Capítulo 60: The End of the Beginning
SEIJI's POV
"Let's huddle up." JayB's voice echoed throughout the dressing room.
Our D-day for the song festival is here. It's been a rough week for us since our we had to practice a lot for KBS song festival, MAMA and the Grammy's. And believe me, I've never complained so much in my entire life. Don't get me wrong. It's exciting to perform, but I still prefer sleeping or staying locked up inside my lab. I'm way behind on some experiments. I can't wait when this is all over.
Everyone went towards the hallway so we could gather better. The dressing room that we got was much smaller since the bigger ones were being used by WJSN-sunbaenim, Super Junior-sunbaenim, Girl's Generation-sunbaenim and Seventeen. We can't do anything about that. We can't demand it from them. It'll make us look like we have diva-syndrome.
"Are you guys excited? Because I am!" Zee said as he was bouncing up and down to calm himself down. He was obviously exuding so much adrenaline right now.
Jiwoo on the other hand was warming his hands. "Why do I feel so nervous?"
"It's because you're performing with your girlfriend." Jeong Do teased as he slightly elbowed Jiwoo.
"Hey! You're performing with your girlfriend too, hyung!" Jiwoo rebutted.
We burst into laughter before placing our hands together in the center as we form a circle with our fists. JayB then gave us a… weird… warm smile. "I probably think that I've said this more than enough times already that you probably are used to it but..."
We all turned to him. What's with him lately? Ever since Miami, he's been acting differently. I'm not complaining. I like this guy better. He's not as harsh as the old JayB and he makes me feel warm inside. But I can't shake the feeling as if… never mind. I must be overthinking things.
"But I'm glad that I get to do this with you guys. Let's make our fans and the company proud." JayB said in a melancholic tone.
"Let's get it." Yo Chul said.
"Isn't it Zhang's turn today?" Dominic asked.
We all turned to Zhang waiting for him to lead the cheer. But Zee then stated. "Oy… this is going to be dry. You have to say it loudly. Your girlfriend is watching."
He turned around to see Chaeyoung with the rest of Twice watching us do our huddle. Chaeyoung winked at him before she waved with her fingers.
Zhang then turned to us and yelled loudly, "ALPHA TEAM!"
"Move out!" We yelled in unison.
Dominic then joked. "Is it me? Or was that the loudest I've heard Zhang speak."
Mina then grabbed Dominic's arm and pouted. "Hey now… don't tease one of your maknaes."
"Sorry." He told her as his smile widened even more.
These two… are they together now?
Jihyo then went over to JayB and asked. "Hey. So I was thinking. Shouldn't we have a huddle of our own since we're performing together? I mean, we might be performing together again someday."
"That's actually a good idea. What do you guys think?" JayB turned around to ask everyone.
Jeong Do then suggested. "How about both leaders from our groups would say 'One take', then everybody yells 'Let's get it'."
"Well that sounds lame." Sana protested against his boyfriend.
Jeong Do's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I thought you'd be the first to support it."
"But it really sounds lame." Sana answered.
"I don't think so. It sounds fine to me." Jeongyeon said.
I then asked Jeong Do, "What made you think of that chant?"
Jeong Do just shrugged. "I got it from the first word from both our group's introduction. 'One in a million' and 'Take the lead'. Hence, 'One take'."
"Now that you've explained it that way, it sounds pretty cool." Sana said as she gave a peck on Jeong Do's cheek.
JayB chuckled. "Hands in everyone."
Jihyo then counted. "1, 2, 3…"
"One take!" Jihyo and JayB yelled at the same time.
"Let's get it!" the rest of us shouted in unison.
Our managers came over to guide us towards the back stage to prepare us for our performance. Zee was starting to look nervous. I then patted his shoulder. "You good?"
"Yeah… It's just. It's weird dancing in a school uniform." He said with a wry smile on his face.
Tzuyu giggled. "It's actually cute. It's like all of us are in high school. Isn't that awesome?"
Jiwoo then intertwined his fingers with Tzuyu. "Yeah, it is. I feel like I didn't miss out on coming to school at all."
JayB then went over to check on us. With one final look, he smiled at us. "Let's show them what we've got."
_________
"I can't believe that we're still trending." I was scrolling over our group's social media account.
After the performance, we didn't stay long as we went into one of Yo Chul's barbecue restaurants near the venue. I was still pretty much tired from the performance and just wanted to go home and sleep. We still have practices tomorrow for the Grammy's after all. But sadly, my hunger got the best of me.
"I can't believe we're here instead of going to the company's after party." Dahyun complained while playing with the kimchi using her chopsticks.
