Rise of a Star - a Minsung Story

Chapter 19

"Felix, Minho, you've got to get ready for filming. Dress appropriately", the dance teacher said, as the trainees were about to leave to have lunch break. Both boys looked at each other in confusion, and Minho eventually spoke up. "What are we filming for? Did I miss something?", he asked, making their teacher chuckle. "I'm not supposed to tell you that, but it will be quite life changing, I think. So, get ready, you have twenty minutes until I expect you to be back here", he said and was about to turn around. "Well, what about lunch?", Felix asked, he hadn't eaten very well these past couple of weeks, and lunch was usually his only meal of the day. "I'm sorry, but you have to skip lunch today. It's better if you don't look bloated on camera anyway", the man said and finally left. Minho and Felix turned to each other and started smiling. Whatever it was that was about to happen, they were somehow expecting it to be good.

Exactly twenty minutes later, both boys walked into their practice studio, only to find a whole filming team with equipment set up and the CEO of the company standing next to their dance teacher. The boys shared a look and walked over to the men. "Good afternoon, Minho, Felix. I believe we haven't met in a while. How have you been?", Mr. Park asked, and Minho wanted to punch that grin out of his face. Oh, how much he despised this man. But he knew he had to stay calm and composed, "According to the circumstances, I have been feeling okay". "That is good to hear. How about you, Felix?", Mr. Park chose to purposely ignore the sarcasm in Minho's voice. "Quite miserable, to be honest. But I have to admit that it's fun to have normal training again", Felix didn't even try to hide how bad he had been feeling, because why should he? His life had been a mess ever since he got eliminated and only Changbin's daily number of reassuring words  kept him going. "Why? Was training with Stray Kids not fun?", the CEO dared to ask, and Minho got even closer to freaking the fuck out. "It was fun, the members were amazing, and it was usually hilarious to hang out with them. They are my best friends and I love them. But I got always picked on by our vocal teacher because for some reason he though that my Korean is actually as bad as I had to make it seem for the survival program, and he is not a fan of my voice in general. And the choreographer always put me in the back and I never got to be front row, so he fought with Chan-hyung, because our leader thought it was unfair-", Felix was actually starting to rant, and although Minho could understand his feelings, he had to stop him. "I think that's enough, Felix. And this happened maybe once or twice, so it wasn't bad. It was just a bit upsetting for everyone", Minho lied. It had happened constantly, but this was still the CEO they were talking to. They should really be careful about what they were saying.

"Alright, then. Remember me to have a talk with Stray Kids' teachers then, please. I cannot tolerate such behaviors towards my future idols. By the way, let's talk about why I'm here today. You two know how you've had to sign contracts that included you failing on purpose to get eliminated, right?", Mr. Park started explaining, and Felix and Minho nodded in confusion. What was he trying to say? "Well, I'm sure it was obvious but I'm still going to say it. You were only eliminated to make the show more interesting and exciting, got it? If I had planned to eliminate you from training or if I wouldn't want you to debut with Stray Kids, then I wouldn't have posted 'Hellevator' with you two being a part of it", the boys couldn't believe their ears. Did this mean- did he actually want them back in the group? "You have probably guessed it by now, but yes, you will return to Stray Kids and make them eight members again. There will be a final decision in two weeks on a public mnet stage where Stray Kids with eight members and the other members without you have to perform a couple of songs, and I will make a final decision whether you are allowed to debut or not. With what I said before, you can be sure that I have already made up my mind about it months ago, but this is not a promise. If you mess up too much, I might change my opinion. For now, we have to film me telling you about this and later you are meeting the other members. So, don't tell them. We need to get their honest reactions", when the CEO finally stopped talking, Felix jumped into Minho's arms with a loud squeal. "Oh my god, I can't believe it!", he screamed, tears glistening in his eyes. Minho was just as happy and overwhelmed by the news as his younger friend. He would debut, he would actually debut! With all of his friends! "God, I'm so happy. Thank you so much, Mr. Park!", Minho said, still carrying Felix. The CEO smiled softly, before he turned back into professional mode, and everyone had to get ready for filming.