Chapter 4: A prepared talented person (1)

HIT as in HIT Entertainment. It was also the place that would become KK’s agency.

‘So he ends up auditioning at the recommendation of his cousin. Did he agree to go without a fuss? Did he already have a desire to become a celebrity?’

He accepted it, but on one hand was also doubtful.

“An audition at HIT?”

“That’s right! Let’s go for it! You can enter as a trainee and get closer to the members of Monster.”

She continued with a speech-like explanation, and Bo Myung was able to grasp the situation.

Seo Hyun was a major fan of Monster. She had already been infatuated for two years. In particular, her blind fanship towards one of the members of Monster, Kwon Ji Hyung, was about to turn her into a monster herself.

She wanted to meet Kwon Ji Hyung up close, so she came up with this plan that other people would jeer at if they heard it. Yet it was sincere in its own way. The plan was possible with her cousin Kang Do Wook.

“That’s your goal….”

“No, no! Milky Way is there too!”

HIT Entertainment was a rising agency in the entertainment industry that emerged in the early 2000’s with its successful boy idol group ‘Monster’ and girl idol group ‘Milky Way’. After that, it became a strong mid-sized agency by making several famous idol groups, including solo singers and KK.

‘That’s right, Milky Way is with HIT too.’

Worried that her plan might go awry, she quickly continued.

“You want to see Milky Way too, don’t you? Don’t you?”

“I do want to see them.”

“That’s right! It’s not like you had other dreams anyways, so wouldn’t it be nice if you auditioned and got picked?”

“Audition……”

“These days you can earn a lot of money if you become an idol. You said you don’t plan to study hard and go to college anyways. Let’s try it!”

Seo Hyun went on and on to do whatever she could to persuade Do Wook. If it were the real Kang Do Wook, he might have needed persuasion. However, to Bo Myung who was agonizing over how Kang Do Wook became an idol, her proposal was appreciated.

“But…”

“Sure, what? Just say the word!”

Seo Hyun looked like she was prepared to do whatever she needed to do if it meant Do Wook could enter HIT Entertainment and get close enough to the members of Monster to introduce her.

Mentally, Bo Myun’s age was thirty-three, and since he worked at an agency, he had lots of younger relatives like Seo Hyun who occasionally ask him to get autographs from his company’s celebrities. He understood her actions and found them adorable.

“But I…”

“Yes, but?”

“I’m bad at singing.”

“······.”

“······.”

“Oh! You don’t need to worry about stuff like that!”

Seo Hyun, who was expecting some big obstacle, burst into laughter. Relieved that Do Wook was showing some interest in it, she finally took a bite of her hamburger.

“You have this, this.”

She pointed at the center of his face with her index finger as if stabbing it.

“This?”

“That face with that body is enough. You have the looks!”

Bo Myung was speechless for a moment. Indeed, looks were a talent too in the idol world.

Seo Hyun, who liked Monster’s Kwon Ji Hyung and wanted to make a connection by any means necessary, thought of her cousin Kang Do Wook as soon as she saw the audition announcement.

Kang Do Wook wasn’t a thug, but he was a delinquent high school student who wasted his time barely attending school. It doesn’t seem like celebrities need any other talent, but for idols, they need looks, the most innate talent. Seo Hyun was confident her cousin Do Wook would easily pass the first round of auditions.

“Oh yeah, I’m handsome.”

Even though he checked his appearance a little while ago, it was still awkward for Bo Myung. It was understandable since he lived a below average life without a presence for many decades.

Seo Hyun frowned at Bo Myung who was muttering blankly.

“Hey, how irritating, saying that about yourself…!”

“······.”

“No, you’re right. You’re handsome! The best, you’re the best!”

“So when is the audition?”

“Oh, it’s Saturday October 15. Pick something between singing, rapping, and dancing, and a special talent if you have one. It should be good enough if you just pick a song and practice it.”

“Special talent?”

“Well….they’re probably saying if you have something else that’s appealing, do it. Your face is appealing so it should be fine, shouldn’t it?”

“I wonder.”

“Maybe impersonation? Or an instrument you can play … no?”

Kang Seo Hyun might be right. Kang Do Wook was handsome enough to be picked as a trainee initially. They could probably train him enough to be a visual member as long as he doesn’t botch it.

Honestly that’s how Kang Do Wook became a member of KK in the past.

‘But if I did it that way, it’ll be the same as the Kang Do Wook’s life that I know. ‘

It wasn’t that the life of Kang Do Wook as Bo Myung knew it was bad. Among the numerous people who rise and fall in the entertainment world, he was at least able to make a name for himself.

He had heard that since then, Do Wook bought a building by combining his family’s money and the money he earned, and was living a nice life off the commercial tax.

However, since he was given an opportunity and didn’t know when it might go away, Bo Myung wanted more than that.

‘Seo Kang Jun…..’

In terms of time, Seo Kang Jun’s group M2M will debut early next year in January. M2M’s debut song ‘You’re Too Pretty’ will rock the idol fandom immediately.

And KK debuted in June. There was little over a half a year left. You could say it’s a long time, but it was a ridiculously short time to prepare for a debut. It was barely enough time to scantily learn the songs.

