A week since entering middle school.
Break time.
Middle school seniors came into our classroom.
"Hello. We're the dance club!"
Ah.
A club promotion.
Middle school students were required to do club activities for three hours each month under the guise of creative experiential activities.
"Anyone who likes dancing or wants to dance well is welcome, so please apply to the dance club!"
"And we'll be performing on the outdoor stage at lunch today, so please come watch!"
Sohee's eyes sparkled as she watched the dance club promotion.
Sohee turned to me and asked.
"Dohee, which club are you going to join?"
I didn't really care as long as it was a club with no people in it, but the library club would probably be best.
However, if I answered library club, timid Sohee wouldn't be able to assert herself and would meekly follow me there.
"Well... where do you want to go?"
"I liked the dance club they just promoted... or maybe the band club?"
Timid Sohee wanted to join a trendy club...?
"You?"
"Yeah... actually, Mom told me to join an extroverted club..."
"Ah."
No wonder Sohee's parents worried about her personality.
"And honestly, I wanted to try it too. Hehe..."
"Good luck, then. I'm going to the library club."
Sohee's face quickly crumpled.
"Hng... then I'll go to the library club too..."
Sigh.
"Want to go see the dance club and band club performance at lunch?"
"Yeah!"
It's annoying, but I'll watch because she's cute.
.
.
.
Lunchtime.
Today's school lunch menu.
Sweet and spicy half-dried pollock and squid stew.
The meal police have arrived.
Fuck.
Reminds me of the army.
"Sohee, is it good?"
Unlike Sujin and me, who hadn't touched a bite, Sohee was forcing the school food into her mouth.
"No..."
"Then why are you eating it?"
"Mom told me to eat a balanced diet..."
Sigh... is she innocent or just stupid.
"Forget it, stop eating."
"But... Mom said..."
"Let's go to the school store. I'll buy you something."
I stood Sohee up and headed to the school store.
The school store was packed with students.
The nutritionists who put stuff like sweet and spicy half-dried pollock and squid stew in the school lunch definitely had some kind of secret deal with the school store.
'So what should I eat?'
I looked around the store.
'Oh, they even have cheese croquettes at the school store these days.'
"I'm going to eat a cheese croquette. What about you, Sohee?"
"I'll eat the same thing as you, Dohee. Hehe."
I turned to Sujin.
"Fine then. What about you, Sujin?"
"Huh? You're buying for me too?"
"If you don't want to, forget it."
"Then I'll have pizza bread!"
"Okay."
I got in line to order.
While standing in line, someone poked me from the side.
Who is it.
I turned my head and saw Baekhwi smiling there.
"Oh, Baekhwi, long time no see?"
Feels like I haven't seen you in about three years?
"Yeah, long time no see. How have you been?"
"How could I not be fine? More importantly, did you get taller?"
Baekhwi looked like he was over 170cm.
Now I'm the one looking up at him...
I'm probably over 170cm too, right?
"Yeah. I grew a bit."
"Three years ago you couldn't even talk properly and just kept glancing at me, but now you talk just fine."
"What are you talking about! I never did that!"
"Do you still like me, by any chance?"
Baekhwi couldn't answer, his face bright red.
It happened to be my turn to order.
I told the store lady,
"Auntie, one pizza bread and two cheese croquettes, please."
I took the bread, paid, and said to Baekhwi,
"Study hard. I'm leaving."
Baekhwi seemed like he wanted to say something more, but I quickly got out.
Ah, this kid still has that look of someone who likes me.
Sigh, this damn popularity.
Well, even I go crazy over my own charm every time I look in the mirror, so what can you do as a guy.
It's my mistake for going around dripping with charm, I suppose.
Escaping the crowd in line, I opened the microwave and heated the bread.
Bread has to be heated. That's the national rule.
I took the bread out and handed it to Sohee and Sujin.
"Thanks~""Thanks, I'll enjoy it!"
"Sure. Anyway, Sohee, you said earlier you wanted to see the dance club and band club performance."
"Ah, yeah!"
"Okay, let's eat while we go."
We ate our bread as we headed to the outdoor stage.
On the way to the outdoor stage, Sujin asked me.
"By the way, Dohee, you were talking to Baekhwi earlier. Do you know him?"
Ah, Sujin and Baekhwi are in the same class.
"Yeah."
"Really? How?"
"Just our moms know each other. Why?"
"He's so handsome. All the girls in our class are already going crazy over him."
Sigh,
as expected of middle schoolers.
"Focus on your studies."
"Why? You don't like him?"
"Whether I like him or not, who cares."
"Well... you are a trainee, so you probably can't date."
Sohee, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, spoke.
"Trainee...?"
"Yeah, a trainee. Did you not know Dohee is an idol trainee?"
Sohee made a surprised expression.
"F...for real?"
"Yeah, then I guess you don't know the other things either?"
"Hey! Jeong Sujin! Stop it because it's embarrassing!"
