The judges of TRC’s Triple Threat Challenge took their time to deliberate between all of the contestants, and with so many impressive and interesting performances, their decision wasn’t an easy one. Finally, the participants were alerted by the staff that the panel came to a decision, and such was announced to any audience members still lingering around the competition’s stage waiting.
Tiger JK took to a microphone himself to announce the results. “The winner, receiving a contract to begin training under TRC Entertainment, and the title of TRC’s Triple Threat is…HEO HYUNJOON!”
The staff members urged Hyunjoon back out onto the stage, where Tiger JK awaited to personally shake his hand and give him his TRC contract.
However, that wasn’t all. Tiger JK handed the microphone over to one of the instructors on the panel, who thanked the audience for enjoying the performances of the day and coming out to support the company. He also requested that all contestants wait backstage for Tiger JK to thank them personally for coming.
As promised, Tiger JK made his way backstage and addressed the performers as a group with a few words: “You all put on quite the show for us today. It was fun, right? I enjoyed it. I hope you did as well. Thanks for coming and sharing your time with us. If performing felt good, make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to perform everywhere you go.”
He lingered for a moment, then pulled out a sheet of paper he began reading names from. Who were the names on the list? People that didn’t win the title of triple threat, but that TRC would like to see again for a private audition:
AHN YUJIN ( @yujinrk )
BAE JOOHYUN ( @joohyunrk )
HWANG YEJI ( @rkyeji )
KIM SEUNGMIN ( @rkseungmin )
LEE DONGMIN ( @rkdongmin )
PARK JINYOUNG ( @rkjyp )
Tiger JK saw himself out, leaving a TRC staff member to explain the requirements of the auditions. This time, those offered an audition are asked to prepare a performance displaying one skill they consider their strongest. Their performance must, once again, not exceed two minutes, and they’re asked to schedule their audition anytime between the 22nd and 7th IC.
Please have your 250+ word audition solos up by midnight the end of Wednesday, May 8th EST. Please tag your solos with #rkttc2audition. Congratulations, and good luck!
her jaw absolutely goddamn drops when her name is called by tiger jk himself. first of all, she hadn’t expected him to actually address them backstage. just seeing him on eye-level now felt unreal, one of the industry’s leaders...he watched her perform. wow. but the moment her name came up first, followed by five others, set her heart into a frenzy. they? wanted her? for a private audition?! her eyes were wider than saucers upon hearing the details and she nearly misses the following explanation in her panic.
to prepare a performance displaying her strongest skill...it’s got to be dance, right? she’s been practicing hard enough to make her own mother worry about her wellbeing for once, and it’s all been for opportunities like this. she stumbles out of the waiting room in a daze and meets up with heejin and donghyuck almost immediately outside. they all had news to share, and yujiin’s never been more excited for anything in her life. the chance to audition for and (hopefully!) join the same company as two of her most precious friends? she hopes the universe doesn’t take this away from her.
after some quick texts to juyeon and jaemin telling them of the situation, she finally calms down enough to think. it’s got to be dance for her—but which one should she do? it’s probably best to not use something she’s already uploaded before, and it has to be a dance she’s confident in, one that shows off her best sides. then something clicks in her mind, one song standing out from the rest. she quickly searches up the video and shows it to the other two.
“i’m going with this one!”
with cheers and good lucks from her friends and family, yujin finds herself nearly dying upon entering the trc building. her heart thumps so loudly in her chest that she’s sure she’s about to just up and die right before the audition.
it doesn’t get any better on the way to the room, her palms are sweaty (knees weak, arms are heavy), and she’s barely able to focus on the trip. going over the choreography in her head, she nearly bumps into the door in her distracted state. with a sheepish laugh, she thanks the clerk(?) and knocks on the door gingerly before pushing it open.
with a greeting thrown the way of the judges, she sets her bag down awkwardly before shuffling onto the center stage. it’s much different now that she isn’t in front of a crowd, but instead in a small room with only a panel. the camera set up brings up bad memories of previous auditions, but she tries to get rid of the negativity in her mind. she isn’t acting this time, she isn’t going to be out of her element. she’s going to dance, and she’s going to do it well.
havana, ooh na-na
half of my heart is in havana, ooh-na-na
he took me back to east atlanta, na-na-na
oh, but my heart is in havana
there's somethin' 'bout his manners
havana, ooh na-na
the music starts and yujin takes those brief seconds to control her breathing, calm down, and focus. she’s gone over the moves so many times already, she knows what to do. she knows she can do it, and she’s so goddamn ready to.
with a couple of swaying steps forward, the first line kicks in and she starts off strong. the moves stay on about the same level of energy, so she isn’t about to risk falling off by the end of it. plus, the dance is fun, so she’s just as happy to keep it going. into the final line, she slows down and raises her arms into the air, before kicking the verse off with a pop.
he didn't walk up with that "how you doin'?"
