Tessa walked into her office at the PLEDIS building and skillfully swept her long silver hair into a bun.
They had just concluded an afternoon meeting. The projects that she had proposed at the last meeting seemed to be moving along well. Now that that was over with, it was time for her to check on the trainees.
She placed her blazer on the rack and went into her private bathroom. She walked up to the mirror and gently removed her make up. Just a touch of lip balm would do. Official work engagements such as meetings required at least a minimal amount of make-up. But she needed none of that when she was sweating it out alongside the trainees.
Tessa stepped out of her black dress, placing it on a hanger in the bathroom. She then slipped into one of her sports bras and joggers, making sure to wear a loose shirt over it. Tying her shoelaces and giving herself a once over, Tessa left her office.
She made her way to the trainee floors. This one that she was going to was on the third floor.
From outside the door, she could hear the music blasting from the room.
Memories of her school days came to the forefront of her mind. She remembered cramming for her evaluations. While she had never been a trainee and could never fully feel what the trainees were feeling, she could sympathize with them.
Monthly evaluations were just around the corner and tensions were very high around these parts. At the last evaluation, two trainees were let go and another one was hanging on by a thread.
As much as it pained Tessa to see the dreams of those two end, she knew that the idol business was cutthroat. It was a race to be the best of the best. Only the finest trainees would ever get to debut and even then, debuting was not a guarantee of success. Nor was it a precursor to being accepted by the fans and the general public.
By now, she knew the ins and outs of this K-pop industry and sadly, some of the more brutal confessions about the trainee days were indeed true. Living conditions were not always ideal. Diets were strict and structured. Evaluations were honest and straight to the point. Many dreams of young impressionable aspirants were crushed.
The journey to being a K-pop idol was most definitely a roller coaster and not for the faint of heart. However, for those who made it through to the other side, the potential rewards were as enticing as can be. And that was what kept these trainees going. They just needed to focus on the dream. At the risk of sounding blasé, Tessa had reminded the trainees that challenges helped mold one’s character. Diamonds were just carbon until they were subjected to immense pressure and heat over long periods of time. For now, they were carbon with potential. It was the company’s job to smooth out their edges and help them be the shiniest diamond there ever was.
Tessa took a deep breath and carefully opened the door. She stuck her head in and saw the Group A trainees deep in practice. She walked into the room and sat at the front, watching their every move. At the end of the dance, the trainees bowed to her and acknowledged her presence. After a short period of rest, they practiced again.
Tessa sat there, watching each trainee as carefully as she could. At the last five-minute break, Tessa approached the choreographer and asked if she could give some inputs. He happily obliged.
Deuk Song-il had been working with Tessa for close to two years now. He knew she was the CEO’s daughter and a BOD in her own right. It took a while for him to get used to the fact that she always was respectful to him especially within the company grounds. But who was he to complain?
He watched as Tessa took Byeongho and DaeJung aside. She carefully showed them the proper way of execution, making sure that they performed the sequence in time to the beat twenty times in a row. Song-il laughed inwardly. He thought that Group A had performed the dance flawlessly. He sighed. Maybe that’s why he lost two trainees. He wasn’t as sharp as he thought he was.
