The Audition
Minji stood in front of a large and sleek building as she felt her mouth go dry. The tall and expensive building was rather intimidating. Especially because this was her last chance, and she couldn’t fuck it up.
Today was her last audition. If she failed this, she would finally give up. She had made a promise to herself and her family that if she failed to make it through that, she would finally give up her lifelong dream of becoming a singer.
Minji had been a trainee at a small but very good company for years. They had treated her well, and she had even been promised to debut. She had been happy. They were supposed to debut this year, but the company suddenly had financial issues and ended up shutting down for good a few months before her scheduled debut.
Now Minji was older than most idols and was out of a place to stay or a job. Her last chance was this agency, but she knew that the chances of making it were slim, but the cheerful girl was determined to give it her all even if her chances of passing are slim to none.
What made her even more nervous was the CEO of the company, Bae Joohyun. She preferred to go by her old stage name Irene, but the ex-idol and now CEO always made Minji nervous.
Irene’s cold personality and eyes that would look over every inch of you as she decided if you had enough talent to join her agency and beautiful looks always made Minji nervous every time she would see her at music shows.
Luckily Irene hadn’t been part of the auditions for several years, so Minji felt a bit of relief, but it didn’t stop her nervousness completely. But the only way to get over it was to face her fears. She thought to herself as she took a nervous breath and walked into the building.
Minji’s heart sank as she looked at all the younger girls standing in the waiting room and practicing for their audition. She was several years older than most. How could she possibly pass if this was the age range the company was looking for?
“you look really nervous…” a smiling girl with pink hair said as she noticed Minji go pale.
“I am… I don’t know if I should be here…” Minji said as she scanned the room once more.
“I think you should try it. You don’t know what will happen until you try, right?” the pink-haired girl said with a beautiful smile.
“true,” Minji said as she smiled back and examined the girl in front of her.
She was shorter than Minji and still had those cute baby cheeks and a beautiful smile. If she failed this audition, then Minji was sure that these people couldn’t see the true potential in people.
“I'm Gahyeon, by the way. And you are?” Gahyeon asked as she held out her and politely with a smile.
“Minji,” she said with a smile as she took Gahyeon’s hand and shook it happily.
“I hope we both pass!” Gahyeon said cheerfully as Minji nodded as she felt her excitement return. This girl matched her personality well. They were both positive and loved to smile. Minji really did hope that they both would pass. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.
The two of them walked up to the front desk and got their numbers and pinned them to their shirts and waited. There were going to be around a hundred people auditioning, and they would do them in batches of five.
But what made them nervous is that they were both to be part of the last two groups to go back. Gahyeon was number 93 while Minji was number 98. That meant that the judges would have started getting tired or bored by the time that their auditions came along.
Both girls felt their hearts sink but quickly shook it off as they prepared for their auditions. They didn't have time to doubt themselves. They talked about several things as they watched people come in and out of the audition room. They could tell who passed or failed just by their expressions.
“it looks like not many are passing…” Gahyeon said as she nervously grabbed Minji’s hand without thinking. Minji smiled as she looked at the cute girl, but she agreed. Not many had passed already. They were known for being strict, but how high were their standards?
“at least Irene won't be here. I heard that she hasn’t been to the auditions for the last several years.” Minji said as Gahyeon nodded.
“it would be kind of cool if she were to be here, though. I really loved her music when I was younger.” Gahyeon said as Minji shivered.
“In the last company I was in, they had us be backup dancers for one of their groups to help us get comfortable being on stage. I would always see Irene at the music shows as she watched her groups perform. It was like she was constantly watching us. Like she was judging if we were worth the effort… every time I looked up, her eyes were always on me.” Minji said as Gahyeon hugged her tightly.
“I'm sure that’s not why. She has an eye for talent. Maybe that’s why she was watching you. you never know.” Gahyeon said as Minji smiled. Gahyeon was so positive, but she didn’t know the rumors about Irene. She was infamous for her cold stare and honest words, whether they would be kind or cruel.
It had been several hours, and their turns were getting closer. The numbers were 86 through 90, and Gahyeon was so nervous she was practically vibrating off of the seat as she bounced her leg in anxiety.
When it was finally Gahyeon’s turn, she looked like she was about to throw up but walked into the room while trying to look confident. It was several minutes later when everyone walked out. Minji couldn’t tell if Gahyeon had passed or failed. She just looked completely shocked.
