Dongyoon stares out into the world, he’s not sure if coming here was the best idea, but now he is here, it his the 23rd of August, and Dongyoon is at a picnic event to see his band member, and friend, Wooseok. Usually the two only met when they had to write songs together or had to perform, but lately they had agreed on that they needed to be closer, that if they wanted their band to last for long, then they needed to be friends not just band members, hence the two had tried all sorts of things to become closer. In the beginning it was just drinking tea together, then it was going to the beach, then it was drinking, then it was bungee jumping. Now it was something more normal, it was just going to a picnic event and eating together, enjoying the hot weather. Though Dongyoon hadn’t thought this through, usually they met at Wooseok’s place, but this time they had decided to meet at where they were going. And that? That wasn’t smart, why? Because Dongyoon was awfully bad at being in public alone.
It hadnt always been like that, actually, for a long time it wasn’t like that, Dongyoon used to love being in public, he wasn’t much for being home all the time. Now it was the opposite, ever after becoming a trainee his whole life had changed. Yet now he was here, in public, he held tight onto his clothes and then he walked, walked around to find the other. He tried his best to stay calm, to pretend as if everything was okay, and then he saw him, then he saw Wooseok.
After Tigek JK’s announcement backstage the contestants are told the show is over and they may go home. Before you leave, however, a woman quickly stops you on your tracks. “I’m sorry, but I think this may be yours.” She gives you a card you’re certain isn’t yours. “It’s a gift form KT. We’d love to see what you really have to show.” The card contains KT Entertainment’s contacting information on it. “If you call the number you may schedule an audition with KT. I wouldn’t miss this chance if I were you.” And so the agent walks away without much any more information to give.
Of course he was disappointed when he heard that he hadn’t won the challenge, he had offered as much as to both play the violin, dance femininely and show his abs, all things he didn’t enjoy, yet he had expected that he wouldn’t win and he didn’t mind losing much. He had sadly seen some familiar faces, but he had tried to avoid everyone who he knew, nobody, absolutely nobody needed to see him in a crop top. He thinks he had managed that, at least nobody approached him, until somebody did, a female a lot shorter than himself which he for sure doesn’t know suddenly stops him, he wonders if she’s going to comment on his performance or on his outfit, she does, kind of.
He lets her speak, listens carefully, because in all honestly, he can’t believe what she’s saying. Dongyoon is familiar with KT, he was in their superstar ad, yet he had never expected to be casted by such company, not that he had expected TRC to cast him either, he had always believed that if he were to become a trainee then it would be some unknown company who he would be a trainee under, not one of the big five. Well he wasn’t yet a trainee, but she had directly approached him and asked him to audition, a private audition, Dongyoon’s first private audition.
He stands in shock, he’s unsure what to say as he accepts the card, but then she walks away before he can even ask any questions, he looks at the card, plays with it in his fingers and then sits down while continuing to look at it.
And then it happens, Dongyoon burst out in tears, quickly he covers his face with his hands, he has already embarrassed himself enough today, he doesn’t need anybody to see him like this. Dongyoon isn’t the type to cry, especially not in public, it’s often his mother who is the reason for him crying, this time, it’s only partly her. He should be happy, and he is, yet his tears aren’t tears of happiness, they’re pure sadness. He continues to cry while he thinks, sure he’s happy, but who can he share this with? He can’t share it with his mother, she would become happy and then too disappointed if he didn’t pass the audition. His sister would immediately tell it to everybody and that he surely doesn’t want, father wouldn’t even care, he never does. Dongyoon has nobody, he has absolutely nobody to tell this to, he realizes, perhaps he doesn’t have as many people beside him as he wants to believe, maybe he’s another kind of lonely.
The tears continue, and they continue until everybody else has left.
It’s a family dinner, but does it feel like one? Not at all, it’s so uncomfortable to be here, if Dongyoon could then he’d be with his dogs right now, but he can’t, he has been forced by his mother to be here, and the most awkward thing? How Eunseok is still the only one knowing about the sskt audition and how he passed it, Eunseok promised to take Dongyoon out for dinner and they have already planned when to eat together.
The relationships in this family are so weird, Dongyoon has no idea whether about him and his sister are close or not, and his mother? If he was honest then he’d say he’d hate her, but he can’t say that because then it would make no sense that he was literally following her dream. And then there is Eunseok, Dongyoon’s lovely father who Dongyoon loves with his whole heart.
And suddenly a memory rushes through Dongyoon’s mind, he remembers how he played football with his friend Minbyung and something funny happened. “Dad?” he says leaning a bit over the table, his father sits across of him and as soon as Eunseok turns to look at Dongyoon, Dongyoon smiles happily and brightly. “Me and Minbyung played soccer the other day and—” but then he gets cut off by his father speaking, but not to him. Eunseok turns to Dongjoo and speaks with her instead of listening to Dongyoon, “sorry” Dongyoon then mumbles.
“Dongyoon! Please finish your story, I’m listening!” a voice suddenly says, and Dongyoon turns to realize that it’s his mother who has spoken, and the happy and bright smile then returns on his lips again, their relationship is unexplainable, and in this moment Dongyoon sees her as a mother and considers telling her about the audition.
