Chapter 1: Chapter 0- Debut
*Ring* Ring*
Aiden Rayn Song heard the persistent ring of his alarm. He moved onto his side, opened his eyes, and reached out for the device; he hit it once, twice, and finally turns it off on the last attempt.
*Yawn*
He lay a bit longer in bed and snaked his way off the bed. He started stretching once his feet hit the floor, going through several yoga poses and a plank before he prepares his clothes and walks to the bathroom.
Short dark hair hovered around his pale face in every direction, as the majority of it seemed stuck to his scalp, including the mid-back ponytail which remained glued to his skin. Low riding pants showed a small pale waist, which highlights an equally pale torso. His body, fairly toned, moves with a dancers' grace towards the shower; adjusts the water to a comfortable temperature, and then he starts to wash the previous days' filth.
'I can't believe that I will finally be able to debut,' he thought to himself.
'All that early morning training and all the late nights will finally be worth it.'
He has been training for this day since he was eighteen(18), learning different dance styles, acting techniques, and vocal exercises to perfect his voice. The time went by in a haze of blood, sweat, and tears; mostly from doing more than required of him to keep his position at the top of his batch of trainees. This includes online classes on public relations and some other skills that would give him a leg up in the entertainment industry.
After waking up fully, he feels that he is ready to face the world.
Getting dressed in a fashionable and casual but warm sweater, jacket, and jeans combo; Aiden walks out the door of his assigned room towards the office where his new agent and the General Manager would be meeting him for the contract signing. He enjoys the weak sunlight in the early morning, breathing in the crisp air, as he appreciates the scenery from the garden area of the dorms on his way to the main office.
After a little more than an hour's time, he arrives and after registering himself at the reception desk, walks into the elevator toward the Sixth(6th) floor which is dedicated to the trainees' management. It deals with every aspect regarding the trainees, including issues, complaints, etc. But in his case, he is to sign the transfer form from trainee to idol.
Knocking on the door, he hears an acknowledgement from within the General Manager's office.
He opens the door and sees three men. The oldest looked to be around his forties(40s), with greying hair, the second looked to be in his thirties(30s) while the last looked to be in his twenties(20s). The forty-year-old(40) gave a sense of authority, while the other two almost seemed like servants in his presence. Not to mention, that they seemed to be serving him as though they were.
"Good morning sirs."
"Good morning Aiden. General Manager(GM) Kim, this is the trainee to be debuted, his name is Song Aiden Rayn and he is 24-years-old." said the Manager of the trainee camp, Manager Hak.
"Song? That sounds like a Chinese family name, I'm sorry but you don't look Chinese?" said GM Kim, looking a bit confused.
Aden sighs as he hears the implied question behind his surname. He inwardly rolls his eyes at the question but answers anyway, saying:
"I am a quarter Chinese, a quarter European, a quarter African, and a quarter English. My dad was half Chinese and English, while my mom was half African and European - Italian to be specific."
"Huh..... I can guess you get that a lot from how quick your response is," said GM Kim. "Anyway, enough chit chat, I always try to meet our future stars before the signing."
Gesturing for a stack of files left on the desk, GM Kim said:
"Pick one from there, as it's our standard contract they are all the same, you can read to confirm before signing the contract. This includes taking the contract for a second opinion, however, I must inform you that it is unlikely to get a change in the contract unless you prove that you are worth it, then we can renegotiate. This lasts about 5 years, which will be the time that you will use to prove to us that you are worth a better contract."
"No need, I trust that the company will not attempt to shortchange me or do any other immoral acts through the contract. " saying that, Aiden picks the folder with a purple binding, and signs in a flourish, leaving behind his signature along the dotted line.
"Good! Here is your agent, Won Lee-sang, the two of you will be working closely together so do try to get along with each other," said Manager Hak
"Nice to meet you Aiden Rayn. As Manager Hak said, I am your agent, Won Lee-sang, you can call me Hyung or Lee Hyung. I hope we will have a pleasant time working together." said Won Lee-sang
Giving a smile, with a bit of a tooth, Aiden shakes Lee-sang's hand and says " Call me Aiden, and yes, I can't wait to work with you. I will be depending on you Hyung."
"Since the formalities are over with, you two can get yourself familiar with one another, as I and Manager Hak get back to work. So shoo." GM Kim says with an accompanying motion. Leaving both Lee-sang and Aiden in the hallway before he strolls past them on the way to his own office.
Both men looked at each other, and Lee-sang gestured for Aiden to follow him to sign the agent contract. This required them to go to the floor above, as the Idol floors were the seventh and the eighth(7th - 8th) floor. They walk to the elevator, but once it came to their floor, it was filled to capacity, with numerous button lit. Once the doors start to close, they leave the elevator and walk towards the stairs, deciding the one flight of stairs would take less time than a filled elevator.
Halfway to the stairs, Lee-sang gets a phone call.
Aiden gestures that he will go up and wait for him, leaving Lee-sang to answer the call. He shuts the door behind him, shivers and almost sprints up the stairway. Reaching the access door to the 7th floor, in a few minutes, Aiden opens the door and darts into the warmth and he quickly shuts the door.
Just as the door closes fully, he notices that something is wrong.