(when he came in the room)
he said there's a lot of girls I can do with
(but i can't without you)
I knew him forever in a minute
(that summer night in june)
and papa says he got malo in him
he got me feelin' like
ooh-ooh-ooh, i knew it when i met him
i loved him when i left him
got me feelin' like
ooh-ooh-ooh, and then i had to tell him
i had to go, oh na-na-na-na-na
she feels herself looking at the panel, but her mind doesn’t move fast enough to process any of their reactions (if they even are giving any). still, she remembers to keep her expressions intact, knowing that it’s easily one of the ways to impress. with a confident, charming, and seductive (god knows how she’s pulling off that one) smile on her lips, she hits every move perfectly. just as she’s practiced over and over in the studio, at home, and even on the way here.
she wants this opportunity.
havana, ooh na-na
half of my heart is in havana, ooh-na-na
as the chorus comes back in, the end of her performance draws near. with a final slide into her ending pose, lowering herself down to the ground before rising back up again, she slowly comes back to planet earth as the music fades out. she straightens herself out and breathes out a quick sigh of relief, even if she could feel her nerves rising back to the surface again.
“thank you for your time,” she gives the judges a bow, biting down on her lower lip nervously. had she done well? did she really just zone out for the whole performance? she can barely remember how she did now, only that no mistakes stood out as particularly damning. maybe it’s actually better that she didn’t have a reason to remember anything about it.
now playing › SIGNAL (REMIXED) by TOOICE
› 0:00-0:46 + 1:51-2:37
he took his picks very seriously. the first example: scheduling the audition to a day that wouldn’t conflict with his erratic sleep schedule. then, came phase two. hyunjoon was his knowledgable young neighbor. not only that, but he had just won the trc triple threat challenge, so he ought to be good at something. “which idols are famous right now?” seungjoon asks without actually thinking what a dangerous question that was. the boy went on about how much he adored luxe for a very long time but eventually offered him a few more suggestions. there weren’t many questions asked and the man was glad. he already felt terrible hiding this information from him, and if hyunjoon actually confronted him about it seungjoon would probably pass out right on the spot.
instead, he made his way back to his computer, trying to find out what would be the best choice for him. even for someone who wasn’t that knowledgable on idols, nothing was really a surprise. they played everywhere you went. and it wasn’t like seungjoon hated them; it was only a preference. and it still is. the man struggles to find something he’d actually feel comfortable standing in front of a jury and singing. his salvation comes a few pages deeper into youtube after the algorithms had finally completed doing their job to find his perfect match.
a remix was exactly what he needed. it kept the freshness of the song, and probably what would have been expected in an audition. yet it still has a breath of fresh air by changing things up a little. that was exactly his style, and if he had to be put to the test then at least seungjoon wanted to do it in a way he would have enjoyed watching, in case he was the jury.
the days leading up to it are the weirdest. he doesn’t have many left, admittedly, and it’s a bit troublesome for him to nail the entire song in one single go. the first time he listened to it was a week before, and now he not only had to know the lyrics but also had to perform it well.
he wishes nayeon was there. she’d know what to tell him, he’s sure of it. as much of a mess as they were, they always did a good job of complimenting each other. last time something like this happened (and it was something exactly like this), they went out together to make the girl feel better but, at the end of their karaoke experience, seungjoon was happy. some people imagined the audience naked, he had heard, but maybe if they were all nayeon things could be a little easier.
it takes him a few minutes while staring at a wall before noticing the girl beside him. she was filled with energy; with dreams. it should automatically make him feel bad. how many children were out there with actual dreams and yet the person they gave a card to was him? except, there is this energy inside of her that actually makes him smile. it feels like sitting beside hyunjoon except for a bit brighter if he dares to think it. the boy had managed to read his mind before and he wouldn’t dare to think he wouldn’t be able to it again, even if from afar. on second thought, the boy was probably right inside that very same building.
when they call his name he stands up. this was it! shit!
suddenly, he’s already standing in the middle of the room. he remembers making his way there, but while it happened it didn’t feel as quick. why did they all look like men? this isn’t how it was supposed to go. seungjoon tries to clean the sweat from his palms, anything to distract himself. one of them asks him something and the noise he thought was in the room completely vanishes. it was all in his head. “what?” he needs to ask, and the man repeats himself. “will you introduce yourself?”
seungjoon nods for a few moments. this is probably standard procedure to whoever knew how auditions worked. “my name is… lee seungjoon.” he swallows his own spit. now his mouth feels dry. this isn’t going to go along well with this performance. he was a nurse; he should take better care of himself.
he is a nurse.
