ㅇ surface ㅇ [ zeenunew ]

chapter 1

2016

He is trapped, sitting on a fetal position inside a tank, the size almost a little larger than his frame.

His hands are not in a bind but he can't seem to move, his limbs are heavy in his sides, unmoving. All of a sudden, he feels cold and there's water filling the small space he is in, a speed of motion so fast he can only take shallow breaths to maintain his sanity.

He tried to move but he's still stuck and cornered in the confined space, losing his ability to escape. The water continues to fill up the tank until it reaches his chest, making him take another breath as the telltale of a panic attack seems to lick on his skin.

No. Stop. He wants to scream but nothing seems to be coming out of his mouth.
The water is relentless as it continues to surge in, reaching and passing his head, drowning him.

Nunew cannot breathe.

"Save me," he cries for help, hoping for someone to hear him, but the water just muffles his screams, filling his nose and mouth and suffocating him.

A few beats later his body started to give up... his eyes felt heavy and they start to close slowly.

He thinks to himself, Is this it? Am I dyi-

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

His body jerked from the loud sound of his alarm clock, waking him up with a start.

Nunew opens his eyes, body moving into a sitting position as he tries to catch his breath. He looks around him and noticed that he's in his bed, in his room, safe and sound.

Just a dream, he thought, relieved that everything was not real and just a figment of his imagination. But it felt so real. The voice inside his head argued, body still feeling the strain of trying to breathe under water. His musings was interrupted when the sound of his alarm clock gets his attention again.

5:00 am.

Seeing the time on his clock, Nunew grudgingly gets off and makes his bed.

Waking up at five in the morning seems to be too early to get ready for the earliest morning class of an ordinary university student but Nunew is not ordinary. In fact, he's far from it.
He is Nunew Chawarin, 21 years old who is currently living his dream life in korea. He's a singer-songwriter, a multitalented idol who has also recently joined the list of young promising actors.

He won in an open audition back when he was 12 years old and started his training to become an idol in one of the largest and popular agencies in the country. His family was against his decision at first, especially after seeing all the hardships he'll have to go through while training. They were worried since he was the youngest in the family and were afraid of him going to korea all alone. With 2 older sisters, it wasn't surprising that his family was protective of him.

However, Nunew didn't give up on his dream and strived hard, he even learned the language so he could put those traits in use to convince his family that no matter how hard the training is, he won't give up. He promised himself that he'll become an idol and will achieve his dreams no matter what. His family having known of that trait of his finally gave in and supported him in everything.

He was well known ever since he won that open audition. He has proven that he's got a talent for singing and dancing, not to mention that he also got the face of an idol. At 12 he was a cute kid, someone who's full of energy and cuteness and those characteristics attracted a lot of people. And so even when he was a trainee he's got fans constantly cheering for him, as well as patiently waiting for his debut.