Dedicated to minnie95v
After a year of separation, that passionate young boy's face once again came alive in Jimin's memories.
He blanked out for a bit, then scrolled down some more and saw a picture of Taehyung wearing a basketball jersey. He was looking towards the camera, one hand holding the ball and winking at the viewer as having been caught on film in the middle of flirting amorously. His very essence was vividly captured.
That picture had a follow-up, where Taehyung flashed a V at the camera, smiling the sweetest and most handsome of smiles.
Jimin's heart suddenly started to beat faster......
Even after he closed the page, Taehyung's face continued to flood Jimin's mind.
Compared to that short memory a year ago, Taehyung's existence felt much more real now.
But after finding out just how rich and popular the other was, Jimin couldn't muster a shred of courage to reach out to him anymore.
He wasn't scared per say, but the chasm between them was much too big, and there was also the matter of his own dignity.
Jimin felt that no matter what he said, it would sound as if he was trying to get to climb the social ladder because of the other's status.
When he left the page, he didn't forget to delete his user browsing history, so as to maintain his "innocence".
Jimin couldn't have imagine that following this decision of his, he and Taehyung wouldn't have any form of communication for 5 years.
From that day onward, Taehyung's personal page became a site Jimin frequently visited, quietly and without notice.
And as for Taehyung, this only meant that in his friend list, there was one more lurker who still used the default system avatar.
Jimin originally thought that he and Taehyung's paths would never cross again, but unexpectedly, he met Taehyung once more.
Four months after he added Taehyung on insta, the city's TV station held a talent search, asking all elementary and middle schools to recommend students to participate. The students chosen not only had the chance to perform on the station's New Year's program, but they also had opportunity to be trained as a young TV host/presenter.
Everyone said that to be famous, you needed to start young, so the parents who had such hopes for their kids were very excited. The teachers also treated this with great importance, since after all, having their student show up on TV could raise the school's reputation as well.
As the only student in his class that played piano and passed the level-10 exam, Jimin was also a candidate chosen by his school.
But in actuality, he did not want to go. He didn't learn piano for the sake of performing as a musician, and he had stage fright to boot. However, Papa and Mama Park thought that since he qualified as a candidate, it'd be a shame to pass up this opportunity, and even if he doesn't get chosen in the end, it'd be a pretty good learning experience.
Half a month later, Jimin and 3 other students from his school went to the TV station.
Of the 3, there was a girl who danced ballet, a girl who played erhu, and a boy who sung bel canto.
The ballet girl was the prettiest girl in their school, older than Jimin by a year and was involved in almost every school activity. She looked sweet and beautiful, always knew what to say, and cared a lot about grasping this chance. Although it wasn't to the extent of win or die, but compared to Jimin and the rest, she had a lot more confidence in herself.
After arriving at the TV station, they had to first go through a preliminary interview with one of the station's TV announcers. For students who had never been in contact with showbiz stars, this was an extremely exciting event.
According to those who finished their interview, all they needed to do was chat a bit with the announcer, so it wasn't anything hard.
When it was Jimin's turn, he nervously walked towards the 2nd interview room and brushed shoulders with an extraordinarily beautiful girl when he entered. That girl's eyes were red and moist, as if she'd been crying.
Jimin stared in slight shock, then slowly walked inside as he heard the interviewer sigh to the staff nearby, "What a pity. Her looks were stunning, but her mentality was too weak." Seeing Jimin walk in, he lowered his voice.
Jimin's heart began to pound wildly. He realized that although it's just a chat, but during this process, those without strong speaking skills or those who looked too ugly would be eliminated at this stage.
Aware of this fact, Jimin knew that for people like him who didn't like to talk and had social anxiety, this was the end.
Just as he was about to sit down, a beautiful woman wearing white business clothes came in from the other door in the room and asked, "Lee Min suk, how many have you finished?"
The announcer who was addressed stood up and replied, "Eh, Big sis Jeon , I'm almost done, just 3 or 4 left. Since you're here, help me interview a few, I need to go to the restroom."
The beautiful woman smiled helplessly, and with an "Alright, go," walked over and took his place.
Jimin looked at her, somewhat astonished. She was the TV station's finance channel's host, Jeon Yeo-Jin. Papa Park watched the finance channel everyday, so Jimin recognized her immediately.
Yeo-Jin was even prettier and more awe-inspiring in person, but Jimin wasn't in the mood to admire the view. His palms were already sweating from stress.
"Little scholar, you look very calm," Yeo-Jin smiled and gave him a glance, then lowered her head to flip through his application and info.
Jimin: "......" Calm? What a joke! Could Jeon Yeo-Jin not see that he was currently in a state of distress and anxiety?
He unclenched his trembling hands, placed them on his knees, and trying to keep his voice as steady as possible, corrected, "Ms. Jeon, I'm not very calm."
Yeo-Jin's enchanting eyes slightly widened: "You recognize me?"
Jimin: " My dad...frequently watches the Current Economic Trends you host."
"So that's how it is. Most children only recognize the hosts from the kids or educational channels......" Yeo-Jin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then asked with a smile, "Your name is Jimin, right? You say you're not very calm, so what's on your mind right now?"
Chaos and turmoil crashed through Jimin's brain, basically rendering him unable to think. He could only answer on instinct, "I'm wondering...if my dad would get jealous of me."
Jeon Yeo-Jin: "Eh? Why's that?"
Jimin: "If my dad doesn't watch your program every day, he'd become worried and troubled. My mom would often joke and say that you're the goddess of his dreams... I've now met you in person, so if my dad finds out......"
The more he talked, the more Jimin felt like dying. Right now, he really wanted to slap himself- You dumbass, what are you even rambling about!
But unexpectedly, this no-filter "confession" of his made Jeon Yeo-Jin laugh out loud.
She sized up his looks as she giggled, "Alright alright, so young and already in possession of such a sweet tongue. Being able to say such things in so serious and earnest of a manner, you're also quite the talented kid."
Jimin: "???"
Sweet tongue? This was a description that couldn't be further from the truth, and if his mom and dad were here and heard that the son they've always categorized as "introverted and reserved" was praised as having a "sweet tongue", they'd definitely fall over in shock!
Yeo-Jin then asked, "Do you want to become a TV anchor?"
Being stared at by a pair of eyes that seemed to see right through him, Jimin could only truthfully answer, "No."
Jeon Yeo-Jin raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Then why did you come here?"
Jimin thought for a while, then replied, "I wanted to...train myself."
Jeon Yeo-Jin smiled and nodded, "Mm, experiencing some things like this would be very beneficial to you." With a wave, she marked a big check on Jimin's application, and seeing what he had written as his talent, casually asked in follow up, "You play piano? What song are you planning to perform?"
Jimin: "Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata."
This song's difficulty was around level-9 and had quite a few similar chords with the Sonata No. 5 in C Minor he played for his level-10 exam, so it was pretty easy to learn. It only took him half a month.
Jeon Yeo-Jin: "I have a son who plays piano, and he's also around your age......" She didn't say any more on that subject and put Jimin's file off to the side. "Well, I'll be looking forward to your performance later."
Jimin pointed at himself in disbelief: "I......passed?"