"We can't do anything about that. We still have schedules tomorrow so we can't stay out late anyways." Chaeyoung said.
Mina then smiled over at Yo Chul. "Thanks for the treat though Yo Chul-oppa. We really appreciate it. Though... you guys really do love barbecue, don't you?"
Dominic laughed. "Love barbecue? Mina-ri… Yo Chul's barbecue are to DIE for. Well... any food that he cooks is to die for."
"I'm dying right now anyway." Dahyun said as she plopped down on the table.
Jiwoo then leaned over to Tzuyu and whispered, "What's up with her? Why is she grumpy?"
Tzuyu giggled. "She's always grumpy these days."
Zee joined in the conversation. "Puberty? Or… is she on her period?"
"Ya! I can hear you, you know?!" Dahyun yelled as she slammed her hand on the table. This made everybody laugh. We knew that she was just tired from all the practices and from the performance.
"Come on Dahyun-ah. You did really well. You nailed all my rap parts." I told her.
She smiled slightly. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I'm just tired. That's all."
Jeong Do then patted her back. "Don't be sorry. We're all tired. That's why Yo Chul-hyung is treating us to dinner to give us energy for the next coming days."
"Thanks, oppa." Dahyun said as she gave a smile to Yo Chul.
Yo Chul waved her off. "Don't mention it. The staff of this restaurant knows you guys. So if ever you want to eat good food, just give me a call and I'll reserve this place for you."
"You don't have to do that, you know?" Jeongyeon told Yo Chul in a serious tone.
He gave him a peck on her forehead. "I want to. Don't stop me from spoiling you."
"I think I'm going to be sick." Nayeon said as she pretended to gag. The rest of the members laughed from her comment.
"Anyway, we've only practiced the joint dance together. We never saw you guys practice 'Like Ooh Ahh' so I was really surprised with your performance today." Jihyo said as she changed the topic.
"You even switched some parts! It was insane! None of the fans expected that. In fact, WE didn't expect any of that." Sana said.
"You guys are really full of surprises! Who would have thought that Zhang-ah could dance Momo-ya's part really well? I thought that you were just good at sing, but you did really well in your solo." Mina exclaimed.
Chaeyoung then leaned over to Zhang. "Shen-ah… you were really sexy when you danced."
Zhang then smirked at her. "So was that a big plus for you?"
She smiled and nodded. Nayeon then continued with the topic. "Oh yeah! It's the first time I've seen Domi-ya rap. Oh! Oh! And wow! JayB-oppa's high notes were crazy too!"
"I still don't understand why he isn't one of the main vocals for your group… no offense Jeong Do-ya, Zhang-ah." Jihyo commented.
Zhang chuckled. "None taken. He's actually really good. It was his choice to be a Main Dancer instead to strengthen the performance unit."
"We will never understand what's going on in that guy's mind." Dominic stated.
"Speaking of JayB-oppa, where is he anyway?" Momo asked.
The atmosphere suddenly went gloomy again. I decided to answer it for them. "He's recording with a girl group from YG Entertainment."
Dahyun scoffed. "Another girl group? He didn't even tell us anything on our upcoming song."
"Relax Dahyun-ie. It's for a friend. They badly needed it." Matt explained.
She laughed sarcastically. "Yeah right. A 'friend' needs his help."
"Dahyun-ah!" Jihyo warned as she eyed her to stop.
Zee then stood and patted her shoulder. "Look… you might think that JayB-hyung is a playboy, but he's not. He really just cares for his friends. That's what makes him great. Without him… none of us wouldn't even be here. Besides, that 'friend' that Matt-hyung was talking about is his future girlfriend."
Everybody's gazes went over to Matt on that one. Some even had their mouths wide open and were unable to contain their surprise. Matt on the other hand glared at Zee. "You are so dead when we get home."
"Hyung… ah.. hehe… Please don't kill me." Zee joked.
Matt smiled at him and shook his head. Dahyun was still pretty much unconvinced their explaination. So I decided to tell her the truth. "Dahyun-ie… I don't know what you have against JayB-ya. But you should know something about him."
Everyone turned their attention to me as I said that. Dahyun gave me a confused look. "Oh? And what's that?"
Before I was able to speak, Matt placed his hand on to my chest to stop me. "Are you going do that here? Now?"
"Matt-ya…. They would find out sooner or later. It's better that they would hear it from us." I explained.
The rest of the members of Twice looked at us in confusion. Jiwoo, Zhang, Jeong Do, Dominic and Yo Chul held their partners hands and showed them that they were here for them.
Jihyo then narrowed her eyes. "This isn't JUST about JayB-oppa, isn't it? It's also about us."
