Chasing stars

The Man Behind HJS

Aren had expected his first day at HJS to be intimidating.

He hadn't expected to be fascinated.

The training room was larger than he had imagined, with one entire wall covered by mirrors and another lined with speakers. A polished wooden floor stretched beneath his feet, already marked by the countless hours other trainees had spent practicing.

Music drifted faintly from another room.

Someone was singing.

Someone else was counting dance steps.

Everywhere Aren looked, there were people working toward the same impossible dream.

Becoming a star.

He stood near the doorway for a moment, taking it all in.

Then a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“You must be Aren.”

He turned.

A young woman stood behind him with a clipboard tucked beneath one arm.

“Yes.”

“You're early.”

Aren glanced at the clock.

“I thought I was almost late.”

She smiled.

“That's because you're new.”

He laughed softly.

There was something reassuring about her expression.

“I'm Sooki Yang.”

Aren's eyebrows rose slightly.

He had heard the name before.

Sooki was one of the three people behind HJS Production. Unlike most executives in the Korean entertainment industry, she was relatively young and had already developed a reputation for being involved in the company's artists.

“It's nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

She studied him for a moment.

Not in the way photographers usually did.

There was no attempt to imagine him in different clothes or lighting.

She was assessing him.

Aren straightened instinctively.

“You've done this before,” she said.

“Modelling?”

She nodded.

“Two years.”

“I know.”

Aren blinked.

“You know?”

Sooki smiled.

“We did our homework before offering you a contract.”

That made him relax slightly.

At least they hadn't simply hired him because someone thought he was pretty.

Although, realistically, Aren knew his appearance had probably been part of the reason.

Talent only got you so far.

Looks opened doors.

What happened after the door opened was up to you.

Sooki led him through the building.

As they walked, Aren noticed photographs covering the walls.

Some were of artists who had already debuted.

Others were of trainees.

A few had names he recognized.

The Zone's name appeared several times.

Aren slowed when he saw a promotional photograph of the group.

He had only recently been told that he would be joining them.

He had not yet met all the members.

“That's your group,” Sooki said.

Aren looked at her.

“You say that like I'm already part of it.”

“You signed the contract.”

“I suppose I did.”

“You're part of it.”

There was something strangely comforting about hearing it said so simply.

For the first time, Aren allowed himself to imagine it.

A stage.

Lights.

Thousands of people screaming.

Music.

His name.

His heart beat faster.

Then Sooki continued walking.

“You'll start with Korean lessons today.”

Aren nodded.

“After that, vocal training.”

“I've been singing.”

“I know.”

“And dancing.”

“I know that too.”

Aren smiled.

“So what exactly don't you know about me?”

Sooki laughed.

“That you're going to be difficult.”

“I promise I'm not.”

“That is exactly what difficult people say.”

He laughed again.

They reached a classroom.

A Korean language instructor was already waiting.

Sooki introduced them and left.

Aren sat down.

For the next hour, he concentrated on pronunciation and vocabulary.

It wasn't easy.

He understood enough Korean to follow basic conversations, but performing was another matter entirely.

Every word needed to sound natural.

Every expression needed to be right.

The entertainment industry didn't forgive mistakes easily.

After the language lesson came dance practice.

That was where Aren finally felt comfortable.

The moment the music started, everything else disappeared.

He moved.

His body remembered what his mind didn't have to think about.

Years of modelling had taught him how to control his posture.

Dance had taught him something different.

How to become part of the music.

When the instructor finally stopped the track, Aren was breathing hard.

“That was good.”

“Thank you.”

“You've had professional dance training?”

“Some.”

The instructor gave him a skeptical look.

“Some?”

Aren shrugged.

“I've practised.”

The instructor laughed.

“Modest too.”

Aren smiled.

He was beginning to think that perhaps he could do this.

Maybe Ichika had been right.

Maybe Seoul was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Across the building, Hyun Shik Jong was having a very different kind of morning.

He was sitting in his office staring at a contract.

He should have been reading it.

Instead, he was thinking about a conversation from the previous evening.

Jung Seung Park had called him with another ridiculous proposal.

A new artist.

A model.

Someone he wanted HJS to sign.

Normally Hyun would have ignored the call.

Jung had excellent instincts when it came to talent.

Unfortunately, he also had terrible instincts when it came to almost everything else.

Hyun leaned back in his chair.

The office door opened.

Sooki walked in without knocking.

“You're thinking too loudly.”

Hyun looked up.

“Is that possible?”

“With you, yes.”

She placed a file on his desk.

“New trainee.”

