Chapter 334 - Maknae

"Is that seat taken?"

Jiwon looked up to see a scrawny middle school student wearing an expensive uniform. The boy looked barely fourteen and was no doubt from a rich family. His uniform belonged to an elite private school and he had the hint of a pampered young boy.

"Uhh...no," Jiwon replied and scooted over. They were at the trainee practice room where everyone had gathered up for their vocal classes. Ash and Jinhyun were in the next room, learning new dance moves while Jiwon was assigned to the vocal section to improve his singing skills. He was a good rapper but his singing was still below average so CEO Ahn had put him there until his vocals improved.

"Hyung, are you new here?" the kid asked.

"No," Jiwon simply replied.

"Well, I'm new here!" he chirped. "I wanna become a really famous idol someday! But my family wants me to get into their lumber business. It's so boring! Just watch lumber being produced all day. I don't even have to work for the rest of my life since my grandfather left me quite a lot of inheritance! But all that didn't settle with me. Being an idol sounds more fun!"

For a boy from a high class family, he sure did talk a lot. Jiwon was a little wary of the kid but then again, he was no one to judge. After all, he also left behind a family and a wife to restart his fate.

"I'm Dasom, by the way," the boy introduced himself. "Song Dasom! And you are?"

"Kwon Jiwon," Jiwon sighed.

"Are you trying for the dancer spot or the rapper?" Dasom asked. "You don't look like a vocalist."

"I can sing!" Jiwon protested. "I just don't sing nearly as good as Jinhyun!"

He inwardly cursed Jinhyun for being an excellent singer and dancer. The boy was dubbed at the future Idol King by the other trainees and the instructors also use his skills as the standard to judge other trainees which greatly irritated Jiwon. They were good friends but Jiwon was more into rapping rather than the other parts of being an idol.

"I'm good at singing," Dasom boasted. "I got full marks in the last assessment!"

"Then why are you here in this class?" Jiwon frowned. 

Dasom leaned in closer and whispered, "The instructor noona, Lim Ira, is very pretty! I faked a bad singing session so that I could get some lessons from her."

He winked gleefully at Jiwon who rolled his eyes.

"Listen kid," he said. "All of us are here to become serious idols. If all of this is a joke to you, then you should leave. The trainees here are working day and night without break to make it to the top. And here you are, lazing around while flirting with teachers! Don't you have any shame?"

"Nope!" Dasom laughed. "I don't have any shame when it comes to pretty ladies!"

Jiwon was becoming more annoyed at the kid and was about to tell him off when Dasom added, "Of course, becoming an idol is hard. Impossible even for most people. I know that I'm from a rich family so everything was handed to me on a golden platter. But if I'm being honest, I want to be an idol so that I could claim something of my own without my family name and help."

For a young boy, he had a surprisingly deep insight. 

"It's the only thing I know I want to be," he went on. "I might not become the best idol but I want to be a damn good one and make myself proud!"

He beamed happily at Jiwon who was taken aback by his quiet determination.

"And your family is alright with it?" he asked.

"No," Dasom replied. "They're not. They opposed it and forced me to go to private tuition instead but I sneak out everyday to attend practice sessions. If I could get selected into the lineup, I'll leave home and live separately. I don't want to quit school but I will if it comes down to it. But I'll make it. I know I will."

Jiwon gave him a small smile and patted his head. Just then, Instructor Lim walked in.

"Oh, the pretty noona!" Dasom said, blushing furiously. "I should go and introduce myself."

With that, the kid ran off to talk to the instructor. Within five minutes, Lim angrily kicked him out for being too advanced for her class. Jiwon could not help but snicker at Dasom's disappointed expression. 

This kid is going to go places, he sighed inwardly as Dasom quickly picked himself up when a pair of beautiful trainees walked past him and ran after them. Jiwon sincerely hoped that he could make it to the final lineup.

....

Everything moved in a slow motion as the KJ picked himself up. He could not fathom what had happened but Mirae was stooping over him, yelling something in his ears. But he was too dazed to move while his heart beat rapidly. 

The guests were running here and there as pandemonium filled the halls. Sunye and Mirae were dragging him outside, telling him something. They were crying but why? Why were they crying?

His heart was completely numb as if it knew what had happened. But he was not ready to face it. No. He was not ready to see it. His thoughts were lying to him. Nothing happened and everything was fine. 

Then why...why was he feeling so empty?

The van was still burning as Mirae dragged him towards it. His feet were moving on their own even though his heart yelled at him to stop.

Don't go there! His insides screamed. No!

But his feet would not stop moving. He had to see it with his own eyes. Nothing happened! everything was fine!

They came to a halt. Firefighters and policemen were swarming the whole area as they tried to put out the van caught on fire. Everyone was yelling orders but KJ did not hear anything. He was too scared to approach the burning van. 

A pair of paramedics were carrying a stretcher. Over it was a bloodied body wrapped in a cloth stained with crimson blood. The body was ripped apart by the explosion and they wrapped up whatever they could salvage from the fire. 

KJ watched as a hand fell out of the sheets.

It was burnt beyond recognition but there was no mistaking Dasom's favorite blue suit, the remnants of which were stuck to the skin of the hand.