“I have to put in effort.”

“Ah, sorry … what?”

“I’ll put in effort.”

The big eyes that run in the Kang family opened even wider. Seo Hyun’s expression looked as if she never dreamed she would hear the word “effort” from her cousin Do Wook’s mouth.

Furthermore, he wasn’t someone who was interested in becoming a celebrity so it was even more surprising that he quickly agreed to put in effort. Regardless, it was favorable for Seo Hyun.

“Good, good. If you put in effort on top of looking that good, the audition will be a piece of cake!”

“That’s true.”

“So, what kind of effort are you going to put in?”

***

Late at night after his parents came home, he called them into the living room and Bo Myung, no, Do Wook, told them about the audition he heard about from Seo Hyun at dinner. He also told them that he wants to attend an academy to prepare for the audition.

Just like in the past interview that said he had active parental support, his parents listened to the story with delight.

They were educated and talked to a lot of young people, so they looked at the career of a celebrity with an open mind. He thought they would be conservative but on the contrary, they even had their own insight that it would become an even better job in the future.

From Kang Do Wook’s parents’ perspective, it was touching that he was doing something towards his future. This was because previously, besides playing, Kang Do Wook was living a lethargic and unmotivated life.

‘They are very good parents.’

Kang Do Wook’s mother encouraged him, taking out a credit card from her wallet and giving it to him to enroll in whatever academy he wanted.

Bo Myung was jealous of Kang Do Wook again. He also thought of his own parents.

If it were that he had died in a car accident and that’s why his soul came into this body, around now his parents must be lost in despair from losing him. His heart ached thinking about it. However, there was currently no way for him to do anything differently.

Bo Myung’s parents were good parents too. Although they weren’t wealthy, they tried their best for him.

‘They were hurt a lot because I was lacking.’

The quiet principal’s office. He remembered his parents bowing their heads when he was the victim.

Bo Myung took the card into his room and laid down on the bed. He bit his lips tightly and, just like his soul changed, he vowed to make a change.

***

Bo Myung left Yoon Jin Sung behind, who wanted to go play games, and went off on his own. According to what he looked up on the internet, it was near the Shin Sa Station exit .

< Star Academy >

Once he came out of the exit, he took a few turns and entered an alleyway before he found the academy bulletin. The ends of the sheets, crudely attached to each window, were tattered.

‘Kim Woo Yeon. The person who will soon become the best vocalist in Korea is here!’

He was a singer that currently has one album released. However, it was released by a small agency, so he couldn’t even promote it properly. That album was quietly buried within a month of its release.

‘However, after he moved agencies, as he made his songs known through entertainment appearances, his first album was re-evaluated as a masterpiece that will last a long time.’

The agency Kim Woo Yeon moved to was Q Entertainment that Bo Myung used to work for. He was also the singer of the song ‘If It Were a Dream’ that used to comfort Bo Myung. Because of that, Bo Myung was aware of Kim Woo Yeon’s background.

But he won’t be successful until 2 years later. After his first album failed, Kim Woo Yeon couldn’t overcome financial difficulties so he put aside his pride as a singer and became a vocal trainer. Preparation for his next album was also uncertain for now.

“What brings you here?”

Inside the academy there were about 5 practice rooms. In one of the practice rooms, probably in use, the sound of drums could be heard through the poorly soundproofed walls. The woman sitting at the desk asked Bo Myung, who was hesitating in front of the door.

“I would like to get vocal lessons…!”

The woman had her yellow-dyed hair braided in pigtails. Bo Myung was about to ask about lessons but saw the woman’s face and was surprised.

The woman with the memorable mole next to her eye was Kim Soom, the keyboardist of the indie band ‘Rainbow’.

‘What is Kim Soom doing here?’

The band Kim Soom was in was not a famous band. It was a band that was only well received among music buffs. Kim Soom wasn’t famous for being a band member, but as a composer. Kim Soom exhibited outstanding talent in composing ballads.

‘The title song for Kim Woo Yeon’s third album was also composed by Kim Soom. They had ties going back to here.’

Bo Myung admired this unexpected fate.

“Vocal lessons? Aye, how unfortunate. Are you interested in keyboard lessons?”

Initially he wasn’t interested. However, the opportunity to learn anything from someone like Kim Soom was as rare as getting vocal lessons from Kim Woo Yeon. The fact that the world had been turned upside down when he opened his eyes was definitely an opportunity given to Bo Myung by the heavens no matter how you looked at it.

“The Director isn’t here this week, and the vocal instructor hasn’t come to work yet. You’ll have to wait about 30 minutes, is that ok? If you talk to the vocal instructor there won’t be any problems registering you.”

Kim Soom used a polite and gentle tone, different from her yellow hair or carefree outfit.

“I’ll wait.”

“How did you hear about us? I’m curious since most people that come heard through word of mouth.”

“…I was passing by and saw the bulletin.”

“Ah.”

Kim Soom pointed and sat at the table in front of the desk.

“Excuse me.”

Kim Soom, who was concentrating on the computer on the desk, turned her neck towards Bo Myung.

“Instead of the keyboard, do you do music composition lessons by any chance?”

—