“well, okay.” the man motions towards the staff member standing by the audio equipment what was probably the sign to start the song. he wants to tell that he isn’t ready, but he doesn’t. his eyes simply watch as he slowly presses play. the first few beats start playing and seungjoon comes to the realization that he isn’t holding a microphone. his eyes grow a bit wider. he stares at each member of the jury with his palms completely open but their signs of concern were probably towards his own condition and not about a missing microphone. so… he wasn’t supposed to have a microphone. good. this was good.
he was thankful for the long introduction at the start of the song. if his way inside the room had been quick, seungjoon was glad at least this took a bit longer. he clenches his jaw; squeezes his hands tightly into fists. this was it. all he had to do was to not completely suck.
눈짓도 손짓도 어떤 표정도
소용이 없네 하나도 안 통해
눈치도 코치도 전혀 없나 봐
더 이상 어떻게 내 맘을 표현해
for a song about being expressive seungjoon feared a bit for himself. while his jaw had relaxed, his hands still felt tense. he waited for the movie miracle to come. there was always this sudden flash of confidence that hit the lead character and gave them the singing abilities they never knew they had. now he knows movies are all fake. as a lover of romantic comedies, he feels a bit betrayed.
without the actual strength to fight his own body, seungjoon slowly sways his fists to try and pass the idea that he had actually planned this from the start. at least his voice is stable, he thinks. at the very least it was stable enough. as long as he remembers all the lyrics he’d feel good about himself. he isn’t there to actually get signed as a trainee, right? this is only to prove something to himself. that was solely it, and all he had to do was not mess up.
the fact the words felt so silly is probably that kick on the back that he needed. singing ‘jjirit jjirit’ feels ten times better than it probably would attempt an extremely emotional ballad. during his time, seungjoon always identified himself as more of the jjirit side; the type to enjoy the music video with superpowers and aliens. it’s what he’s trying to keep in mind now. while singing, he wants to imagine the colorful world tooice lives in with all their happy superpowers and failed confession attempts. it didn’t feel that far from home.
Trying to let you know
Sign을 보내 signal 보내
I must let you know
Sign을 보내 signal 보내
he had forgotten the fact the song was actually about less than a minute and a half long. not knowing the entire song probably came to his advantage for once. the silence returns now and he stares at the people in front of him, yet a little less scared. they’re expecting something from him and this time he manages to think things through. “thank you.” seungjoon bows once toward the jury, and then again towards the staff member dealing with the audio. when he reaches for the doorknob his hand grabs it without much trouble.
the man opens the door slowly; with a smile. he hadn’t noticed it happen while he sang. the entire time, he wondered why movies would lie to him so badly. his shoulders felt like they had just carried the weight of the sky for about less than a minute and a half. except, when he reached for that doorknob, his hands grabbed onto it. sometime during the song, they weren’t fists anymore.
the outside is much noisier than inside. seungjoon stands for a minute right by the doors of the trc building before finally starting to walk away. he wished there was someone to tell.
⭐️TRC PRIVATE AUDITION
vocal performance of sucker by jonas brothers (00:00-02:00)
may 5th, 2019
although he did it with winning in mind, he doesn’t expect his name to be called nor is he surprised when he isn’t.
he decided to take on the challenge on a whim, a drunken whim to be more precise, so the outcome is probably one he deserves. he accepted it and got ready to leave when tiger jk himself came to thank them all for participating and names a few more people. jinyoung’s reaction was delayed. it took someone pat his back to congratulate him for him to finally get out of his daze and realize what was happening. he’s satisfied to have left an impression of course, but it’s not really something to brag about. it’s just like any other audition he’s taken part in before. it requires a lot of preparation and leaves very little chances of actually getting in.
but he once again felt like he had something to prove to himself and he had to see the end of this no matter the outcome.