Minji went to walk over to ask if everything was alright when her number was called. Minji frowned but walked into the room while looking over her shoulder at the pink-haired girl who just flopped back into her seat and waited for Minji.
When Minji finally looked forward though she could feel her blood run cold. There in the center of the judges was Irene herself. Her cold expression was just like Minji remembered it. She quickly scanned over the trainees when her eyes locked onto Minji’s. She slowly examined Minji and looked at her vivid red hair.
Minji felt her palms sweating from nervousness as Irene’s eyes were on her and felt her heart sink when she watched Irene slightly frown as her brows scrunched together slightly. It wouldn’t be noticeable to most, but Minji noticed it right away.
Was there something wrong with her looks? Did she hate her hair? Minji had dyed it specifically for this audition. When Irene had talked to her for the first time as a backup dancer, it was to compliment her red hair. Did she no longer like it?
Minji knew that she was overthinking things and quickly smiled. She noticed Irene’s eyes flick to her lips and then quickly shifted to the next person as her expression went back to normal like nothing happened.
Minji watched the girls in front of her perform and started to feel nervous. She had prepared two songs. One was in English while the other was in Korean, but most trainees only had one song and seemed to finish fast. Did she make the wrong decision?
For most of the performances, Irene looked uninterested, but when Minji’s name was called, the cold CEO looked up with interest. She knew that Minji was a skilled dancer. Now she could see how she was as a vocalist as well. She had to admit that she had been waiting for this moment all day.
Minji stood and walked forward with a smile. She refused to let Irene make her nervous. She looked into the CEO's eyes with confidence as she noticed the faintest smirk on the CEO's lips. Minji didn’t know what it meant but pushed it aside and focused on her performance.
The music started. She wanted to show her dancing ability as well as singing and chose lucky strike by maroon 5 as her English song. The entire time her eyes never left Irene’s as she started the performance.
Irene watched with interest and noticed her choice of songs. That faint smirk appeared on her lips once more as they stared at each other. Irene watched every move, and every breath she took. She didn’t take her eyes from the redhead for even a second.
The song finally came to an end as Irene watched the rise and fall of Minji’s chest. She was impressed, but she didn’t want to show it and went to make notes when suddenly Minji unzipped the black jacket that she was wearing to reveal a black outfit that was tight but covered what needed to be covered.
When the next song started, Irene was shocked to hear the hauntingly slow sound and looked down at the paper to look at the song's name. Guilty by Stellar. Interesting. Minji started the performance and followed the choreography to the slow song as Irene watched her carefully.
The smooth movements led to a body roll that caught the CEO's attention. The farther the song went, the more Irene sat up and watched the performance intently. The CEO was so focused on Minji’s performance that she forgot that there were others still in the room. To her, there was no one in the room but the two of them.
Irene’s eyes went wide at the final pose and quickly looked down at the paper to calm herself. She couldn’t show the others she was flustered and quickly jotted down some notes on Minji’s paper. The girl stood in the center of the room, waiting for the judges to decide. Did she pass or fail?
Minji walked out of the room in shock. Gahyeon looked up and saw her expression and instantly ran over to her new friend. She feared the worst from her lack of expression.
“oh no… please tell me they didn’t fail you…” Gahyeon whispered as Minji looked up.
“I, I passed…” Minji said as Gahyeon froze and looked up in excitement.
“seriously?!” Gahyeon asked as Minji nodded. She was still in shock.
“Congratulations! I can't believe we both passed!” Gahyeon shrieked in excitement as she hugged the older girl as Minji smiled and let out a breath in relief.
“what happened?” Gahyeon asked as Minji looked at her in disbelief.
“I technically failed. There was only one person that voted to keep me. It was Irene…” Minji said as Gahyeon looked at her in shock.
“I heard she didn’t pass anyone all day!” Gahyeon said excitedly as Minji just shook her head. It was so much to take in. They would talk about contracts tomorrow, and once she became an official trainee of monster entertainment, she would be shown where she would be living. Everything she had hoped for was happening, but she still couldn’t believe it. She actually made it.
-Irene-
Irene sat at her large desk as she rummaged through her papers on her desk and planned her day. It was going to be busy with everything that she had planned for the week, but she always wanted to look over everything just to make sure her day would go as planned.
Irene was to hold an audition for her company, and she liked to look over the applicants though not many would catch her eye. It was rare now, and for the last several years, no one had caught her interest, so she didn’t bother to show up. But as she flipped through the applications, she froze when she spotted a familiar face.
