𝐊𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬✨

kim taehyung

"Thank you to everyone who put their valuable time and effort into their audition. Soon, you will find out whether or not your hard work has paid off," One of the three judges announced to the panel of women beside you seated upon the stage. There were about twenty of you who instilled their blood, sweat, and tears into perfecting an audition for a solo performance on none other than the center stage of the Kim Theatre. The honor that one would receive with such an act was insurmountable.

However, only three were to make it through.

You gave yourself hope when you found out about the audition a month ago. There wasn't a day that passed where you weren't practicing in between your daily chores. Mother had always told you that you'd been blessed with a voice like the songbirds that woke you up every morning. Ever since her death, singing became your new hobby. Because of where you lived, there were no choir classes or vocal training, just you and your free time. Your homeschooled self could barely afford college-level textbooks, so where was singing going to take you?

Center stage of a theatre probably worth a million times more than your family's income? You hoped so.

The thoughts that ran through your mind when you first stumbled across the tattered flyer were something you couldn't remember as you waited for the results. What passion, what potential, what kind of hope was going through your mind when you thought you could audition in a theatre about two hours away from where you lived? In a city you only knew by name and reputation, a place you never set foot in? Despite the distance being two hours, it felt like you were preparing for a trip across a few oceans.

Yet, this was exactly what you needed.

A rush, a thrill, a change.

There was only so little that you had control of in your life, so when your hands lifted up the soggy piece of paper with the Kim insignia, you felt like you had gained a key to a door with a wonderland unknown behind it. Maybe you were hypnotized, under some spell laced with that flyer᠆᠆

᠆᠆or maybe you were following the path you were meant to walk, your destiny.

Upon hearing the stutter of the mic, you pause all your thoughts and lift your head to the judge's panel. Their eyes were full of askance while scanning each and every contestant. You thumbed the fabric of your dress, hoping your grip wasn't too jarring that you'd end up ruining it, again.

"If your name is called, please ascend the staircase to your right and wait adjacent to Mr. Kim's office. He will be beginning your interviews soon."

The interview, you remembered. There wasn't just the audition and done. With another obstacle in the way of you and success, your hands trembled just a bit. What if you ace the audition, but fail the interview? You felt lightheaded at the thought of being in the same room as the Kim Taehyung, the current owner of the theatre that had been standing on its foundations for centuries.

Each minute, each passing second started to become excruciating. You needed them to speak, why were they taking too long? At this point, your eyes bore holes into the indiscriminate spot between all three judges who were making final decisions. For a moment, you felt eyes on you, but the gaze dissipated as quickly as it was manifested.

"Son Seungwan."

A petite woman with glossy brown hair and bangs stood up. Her joy was written in her features. You saw her mouth a gracious thank you to the three judges, half-bowing in courtesy to each one of them before making her way up the staircase with a lilt in her step. Remembering her audition, you were reminded of the chills you felt thanks to her singing voice, reaching high notes and holding a stability with her vocals beyond words.