Yo Chul sighed. "Whatever you're going to hear,. know that it was hidden because of a contract. So we had no say in it."
"What are they talking about, Shen-ah?" Chaeyoung asked.
"Just hear Seiji-hyung out, Chaeyoung-ah." Zhang gave her a sad smile as she nodded in response.
Seeing that they had calmed themselves down, I took a deep breath. "Twice… was supposed to be a 7-member group."
They didn't respond and were just waiting for me to continue. "As you probably know by now, JayB is one of the largest investors in our company. He used his influence to threaten JYP PD-nim to debut you guys as 9 instead of 7."
"So… some of us weren't meant to be a member of Twice?" Mina asked in a shaky voice.
"That's right." Dominic answered as he rubbed Mina's back.
"So why did JayB-oppa fight for the two members? Did he… want something… from them?" Momo asked which made the rest of her members flinch and snap their gazes towards me.
"Of course not. You know JayB-ya pretty well." I answered them.
"At this point… I actually think I don't know him pretty well." Sana muttered.
Matt then interjected. "He has been constantly monitoring all trainees from ALL entertainment companies. You guys know that JayB-ya has an amazing ability to forecast. His foresight goes beyond the person's abilities. He must have known that you guys would do well."
"What makes you so sure?" Nayeon asked.
"Because I heard him argue with PD-nim when he was about to announce the results in SIXTEEN." Zee said in a serious tone.
He then turned to everyone. "He fought for you… each one of you… not because he wanted something in return, but because he must have seen something in all of you like he did with us. Besides, if he DID want something from you guys, wouldn't he have asked for it by now instead of keeping it a secret?"
They were all silent trying to ponder on that question. After what seemed like a long pause, Dahyun sighed heavily. "So who were the two members who weren't supposed to make the cut?"
Matt's tried to stop her. "I don't think-"
"Who?" She asked again in a colder tone.
Matt turned to me as I gave him a nod. He sighed. "You and Momo-ya."
All the girls snapped their heads towards both of the members that were mentioned. Tears started falling out of Momo's eyes. Dahyun slowly looked down as she balled her fist. The rest of the members stood up one by one as they tried to comfort the two girls.
"Shh… it's alright Momo-ring…" Jihyo comforted her.
"That's right Momo-ya. You don't have to be sad about it. You're part of Twice now and no one can take that away from you." Jeongyeon added.
Momo wiped her tears and smiled at them. "I'm not crying because of that."
Dahyun looked at her in confusion. "Then why are you crying then?"
Momo held Dahyun's hand. "Don't you think that… JayB-oppa has been fighting his battles alone without people recognizing him or thanking him properly? It's not just us that he fought for. You heard the stories from other groups as to how JayB-oppa helped them unconditionally. It must have been a lonely battle."
When I heard that, I felt my heart stop and suddenly, pain came rushing in. The realization just washed over me. We relied on JayB a lot of times these past few years. We kept on telling him that we had his back, but we never actually did. I, for one, complained a lot. Yet… he still fought the battle for us.
The memories of watching him collapse from exhaustion in the dorm, to all those times that he would work 'til morning to record for us. We would go home as soon as we finished our parts but JayB-ya was there to work. Even in most of our decisions, we never considered how he felt. Even when he was heartbroken, we let him be.
I'm guessing that the rest of our members and even Twice realized that as they all grew silent to ponder on what Momo said. They might call her the dumbest member, but it's times like these that she shines the most.
"I need to get some air. I'll be at the veranda. Call me when the food's here." Dahyun said as the rest of the girls nodded in agreement.
"Ah… this was supposed to be a fun night." Yo Chul said as he started preparing the grill.
Jihyo then placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not too late yet."
The rest of the girls smiled as they filled their cups with their drinks. Sana then raised her glass. "To Kim Jinbo… the most selfless friend we ever had."
Seeing her with a smile on her face, we were pumped up for some reason. We also raised our drinks. "To Kim Jinbo! Cheers!"
_________
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked JayB probably for hundredth time since we got on the plane.
Ever since that night at Yo Chul's barbecue restaurant, we decided to be more supportive towards JayB and his decisions. In fact, we wanted him to go on a vacation after our performance in the Grammy's. We talked to JYP PD-nim about it and was sad that he realized it too soon. He had been overworking JayB for years now. He even said that he forgot that he's not just a prodigy and an artist but also his nephew. So he told us that we might have a longer vacation this time. He also went over to talk to JayB about some things regarding the group.
Now, we were on a plane to LA. The Grammy's were held there this time. We've been travelling a lot lately and it was taking a toll on our members and staff. I just hope that they can still last even after the event. Especially JayB. He became thinner since I last saw him. The dark circles on his eyes were evident especially since he's not wearing any make-up on.
