UNISTAR Project
Invisible Moon
Chapter 33
The Wind Moon
"The wind blew away the mist,
allowing the moon to shine."
#WINisWIND
After I made up with Boss, he kind of surprised me.
We were back to being friends as usual and no one knew that Boss was the one who leaked those photos. In fact, I didn't want anyone to find out about it. I was afraid Boss would be in trouble.
In actuality, he just pretended like he didn't care about me while secretly protecting me on social media.
Although everything had been resolved, not everyone could accept me wholeheartedly. Some of them still disliked me as they thought that I didn't deserve to be a UNISTAR. Some said that I shouldn't be close to P'In. Boss, however, defended me against those negative posts. I felt so touched that he did that for me.
Sleepy @unitysleepy
If Archawin weren't P'In's buddy-code brother, no one would cheer for him.
I'm Boss @bodin0000 replying to @unitysleepy
That's why a Unity who has never been close to P'In like you could only be envious? :)
Love spicy curry @fkduifpfj
Archawin won't be a UNISTAR. He doesn't deserve it.
I'm Boss @bodin0000 replying to @fkduifpfj
PD Kwang, UNISTAR members, and people of the whole country will decide. It's not only you.
In wa @likeuit
I don't like the way P'In is close to that Archawin.
I'm Boss @bodin0000 replying to @likeuit
Would anyone die because of that?
I was shocked to see how he replied to the anti-fans. His words were polite, but his tone was harsh. I couldn't even believe it was actually him.
I used to ask whether that person was him or not. However, he just smiled and said that Twitter was like a place to release one's dark side. Arguing with some people was somehow relaxing for him...
The UNISTAR Contest was still ongoing. Several weekly workshops were conducted for all 9 finalists before the final day and everyone needed to participate. This workshop would be recorded and released on a special TV program called 'UNISTAR Contest Workshop'. The most exciting part was meeting the UNISTAR members and doing an activity with them.
This was the first week of the workshop. I arrived at the company in the morning, because P'Kwang had to make an appointment to discuss our contract first. Me, Oat and other candidates were in the conference room. Of course Sun was here as well, he seemed very sleepy though.
"This is the agreement contract for your participation in the UNISTAR final contest" PD Kwang explained.
"So, one of you will be the winner as the next UNISTAR member. This contract included the agreement about being an MW artist and a UNISTAR Member. The winner needs to follow the agreement until graduation, plus three years in addition."
"What if we didn't win? I saw on the last page, it said this contract will be automatically cancelled?" One candidate asked.
"That's right." PD Kwang nodded. "This contact will take effect once you win as a UNISTAR member. If you are not the winner, this contract won't bind you. However, please look carefully at Clause 14, the first and second runner-up will give the consent for MW Entertainment to offer you an MW Artist contract before other companies."
"So it means if we didn't become a UNISTAR, but received the second or third prize instead, we still have a chance to work with MW Entertainment?" Another candidate also asked.
"Yes." PD Kwang said.
"However, this will depend on the company's discretion as well. In case we are interested in you, you must prioritise us. If you agree to join us, we will make a new contract, which is different from a UNISTAR contract. If you don't want to work as an artist or idol, this contract doesn't bind you. But Clause 14.4 states that the first and the second runner-up can't sign a contract with any other media or modelling enterprise other than MW Entertainment within half a year after the UNISTAR contest ends. But after that, you can work for other companies if you want to."
I read the contract. The prizes for winners were clearly stated.
The winner would become the 5th generation member of UNISTAR and receive a cash prize of 1,000,000 baht, along with other rewards from the MW group and sponsors.
The first runner-up and second runner-up would instead be offered contracts as an artist or idol of MW Entertainment along with other rewards from the MW group and sponsors. The only difference between the two was the cash prize of 500,000 baht and 300,000 baht each.
I was excited, because although we didn't end up as a UNISTAR member, we would still have an opportunity to become MW artists, and the prize was quite good. I guess it's the perks of becoming a Moon.
"P'Kwang krub." Another candidate asked. "I'm studying in the faculty of medicine, which will take 6 years in total. So if I win, my contract will last for 9 years?"
"Yes." PD Kwang answered. "You'll be bound for 3 years on top of the length it takes to complete your degree. For example, if your degree takes 4 years, your contract will be for 7 years, if your degree takes 5 years, your contract will be 8 for years. However, even if the contract is still in effect, you can still work in other companies except for media enterprises or our opponents. If you have further questions, feel free to ask."
"I'm confused with Clause 6." Someone asked.
"It states that we must work as a UNISTAR member for at least 2 years, then we can opt to terminate the contract. Does it mean after we work as a UNISTAR member for 2 years, we can choose to quit?"
