BTS Eighth Member | The Life: Pre-debut Years

Chapter 1- Arrival

February 13th, 2012:

I finally arrived at the Big Hit building; I look up at all its grey dreary glory. I still can't believe I had the guts to audition back in October of last year. I hesitantly press the buzzer to the receptionist to be let in.

As I step out of the elevator, I can hear loud chatter. I look around a see a group of roughly 25 people, the oldest being around 22 and the youngest looking like 12... This must be the new batch of trainees I'd be joining. I go to the receptionist and inform them of my arrival. I am given a lanyard with my name and birthday written on it and I am told to join the group. I walk to the group and just stand there awkwardly; I have never been a very outgoing person and honestly, these trainees look so much more put together than I do. After reading my name on my lanyard for the hundredth time, a girl comes up to me. She was so pretty with her shoulder-length black hair and perfect nose. I unconsciously touch my big button nose. The girl slightly bows and I nervously bow my head back.

"Hi, I'm Eunbi" she cheerfully says

"Hey, I'm Y/N" I reply, pointing to my name tag. I mean they gave them to us for a reason...

"Oh, yeah, haha. I couldn't see your name tag cuz you were kinda covering it" Eunbi says, still trying to be nice and cheerful.

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm not so good with all this introduction and mingling thing".

"It's ok, socialising isn't for everyone... oh! You're my unnie, can I call you Y/N unnie?" She says pointing to her birthday that was marked on her own lanyard: June 3rd, 1998.

"Uh, yeah totally. To be honest with you I'm not really used to the whole unnie, noona thing. I was actually born in Canada and lived there all my life" I answer honestly.

"That's fine, it's actually really easy to understand! So unnie is for someone that is older than you, but a girl. Oppa is for-"

"Oh no, I understand all the etiquette, I just haven't used it or have had it used on me. My mom was Korean, which is why I can speak Korean fine, and I came here once a year in the summer to visit family, but I don't have any cousins or anything to use it on other than my sister and that kind of became an automatic blend of her name if you know what I mean" I hurriedly say, laughing awkwardly a little at the end.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure- "

She's cut off once again, but this time by a man in his mid-thirties by the looks of it.

"Hello everyone! I am glad you were able to make it today. You should all be extremely proud to be standing in this lobby today. You guys are the cream of the crop, carefully selected by Big Hit Entertainment. You have all worked hard to reach this point, but now the real work as trainees begins! I will be taking you on a tour of the facilities and then you will meet your housemates," he finishes his little speech with a smile and starts walking, obviously expecting us to follow.

The "facilities" were nothing fancy at all. It consisted of a locker room for trainees, 3 dance studios with 2 sound-proof rooms attached to each of them. There was no cafeteria, and we were not shown any offices for managers or staff. Eunbi walked next to me the whole tour, but didn't say anything. No one did, we were all either too excited or nervous. I have to say I was extremely nervous, what had I gotten myself into. The man giving us the tour stopped once we got back to the lobby area.

"I hope you enjoyed the tour, and you won't get lost." I don't really see how we could get lost the agency was composed of like 4 rooms and a few hallways I thought to myself. "If you wait here for a little bit, my colleague," he says pointing to the receptionist, "and I will get your schedules and housemate groups together."

He goes behind the desk and starts talking with the receptionists.

"I hope we're in the same house group. I don't know that many other people here" Eunbi says to me.

"I hope so too, I don't know anyone else here" I reply, laughing at how pathetic I sounded.

"Hahaha, you'll meet more people soon, I'm sure of it. Actually, here, let me introduce you to Eunbi!" She takes my arm and walks me to this girl sitting on one of the only chairs in the lobby.

"Aren't you Eunbi?" I say, a bit confused.

"Haha, I am, but she is too. I know it's a really weird coincidence isn't it," she replies smiling. We reach the girl and Eunbi quickly introduces me.

"Hey Eunbi, this is Y/N. Y/N this is Eunbi."

"Uh, hi Y/N," the sitting Eunbi says a bit surprised at the sudden introduction.

"Hi, Eunbi. I hope we can be good friends" I say smiling. My sister had drilled that into my head before leaving Montréal because she knew it would be hard for me to make friends being the introvert I am and reminded me this was a phrase that Koreans often used when introducing each other. I look at her name tag to see if I had to call "unnie", 1997, thank god, I don't have to.

"I'm sure we'll be good friends! Look we're even 97' buddies! It was meant to be!" she says, laughing at the end.

The man that gave us the tour had come out from behind the desk and called us to pay attention. He called each of us by name for us to come take our schedules that had our housemate group attached to it. I was one of the first ones to be called since my last name starts with F for Fortin.

I looked at the schedule and my mouth literally dropped looking at how packed it was. Singing lessons, after dance lessons, after social media acclimation classes, Japanese lessons, and more. To think I still had to go to school and do schoolwork. My mind was reeling, and I started to regret my decision, did I want to be an idol so bad as to ruin any chance at a social life or healthy mental health? Who am I kidding, I already don't know anyone in Korea and my mental health is already horrible. I had to go through with this. My dad and sister were so proud I passed the audition and I know my mom would be slapping me silly for doubting myself. I've already made two friends in the Eunbis, at least... I think. I am going to be fine. I will become an idol, no matter what it takes, I have nothing to lose that I haven't already lost.

I hear Eunbi squeal beside me. I flip my schedule over and see that I am in the same house group as she is. In fact, all the girls were together. I wondered how big the apartment was because I cannot imagine having 14 girls in one tiny apartment. As an introvert, I like my personal space. This might be harder than I thought. I quietly laugh at myself and try to think positive thoughts and try to muster all the confidence I have knowing I'm going to need it to survive the years to come.

~1278 words~