Irene looked closer at the application and smiled in amusement. This applicant she knew quite well. Kim Minji. She had kept her eye on her for several years and had even offered to buy her contract from her previous company. But now she was applying? Irene wondered what happened and quickly turned to her computer and did a quick search.
“hmm… it seems that it went out of business only recently… but what happened to all of their trainees?” Irene mused as she looked back at the paper. Minji was older than most that they would pass, but Irene knew the talent that the girl had with dancing and couldn’t deny she was curious about her singing ability too.
In fact, she was curious about many things when it came to Minji. in the beginning, it had started with Irene recognizing her talent, but as Minji got older, Irene started to notice more and more things about her. She could recognize her laugh right away and loved to watch her dance. The cheery girl would turn fierce in seconds when she would perform.
Those eyes… she could always imagine those eyes in her head and had to admit maybe she wasn’t just interested in her for her talent alone anymore. Every time she would remember their eyes locking, she would feel chills down her spine, but she pushed it out of her mind as she went to continue looking through the applicants.
Irene had only got a couple of pages in when a thought entered her head. From what she knew, Minji stayed at the company's dorm with the other trainees. What happened to her once the company went bankrupt?
Irene quickly made some quick calls and frowned at what she heard. All of the trainees were kicked out of their dorms a week ago. Where had Minji been staying? Had she been eating properly? Irene wondered but quickly shook her head as she cleared her thoughts. She needed to be unbiased in her decisions.
All week Irene was torn on what to do. The smiling girl was always on her mind, and it was driving her crazy. Why did she care about what happened to this girl so much? She was just another trainee that failed, right? But the thought of never seeing Minji again made her extremely frustrated though she had no idea why.
It was now the day of the auditions, and she couldn’t believe what she was about to do. It was against her better judgment, but just before the auditions started, Irene walked in and took her seat that usually remained empty.
The news spread quickly. Everyone knew that Irene would only sit in for the auditions if she saw talent in someone, and they were curious to see who the lucky trainee was. They had no idea what they were in for.
Irene was bored for most of the day. The only one that caught her eye so far was a cute girl with pink hair, but it wasn’t Minji. It wasn’t the girl she had been waiting all day to see. Nothing compared to Minji. But she was next, and suddenly Irene felt excitement.
When Minji and the others walked in, Irene’s breath caught in her chest. She quickly glanced down at the picture attached to Minji’s profile as she frowned. Black. Her hair was black in the photo, but the girl standing before her had vivid red hair, and it made Irene’s mouth go dry.
Was Minji doing this on purpose? Irene had once mentioned that she loved red hair and that it suited Minji very well when they had talked briefly. Now Minji showed up with that same color that caught Irene’s attention before.
She slowly looked Minji up and down as her eyes hovered at her beautiful red hair and for just a second at her lips. But as soon as she did, the girl smiled at her. Was she caught? Irene wondered, but she brushed it off as the music started.
When lucky strike played, Irene couldn’t help but be intrigued. Did Minji understand the lyrics of the song, or was she just wanting to show that she could sing in English? Irene wasn’t sure, but she had to admit she was enjoying the performance.
Minji was doing amazingly as expected. Irene had loved her dancing from the beginning, but what she wasn’t expecting was what Minji did next.
“she took me inside, and then she rocked me. She keep me up all night, this is what it sounds like!” Minji sang as she held Irene’s stare and winked at her. The CEO froze as she replayed what just happened in her head. She felt her face flush but ignored it as she continued to watch the performance.
She was relieved when it finally ended. But when the next song started and Minji unzipped her jacket to show her tight black long-sleeve shirt, Irene suddenly felt nervous. The song started off with an interesting vibe, and Irene couldn’t help but be excited about what would happen next.
When Minji got into position, Irene’s eyes went wide. Minji stood with her back to them with her wrists behind her back. The first thing that Irene thought of was being bound and quickly shook her head to clear it as she watched the girl intently.
The song sounded slow and sexual to Irene, but was that just her mind turning it to what she wanted? Irene wasn’t sure, but when one of the moves mimicked Minji taking off her shirt, Irene could feel herself gulp as she observed carefully.
She watched the slow hip movements, and the intense expression Minji held and couldn’t take her eyes off of the redhead even if she wanted to. It was like she was under a spell as she watched the redhead’s smooth and slow movements.
