Living in Love

Chapter 2: The Real Beginning

Since joining Oval Entertainment company, the largest and most successful entertainment group in South Korea, Rosella had to get used to a new name: Rosie. After being scouted by the company via her YouTube channel at age 19, Oval Ent. took her under their wing for the years of training to come in their accredited Kpop academy, known as "The O". Rosella, was their "odd little jewel", being the first solo female artist the company had contracted, let alone the first ever electronic DJ they wanted to sign. But she could mix down songs incredibly fast, and was naturally incredibly beautiful, even by high Korean standards, so adding her to their ranks was a relatively easy decision.

Because she wasn't trained in dance and wasn't comfortable singing in front of crowds, Oval marketed her as a bit of an enigma, encouraging her to never do interviews or let her actual voice be heard in order to add depth to her image. The crowds across Asia and other various parts of the world ate up both her music and her beauty, and their curiosity was only peaked by the forced silence, making her the subject of fervent fan theories. Was that her voice in her most recent album release? What was she really like? Was she mute? Was she actually deaf? Was she arrogant, so arrogant, that none deserved to hear her precious tones? Did she take a vow of silence for a lover? (That one was her favorite, and always brought a mischievous smile to her lips.)

Rosella was quite amused by it all. As the daughter of famous parents, she knew how agents, performances, interviews, public image... all of those things worked. Her father was a famous music producer at the dawn of the musical movement in Korea and a well-known jazz musician, performing complicated trills and solos on his beloved saxophone. Her mother was a famous Italian singer, daytime television star, and cookbook writer. Lasting, passionate love bloomed between the two of them in a small basement jazz bar outside of Rome during an impromptu duet. He played saxophone while she sang, and the two were never apart since. Married after just a year, they quickly longed to have a family, and voila, Rosella was born. Half Korean, half Italian, and wholly doted upon.

Rosella was at a high risk of being spoiled to be sure, as she was an only child and quite a talent. It took many careful talks and lessons from her parents to learn the "The Three", as her mother called them.

1. Beauty is not about what you look like, but what you look at.

2. Talent is not for self-gain, but for sharing with others.

3. Honesty is always the best idea.

Both her father and mother made her promise to uphold these truths, and Rosella came to treasure them in her heart. They were the one thing that she brought with her to Seoul after being signed to Oval. The cutthroat entertainment industry sought to change her physical appearance, which it often did, but nothing, thanks to her parents love and consistency, could change her truths.

Aside from teaching their daughter how to walk through life, the couple also taught her how to play over 15 instruments, each being very easy for Rosella to master during her childhood and teenage years. She was, in every sense, a prodigy in the musical arts, often at the sacrifice of social interaction with other kids her age. She also began to teach herself techo mixing and DJ-ing, which she shared on the internet. Thus began her journey in South Korea.

After a full year of simultaneously training and performing, Rosella soared to success under Oval's regime. One afternoon, her personal agent interrupted her dance training, for which she was extremely grateful. Some dancing had to be done for music videos and performances, and she liked it well enough, but her lack of talent in the area left her frustrated at times. When she saw her agent that fateful day, she quickly bounded over to him. Go Gun Ho was personally chosen by her father to entrust his daughter with as her agent and caregiver, knowing the older man would protect her as his own. Rosella had come to love him as an uncle, often referring to him as "sam-chon" (uncle) rather than "sawn-sang-neem" (sir). Gun Ho had an excited look on his face.

"Rosie!" he called in Korean, "We need to talk. An interesting offer just came in for you, and I think it could be good for you. Maybe even fun! Let's grab some coffee downstairs."

Rosella quickly gave a slight bow of thanks to her choreographer, who gave her a look of relief – she obviously still had so far to go on this new dance routine. She quickly followed Gun Ho to the Oval's version of a cafeteria, Cuppa. The well-lit, jungle themed space was a popular spot for meetings and brief moments of relaxation for trainees. The pair sat down at their favorite table after ordering drinks for each other. Rosella could tell Gun Ho was obviously excited about the news, which instilled a sense of comfort in her. She really did trust him.

He took a sip and began. "Okay Rosella. Supervisors up stairs are casting for a... wait, for it... television show! And they have decided that they want YOU to be actually be in it! With your newest album dropping soon, they feel that revealing who you are to the world will help sales. They know you're likable as a whole, so they don't feel major character coaching would be needed during your time on the show." He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Well, what do you think? The world will hear your voice! Are you ready for that?"

That question stuck with her for the remainder of the week, as she tumbled with the idea. Eventually, however, after seeking the advice of her mother and father and friends in the company who had transitioned from music to television, she decided to agree. Besides, it would be fun, right? The words "carpe diem" and "adventure" were always important to Rosella, and this moment seemed... right, in a strange way.

A week after Gun Ho's news in Cuppa, she sat down with the CEO and head producer of Oval Entertainment to learn more about the opportunity. She was typically a very easy-going, relaxed person, but the spotless white couches and expensive décor made her feel stiff and... anxious. Then there was Park Jun Ho, the CEO and "big boss" (that's what the trainees called him, anyway). Though he was small, smaller than Rosella even, he was quite intimidating with his sharp suits and quick words. He quickly called the meeting to order when she and Gun Ho were served sparkling waters. The formality was tangible, and the water bitter.

"We are so glad you are working with us on this, Rosie. We really feel that this move will boost your career and our reputation as a company. Isn't that correct, Tae Min?" he looked to the other man in the room, the middle-aged, flamboyant, and rather arrogant Jin Tae Min. He took a moment to examine Rosella with squinted eyes, a move she was used to. It didn't bother her a bit anymore, so she continued to sit as she did before his not-so-courteous gaze.

"I do think we could make it work," he drawled out in overly formal Korean, "as long as you're going to really work with us. Meaning following... guidelines." Rosella expected this, and nodded her head in agreement.

"I can do that, I think. I will try my best, as I'm able to. But first, I have to ask... is this a drama? If so, a comedy, or romance?" She blushed at the thought of staring into an actor's eyes before a scripted kiss.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Tae Min sneered, "this is 'reality' television," he curled his fingers in air quotations near his professionally sculpted cheeks. Park Jun Ho nodded in agreement with certainty.

"Reality? Oh." Funnily enough, Rosella totally forgot to consider reality television as an option. She was smart enough to know that it was common practice for Oval Entertainment to create reality television shows starring their own celebrities for promotional purposes. Sometimes they even bought spots on national television shows to reach the same end goal. "Alright," she said slowly, looking at Gun Ho. "Which show?"

"Well, Living in Love of course," Park Jun Ho laughed. "Don't you know it's nearly time for production of our most popular show? You must be so dedicated to your training and schedule that you have no time for knowledge like this. I commend your hard work!"

Rosella sat frozen for a moment. She knew about the show, to be sure, as it was a topic of nearly constant conversation amongst trainees at Oval. Living in Love? Her?

Whoa.