Aurora || Park Seonghwa x OC

Chapter 1: Überraschung

° Überraschung °
-> surprise, astonishment <-

"Thank you, sir! Have a nice evening!" Hwang Yeseul said with a bright smile on her face. As soon as the customer left through the door and she was once again alone in the tiny convenience store, she plopped down on a chair behind the counter. She sent a quick glance around the room to make sure everything was still in order and place before reaching for her phone. 9:45 pm, 15 minutes left on her shift.

The young woman swiftly checked a few messages from her friends, opting to answer them after she got off. She'd gotten a few invitations to go out to a party which she'd have to decline. It was a Friday night and it wasn't that Yeseul hated partying. Sure, she wasn't what you'd call a party animal either but she did enjoy a night out once in a while, especially with the right company. Tonight, however, she was just too tired. The owner of the store she worked at was sick with the flu and due to the lack of employees the small business had, she had spent most of the day running the store all on her own. She couldn't wait for her co-worker to come in and relieve her from her shift.

Exactly at 10 pm, said person came shuffling through the door. Jinwoo, a university student who had been working at the store for only a few weeks longer than Yeseul, looked like he wasn't exactly thrilled about getting the night shift. Throughout the whole week, at least once a day, he had excitedly mentioned his plans to go clubbing with his best friends. It would have been the first time in ages for him as he had finally finished all of his exams for the semester but now he was stuck at work. She would have gladly taken the night shift but the owner didn't let her, saying someone so young and fragile like her shouldn't be working alone at such hours.

Despite his frustration, Jinwoo gave her a tired smile and a small bow as he laid his eyes on her. He immediately went towards a fridge in the back and grabbed an energy drink while she gathered her belongings and got ready to leave.
"Noona, thank you for taking care of the store for so long, make sure to get some rest."

"I will, Jinwoo. Take care, okay? And call me if something's wrong!"

With a wave, she exited the store and stepped into the cold night air. The streets were completely empty, except for a delivery man on a moped who almost ran her over. She secured the scarf around her neck as the wind picked up when suddenly her phone buzzed in the pocket of her coat. Yeseul took it out and checked the display only to see a number she didn't recognize. She contemplated for a second whether she should pick up a call from an unknown number, it might just be a scam call and she usually had a hard time turning down these people because she hated being mean to people just doing their job. But then she remembered that she was actually expecting an important call so there was no way she could ignore it.

"Hello?"
"Hello, am I talking to Hwang Yeseul?" a male voice spoke.
"Yes, that's me, how can I help you?"
"My name is Kang Haejun. I am a manager at KQ Entertainment."

She stopped dead in her tracks. This was the call she had been desperately waiting for. The man continued: "First of all, I'm very sorry for the late call. We had to fit in an important meeting. Anyway, we have reviewed your original audition tape and the recordings of your second audition at our agency last week. I'll just be blunt: We want you to become one of our trainees, when can you begin?"

Yeseul took a few seconds to collect her thoughts, forgetting to breathe in the process. She couldn't believe her ears. This was really happening. She stammered for a second as soon as she found her voice before she remembered that the person on the other end was expecting a coherent response soon.

"Whenever you want me and allow me to, sir. I'm fairly flexible."
"Wonderful! We'd like you to come to the agency at 8 am tomorrow to discuss the contract, your training will start in the afternoon. Is that alright with you?"
"More than alright, thank you very much!"

The call ended. Yeseul stared at her phone's display for a good minute, processing the conversation that had just taken place. Then, she squealed and allowed herself to jump from excitement, knowing no one would be watching at this time of the day in an empty alleyway.

She made it! She actually got accepted! The hard part was only starting now but she'd already gotten one step closer to fulfilling her dream.

She didn't live too far from the store she worked at part-time, so she started walking again, even picking up her speed until she was almost sprinting, desperate get home and share the news.

As soon as she entered the small apartment, she was hit with the smell of dinner. Her mother was in the kitchen, apparently making Kimchi stew, as she guessed from the scent. Yeseul went over to her, leaning against the door frame and trying to play things cool. She soon failed, however, as she couldn't keep a proud smile off her face.

"Now, what's up with you? I haven't seen you this happy in a while," her mother mentioned, an eyebrow raised questioningly. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, nothing special happened." Yeseul went over to the cupboard, getting out dishes to set the table. "I just may or may not have gotten accepted into KQ Entertainment." She heard the chopsticks clink as her mother set them down to look at her with widened eyes. There was a smile on her face but also a hint of worry in her eyes.

A sigh left the young girl's mouth at the reaction.
"I know you're worried, mom...It's a small agency and I might not even get to debut. But I want to make this work, I have to. This is my dream."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, I really am. It's my duty as your mother to be worried but I will support you nevertheless. I trust you. So, when are you starting?"

"Training starts in the afternoon but they want me to come in the morning to talk about the contract."
"Then let's eat and after that, you should go to sleep immediately! You don't want to show up with circles under your eyes, do you?" Yeseul playfully rolled her eyes at the teasing words.

After dinner, her mother gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead before sending her to bed, just like a child.

Sleep didn't find her easily, that night. Yeseul's thoughts kept racing as she kept wondering and worrying about the next day. She was finally beginning her journey and her feelings were a mix of excitement and anxiety.
'You'll be fine', she kept telling herself in an effort to calm her nerves but in the end, it took her a few hours to fall into a dreamless sleep.