When Minji knelt down, looking off to the side and held her hands above her head with her wrists crossed, Irene felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine. Her mind started to run wild with images of the two of them alone and in that same position but quickly cleared her thoughts. She was supposed to be professional and unbiased. Not dreaming of what she wanted to do with the redhead, but Minji was making it hard to focus.
But when Minji started to do even more moves, Irene couldn’t help where her mind led her. The more Minji danced, the more Irene’s mind wandered, but her attention was quickly brought back right at the end.
Irene almost choked as she watched Minji spin around and kneeled with her hands behind her back. The song ended, but Irene’s mind was still running wild. She instantly thought of the younger girl on her knees before her looking at her pleadingly as her hands were bound behind her back. She was begging for Irene to touch her, and quickly the CEO looked at her papers in an attempt to clear the images as she quickly started writing random things on it to try and clear her head. But nothing could get that image out of her mind.
She looked up to see Minji slowly rise and turn and regretted it immediately. Minji’s hair was tousled and clung to the sweat around her face, and Irene had to admit the girl looked absolutely breathtaking as she breathed heavily and looked at Irene and Irene alone.
It was now time to discuss if Minji passed or failed. Irene listened to the judges and frowned. The words ‘too old’ were thrown around too much for Irene’s liking. Minji was a bit old for a trainee, but she had almost all of the training needed to debut.
Her vocals were absolutely amazing and barely needed any work, and her dancing was the best they had seen all day. If anything, Minji was ready to debut, but the judges were only focusing on her age. Was this what happens when she doesn’t attend the auditions? They pass up talent just because of their age?
Irene quietly cleared her throat, and the judges instantly went quiet as they looked at her. The look on her face showed them that she was displeased. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“so, let me understand this properly… you are passing up a girl who already has enough training to debut tomorrow only because she isn’t as young as you would prefer? She was the best dancer we have seen all day and one of the best vocals too. imagine what she could do with a couple of months under Siyeon’s vocal training?” Irene said as everyone looked at each other nervously.
“but she should have debuted a year ago. She’s too old now…” one of the judges that seemed to only like cutesy girls said, but he was silenced with a cold glare.
“her image is too sexual for the group we are planning at the moment…” another judge said as Irene sighed.
“did you forget we were looking for a soloist that was comfortable with a sexy concept last year?” Irene asked as everyone went silent. They hadn’t forgotten. They just opposed the idea. The soloist was to be groomed to become the next Irene.
Irene could see their decisions before they could even say anything and frowned as she stood. She wasn’t going to pass up such talent just because of these idiots.
“she passes. End of story.” Irene said just loud enough for Minji to hear as she stormed out of the room, leaving Minji and the judges there in shocked silence.
Irene stormed out of the room and into one of the practice rooms as she fumed. She couldn’t believe those idiots almost failed Minji for such silly reasons. They wanted to debut a cutesy girl group this year even though she had stated that there are too many groups with that concept at the moment, and they still tried to ignore her and push their own agenda.
Or was Irene pushing hers? Her mind wandered to Minji and all of the things she imagined and groaned as she put her head in her hands. What had she been thinking back there? She talked about being professional and unbiased, but she was imagining tying Minji up while watching her dance.
“fuck…” Irene whispered with a sigh as she leaned against the mirrored wall.
“what has got the great and powerful Irene swearing?” a loud voice said, making her jump. Of course. Bora.
“nothing…” Irene said as she sighed and pushed off of the mirrors.
“Just realizing that I'm not as good of a person as I thought…” Irene said as Bora walked up.
“you are lucky that I have another hour before the next group of trainees comes. What's up?” Bora asked as she flopped down beside Irene and patted the ground beside her. Irene sighed and joined her without a care for her crisp black suit.
“remember that trainee I have had my eye on?” Irene asked as Bora rolled her eyes. As one of the dance teachers at Irene’s agency, she had learned really quickly about Irene’s fascination with Minji.
“yes, I do. What now? Did she finally debut?” Bora asked, but she was shocked when Irene suddenly looked guilty.
“no. her agency went bankrupt, and she auditioned here today…” Irene said as Bora’s eyes went wide.
“THAT’S why you went to the auditions today!” Bora shouted as Irene grimaced at the loudness but slumped her shoulders in defeat as she nodded.
“so, did she pass or fail?” Bora asked, but she noticed the look of guilt still didn’t go away.
“they were going to fail her, but…” Irene hesitated as Bora smirked.
