SKZ Draft "Beyond the Stage - a STAY's Story"

Winner

So here I was sitting on a sofa in a realitvely large lounge or changing room. I wasn't sure because there were several racks with clothes, each one seemed to have some kind of lable and description hanging on it, but there was also a TV with a gaming console and a table with some snacks, neatly organized. They've told me the group was currently at hair and make up, getting ready for the upcoming interview. Once they come back I would have the opportunity to speak to them for about 30 minutes before the group would need to leave again. After that I would be escorted to the location were the Fan Meeting would be.

I felt the nervousness building up inside me, even though I had a whole document on my phone. Carefully prepared questions and topics I've chosen last week, so I wouldn't panic and waste my time with them. Reaching for my headphones, carefully placing them over my ears to not ruin my hair. Calming music playing, giving me the feeling of beeing at a small intimate concert. I close my eyes and listen to the little nuaunces in their voices getting carried away from the lyrics, eventhough I don't understand them.

Laughter woke me up. I open my eyes and for a second I was really confused since I couldn't remember where I was. I looked around, I was still sitting crouched on the sofa with a zip up hoodie placed over my upper body and knees.
Wait? That's not mine! I sat up strait and removed my headphones.

Now the laughter was even louder. Several people were in the room, eating snacks, playing a video game and relaxing on the sofas.

"누가 일어났는지 보세요!" "그렇습니다. 당신이 그들을 깨웠기 때문이죠!" a scoulding voice answered the first one. To my horror, the voices belonged to Hyunjin and Chan. I must have displayed my shock on my face as I stared at them because Hyunjin now asked me something in a quite concerned voice. "Don't scare them even more!" Chan said in English, and my expression grew even more confused when Hyunjin spoke to me in Korean. "Hi! I'm Chan, what's your name?" My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I could feel the dryness in my throat and tried to swallow before speaking again. "NAME," I answered him, trying my best to smile while still processing that I had fallen asleep in the presence of Stray Kids. "Thanks," I said in a quiet voice as I handed him the hoodie.
"You looked a little cold," a different voice said from behind. Han snatched the hoodie from Chan's hand and placed it over the back of a nearby chair. "Gam-sa-ham-ni-da," I tried my best to speak somewhat presentable Korean. More than "yes," "no," "please," "thank you," and "sorry" were not in my repertoire, but I thought it was a nice small gesture to try to speak their language. Han nodded and asked me if I was the winner their manager had told them about.

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the winner of the Stray Kids Voting Challenge. Enclosed, you will find all the necessary details regarding your trip, along with your ticket for the upcoming Fan Meeting." This was the mail I've received two weeks ago, I didn't even think I would win because everybody who voted for Stray Kids on this award site was automatically eligible to win.

I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to talk to them and hoped I hadn't wasted all my time sleeping. "Yes, I'm happy to meet you. I've prepared some questions for you, if you don't mind answering, and I hope there is still enough time before you need to go to your interview." I let out a little sigh. Chan signaled the other members to come over before he sat down to my right. "Unfortunately, I can only speak very little Korean. Can I ask you to translate?"
"Sure!" he said with a little laugh. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and introduced myself once more once everyone was gathered around me. "Have you ever thought about a Stray Kids comic or webtoon? What story would you want to tell?" Suddenly, eight different people talked at once.
I saw Felix translating for Lee Know and Changbin, while all of them seemed really excited about this topic and started to bring in ideas. In the end, they agreed that an alternate universe with some sort of powers would be cool, and Hyunjin and Sungmin were also open to a more romantic K-drama-like setting. I enjoyed how easy it was to talk to them once I had calmed down. "Maybe you should keep this in mind for a future project," I said before hopping to the next question.
"If you could, what historical time period would you visit?" Lee Know answered, "I would visit Japan during the era of the samurai. I think the aesthetics and tradition would be interesting."
"I've always wondered what it would be like to live in Ancient Egypt as a Pharaoh," I.N. said with a curious sparkle in his eyes. Felix, on the other hand, said he wouldn't go so far back, as he wanted to visit the '80s to enjoy the pop culture boom. Looking at me, Felix asked, "What era would you visit?" He caught me a little off guard since I was so focused on listening to them and had to think for a moment.
"I would visit the 50s. The clothing from that era, really captivates me. I admire how people expressed their individuality through fashion, from the classic pin-up looks to the rebellious styles of rock 'n' roll. Musically the 50s were groundbreaking, with the rise of rock 'n' roll and iconic artists like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly." "The clothing was really cool back then," Hyunjin agreed, while Changbin acknowledged that this was the era of iconic music that has influenced today's music.
Time flew by as we chatted and saddly I couldn't ask them all of the questions I had prepared. They waved goodbye as their manager called them for the interview. Felix stayed behind and asked, "Are we seeing you at the Fan Meeting later?" with the brightest smile on his face. I felt myself blush a little as I nodded. "Yes, I've got a ticket. See you later."