during his stay at nova, the trainers often scolded his stiffness, advised him to find a way to let himself go when needed. he can’t always be in control, or lose focus as soon as he isn’t. they say despite being an obvious hardworker it sometimes felt as if he wasn’t passionate about what he’s doing. since he tends to get too much in his own head, he forgets to put his heart on the table, show vulnerability.
and he did make one promise to himself for this year: to be more unpredictable. so instead of barricading himself in his bedroom to practice without pause until the day of his audition, he schedules it right near the end of the allowed period of time and shares an idea with mina. “i want to leave with you for two or three days.” she’s surprised to say the least. she knows her boyfriend and expected him to take the audition (if he wanted to do it) very seriously and methodically. of course she doesn’t oppose to the idea. because park jinyoung always knows what he’s doing, right? and they leave for her jeju hometown in the following days.
it’s during this well-needed trip that slowly emerges the idea of his audition song. he wants to get a little bit out of his comfort zone by performing an english song. he’s nowhere near fluent but has been told his accent is very good for someone who can only sustain a basic conversation. plus years of singing and acting experience probably help with pronunciation. the couple spends almost the entire trip on the beach, mina resting her head on jinyoung’s lap as he sings to her. it’s all the practice he needs during that time. with her around it can only come from the heart, and he understands a little bit better what the nova trainers wanted to teach him.
after coming back he’s more than ready to take this audition on, and uses his time wisely. his analytic nature does have him go through the lyrics hundreds of time until he gets the right intonation every time, but he pays just as much attention to his posture, facial expressions and emotion when singing. because they should be able to understand the kind of message he’s trying to convey even if they don’t understand the lyrics. that’s what music is all about.
he’s a bit nervous on the day of his audition, but he takes it as a good sign. it means he’s taking enough of a risk for all of this to be worth it. he didn’t play safe, and they’ll see that he’s ready to give them everything he’s got to offer. sucker’s pitch is higher than a lot of male artists’ songs, and even though it isn’t filled with dozens of incredible adlibs it still showcases a lot of vocal technique. there’s a groove to it he didn’t show during the triple threat challenge, and he’ll also be bringing his guitar to accompany himself.
he greets the panel, introduces himself and the song he’ll perform, before strumming the first chords.
We go together
Better than birds of a feather, you and me
We change the weather, yeah
I'm feeling heat in December when you're 'round me
they started dating on the very last day of december, his girlfriend and him. when they heard the song for the first time they couldn’t help but relate to it instantly. it’s different from musical acting: when he’s playing a role it’s easy to channel emotions he wouldn’t otherwise feel, or empathize with experiences he hasn’t gone through. but when it’s his own guts that need to be thrown on the table, jinyoung has been struggling with it forever. to show his true self without restrain.
I've been dancing on top of cars and stumbling out of bars
I follow you through the dark, can't get enough
You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain
And, baby, you know it's obvious
I'm a sucker for you
You say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly
I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Any road you take, you know that you'll find me
I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things
No one knows about you (about you) about you (about you)
And you're making the typical me break my typical rules
It's true, I'm a sucker for you, yeah
he didn’t smile during overcome, the song being serious as it is, but he does this time. he’s having fun and it shows. every time he closes his eyes it’s mina he sees, and the wonderful three days they spent together far from this city. they both know it was probably their last trip for a while so they made the most of it. and while being unaware of the true reason behind of his happiness, there’s no doubt he’s singing for someone, whether it’s someone from his past, present or future. mina really making the typical him break his typical rules. if his younger version ever knew he would fall for a girl like her... but she completes him in the best way.
Don't complicate it (yeah)
'Cause I know you and you know everything about me
I can't remember (yeah)
All of the nights I don't remember
When you're 'round me (oh, yeah yeah)
he’s playing with them, flirting with them. he’d never dare do it if not for this song. while they keep a neutral face, he can’t help but wonder if they’re secretly grooving to it as much as he is. after this last verse, he repeats the pre-chorus and chorus one last time, and finishes with a few seconds of whistling before his two minutes are up. when he gets up to bow, the serious and introverted jinyoung is back in action.