Hyun glanced at it.

“Aren Nakamura.”

“Yes.”

“The model?”

“Yes.”

Hyun frowned.

“Why is a model joining an idol group?”

“He can sing.”

“Can he?”

“He can dance.”

“That doesn't answer my question.”

Sooki smiled.

“You'll see.”

Hyun opened the file.

The first photograph caught his attention.

He knew that face.

Not personally.

But he had seen it before.

A fashion campaign.

A magazine cover.

Perhaps both.

The young man's appearance was striking.

Golden-toned skin.

Long black hair.

Unusually light brown eyes.

A face that was difficult to forget.

Hyun flipped through the pages.

Nineteen.

Japanese-Haitian.

Previous modelling experience.

Fluent Japanese and English.

French.

Dance training.

Some vocal training.

He paused.

“Nineteen?”

“Yes.”

“That's young.”

“He's an adult.”

“I didn't say he wasn't.”

Sooki watched him carefully.

Hyun ignored her.

“What does Jung think?”

“He thinks Aren is going to be a star.”

“Jung thinks everyone beautiful is going to be a star.”

“Not everyone.”

She leaned against the desk.

“He was very specific about Aren.”

Hyun raised an eyebrow.

“That's what worries me.”

Sooki laughed.

“Try watching the audition footage before you decide.”

“I have work.”

“You always have work.”

“That is because someone has to run this company.”

“And someone else has to remind you that sometimes the people in this building are more important than your spreadsheets.”

Hyun sighed.

“You're impossible.”

“I've been told.”

She turned toward the door.

“Watch the video.”

Hyun looked down at the file.

“Fine.”

Sooki smiled.

“That's all I wanted.”

She left.

Hyun stared at the closed door for several seconds.

Then he reached for the tablet.

The video loaded.

Aren appeared on the screen.

Hyun watched.

At first, he saw exactly what he expected.

A beautiful young man.

A model.

Someone who had learned how to move in front of a camera.

Then the music started.

Aren danced.

Hyun stopped thinking about the paperwork on his desk.

The movement was controlled.

Confident.

Fluid.

But there was something else.

Something Hyun couldn't quite identify.

Aren wasn't performing for the camera.

He was performing as if nobody was watching.

That was rare.

Hyun watched until the video ended.

Then he played it again.

He frowned.

There was no logical reason for him to be watching it twice.

So he told himself he was analysing the potential of a new artist.

That was his job.

He played it a third time.

This time he noticed the smile at the end.

Hyun's expression hardened.

He shut off the tablet.

“This is ridiculous.”

He stood and walked toward the window.

Seoul stretched beneath him.

His company.

His responsibilities.

His engagement.

Everything in his life was carefully arranged.

There was no room for complications.

And certainly no room for a nineteen-year-old trainee who had somehow managed to capture his attention in less than five minutes.

Hyun turned away from the window.

He would meet Aren.

He would assess him professionally.

And then he would forget about him.

That was the sensible thing to do.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Aren's first day continued until late afternoon.

By then his body was exhausted.

His shirt clung to his back and his legs felt heavy.

He had never worked this hard in a single day.

And yet, when he left the practice room, he was smiling.

He had enjoyed himself.

That surprised him.

He had thought he would miss Japan more.

Instead, Seoul already felt like a challenge he wanted to conquer.

He was walking down the corridor when he heard voices coming from around the corner.

One of them belonged to his sister.

“Ren!”

Aren stopped.

Ichika appeared with another man.

Aren recognized him immediately.

Hyun Shik Jong.

One of the owners of HJS.

He had seen photographs of him before.

In person, however, Hyun was different.

Taller than Aren expected.

Well dressed.

Confident.

There was something controlled about the way he carried himself.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, neither man spoke.

Then Ichika smiled.

“Hyun, this is my brother.”

Hyun extended his hand.

“Aren.”

Aren looked at the offered hand before taking it.

“It's nice to meet you.”

Their hands touched.

Warm.

Firm.

Simple.

Nothing unusual.

Except Hyun didn't immediately let go.

Aren noticed.

So did Hyun.

The older man released his hand.

“You've had a good first day?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Hyun's eyes remained on him.

“You're joining The Zone.”

“Yes.”

“I've heard good things.”

Aren smiled.

“Hopefully they're true.”

Something shifted in Hyun's expression.

Aren couldn't explain it.

Neither could Hyun.

But neither man looked away.

Not immediately.

And neither of them knew that this brief meeting would become the beginning of something neither was prepared for.

Something that would eventually force both to choose between the lives they had planned...

and the love they never expected.