I wished she'd brag a little more.
Sujin began telling Sohee all sorts of things about me.
Piano competitions, first in the entire grade, and in elementary school she'd received confessions from boys and even girls, and so on.
When Sujin finished speaking, Sohee stared at me with her mouth open.
I grabbed both of Sohee's cheeks and said,
"What. Is your unnie too cool?"
Sohee nodded her head several times.
I know.
When we arrived at the outdoor performance area, it was swarming with kids who had come to watch.
Fortunately, there were a few spots open.
"Let's sit here."
As soon as we sat down, the dance club started their performance with perfect timing.
The first performance was "to you" by Pastel Love, the senior group currently sweeping the top of the charts.
During my trainee days I had practiced boy group and girl group songs without discrimination, but among them, I had practiced Pastel Love's songs until I was sick of them since they were my agency's seniors.
Needless to say, "to you" was something I had been practicing even recently.
Let's see how they do.
.
.
.
Hmm... they're working hard.
I muttered purposely loud enough for Sohee to hear.
"Tsk, that's not how you dance that."
Hearing my words, Sohee looked at me with adoring eyes.
Heh.
After Pastel Love's "to you" ended, the following stages were also songs I had practiced.
As expected, I felt like I could do better.
Actually, it's only natural since I trained for over three years under a professional choreographer.
After the dance club's stage ended, the members came up to the stage and bowed.
"Thank you for watching! Please apply to the dance club!"
Still, I liked how hard they tried.
I took Sohee's hand and clapped.
"Come on, applaud~"
As soon as the dance club's performance ended, accompaniment flowed out and the band club's performance began.
A male vocalist.
Huh? This song?
"drain," a male rock song famous for its high notes. I liked it too and had practiced it several times.
It's really hard to sing this.
They're singing this?
"Tsk... singing it like that..."
"..."
"...is the right way."
Fuck, singing really is all about talent.
And why is his tone so good?
Did he train too?
This time, Sohee looked at me with jaded eyes.
"What are you looking at."
At my words, Sohee turned her head back and watched the performance.
Today's individual practice will be vocal training only.
Seriously.
.
.
.
A few days later, I inevitably came to the music room for the band club interview that Sohee wanted me to take.
A band club member wearing a second-year name tag gave me an interview questionnaire.
"Please fill this out."
"Okay."
I filled it out and returned it.
Ha...
To think I'd have to be interviewed by middle schoolers.
My pride is hurt.
I looked at Sohee, the root of all evil, and saw her hands trembling, perhaps nervous about the interview.
"Sigh... nervous?"
"Yeah..."
"Then why did you say you wanted to do the band club?"
"Because I wanted to see you sing, Dohee..."
Sigh... I only let it slide because you're cute.
"Next time, just be honest. We could've just gone to a coin karaoke together."
"Yeah... sorry..."
Sohee is like a cat; if she weren't cute, she would've gone extinct.
"Next person, please come in."
My turn.
When I entered the music room, the band club president spoke.
"Please introduce yourself."
Haah...
"Hello... I'm Lee Dohee from Class 1, Grade 1."
"What is your reason for applying?"
It's written right there on the questionnaire.
"I came because I like music and want to stand on stage."
"Which part are you applying for?"
Fuck, it's written right there on the questionnaire.
"Keyboard and vocals."
"Then which one will you perform on stage?"
"I'll just do both at the same time."
I sat in front of the piano.
Hoo. Let's just think of this as busking.
What song should I do?
I spoke to the interviewers.
"Do you have any requests? Anything is fine."
One of the interviewers, the student who sang "drain" at the last performance, answered.
"Really, anything is fine?"
"Yes. I know most songs."
"Then please sing 'drain'."
Yeah, you talent freak.
Time for me, with professional training, to establish the pecking order.
I began singing while playing the piano.
"- Days of joy, days of sorrow, slowly pass by -"
"- Trying to embrace you, but you who disappeared before me are merely an illusion -"
"- When I wake, tears dry in the sand of sleep -"
"- I am in the rose desert! -"
.
.
The song ended.
"Wow...."
"Amazing..."
Yeah, I might not have skills on par with currently active singers, but among trainees, I was competing for the main vocalist position.
To become like this, I was held back by Coach Kwon and sang while holding a plank all day... tears really well up.
"Thank you."
"Hey, she sings better than you?"
"Crazy."
"Could you perhaps sing one more song?"
"Then instead of singing, I'll play one song on the piano."
I played Brahms Sonata No. 2, 1st Movement, which I had performed at last year's competition.
When the performance ended, the interviewers just stared with their mouths open, exclaiming in admiration.
"Thank you."
Ooh, thrilling.
Lee Dohee is so fucking cool.
.
.
.
I was holding Sohee's head and shaking it.
Sohee spoke while I held her head.
"Dohee, I'm sorryyy."
"Agh!"
Sohee failed the band club interview.
I had no choice but to withdraw from the band club and went to the library club with Sohee.