#rkevent

When you arrive at KT Entertainment, one of your trainers immediately directs you to Katie Lee’s office. As expected, CEO Lee is seated behind her desk. She directs you to the empty chair across from her and waits for you to take the seat.

“So, here we are, Jeongguk.” She gives you a neutral smile. “You haven’t been a trainee here for too long, but during the time you spent with us you’ve worked really hard. I don’t keep up with trainees much, of course, but your coaches have relayed to me your efforts. You deserve a shot on the big stage and I think you might be ready for it.” Ms. Lee says, glancing down at her paperwork.

She closes the beige folder and sets it to one side, revealing a different set of paperwork underneath. “I’m sure you’re aware of our newest boy group, NSG, and how it works. It’s not the first time an idol group has had a member addition, but we work in a different way. I’d like for you to be part of NSG’s first fixed unit, and this” she pushes the paperwork toward you, turning it to face you, “has everything you need to know about it.”

“You’ll remain under your trainee contract until we’re closer to your debut. If you follow our expectations, then we’ll be meeting again.”

Jeongguk is so very certain he’s going to get kicked out the moment he’s called into Katie Lee’s office. He expects nothing from this company anymore after all. When he received nothing but praise however he’s admittedly not only taken aback but straight up rendered speechless. 

Maybe his fire hadn’t been for nothing? Perhaps rebelling in his own way had still managed to get him some positive recognition. No one could deny he was a fierce performer after all. The blood of an overachiever still running through his veins and his stubborn nature keeping him in place were the two reasons he had made it to this point. It was a shame that it was without Jimin however. There was a lot to do, a lot to discuss and a lot to figure out. 

Taking a first glance over the paper work, he pokes his tongue against the inside of his cheek and only listens on to what the woman had to say. “Expectations, huh?” That cursed word again. He wouldn’t fall for this. If he had made it this far, there was no way they would so easily change their mind now. All he had to do was continue forth the way he always did and make sure to keep his trips to the rooftop hidden. 

“Well, I don’t plan to disappoint you,” he concluded, papers rolled up together and kept securely in his grip as a confident smirk slowly widened across his lips. He had already decided to stay. Might as well make it worth the while. Not to mention that at last he’d get to stand on stage with his friends together.

Finally. He made it.

Whether you are looking for ways to keep yourself entertained during the warm days or just need a bit of vitamin d in your body, you won't want to miss the event the city hall prepared at Yeouido Hangang Park during the weekend of 22nd and 23rd to celebrate summer and attract more people to the parks. With a mix of outdoor activities for all ages to enjoy, the whole park will be prepared to host a big picnic event from 2pm to 10pm where the guests can spread their mats on the grass, bring their own food and beverages and spend the whole day there either relaxing or enjoying the activities. 

Other than bicycle (couple and solo) and swan paddle boat rental that the park already offers, those who don’t want to pay extra money or exercise to have some fun in the sun, other activities will be happening through the whole duration of the event. Among the attractions there'll be carnival booths with games like balloon darts and ring toss with fun prizes, airbrush tattoos and tarot reading tents, and a small fine-arts and craft fair with local artists. The highlight of the weekend will be a busking session with BOL4 on Saturday and Minseo on Sunday when the night falls and paper lanterns light up the park for the music session.  

Although packing your own basket is recommended and encouraged, some food trucks with snacks can be found there in case you can’t even prepare a sandwich. There’s no entrance fee for the event and guests may stay as long as they please, as well as leave and come back freely. 

Pack your picnic basket and don’t forget to apply sunscreen!

* Idols are instructed to not attend this kind of event as they can not ensure their safety and comfort.

You’re approached by a coach as soon as you arrive for your training on August 5th. She asks you to follow her before the tall woman guides you to a small meeting room inside the Sphere building. Inside it, you’ll find a different woman who offers you a seat.

“Good morning, and sorry to bother you so early.” She gives you a gentle smile. “I don’t usually work directly with trainees, so you should consider yourself lucky! Not only for having me here since, you know, coaches aren’t always the nicest,” she gives you a wink, “but also for what I’m about to tell you. I’m sure you’ve heard of HEARTZ, right?”

