"Keun! Keun Chaerin!"
Not even five minutes after leaving my apartment I heard my name being called behind me. I turned to see Mira, a girl who was a part of a dance group I used to be in.
I smiled at her and watched as she walked up to me. "Annyeonghoseo!" I reply to her call.
She smiled and stopped in front of me. "How have you been? You're staying healthy I hope."
"I've been well." I nod and reply. "I'm was just walking to an interview actually."
"Oh really? Where is it at?" She perked up curiously.
"YG Entertainment." I said slowly.
Mira gasped. We both had bonded over our love for BigBang when we danced together. "What are you doing there?!" She whispered forcefully.
"Ah, I'm being interviewed to dance in a music video. I don't know whose video it is though."
"No way! Keun that's awesome!"
I smiled and laughed lightly. "Yeah, I still can't believe it. And how many times do I have to tell you to use my first name?"
"Sorry, sorry," she smiled shyly and put her hands up in front of her chest. "it's just a habit. But really, how did you get in at YG?"
"I kind of just walked in with all my information ready and filled out an application."
"Wait, it was that easy?"
"I don't know, The receptionist obviously didn't want me there. It seems like a lot of people must come in asking for the same thing, but I decided it was do or die so I went way out of my comfort zone and continuously gave her reasons to look over my information."
"What? Keun Chaerin purposely annoyed someone? No way." She smiled as she teased me and I couldn't help but smile back with a light blush from embarrassment.
"I guess I did, but even me getting this interview means it's worth it."
"Oh! Am I making you late?" Mira's eyes widened in realization. "I'm so sorry! I wish you the best of luck Ke-.. Chaerin!"
I smiled at her and laughed lightly. "No, I left with plenty of time to spare, but I should probably get going anyways. It was really good to see you again!"
She sighed slightly and smiled when she heard that she wasn't holding me back. Then she nodded. "Yes, we should get together again sometime! Oh and let me know if you get the job! I'm really excited for you; I know you can do this."
"Thank you, Mira, I'll text you as soon as I find out."
"Good luck! Work hard!" Mira said as she turned and started walking away.
I gave her a smile and nodded as I turned and continued on my way to YG Entertainment.
I took my time and walked at a slower pace to try to calm my growing nerves. I arrived there thirty minutes later and had to stare up at the building for a moment before going up and walking through the glass doors. The same lady from before was sitting behind the desk inside and smiled slightly when she saw me walk in.
"Annyeonghoseo." I said when I reached the edge of the desk. "I'm here for an interview."
The lady nodded and looked in the direction of the elevators. "The elevators are over there, and you need to go to the fourth floor. His office is room number three. You are a bit early yet so I'll call and let him know you're here. Go ahead and sit over there and I'll let you know when he's ready for you." She gestured to the seating area I sat in before.
I bowed slightly. "Thank you very much." I was about to turn and go sit down but she began speaking again.
"I must say I'm quite impressed, not many applicants get asked back for an interview, especially not this soon. Congratulations."
I smiled at her comment. "Thank you, but I still have to get through the interview and be accepted before I can accept that."
She smiled at me, "That's fair, good luck."
"Thank you." I smiled back before turning and going to sit in the same spot I sat in just a few weeks ago.
I took out my phone and subconsciously started bouncing my leg due to nerves. I started scrolling through Instagram and liking a few pictures here and there. Opening the search feature I checked up on some of my favorite accounts. I looked up at the clock on my phone and I've already been sitting here for ten minutes. I faintly hear a phone ring behind me and someone pick it up and talk for a few seconds before hanging up. I'm snapped out of my nervous daze when I hear my name being called.
"Keun," I turned and looked towards the voice, which was coming from the lady behind the desk. "he said you can go up now."
I nodded at her and gave a slight smile. "Okay, thank you." I said as I stood up.
She nodded slightly and smiled back. "Fighting!" She said softly and held a fist up.
I couldn't help but laugh lightly as I nodded and held up a fist in return. Then, I walked into the elevator and pressed the number four. Leaning back against the side wall of the big elevator, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tried to calm my nerves the best I could before the elevator door opened five seconds later. I opened my eyes and held my head high as I walked out of the elevator and walked down the lit up hallway.
I found the office quickly, and I knocked on the door and listened to hear a response from inside.
"It's open." Spoke the same voice I heard over the phone that morning.
I slowly opened the door to see a man who looked like he was in his early thirties, but was probably in his forties, sitting behind a desk. A little, rectangle glass block had the name "Choi Hyun-Gi" etched on it. He looked up from his computer and smiled when he saw me. He stood up from his chair and I bowed to him.
"Keun Chaerin." I stated before I stood straight up. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."
He nodded his head while still smiling. "Of course, thank you for coming in at such short notice. Please, have a seat." He gestured to some seats across his desk.
I smiled and nodded, sitting in the closest chair. He sat down as well and pulled a file from a drawer in his desk. Upon him opening it, I saw that it had my application and other paperwork in it. Pulling out my resume, Mr. Choi began asking me questions about my experience in theatre and as a dancer. He asked about my life in America and why I had decided to move to Korea, which I responded to by saying I wanted to live in the same area my parents had grown up in and to follow my dream of becoming a dancer. All the questions he asked were pretty easy, until the last one. I watched him close the file with my information and fold his hands on top of it.
"And finally," he looked directly at me, "why do you want this job?"
I panicked for a moment. I knew I couldn't say the easy answer, which was to get the chance to dance with famous Kpop groups. I looked down at the edge of his desk and lightly chewed the inside of my bottom lip as I thought for a moment.
"Well," I started, "it would be a great opportunity for me to learn new things about both acting and dance..." I hesitated on what I was going to say, but decided to say it anyways. "...and to prove to people that it's never to late to follow your dreams, since I waited quite a while to start dancing." I looked up at him as I said that last part.
We held eye contact for a second before he smiled and nodded. "Great answer. Alright Chaerin, I look forward to seeing you on set."
It took me a moment to realize what he had said. "Wait, you mean... I'm hired?"
The man smiled and nodded as he stood up from his chair. "That's exactly what I mean, congratulations."
I didn't know what to say; I was ecstatic. I stood up and bowed to him. "Thank you so much."
"I'm looking forward to seeing your hard work in action."
I stood straight and smiled at him. "I look forward to showing you what I can do."
"Perfect. Now, about that music video I spoke about over the phone. I know I said they were starting in a few weeks, but I had to say that because you weren't officially hired at the time, they actually started learning the choreography yesterday. That is why I needed you so quickly. This isn't a usual occurrence, but I just found out this morning that they needed one more person. I know this is a lot at once, but I hope you can make this work in your schedule."
I had to admit, this new information was quite a shock, but I understood why he did what he did. I nodded to him. "Yes, of course, that will work fine. Where are they practicing and what time do I need to be there?"
"The practice times are up to the choreographer, but I know they're practicing right now. Are you comfortable in what you're wearing? I can take you to the practice room right now."
"Oh, yes I'm comfortable." Everything was happening so fast I had no idea what to think or how to feel.
"Great; follow me."
He came around the front of his desk and walked out the door. I followed and shut the door behind me. He pressed the button for the elevator to go down and a door opened almost immediately. I followed Mr. Choi inside and watched as he pressed "B1". Just now did it sink in that I was hired, already casted in a music video, which they've already started practicing for, and I'm being taken to practice immediately. What else is going to be thrown at me today?
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Okay this one was fun to write. Sorry if it may be slow to start or anything, but I've had bad block and finally was able to just write and know what to do next. As always thank you for reading, and let me know what you think in the comments.