|| Awake || On Hold

|9|

That night Mr.Kim and his son threw me a barbeque party when they heard the news. Oppa was really excited at the knowledge that maybe I would be joining his training team and while I teased him faking my disinterest in being in the same group as him, I was slightly hopeful. It is better to have a known face in a sea full of strangers, right?

My first day at training both had good news and bad news for me. The bad news that despite my expectation I wasn't in the same team as Oppa but a newly formed group that consisted of people that were taken in on the basis of recommendations. The good news for me was that most of the people in my group were very socially active and it didn't take me long to jell in well with most of them.

The first month of the training was beyond what I had expected. They started with the basics of what the company goals are and how are artists managed here. Then they upscaled to teaching how to make use of applications and appliances that we would have to help people in setting up with. Our instructor also joked about how making coffee was also included in the coursework but was scrapped very soon. 

The second month was more of a groundwork where we were sent to see how managers actually worked with artists and trainees and some of them were kind enough and share a few experiences with us. Those of us who had no driving license were made to apply for one and those twenty-five days of torture that consisted of Moonbin Oppa teaching me how to drive. I still believe I would have learned better and faster had it not been for him.

After a lot of training and briefing the time came for the final appraisal came and all of our trainees were made to sit in a waiting room as one-by-one each trainee was called in for the IQ and EQ test, finishing with a PI.

"What do you think?" I asked Mina, an unexpected friend that I made among the trainees. "Do you think you will be selected?"

She turned to me and just looking at her, I got my answer. In some of the simulations and case studies, she had been consistently giving unsatisfactory analysis and answers that were actually quite frowned upon by the instructors. But her biggest positive point is her amazing time and emotion management skills. The girl was always on time, groomed, and had finished each and every task at record time, sometimes surprising the mentors.

I wordlessly pat her shoulder and smile at her. I know she will get selected. She has a passion for it.

In retaliation, she takes my hand in her lap and holds onto them tight till her name is called.

The moment she leaves, time seems to go on faster, and soon it's my turn. The EQ test was relatively less complicated than the one I had taken last night for practice but the IQ test was harder than my expectation. At the end of the test, I was just happy that I got done with it.

Those who had not passed the IQ and EQ test requirements and had scored low in the observations in the last two months were quickly filtered and in a matter of minutes, our strength of thirty had frighteningly reduced to fifteen. I let out a huge breath of relief when I saw Mina standing near the entrance, apparently waiting for me. Ecstatic, we did a small celebration ceremony, being mindful of our surroundings, and took our seats near the end.

Personal interviews were way quicker than the test periods and each time a trainee walked out of the room, we both squirmed in our seats trying to get a better look at their expressions and then subtly try to determine how their interview went. It was a bit foolish to do as even the trainees didn't realize how their interviews went as they walked out of the room. We realized that as soon as we're done.

The results were to come by email so we both held hands and walked down the street that leads to my home. Unfortunately for her, she stays really far and had opted for the dorm option but she found out that her roommates were very uncooperative. When we became close, she literally begged me to let her stay with me, arguing that she was good with sleeping on the floor too. Since I had no one staying with me after Moonbin Oppa moved out for nearly one and a half months now, I was happy to have her stay with me. 

As soon as we both entered the cafe, she went towards the nearest sofa and dropped down dead.  I laughed at her and flicked her forehead before making my way towards the counter and greeting Mr.Kim.

"How did it go?" He asked, putting down the cup he was cleaning.

"Good. It was fine." I say shrugging and steal a cookie from the jar which earned me a glare.

I smile widely at him and pick up the bag that I had abandoned. "If that corpse wakes up, tell her to get ready so that we can go to the chicken shop she wanted to go to." I say to Mr.Kim to which he lets out a soft chuckle and says, "I will never understand her love for chicken"

I quickly make my way upstairs and hop in the shower. One hot shower and spending another fifteen minutes to lazy dress up, I go down again to see the ex-corpse freshly dolled up and out of her formals.

See? This is what I mean by how time punctual she is. She never even misses a minute.

We make our way to the chicken shop in her car where we spend the rest of the day chatting and relaxing over chicken and beer.

"If you get selected...which team do you want to join?" She asks.

If a trainee gets selected, there are four groups they can be placed in. They being; The trainee's team, The office team, the artists' team, and the transfer team usually consist of people who work like extras when any of the aforementioned teams need manpower.

"Umm...judging from the way things are, I would like the trainee's team. It honestly sounds like less work and fun." I say nonchalantly. She gives me a knowing glance and chuckles.

"It's because you know the trainees, don't you? I knew it!" She loudly exclaims, "You never want to step out of your comfort zone, do you? I mean, you are the best trainee among all of us and I know for sure that you will be selected and you want to go to the trainees' team when you are fit for the artist team?" Her words are slurring towards the end and I know she is drunk enough to stop drinking more and be taken home.

"Hmm...let's see what happens tomorrow itself, okay? I think I am full now, lets go home?" I say. Another thing about her is that she is stubborn. If I say she is drunk she will be hell-bent on proving me wrong by chugging down another peg.

In the end, I end up dragging her home and by the time we reach my house I see the cafe lights off but the main entrance lights on. I drag both of us inside and drop her on her bed after which I check the cafe for the last time and switch off all the lights and finally sleep. 

I lay in bed thinking about what she said back in the restaurant. What if I am really selected? what if I am really put in the artists' team?

It was common sense that since BigHit only had two active artists/groups, I would either be placed in the Bangtan team or the Lee Hyun team. And...to be honest, I don't know how I feel about that...

I don't know when I fell asleep with my head full of those thoughts but by the time I woke up, I guessed it was already ten by the water running in the shower. Her habit of doing things at the same time each day was getting downright scary.

Only when I get out of my sleep daze do I look at the clock and realize that the result time was fast approaching. 

At ten-thirty in the morning were to get our mails either confirming or rejecting our job at BigHit.