“But you saved her, didn’t you?” Bora asked as Irene sighed and nodded.
“but that’s not the worst part… she chose two songs that drove me insane the entire time, and by the end, all I was thinking about was tying her up…” Irene said as Bora smirked.
“so, you are into that, huh? Wouldn’t have guessed.” Bora said as Irene groaned.
“Neither did I until she did this one move, and then suddenly it’s all I could think of. I just imagined her on her knees before me as her hands were bound behind her back as she pleaded for me to touch her…” Irene said as Bora whistled.
“damn, that’s hot. I need to try that with Siyeon later…” Bora said as Irene laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Be serious! The trainees stay in the same building as I do! I will see Minji almost every day! What do I do now that I have thought of her like that?” Irene said as Bora laughed.
“I was being serious, but just relax. This Minji girl is an adult, and from what you said before, both of you couldn’t keep your eyes off of each other. If anything does happen between you two, then it's none of anyone's business but your own.” Bora said as Irene groaned.
“But I don’t think she sees me the same way. And if she ever found out what I was thinking during her audition…” Irene shook her head as Bora laughed.
“oh, you really like her, don’t you? Our ice princess finally has a crush!” Bora teased as Irene smacked her arm. Irene was cold and professional with most except the few teachers she recruited, and Bora was one of them. They had all been like Minji. Very skilled but too old to be counted as valuable by most companies. But luckily, Irene saw their skill and hired them not as idols, but idol trainers and they had helped produce some of the top idols in the country.
“so, what are you going to do? Don’t tell me you are going to try ignoring her…” Bora growled as she noticed Irene look away.
“don’t you dare! She has hope at the moment. Don’t crush that!” Bora said as the CEO flinched. She didn’t like the sound of that and sighed. She was still unsure of what to do.
“I have to see her to sign the contract tomorrow…” Irene said as Bora smirked. She couldn’t wait to hear what happens next.
-Minji-
Minji and Gahyeon had exchanged numbers, and then Minji traveled home while still in shock. She couldn’t believe that she had actually passed. And hearing Irene’s forceful command as she stormed out made chills run down Minji’s spine.
That fierce expression and commanding aura always made Minji nervous, but this felt different though she couldn’t tell why. One thing that she was sure of was that she was grateful to the CEO.
Once she arrived home, Minji’s mood quickly changed. Her parents used to be very supportive of her career, but after the agency closed just before her debut, they started to dislike her decision to become a singer.
It was why she had decided that this audition was her last. She was tired of arguing with her parents and trying to tell them that singing was what she had always dreamed of. But she hoped their thoughts would change when she told them she made it into one of the top agencies in the country.
“I'm home…” Minji said as she took off her shoes and looked up to see her parents standing there. They were clearly waiting for the results of her audition.
“well?” her father asked with a hint of annoyance. Clearly, he was still annoyed that she went to the audition to begin with.
“I, I made it. I sign the contract in the morning.” Minji said flatly. Her emotions were changing like crazy, but she held a calm face. She didn’t want to make the situation worse, so she made sure to control her expression and tone.
“you’re kidding, right? You made it into monster entertainment at your age?” her father asked with a sarcastic tone. He clearly didn’t believe her.
“yes. I did.” Minji said. She sounded tired, and suddenly she felt like it. She quickly held up the paper with the stamp that showed she passed and went to her room. She didn’t want to stay there anymore and argue so retreating to her room for the night was the best solution.
Her mother was a bit more supportive, but both of them were skeptical. She didn’t want her mood ruined even more, and she didn’t want to fight. It meant not eating tonight, and even though she was starving, she refused to leave her room. Her stomach growled, but she just ignored it. She was too nervous to eat before her audition, and soon her hunger was getting the better of her.
Instead of staying up and starting to stress, Minji decided to sleep her hunger away. She quickly showered and dried her hair and climbed into bed with a happy sigh. It would be the last time she would have a regular night's sleep for a long time.
Minji’s dreams didn’t go as she had planned, though. Instead of her normal dreams, she found that Irene was prominent in them. One specifically was the most memorable.
Minji was back in the audition room, but this time it was only the two of them, and there was only a chair. No desk. Irene crossed her legs as she leaned back in the chair with a cocky expression that made Minji shiver.