It’s a rhetorical question. She pauses only to fix her seating. “While the first few members have already started their debut process, an intense project is happening on the backstage—that backstage being here, at Sphere. Most of our female trainees are already involved in it. However, not all of them will make it into the final group.”

“We observed how you adapted to your new trainee life and have decided to make you one of the new additions to the project starting this month. You’ll, of course, be at a disadvantage considering your lack of training. But if you manage to prove yourself then, well, we’ll be watching you.”

mina doesn’t really expect much. after her first month in sphere, she found herself to be getting comfortable with how training was gonna go. she’s yet to ask chungha about something, but she plans on asking her about that sometime soon. after all, she’ll probably need to ask her about it, considering she needed to be at a home that made training fun for her. 

so when she’s approached by a coach during her training, she gets… suspicious. and kind of panicked. she shouldn’t expect the worst, since fate had been doing surprises on her recently. but she follows her to a small meeting room where she finds someone else. 

she bows her head and sits down on the seat closest to her. when she mentions heartz, she nods her head politely. if she showed she was eager about them (specifically because she’s excited about their upcoming line-up), she’ll look unprofessional. she needed to consider her image, considering this is technically her job now.

after she describes the process of the project, as well as the announcement given to her, she couldn’t help but drop her her mouth in shock. when she realizes what she does, she quickly closes it and smiles. a new addition to the project. that makes her heart swell, but she nods her head at the woman showing she understood. 

so much can happen in a year… and yet, she’s still surprised. 

“thank you so much,” she bows her head politely. if she’s going to be one of the additions to this project, she’ll have to prove herself worthy if she wants the best results. because the lady wasn’t wrong. she is at a disadvantage, compared to most of the sphere trainees here. all she had was a youtube channel and a few workshops from speak up. but there’s always been a fire in kang mina. and she is going to set it ablaze. 

“i’ll make sure to prove myself.” 

@rkevent

A staff member leads you down TRC’s winding hallways to Tiger Jk’s office, then opens the door and leads you inside, where the CEO awaits, sitting at his desk. He looks up as you enter, lips quirking up in a smile. His desk is clear of any distractions as if he’s been waiting just for you. Seated across from his desk, next to an empty chair, is a company lawyer whom you recognize from before; she’d been present when you signed your initial company contract. The staff member directs you to take the empty chair next to the lawyer and then leaves. You hear the door close and the latch click back into place.

He folds his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes settling on yours. “Did you think you would make it here?” he asks, a low laugh rumbling in his throat, though it’s unclear what exactly he means. What is clear is that the question is rhetorical, and he moves on quickly.  “I had a feeling,” he claims, and then shuffles a manila folder from its place on the edge of the desk to front and center, sitting in front of you. “I’m not one to beat around the bush. You worked hard before we stole you away from Nova, and after.” He nods.

“You’ve worked hard after making it to the new lineup of K.ARMA, and that was important because there was still a lot to prove. The coaches were hard on you, weren’t they?” and he chuckles again. “It was for the best, because you’ve improved since then, and I can safely say you earned your place in this group. Soon, you’ll be debuting and joining the array of groups underneath TRC Entertainment. You have pretty big shoes to fill, so do your best.”

He opens the folder now to show another contract, this one with more weight than any of the others. “This is the final step: your debut contract with K.ARMA. Once you sign this, you’ll be a part of K.ARMA and TRC Entertainment for the next six years.” He pauses, letting you take that fact in, and his lips twitch into another smile.

“It’s a big commitment, I know, but you better not back out on me now. I’m personally asking you to be part of the nation’s best girl group, after all. The decision is still yours in the end, though. Just make the right one.”

You’re pulled away from your morning vocal practice on January 1st by one of your usual coaches. She takes you from everyone else and onto the higher floors of the building. After a quick stop to notify who you are to the secretary, the coach tells you to go inside a room you already know. Inside your boss’s office, you find him, Hyun Bin, and two other people. One is the lawyer who was with you when you signed your contract. The other you’re not really sure.

“Please, sit down.” He says with a serious expression and motions towards the empty chair in front of him. Once you do, he looks over to the man you don’t recognize. “This here is Mr. Han, one of TRC Entertainment’s representatives who got in contact with us recently.” He gives you a nod of the head before Hyun Bin continues. “Before we proceed, I’d just like to say that what we’ll share in this room is extremely confidential, and we’re trusting in you not to share anything that’s said here to anyone else until you’re instructed otherwise.” 

