Oh, Brother!

changes

Takumi's POV

Months ago, while busking near Shibuya Station, Takumi is approached by a talent scout from a new talent agency called Bingo Entertainment which just so happens to house Shogo as one of their many trainees. 

"Excuse me there!" an older woman exclaimed, stopping me in my tracks as me and one of my close friends Fujimaki Kyosuke were about to pack up our things from another night out busking near Shibuya Station. "I'm Saki, a talent scout from a Korean talent agency called Bingo Entertainment. We just opened a new Japan branch here in Shibuya and I was wondering if you two young men would like to join our agency as new trainees?" Kyosuke blushed, flattered to have someone gain interest in our so-called talents. "Come on now! It may not seem like it, but we truly are desperate! Please consider it!" Sachi-san handed us each a business card in order for us to contact her if we would so desire to. 

Thinking quite hard about the matter, I let out a long sigh. "What's the matter?" Kyosuke questioned of me. He had seemed to be thinking hard about Saki-san's offer as well. Just perhaps not as hard as I was. "It's about Saki-san's offer, isn't it?" Giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder, he said the unexpected, "I think I'll reject the offer, Taku..." Kyosuke's voice trailed off as he let out a laugh upon seeing the dumbfounded look on my face. Why would he reject such an awesome offer? He's always wanted to be a singer, so why is he rejecting his one and only chance to become what he's always wanted to be since he was a child? 

"Wait... Why though?" I asked in response. "You've always dreamt of being a singer so why are you going to reject her offer now? That sounds so unlike you, Kyosuke!" I just couldn't believe my best friend! He's giving up on his dream? What the hell?!

With a chuckle, Kyosuke replied back, "Sure, it's my dream, Taku but you need to consider your own dreams as well! It's not like you'll be working part-time at that café forever, 'ya know?" Kyosuke had a point. At some point in my life, I did in fact want to become a performer, but I never managed to get the big break I needed. So instead of pushing on, I just gave up.

That's right! I gave up! 

However, when my best friend Fujimaki Kyosuke decided to try his hand at busking in Downtown Shibuya, I decided to join him in his ventures just to accompany him. At first, I joined just to make sure he wouldn't lock himself out of our shared apartment yet again, but I eventually began to enjoy going out at night and singing for people who would gather and give enough of their time to hear us sing whatever songs we had decided upon singing the night before. Yet, we were never openly approached by a talent scout until yesterday when Saki-san approached us seemingly from out of the blue. It was nearing almost midnight when I finally decided to send a video audition and proper application form to Bingo Entertainment due to Kyosuke's urging. 

My voice felt a tad bit strained the first few days when proper training had commenced. I was most certainly shocked to learn that Kyosuke didn't make the cut. He had told me a few months ago during the audition process that he had decided to go through with the audition process just because I kept bothering him about auditioning. However, if I could've seen the look on my face when I came face-to-face with Reina-chan's boyfriend Tajima Shogo, I would have dipped. 

Today's the Big Day, or as the staff refers to as, Final Evaluation Day. Shogo-san told me that every trainee loathes this day the most, even after the grueling hours we've all put in for dance lessons and vocal training exercises, apparently this day would prove the worst. Why? Well, that's what I would soon find out.

"I heard that there's going to be a few guest judges for today..." my fellow trainee Matsuda Jin began, grabbing a plastic water bottle from the kitchen fridge. We were still in our dorm waiting for our manager Garu-san to give us the O.K. signal for us to head over to the dance practice room for today's final evaluation. "If I recall correctly, I hear that they're from that new Jpop boy group... What were they called? KO1? No, no... That's not it..."