* * *
Even though it was a weekday afternoon, the subway was quite crowded.
Dojae met Louis at the transfer station to go to the audition.
“Louis, over here.”
“Hey, hyung!”
Louis was wearing a blue trench coat, black skinny jeans, and thick-heeled boots.
His fashionable outfit, combined with his near-blond brown hair and striking features, drew plenty of attention.
“Oh my gosh! Hyung! You look amazing! Totally amazing!”
As he exclaimed loudly, the glances from people who had been subtly looking at Louis became more overt.
If the subway hadn’t arrived at that moment, some people might have openly stared.
Before Louis could make more noise, Dojae quickly grabbed him and got on the subway.
Actually, the attention wasn’t only on Louis.
Dojae, in a fitted leather jacket and naturally ripped jeans, also stood out like a celebrity.
In his new clothes, standing tall with his hair pulled back, he drew eyes in a way he never had before.
As soon as they stood by the door with no seats available, Louis commented.
“What’s up? Did you buy new clothes just for the audition? You even changed your style. You look like a completely different person!”
It was true that he bought new clothes for the audition, and in a way, he was a different person.
Caught off guard by Louis’s sharp observation, Dojae momentarily averted his gaze and asked.
“Really? How does it look? It’s not a style I usually wear….”
The only clothes Kang Dojae had were shabby training clothes or plain T-shirts.
Clothes chosen for practicality, suitable only because Kang Dojae had a good physique.
Even Kang Dojae couldn’t hide the poverty in his clothes.
So, as soon as Dojae had money, he started shopping online.
The problem was, during his time as a Prince, he had never chosen or bought clothes for himself.
He always wore clothes tailored for him at the tailor shop.
Mostly neat shirts.
But as an aspiring celebrity going to an audition, he couldn’t buy stiff shirts like those for a job interview.
‘These are clothes I could never wear as a Prince… I bought them because I wanted to try them on.’
He worried they might not suit him.
It was an unnecessary worry.
“Why are you asking? They look great! You should have dressed like this sooner! I didn’t know you had such a good body because you always wore training clothes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Totally like F4, but better!”
“F4….”
If Dojae remembered correctly, F4 referred to the four rich protagonists in a cheesy drama.
It seemed like a compliment in context, but Dojae frowned slightly.
“Oh…. I actually love [Boys Over Flowers]. If I debut, I can totally become like F4, right?”
Louis whispered as if revealing a big secret.
He looked excited, perhaps imagining something.
For an eighteen-year-old boy, it was quite an old drama to be a fan of.
Thinking his taste was unique, Dojae gave a slight nod to the sparkling-eyed Louis.
As they continued talking while passing subway stations, Louis suddenly blinked quickly, as if he remembered something.
“Oh, did you hear the news?”
“News?”
“About Sunghwan….”
Louis, unlike himself, cautiously watched Dojae’s reaction, afraid of upsetting him.
“They say he might not debut.”
Despite confidently stating that the company would decide whether to debut him despite the risks, Dojae had no real expectations.
“That’s surprising….”
“There seems to be a lot of talk within the company. Especially since there’s evidence he bullied you….”
“What he did to me was nothing much.”
Louis felt anew how strong Dojae was, given his overly calm demeanor.
To be a celebrity, skills were important, but mental strength was crucial.
Reading the comments on popular celebrities’ articles was enough to understand the importance of mental resilience.
Louis never doubted he would debut and become popular, so he often worried about post-debut issues, but with someone like Dojae around, he felt mental management would be less of a concern.
Feeling glad to follow Dojae, Louis continued with what he heard from a fellow trainee at New.
“Apparently, he wasn’t that talented, but he was going to debut because he was close with Yoo Myeongwoo, right? That’s what my friend said.”
“Ah, that sounds right.”
“But Yoo Myeongwoo suggested they reconsider.”
It made sense that the debut was in jeopardy if Yoo Myeongwoo, the leader and the nephew of the New Entertainment director, raised an issue.
“He probably cut him off because he didn’t want any trouble for the group he’s debuting in. He doesn’t have any evidence against him anyway.”
Dojae nodded slightly, understanding the situation.
Sunghwan, caught in a tight spot, couldn’t retaliate against Dojae’s mother or escalate things.
‘He must be out of his mind. As expected… People like Yoo Myeongwoo are scarier.’
Dojae clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Yoo Myeongwoo. Isn’t he completely terrifying? And you were close to him.”
Louis shuddered slightly as if Yoo Myeongwoo’s response creeped him out.
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, I hope Sunghwan can’t debut. He bullied you a lot, didn’t he? Bad guys should get punished somehow.”
The one who bullied Kang Dojae the most directly was Sunghwan.
“Yeah. That would be nice.”
Dojae responded with a cold expression.
“The next stop is Apgujeong, Apgujeong Station.”
