//2011, FEBRUARY//

YG ENTERTAINMENT HQ, MAPO-GU, SEOUL. 

Mr. Yang Hyun Suk entered the room when the meeting was about to begin. Every division involved already had the trainee documents to be discussed and allocated properly before Mr. Yang Hyun Suk finally started the meeting by reviewing all the trainee documents and videos.

Hours had passed before they came to tutor allocation for the new trainees. Some of the artists, songwriters and producers  later to be the trainee’s tutors were sorting the documents to their preferences.

“Wo, we got a baby here.” Teddy exclaimed, “so rare”

“Hm, treat her well Hongjuna” Mr. Yang said shortly with his eyes pinned on the other trainee’s videos.

“Wait, she’s not even 17! What?” Teddy turned his head at Mr. Yang as soon as he read her bio.

“Let’s talk about this later Hongjun” Mr. Yang said to Teddy before he returned to the video again. “As I expected”, he mumbled. Teddy sighed at the documents he held.

Soon after the meeting ended, everyone gradually left until it was only Mr. Yang and Teddy, even the other producers left as Mr. Yang requested. 

“Hm, have you listened to her demos?” Mr. Yang asked Teddy.

“Hyung, is there even any demo I can listen to?”

Mr. Yang moved the screen to face Teddy. “Have a look, listen to these before we can talk”

Teddy shrugged before he put his earphone on.

Mr. Yang carefully examined his expression listening to the demo.

Teddy took his earphone off before he began to talk. “Raw, Hyung. This is just too-“

Mr. Yang cut his off, “It was produced within 3 hours, here, in the studio, without any preparation beforehand”

Teddy gasped, “3 hours?”

“Hmm, I was expecting less than that, but it came out, so I decided that you’re the one who can help this kid”, Mr. Yang then checked Sooyun’s soundcloud, “here are more to convince you”

Teddy returned to the screen and put his earphone back on.

“But she’s just a kid, Hyung. I’m not sure I can deal with her properly” Teddy seemed unsure.

“I have this feeling that she can bring new colour to our music, so, can you do me a favour this time, Hongjuna?”

“Oh, no, you leave me no options, Hyung.” Teddy exhaled as he read her complete bio. “I’ve never done this before, at least not with a kid, do you think I can deal with her now?”

Mr. Yang nodded.

“How if she quits after seeing me, moreover, she seems to be the type of girl who can’t leave her books, will this work?” Teddy asked Mr. Yang cautiously.

“That’s why, let’s see if a good girl can make it through YG and how will she fit into our style.”, Mr. Yang convinced him.

“You want to make an experiment with me as your assistant, Hyung?” Teddy asked Mr. Yang, he hardly smiled.

“Why don’t you make her singer? For a group maybe? She looks fine there.”

“That’s the thing, she doesn’t want to be an idol at all.”, he paused, “all she wants is making music, interesting isn’t it?” Mr. Yang earnestly smiled at last, and it ended their conversation.

//

Sooyun was studying for her finals when her mom knocked on the door. She let her in at the second knock.

“Hi, how’s your finals, girl?”, her mom greeted her.

She turned her head at her mom, “Ummm, how should I put this? I will try my best, Mom.”

“I know you can do this.” Her mom patted her shoulders.

Sooyun slightly smiled.

“Tomorrow is your last finals right?”, Sooyun nodded at it.

“And also your first day at YG?”, her mom asked while putting down the tray next to her.

Sooyun glanced at the tray before she nodded.

“Good luck my girl, I’m so proud of you”, her mom left her.

“Thank you, Mom.” Sooyun said before her mom closed the door.

What’s wrong with her? She has changed a lot since we came to YG. Is she really that happy about YG? Why she  wants me to get enrolled in SKY then? 

Sooyun asked herself before she continued her study, another sleepless night.

//

Sooyun was still answering the last question when Kibum already laid back on his seat. She was sure that he had just finished his last final and his heart was about to explode from holiday excitement.

Her sweat was dripping on the answer sheet when the bell finally rang to her surprise, she speeded up to write her answer just before the teacher took her sheet.

The teacher left and the class exploded in excitement.

Kibum darted to Sooyun, “NO-RAE-BANG! NO-RAE-BANG!”

Sooyun packed her things before she could realize that he was dancing like crazy in front of her.

“I’m sorry Kibuma, I should pass this time.”, she apologized for not coming with him.

“Whyyyy? Do you catch cold? Not feeling well? What? What? Why?” words were streaming from his mouth at once.

“Lower your voice, sir. Don’t let your fans down with your annoying voice.”, she laughed.

“Ahhhh whyyy then”, he began to whine.

She smiled at him meaningfully before she began to talk, “This is my first day at YG, I can’t be late and I-“ she paused to see him gasped. “Akkk, I’m so happy.”, she suddenly moved her hands in excitement.

“What is this? Why don’t you tell me?  Ahhhh.”

“Sorryyyy, I just didn’t want to interrupt your preparation, wish me luck oh.” She pledged at him.

“Sure! But, can I come with you then?”, he crookedly smiled at her.

“What is this boy talking about huh, even  my mom doesn’t come with me.” She laughed.

“You will just head to YG? Without even changing your clothes? Really?”

“I bring my clothes with me, but I’ll just head to YG for now, I don’t want to be late at my first day” she showed him her bag filled with clothes.

“Okay then, let’s go now! Go! Go! Go!”, he laughed as he rushed out, followed by Sooyun.

//

YG ENTERTAINMENT HQ, MAPO-GU, SEOUL. 

Sooyun was at the restroom changing her clothes when she heard people came in.

“Have you heard about the latest trainees? Aren’t they coming today?”

