HR DIRECTOR KWON BO-AH
The large clear glass spells out on the mahogany door.
Facing the personal assistant, who sits outside the door.
Soo-Ha nervously approaches, "Excuse me, I'm Park Soo-Ha, a third year trainee, I'd like to speak to Director Bo-ah please."
The secretory doesn't look at him just yet as she continues to type on her keyboard seemingly ignoring his entire existence as he stands still, idly playing with his thumbs.
Unsure if he should repeat himself or whether to wait for a response.
After what seems like an eternity, she finally scratches the top of her head before telling him to take a seat, which he does.
Picking up the phone, she dials a number as she waits for the person to respond.
As the dial tone echoes in the room.
It takes three rings before a feminine voice answers.
"Yes?"
"Director, there is someone here to meet you" The personal assistant says with all the enthusiasm of a euthanize patient as she beckons Soo-ha to come over and speak into the receiver.
Quickly scurrying into position, Soo-Ha speaks, "Sorry for disturbing director. I'm Park Soo-Ha, a third year trainee, I'd like to cancel my contract."
A loud sigh comes from her end, before simply stating that, "I got time. Let him in"
Taking her invitation I enter push open the door facing the beautiful lady who is seated in her chair.
Kwon Bo-ah, the legendary soloist, who dominated the charts in the early 2000s.
Although she is only 30 this year, don't let her age fool you. She has been in this business for 20 years already.
And if Soo-Ha knows anything, it is that those who are able to survive this long are either angels blessed with the luck of god himself or devils whose greed has turned them into monsters.
Either way, they are existences not to be trifled with.
Seeing Soo-Ha enter , she beckons for to take a seat as she heads to a filing cabinet quickly locating the document she is searching for.
"Park Soo-ha-ssi" She asks in a tone which is neither questioning nor confirmative, as she opens up the document.
"1st in visual ranking for the past two years" She reads before facing him as if to confirm the records, "Well I can see that"
"Above Average in dancing, Above average vocals, highly talented in music creation and most likely candidate to debut in upcoming boy group. Overall signed onto an A-level, in year 3 of a 7 year trainee contract"
Soo-Ha nods as she continues to list down further facts.
"You said you wanted to cancel your contract?"
"Yes"
"Why? Is it to do with your father who passed away recently? Are you planning to quit and start part time jobs, because if you are the Company can help you?"
"Thank you for the offer, but I recently realised that my dream is not with MS entertainment"
"Did you get a better offer from somewhere else?"
"No ma'am, I just feel that MS and I don't get along"
Flipping over the pages she heads to a certain clause, "Any unilateral termination of the trainee contract by the trainee, will be subject to a penalty fee in the amount of 50 000 000 won (50 000 USD) within a 5 year period at the prescribed national interest rate."
In 2017, the Fair Trade Commission amended such penalty clauses to be more reasonable and less predatory but for now its law, and I expected that.
"Any trainee who has been waived or alternatively terminates their agreement is unable to join a competitor within the next 12 months. Do you understand what these things mean?"
"Yes ma'am, In regards to the penalty fee. I understand its about 12 million won per year, and I don't have any plans on joining another agency"
"Are you sure about this? And are you certain you wont regret this?"
"No ma'am. I might regret this for the rest of my life"
She smiles at his answer as she takes a form before placing it in front of him.
"Good. I wish you the best of luck. Park Soo-Ha-ssi, now sign here"
***
Entering the house after the long day.
A sorrowful sight of the past seemed to be before his eyes.
Vowing to himself, this is another thing he will have to fix it better this time.
The familiar sight of his mother staring blanking at the powered off TV screen not even bothering to turn on the lights; all while his brother is huddled in his room with the door closed.
The grievous and empty atmosphere chokes one as the enter, it is one of the reasons why Soo-Ha had done everything he could not to be here for any longer than need be.
But not this time.
He knew now that the only cure his family needed was emotional warmth and time....
And he'd do everything he could to fix them.... and himself.
