got7 ; 2jae | rewind ↺

chapter 06 | what u need

___

"honestly, this place is beyond any imagination.." youngjae mumbled to himself but his words were heard by both boys who chuckled at the wandering figure beside them.

what brought youngjae back to his upright state was a ringtone that rung through the depths of his backpack with a vibrating alarm.

it was 'ring ding dong' by shinee, suddenly erupting from his phone as he fumbled to pick it up. "hi mom—" he was cut off.

"—CHOI YOUNGJAE! OH MY GOODNESS CONGRATULATIONS—"

yugyeom laughed as youngjae tore the phone away from his eardrums that were most likely damaged from the excessive volume, thanks to his beloved family members who weren't able to contain the happiness within themselves.

"thanks mom," youngjae whispered, his eyes warry, "if it wasn't for you—"

"—oh don't even start," his mother cautioned with a laugh that could be heard from the other end of the connection, "i'm at the front of the building."

"okay, i'll be there in a minute," youngjae assured her; his mom's faint 'see you' murmured lightly before he ended the call.

pulling the phone into the back pocket of his jeans, youngjae faced yugyeom and brian with a smile, "thank you so much for everything," he beamed, "i have to go now, but i really hope i can see both of you soon enough."

"welcome to the jyp family," brian pulled him into a hug, yugyeom following him as he asked, "will you be fine finding your way around here?"

"after such a detailed tour? most definitely," youngjae thanked them again, and with a wave of goodbye; shuffled back towards the building's main reception.

the walls plastered with posters and photo frames seemed familiar as he passed them by now. but it was equally difficult to not stop midway and gawk at the beautiful faces printed in such quality that they almost seemed to pop out.

with a couple of swift turns and climbing down the staircase - youngjae found himself at the destined spot without any complications or getting lost or bumping into celebrities. that last point was quite unfortunate.

behind the sliding glass doors he could see his mom wobbling from foot to foot. youngjae walked out and waved at her to come in, the guard by the entrance once more approving of his actions as they hurried back inside with smiles on both their faces. his mom proceeded to hug him and shower him with words of pride, and youngjae couldn't help but be a bit flustered by such motherly affection as they stood in the lobby.

"c'mon, i don't want to keep jyp-nim waiting," youngjae let his mom ruffle his hair one last time before they marched quietly towards the direction that youngjae lead them through.

his mom, a woman in her later years, was eagerly strolling behind her son, observing each detail of each hall they passed.

upon their arrival to the office, youngjae knocked twice, his knuckles soft against the wooden surface of the door.

he could hear a murmur of moving chairs and a series of steps that whispered louder with each moment, and as the door creaked open; youngjae expected to see jyp, with his dark hair and thin eyes and a smile that would overlap his cheeks.

but instead he saw im jaebum. the im jaebum.

"you're choi youngjae?" his voice was deep, and the younger boy could only nod weakly as jaebum opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in, along with his mom who followed him into the room.

the office had one wall of windows exposing the busy city's landscapes. photographs, certificates and such manner decorated the rest of the open space. a table neatly stacked at one end with chairs on both sides, a sofa was plastered near the entrance, and small potted plants dominated in the corners.

"youngjae-ah, and mrs.choi?" jyp stood up from his desk to greet the pair.

both bowed as formalities required, and with that, jyp gestured for them to sit down in front of him. behind them, jaebum sat on the sofa, his elbows on his knees as his hands entangled with each other.

"it's very nice to meet you," jyp smiled, and youngjae's mom replied kindly with the same words in response. jyp's hands also clutched together as he leaned his elbows onto the table's top. "as you may already know," jyp began, "youngjae-ah successfully passed his second audition today and so myself and the judging panel agreed to take him in as a trainee under jyp entertainment from today on."

youngjae looked down for a moment, a smile lingering on his lips.

"now, as for youngjae-ah is still underage, it is accustomed for his legal guardian to additionally sign the contract's regulations," jyp took out a bundle of papers and handed it to youngjae's mother with care.

the woman scanned through it, her eyes tugging at the writing with sense and consideration as she hummed the words to herself. a moment of silence passed. "are you sure this is what you want to do?" she turned to youngjae.

"it's all i ever wanted to do," youngjae whispered.

___
what am i doing

written: august 2, 2017
published: august 21, 2017

니카 ✿