"Okay, thanks", Nari replied unclenching her fist and stepping aside to give way for the next guest. She took out her phone and surfed through random websites. She was too nervous to concentrate and just prayed for the staff to arrive and take her in.
"Miss Hwang, sorry for keeping you waiting. I am Miss Shin, Chairwoman Kim's assistant", A petite woman in a lint coloured blouse and black wide-legged slacks.
Hwang Nari stood straight and bowed respectfully "Hello".
Miss Shin nodded, "right this way". Miss Shin led her into the elevator, clicked on the 4th floor and stepped back. The company was a blend of black and Champagne Yellow which was Memphis Entertainment's signature colour. it was a quiet elevator ride to the fourth floor, Nari followed her out of the elevator as the elevator door opened. The staff they met along the way bowed at Miss Shin while giving her curious glances.
Many curious looks and silent manoeuvring later, they arrived at conference room 3. Miss Shin glanced at Nari's sweaty face and sighed. "it will be alright, calm down", Miss Shin said, smiling. Nari gave her a wry smile while nodding her head. She opened the door and stepped aside for Nari, "Hwaiting", she said in a low tone as Nari walked passed her.
"Thanks", Hwang Nari murmured as she walked by her. There were four people seated on one end of the conference room, two men and two women. A tall woman in a purple fitted boat-necked, knee-length gown, who she assumed was President Kim judging by the bold way she carried herself. Kim Ae-Ri smiled at her as she walked in.
The two men were noticeably standoffish, they looked like they wished to be anywhere else but in the room.
She stood and gestured to the seat opposite her, "Nari, nice to meet you again. Please have a seat".
Kim Ae-ri noticed a change in attitude from Director No and Team leader Ma as Heang Nari walked in. She shook her head at their expression, 'typical of them to be impressed solely by her visuals', she thought. Hwang Nari was very pretty, if not for her more Italian features thanks to her Italian mother, Hwang Nari would have thoroughly displaced Shin Chung-ae as the Visual of the group. Hwang Nari's face was a perfect blend of Korean and Italian features and each feature complemented the other.
Her small face, high cheekbones, plump lips, high nose bridge and big hazel cat-like eyes coated with full long lashes when combined with her tall Slender figure of 5 ft 7 inches and a well-proportioned body was a sight to behold. The only shortcoming she had according to the Korean beauty standard was her olive coloured skin. She could easily pass for a model, although her features didn't completely match the typical Korean beauty standards. She met every International beauty standard that most fashion brands searched for.
Nari bowed, "Hello, Ma'am".
"Ma'am, you make me sound so old", Kim Ae-ri said lips curved as she returned to her seat. "You must have been shocked to receive a call from me. I bet you thought that I was a Fraudster".
She laughed awkwardly and replied, "No I didn't". She looked away to hide her expression. Since that was her exact thought as she received that phone call.
Kim Ae-ri noticed her little move but pretended otherwise, there was nothing wrong with Heang Nari thinking that way. it was expected given the rising number of fake entertainment companies that target hopeful trainees like her. she smiled and took out the file on Hwang Nari hastily compiled by Miss Shin.
"let me introduce you to my team", Gesturing to the plump greying man in a checkered suit, she said, "This is Director No, The director in charge of our management teams. To my left is Team Leader Ma, he is the team leader in charge of management team 2, whose team is managing VIXEN", she gestured to the middle-aged man in a long-sleeved bottom-up shirt. The man unlike his boss still had a full head of black hair and wore slim metal wired medicated glasses. Both men gave her polite smiles, which she returned. She employed the extensive etiquette training she had received for years under GK entertainment.
Looking at the younger woman with the short bulb hair dressed casually, she continued, "Finally this is the Manager in charge of VIXEN, Yoo Kang". Hwang Nari bowed and gave her a shy smile.
"I will get straight to the point, we have another engagement. As I said over the phone, I am inviting you to join my company. I would like you to be a part of our new girl group named VIXEN. I am sure that you have heard of it".
"yes I have. There was a survival show".
Chairwoman Kim nodded, "Two trainees out of the original lineup of six have pulled out of the group. We are currently trying to fill up those spots, I attended last year's music festival at GK entertainment and I must say that I was impressed. We need to test your proficiency in the 3 major areas, dancing, singing and rap. Scratch that, let's try singing and dancing. We already have a solid rap line. We are ready when you are ".
Miss Yoo turned on the digital camera next to her and sat back. Nari's hands grew wet, she rubbed her palm on her trouser as her heartbeat increased, the memory of yesterday's failed audition flashed in her mind but she quickly swept it away. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. She had practised both the vocal and choreography of a large number of songs in her ten years of training under GK entertainment.
She was proficient in many of those songs but considering the nature of her audition, she need the best song that would display not just her vocal range but her dance skills. After some thought, she decided on performing Jung Ga-in and YoYo's 'Waterfalls in Winter'. Jung In-ha and YoYo was a popular singer in the 90s, who was a popular singing duo known for their Electric pop songs. Waterfalls in winter were one of their first works.
Jung In-ha's vocal range was very wide and her part in all of the Duo's songs was not the easiest to perform when dancing but thanks to years of vigorous training and weeks of continuous practice of the song. Nari successfully pulled off the song, stunning everyone with her melodious voice and swift yet graceful techniques. Kim Ae-ri glanced at both men and as expected, they looked thoroughly impressed. The men were all smiles at the end of her performance, there were no complaints as Miss Yoo led Hwang Nari to the legal department for documentation.