The 10th Member

Unexpected Invitation

First Person POV

As I stood in front of the massive skyscraper in the heart of Seoul, my hands nervously clutched the bag's straps. JYP Entertainment, it read. I'd auditioned to become a trainee and had passed the first stage of selection. The second one was an interview and although I am usually a confident person, this was... something I'd wanted to do since I was a kid. My whole future depended on this one interview, so it was only natural to be scared.

I sighed and shook my head in disapproval at my cowardice as I walked through the gates. I put on a charming smile, showing no signs of my nervousness and made my way to the reception.

"Good afternoon, I'm Y/n and I'm here for the interview." I gently smiled at the young lady sitting at the counter, who looked up at me and smiled back. She nodded as a sign of acknowledgement and typed something into her laptop.

"Ah yes, Mr. Park is expecting you. Please make your way to room 301 on the third floor. It's a left down the hallway." She spoke politely with a warm smile dancing on her lips.

I stood there in confusion, it was visibly expressed on my face.

"Sorry?" I must have misheard her. Mr. Park was waiting for me? Mr. Park as in the CEO of JYP Entertainment? That made no sense. I thought it was one of the managing directors who'd take my interview, not the chief executive officer himself!

"He wishes to interview you personally." She spoke in an explanatory manner.

I hesitantly nodded and thanked her before turning around and leaving.

What. The. Hell.

My heart rate had quickly risen up and I gulped as I made my way to the elevator. I could feel my palms becoming sweaty as my grip on the bag's straps became tighter and tighter.

The CEO wanted to see me?! IN PERSON?! That made no sense... for what reason? The interview hadn't even begun yet but I felt like I'd already lost my shot at the job. I slapped myself in the face when negative thoughts started overtaking my mind.

No, you must remain positive, no matter what. If he wanted to see me in person then there must have been something about me which other trainees didn't have, some special quality which only I have. But what could that be? Honestly speaking, I'm an all-rounder. I'm good at everything but I'm not excellent at anything. My years worth of hard work has made me balanced in all categories but there's nothing that makes me stand out as such.

Oh well, no point in overthinking so much. I need to stay calm and focused. If Mr. Park has decided to interview me personally then I must have left a good impression, that's all I can conclude. So, I should be making use of this special opportunity granted to me and get accepted as a trainee.

The lift stopped. I had arrived on the third floor. There were people walking about here and there, mostly white collar workers who I'm guessing managed funds and other aspects of the company. As I took a left down the mentioned hallway, I felt time stop.

It was dead silent and super cold. I felt a shiver go down my spine and slowly started walking towards the room, each footstep making an echo as I continued to head forward. At last, I reached room 301 and stood there for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.

"Come in." I heard a faint manly voice from inside the room.

I opened the door and peeked inside, seeing a man sitting on a leather chair whom I soon recognized as Mr. Park. My steps quickened and I bowed before taking a seat.

"Good afternoon, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said with my usual charming smile.

"Likewise." He flashed a small smile before his face turned into a very serious expression, slightly alarming me.

"Now, you must have been wondering why I personally called you for an interview." I listened intently to his explanation, not interrupting him by speaking but only acknowledging his words with a nod.

"Y/n , as I've seen from your audition videos, you are good at both dancing and singing. You have created stability in every category and I believe you require no further training, so obviously, you will not be accepted as a trainee."

My eyebrows furrowed a little upon hearing this. He just complimented me by saying that I don't need anymore training but that I won't be accepted as a trainee. Though that was the entire point why I came here. If I couldn't become a trainee, I couldn't become an idol.

"I'm sure you know the girl group Twice?" He asked and raised an eyebrow.

My eyes lit up in joy and a wide smile made its way to my face. "Yes, I do. They're my idols." He slightly smiled at this and nodded.

"Well, they're known as the nation's girl group, Korea's girl group. I believe that a group as talented as Twice should be recognized not only in Korea, but also worldwide. A major problem lies in the language barrier which greatly disables Twice from communicating with their fans abroad. The girls are poor at English since they're all born and brought up in non-English speaking countries. There are a lot of more aspects to this issue but I won't go into detail at present, let me tell you about your role."

"Now this is where you come into the picture. You're Korean but stayed a few years in the US before coming back to Korea, meaning you know both English and Korean well. If you had auditioned a few years back, I would have made you debut with Twice but I believe it's not too late now. Sure, it's been 3 years since their debut but this is only the beginning of a new era. You can be incorporated into the group perfectly, and since you're already good at dancing and singing, there is no time to waste as a trainee. I believe you are the key to making Twice and yourself known worldwide. Obviously this is a rash and hurried decision, but it's my best move. So, what do you say? Are you in? Wouldn't you like to experience the joy of becoming an idol like you want to? That too, alongside your own idols?"

To dance and sing on stage alongside Twice... I'd kill to experience something like that. The risk here is that a decision like this one will definitely get mixed reactions from the public, but then Twice's and my own popularity will not be limited to South Korea and will be extended throughout the globe.

I chuckled and reached my hand out for a handshake. I really didn't need to think this through, I'd made up my mind the moment I heard his offer.

"I'm in." I smirked at him as he gave me a firm handshake. Only a fool would refuse.

"Great. I will appoint you a manager who will tell you everything you need to know about being an idol and in the evening... you will visit Twice. Do pack your belongings for you will be moving in with them soon." He said as he buttoned his blazer and left the room.

I sat there, completely still, having had zoned off at the thought of being a part of Twice. There were so many pros and cons to this. Twice is already popular as hell and the fact that a new member is being added would definitely go viral so I'd get a good opportunity to show off my talents, but honestly, that's not what I'm worried about.

I've become an idol now, it doesn't really bother me whether I'm super famous or not. As long as I get a stage to show off what I'm passionate about, I'm content. The public's opinion? That is beyond my control so there is no point in worrying about that either. But what truly bothers me is... how the members will react to this. Will they accept me? Or will I just be an outsider in their group? I mean, these girls have known each other for years and I'm sure they've developed a very special bond. If I'm just thrown in between like that, I'm sure they won't like it.

I sighed as I grabbed my backpack and left the room, my manager was waiting for me outside. He was a kind person who took me through everything I needed to know about being an idol and gave me a booklet incase I forgot any of them.

It was about 9pm when I was finally done with paperwork and all the formalities. Now, it was time to meet Twice, the part I'd been dreading the whole day. I had this awful feeling inside of me that the members wouldn't accept me and that I'd feel left out during my contract with them.

My manager led me to their apartment door and knocked on the door. Oh well, this was the moment of truth...