A Fallen Star | ZEROBASEONE

Prologue

A life where his name got buried under the second-class citizenship of his eyes and skin made disappearing easier. He didn't blend in with the crowd. But who was he to be talked about in Canada amidst all the local ethnicities?

The life behind the wooden door was simple. His feet pattered out to go to school and clear the path on the winter days. Or other times his slippers left trail marks that would dry soon in the scorching heat, after spending hours at the pool. Then in the evenings, he'd have no fear of disrupting the peace for he lived alone.

The transition to Corbin Abe was easy in Canada. But pulling away didn't erase the talent at his fingertips. Sometimes he caught himself approaching the piano in the school band room, fingers playing three notes on masterpieces before he pulled away. And it scared him how music had a magnet pull like no other. Even if he sailed across the world to run away, the harmonies followed him in his head.

It took him five years of denial before he succumbed to music, taking it on a salsa rather than riding it out with his vocals. Dance came easy when he heard the musicality before he could dissect it. The steps from teachers who doubted his late arrival were passed with a breeze, earning him a title among his peers. A name enough to spark interest around school and give him a pass on their side remarks of "where he came from," but suppressed to not reach the interested gossip writers.

Eventually, he recognized his innate talent for dancing and knocked on the door of a few schools. The fees were expensive though for someone living independently. And that was where fate decided to play on his desperation and sent a manager of P Nation his way. The promise of training came with going to Korea, completing residency accommodations, and other survival needs.

He was a young boy intelligent enough to know that living in another country can turn him into a poor boy begging for food in his 20s. So he said yes, reviving his presence in Asia step by step, but with more control over the music path he took. "It's time to break out of the silence, Corbin."

Was there ever a right time? He debated with his main mentor for a whole hour until he was sent to the CEO. The successful man himself stared into him with kindness but a business speech on the tip of his tongue. "Boys Planet 999 will be rough, it's a survival show. But it will give you a head start on rewriting your narrative. Gone is the classical prodigy, now enters the all-rounder Kpop performer." In his head, he outraced them all when he disappeared.

But PSY was the boss. And his words may sound like a suggestion but were more of instructions on the manual to his entry. "The rumors will go out of hand — coming back will cause an uproar to those who are avid classical music fans." He still tried to push his point though, not anymore as a counterargument but more of the grounds he was laying for the compromise. "Many will try and find the young proper Japanese prodigy in this person I am."

"Then more attention to your name, more people voting. You already proved yourself reliable in the masterpieces of the previous centuries." There was no getting out of this. He's about to enter Boys Planet 999 with more trainees than he can count. More people who'll see how contrasting he is from the mold he followed before up close and personal. "Then this tough and independent persona of yours will only strengthen that reliability as a member."

"You'll debut strong, then we can erase the past your running from easier when you emboss Corbin Abe in Kpop."