"Sing!"
"No,"
"Please?"
"No,"
Minjoon groaned. "Just one song. C'mon, it's not even a lot of work!"
Junwoo glared at him.
"Pleaseee...!" Minjoon shouted dramatically, crawled toward the couch, and grabbed Junwoo's leg. "Just once,"
Junwoo didn't react, only staring at Minjoon blankly. Minjoon tried again by slumping forward, crawling on top of the taller guy, and whining. "I'M BEGGING YOU!"
"Get off," Junwoo said flatly, pushing his face away.
Minjoon persisted, now tugging at Junwoo's shirt. "Just one song, that's all I ask—"
Junwoo shoved him backward with his foot, kicking him square in the chest. "You're worse than a mosquito," he muttered. "I'm fine living like this. I don't need to prove to anyone, I don't even care about my Mom anymore,"
Minjoon landed on the floor with a grunt. "Unbelievable," he muttered, glaring at the ceiling. Then, after a beat, he looked back up. "Alright, new deal. If you sing for me, I'll leave early today and let you get back to your precious nap schedule."
"Wait, you promise?"
"Wow, that's what gets you to agree?" Minjoon deadpanned, narrowing his eyes. "Tch, fine. If you sing, I'll leave and stop bothering you. Now do it,"
Junwoo crossed his legs and hummed, contemplating what song to sing. He realized that, since he wasn't interested in keeping up with online trends, he didn't even know which song was currently popular.
"I know this one," Junwoo said, then mentioned a title song of an old pop song.
Minjoon gasped. "What? That's so ancient,"
Junwoo shrugged. "It's the only one I remember at the moment,"
"Ugh, fine. Let's hear it, old man."
Junwoo leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes. For a few seconds, he said nothing, just breathed and tapped his fingers against his leg as if he were trying to remember the melody.
And then, he started to sing.
"!!!"
It was completely unexpected. Junwoo's voice was naturally deep, with a faint rasp coloring each note. It was rough around the edges, but it sent chills down Minjoon's spine. The words came out slower, deliberate, carrying genuine emotion and perfect control.
Minjoon sat frozen, eyes wide and fixed on Junwoo. Transfixed.
When Junwoo finished, he let out a quiet breath. He opened his eyes, lazily glanced at Minjoon, and pretended he didn't surprise Minjoon with his incredible singing.
Junwoo tilted his head to the side slightly and noticed that Minjoon didn't say anything.
"What?" he asked.
Minjoon blinked rapidly, mouth parting slightly.
"That was... insane," Minjoon blew out a breath. "You sound—oh my God, you're telling me you've been hiding this from me for years?! Am I even your best friend?"
He suddenly got up and started pacing, looking frantic.
"Wait, wait. This is way better than I expected. Holy sh—yah, Junwoo-ah! You need to audition. You have to,"
"Didn't I tell you I don't know why I have to?" Junwoo said dryly.
I told you already that I'm going to help you find your passion. Multiple passions, in fact. Hell, I'll even force you!" Minjoon pointed his finger at him. "You'd better be ready tomorrow!
Junwoo squinted his eyes. "For what?"
Minjoon shoved his laptop inside his bag and slung it over his shoulder, grinning. "You'll see,"
"Minjoon,"
"What?"
Minjoon gave him an innocent look. Junwoo eyed him suspiciously.
"Anyway! Just make sure you're awake before noon. And... for no reason at all, try to look presentable,"
Junwoo didn't get a chance to answer as he watched Minjoon quickly put on his shoes and rush out of the apartment. The apartment fell silent. Junwoo just sat on his couch for a moment, then sighed.
He sat up and looked over the mess scattered around the room after Minjoon's visit. He tidied up his apartment and then went into his bedroom to take a nap.
Although he was a little worried about what Minjoon was going to do tomorrow, he couldn't help but wonder if stepping out of his comfort zone was worth it.
The trauma caused by his mom was too deep; he was always sure whatever he did would end in disappointment. That working himself to the bone and showing any sign of interest was just not worth it. He started to imagine himself living the same way in the next few years. What if, when he turned 30, he was still asleep on that rooftop after watching the stars, disconnected from the world around him?
Junwoo stared at his ceiling for a while.
Maybe... maybe it's worth trying.
.
.
.
"Alright," the Vice President of LUNE Entertainment said, flipping open his notebook. "Let's start with the trainee evaluations from last week. We'll move on to new applicants after that."
The head of casting went first, summarizing the progress of several trainees—one showing relatively nice talent in dance, another struggling vocally but gaining fans due to his bubbly personality on social media. The producer director gave feedback regarding it.
Then, midway through a discussion, Sanghyun looked up and raised his hand.
"Ah, wait. I forgot to mention something."
The vice president raised a brow. "Go ahead,"
"This morning, one of the interviewees who applied to become a casting assistant—Song Minjoon—came in. He's a good kid, polite, nothing out of the ordinary. But when we both left, I saw he dropped his phone in the lobby. So I went outside to return it and saw someone waiting for him. A friend,"
Everyone listened attentively.
Sanghyun continued. "And this friend—" he hesitated for a moment, sighing like he was lost for words. "—goodness, I've never seen anyone who looks like that. Not even our top visuals or from other agencies."
"That seems like an exaggeration, no?"
"I'm telling the truth," Sanghyun said with a light smile. "I even saw people stopping just to take a look at him. Some are even taking pictures. I thought he was a celebrity, but apparently he's just a normal kid."
"And then?" the executive producer asked curiously.
"Well, naturally, I tried to scout him on the spot. But Minjoon-ssi said the kid never even sang or danced in his life, he's talentless. However—" Sanghyun opened his tablet and clicked something. "—I received an email from Minjoon-ssi a while ago, explaining how he felt bad for how he described his friend, saying he did it because his friend was not the type to like having attention on him. But apparently, the kid can sing. In a quote, insanelywell."
The vice president folded her arms. "And what's the name of this kid?"
"Han Junwoo,"
"What do you think, PD-nim?" (a/n: Producer-Director or Program Director.)
Min Sojin, the PD, only smirked and gave a nod to Sanghyun.
"I want to see this kid."