"Please look at Clause 6.1, it states that if you decide to quit, the decision must be approved by producers and MW Entertainment Board of Directors. In short, it would be case by case. And this Clause 6 is for when you are the one who wants to terminate the contract. But Clause 15 is for when the company asks to terminate the contract. In case you breach any part of the agreement, you can be disqualified from being a UNISTAR member. Because the UNISTAR Project is all about the image, so it's important to mind the way you conduct yourself."
After we finished discussing, PD Kwang gave us time to read the contract. If we still had some questions, we could raise our hands to ask. If we were clear and also agreed, all we needed to do was sign it, submit one copy for the company, and keep another copy to ourselves.
This contract detailed everything, including work styles and income. All UNISTAR members would receive a basic salary that wasn't part of their bonuses. Well, it was higher than the minimum salary for fresh graduates. In addition, the company would also provide various benefits. Moreover, other income from each project and sale would be paid separately from the salary.
All UNISTAR members would also receive a share from the sales of fanmeet or event tickets as well as any other UNISTAR merchandise such as light-sticks, T-shirts and photo-books.
Come to think of it, P'In would have earned so much money since he had been working for more than a year and everything related to the UNISTAR was sold out every time.
In addition, the members would also get a percentage of the sales for products they represent as ambassadors and the member who was selected as the centre for the campaign would receive a bigger cut. On the other hand, half of the income from their external projects would be shared with the company.
I didn't have any issues with the contract. However, there was also an agreement about monitoring our behaviours. The company could dictate how we use social media, as well as meddle in our personal relationships. They clearly stated that they could restrict our behaviour which could have a negative impact on our image or reputation including dating, nights out, or drugs.
As I didn't have any questions and I didn't even know if I could win or not, I decided to just sign it. The other candidates did too.
I thought the income clause of the contract was quite fair, but in return, we would lose our freedom after becoming a UNISTAR. The same happened to P'In.
After we finished signing the contract, we sat and waited in the studio. The crew was setting up a white backdrop stage and the seats that we would be using. The stylists were helping us apply makeup before a staff member informed us to be on standby. A moment later, I heard someone saying that the UNISTAR members had arrived.
I held my breath, my excitement grew. Even though I had already seen all of them before, I still felt very excited.
The other candidates were excited as well. Except for Sun, who seemed really sleepy today.
"I have never met UNISTAR members other than P'Natee and P'Leo. Meeting them is making my day!" Oat said.
"Hello, everyone."
When the UNISTAR members entered the studio, it looked like they glowed. I used to think that all the candidates among us were very good-looking. Still, none of us could even compare to the real UNISTAR members with full makeup and costumes. When they were all together, it felt as if they were emitting their own bright lights, living up to their title as top idol stars.
When my eyes met P'In's for a second, I was the one who turned away first.
I didn't want anyone to misunderstand us again. I was afraid that I would ruin his reputation like I did before.
Only P'Wayu enthusiastically gave me a big smile, and waved his hands at me, making it obvious that we knew each other.
They then sat on the seats that were arranged for them. Once they were settled into the seats, P'Leo began to brief us about what to expect for the day.
"Today, we are assigned to take care of you in a special programme called 'UNISTAR Contest Workshop'. We will be your mentors, producers and hosts throughout the programme."
He continued.
"Before we begin the recording, I'll brief you on what we'll be doing. You've already received the email, right? I want all of you to introduce yourselves and tell us your chosen Moon title as well as why you selected this title. Of course, it will just be your temporary title, but if PD Kwang approves it, you may keep using the title after you become a UNISTAR member."
Then, P'Sea added.
"After we finish the introductions, the next part will be a fun activity — mentor lottery. Everyone will be assigned to one of the UNISTAR members as your mentor. Your mentor will take care of you and guide you until the final contest. Your job is to accompany your mentor to work, such as modelling shoots and so on. The UNISTAR members may not have the same task at the same time, so your priority is to follow your mentor."
"Understood?" P'Leo asked us. "Any questions?"
Since no one had any questions, P'Sea signalled the staff to start recording.
"Hello everyone, we are the National Moons — UNISTAR!"
The camera zoomed on the UNISTAR members. They naturally greeted the camera in unison.
"Today I'll be acting as both PD and MC for this special program – 'UNISTAR Contest Workshop'. Right now, we are here with all nine finalists for this year's UNISTAR contest."
P'Leo was very natural at MC'ing.
I peeked at P'In. He stayed still, as emotionless as always.
"Let's get to know our candidates." P'Sea gestured his hand in our direction and the camera panned to us.
"Hello, Moons." P'Sea greeted us.
"Hello, P'UNISTARs." Everyone raised their hands to pay respect to them, not in unison though, just casually.
"So, we'll let each of you introduce yourselves. You've already thought of your titles, right? We'll be looking forward to it."
In my opinion, P'Sea and P'Leo did a very good job at MC'ing the program. I didn't think that other members would do as well as they did. P'In — too quiet. P'Wayu — too many jokes. P'Natee — badmouth.
