The butterfly swooped against the tinted glass of a hovering taxi. Inside, a young man with silver-white hair flicked his cigarette onto the pavement. He wore glasses and a sterile mask over his mouth, his left wrist marked with a tattoo etched in bold Hangul: 날 찾고싶어 - I want to find myself.
The butterfly pressed its wings against the ink as if sealing itself to the words. The man drew his hand back, closed the window, and sank into his seat.
"Damn it, the sun's brutal today, huh, driver?" I muttered, wiping sweat from my neck. The temperature had already climbed to twenty-eight degrees Celsius.
"That's how it is nowadays, Mr. Woojin," the driver chuckled. "The world keeps spinning faster, the heat keeps rising. My daughter even complains her lungs are melting."
"Mm… guess I'll have to run off to Siberia one of these days," I sighed.
Before I could drift too far into that thought, my ballphone chimed. Ring-Ding-Dong!I fished out the round device, it floated in the air like a hovering drone. I pressed it open, and the holographic image of Manager Bonsong flickered to life, his grin wide as ever.
"Morning, Big cheese" I greeted, forcing some energy into my voice.
"Seokjin, happy belated birthday, kid! You must've partied hard last night."
"Yeah… still a bit dizzy. So, what's the story? any good news?" I yawned, half-laughing.
"Oh, this one'll knock the sleep right out of you."
"Hit me. What is it? i want hear every details." I pressed both hands against the speaker like a kid about to open a present.
"Ahem! You've been chosen as a representative for THE SHIFT 2069, kid!"
REALLY?!
"…Wait what? By who?"
"OPP4. Same godly label that launched D8."
"No way. You're joking! The Eight?? Seriously?"
"You must've seen the headlines. Iris is stepping down after that scandal."
"The men kiss incident?"
"Exactly. That throne's about to open. It's revenue-sharing, boy. A cross-label profit deal. You don't wanna tell me you're turning this down, do you?"
"It's not that, it's just…" I rubbed the back of my neck. "What'll Wolves think? And the fans how will they see me if I turn my back on 'em?"
"The PR will handle the image spin. Your focus is money in the bank. That's the goal, isn't it?" Bonsong's tone softened, almost coaxing. He'd always been the one pulling strings behind me.
"Well… yeah, but....ugh. Fine! So who am I drafted against?"
A holographic map unfolded, pinpoints glowing across the country.
"Whoa…" I whispered.
"Based on this year's analysis, OPP4 is securing D8's open slot. The other majors will send in their top-tier candidates. Four labels, four contenders. One of them is SPI." He smirked.
"And that's you, Woo Seok Jin."
I stroked my chin, unsettled. "Sounds easy. Looks messy."
"I don't know what's really happening inside OPP4. But this is your chance. They want you. You'll have to decide if you'll give up Wolves… and catch bigger fish."
"Wait a minute. Weren't they supposed to pick rookies straight out of training? Why me, when I'm already in a group?"
"No idea. Maybe this year's shift is breaking tradition. It's strange, sure your name suddenly showing up like fire erupting from an empty chalice but Wolves will survive on their own legs."
"Damn it," I muttered, ruffling my hair. "Hits me like a truck. Okay, i'll fight for the throne."
"You think it's even possible you'll get that throne?" Bons raised a brow. "You'll be up against monsters: Gumin of FireSpark from PAGE Entertainment. Shin Yammi of Hunter.B.H. out of M.U Label and Daril from JRA Record every one of them's a heavy hitter. These guys are well trained and very charming. My daughter's a big fan of Gumin by the way. I tried to have him for my daughter birthday, the guy got a lion in his eyes when i spoke to him. He send a chill down my spine, not in a creepy way but his determination is on other level."
I laughed hollowly. "Hoho! Crap, what can I do then? I don't have that kind of passion. All I can do is... shakin' my ass and sing a bridge."
He folded his arms, silent for a moment. Then leaned forward.
Mr.Bons reached inside his pocket. "There's something else. Don't tell anyone I showed you this."
A text flashed onto my latest mobile device, ballphone. Just one short sentence.
I blinked, rubbed my eyes, read it again. My chest jolted with a shock so sharp I nearly dropped the device i just bought two days ago.
"You've got to be kidding me?!" I shouted so loud the driver nearly swerved.
"Someone gotta keep an eye on you very closely. He is the ONE" Bonsong replied.
-Chapter 2 Ends-