To debut, the five members of Apple Hair join AWE Entertainment, the first company of its kind in Oahu, Hawaii. Inspired by K-pop companies, the rigid training system is too much for most trainees to bear. But Van, Corrin, Kaden, Seiya, and David ar...
I'm serious. Unfortunately, that's not possible when you're in AWE Entertainment. Living with four other boys means chaos at every turn. And I mean every turn. All I want is to curl up with a good book, or to lose myself in a PC game. But what I want even more?
That's to debut.
Tasked with waking up the other members, at least on Mondays and Tuesdays, I head into the bedroom. One futon spreads out between two bunks, making our lucky number—five. My morning vitamins and energy drink haven't quite kicked in yet. I breathe in deep, wondering whether I've the strength to yell.
"Wake—"
David groans, kicking his pillow away from his body. It ends up falling on Seiya, who's sprawled across the futon like a spider. In reaction, he rolls completely across the floor and slaps Kaden on the face. Kaden shoots up and smacks his head against the bunk's frame.
Corrin wakes up and almost falls out of the top bunk with a start. I leap forward, holding out my arms to catch him.
He ends up saving himself, barely holding on to high ground with his left leg and arm.
I accidentally bite my tongue. Freezing in place, I taste iron and watch as Seiya sits up into the morning sun. He scowls at nothing, rubbing his eyes. Corrin wiggles around and tries to save himself from teetering.
"It's Monday," David says with a scratchy voice. "Can't believe our only day off passed so fast."
Kaden's the first to get up. He stretches his arms high above his head, showing off some of his corded muscle. "Life's fast. We don't want to get left behind."
David probably wants to roll his eyes, but he simply hums and readies himself to jump to the floor.
In record time, our group readies to pile into the van. At 8:45 sharp, I make sure everyone has their seatbelt on before letting our manager, Shar, know we're ready. Shar—our guardian angel who somehow manages to keep us alive and well. Oh, and on schedule.
The clouds seem brighter today, blinding me when I look up at them. I keep my eyes on the sky as the guys all try to catch a ten minute nap. Everyone except Seiya, who's scrolling through his social media—which we're all technically not supposed to have.
When we arrive at the AWE building, I yawn into my hand and close my eyes for a total of one second. Then, Shar tells us our schedule for the day—another five hour dance practice, then a two hour vocal lesson. After lunch, it's another four hour dance session, ending with a language class.
"Feeling okay?" I ask Corrin, one of the youngest in the group—eighteen like David and Kaden. He looks like he's going to fall over.
"Oh!" He straightens up. "Just fine."
Considering we've only been a team for one month, the awkwardness is still there. Since I was voted as the leader of the group, I do my best to break the ice. Being a major introvert doesn't help on that aspect. If I had a choice, I could go through a whole day without saying a word.
Shar leads us into the company, but before I enter I look over my shoulder at Ala Moana, the largest open-air shopping mall in the world. In the heart of Honolulu, we're near the beach and if I really focus in, I can smell the salt in the air.
AWE Entertainment, a thirty story building that was once a luxury high rise, welcomes me with a cold kiss of air conditioning. The lobby sparkles with cream and brown undertones, all picked out by our billionaire CEO Merlin Kim. A rush of trainees gather in the lobby, sipping iced coffee from the company's cafe.
"I heard we're picking our name today," Seiya says.
Seiya's my age, nineteen, and even though I should see us as equals, I can't help but be jealous. Seiya's always chill. Of course he'd not be sweating about the name of our group. On my end, I can't help but think about how many times I'll stutter in front of CEO Kim. At least I have four other guys to hide behind.
"I'm sure Kaden can come up with something good," Corrin says, reaching out to pat Kaden on the back.
Kaden gives a tight smile. "I think it's something we should all agree on. If it sticks with us for the rest of our careers...."
I quiet at that, and David also respects the silence. I wonder whether we're all thinking the same thing, how our careers have yet to begin. How it may never will.
The trainees file into the elevator, and we head inside after a group of four. One girl and three boys. One boy with a topknot sneers as I share his space, as if he can't stand to be around us. I think his name is Jason.
"Here's Merlin's favorites," he says.
At first, the five of us quiet and try to ignore the way poison leaks into the air. And then Kaden takes the bait. "We all had the same chances to make an impression. You don't have to be bitter about it."
As someone who hates confrontation, I wait for something to happen—maybe for the entire elevator to implode. Instead, the door opens to our floor. I rush out and try to be the leader by example. Hopefully my four teammates will file out without another word.
As we make our way to the dance studio, David fills the hall with his thoughts. "It's not like we're the only group that's been formed so far," he says. "There's two other boy groups and four girl groups."
"Maybe it's because we're all Asian American?" Corrin says, jamming his finger onto his chin.
"I...." I open a door on my left to an empty studio. I wait until we're all inside. "I don't think so. I think it's just that we're easy targets."
"For what reason?" Kaden asks.
"It's...." I lose my words, wishing that our dance instructor will barge in so I'll have time to think of a better explanation later.
"We don't look like the fighter types," Seiya says, flexing his arm. "We need to build some muscle so all the other trainees will be damn scared."
David laughs, his cheeks turning pink as he fills the room with noise. "So we need to follow Kaden's routine. If we all could gain enough mass in the next few months—"
The door opens, and Shar peeks her head in. "Boys, as your training gets more serious, your instructors will change. It's natural, and even though it's scary, I know you guys are up for it. Say hello to your new instructor for dance."
I immediately stand, watching the door, waiting for whoever it is to make their first step. The boys follow. We're ready to face the music. Or whatever it's called when your heart feels like it's going to overflow with anticipation.
I may be imagining it, but the air feels heavier. Something shimmers when the door opens wider, clouding my vision with the feeling of something big about to happen.
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Welcome to the world of Apple Hair! Are you ready to jump in?
I'm super excited to introduce our members. Van is starting us off strong, and I hope you will cheer on our leader—definitely not an easy job!
I wanted to ask—do you also find comfort in being alone, like Van? I'd say I'm very much an introvert like him. I'm looking forward to seeing any thoughts you may want to leave.
