1+1=3? {Meanie}

The Eyes That Follow: SeokSoo Side Story

Joshua Hong could feel them. The eyes. The eyes that followed. Everywhere he turned, he could feel them. His every move was being watched. After joining Galaxy Entertainment, he hadn't had a moment's peace. He was living his dream of becoming a singer, but as the days went by, his dream began to feel more like a nightmare. Being an idol was less about being a singer and more about being a performer. He had to be perfect in everything he did. His voice always had to sound perfect, his dance moves had to be sharp and fluid, he always had to look his best, and most importantly, he couldn't be himself. He had to be Joshua Hong, member of the idol duo group, JoDo.

When he first joined Galaxy Entertainment, he was the oldest trainee at twenty-three. Most everyone else had been in the company since they were in middle school. He may have been the oldest, but he was the least experienced. He was always playing catch up with teenagers who had more talent, energy, and practice than him. Not only were his vocals and dance moves being trained, but so was his mind. The staff complained he was too American and had to learn to be more Korean to appeal to the public. He would spend three days a week after training with a speech coach who would hit his knuckles with a ruler if he pronounced a Korean word with an American accent. In time, Joshua finally had the perfect curated accent, velvety and elegant. It had made him afraid to speak for months.

Despite the company wanting him to be less American, they let him choose Joshua as his stage name, deeming it pleasant enough to roll off the tongue. Besides, they had pointed out, Joshua and Dokyeom sounded better than Jisoo and Dokyeom. Joshua couldn't hear the difference, but was relieved he was cleared to use the name. It was his English name, his Christan name. It erased Jisoo's past and any of the dirty secrets that went along with it. Regardless, the eyes were always watching.

"Shua, we have a meeting in an hour, remember?" Seokmin asked as he approached him.

The familar nickname made warmth rush through his chest. Most people shortened Joshua to Josh, but not Seokmin. He shortened it to Shua. Joshua liked that. He wasn't Jisoo who spent half his life running, nor was he Joshua, the perfect idol doll for the company to play with. He was simply Shua, Seokmin's friend.

Seokmin, professionally known as Dokyeom, was the other half of JoDo, Joshua's teammate and roommate. He had been older than some of the traineea at twenty-one, but like the others, had been there since middle school. He was the first one to welcome Joshua and helped him adjust to the new fast paced world he found himself thrust into. He was Joshua's first and only friend within the company.

Joshua looked up from his phone. He hadn't actually been doing anything on the device, just clicking in and out of apps. He was too anxious to do anything else. The sudden meeting had been weighing on his mind. Had he done something wrong? Had the eyes caught him? Had his past been leaked out somehow despite the legal team promising it would never happen? He could't voice that concern to Seokmin, though, so he managed a weak smile.

"I rememeber." Joshua reassured. "Any idea what it's about?"

To his disappointment, Seokmin shook his head. "Maybe it's a comeback." He said hopefully. "I saw Mingyu talking with our team earlier."

Mingyu was all-rounder within the company. He used to be a model and backup dancer, but after the birth of his daughter, he took himself out of the limelight and instead worked behind the scenes. He was a well respected song-writer and producer. He even worked as a stylist. Mingyu speaking with their team sounded promising, but Joshua knew better than to hold his breath. Since their debut three years ago, they had had two comebacks. They were always the last to get any kind of promotion or deals. Half of the time, they had to fund the things they wanted to do themselves. Still, with how hopeful his friend looked, he swallowed his negativity.