He sighed. "For the last time, hyung. I am fine. Why don't you get some sleep? We're almost there already and we'll be very busy."
I was still pretty much worried about him. "JayB-ya… you look like crap. Why in the world would I not be worried?"
He put his eye blinders on. "That's why I'm trying to catch up on some sleep. You should too. Don't let me hear you complain once we get started on rehearsals."
It made me chuckle. "Fine. Sleep tight."
"Don't let the jetlag bite." He continued before shifting his head over to the other side.
Just when I was about to sleep, I felt a pat on my shoulder. "Is he okay?"
"Well he says he is. We just have to trust him, Matt-ah." I whispered back to him.
He sighed. "Just keep an eye on him. Something doesn't feel right."
For some reason, Matt has been very concerned about JayB. I don't know what he sees but he's usually right in terms of our member's well-being. He's the first one to notice if something was up. He isn't the mother of the group for nothing. Very overprotective and caring. I just gave him a nod before trying my best to drift off to dreamland. Once we get off this plane, we would be bombarded with schedules from TV show appearances to our performance in Grammy's.
We soon landed in LAX. We went through the usual security measures. This time the security officers and the head of security was very friendly towards us. It wasn't because we were guests in the Grammy's but because they already knew who we were. After our regular checks, we were shocked when more security personnel came to guard us up. It tripled the size since the last time we were here.
"I hate to ask this but uh… why are there so many guards this time?" I asked.
"Yeah. Are we going to war or something?" Zee joked.
When the head of security heard Zee, he laughed which made the other guards laugh as well. He then patted my back. "You'll see once we're near the exit. Now for the last time, are you guys sure that you won't use the VIP exit?"
"Yes. We're sure. Thank you, Levi." JayB thanked the head officer as he strapped his backpack on.
Levi smiled and nodded. "Well, it's your funeral."
"I'm sorry… what now?" Dominic asked.
Levi, the head of security ignored him and started commanding his team. "Huddle up. Get ready to block the fans. Air tight formations. NO ONE GETS THROUGH!"
"I hate to be the party pooper. But are we going to die?" Zee whispered to me.
"Let them do their job, Zee. I think they have a reason for this." Matt confirmed.
As soon as we reached the exit, my eyes widened in shock. OH MY GOODNESS.
There was a crowd that greeted us the moment we stepped out of the arrival gates. Not a group. A massive crowd. When I say massive. I mean ENORMOUS. Immediately, I could feel the layers of guards bumping into me as they tried to protect us. Who in the world leaked our arrival time? We didn't even post anything on our social media.
"Seiji-oppa! Please have my baby!" I heard one fan say which made me chuckle.
We waved at them while swiftly and hastily moving our way to our bus. It took us a few good minutes to arrive there. Some of us were almost knocked down a couple of times because of this. I wasn't surprised though. It's almost always like this. Especially in major cities in America.
The moment we went inside the bus, I immediately collapsed on my bunk bed. "Well… that was heart-warming."
"Speak for yourself. I thought we were going to die." Zhang complained. It was the first time I heard someone else in the team other than me complain about the fans.
Jeong Do plopped onto the bed next to me. "It's still 4AM and I can't believe that there were THAT many people in the airport to greet us."
"You call that a greeting? For a lawyer, you surprisingly have a poor choice of words." Dominic cringed at Jeong Do's words.
"Shut up." Jeong Do retorted.
Our manager soon entered our sleeping quarters. "Alright. Settle down. I'm going to be announcing your schedule for today. You still have some time to catch some sleep. Rehearsals start at 7AM and will end at 10:30AM so we can still have time for your hair and make-up. The next schedule is the taping for the Late Late show with James Corden by 12NN since we can't make it tonight because of the Grammy's. We have to eat our lunch on the way there. Give your suggestions to Ming Do-ya for what you want to eat later during lunch. She'll get it for you while rehearsals are going on. The red carpet would start at 6PM so you guys still have time to relax or go through some things for the event later on. Any questions?"
Jiwoo raised his hands. "How much time do we have for our break later?"
Our manager then smiled. "45 minutes if you finish filming early."
"That's not much of a break." I complained.
He smiled. "I know. Still, for you guys, a break is a break."
"Why would the taping take so long?" Zee asked.
"It's because you'll start off with the interview first on the set before changing to casual clothes and doing the carpool Karaoke." Our manager replied.
"Now that's something to look forward to." Yo Chul said.
