Hi, Author-nim again.
Just to keep you guys slightly more entertained and engaged. I am uploading another teaser from my other side project. Let me know your thoughts below too if you wish.
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*Warning! Mentions of Suicide and other sensitive issues in this chapter, read at your own discretion!*
My name is Kim Soo Yun. I am a 17-year-old Korean rookie Idol. This is my story. Let me tell you from the beginning.
My life started off as any ordinary person's does. I was born in Anyang, South Korea.
From there it gets a little more unique. I have two older brothers. One of them, Hoonjoong, who is six years older than me is currently an Idol from a group called ATEEZ.
I loved music just like him, and my dream was to become an Idol. To do that I decided to study at SOPA. I started early too, attending from the age of 5. My passion was singing, and I was always complimented for my vocals, but always too scared to show them in front of others. I could write music and be slowly learning how to produce music. My oldest brother and I also loved to dance, we would dance every day if possible. I started to attend dance classes too so that I could get better.
Hongjoong was a rapper. I thought it was so cool. I would sit and watch him practise every day before he was scouted. he would show me how to do it too, although I wasn't very good at it. he told me that it helped him to vent, and to tell his story in a way that he liked. He was a caring and wise brother too. I would tell him all my problems, and he would give me the best advice.
But that stopped once he became a trainee. We had to keep the fact that we were siblings a secret so I wouldn't get bothered by Paparazzi. My parents started making us avoid each other so as to not reveal my identity to people. The fans knew of my eldest brother, but we still kept his identity secret. That was until 2021 when his identity ended up being revealed.
However, without Hongjoong's advice and help, my life at SOPA was slowly being destroyed. I developed more antisocial tendencies as I didn't have my brother's help in discussing relationships and advice on my friendships. people started to distance themselves from me. I also started to get bullied. One senior in particular seemed to really hate me. he would throw things at me, beat me up and say horrible things about me, like that I'm fat, ugly and poor. That I had no talent, that my dreams were all useless and my family didn't love me. It was all lies of course, but that didn't stop it from hurting and causing doubt to form in my mind. Then Hongjoong debuted, and we saw each other even less. This caused me to lock myself in my room for long periods of time and even caused my grades to fall at school. I began to be called names like "stupid" and "fool" and my teachers even turned against me. I slowly destroyed my own body too out of grief and anxiety. I became more fat and developed acne and other issues due to stress and anxiety.
I eventually caved under the pressure in 2017. My favourite group of all time SHINee lost one of their members, and my ultimate Bias, Jonghyun. Life just started to turn dark for me. SHINee went on hiatus and stopped releasing music, They entered military service too and the content that kept me going ceased. I fell into depression and attempted suicide multiple times. My parents finally discovered what had been happening and took action.
They sent me overseas to London to study at the Royal College of Music. I spent the next five years there studying. I went to see a psychiatrist and learnt some more languages too. I made a lot of friends and cleaned myself up. I lost weight, went to the gym, made friends and fixed my mental issues including anxiety and low self-esteem. It was a fun time, I improved myself and found a place that accepted me and treated me fine. It was tough in the beginning but my best friend in the world, Cah Sun-Hee, managed to help me. She is a Korean/British girl that is at the college studying classical music. She met me on the first day and helped me as I didn't know much English. Since then I slowly started to learn other languages, but she stuck with me and helped me whenever I had issues, now we are basically sisters.
Cah Sun-Hee
It was a cold December evening when I received a video call from my family. I had just graduated from college and was preparing for the New Year.
"Soo Yun! What happened to your hair? And you lost Weight!" My brother exclaims.
I dyed my hair pink last week and had lost a lot of weight over the last five years. He would know if he tried to talk to me.
"Yah, bum Joong! It's been five years, how could you not know this!" I scold him.
"I'm sorry! I've been busy and mum and dad tell me nothing" He apologises.
"That's fine, it's good to see you"
"Yeah, you too."
"So why are you guys calling me?" I ask.
"We want you to come home," He tells me.
I stare at the screen in shock.
"Yah, Soo Yun!" He yells shocking me out of my stupor.
"Sorry! But why do you want me home?" I ask him.
"Well, you've graduated from college now, at such an early age. Mum and Dad miss you and want to see you, and Hongjoong is coming home for the New year this time, and we want him to see you. He hasn't seen you in six years." he tells me.
That is of course true. He debuted in 2018, one year after I left. But he wasn't able to see me at all in 2017 due to training and preparation for his debut. He had no idea that I had left for London, and when he found out he was annoyed at himself for not being able to see me for so long. My parents also refused to give him my number, scared that it might trigger me to regress, but I felt that I was now ready to face him again.
"I will at least visit for the New Year, but I'm not sure about staying at this point. I really love it over here" I tell him.
"Ok, then how about this. You come and visit us, and we try to convince you to stay, if it doesn't work, you can go back?" He provides me with a compromise which I am happy about.
"Fair enough, that will work," I tell him.
"Yay! Sis is coming home!" He yells.
"What are you yelling about!?!?" Dad screams from another room.
"Dad! Soo Yun is going to visit for the New Year!" He yells back. I hear some scrambling before my father appears on the screen.
"Soo Yun my baby! You look so healthy. What happened to your hair?!?!" he notices. I giggle a little at his affection and surprise.
"Hi dad, yes I'm doing well here. It's nice to see you again" I tell him.
"Is it true that you are coming home to visit?" he asks me, hope in his eyes.
"yes, I will come and visit"
"Hooray, wait until I tell your mother, she is going to be over the moon" He exclaims. I smile widely.
"Just don't tell Hongjoong, I want it to be a surprise for him," I say. My dad's eyes glaze over at his name.
"Don't worry, I won't tell him. It's what he deserves for not even making an effort to visit you after becoming a trainee" He says.
"I wonder if he will recognise me," I think aloud.
My brother smiles and laughs. "Probably not. The last time he saw you, you were 12, chubby and depressed. Now you are 17, tall, happy and beautiful" He states. I blush before thanking him.
"Well, I should go and prepare for my visit then. I will see you guys all soon!" I state before wishing them goodbye and ending the call.
I lay back on my bed and smile. It felt good to talk to my family again. Now I just needed to tell Sun Hee what was going to happen so she didn't worry. My thoughts also traced back to my brother whom I hadn't seen since 2016. I fell into the dark pit back then. One that I had only escaped from a few years ago.