New Morning | A Kpop Idol Life Story

9. Idol Kingdom

Note: From now on, I will be using (SName) for MC's stage name, in case you have chosen one. If not, you can just use the first name! Also, in this chapter there will be discussion about MC's nationality. I have noticed that over 50% of the readers are from a country that speaks English (according to Wattpad's graphics), but I can't guarantee this will make sense to every nationality and mother tongue combination there is. So don't worry if this sounds a bit out of place!

~ August 16th, Tuesday ~

Your P.O.V.

I smiled as I scrolled through Lucky Number's official Instantgram. The pictures from February and March reminded me of our successful debut: we won total of five awards, meaning we dominated nearly half of the shows we had been to. For a beginner group it was pretty good, considering all the groups that debut but don't get acknowledged by the public. But were hungry for even more.

- (First Name), you're grinning like an idiot, a few giggling members teased me and I yelped.

The BTS material camera was also filming us somewhere nearby and I didn't want to look like a complete fool on WeTube.

- Put your phone away, the break's over. We're continuing the shoot now, Songmin pulled me up from the chair and we moved back to the center stage for more dance scenes.

We were in the middle of filming the music video for our comeback. One of the sets, the location we were currently in, was a dark warehouse building decorated with occasional fluorescent tapes scattered around the walls, floor and columns. It had this dark yet colorful vibe similar to Don't Mind but this was a lot more mature and... dare I say sexy? At least the leather, fishnet and fur outfits we had on were probably the sexiest thing any of us had ever worn.

The past two months hadn't been as bad as it had been when preparing for our debut album because this time we had had much more time to write each song with the uttermost precision. Having a more even concept for the entire mini album the title song, Bad Girls, was a grown-up version of Lucky Number. Though we maintained our characteristic latin pop like style this time the song was leaning heavily on our rap line, so it had a hip hop vibe as well.

But of course I would also have lines as the main vocal. I had more center time in the fast-paced and intriguing choreography and most likely even my screen time would increase. At least the amount of solo shots looked promising. The director told me to turn, pose and look in the camera before deciding to make me do all three again, in slightly different angle and lighting to make every scene perfect. The other members were in the same situation. Jiwoo and Yeongja basically owned the camera while Haneul and Songmin took the easier route by acting more naturally. Hyejin was, well, going all crazy with her rap parts.

During the last week we had been working mainly on the music video, pulling all-nighters more than a student studying last minute for finals. I had gained more experience in the Don't Mind MV shoot and I knew this would get more and more tiring as the day turned into evening, then night. Thankfully we had gotten the every possible shot we might want in the video ready before it was morning. Besides, every person in the set was getting frustrated as the blood sugar and work ethic started to drop drastically.

~ August 26th, Friday ~

I was warmly welcomed to the set of Idol Kingdom. The staff greeted me back and I was almost immediately taken in front of a mirror to check my hair and makeup. The rest of the members were already getting ready for the shoot. When they noticed me they gave me warm smiles.

- Where were you? Jiwoo asked.

- I had a meeting with the Korean teacher and it took a bit longer than I thought, I answered smiling sheepishly.

- Aww, you're working so hard! Yeongja hugged me from behind, threatening to attack me with a million kisses.

- Are you nervous for your first variety show?

For most of the day I had been able to keep my cool, not worrying about Lucky Number's first variety show shoot. But now that Yeongja asked me if I was nervous I really started to feel the pressure. Jiwoo noticed the change in my mood and gave me a hug, which she did very rarely.

- At first it will be a little scary but you'll be howling with laughter in no time.

- I can imagine. But it's easy for you to say, you're an amazing actress and a natural entertainer. I can sing but that's about it.

- (First Name), you're so much more than that, Jiwoo looked me in the eyes.

- I saw you in New Morning. You made so many people laugh.

The New Morning throwback made me instantly nostalgic. Officially speaking it was more a reality show but qualified as a humorous show, too.

- You are not alone, you know that? She held me close and didn't let me go before she was convinced I'd be alright.

- Yes, unnie, I sighed but then smiled, thankful to have a supportive circle around me.

- Everyone, get to your positions. We're starting the shoot!

- Good evening, citizens. My name is Yoon Woojin and this is Koo Miyeong. We will be your hosts on this magical journey to the Idol Kingdom.

- Tonight we have the honor of meeting an idol group with exceptional charm and talent.

- Let's welcome the amazing rookie girl group, Lucky Number!

I felt a spark of adrenaline as we entered the stage with dozens of cameras and staff keeping a close eye on us. Despite of being a nervous mix of hyperactivity and anxiousness I managed to keep a natural smile as we did our group greeting.

- All in! Nice to meet you, we are Lucky Number!

- I can already sense how energetic you are! Woojin said with excitement.

- Please, show us your solo introductions.

We proceeded with the usual order of Songmin, Jiwoo, Hyejin, Haneul and Yeongja. I was the last.

- Hello, I'm the maknae main vocal, (SName).

There must have been something weird about my pronunciation because the hosts looked surprised.

- Are you a foreigner? You have an accent.

- Yes, I'm (Nationality), I nodded, getting a little shy with the attention.

- Wow, that's fascinating. They speak (Language) in (Country), right? Could you give us a language sample? Miyeong eagerly requested.

Speaking my mother tongue first time in a while felt a bit weird but I delivered a clean sentence in (Language). As a reward I was given a round of applause.

After having done the introductions we continued to discuss about our debut and upcoming second mini album. Thanks to the other members and the hosts I could easily understand what was going on and could even make a few jokes on the way. We tried the double speed dance for Don't Mind, and because we did a few mistakes we didn't get the grand prize. Luckily we could bribe the staff with aegyo and received some delicious treats as a consolation. We played a few games, including peeling lemons with teeth and charades, and answered calls and requests made by fans. Jiwoo had been right, variety shows weren't that bad after all. The two hour shoot felt very short and I was a little sad when we finished with the final words. Our episode would be edited and it was scheduled to be aired on TV next Tuesday.

On our way back to the dorm I had some time to check the messages I had missed during the day. One from mom, one from a friend back home and one from... Hyeonwoo?

- Haneul, I suddenly gasped.

My friend sitting in front of me reluctantly turned around and opened her eyes just enough to see my face.

- What is it, (First Name)?

I raised my phone for her to see the screen and the message bubble on it. Haneul rubbed her eyes to see better, and when she finally could read the tiny text, her eyes grew wide.

- Mr. Perfect is debuting? she raised her voice a little too much, causing the other girls to shush at her.

- He is. He is debuting after all these years, but why the heck is he in JHA? I stammered, feeling my stomach fill with butterflies.