I am a Pioneer

Preparations

With the final episode finished and set to air next week, the company was in full motion preparing us for our debuts at the beginning of next year. We had just been moved into the official dorm for the group and were now on our way to the main meeting room for a discussion about the group and how the debut will process.

We arrived at the door to the room with Myeong Mi-Kyong, now our official manager. He knocks on the door and we enter. "Take a seat all of you," JYP asks. We all take a seat on one side of the table. JYP, the CEO and multiple members of staff are sitting on the other side. "Let's get started shall we?" JYP then suggests.

The meeting lasts about two hours. During that time we discussed multiple things. First was the group, concept and other things surrounding the fandom. We managed to create a profile for our group:

Profile:

Name: VANGUARD 

 Abbreviated: VNGD 

 Colours: White/Gold/Navy

Fandom Name: Trailblazers 

 Concept: History, Experimental

Members & Positions:

Sim Hyun-Shik (20): Leader, Lead Vocals, Sub Rapper

Sim Kyu-Bong (20): Main Rapper, Sub Dancer

Nam Youngjae: (19): Lead Vocals, Sub Dancer, Visual

DongBang Kyong (18): Main Dancer, Lead Rapper

Akizuki Akira(18): Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Visual

Hayashi Roh (17): Lead Vocals, Sub Rap, Sub Dancer, Visual

Chu Jin-Ho (16): Main Vocals, Lead Dancer, Producer/Composer, Face of the group

Our stage names had also been decided:

Sim Hyun-Shik: Seiji (He earnt this name after being called a Sage for his patience with the younger members, Japanese fans started to call him Seiji)

Sim Kyu-Bong: Spitfire (A nickname he earnt from fans after his speed rapping)

DongBang Kyong: DB (Pretty self-explanatory)

Akizuki Akira: Kizu (Just stuck after DongBang called him that In an episode of the show)

Hayashi Roh: Toshiro (Due to him being an all-rounder)

Nam Youngjae: Jae (I think you know why)

Chu Jin-Ho: Enzo (After his Italian Name)

We were pretty happy with these names in the end. We then moved on to a discussion about our music. We are going to debut with a mini-album called; First Command: Muster! It will contain six songs, which amazingly were all selected from a list of songs that I have remade or created in this life. JYP had listened to them all and decided that we should go with them. We of course all agreed. I was happy to be responsible for 100% of our discography, although I doubt that it will always be like that. The tracks that had been decided for the album were:

Raise the Standard- Chu Jin-Ho [Use Hands Up by B.A.P as a guideline. With more drum, and military-style backing track]]

WONDERLAND- Originally by Ateez

Chronosaurus- Originally by Stray Kids

Monster - Originally by EXO

Pirate King- Originally by Ateez

Rock With You- Originally by Seventeen

We had also decided to film music videos for all six songs, which would put a fair bit of work on our schedule. But we had time as it was only September, and we were debuting in February next year. We also went through the concepts and stories of each song, as we had decided to, similar to BTS, tell a story through the songs. In this case, all the songs in each album would have a similar message and storyline, but would sometimes differ in genre.

Following the meeting, we were given a two-day break before we would begin with promotions and various other preparations. Of course, I spent that time watching Ha Seungri play live, hanging out with the girls from TWICE, and even visiting my Aunt and Uncle. I also didn't miss the chance to ask them about the person who sent me the package on my birthday. When I asked about it my uncle said that he wasn't too sure, but did tell me that my father was very close with a man named Choi Byeongyeol who was his best friend in high school. They were practically blood brothers. I asked if he had any children and he told me that he had two daughters. One of them was my age, but he didn't know her name. Upon hearing his name, my head began hurting. Some memories flooded into my head, a man came and visited us for my father's 45th birthday. He had brought his daughter with him to visit. The man's name was Choi Byeongyeol. I remember helping the girl out because she didn't speak Italian, I spent a lot of time with her over the two months that they were there. I also remembered a scene at the airport where I gifted her a medallion as a farewell gift. I remember seeing her holding something behind her back, but she didn't end up showing it. The memories then ended and the pain in my head faded. Choi Ye Won! Her name was Choi Ye Won. I knew that the man that had visited was Choi Byeongyeol now. And by adding his last name to the girl's first name from the letter I finally had her name.

That name sparked something inside me. A warm, nostalgic feeling. It reminded me of a warm sea breeze on a summer morning. I had always loved the sea, and there was one place in Naples, a little cliff that overlooked the ocean. It was a peaceful place that was untouched by human development. I would run there every morning to watch the sunrise, and then again in the evening to watch the sunset. That place gave me the same feeling. Warm, safe, free, calming and nostalgic. It was a place that I shared only with her when she visited. She was uneasy being in Italy for only a few days and I didn't know how to comfort her, so I showed her that place. We visited the place that evening and had a long talk. Since that moment we became a lot more comfortable around each other and friendlier. It was also the place I gave her the advice she wrote in the letter. The words echoed in my head as I remembered the moment.

We sat under the only tree overlooking the ocean. The sun was setting In the distance. A warm evening breeze was blowing through. She had just been telling me about her aspirations to become a singer. I had expressed my desire to also become a Singer. She told me that she didn't know if she could do it. I could tell that she was doubting herself and was nervous, so I said the only thing that I could think of. "A person's journey through life is like a voyage. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore" I had told her. Of course, this had meaning. I was telling her to slow down and muster up her courage. Have faith in herself and take the leap. Cast off from the dock and follow the stars to the next port. All I could remember after that is her thanking me and giving me a hug. Then seeing her off the next day.

I smiled to myself happily remembering that scene in my head as a made my way back to the dorm for the night. Our promotional work was starting tomorrow, and we still had a few songs to record and M/Vs to film.