As cliche and predictable as the answer may be, Raekyung’s most important person in his life is his mother. She was and continues to be his biggest fan and inspiration, supporting him every step of the way throughout his idol life.

She was the one who supported him when he took an interest when scouted; she spent many a night with him going over iconic choreographies just so he could have something to show those he was auditioning to. She was also the one who convinced his father to allow her and Raekyung to go on a shopping spree; the clothes Raekyung had weren’t necessarily bad but they were obvious hand-me-downs and although an audition usually centres itself around one’s talent, the appearance and the first impression from that also plays into it and his mother recognised that and did anything and everything she could in her power to make sure he made the best first impression possible.

Leaving his mother in Busan for the trainee life in Seoul was subsequently hard for Raekyung because they were so close. She still went to the very last moment with him; giving him a hug before he entered the company building for the first time as a signed trainee. She said some words to him that he has never forgotten; “Whatever happens, you’ll always be my star.”

He felt extremely accomplished when he made it into Hydra, confident that he had made his mother proud and hearing her voice filled with joyful emotions when he told her was confirmation of that. But, on the flip side, when he was pulled he couldn’t bring himself to call her right away because he was ashamed; embarrassed that he had let her down. She was understanding all the same though and told him to never give up and, for that, Raekyung was and always is extremely grateful.

When Raekyung entered the competition, he never thought he’d have any friends and would be the lone ranger of the trainees. A self-described introvert who had managed to push a few trainees back at DS away due to the need to outperform them, Raekyung was positive he’d never have any trainee friends. He was happy to see Sean though; a childhood friend that meant he wasn’t completely alone.

Things fell into natural succession after that; through Sean he had met Mirae and the girl from Gaia, Hana, had somehow joined their mix and suddenly he found himself in the midst of a group of friends. Myungji tagged along through Mirae but nonetheless, it was a group he was involved in. If he compared himself from the first few days of the competition where he was alone to the current time where he has those friends, the changes were significant already. Changing more into an extrovert, Raekyung had become a lot more outspoken and because of that he was able to make even more friends in the competition. Although it had only been two weeks, he felt a lot happier than he had in a year or so.

Through gaining the confidence he was able to speak to Spotlight’s Mercedes, finding something in common with her with both of them being previously dropped from a group lineup. That had reassured him too; he wasn’t the only person in there trying to prove something to their company.