With a look at Mr. Han’s direction, it is time for him to speak. “You must know now that K.ARMA recently lost one of their members, Sana. Hyuna, we’ve checked your profile and are well aware of your abilities. After discussing matters with Mr. Hyun Bin, we have decided to offer you the lead rapper spot in our girl group. This means you’d have to break your contract with Nova and make a transfer to TRC.”

Hyun Bin leans forward, bringing the attention back to him. “You didn’t spend a lot of time under our company, but if you didn’t have the potential, these people wouldn’t have chosen you. And I wouldn’t have let you go if this wouldn’t be of your benefit.” He gives you a nod before the lawyer places a small stack of papers in front of you. “These here are the forms we’d need to sign to make your transfer possible. But, of course, this may be a lot for you to unload right away. If you’d like to take some time to think about it, you may, but please give us a reply by the end of tomorrow and remember not to mention any of these details to anyone.” The CEO finishes by placing a gorgeous pen on top of the files. “Please, consider it well.”

A staff member leads you down Royal’s winding hallways to So Jiseob’s office, then opens the door and leads you inside, where the CEO awaits, sitting at his desk. He doesn’t look up as you enter; he’s too preoccupied with paperwork in front of him. Seated across from his desk, next to an empty chair, is a company lawyer whom you recognize from before; she’d been present when you signed your initial company contract. The staff member directs you to take the empty chair next to the lawyer and then leaves. You hear the door close and the latch click back into place just as your CEO finally looks up and offers the tiniest hint of a smile.

He folds his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes settling on yours. “When trainees first sign a contract with a company, they are devoting themselves to at least two years of training. They usually don’t expect the time to pass so quickly, but it does,” he ruminates mildly.  “Years of training and hopes leads to one dream usually: debut.”

“But, you’re no ordinary trainee. Since our pre-debut project started in August, you’ve been groomed to be a member of DE:CODE, a debut group I have incredibly high hopes for. Since then, I’ve seen you grow a lot in your training. You’ve had your ups and downs, plenty of both good and bad.” He pauses, and diverts his attention back to his desk, where he shuffles paperwork until he sets one singular sheet of paper in front of him. “But you are their leader. I believe that, from this moment on, you’ll have what it takes to help turn these nine boys into a complete group. I’ve been proud of your growth here, and I trust you to do your best to continue to improve, even after debut. This, here,” he says, motioning towards the document, “is a contract exclusive to DE:CODE and will tie you to this group, and to Royal Entertainment, for the next six years.”

He finally becomes a little less stoic, and shows the glimpse of a real smile as he slides the contract toward you and hands you a pen. “If we share the same vision of making DE:CODE one of the top boy groups in all of Korea, and you wish to be a part of this journey, you know what to do.”

when he’s led down the halls to their ceo’s office, he’s prepared for once. has a hunch already what this is going to be about; no scolding. no contract renewal because it’s, like, half a year too early for that. it’s going to be about de:code, has to be. his future in the group.

but that doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking.

his posture is a little stiff as baekhyun takes a seat in front of their ceo, shoulders tense and hands clasping together in his lap, he has to force himself to not play with his fingers out of nervousness. barely able to look at the man sitting opposite of him, reminded of all those times he’s been in front of him like this – all those times during the mgas. his private audition shortly after where he has actually been present, where he was told one of the reasons why he got kicked out of the competition ( can you filter yourself for the sake of the company, words that are still ringing in baekhyun’s ears years later. burned into his mind ) and got handed his contract personally by him as well only moments afterwards. the renewal of his trainee contract almost two years ago and soon it’s time for another one.

this time, though, he’s getting a whole new contract. 

one that makes him officially part of de:code for the next six years. so close. his dream, it’s so close. he just needs to take a pen and sign the document and it’s done. he’s an idol. going to be with debut almost in his grasp, the last few preparations ahead of them  and he wants it so much, it brings tears to his eyes. the familiar sting in them flustering him and he can only stare at the contract in front of him.