♔ trc’s private audition
challenger: kim seungmin
song: stitches by shawn mendes (0:30 - 1:32)
skill: singing
sure, not winning the title of triple threat kinda sucked. but seungmin also knew he kinda sucked as well so he expected it as much. however, he did not expect his name to be called among a few others to come in for a private audition. he felt conflicted, of course. while he was sad at the fact he didn’t win, he was pretty confused and maybe a little happy to have received a private audition opportunity in the first place. he supposed that they saw something in him that seungmin didn’t realize was even worthwhile, but he’ll take it for now.
after scheduling his audition with trc, seungmin contemplated over what to show them. he definitely wouldn’t dance for them and he definitely wasn’t going to rap so obviously his best skill had to be singing. that made him nervous because even his singing was pretty mediocre. regardless, he’d practice and just do it and hope for whatever outcome that will hurt him the least.
arriving at the trc building, seungmin looked around in awe. the feeling of hope bubbled up again because the thought of potentially practicing here crossed his mind. he quickly squashed it down, though. he hated having expectations only for it to be ruined. if anything, he was just here to sing and then leave. that was it. nothing more.
he had been told to wait a little bit as they prepared to view his audition. seungmin hummed to himself as he continued glancing around again. the nervous feelings came back around. he felt so much more nervous here than he did for the actually triple threat challenge performance and he doesn’t know why. this was more private anyways. or maybe it’s because it’s private and he’d been under much more intensified scrutiny. he didn’t like that, but nothing he can do about it.
finally, it came time to audition and seungmin tried to relax himself by breathing in and out slowly. he stood in front of various trainers, seungmin assumed, and he gulped. god, he really hoped he doesn’t mess this up. it’d be embarrassing if anything.
seungmin quickly bowed his head and introduced himself in a timid voice. “hi... i’m kim seungmin.” he cursed himself for being like this and he pinched his own thigh to steady himself.
he got ready and just did what he had to do. he liked singing and he enjoyed it. he needed to stop being so shy and embarrassed of himself. it was good to remind himself that nobody can take singing away from him.
i thought that i've been hurt before
but no one's ever left me quite this sore
your words cut deeper than a knife
now i need someone to breathe me back to life
maybe starting off by singing with his eyes pointed to the ground wasn’t a good way to begin his audition. he let his voice smoothly wrap around the room. like a warm scarf. like honey in tea.
got a feeling that i'm going under
but i know that i'll make it out alive
if i quit calling you my lover
move on
seungmin managed to finally lift his head and connect his gaze with the trainers who would judge him as a fit choice for trc or not. at least with how nervous and pained he must have looked, it really matched the mood and the aesthetic of the song. maybe that could score him some points.
you watch me bleed until i can't breathe
i'm shaking falling onto my knees
and now that i'm without your kisses
i'll be needing stitches
i'm tripping over myself
aching begging you to come help
and now that i'm without your kisses
i'll be needing stitches
he made it to the chorus of the song as his voice picked up. the confidence in him way better than when he began and that much is obvious. people tend to remember the later things than the first things so if he finished strong, there had to be some hope for him. he let his voice carry as the last note hung in the air.
seungmin bit his lower lip after finishing his audition and bowed immediately. awkwardly, he just kept bowing before standing straight up again. not his best, but definitely not his worst. he even managed to quell the slight ache in his stomach. but god, he never wants to do something like this again. private auditions are much too scary.
Private Audition for ROYAL ENTERTAINMENT
Date: 28th of April, 2019
Location: Royal Entertainment building, Seoul
Song: ‘I Want You’ by LC9 (00:02 - 01:12 and 02:15 - 03:02)
Outfit: x
Dowoon is many things, but stupid was not one of them. He knows that Eric is angry that he’d been offered an audition while his little brother had not. And he knows that pestering him for advice would only sour the younger boy even more towards him. So, apart from some advice from Sunwoo (who, admittedly, was more knowledgeable about these things than Eric was) Dowoon’s entire audition had been planned out by the boy himself; from the song choice to his outfit to his actual performance.
Truth be told, he’s still stunned that Royal asked him of all people to audition for them. It was just like when he’d gone to the Superstar KTWorld auditions; he’d expected nothing and got a place in the commercial. (Seeing himself on TV was weird) He’d been made enter the Triple Threat Challenge against his will and he walked away with the audition for Royal. Life was weird. So it’s at 10 AM on the 28th that he leaves his apartment with anticipation fluttering in his stomach and his cajón hoisted firmly onto his back.
All without saying goodbye to Eric. It’s slightly depressing, but Dowoon refuses to dwell on his brother right now. Not when his dream is almost in reach.
