"Park Geonu!" , "Oppa look here!" , "Hyuuuunnnggg!!" Fans swarmed in at the sight of Park Geonu emerging out of the company building.
Lee Haneul stood frozen, a tiny figure lost in a swarm of screaming fans, contemplating whether to take step forward or to wait for this madness to end. His shoulders curled inward, defensive against the swirling chaos. Eyes darting wildly, he avoided contact. His flushed cheeks and trembling lips betraying his anxiety.
Despite his best defensive efforts, Lee Haneul was pushed to the ground by Geonu's fans as they tried to get a closer look at their idol.
Haneul closed his eyes ready to use his hands to protect his face from the impact of falling on the ground but a pair of strong arms held him right in time. A 16 y.o. Haneul let out a sigh of relief.
"Ahh my face is saved from injuries. Thank you so much!" He spoke fast, relief washing over him. As an idol trainee, face was one of his most valuable assets. Any scar or injury could've costed him with his career. He finally looked up at the man who just saved his life basically, only to find it was none other than Park Geonu himself, the man behind all these chaos.
Haneul bowed enthusiastically and said "Hyung, thank you for saving me today." He stood back straight only to find Park Geonu was already entering his van.
Park Geonu was a fairly new idol but he rose to fame almost instantly after debut because of his undeniable stage presence. His aura captivated everyone who saw him perform on stage. He was one of the most popular idols right now though he was just 18 y.o.
Haneul was also his fan. Infact it was because of Park Geonu that he decided to become idol trainee. And because he has a strong vocal foundation, he passed the audition to become a trainee at "BD Entertainment" , i.e, the agency Geonu was under, on his first try.
The real trial for him was to make his parents agree to his dream. He showed them the email of him passing the auditions and made extravagant promises like continuing study atleast till masters even if he becomes idol. If he can't debut on his first try, he was to give up on his idol dreams and proceed to become a professor as his parents wished.
Since he began training here two weeks ago,he did his best to catch upto the existing trainees. He was put into S ranked trainee group because of his strong vocals, however he found himself lacking in dancing and rapping. Whenever he got a little break time, he would utilise it for eating, drinking, bathroom breaks and most importantly; observing Park Geonu practice with his group members. All these times, he observed Park Geonu in practice room from far away.
But this was the first time he got to have direct conversation/contact with him.
"Whoaa his arms were so strong" Haneul reminisced.
"Today is my lucky day!" He thought.
But soon the happy day turned out to be a difficult day. Haneul, though vocally very strong, he has never danced before joining in this company. While the others were already at pro level, he was lagging a lot behind. He even got scolded by the dance director for focusing more on vocal training and not giving time to dance practice.
*2 am at night*
Haneul was dripping sweat from practicing dance but he showed no sign of stopping. He must learn and execute the choreo well before next internal assessment. He must improve his dancing and prove to everyone that he belongs to the S rank trainee group.
"Oh.. I didn't expect anyone to be here" Haneul turned towards the door upon hearing the very familiar voice. Park Geonu was standing there.
"Hello" he bowed 90°. Seeing park Geonu is all black he immediately knew he was here for extra practice session. "I can go to the smaller practice room. Please excuse me." Haneul said collecting his water bottle and backpack. Just as he was about to go out Park Geonu spoke, "ah you are the guy from today afternoon" .
That energized Haneul instantly. He covered his mouth in astonishment. His beautiful big brown eyes grew even bigger as he realised "Oh! Hyung, you recognised me!!" At that time if anyone looked at him he would've looked like a stray puppy finally finding a human who was willing to pat him.