The manager then smiled. "If there are no more questions, I'll switch off the lights so you guys can rest. Hand me your phones and other gadgets so you can focus on sleeping. I'll be waking you up at 6:45 so you can still freshen up. The bus will be parked near the Grammy's venue so you don't need to worry about getting to the venue."
After the short huddle, we tried our best to catch up on some sleep.
_________
"If it wasn't for the fact that we're performing at the Grammy's tonight, I would have pretended to be sick." I complained as I plopped down on the sofa inside the bus.
We had a pretty long day with rehearsals and being on the Late Late Show with James Corden. Zee was even featured in his Drop The Mic segment. I can't wait to watch Zee school Zac Efron on TV. It was totally a blast. The sad part is that as soon as we hit the bus, the exhaustion kicked in. I barely had enough sleep on the plane. I couldn't even sleep a wink as soon as we arrived. Then the sudden bombardment of the schedule came crashing in.
"Didn't I say that I didn't want to hear you complain, hyung?" JayB said as he chuckled while taking off his shirt.
"I'm sorry, JayB-ya. It's just too tiring. Anyways, wake me up when you're done. I need to take a shower before having my hair and make-up done." I told him as I put on my eye blinders.
"Oh Seiji-hyung, is it okay if I'd go next after JayB-hyung? They told me that my hair for today was going to take some time." That voice sounded like Zee. I couldn't see him since I was already trying to head off to dreamland with my eye blinders on.
I smiled while giving him a lazy thumbs up. "Sure. Be my guest. At least I have more time to sleep. Just don't forget to wake me up when you're done."
"Sweet! Okay. Thanks, hyung!" He happily replied.
Minutes passed and I drifted off to dreamland. The next thing I knew, I was being awoken by Zee's constant shaking. I knew that my time to rest was up. At least I had the time to do so. I took off my blinders and went to our shower room to freshen up.
When I got out, I started putting on the suit that our stylists prepared for our red carpet walk. We were all wearing a black and grey suit with purple accents. Except for JayB, Zhang and Jiwoo since they were all visuals. Zhang had a purple suit. Jiwoo had his hair died purple while wearing a purple long sleeves inside a white suit. JayB on the other hand wore a violet trench coat on top of his black suit. They look sleek. After putting on some perfume, I went to the trailer beside the bus to have my hair and make-up done.
"Hey guys, are you ready?" Our manager asked as soon as he entered our trailer. The people who were warming up their vocals stopped and listened to what he had to say. Zee, JayB and I who were still having our make-up and hair done, just lent our ears to him.
"You guys look good. Now, let me just run through what's going to happen later on." He said.
We listened to him closely as he begins to tell us the program flow. "So this will be your red carpet clothes. As soon as you're done with your red carpet walk and short interviews, I'll lead you to your dressing room. You'll be changing to your performance clothes before heading back to the dressing room for a quick retouch and some change of clothes before heading to your seats with the other celebrities. Any questions so far?"
Zhang raised his hand. "Do we have to go back? I mean we're not even receiving any awards tonight."
Our manager smirked. "Well, this night isn't just about the awards, Zhang-ssi. This is also a chance for you to build connections with other artists across the globe. You aren't the only foreign artist that was invited to come. Besides, you MIGHT just win an award."
The moment he said that, we snapped our heads towards him. JayB also became curious as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Our manager chuckled. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but since you've asked, there's no point in hiding it now."
Jeong Do then stood up from the sofa. "Are you saying what I think your saying?"
He nodded his head. "You've been nominated in two categories."
We all cheered and hugged each other out of joy as soon as he announced it. Us? Nominated for the awards? I didn't see us going through that! Well, at least not this year.
"Are you guys pumped up now?" He smiled.
Jiwoo hugged him. "Pumped? More like ecstatic! Is that the reason why you banned us from checking out the Grammy's page?"
He nodded which made Jiwoo hug him more. Dominic then raised his hand. "What categories are we in?"
Our manager cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "You guys have been nominated as 'Best International Artists' and Call Me Baby was nominated for 'International Song Choice Award'."
JayB nodded. "I like the sound of that."
"I can't believe you hid this from us!" I exclaimed in disbelief but I still wasn't able to hide my smile.
After our manager chuckled, he clapped his hands to get our attention since we were already getting rowdy from excitement. "Alright, let's continue. Growl, Wolf, and then Call Me Baby. Each unit will dance to the chorus of each songs. After that, the performance unit will each do a 64-count dance solo. Are you three ready?"
Matt, JayB and Jiwoo nodded in agreement. The smile on their faces were evident with how excited they were. I myself were looking forward with how we'll do. After getting their confirmation, the manager then continued to give instructions. "Adore U will be our finale song for tonight. Again, it's going to be a tiring set. Your overall performance would run at about 10 minutes and almost at 11 minutes. That's including the transitions. So you have to know when to relax a bit and catch your breath."
