BTS Eighth Member | The Life: Pre-debut Years

Chapter 4- The Assessment

Author's Note at the end :)

Underlined = said in English

March 31st, 2012:

I sat nervously outside one of the company's dance studios. My whole group for this assessment was sitting next to me. This assessment was the deciding factor as to whether I, along with the rest of all the trainees here, would get to continue on with the company. I had only learnt of this last week, and it put Youngmi's threats into perspective. If I messed up, not only was I literally putting my future as a trainee on the line, but her's as well.

Not only was I nervous about the dance and ballad I was about to perform for the top executives of the company, but I was also doing it with boys watching. The company made sure to keep the girls and boys separated at all times, so the only time I ever saw boys was at school and I've been so out of it ever since I arrived due to the lack of sleep and food, that I have made zero friends at school, let alone met any boys.

I look forward and study the boys in front of me. A young bunny-looking boy is mouthing the words to the song he's about to perform and beside him, another boy with super-wide shoulders is making the motions to his dance.

Just then, Minhyuk comes out of the studio and says they are ready for the next groups. My group and the boys' group stand up and we make our way into the dance studio. It is definitely a tight fit. Minhyuk closes the door behind the last boy and tells us that they will first look at the boys' dance performance and the girls can sit behind the desk. We all sit on the floor behind a desk that had three people sitting at it and a camera.

The group of boys moves to the space made in front of the desk. Minhyuk presses record on the camera and tells the group they can start. They all bow and introduce themselves. The bunny-looking kid was called Jungkook and the broad shoulders guy was called Seokjin. Someone behind us presses the button to start the music and the boys start dancing to Lucifer by SHINee. They had rearranged so that all 6 of them could perform it well. One of the boys, who had introduced himself as Hoseok, was really good, like really good, definitely better than Youngmi. But what kept catching my eye was how Seokjin was often one beat off, and his popping was so bad it was cute. But who am I to critique, while I worked my butt off to be able to perform NalinA well enough, the dance wasn't as hard as Lucifer's.

The song ends and all the boys get back into a line and bow. Then the worst part starts, they're assessed by the executives and choreographers.

Hoseok got nothing, but praises. Jungkook was told he had to feel the dance more and Seokjin was giving a stern telling off. They told him it looked like he hadn't practiced at all and that his good looks alone weren't going to make him debut. The whole time Seokjin looked down at the floor. When the last boy was assessed, they went to sit down where we were sitting as my group stood up to go perform.

As I pass Hoseok, I am too nervous to hear him whisper "good luck" to us.

I was trembling like a leaf. I take a deep breath and go through the choreography in my head. Once we were all lined up, we all bowed and started introducing each other one by one. I was at the end of the line and was so engrossed in remembering the choreography, Eunbi had to jab me in the side to bring me back to the present.

"Oh my god. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, uh, sorry. Hello! I am Y/N, please look at me favourably!" I semi-shout. I can see Youngmi smirking at the end of the line. Of course, I had to mess up the simplest introduction. I straighten up and see Seokjin laughing a bit, we make eye contact, and he gives me a thumbs up. I smile a bit at his support.