“Yes, they probably wait upstairs already, those kids, they don’t have any idea what is coming to them”

“But they will surely thank Mr. Yang Hyun Suk once they are debuted”

“Even Teddy now has a trainee, can you believe it?”

“What? Really?” The woman voice paused as she breathed, “Interesting!”

“Come on, we run out of time already”

“Wait, my lipstick”

The voices were gone as the door swung open.

Sooyun stayed still, collected her own thoughts before she left the restroom and darted to the 6^th floor where the first gathering held.

Sooyun was fixing her hair not knowing that her shoelaces were tangled due to the rushing. She was about to enter the room when she felt  the was happening and BAM! She opened the door with her face pushing it and touched the floor at once. For a moment she felt like her heart skipped a beat and all she wanted to do was digging a hole for her to hide, she even closed her eyes hoping that someone would lend their hands like in drama, but it just didn’t happen and she stood up all by herself.

She was relieved to find the room was rather empty, at least no one seemed to realize her surprising entrance since they were talking to each other, it was her thought before a voice appeared behind her.

“You okay kid?”

She was startled it was hard to move, but she turned anyway, to her surprise, it was her idol, Taeyang that happened to see the full scene of her entrance.

“Um, yes, I’m fine, thank you”, she bowed at him before took her shoes off and went into the room with her pride gone somewhere far. She could see Taehyun was sitting all by himself with his earphone on, facing the empty wall.

“Hey”, she greeted him, awkward still.

“Hey”

“Can I sit here?” Sooyun pointed at a seat next to him.

He nodded.

She then realized that he was practicing his vocal, and so she stayed still.

“Quite an interesting entrance you made over there”, he suddenly brought up the entrance as the opening to make her felt ashamed again, realized that someone paid attention to her sudden  clumsiness.

She breathed heavily, “I thought no one realized it”

“Your body hit the ground with a loud bam, how come no one realized it?”

She really wanted to dig the hole once again.

“You thought someone would lend their hands to you, didn’t you?”, he unplugged his earphone.

She stayed still, was her mind that obvious to him. “Did it appear on my face right there?”

“No. But you seemed to be those kind of girls spending most of their time watching dramas.”, he said bluntly.

“What?”, she turned her head at him, she was close to launch her words when someone came to make him dazed.

She turned her head and found herself dazed as well, “He made it here, as a trainee?”

“Tough competition here.”, Taehyun spoke to himself.

Kang Seung Yoon sat a seat separated from the two, the ambiance suddenly turned even more awkward around them.

They remained silent as more people came in and filled the room, the last were Mr. Yang Hyun Suk and the other board of executives before the door was closed and the gathering officially started.

Each of the trainees introduced themselves after Mr. Yang Hyun Suk opened the gathering with a brief speech, followed by the artists and the responsible staffs for their training programs.  At the end of the session Mr. Yang asked the trainees to gather with the other trainees in the same program as them.

“Let’s see how well they mingle.” Mr. Yang talked to one of the staff.

In less than a minute, the trainees had already sat on groups according to their programs, modelling, acting  and the last group with the least members but drew most attention, singing and dancing.

Sooyun hadn’t found her group or to be precise she didn’t really have one, so she asked a staff where should she go.

“Can you join that group then? You’ll work with them later.” The staff pointed at the singing and dancing group.

Sooyun thanked and bowed at the staff before she went to the group.

“Wow, we have a girl here.” A boy exclaimed as she joined the group, Sooyun realized that she was the only girl in the group and smiled ironically.

Just like the other groups, this group was still awkward and remained silent. Just then, a staff came to them and started to break the ice between them by telling the kids to introduce themselves again and telling the other of what they want to become in the future, hobbies, and other simple things that might bring them closer.

Sooyun was trying to remember the other trainee’s names, Hanbin, Bobby, Jinhwan, Jinwoo, Seungyoon, and the last one she had already remembered, Taehyun when the staff asked her to introduce herself.

“Hi all, my name is Oh Sooyun, I’m a 94 liner and I want to be a producer, because I can’t sing and my body is too stiff to dance.”

Some of the boys giggled.

“That’s all? Are you sure?” The staff asked her. Sooyun nodded.

“Okay, umm, what you should do now then?” The staff was thinking before she gave each of the kids a piece of paper to write their questions for each other, later must be answered by them.

They were busy writing the questions when the staff left them, “Make yourself comfort kids, now it’s your time, you’ll meet these people, work together and support each other more often in the future.”

“Let’s just do this right away then.” Hanbin put his pen down.

The others turned their head at him.

“Let’s start from the oldest.”, Hanbin turned at Jinwoo. Bobby held himself from bursting into laughter.

“Why? Why me? You’re the one saying it, how come I start this then?”, Jinwoo protested.

“Come on Hyung, lead us to get closer.” Jinhwan smiled at Jinwoo.

Unlike the right side, the left side was still awkward and remained silent.

“Sorry, have you guys known each other for long?” Seungyoon asked in a formal way for his curiosity since the four of them were getting along well. Taehyun and Sooyun turned at them thinking the same question.

“Us?” ,Jinhwan asked Seungyoon back. Seungyoon nodded at once.

“We’d just signed in last month.” Jinhwan explained to Seungyoon, “But we’ve trained together since then, that’s why we can talk like this”, he smiled.

“You guys practically our closest seniors then, please support and take care of us sunbaenim”, Seungyoon pledged with a smile.

They burst into laughter.

“Ah, really, we’re even younger than you, Hyung.” Bobby continued, “and Noona.”

Sooyun couldn’t help but laughing as well. The day remarked their first meeting as YG trainees who would work together and support each other later on.

//

[I’ve just discovered that Taehyun actually signed into YG on July, but just imagine that he joined on January, sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for the understanding]