“go on. Prove to me why I should accept you.” Irene said in a commanding tone as Minji gulped nervously as the music started. It was guilty, and Minji instantly started to dance. She had practiced this dance so many times that it was like second nature to her, but something felt different as she danced for Irene and Irene alone. For some reason, Minji couldn’t meet Irene’s eyes and looked down as she danced.
When Minji held her hands above her head, she was surprised to feel gentle fingers hold her wrists in place. Minji looked up in surprise as she saw Irene’s firm look and quickly averted her eyes to the side.
“look forward,” Irene commanded as Minji continued her performance. She rolled her hips forward as Irene held her wrists, and once the move was done Irene released her and stood back as she watched Minji’s dance. Minji could feel Irene’s eyes roaming her body and suddenly felt nervous.
Irene was watching behind her, and when it came to the final move, she looked at her and quickly knelt before Irene as she put her hands behind her back and looked at the ground. She stayed in that position, unsure of what to do. She didn’t expect Irene to be so close when she turned around and soon felt a lone cold finger under her chin as Irene tilted her head up.
Minji looked up nervously as she stared into Irene’s eyes and soon found herself looking down only to feel Irene grasp her chin as she looked up at Irene in shock. The dark expression on her face made Minji tremble nervously. What was about to happen?
Irene slowly knelt down in front of her as she still held Minji’s chin firmly. She was inches away from Minji’s face as she looked from her eyes to her lips and smiled.
“look at me. you like kneeling for me, don’t you?” Irene asked as Minji met her eyes, and her mind went blank. Her heart skipped a beat at Irene’s words, and when Irene looked at her lips once more, she nervously waited to see what the commanding woman would do.
“answer me…” Irene said softly yet forcefully, and Minji found herself nodding without even thinking. Her answer was rewarded with a gentle kiss as Irene looked at her with a smirk.
“good girl. What else would you like to do for me?” Irene asked as she slowly stood in front of Minji and looked down with a smirk.
Minji woke up in shock as she felt her heart beating. The dream felt so real, but what did she just do? Why did she just nod and agree to Irene? Did she really like that? Her body told her that she did, and she couldn’t help but groan as she hid her face in her pillow in embarrassment.
She was supposed to see Irene in several hours. How could she look her in the eyes then? Now all she thought about was Irene’s face inches from hers, and just the thought of it made her heart beat faster. This was not a good sign for the meeting in the morning.
In the morning, Minji got dressed and made sure that she looked good without being over the top. Once she was satisfied with her look, she slowly walked out of her room to see her parents waiting for her.
“you shouldn’t skip your meals just to avoid us. You were groaning all night…” her mother said as Minji’s face flushed. She knew that hunger wasn’t why she was groaning. Or at least it was a different kind of hunger. One that she hadn’t experienced before.
Minji made sure to arrive early and was pleasantly surprised to see Gahyeon sitting there too. She, too, had arrived early. It seemed they didn’t want anything to happen that could mess up this chance.
“Minji!” Gahyeon shouted as some of the other trainees that made it looked up at her with varied looks, but the predominant one was disgust.
“who let that hag in…” one girl said as Minji sighed. She knew that this would happen, but she had prepared for it.
“Watch what you say! She was passed by Irene herself!” one girl said. Minji recognized her. She was in the same group as Minji, so she had seen everything happen as well.
“what? Irene didn’t choose anyone all day!” the first girl said as suddenly all eyes were on the red-haired girl.
Minji didn’t say anything and just sat beside Gahyeon nervously. The younger girl took her hand in support. Gahyeon seemed to be a very touchy person, and Minji had to admit that the warmth of the younger girl's hand seemed to calm her down.
Minji was the last one to be called back to sign her contract. She was starting to worry that they had changed their mind, but in reality, Irene was nervous to see the girl again, so she put her meeting with Minji last.
Once it was Minji’s turn, she walked into the large office and looked around in amazement. The office was spotless, and the black and white theme was obvious throughout it.
“Please have a seat,” Irene said coolly as Minji looked at her with a startled expression and quickly rushed over and sat down.
“did you read over the contents that my secretary gave you?” Irene asked as Minji nodded. The contract looked good, but there was something mentioning a solo career that made Minji curious.
“What did it mean by a solo career? I thought your company doesn’t release solo artists?” Minji asked as Irene smirked. She wasn’t lying. Minji had actually looked over the contract while waiting. Not many do.
“you actually have the possibility of two contracts,” Irene said as Minji tilted her head cutely in confusion.
“two?” Minji asked as Irene nodded.