Arriving at the Royal headquarters, Dowoon waits silently outside the room where he’d been told his audition is to be held, swallowing hard every so often and trying to calm his heart down. After his transplant, this is honestly the most nerve-racking thing he’s done in his nearly 21 years on this Earth. it’s hard to not let the thought of ‘do I really deserve to be here?’ pass through his head. But he shuts it out as best he can, shuts out the heavy atmosphere at home, shuts out everything except what he’s planned to do.
When his name is called, Dowoon lifts his cajón into his arms and enters the room, a grin making itself known at the expressions on the judges face. Forget about bringing guitars or any other instrument, he’s pretty sure not too many other people have brought some form of drum to a Big 5 audition before.
“Hello, my name is Yoon Dowoon.” He says, setting the cajón down and bowing to the judges. He isn’t sure whether he’s relieved or disappointed that So Jisub isn’t there, but Dowoon figures the man has his hands full with actually running the company. Nodding in the direction of his instrument, he speaks again.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity, I’ll be preforming LC9′s ‘I Want You’ today. I hope you enjoy it.”
Sitting on top of his drum, Dowoon takes and starts to hum the distinctive start of the song, fingers gently tapping out the beat present as he moves to actually start singing.
하얀 바다에 빠져
까만 선율이 번져
나의 너를 그려내
잊혀졌던 Memory
조각 같은 눈물이
되감아 지길 바래
This is slightly easier to sing than ‘Just Right,’ with the group’s vocal range being somewhat closer to his own. There’s also the underlying message of the song of wanting something so much. He wants this contract. He wants to make his siblings proud of him.
And for the first time in his life, Dowoon wants to be an idol for his own sake too.
두 눈 감아 Oh na na na
꿈이라도 좋으니
너를 내게 보여줘
널 불러 Oh na na na
긴 시간 넘어 다시 이곳으로
At the pre-chous, Dowoon replaces the beat of snapping fingers that had been present in the original version by kicking his heels against the base of the cajón to produce a deeper sound, waiting for the exact second here he could start showing off his true drumming abilities. One final click as he sings the last line before he breaks into a grin.
I want you
눈앞에 니가 다시 다가와
그때와 다른 결말이 오길 (Oh!)
I can’t let you go
매일 나 그려왔던 바로 이 순간
I said I want you
I can’t let you go
끝없이 기다려온 바로 이 순간
I said I want you
At once, the drumming picks up to the beat it is in the original recording, Dowoon using his hands, fingertips and feet to control the rhythm and make it unique. He can vaguely see raised eyebrows from the judges at the shift from an almost ballad like performance to what he’s playing now. He doesn’t let that distract him, though singing and letting his hands glide along and bounce against the instrument to the create the sounds he needs.
‘I dreamed of this moment every day.’
But now it’s a different kind of dream. He dreams of being an idol and hearing people singing along with him. He dream of glory for his sake, as well as his family’s.
As he finishes singing the chorus, he keeps drumming, but slows it down to the speed of the last rendition of the pre-chorus’ beat. He had been loathe to cut out the second verse, but the time limit mean that, had he kept in, he’d be over time and he could kiss goodbye to the chance of any contract on that basis alone. Still, it wasn’t a bad thing, it had forced him to come up with a way to transition between his two chosen parts cleanly and allowed him to show off a little with his creativity. (If his drumming wasn’t already doing it already)
잔을 가득 채운 기억이 넘쳐
흐르는 밤 Oh na na na
희미해진 경계 기억 너머 내게 와
Cause I....
Dowoon returns to the soft beat of earlier, heels thumping off the cajón in a steady rhythm as he sings, his voice a little sad as he thinks of the lyrics. Memories of when he was Eric’s idol, even before Dowoon had ever thought of becoming one himself. Memories of when Eric hung onto his every word and looked at him with adoration. ‘The cup full of memories overflow,’ indeed. He forces the thought away before it can take root, knowing that it’ll renew the bitterness and depression he’d been feeling since they’d gotten home last Sunday.
He was so close. He couldn’t let this chance slip through his fingers because of his emotions.
I want you
더 깊이 내게 밀려온 맘이
파도처럼 날 삼켜버려도 (Oh)
I can’t let you go
한 번 더 눈 감으면 다시 니 곁에
I said I want you (You, yeah)
(Oh na na na, oh na na na)
As he enters the final stretch of the song, the drumming increases to its previous energetic beat and Dowoon’s voice rings out through the room. A smile re-appears on his face, not as wide as the one from earlier, but just as sincere. He has to believe in the message of the song. He has to believe that somehow on for the companies will see his worth and sign him, no matter how long it took. He has to believe that he can fix things with Eric, and that he can have a similarly close relationship without Sunwoo without their parents interfering.