"No worries, hyung-nim. We did well during the rehearsals. I'm sure we'll do well today." I told him.
JayB then smiled at me. "We just had a loaded schedule today, hyung. We might run out of stamina before we know it."
I chuckled. "What are the oxygen masks for then?"
They all laughed at my joke but I knew that if we arrive at that point where we had to use our oxygen mask, then it would make us feel exhausted to move afterwards. I just hope that we'll do well tonight.
"Good. If there's nothing else. Let's huddle up." He said.
JayB then stood up from his seat. "Let's get it."
__________
"Smile for the camera, Seiji!" The man manning the camera crew from Forbes magazine said.
I smiled at the camera while giving them a pose. We just ended our red carpet walk and were heading to the spot where they would be interviewing us. JayB was in charge with all the talking today since Dominic was having a little bit of a cough. So he was saving his voice for later. It's quite ironic for the doctor to be sick at one of the most important moments ever.
"Dominic, are you good?" I asked in English since we promised that we'd be speaking in English the moment we came to the event.
He gave me a thumbs up. "I already took the pill that you gave me. So I'm feeling much better than I did earlier."
I patted his back. "Next time, just tell me if something's wrong. We can't have you passing out on stage because of it."
He smiled wryly. "We can't have that now, can we? My reputation not just as an idol, but as a doctor would be at stake."
I laughed at what he said. "Exactly, now come on. Let's smile as JayB answers the questions."
"Hey, I heard that. You're better now, right Dom? You should handle some of the answers." JayB said in a chirpy voice.
Dominic nodded and gave him a fist bump. "Got it."
All the interviews went by like breeze. We didn't encounter any hiccups along the way too. We were down to our last interviewer and was answering the last few questions that she had. Our manager on the other hand was signaling us to finish it quick so we could head to the dressing room.
"So a few more questions before we end. Will that be okay?" The official interviewer for the Grammy's asked.
"Sure. No problem. Fire away." Dominic answered smoothly.
She chuckled obviously smitten by Dominic's charm. She giggled. "Alright. Do you guys have girlfriends?"
"Well some of us do." Dominic responded confidently.
"May I ask who?" She asked with a smile on her face but it was obvious that she was disappointed with Dom's answer.
Zee noticed that the interviewer was getting all "friendly" with Dom so he butted in. "Just some of us. We can't reveal much. Next question please?"
Although we love bullying each other sometimes, it's times like this that I'm thankful for my members. It's like our protective instincts would suddenly kick in. Zee's move was just an example.
"Okay. Last question, which artist do you want to collaborate with in the future?" She decided to give the last question since our manager was telling her to end it.
JayB turn to look at us as he counted to three. We all answered at the same time. "Bruno Mars!"
"Wow! Have you met Bruno?" She asked.
"Yow! What's good? Why did I hear my name?" A familiar man came over to us as he said that.
We all shook our heads which made her chuckle. "So I'm going to end this interview so you can have time to talk to your favorite artist. Thanks guys!"
As soon as she left, we turn to the man who came to approach us. We introduced ourselves to him which made him laugh. "Wow! Cool, cool, cool. So what did she ask earlier that made you mention my name?"
We all turn to JayB since he was our spokesperson. Also, since everyone was pretty much star struck at the moment. JayB then chuckled. "Mr. Mars…"
"Please, call me Bruno." He interrupted.
JayB smiled. "Well then, Bruno… we we're asked as to which artist we wanted to collaborate in the future and our answer was you."
He placed his hands together. "Wow! Thank you, man. I'm honored. Tell you what? Here's my card. Call me when you guys aren't busy, and let's work on a song together. How's that?"
We were all still trying to process what he said. We couldn't believe that THE Bruno Mars was agreeing on a collaboration. Is this what our manager-nim meant when he mentioned about building connections?
JayB was the first to react. "Wow! I mean… we would love to… we'd be honored to collaborate with you."
"No, man. The honor is mine! Thanks! See you inside." He said as he left to talk to the next person.
After talking to him. We immediately headed to our dressing rooms. Our manager was getting impatient and angry at us because we were losing time since the event was about to start.
But we didn't really pay much attention to him since we were still on cloud nine.
A collaboration with Bruno Mars… how's that?
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"Please help me welcome! The International hit sensation KPOP boy band, Alpha!" Andy Samberg introduced us.
Immediately, I stiffened up.
I got a slap on the back by Yo Chul. "Relax, hyung."
