Sky Full Of Stars

Walk With Me

Trying to make it big in the music industry is hard. Trying to make it big in the music industry in Seoul, as a non-Korean is even tougher. Trying to make it big in the music industry by being non-Korean, as a member of an all-girl KPop group was as hard as it could get. It was hard, yet, here you were. 7,000 miles from your hometown, living in a tiny dorm room, barely sleeping, eating even less than that, and practicing every spare moment. If you weren't at dance practice, you were in the studio. If you weren't in the studio or the practice room, you were with a vocal coach. Your life revolved around the dream of being a huge star and you were willing to sacrifice everything to see that dream made into a reality.

When you first moved to Seoul, over 2 years ago, it was because you'd been offered a chance to become a trainee at JYP after Park Jinyoung discovered you singing covers on YouTube. He loved your voice but he told you, unequivocally, he wanted you specifically because you were not Korean. He wanted you because he knew you would, naturally, create a buzz due to your American heritage, your European features, and your ability to speak fluent Korean. All those things meant less promotional expense for him. When JYP looked at you, he saw dollar signs.

You grew up in a small town in Georgia, in the US, living a simple life. You had two parents that loved you, an older brother who annoyed you, a tiny bedroom covered with posters of rock bands, and a little red convertible that got you everywhere you needed to go. However, when KPop came calling, you had to leave all those things behind. Your parents were unhappy with your decision, but they supported you nonetheless.

They had flown to Seoul with you, to help you move into the dorms, but they hadn't been able to come back to see you since. Flights to Seoul were expensive and while your parents did well for themselves, they were far from wealthy. You hadn't yet begun to profit with your group, Foxxy, so you were living on the meager stipend of 85,000 won each week offered by JYP, and had been unable to save enough to fly yourself home, let alone bring them both over to visit. However, you didn't complain. This was the life you wanted. These were the dues you had to pay if you wanted to make it.

You were the vocal for your group, focusing on singing, therefore, choreography was usually what you had to work hardest at. The other girls in your group, the leader and the eldest Bong Yeol, the visual Gyu Rin, and the rapper Na Rae-Shi, were all strong dancers. You, were not. In the two years since your debut, Foxxy had experienced a limited amount of success, but nowhere near enough to solidify your place as a true KPop idol.  Especially in your fellow member's eyes.

Over the years, Yeol had grown to accept you, but you were never close. You had always struggled to form a friendship with Rin and Rae-Shi, and the two of them seemed to even delight in your hardships. Usually they were the ones leaving you behind, in the practice room or in your dark dorm, while they went out to dinner, to the movies, shopping, etc. They made it no secret that they felt you didn't belong in KPop being you were not Korean. Your leader, Yeol, or YeYe as she was affectionately called, was cordial to you, but not someone you would call a friend bt any stretch of the imagination.

You had been an outsider in your group from the beginning, and over time you learned to accept it. You were extremely lonely when you first got to Seoul, and had all but accepted the fact that you'd be an outcast forever, but that changed when you, by chance, heard about a group of idols, all born in 97, who had a text chat group.

Being left out of post practice activities by the other members once again, you found yourself alone at the JYP studio very late one night, playing acoustic guitar. A tall boy with shaggy dark hair, and another with plump lips and thin legs that seemed to stretch all the way up to his armpits, appeared on the other side of the glass, watching you. You hadn't noticed them walk in, as you were concentrating on your playing, but when the song was over, you were startled when you heard them start to clap. Smiling at you, the long legged boy pushed the mic button. "That was really good!" he said "Want to do it again, and I'll lay it down for you?"