𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘 ✧ 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧 & 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 1

Standing high on the stage, Hayun looked out over the crowd. Thousands of people stood below her, cheering and singing along. Light sticks waved in the air as she belted out the chorus of her hit song. Spotlights zoomed past her, illuminating the stage and her groupmates in pink and yellow light. She felt as if she was flying.

The world spun around her at dizzying speeds, and feeling that adrenaline rush Hayun got a burst of energy and put all she had into the choreography of the music. Running around on the stage, sweat dripping onto the floor from all the cardio, she felt that this was exactly where she was meant to be.

Hayun relished the light's warmth, and it felt as if a blanket were draped over her. As the song ended, things seemed to move in slow motion. At that moment, it felt like she wasn't even there. It was exhilarating.

As she sang the last few lines and took her final pose, the electric feeling of her performance began to drift away. In its absence was the smell of kimchi and rice. The scent of her mother's delicious cooking wafted into her nose and the vision of the stage began to dissipate. Hayun opened her eyes to the gray popcorn ceiling of her bedroom, hearing the sizzling sound of breakfast being made in the next room. Louder still was her alarm clock blaring in her ear, telling her to get up now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now.

Shutting off the alarm, Hayun rubbed her eyes and rolled over. The remnants of her recurring idol dream replayed in her head; it had been her lifelong goal for as long as she could remember. The lights, the stage, the dances, the fans. More important now, however, was the money. She knew that idols were well taken care of, and with the money she earned, she could send it back to her mother so that she could move out of their tiny, slowly-falling-apart-apartment

She had been studying relentlessly for the past couple of years to increase her grades and he eligible for the Seoul School of Arts. That is where all of the best performers emerged from, where they learned to sing, dance, and were trained for the idol lifestyle. From there, if they graduated, they were placed into groups and started working on debuting as real artists.

Months ago she had sent in her final application, noting her extracurriculars and high grades, as well as showcasing her dance and vocal skills at an audition. It was a highly competitive school, and many of the best artists attended there. The date that the acceptance or denial letters would be sent out had been rapidly approaching all summer, and if she remembered correctly, it should be arriving today...

Remembering this, she snapped back into reality. It was 8:00 a.m., and Hayun removed herself from the tangled mess of sheets and began to ready herself for the day. She neatened her bed, arranging the stuffed animals from her childhood to sit upright. She brushed her teeth, put on a matching two-piece running set, and tied up her sleek black hair. Then, the determined girl strode to the lower level of the small two-bedroom Seoul apartment where her mother was finishing up breakfast in the kitchen.

By no means was the Jang family wealthy-- how they secured housing in the bustling capital city was beyond their means. Income was already low, but since the death of Hayun's dad two years ago, money was shorter than ever. Her mother worked as a waitress at a local restaurant during the days and as a hospital janitor overnight solely so they could afford the month's rent.

As Hayun rounded the corner, her mother came into view. She was a short woman, with some wrinkles around her eyes and her hair starting to grey. Nonetheless, she was beautiful and her dark eyes had so much life in them. They seemed to sparkle as she smiled, which they did now when she noticed Hayun nearing her.

"Hayun," her mother says, in between bites.

"Yes, eomma?"

"Would you eat with me? I have a shift in an hour and I won't see you at all today."

Hayun nodded in response and sat down at the table with her mother. As she grabbed her spoon to dig in to the meal, Hayun spotted something through the window in her peripheral vision; a mail truck pulling up outside of their apartment.

Noticing that she was looking outside, her mother sighed and told her to go. She knew how much this dream meant to Hayun.

"Thank you! I'll be right back."

Hayun walked to the mailbox and gathered the letters that were placed inside it. Rent reminders, utility repair advertisements, the usual. But something else caught Hayun's eye—fancy cursive lettering, a gold seal, and in huge font: Seoul School of Arts.

A jolt of electricity rushed through Hayun's veins. She had been anxiously waiting for this letter ever since her audition. This letter could change the trajectory of her future. Could the key to Hayun's dream be inside of this envelope?

She hurried back into the apartment, slamming around corners to get into the kitchen. She was too nervous to open it on her own, and her hands were trembling just thinking about opening the letter.

"Eomma!" Hayun yells, running to her mother who is still seated at the dining table. "I got the letter!"

"Really?" Her mom questions. "What does it say? Did you get in?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm too nervous to open it on my own. Read it for me?" Hayun handed her mom the letter.

Her mother cautiously opened the envelope, peeled off the seal, and unfolded the letter. She cleared her throat before she began speaking.

"Hayun Jang, congratulations! You have been accepted into the vocal and dance programs at the Seoul School of Arts...

They both squealed. That was all Hayun had to hear. She made it! Her dream of debuting as an idol may not just be fiction after all. With this acceptance into the art school, Hayun would be training alongside future stars.

"I MADE IT!"

"I'm so proud of you, Hayun," says her mother, and engulfed Hayun in a hug.

"Thank you so much, mom. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You're going to be a star, Hayun. My little star," her mom whispered, hugging her daughter tighter.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

To continue with her original morning plans, Hayun went on a run while listening to her favorite music. The world didn't stop just because she got amazing news, she needed to keep training her stamina and keeping in shape. It was windy and wet from rain the previous day. As she jogged around the local park, her mind is contemplating all of the opportunities for her life. Will she debut as a soloist? In a girl group? What will their concept be? The possibilities appear to be endless. Though at the moment the future seems to be unknown, Hayun was certain that she was finally going down the right path.

Lost in her own thoughts, her head collided with a hard surface— a wall or tree, perhaps? She focused her gaze in front of her to see a taller guy standing in front of her, rubbing his arm with a frown.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Hayun stammered frantically, waving her hands in front of her. Drop dead right now oh my god. This is mortifying. "I'm so embarrassed, I was totally lost in thought and—"

"Don't worry about it, it happens," the boy interrupted her. He had black hair parted in the middle that framed his face and accentuated his light brown eyes. He looked at her through his long eyelashes and smiled.

"I'm Park Jimin," the boy said, extending his hand toward hers.

"Hi... I'm Hayun Jang, it's nice to meet you," she says, taking his hand in hers and shaking it. His skin was warm and she felt sweaty and gross compared to him. She hoped he didn't notice.

"Nice to meet you, too, Jang."

They said bye and continued on their paths, Hayun's heart and mind racing a bit. At least it was a well-needed distraction from her impending entrance into school. She hoped she hadn't embarrassed herself too much, though. It didn't help that the boy—Jimin, he said his name was— was pretty cute too... She hoped that she would be able to forget about it soon.

She continued her jog as the sun continued to shine through the trees of the park. Dew rested upon blades of grass and birds shot up into the air in swarms as she ran past them. This was the absolute best time of the morning, and she wasn't going to let an embarrassing encounter ruin it.