Behind The Scenes: Book Two || Jihope

XVIII: The Story Pt. 1

:-(

For such a bright place, the city of angels had quite dark nights. With a full moon illuminating the oversized bedroom of the house they had rented for their stay, a few silent words resonated around it's four walls. "It all started when I was accepted as a trainee" Jimin spoke as he faced Hoseok. The darkness of the place showered both of them with a calming yet relaxing atmosphere in which Jimin felt quite safe. He had not planned on telling Hobi about his problems just yet, but after having had a little breakdown after having filmed for a *New Year broadcast, he decided to speak about it.

"What happened then?" Hoseok asked tenderly, sending Jimin's mind to travel back in time.

"Well..."

***

"You are doing contemporary steps. This is hip hop" The teacher spoke sternly as he turned his gaze towards Jimin. He had been accepted as a trainee a little over a month ago and today was his first monthly evaluation. If he was honest, when his dance teacher proposed for him to audition for an entertainment company, this was not what he had in mind. The audition had been smooth, thanks to his dancing but having arrived all the way from Busan to the city of Seoul by himself had been scary, to say the least. Living with a group of strangers had been even scarier. He had tried to make friends with them, but everyone seemed to be too focused on making it into the band the company was about to debut.

Jimin had heard about those guys, apparently trainees with an average of three years of training. They had been selected to form a band and they were certain to debut next year. If he was honest, Jimin had thought of himself as good enough to be picked for a group until the day he arrived to the BigHit building and started training sessions.

The talent in the company far surpassed his and he was sure that he would get cut anytime soon. He, however, didn't want to be fired. He had spent a good amount of money coming all the way from Busan and paying for the audition. He wanted to make it as an artist. His friends had told him that had he been smarter, he would've auditioned for another company, one that would guarantee success but Jimin didn't care about those comments. He was certain that he was where he needed to be, and if he wasn't well then life would let him know sooner or later.

That is why he gave nothing but his best effort as he gracefully moved across the room trying to replicate the choreography he had been taught. After having passed the dancing test, he was sent into the studio for singing examination. As a trainee, he also took acting, modeling, language and etiquette lessons but those were not usually evaluated.

Jimin walked into the studio feeling like there was no air around for him to breath. He was really tired. If he couldn't even breath, he didn't know how he was supposed to sing. "You feeling alright Jiminie?" a sweet familiar voice spoke next to him. One of the few friends he had made in the training camp, Koh Jisung. Jimin nodded, but in reality he was not doing very well. He needed to rest. "It's alright" Jisung had told him apparently having noted his discomfort. "Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth" the older had advised him. Jimin did so, almost immediately feeling life getting back to his body.

When it was his turn to record, Jimin was given a piece from one of the hottest Korean bands in existence: Big Bang. He was glad since he knew the lyrics well, but filling in their shoes was quite a challenge. He took a deep breath and started singing. Not longer than a minute later his session was cut. "Thank you" the instructor said gesturing with his hand for Jimin to exit the studio. Jimin felt his knees getting weak. What was happening? Had he done bad? He really didn't know. He was too new and he was unsure of what he was supposed to do. "You can retire, now" the instructor said, making Jimin snap out of his worries. He bowed and walked away feeling a lump in his throat. He was confused and a little afraid of what had just gone down. He saw Jisung lifting his thumbs, encouraging him. Jimin smiled and exited the studio. He would have to wait until the next day to know the results.