Their New Future | BOOK 2 OF THE ANOMALY SAGA

CHAPTER 19

[Time: After lunch. A couple days later. January. Location: RAVE Entertainment, Seoul, South Korea.]

'Why the hell am I here.'

They didn't even think it as a rhetorical question but they meant it as a statement.

At this point in time, Ryū was questioning every single life choice they had made that lead to them sitting in a giant room filled with people auditioning, waiting for their numbers to be called. They had managed to snag a seat in the front, being number 65 in line, as stated on the large sticker on their back and torso.

They briefly caught their phones reflection and played with their hair, slicking back the right side of their hair and sweeping their bangs. Ringed fingers played around their makeup, lightly applied eyeshadow with a gentle lip tint. They didn't really need it, but something told them to do it. It wasn't like they were anxious, it was just the feeling of people looking at them made them fiddle more with their clothes.

Pulling their leather jacket closer, they unexpectedly started feeling self-conscious. Were they overdressed or underdressed? Did they stand out too much? Was it too much black?

Ryū had chosen a simple white t-shirt, tucked into tight leather pants with white combat boots accented with red lettering on them. They kept it as simple as they could, considering it was Ryū. The most of accessories was their piercings and tattoos, which they decided not to cover. Why would they? They were only doing this so they didn't seem like an asshole for rejecting the random guy that kept begging them in the middle of the beach.

"Applicants 55 to 65 please enter the audition room."

Ryū could only briefly console themself as they stepped into the room behind 9 other people who looked so much more approachable and better suited to this kind of work. There were 5 judges, none of which Ryū recognised but they felt like they were celebrities. However, they spotted Lee Se-Hyeok, the man who scouted them sitting on the end sending them a thumbs up.

"Introduce yourselves in order."

"I'm Lee Hwa-young!" "Kim Eun-ji" "Hello, My name is Do Ryeok."

It just kept going until it stopped at Ryū, who stood out like a sore thumb.

"Oh, I'm Kurokawa Ryū, my Korean name is Kim Ryūjin. Whichever you prefer."

They seemed to write something down before turning to each other and asking for music.

"This'll be freestyle. Don't think about it, just do whatever you like."

'Seriously, what have I gotten myself into?'

They watched as the other people warmed into the dance, staying in the same huddle as they entered in. Ryū seemed to hesitate as their foot trembled as they walked in front of them, their body seemingly carrying them into the pre chorus, the judges suddenly interested when they were completely bored before.

They leaned back as their body kept into dance, skilful movement throughout the whole song. Ryū wasn't scared to show off or get physical, getting down to the ground and bringing contemporary dance into it as they spun with ease, ending with their arms outstretched next to them.

Chest rising and falling calmly as they barely broke a sweat, they quietly stepped back to the white line and stared directly at the judges who were unreadable. The others stared at them, burning holes into their head as mutters bounced through the room.

"What a show-off." "Was that even allowed?"

"Kim Ryūjin, was it? Step up." One of the women motioned with her hand and they obeyed.

"Can you sing or rap?" Ryū looked down as they were still catching their breath. Technically they could, they did take missions in the past were they disguised as performers, so it wasn't like they didn't know rhythm.

"Yes, I can." They mentally smacked themself, trying to resist pulling a disgusted face at their words. 'Shut up, Ryūjin.'

"What is your schedule like?"

"I'm available after 6pm."

The judges barely whispered loud enough for them to even pick up on it, only bits and pieces. Ryū looked behind them at the others and sent them an apologetic look.

'They want this more than I do...'

"Please come back tomorrow at 6pm. Thank you for auditioning, Ryūjin-ssi. We will contact everyone at a later date, please keep an eye on your messages and emails."

They bowed in thanks as they were escorted out to the back exit, leaving them alone in the busy streets in front of the giant building with the giant auditioning sticker still on their clothing.

"What the fuck just happened?"

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