Before they knew it, the subway had arrived at their destination.
***
After getting off at the station, Dojae and Louis looked for a building among the many lined up on Apgujeong Street.
The high-rise building, which must have been quite impressive when it was first built, now showed signs of wear.
7F [Kingdom Entertainment]
Louis found the name of Kingdom Entertainment in the lobby and glanced at Dojae while pressing the elevator button.
“But why here, of all places?”
Louis had followed Dojae here without asking anything, but he couldn’t help feeling curious.
Being from New Entertainment, one of the three major agencies, Dojae needed a special reason to choose Kingdom, which mostly managed ballad singers besides Big Boys.
“I have confidence in my judgment.”
“Confidence in… your judgment?”
Dojae nodded.
Judgment. The ability to see things.
Dojae had an extraordinary ability to see things clearly, whether they were objects, phenomena, or people.
His deep understanding of art also came from this sharp eye.
Dojae had personally watched and assessed Big Boys’ performances and confirmed their potential.
He had seen and analyzed all their performances from debut until now.
“Big Boys are going to make it big.”
Big Boys had struggled initially due to lack of publicity but were now solidifying their position.
They had clear direction and goals, which their agency had helped shape.
That’s why Dojae chose Big Boys’ agency.
Moreover, the name “Kingdom” Entertainment seemed to be calling out to Dojae.
It felt like destiny.
“They nurtured Big Boys. It’s a good company, so don’t worry too much.”
“Big Boys aren’t exactly a top-tier group…”
Louis muttered, looking around to see if anyone from Kingdom Entertainment was nearby.
“Big Boys will do even better. The company’s name will rise too.”
Dojae’s confidence extended to the executives at Kingdom Entertainment.
Two of the executives who founded Kingdom with the CEO were famous composers who had long been influential in Korea.
Most of Kingdom’s artists were established ballad singers because of these executives, who still produced great songs.
“Thanks to them, even Big Boys’ album tracks are high quality, not just the titles.”
If needed, they could even release ballad songs, though Dojae hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Though late to the idol industry, Kingdom had enough skill to nurture talent.
Big Boys’ impressive performances and diverse albums proved that.
Dojae pressed the button for the 7th floor.
“Hearing you say that makes me believe it. I trust you…”
“The location suits my fortune well too.”
“…Fortune?”
“The company’s location is good feng shui.”
“Feng shui?”
Ding. The elevator doors opened, revealing the golden nameplate of Kingdom Entertainment, as Louis looked flustered.
***
Dojae had another reason for choosing Kingdom Entertainment.
They were looking for members for a group set to debut next year.
Dojae had found out about it on a community site bookmarked on his computer.
‘Even if I have financial stability, the sooner I debut, the better… The timing is perfect.’
He was eager to be on stage.
He wanted to sing freely.
If Dojae had spent three years as a trainee, Dojae had spent three years nurturing his dream.
When they arrived, Dojae and Louis pressed the bell next to the glass door, and soon a staff member came out to greet them.
“Are you Kang Dojae and Kim Louis?”
“Yes, yes! I’m Kim Louis.”
“Hello, I’m Kang Dojae.”
As they introduced themselves, the staff member subtly looked them up and down.
While it was something they could check inside the audition room, it was a habitual act close to a professional quirk.
Being used to evaluative stares, Dojae and Louis took it in stride.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Jungyeon from Kingdom Entertainment’s Planning Team 2.”
Introducing herself, Lee Jungyeon handed them her business card.
Dojae received the card politely.
“Nice to meet you too. Thank you for inviting us.”
“Oh, it’s nothing… By the way, you look much better in person than in your photos, Dojae.”
Lee Jungyeon, slightly flustered by Dojae’s courteous manner, gave him a favorable look.
Dojae and Louis had passed the first audition by email and were here for the on-site audition.
Thinking that the profile photo taken at New Entertainment would be better than a recent selfie, they had sent that, but it seemed to have been just okay.
“Was the photo not good? It was taken a while ago.”
As Dojae responded, Lee Jungyeon quickly shook her head.
“No, the photo was good. It’s just that you look even better in person. Your eyes are more alive.”
Dojae smiled slightly at Lee Jungyeon’s compliment.
It was similar to the smile he had shown Sunmi earlier, and Lee Jungyeon blushed.
“And me? I’m handsome too, right?”
Louis asked abruptly, and Lee Jungyeon, thinking again about the confidence of aspiring celebrities, quickly responded.
“Of course. You’re handsome too, Louis. Please come this way. The audition room is over here. Everyone is waiting.”
Jungyeon led the two quickly.
It was when Jungyeon knocked and opened the door to the audition room.
As Dojae walked in calmly, he was startled and came to a stop.
“Chamberlain Kim?”
* * *
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F4? Yeah I love them
Please tell me he didn’t say that out loud✋🏻😭