Soo-Ha walks quietly to where his mother was sitting besides her. And for the first time, in a long time, both this life and the last, he held her hand. "Everything will be alright, Mom." He says softly and sincerely. Why had these simple and small gestures of comfort been so hard for him in the past? Facing her deep eyes, she stares at him, "Thank you, Soo-Ha..... your mother will try and grow stronger now..." "It's okay... Take all the time you need, you don't have to change, Mom." "Mmm" "I'll always be by your side." Soo-ha says as he clasped his mother's hands tighter, as a glimmer of life and warmth seemed to return to her features. He wanted his family to be happy in this life. They deserved it. **** At the age of 5, Soo-Ha had learned to play the piano. At the age of 12, he listened to his first rap album. At the age of 16, he become an idle trainee. Although his family wasn't rich, while his father was alive, they had a satisfactory amount of money with some fre
[Urgent Quest issued! Debut or Die If you don't debut as an idol within the time limit, you will die. Remaining period: D –365 Reward: 5 skill points Failure: Death] "What?" The content was as ridiculous as it was ominous. It's already crazy that a system showed up out of nowhere but now there's this crazy task too. As soon as he finishes reading the pop-up disappears. "Fuck---" He spits out as a cold sweat breaks out. Soo-Ha had already confirmed the existence of the status window, so it was impossible to doubt that the failure was true. 'Why the hell did this show up?' 'Because I thought of debuting'?' Soo-Ha can't help but laugh at this crazy turn of events. 'Let's stay calm' Soo-Ha reassures himself, as he begins thinking of the quickest way to debut. He still doesn't plan on joining a new agency, which means …... he had to enter an Idol Survival program. Soo-Ha grins with a sour smile, wasn't it around this time that the Produce series was a huge hit? *** Idol
Grabbing the microphone, without hesitation, Soo-Ha chose ten songs at random before glancing back at the door to the karaoke room he just came in. The door is made of glass, allowing onlookers to not only hear the sound from within but also see the performer. It was perfectly efficient scouting area for anyone who worked at a broadcasting station. *** [Achievement Accomplished! Level 2 -> 3 You have obtained 1 skill point] It was not long before Soo-Ha had completed another accomplishment. Investing the points saved in Vocal once more, The D+ rating quickly changed into C. The basics seemed even better this time, and when Soo-Ha song once more time to test it. The tone colour was deeper, the volume increased and the control was better. He once more couldn't believe the incredible growth he experienced. While Soo-Ha was still immersed in his progress, a sudden knock on the glass door causes his focus to shift. Facing the woman, who looks
10 days had soon passed and the first day of filming had begun. Although the show is structured in the sense of a survival program, it begins with an evaluation of each participant. Much like any audition program, besides the finale the biggest stage to make an impression is the 1st round. It is not rare for a bad impression to last until the end of the program. It is said that two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression. The worst thing to do is give an average performance. Instead, even if it's a complete mess and becomes a joke, it can still help you in the future. There is no worse fate, than being cut for time and being left on the editing table. Of course, Soo-ha had no intention of being a comedy character. "Does everyone know their number? You will only be called once. Please proceed to enter this corridor after you've received your instructions." The filming began by taking a picture of the participants walking though the hall of the set, one by one
Park Soo-Ha who makes his way up to the stage, listens to the male MC. "Participant Park. Please introduce yourself." "... My name is Park Soo-ha. Please take good care of me." He proceeds to bow, as there is a small laugh and snort for the judge's seat. "Is that all?" An older male judge, who is holding the microphone asked in a voice mixed with laughter. Although jokingly, there was a slight negative tone, which made answering tricky. Soo-Ha knows that it was his attempt to get him to speak more, but decides to just nod his head seriously. This causes laughter to break out among the judge's seats "What a unique kid!" "He's fun-." A few of them whispered. Of course, the microphone captured their voices well. "Ah! It says here that you are a former M.S trainee" "That's right" This is usually when remarks like, 'why are you participating?' or 'why did you leave' would be asked. However, the judges all seemed to come to an agreement that it would be more impressive to do
"Whoa, Soo-Ha-ssi! I wasn't expecting you to be that good!" The male judge who previously held a bit of contempt for him now looks at him eagerly. ".... I practiced hard to sing it well" Another judge intercedes as he comments; "No, this is something you're born with, you have talent." The man who is one of the main mentors looks at Soo-Ha with expectation, 'His got potential to be the main vocalist …. we were actually lacking vocalists this year.' He is a famous lyricist who was popular for his blunt critique. He smiles all the way up to his eyes, indicating just how much of a liking he has taken to the contestant. Soo-Ha smiles softly as he thanks him for the praise. The judges continue with their rain of compliments. Especially the female singer, who appeared as the vocal coach. The formal idol, Hyo begins her evaluation. "Firstly, your vocal colour is very refreshing. Your vocalisation and enunciation are good too, so that it sounds pleasant to the listener." "Right,
As the familiar intro began and passed by, the lively vocals struck the ears of listeners. Soo-Ha, who goes with the most iconic pose, raises to fists to his cheeks as he tilts his head as he waits for the cue. As one of the judges spat out the water he was drinking. HA! Don't lose, don't lose, don't lose, quickly Don't lose your temper so, so, so quickly, your- so quickly Bo Peep Bo Peep Bo Peep Bo Peep Bo Peep Bo Peep Bo Peep Ah! The only person who seems to be watching his simple steps with eager eyes is the choreography instructor. While the rest along with the crowd of idols, smiles stretch to their eyes as they enjoy the unexpected scene of liveliness. The dance was not overly complicated, heck the song was the national anthem for all kindergarteners at the time. The song which was released 5 years ago, is clearly a relic of its time. An EDM-pop hybrid which instantly shot to number 1 on the Oricon Chat and top 5 on the Gaon Music Chart. ARA's , sc
"Park Soo-Ha... Overall evaluation A, Rank 6th Place!" Soo-Ha hadn't expected to be ranked so high, just for setting the mood. What Soo-Ha forgot to include in his assessment though, was the effect of his face. The ugly truth was that Soo-Ha was experiencing the phenomenon known as pretty privilege. If someone, is easy on the eyes, the enjoyment we derive from looking at them colours our perceptions of their other attributes. On the flip side, this colouring of perception also leads to higher expectations. The so-called beauty penalty. People tend to also have very high expectations as a result of looks, so when they fail to live up to those expectations, they're punished more harshly than un-pretty people. Soo-Ha didn't know but with the raise in expectations from judges, any mistake going forward would be penalised brutally. Thankfully, he had a certain 'skill' which would allow him to meet and exceed any expectations going forward. "I hope to teach you well, so aim even hi