“yes. Two. The first one is the generic girl group contract. But the one you are holding is different. It’s a rare opportunity, but it comes with consequences too. you need to think this over carefully…” Irene said as she looked deeply into Minji’s eyes. Minji was suddenly starting to feel nervous.
Both girls had flashbacks from their dreams and looked away for a second before Irene looked back at her and continued.
“that contract is for a solo artist idea I had. The issue is that the concept is very sexual. We are going for a more adult audience. But with that comes very sexual and demeaning comments online. My company will monitor the comments strictly and try to take care of them right away, but we can't catch everything…” Irene said as she looked at Minji with worry.
“like when you changed your concept? I remember you got a lot of men commenting on your videos. It was so bad that they disabled the comment section until they hired someone to monitor it, right?” Minji asked as Irene leaned back in her chair. She was surprised that Minji would remember that.
“yes. I learned then how much words could hurt. It will not be an easy path. Once someone starts a sexy concept, it's hard to move from it.” Irene said as Minji nodded and thought it over.
“now both contracts include a dorm. Would you like to stay in the dorm, or would you prefer to stay at your house for now?” Irene asked as Minji quickly told her she would accept the dorm. The idea of escaping her judgmental parents had her smiling in excitement. Irene couldn’t help but admire that smile.
“now I'm sure you know, but the life of a trainee is hard, and you will be part of a special project that I am running. You will have all of the classes that the regular students have and then one more at the end with our choreographer Bora. If you accept, that is?” Irene asked as she waited for the red-haired girl's response.
Minji thought it over carefully as she weighed her options. The solo offer was really tempting. So many girl groups are produced every month. But it seemed that Irene planned to put a lot of time and money into this choice. Minji feared that she would let everyone down, but the solo offer was just too good to pass up.
“Now, I don’t know if this will sway you, but your profit isn’t split between all of the different members when you are solo. A percent goes to the company, and the rest goes to you.” Irene said, but Minji was shaking her head.
“The money doesn’t matter to me, but I would like to take the solo offer if that’s alright?” Minji asked as Irene smiled and slid a contract across the desk.
Several minutes later, Minji was shaking hands with Irene when her dream popped into her head. Instantly Minji looked away nervously.
“look at me,” Irene said as Minji looked at her in surprise. She imagined Irene’s hand gripping her chin and felt chills run down her spine.
“what's wrong?” Irene asked. They were still holding hands as Irene looked into Minji eyes.
“oh, n, nothing. I just suddenly remembered you are the same Irene that I looked up to as a teen. I guess I got a bit shy…” Minji said as she mentally kicked herself. That wasn’t the reason at all. It was because she was imagining Irene standing over her again. Irene just smiled. It was something that happened rarely, and Minji couldn’t help but feel her stomach do a flip at the cuteness.
“oh, you will also be part of a mentor program if you accept. You are a more experienced trainee, so I figured that you could help one of our younger ones. She shows considerable talent, but she has no training whatsoever. If you accept, you will be in an apartment in the dorm building for just the two of you. I figured that it would be difficult to be accepted by the younger trainees, and the fact that I passed you personally could lead to some jealousy, so this might be a bit more comfortable.” Irene said as Minji nodded. She just prayed that it was going to be someone kind.
“who would it be?” Minji asked. She didn’t know why. She didn’t know any of the trainees by name but one.
“lee Gahyeon. She's young but shows talent. But it will take a lot of work to bring her up to the level of the other girls her age.” Irene said, but Minji just nodded quickly.
“I will do it! I met Gahyeon on the first day! She's kind, and I don’t think that the other girls would be that friendly to her because she befriended me.” Minji said as Irene smirked.
Minji wasn’t worried about herself, but instead, she worried how Gahyeon would fit in with the rest of the trainees. Irene couldn’t help but smile at the girl even though she wished she focused more on her wants and needs more than others sometimes.
“alright. You will be shown your dorm later today.” Irene said as she walked Minji to the door with a small smile.
“I like your hair, by the way. What made you dye it red? Your profile showed a different hair color.” Irene asked with a curious expression.
“I remembered you said it looked good on me once. I was hoping that it would bring me luck.” Minji said with a smile.
Irene just froze. She really was the reason Minji decided to dye her hair? Irene’s mind went wild as she watched the red-haired girl walk away. Her eyes drifted lower as Minji walked away, and she had to catch herself before her mind wandered to darker places.
