Yoo Ra's POV
It's the day. The day when all my efforts are paid off. The day that will decide my fate - whether or not my dream will come true.
I looked at the clock - it's 10 am. The audition time slot is at 2 pm, which means I have enough time to do warm-ups, rehearsals and preparations.
Bouncing out of bed, I ran to the bathroom and did my morning routine, except that I put more effort into making myself look good. After all, I needed to look smart. Classy. I searched more than a dozen make-up tutorials and finally, I found the perfect look. As I curled my hair and did my lipstick, I received an incoming call from my mom.
Me: Eomma!
Mom: Aigoo, my Yoo Ra is all grown up now. Don't worry! You'll do fine! Just try your best and nothing will stop you from spreading your wings and flying towards dreamland!
Me: Omg eomma you're making me tear up!
Mom: Yoo ra-ah, 걱정하지마세요 (don't worry)!
Me: Arasseo eomma. Gomawoyo!
The call ended.
It's gonna be fine, Yoo Ra, I thought. I really didn't know what I was feeling right there and then - it was more of a swirl of emotions that I felt. I was happy, excited, yet nervous and anxious. I took another deep breath and continued making myself look good.
I began to sing the song one more last time, making sure that my vocals were in the right pitch and that nothing would go wrong at the audition venue.
As I finished the song, suddenly, there was a voice behind me.
"Wah, Yoo Ra-ah, noh jinja daebak!"
"Ah! 깜짝이야 (you shocked me) !" I screamed.
As I turned behind, I realised it was Ji Yeon and she was holding a bouquet of flowers. Well, she did know my password to my house after all.
"Hwaiting, Yoo Ra! YOU CAN DO IT !" she encouraged as she handed over to me those sweet-scented flowers.
"Aw, you didn't have to do this. But thank you so much," I thanked as I felt a tear creeping in my eye.
"Come here," she said with a smile, extending her arms, waiting for me to suffocate her with my tight envelope. As we ended the hug, I realised that it was time to leave, and we walked out together.
As I hopped onto the bus, my heart raced uncontrollably. With every minute that passed, the anxiety I felt was heightened. Finally, I got off the bus and walked towards a big building that had the words "BigHit Entertainment" on it. As I walked through those gleaming front doors, I saw a sign board that said "Auditions" and had an arrow pointing to the left. I walked where the arrows pointed me to, and eventually reached a big conference room that had already other people auditioning waiting outside. I approached a woman who was seated at a desk. After giving her my particulars, I took a seat nearby.
After fifteen minutes or so, my name was finally announced. "Miss Park Yoo Ra, it's your turn next. Please come in," a man dressed formally gestured towards me. Heaving another deep breath, I stood up and walked into the room.
Inside the room were judges sitting before a counter. I could only recognise one of the judges, who was none other than Bang Shi Hyuk, the founder of BigHit Entertainment. The atmosphere was rather awkward and serious, causing my heart to race even faster and faster.
"Miss Park Yoo Ra, what have you prepared for us today?" PD-nim (Bang Shi Hyuk) asked.
"I-I'm gonna be performing a p-piece by T-Taeyang, it's c-called "Wake me up"," I stuttered. I screwed up so bad, I thought to myself.
"When you're ready, please begin."
I took a deep breath and started singing a capella. At first, I was off to a rocky start and kept stuttering. However as the piece went on and I reached the chorus, I sung with the utmost confidence I had left in me. When the piece finally ended, I opened my eyes and saw satisfied looks on the judges' faces.
"That was amazing. Please give us a moment to discuss."
The judges then began discussing and whispering. Some had serious looks while some seemed to be relaxed. I gulped. Could this be my chance to take flight?
"Before we announce the results, Miss Park Yoo Ra, can we ask you a question?" PD-nim asked politely.
"Ne."
"Why do you want to become an idol? Why do you think you can be that candidate who's accepted as a trainee?"
I gulped as I thought of an answer. However, my mind was blocked. I couldn't think of any logical answer, so I just blurted out whatever was deep in my heart.
"Because all idols start from nothing," I muttered. All the judges had surprised looks on their faces as I took a deep breath.
I continued, "Idols - they're all humans. They're ordinary people who had dreams - big ones - and took opportunities to give their dreams wings and let them take flight. But then again, I find myself often asking this question - why do so many people around the world fangirl or become hardcore fans to these ordinary people who had nothing in the beginning? Why do these people choose to do that? And then I realised, it all revolves around the same idea of life - to make something out of nothing. The ultimate reason why idols have so many fans is because they make people happy. They make people smile. They make people laugh. They motivate people, inspire people, give people confidence. They remind people that they had nothing, and that they had made something. And I want to do that too. I don't only want to share my voice with everyone in the world, I want to make people feel happier. To give others a better life. To make people feel joy just by my voice. And I want people to know that they're something, and not nothing."
I finished off, and then took a moment to realise that the words I said were not planned but rather from my heart. Was what I said logical? Was what I said acceptable?
The PD-nim smiled at me, and said, "Well then, Miss Park Yoo Ra. You've been accepted. Welcome to the team."