It was painful but helpful. It made me chuckle. The nervousness went away in seconds. Soon, a transition song played as the screen splits in half revealing us, the hip hop unit. Cheers were really loud inside the place. I was surprised because most of the people here were supposed to be artists and celebrities, and not fans. So how come they're cheering for us? Do they really know us?
Zee, Yo Chul and I walked towards the center of the stage before dancing to the chorus of Growl. The audience's cheers were getting louder. After performing our part I walked towards the side of the stage to give way for JayB, Matt and Jiwoo to dance to the chorus of Wolf. When they came on stage, the crowd cheered even louder. I didn't think it was possible. It was so loud that I can feel the ground shaking from all the cheers. It was even going through my in-ear monitor.
After Dominic, Jeong Do and Zhang danced to Call Me Baby, we joined them at the center to prepare for Adore U. The performance team were currently doing their dance solos at the other in the different aisles. Applause rang around the large room as each soloist finished their piece. Now, Adore U started playing over the speakers and as it started I began singing the first part.
[Ayo ayo!
What's up America?! Let me hear you scream!]
The music paused for a while as we tried to absorb the cheers from the crowd. As soon as we were satisfied, I continued singing the intro.
[These days, I have lot of thoughts
These days, I have so much to tell you.]
Jeong Do started singing the verse. Though it was in Korean, most of the people were singing along. It was weird watching some of the celebrities sing along to our songs. Are we really that famous now? Is KPOP popular in America now?
The song soon came to an end with a bang. We paused for a while. Our ragged breath was evident over our IEMs (in-ear monitors). I was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen and exhaustion. Dancing while rapping is something hard on my part. I tried my best to stay conscious after the performance was over.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Give it up for Alpha!" Andy yelled over his mic as he came to give us a high five and some handshakes.
Afterwards he then turn to face one of the cameras. "When we come back, we'll be going through the first batch of awards plus, we have a special performance coming from Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars later on. So don't miss it out. Right here on… the 2015 Grammy Music Awards!"
The show then went into commercial. Andy then introduced himself to us and as he was doing so, a loud applause rang again. We tried to look around to see what was happening, we didn't realize that the applause was for us. It was truly amazing to perform and be applauded as a team. It's much different than discovering something in the lab alone. Being on this team was one of the best decisions I made in my life.
I turn to JayB and was trying to catch his attention to thank him, but as I was doing so, I noticed that although he was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in that smile. Even his eyes were also expressing it. I wasn't the only one who noticed it. The rest of the members were also staring at JayB. I then grabbed Matt's hand. He smiled at me before doing the same with Zee. After getting the idea, the rest of the members followed suit before we raised our hands and giving the audience a deep bow.
We made our way to the back stage and towards our dressing room. Though we were exhausted, the adrenaline was still pumping up inside our bodies. The rest of the members were discussing things about the performance as well. As we were passing through the hall, we were stopped when we heard someone calling our attention. To our surprise, it was someone famous.
"I really loved your performance. You guys were really great!" The tall girl told JayB. A smile plastered on her face.
JayB responded with a smile of his own. "Thank you… ummm… Miss Taylor Swift."
She waved it off while giggling. "Taylor's fine. Say, I heard that there's a massive producer on your team."
JayB chuckled at her inquiry. "That would be me."
"Oh! I still have to head to the stage, so I'll get to the point. I hope you don't mind." She said.
JayB nodded. "Go for it."
"I was wondering if we could have a collaboration. Just you and me. If... your teammates don't mind." She said while shyly looking at the rest of us.
We gave JayB a warm smile. He told us that he wanted all of us to have a solo opportunity in the future. I guess he's going ahead of us. And we actually don't mind. We know that he would still choose Alpha over anything else anyway.
As soon as he saw that we were okay with it he then answered Taylor with a resounding yes. Taylor was overjoyed with JayB's response. Her manager was calling her up on stage, so she hurriedly left JayB with her business card.
"Wa… hyung… THE Taylor Swift… I'm so envious right now." Zee said.
JayB chuckled. "I can still say no, if you guys want."
We all shook our heads. I then patted his back. "Are you kidding me? Just go for it. Okay? Make us proud. But for now, let's head to the dressing rooms. We still need to receive our award, don't we?"
Jiwoo scoffed. "How sure are you that we'll win the award?"
Dominic laughed. "Are you doubting us now?"
"It's not that. I mean we're in uncharted territory here." Jiwoo explained.
Jeong Do shook his head. "Well, you do have a point, but we'll just have to see where this goes. Let's get it!"
Suddenly, we found ourselves doing our chant in the middle of the hallway, It was my turn, so I yelled, "Alpha Team!"
"Move out!"
