Trainees

하나

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

My head shot up to the annoyingly repetitive sound of my alarm clock. I laid back down, just to roll over. Meeting my eyes with my phone, I reach over to turn the noise off.

It's that time already?

5 a.m.

I'm never going to get used to that, and if I can't, am I even ready to be a k-idol?

Thoughts like these flew through my head everyday.

For instance: maybe my mom shouldn't have allowed me to fly to another country just to fulfill my desires. Maybe being a talented singer and dancer was too much to ask for. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this.

I pushed away my usual morning contemplations and got off my bed. My favorite loose, red hoodie, was what I sported this morning. That, along with beautiful bed-head and some Nike shorts. It was my favorite morning look.

As soon as I was off my bed, my phone dinged. I lifted it up to be met with a text message:

Pdmin (Group Chat)-
좋은 아침! 오늘 오전 6시에 연습이 있다는 것을 잊지 마십시오. 거기서 보자!
((Good morning boys! Don't forget practice is at 6 a.m. today. See you there!))

I rolled my eyes. It was too early to try and translate this text message all in Korean, but if being an idol was really what I wanted, I had no other choice. It took me a moment, but I got through it and finally figured out what it said. My broken Korean was just barely getting me by.

Currently, I didn't belong to a certain group. I was just part of the trainee program at KWR (kpop will rise), only one of the top kpop industries in 2020! Auditions for groups are in two months, and I couldn't be more excited. That, and feeling like shitting my pants every time I think about it...

I carried myself over to my small closet in my small Seoul apartment. Everything about my apartment is quaint and cute, which fits my aesthetic very well.

For today, I picked it a pair of black Puma joggers and a red shirt with rips in it. This was my favorite outfit to practice in, and I had wondered if anyone noticed me wearing it over and over again. I also sported my favorite pair of round glasses. But unlike a lot of other idols, these are prescription-because I'm legally blind.

Once everything was on, I grabbed my essentials and headed for the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat, before ultimately deciding on an apple and leaving for the day.

I hopped on a bus for a quick ride to the KRW main building.

As I checked my phone, I still had a good 30 minutes. I wondered if I was going to be the first one there for once!

The bus finally pulled up across the street from KRW. I hopped off and made my way for the tall glass building. There were a few girls outside, just like there was every day. Probably just wanting to see their favorite oppa...It annoyed the hell out of me. Although, I did think that one day those girls my be fans of me.

I swung open the door and bowed to the secretary before running into an open elevator. It was open because someone had just entered it, which for some reason I had forgotten. Even though I want to be an idol, I can still be shy and awkward. But, I knew I had to say something because the guy looked much older than me and rule #1 of living in Korea is always respect your elders. So, I turned to him with a fake smile and bowed, "여보세요 ((hello))."
The man simply smiled and gave a slight bow back. I returned my eye contact to the wall in front of me. Studying the weird way that the elevator warped my face in its monochrome finish.