He wants all of it. He wants to be signed and make his dreams come true. He wants to be the star that the sickly Dowoon had dreamed about when he was stuck in his hospital bed.
I can’t let you go
내일 나 눈을 뜨면 너의 품속에
I, I said I want you
Coming to the end of the song, Dowoon finishes with a decisive pound of his hands against the front of the cajón, letting the sound resonate in the room for a few seconds before standing up and bowing to the judges, smiling.
“Thank you for letting perform for you. It’s been an honour.” he says sincerely. Once he’s given his cue to leave, he bows once more and hauls his cajón into his arms and leaves, shutting the door behind him. He makes his way to the seats he’d been waiting on, suddenly sinking into them and shaking hard, eyes watering and a lump building in his throat as reality hits him like a truck.
He did it. He actually, finally, auditioned for Royal. Now all he could do was pray for success.
➨ WHO WILL BE THE LATEST ADDITION TO NOVA ENTERTAINMENT?
Thank you to everyone who participated in the callbacks for the Triple Threat Casting auditions! The display of talent showcased during auditions was incredible to see, and Hyun Bin is proud to welcome these hopefuls into the company.
Nova Entertainment would like to offer contracts to the following people:
NOH HYOJEONG ( @rkhyojeong )
QIAN KUN ( @kunrk )
Please review the contract on the company page and submit a signed copy to the company before the end of Friday, May 17th, EST to begin your training. If you choose to reject the contract, send a notice to the company as well. You can read up on how to get started as a trainee here; any questions can be directed to Mod Bianca or any of the Mods, and the senior trainees at the company can also help you get settled. Congratulations and good luck!
for someone who panics at every opportune moment, kun is surprisingly calm walking into the audition room. he’s not entirely sure where this inner peace comes from -- and that in itself is quite frightening -- but he tries not to think about it too terribly much. instead, he keeps his eyes leveled on the judges. his lips part. he breathes. slow, easy. he lets it all out and lets it all go.
it’ll be a bittersweet performance. this, he is certain of. he has performed this exact choreography nine times before -- each time for a highly competitive placement in one of china’s finest performing arts schools. in the end, all nine schools had rejected him, deeming him unworthy and unmemorable. and it is because of these jarring remarks, etched into his very core, that he chooses to go with this choreography one last time. it’s been three, nearly four, years since those failures. he has grown since then, both in dance and in soul. or at least, that is what he believes. whether that is actually true relies on today’s performance.
after briefly introducing himself and thanking the judges for having him, he moves into the initial position: seated on the ground, curled up tight. the music starts then, and he does what he does best: he dances. he throws himself forward, the long white cloth in his hand making its first appearance by trailing along to his movements. a soft smile passes his lips as his heart warms to the familiar fabric, a commemoration of the kind he once used for his aerial circus acts. if he closes his eyes, he can still feel that stage, can still see that same supportive audience. but no, he shouldn’t dwell; he’s onto bigger things now.
the choreography showcases his flexibility---something he knows might dock points. he’s seen idol groups perform. they don’t do splits or aerial flips, and rarely do they do interpretive dance. but this is what he does best. if he’s being perfectly honest, it’s all he can do. so really, he just has to perform well and hope that the judges see potential.
he doesn’t hear the music by time he’s set to do the first diagonal movement across the room ( 0:30 -- 0:42 ). instead, he focuses on getting it right, making sure that his jump is on beat, his legs completely straightened. the sequence that follows soon thereafter doesn’t allow him time to dwell on any aspect; he continues on, performing yet another aerial flip before reeling back into a series of pirouettes that transition into a backhand spring and a split ( 0:47 -- 1:03 ).
save for a few wobbles here and there, he executes the choreography with lasting triumph. and as he stands there in the final pose, chest heaving, a wave of familiarity washes over him. he’s been here before. of course, he has. he’s been here nine times. the judges are different, the country’s different, but beyond that, it’s all the same: the lights, the atmosphere, the gaze. it’s no wonder he felt so incredibly calm walking in.
he feels a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he swoops into a low bow. “thank you for letting me perform.” this is the tenth time he’s said that, but maybe -- just maybe -- tenth time’s the charm.
