#minron

Taking a deep breath, I moved through the room to meet my fellow coworkers. I know I wasn’t the youngest amongst the people, but it was hard. I introduced myself to everyone, calling everyone hyung until I knew what age they were. It turned out most of them were my hyungs. They were nice though, very welcoming. I don’t know why I thought they would be mean or stuck up. After all, we were all in the same boat.

Sure it was a competition really. The best looking, the best dancer, the best singer, they would be the ones to be placed in a group. It was a competition to outshine the others and the more people you stepped on, the more likely it was that someone would be placed. As horrible as it sounds, it’s what had to be done; it’s what I knew I had to do.

I’m not a violent person, well not all the time at least, so being mean wasn’t the first thing that came to be. I truly wished for the best for everyone. But would my good wishes cost me my change in the future?

Sighing, I took a seat on an empty couch, watching as everyone went about, mingling, exchanging numbers, trying to form their own groups. I had gotten a few, but I felt a bit unpopular. I was young, and I probably looked naïve too. Why would they even think I could be in competition with them?

I felt weight next to me and turned, staring at another. He looked just as down and lonely as I was.

“Hello.” I greeted him formally. “My name is Choi Minki.”  The male looked at me with this weird expression on his face. I sat there, waiting for his reply, but he never said anything, so I tried again, repeating my introduction, thinking this guy was just a bit slow. This time, he spoke and I realized why he had such a strange look on his face. I didn’t understand a thing he was saying.

Correction, I understood ‘Hi’. I think this guy was American. He was speaking English. But not Korean. Why would an English speaking American be here? And how come no one taught him Korean before allowing him to become a trainee? I simply nodded my head and turned from the other.

“Hey there.”

Glancing up, I stared at the person who greeted me. He was…scrawny looking to say the least, but he certainly looked old. I’m not entirely sure what I think about this person. Friendly, obviously, otherwise he wouldn’t be over here talking to me. And he liked to smile a lot.

“Kang Dongho.” He said with a slight bow. I returned it and gave a small, shy smile.

“Choi Minki.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said. “I’ve seen you walking around. Isn’t this great?” he asked.

Great? Well, I suppose it was. It was a little off-putting too, but Dongho obviously didn’t share my same thoughts of competition. “Yeah, I guess.” Looking around, I stared at the other people, taking in their appearance, their body language. Many of these people…they would need a lot of work.

“So, Choi Minki.” He started, snapping me from my thoughts. Turning, I stared back at him. He was still smiling. What was he, a clown?

…Probably.

“So, Kang Dongho.” I replied, making him laugh. His laughter was, well I’m not sure. But it made me smile and gave me a fuzzy feeling inside. A feeling I’ve never felt before. I wonder why.

“Do you want to exchange numbers?”  He asked. He had a nervous look on his face like I might say no. Well, I could if I wanted to, but there was just something about him. I couldn’t say no to him.

“Sure.” I said and smiled and pulled out my cell phone. It was a simple flip phone. It didn’t do much. The internet usage sucked on it, but all I really needed it for was calling my parents and texting my friends from school. It worked for me.

“Wow, what a dinosaur.” My head turned and I looked around for a moment before stopping. I was seriously looking for a dinosaur. Why? Then I realized, he was talking about my phone, if the heated stare at it was any indication.

“Maybe.” I said as I worked on putting his name in my contacts.

“Maybe? It sure the hell is! You need a phone upgrade.” He said, flashing his smartphone. Well, not all of us could be rich and afford such nice luxuries. I wanted to tell him that, but instead, I bit my tongue. He was silent then, and I wasn’t sure if he realized how rude his words were. No consideration. He had to be a hyung with such a careless lack of consideration for the person he was talking to.

“One day.” I answered. He gave a small nod and we exchanged our numbers. Once his number was stored away, I stood. “Well, it was nice to meet you.” I said curtly, with a small bow. Turning I walked away, leaving the other in a stupor. I don’t know why I acted so cold, I’m not that kind of person. But the words the other spoke, I just felt the odd sense to become violent towards him. So I decided to save the situation and leave before anything could happen.

Even as I walked away, I had a feeling, this would not be the last time I saw Kang Dongho.