Tendae

All her life, Kim Jisoo has been told she was pretty. And it wasn't just her parents; it was her friends, her teachers, the lady who she helped cross the street, the kid she babysat, and even the bus driver. She was known for being pretty, but she hated it. She wanted to prove that she was more than just a pretty face. She wanted to sing.
When YG Family offered her a contract, they initially wanted her to model. Modelling was a job where she would only need to stay pretty. She hated even the idea of it.
"No," Jisoo told YG's directors, "I want to sing."
When YG representatives declined her demand, she stood up to leave the room. She didn't look back. Luckily, a company representative called the next day to say that they were willing to fulfill her request. She visited the building again and the rest was history.
Little did she know that this was just the beginning of the journey. She had to undergo years of rigorous training to the point of almost giving up. She faced criticism of her singing. Directors scolded her for her lack of energy when dancing.The training was harsh, but she enjoyed her journey because no one told her she was pretty, and no one treated her special because of her appearance. She pushed herself to improve until one day the directors finally told her, "Good job today, Jisoo. Keep it up."
Everyone was focused towards one goal: To improve and become good enough to debut.
Jisoo was practicing dance moves with fellow female trainees Jennie, Lisa and Rose in the basement of the YG building when a director knocked the door. The girls turned off the music and bowed as the director entered.
"Jisoo," the female director said, "tomorrow you'll be shooting a music video with Lee Hayi and Suhyun."
Jisoo was surprised by the announcement, her eyes widening in shock. She bowed as a gesture of confirmation and said, "I will work hard."
When the director left, the girls started screaming in joy. This was quite a big deal for trainees. You see, all the other female trainees in her group had been given this type of opportunity, while Jisoo had been kept in the dark for the longest time. Jennie had been featured in Jiyong's album and even made an appearance in his music video, Rose was also featured in Jiyong's album, while Lisa modeled for YG products and danced in Taeyang's music video. Although Jisoo had modeling gigs here and there, she had never been asked to work with other YG artists.
This opportunity was only given to trainees who had shown massive improvement as a gesture of encouragement from the YG directors to keep up the good work. It was also rumored that trainees who was given the opportunity to work with YG artists are set to debut; it was an unwritten contract.
Her fellow trainees screamed in unison. It was so loud that Jisoo could only hear several words consisting of "Oh my god!", "Unnie!", "Congratulations!" and "I love you!".
Jisoo, too, was happy.
--
Bobby, or Kim Jiwon was proud of the lyrics he had written for Lee Hayi and Suhyun's song. And for him to be given this role -- the handsome heartbreaker that two girls were fighting over -- was flattering. All his life, Bobby was teased for his appearance. His crooked buck teeth and his slanted eyes was often the target of endless teasing from his friends.
However, Bobby was always told that he was talented; that his rapping and songwriting skills were undeniable. So he never listened to a word people said; he had always been proud of himself. Now, Bobby was considered handsome, so now it was time to ace this.
Bobby was invited to shoot the music video with the girls and he was excited. He had grown close to the two best friends over the years and considered them his little sisters. So when he arrived on set, they warmly welcomed him before proceeding to tease him for his handsomeness.
"Oh my god our handsome Bobby oppa is here!" Hayi teased playfully. "Suhyun, he's mine!"
"Unnie, go away! He's mine!" Suhyun followed suit. They then proceeded to jokingly play tug of war using Bobby's arms.
Bobby always had fun with the two girls and he was more than happy to spend a full three days with them to shoot the video. But that day, Bobby was in for a surprise.
The crew announced that a female trainee would participate in the shoot as well. She was here today to watch, but would start filming in the last and final day. The crew introduced the three of them to the female trainee, Kim Jisoo, who bowed politely to the three of them and told them that she would work hard.
Bobby had met Jisoo plenty of times. During the monthly evaluation, all trainees -- girls and boys alike -- would gather at the biggest training room in the YG building to showcase their newest dance moves and vocal improvements. It was during these sessions that Bobby first met Jisoo. Since then, Bobby always paid attention to the girl with the cheerful and warm smile.
The group that Jisoo was in consisted of four talented and attractive girls, but Bobby couldn't keep his eyes off Jisoo; she was the hardest working trainee in her group. She was the oldest member in the team, but she was the most playful and often cracked jokes, which made not only her teammates but the other trainees -- including Bobby -- laugh.
Every month, the YG directors' criticism would always be aimed towards Jisoo, who was never discouraged by their sometimes harsh comments. She took the criticism with a smile and she continued to work hard. Bobby remembered that it was last month that the directors finally praised Jisoo, "Good job". He somehow felt happy to see her grinning from ear to ear and see her eyes widen in disbelief at the two words she never heard from the directors before. He was proud to see her improve.
Bobby, however, never exchanged more than 10 words with the female trainee. Jisoo had once told Bobby, "I like your doll," while they passed each other in the training room, pointing to the small Winnie the Pooh plush that Bobby carried everywhere as a good luck charm, to which Bobby awkwardly replied, "Me, too."
Jisoo frowned, then giggled at Bobby's strange response, while the latter, to this day, always regretted his lame comeback. Why did I say 'me, too'...
Now was his chance to make a good impression on Jisoo.