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"Congratulations! I have never been more proud of you! You are the first one in our company to garner an award abroad! In fact, you are this first idol group that got an award. In the Grammy's in all places!" PD-nim gave each of us a big hug as soon as we entered his office.
"Thank you for all your support and for taking care of us PD-nim." Matt said as he patted his shoulder.
He chuckled. "Nonsense, you did all the hard work. I know you guys have been sleepless and stressed with all the work so the company decided to do reward you guys. Please, sit. We have a lot to discuss."
We all took our places and sat as PD-nim revealed something on the screen. It was BTS and Big Hit entertainment. They have a trailer that showed a vacation-like clip with the idol groups in their company who were having fun. The show was entitled Bon Voyage. The groups looked like they were having so much fun.
"So, as you can see, Big Hit rewarded their groups by giving them a two month vacation. It was not just so they could relax, but was also for the fans to see how their idols are doing. It's also like a retreat for the idols to heal not just physically but mentally. We understand that as artists it can be more straining in the mind than in the body. From now on, we would be doing the same. This coming September of 2016, we'll be sending the all idol groups under JYP Entertainment to a month long vacation in Hawaii." PD-nim announced.
Instead of being happy about it, we sat there silently and were contemplating about the idea.
"Why is it stillw ways away? And why tell us now if it's going to be that far off from the future?" Jeong Do asked.
He sighed. "2PM, GOT7, SISTAR and IU are having their tour in the first half of the year. So it's still not feasible. Plus, we're going to be debuting some idols next year. It'll also allow them to join us. We're telling you this now, so you won't commit to any projects during this time. Will that be okay?"
The rest of us nodded in agreement. Jiwoo smiled. "So what about our incoming albums or songs? What's the plan?"
PD-nim turned to Zhang. "For this coming year, Zhang will take the lead in writing and producing your songs. But I'm only asking one song from you next year."
Matt suddenly stood up. "But why? Wouldn't that put us in a tough spot? I mean, I'm fine with putting Zhang in charge with our music production, no offense JayB-ya..."
"None taken." JayB replied.
"But why just a single? Our popularity is soaring! It would be a bad idea if we pull back now."
PD-nim sighed before putting up something on the screen. They were figures of this year's popularity rating. "You guys are indeed doing great, but you are causing damage not just to the rookies in other companies but also to our rookies as well. Four of our groups in the company struggled a lot this year. DAY6, CLC, Monsta X and Oh My Girl were overshadowed by your brightness. As their seniors, you should understand this."
Matt sighed as he sat down. Zhang nodded in agreement as he said, "Everyone should have a fair shot in terms of Music. It'll also give us a chance to dive into other industries like being an MC, an actor, TV show host, and even TV guesting. This will also help us individually AND collectively."
PD-nim nodded. "My thoughts exactly. That's actually the plan for next year, Zhang-ah. Since we also have a new batch of people to debut next year. Besides, you have a lot of friends who would be debuting in other groups in other companies next year. Am I right?"
Dominic agreed. "Pentagon…"
"Victon…" Jeong Do said.
Matt sighed. "Blackpink."
JayB leaned onto his hand. "I.O.I. and Momoland."
Zee also mentioned some of his friends as he counted on his fingers. "Astro, Cosmic Girls, Gugudan, NCT 127, NCT Dream… wow... there are actually a lot."
"Right. And you guys don't want them to have a rough start in their careers. Am I right? I mean, you guys have been where they are." PD-nim tried to convince us even more.
The room started to relax a little. As soon as PD-nim sensed that we were starting to see the bigger picture, he then stated something that got our attention. "Also, JayB-ya has something to tell you guys."
We all turn our attention to JayB. He gave us a sad smile. We knew what this was about. Matt sighed again. "Is this about the cake?"
He nodded. "That's right. I'm now ready to tell you guys all about it. But you have to be open-minded about it."
We all turned to one another before giving him a nod. For some reason, my heart was beating fast. I was scared and nervous at the same time. And there's a part of me that didn't want to hear him out, but I had to convince myself that I had to. This has been bugging JayB for weeks now. If it would help lighten the weight off his shoulders, then I would gladly do whatever it takes.
He started to take a deep breath before he opened his mouth. After he announced it, my mind went blank for a few seconds.
Jeong Do shakily stood up as he asked, "What? What do you mean?"
"Tell me you're joking." Yo Chul's eyes widened in surprise.
Zee's lips were shaking. "Would you say that again, hyung? I think my ears went deaf fo-"
"Seiji-hyung, I'll leave Alpha in your care when I'm gone." JayB announced.
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AN:
Thank you for tuning in until the final chapter for this volume. I hope to see you guys next week for a new chapter and a new volume.
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