Each candidate introduced themselves one by one, most of their titles were very common; such as Shiny Moon, Blue Moon and so on until we reached Sun Suriyaphat.
I was amazed at how he was able to become a different person in front of the camera. Sleepy Sun had now transformed into an energetic Sun.
"Hi everyone! Da Jia Hao. Sawaddee Krub. My name is Sun. Wo de zhongwen mingzi shi Leng Canxi."
Sun had a unique way of introducing himself, which was similar to the one he used in the School-Ace shows. He always spoke three languages — Thai, English, and Chinese, with such perfect accents.
"I've chosen the title 'Sun Moon' as my Moon title because my nickname is 'Sun', and my full name is 'Suriyaphat', which also means sun. My Chinese name 'Canxi', 灿 and 熙 both mean 'bright'. Because I shine by myself and don't need any other light."
Well, his title wasn't bad. However, most UNISTAR members frowned when they heard it, obviously displeased, except for P'In who was always emotionless. Because everyone had a title related to the moon at night. No one dared to name themselves as the bright sun. Plus, saying that he could shine on his own seemed like he wanted to go solo and didn't care about teamwork, which conflicted with the general UNISTAR concept.
As if he chose his Moon title to outshine the other UNISTAR members.
However, P'Sea was quick to applaud him.
"Interesting. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you will shine by yourself." P'Sea smiled and gestured to the next person — Oat.
"Hello, my name is Oat. I come from QU University, Faculty of Engineering." Oat spoke fluently.
"My chosen Moon title is 'Morning Moon' because among all of my friends, I'm the only one who wakes up very early. I like to do morning exercise before the sun rises. Sometimes, my friends would also ask me to call and wake them up instead of setting their alarms. They called me 'The Morning Man', so I think 'Morning Moon' would suit me the most."
All UNISTAR members applauded with warm smiles. They seemed to like his title as well.
"Like the Moon in the morning. Nice title..." P'Sea said before smiling and gesturing for me to start. P'Sea was a man who had a very beautiful smile.
"And the last one."
I flinched a little. I had already prepared for this, but I still wasn't sure whether they would like it. At least I thought that my Moon title was okay.
"Hello, my name is Win. The XU Moon." I was a bit nervous to speak in front of many people.
"My chosen Moon title is 'Wind Moon', because my nickname is Win, which sounds similar to 'Wind'. I think this title suits me because the wind describes the movement of air. If the air just stayed still, one would not realise its presence. However, when the air flows, it becomes a breeze, wind that can be felt. It also blows the fog and clouds away to allow the moon to shine. Because I wish to be an inspiration for everyone, I don't need to be shining myself. Like the wind that gave way for others to shine.
"Wow, that's an incredible title. Very meaningful." P'Sea smiled and he was about to make a closing statement.
But suddenly...
"Then, Win can be my mentee..." P'Wayu stood up and interrupted.
"Because he's the 'Wind Moon'. Wayu also means wind."
I thought P'Wayu probably just tried to crack a joke. However, not only did no one laugh, but two people beside him – P'Natee and P'In – looked at him blankly.
"He's the Wind Moon, but you... are Fart Moon right? That's also a type of wind." P'Natee said sarcastically. Some people in the studio even laughed at that.
"Fart what? Hell dog!" P'Wayu had reached his limit.
"I said 'wind'. You're such an idiotic deaf. Stupid dog full of earwax!"
"I'm stating the truth." P'Natee didn't stop.
"Your room is also dirty and smelly like your fart."
P'Wayu was very mad by now.
"My room is messy but not smelly. F*** you! And about my fart, you're wrong. How can you be a dog with such a bad sense of smell? The fleas must have bitten your nose till it's already disabled. If you can actually smell, my fart is so fragrant."
P'Wayu didn't give up easily.
"Wayu, Natee, we're recording the show." P'Leo warned them because they both didn't watch their manners in front of the camera.
"Anyway..." P'Wayu cut in, ignoring P'Natee and looking at me.
"I'm wind, he's also wind. We have similar names. So I want to be his mentor."
What he said shocked me. Seriously?
Well, everyone was also shocked by how self-centred he was. Before P'Leo could say anything, another UNISTAR member stood up.
"I can be his mentor too! Our names are similar as well." P'In said, making everyone confused. It was very rare to see P'In standing up to speak in his own interest.
"What? How is it similar? The meaning isn't even close." P'Wayu argued.
P'In looked at P'Wayu and said...
"Similar writing and pronunciation. Why not? Whenever you write 'Win', there must be an 'In'."
I was trying to follow what P'In said.
He was actually right. Every 'win' had an 'in'.
If there was no 'in', we couldn't write 'win'.
Well, In and Win indeed has similar written form and pronunciation.