-Minji-
Minji hugged her contract to her chest happily as she searched for Gahyeon. The younger girl was waiting for her, and when Minji told her the news about their living arrangements, the younger girl couldn’t help but jump in excitement.
“I can't believe we will be in the same dorm!” Gahyeon said happily as she took Minji’s hand and led her to where they would meet someone to give them a tour of the place.
“oh, are you two Minji and Gahyeon?” a man in a suit with a happy smile asked as the two girls nodded.
“Great! I'm in charge of giving you two a tour! Follow me!” the happy man said as he walked them around the building.
There were practice rooms on several floors. All were impressive and large with good lighting. It was much different than what she was used to. Her practice room was small and dark, but she loved it. This was so different, though.
“This is our star choreographer Kim Bora! The man says as Bora walks up with a smirk. She knows who Minji is right away and scans her quickly.
‘oh, I can see why Irene is crushing on this woman… I can't wait to choreograph dances for her. Hmm… maybe I should include some ropes in it and watch Irene squirm…’ Bora thought with a smirk as the two girls were oblivious to her thoughts and greeted her politely.
“I'm glad to meet you two. Irene seems to expect good things from you two!” Bora said as the two looked at her with nervous expressions. It was a lot of pressure for them.
“Now, don’t go scaring them so soon!” the man said as Bora laughed.
“lighten up Jun! its fun to watch them go pale!” Bora said as Jun shook his head and led the two away to their next location.
“This is where you will get vocal lessons. Let's see if Siyeon is free at the moment…” Jun said as he peeked into the room and smiled as he waved the girls in.
“Siyeon! These are the two Irene told you about!” Jun said as a girl with a soft smile, but intense eyes looked up at them.
“oh, so this must be Minji!” Siyeon said as she shook Minji’s hand and smirked. Her girlfriend had told her about Irene’s dream already.
“and you must be Gahyeon!” Siyeon said as she took Gahyeon’s hand and smiled at the cute girl. Gahyeon was adorable, but her slightly deeper voice was intriguing to Siyeon. She was starting to wonder what Irene had planned for the cute girl.
“they just met Bora,” Jun said as Siyeon laughed.
“I hope my girlfriend didn’t scare you. She likes making the other trainees nervous.” Siyeon said with a cute laugh as Minji smiled.
“you and Bora are together?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon nodded.
“wow! What a hot couple!” Gahyeon said before quickly putting her hands over her mouth in surprise.
Siyeon laughed at her slip. She could tell that training Gahyeon was going to be fun.
“don’t worry. I know we are hot.” Siyeon joked with a wink as Gahyeon relaxed slightly.
“just don’t tell Bora that or it goes to her head for the rest of the day!” Siyeon joked as Minji smiled.
Siyeon seemed to be calm and relaxed compared to Bora’s high energy and loudness. She was really looking forward to training with both of them, and they seemed like a perfect couple. One would balance out the other.
“ready for our next stop?” Jun asked as Minji and Gahyeon said their goodbyes and followed him outside.
“next is where you will study rapping and writing lyrics. Irene wants everyone to be trained to rap and write lyrics even if they will never use the skills. Rapping helps with your pronunciation and speed, and I'm sure you can guess why it would be good to learn to write your own lyrics.” Jun said as he walked into a room and smiled.
Gahyeon froze as she looked at their teacher. She had shorter hair and delicate hands. She was studying some of the lyrics some trainees wrote as she twirled a pencil in her hand. She didn’t notice them until Jun cleared his voice.
“oh, sorry.” The girl said as she stood. Gahyeon was surprised to hear that her voice was a bit deeper, and with everything combined, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.
‘oh no… seems like Gahyeon has a crush on one of our teachers…’ Minji thought as she smiled at the cuteness.
“This is Yubin, but she usually goes by Dami. She was pretty famous as a trainee, but her company was bought out. We were lucky to get her before anyone else did.” Jun said as Dami smiled and walked over.
“Nice to meet you. You must be the two that everyone has been talking about.” Dami said smoothly as she shook first Minji’s hand and then Gahyeon’s.
Minji thought Gahyeon was going to faint when Dami smiled at her, but surprisingly she held it together. She didn’t know how well the younger girl could hold it in once they left the room, though.
“your last class is actually in session, so I will introduce you to our language teachers after I show you to your dorm. Ready to see where you will be staying?” Jun asked as both girls nodded nervously. It was now time for Minji to see where she will be staying for the next couple of years.