ever since all of them got placed into the debut lineup, he’s been full of doubt. had a hard time dealing with all the sudden changes the news brought, the lack of future opportunities and freedom because he just couldn’t see all the new possibilities opening up because of this. because he couldn’t accept that he’s finally getting what he’s been working for all this time. he didn’t want to move out from home and into the dorm with eight other boys, didn’t want to stop being a trainee for some reason. not some reason – because he was scared.

he still is.

that probably won’t stop for a long time and that’s alright. he’s been doubting himself, all of this, so much but nothing has ever felt more right in this moment. this has never felt so right and it makes baekhyun’s throat feel all tight, his chest too. this is his dream, everything he’s ever wanted ever since he was a kid. everything he’s been training for and he’s finally going to get it. finally finally finally. he can’t quite believe it. baekhyun picks up the pen that has been offered to him, fingers shaking more than he’d like them to.

stares at the sheet of paper. leader…. it’s still a title that scares him, probably the most out of everything. a heavy weight on his shoulders now that it’s official, not him just wanting to take the lead and help the other trainees out. but it will be a burden he’s willing to take, not only a reminder but also promise to himself that he’ll always give his best for his members. for the company as well.

“thank you so much,” he says, voice a little choked up and he bows his head low, pen grasped tightly in between his fingers. he presses his eyes shut. “thank you—thank you so much.” and when he looks back up, he signs the paper with his name. byun baekhyun, de:code’s leader. their main vocal.

and it feels a little like he’s crossing the finish line but baekhyun knows that, from now on, it’s only starting.

@rkevent​

A staff member leads you down Royal’s winding hallways to So Jiseob’s office, then opens the door and leads you inside, where the CEO awaits, sitting at his desk. He doesn’t look up as you enter; he’s too preoccupied with paperwork in front of him. Seated across from his desk, next to an empty chair, is a company lawyer whom you recognize from before; she’d been present when you signed your initial company contract. The staff member directs you to take the empty chair next to the lawyer and then leaves. You hear the door close and the latch click back into place just as your CEO finally looks up and offers the tiniest hint of a smile.

He folds his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes settling on yours. “When trainees first sign a contract with a company, they are devoting themselves to at least two years of training. They usually don’t expect the time to pass so quickly, but it does,” he ruminates mildly.  “Years of training and hopes leads to one dream usually: debut.”

“But, you’re no ordinary trainee. Since our pre-debut project started in August, you’ve been groomed to be a member of DE:CODE, a debut group I have incredibly high hopes for. Since then, I’ve seen you grow a lot in your training. You’ve had your ups and downs, plenty of both good and bad.” He pauses, and diverts his attention back to his desk, where he shuffles paperwork until he sets one singular sheet of paper in front of him. “You’re right in the middle of all these boys. You are a center to unite them. I’ve been proud of your growth here, and I trust you to do your best to continue to improve, even after debut. This, here,” he says, motioning towards the document, “is a contract exclusive to DE:CODE and will tie you to this group, and to Royal Entertainment, for the next six years.”

He finally becomes a little less stoic, and shows the glimpse of a real smile as he slides the contract toward you and hands you a pen. “If we share the same vision of making DE:CODE one of the top boy groups in all of Korea, and you wish to be a part of this journey, you know what to do.”

the office isn’t completely foreign to him anymore. the last time he’d been called into the office, was to re-sign his contract. he remembers clearly, how’d uneasy he’d felt, unsure if signing with them again was the right decision.

as he sits in front of so jiseob once more, listening to the ceo talk, he’s glad that he did. debut. it’s a word that, at that time, had felt so far, out of reach, something he’d yearned for. how many years has it been already? he thinks. how many years since he’d joined royal? two? three? he’d once kept track of the days, but they were beginning to blur away. it didn’t matter anymore. because he was here now, so close to debut.

so jiseob speaks and his voice holds so much authority, charisma, that it has jaehyun listening closely. it’s the word center that has jaehyun pulling his eyes away from the paperwork across his desk, and to the ceo. because there’s so much truth to that. he’d entered royal, the youngest male trainee, and had stayed long enough to be an older brother to the next few that came.

a center. that was what jaehyun was. and perhaps unknowingly he’d taken on that role; in front of seonho and jihoon he’d try to be as reliable as possible, wanting to be a pillar for them, with the other members he’d wanted to be a friend, someone they could trust, but with baekhyun, he’d allow himself to get a little childish. the center. everything in equilibrium, in balance. and jaehyun was at the center of it.