The crew then left the four of them to get to know each other before shooting began. Like the evaluation sessions, Bobby also couldn't stop staring at the beautiful trainee again; her eyes were innocent, her small nose turned upwards and her lips were small but plump in the shape of a heart. The way her lips rested would always show her small set of teeth.
Bobby shook his head back to reality and noticed that no one was speaking. They only awkwardly exchanged smiles and nods. This was his time to shine.
"Hey, it's two Lees and two Kims today!" Bobby said jokingly to the girls. He was referring to their family names; Hayi and Suhyun were Lees while Bobby and Jisoo were Kims.
The joke, however, was met with lukewarm response by Hayi and Suhyun, who mock-frowned at Bobby for his dad-joke. Jisoo, however, threw her head back in laughter. Bobby sighed in relief and joined Jisoo's laughter, glad that someone was in the same wavelength to him when it came to lame jokes.
"So you're playing the guy that the girls are fighting over?" Jisoo asked Bobby, gesturing her arms towards Hayi and Suhyun.
Bobby raised his eyebrows up and down in confirmation and smirked at Jisoo, proud of his role today.
"Girls, I don't think he's worth it," Jisoo jokingly whispered to Hayi and Suhyun loud enough for Bobby to hear. "Let's go!"
The two best friends nodded and giggled at Jisoo's joke, and the three of them walked away from Bobby while still whispering loudly about him. Jisoo turned her head back to smile at Bobby, and she was out of sight.
Bobby smiled and shook his head at Jisoo's antics. We're definitely gonna get along, Bobby said to himself.
—
It was the third and last day of filming for Hayi, Suhyun, and Bobby, but the first and only day of filming for Jisoo. She had only been watching the past two days and was excited to finally join the fun. After hair and makeup was ready, Jisoo was escorted on set. The first set was inside a bus and the instructions were simple enough; "Act like you're in love with Bobby," the director told her.
Jisoo sat inside the bus on the window seat. Bobby shortly entered the bus and greeted Jisoo.
"Hey," Bobby said to Jisoo. His eyes disappeared as he smiled.
"Hi there," Jisoo said, returning his smile.
Bobby sat on the aisle seat beside Jisoo. Hayi and Suhyun entered the bus and sat together on the back as instructed by the director. The girls exchanged greetings but the director soon asked them to quiet down to start filming.
The music was then turned on and the acting commenced.
Bobby put an arm around Jisoo's neck, and used his free hand to hold Jisoo's. He turned to face Jisoo and looked into her eyes. Jisoo looked back into Bobby's eyes. They stared at one another for a while, apparently much longer than they were supposed to because the director suddenly yelled, "Bobby! Jisoo! Stop with the staring, start with the acting!"
The two were brought back to reality, their faces hot and bright red, and cleared their throat, as if it would get rid of their embarassment.
The two resumed to act lovey dovey; Jisoo resting her head on Bobby's shoulder, while Bobby looked at the girl lovingly. They then started to hold hands, and stared out the bus' window, as if they were really in the middle of a commute for a date at the theme park. Jisoo hated skinship; she even hates it with her fellow teammates. If it wasn't for Lisa who initiated so much skinship, she would never participate.
But her skinship with Bobby felt real. It felt comfortable.
The filming inside the bus went on for another hour, which meant another hour of leaning heads and holding hands. They then proceeded to film in a nearby theme park, where the four of them would ride bumper cars.
Jisoo and Bobby were told to enjoy their time in the bumper cars, and try to avoid the wrath of Hayi and Suhyun. Suhyun was such a skilled and rough bumper car driver that Bobby had a difficult -- but nevertheless fun -- time trying to avoid the former. Bobby and Jisoo laughed until their stomachs and cheeks turned sore.
After the cameras stopped rolling, Jisoo jumped out of the car she had been riding with Bobby and entered an empty one. The bucktoothed boy watched the girl in confusion, wondering what she was up to. As soon as the girl turned on the empty bumper car, she eyed Bobby and made her way towards the boy's car.
Now he understood what she was doing. She was out to get him.
Jisoo bumped into Bobby's car hard enough for his body to be strained by the seatbelt. Jisoo threw her head back in laughter and continued to chase Bobby as he drove away. Hayi and Suhyun followed suit and chased Bobby in separate bumper cars.
The four of them played in the bumper cars until the director told them it was time to wrap things up.
"Bobby oppa, thank you for helping us," said Hayi and Suhyun in unison as they bowed to the older boy. They had thanked Jisoo earlier and exchanged their numbers.
Bobby leaned forward to hug the two girls while Jisoo watched from afar. Jisoo had always been intrigued of the boy; he looked tough, like the school bully that everyone would avoid eye contact with, his biceps were chiseled, and his gaze was piercing. Bobby, however, had the softest heart; he was a reliable member within his team, he always smiled at everyone who made eye contact with him, he carried his tiny Pooh doll everywhere he went, and his phone case was a picture of his grandmother.
And now, the tall boy with the chiseled muscles was warmly hugging the two girls. Jisoo smiled at the sight, adding to her intrigue of Bobby.
After Bobby finished his greetings with Hayi and Suhyun, he made his way towards Jisoo.
"Hey," Bobby greeted Jisoo as he stopped to stand across her.
"Hi there," the girl greeted back.
"Thanks for being my girlfriend for the day," he said, grinning.
The bucktoothed boy leaned forward for a hug, which Jisoo welcomed with open arms. Jisoo leaned in towards Bobby's embrace and rested her chin on his shoulder. The two swung their bodies side to side, grinning in happiness while doing so.
"Thanks for being my boyfriend for the day," Jisoo told Bobby.
Maybe because Bobby came from the US that he wasn't embarassed with skinship. And maybe it was because of Lisa's constant skinship that Jisoo was now comfortable with hugging Bobby.
—

