighten themselves up. Their hyung knocks on the door, “Hyung, it’s Jihoon here.”

A mature and experienced voice calls out from the office, “Oh, Jihoon! Come in, come in!"

Jihoon twists the doorknob and pushes the heavy door to step inside. “Hello, hyung!” He walks towards the table. The older man stands up and pulls him into a brotherly hug. The members stand at the door silently, half curious about the peers they are supposed to meet. “These are my boys.” he says proudly.

The CEO examines them from head to toe with a stern but fatherly look in his eyes. “They look pretty good. Ready to break out I see.” He pats their shoulders, followed by a few slaps on their upper arms, like a customer checking the quality of a new product. The boys hold their breaths as the representative analyses them.

“One of them is with you on Ninja Assassin, right? Which one is it?”

Joon’s ears perk up upon hearing this. But his eyes are still fixed on the ground, burning holes into the clean parquetted flooring. Desp