debut. de:code. those years of uncertainty had led up to this. his eyes don’t leave so jiseob and he catches a glimpse of a smile. he takes the pen and his hand hovers over the paper for a moment, after he signs this, he’ll be a member of de:code. officially. he smiles, and he thinks that maybe he might cry. but he won’t. because the center doesn’t cry. the center lets the leader cry when things get too hard, he lets the younger members cry when they need a shoulder, while he tries his hardest to keep a balance — even with his own emotions.

pen presses against paper as jaehyun signs the contract. the smile never once leaves his lips. “thank you,” he says, bowing. “i won’t — we won’t,” he corrects himself, “disappoint you sir.”

( he walks to the bathroom and begins to cry, softly. )

He folds his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes settling on yours. “When trainees first sign a contract with a company, they are devoting themselves to at least two years of training. They usually don’t expect the time to pass so quickly, but it does,” he ruminates mildly.  “Years of training and hopes leads to one dream usually: debut.”

“But, you’re no ordinary trainee. Since our pre-debut project started in August, you’ve been groomed to be a member of DE:CODE, a debut group I have incredibly high hopes for. Since then, I’ve seen you grow a lot in your training. You’ve had your ups and downs, plenty of both good and bad.” He pauses, and diverts his attention back to his desk, where he shuffles paperwork until he sets one singular sheet of paper in front of him. “You are the oldest member and with a powerful charm of your own. I’ve been proud of your growth here, and I trust you to do your best to continue to improve, even after debut. This, here,” he says, motioning towards the document, “is a contract exclusive to DE:CODE and will tie you to this group, and to Royal Entertainment, for the next six years.”

He finally becomes a little less stoic, and shows the glimpse of a real smile as he slides the contract toward you and hands you a pen. “If we share the same vision of making DE:CODE one of the top boy groups in all of Korea, and you wish to be a part of this journey, you know what to do.”

this was what he had waited for over the course of the last weeks, and this moment had been one to making him anxious the most. kang joon still couldn’t quite believe to be promised a spot within de:code as long as he wasn’t handed the contract. too big was the big was the fear of being kicked out and left behind last minute. even the sight of the lawyer who had been present during his initial contract and the renewal one, wasn’t assuring him of a positive outcome, until his ceo, so jisub, offers a small smile. silently, he listened what his boss had to say, listened to the words of his journey so far. kang joon nodded, agreed to the ceo’s summary about the ups and downs he had been through. he was still struggling with improving his dance every day.

his eyes followed the movements of the older man, wandering to the single sheet of paper he in the end set in front of him. his heart made a little jump. so this was the last step, his last stage before finally becoming a fullfledged member of the royal garden, a flower that was worthy to be kept and raised. he couldn’t contain a smile anymore, beaming brightly, excited at his boss, when the last bits of speech fell and his sincere smile almost slips.

“you are the oldest member and with a powerful charm of your own.”

a powerful charm? that was the only thing so jisub saw in him? it wasn’t the most suprising praise he had received from the ceo, kang joon was aware of his charismatic presence and had never failed to grow it and make it his trademark. so the wave of disappointment that washed away all the prior excitement and happiness over receiving the idol contract for real, was more than confusing to him. he did his best to not have it show on his face, hid his feelings yet again behind a mask. of course it was no praise, no compliment to upset him, yet the feeling of putting the focus on his charm only, was preying on his mind. there was so much more than he wanted to prove to himself and to the company. he didn’t wanted to be known for his charms, his looks only. to him it sounded like there was nothing else he was good for, that he wasn't needed for anything else.

so jisub’s next words shoke him awake: de:code was definitely the group he wanted to have this journey with, and he wanted to make it big with them. was giving away, signing away six of his years, six years of freedom the right decision though? for a moment his amber coloured eyes gazed at the sheet of paper in front of him. if he were to pull back now, what would happen? would he regret to have given up because of thoughts of insecurity clouding his mind? would he be called a coward?

kang joon picked up the pen, pausing for a moment, as he read through every single line, before lowering the pen to sign. all these years of training would be lost, if he was to give away this chance now. for now the ceo seemed to only see his charms, but soon he would shake in kang joon's presence. the show wasn't over yet, it had only started.