A year later, Bobby was found in the studio by Hanbin and Donghyuk working 24/7 over a mixtape he seemed to be so preoccupied with. With Bobby's hobby of chilling and sleeping, Hanbin and Donghyuk found it odd for Bobby to be working on something after their hectic schedules and workload.

"So what have you been up to?" The leader asked the boy as they enter the room to which startled Bobby by their presence.

"Yah you could've knocked?"

"Even if I knocked you wouldn't notice us because you are so focused on what youre working on." Donghyuk countered.

"Point taken." Bobby replied then resume to work.

"So mind if we listen to it? Give you some constructive criticism and all?" Hanbin asked.

"Sure but wait I'll just finish this last track in a bit."

The two boys nodded then headed to the sofa to chill while waiting for Bobby to finish whatever he was doing with the track. A few minutes later, the two were summoned by Bobby to finally listen to his much worked on mixtape. Upon listening, Bobby was nervous for the feedback the two would give since this would be his first time to work on something with his sole efforts only. In some tracks, the two would be bobbing their heads to the beat while giving him a thumbs up while on some tracks he was given a questioning look by the two but still smiled. After finishing the listening session of his work, the two were smiling at Bobby proudly yet with a tinge of mischieviousness.

"Hyung this mixtape was great." Donghyuk commending Bobby to break the ice.

"I would agree with Donghyuk on this one. Although I have a suggestion for the last track's beat but overall the vibe was nice" Hanbin added.

Hearing such compliments, Bobby was then smiling from ear to ear. "Your lyrics are a bit sweet and has been giving me butterflies while listening to it, Hyung. You must've been inspired all along since you've started that track." Donghyuk suddenly teased his hyung to which he just smiled at.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Hanbin asked straightforwardly.

"Girl? Tsk. I don't know who you're talking about" Bobby tried to evade the question but was taken aback by Donghyuk's comment. "Jisoo-ssi would love to hear this"

"Yah why her all of the sudden?" He nervously retorted. Hanbin patted his shoulder to calm his nerves down "You're turning red now. But you're not denying it either". Staying silent for a moment, Donghyuk and Hanbin then nodded that they were right on the intuition that Jisoo had a great influence on Bobby's work.

"Okay, you two got me. But please don't tell the other members. I don't want them tease me further for this." The buckteeth boy sighed.

"Sure, Hyung" Donghyuk assured Bobby.

"Will she ever know?" Hanbin asked. Bobby raised his head to look at Hanbin then contemplated before answering "Nope". Perplexed by his reply, Hanbin explained "We will not tell the members about how Jisoo was your muse for this mixtape. But I doubt that when this gets released, the members would already know that this was about Jisoo without us confirming them."

"Hyung, ever since we worked with Jisoo-ssi in those campaigns, we knew in your eyes that you liked her not as a co-worker but something more. I was surprised that she doesn't know you liked her that much" Donghyuk added.

Hearing their concern, Bobby finally explained his side of the things. "The reason why I don't want to tell her I like her is not because I was afraid of rejection. But because maybe I was just caught up upon the moment of having her presence. And with such feelings boiling up on me, I know it's not right to act up on the moment given that she's about to debut and the last thing she needs right now is a scandal. So instead of doing rash things, I decided to turn it into some music. Seeing her warm smile is already enough for me. And besides, I know she'll meet someone better in time that is suited for her."

The two boys was taken aback by Bobby's thoughts. "Could you give me a copy of these tracks? I'll send them to sajangnim" Hanbin asked to which Bobby was surprised given the deep topic they were engrossed in awhile ago.

"Sure. But I doubt sajangnim would approve these as our group's track or anything." Bobby replied. "No, I'm not sending him these as proposals for our group. I'll send these as a proposal for your solo." Hanbin replied with a smile. Bobby smiled back and thanked him.

"You know, Hyung. You need give yourself credit too. I think you should take a chance at things." Donghyuk patted Bobby's back.

"I already did with these songs." Bobby turned to him with a smile.