But...seriously? I couldn't keep up with P'In's train of thoughts.
Even P'Wayu gasped.
"Well, well, no need to fight — New Moon and Invisible Moon." P'Sea tried to stop P'Wayu and P'In from arguing.
"Let me tell you some good news. PD Kwang already made it clear that the mentor can't come from the same university as the candidate."
P'Wayu and P'In immediately looked at each other.
"Any excuse for the name's meaning or similar pronunciation won't work anyway."
P'Sea gave them a sweet smile, but with very cunning eyes.
"But don't worry, we will take care of N'Win for you two instead."
Although P'Wayu and P'In didn't seem happy about it, they had no choice but to accept it.
"Please cut out the part where N'Wayu spoke out of topic." P'Leo told the staff. I agreed with him. We're lucky it wasn't a live show.
After the first part was over. We took a 5-minute break before we resumed. The next part was the mentor selection.
This activity was divided into two rounds. In the first round, the UNISTAR members would each select a candidate. They prepared a board displaying 9 different label cards. Each card showed a short description that was related to each of us without revealing our names. Each UNISTAR member had to choose a card and they would automatically be assigned as the mentor to the candidate described by the card. As for the remaining four candidates, they would randomly choose a mentor using the same method in the second round.
When all the signs were revealed, I looked for the one which might be mine.
'Moving Wikipedia'
What? It was too obvious!
"As a rule, seniors will go first, so P'Sea gets the first pick." P'Leo said.
P'Sea laughed and walked to the board. He smiled at me and then picked the 'Moving Wikipedia' sign without even thinking.
"Hey! P'Sea! Why did you do that?" P'Wayu was frantic.
"You can't pick him anyway." P'Sea gave him a warm smile. P'Wayu didn't have any choice but to purse his lips.
P'In looked at me with a complex expression.
Afterwards, the first round ended once the rest of the UNISTAR members had their turn selecting random candidates. P'Sea obviously became my mentor, while Sun, Oat and other two candidates had yet to be selected.
The second round started, and it was the remaining four candidates' turn to choose.
When I saw the labels, I immediately knew which one was P'In's.
'Like feeding cat'
I knew him too well.
Oat selected the 'Like drinking cola' sign, so he got P'Wayu.
Sun chose 'Wanna build music band', so he got P'Natee.
In the end, everyone was assigned to a mentor. Four of the UNISTAR members had two candidates assigned to them. P'Sea only had me, because there were only five mentors for nine candidates.
After we finished recording, we dispersed and sat with our mentors separately to get to know them and prepare for next week's show.
"So it's you, N'Archawin... The one N'In and N'Wayu competed for." P'Sea said with a friendly smile, but I felt a bit nervous.
P'Sea was a male who was both beautiful and handsome. When he smiled, it looked attractive but somehow a little scary. To me, P'Sea was like a sweet apple with poison. I strongly felt like he was that type of person.
P'Sea looked at me. Pondering before glancing at P'In in the studio.
"N'In...he is kind and gentle. He's such a good person, good at cooking, and a family man. He is also devoted to love. The one who has N'In as a boyfriend would be very lucky."
P'Sea said while throwing a cunning gaze at me. I tensed up.
"Unfortunately. He's an idol. He is the positive PR image for MW. His fans won't be happy if he dates someone. So, the one who has fallen for N'In and expects to date him will only be heartbroken."
These words were like a knife stabbing in my heart. I tried to act as if it didn't affect me, but my heart was in pain.
"N'Win...you want to be the wind right?" P'Sea said.
"If you want to be an inspiration for others, you must first inspire yourself."
He said thoughtfully.
"If you want to float like the wind above the clouds, you must make yourself lighter. You need to throw away heavy and unnecessary baggage. Being an idol sometimes requires you to sacrifice your own happiness in exchange for your own dream and future."
I was stunned. P'Sea might have spoken indirectly, but I felt like it hit home.
P'Sea must have already figured out my feelings towards P'In.
P'Sea tried to warn me that no matter what, P'In was still an idol. He couldn't date anyone as freely as he wanted to. P'Sea didn't want me to hold on to an unrealistic dream.
If I chose to be a UNISTAR, I'd have to be strong and cut this thing out of my mind.
"But...sometimes...it isn't bad to do what your heart desires. I want to remind N'In about this as well."
P'Sea's words had such a complex meaning.
"Anyway." P'Sea cut it off and smiled.
"This will be fun. Perhaps, something unexpected could happen in the future. Well, if we wait and see how the situation develops, I wonder how it's going to end...Hahaha. I'm going to prepare some popcorn for sure."
It seemed as if P'Sea was looking forward to something entertaining.
Although I didn't quite understand him, I could ascertain the type of personality he had.
He had such a pure and innocent appearance, but inside, it was probably the opposite.
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