The next day, the five of us Toxins waited in one of the studio rooms for WINNER, BLACKPINK, the songwriters, the producer, and Yong-guk to show up. With what happened to Yong-guk yesterday, a lot of us couldn’t wait to see him. BLACKPINK and WINNER came into the studio together alongside Chan. He had an announcement to make regarding the two songs that still hadn’t been worked on. After greeting each other, and Chan greeting us, we all settled down to listen to what he had to say.
“As you already know,” he started, “you’ve done extraordinarily well with the songs for the album so far. Now two songs remain: the duet, which we all know will be sung by Mino and Zoey.” Christine and I sat next to each other, and we turned to smile at Zoey seated across the room. She noticed, blushed, and looked away. “Now, for the other song, the other songwriters and I already agreed that at least a few members from each group should sing. Who those individuals will be, however, is the confusing part. So I was wondering if you would like to choose amongst yourselves.”
“We choose amongst ourselves?” Jisoo asked, looking a little confused. She wasn’t the only one. We were all confused.
We started looking at each other and discussing who to take up the song. We weren’t even sure what the song was all about. When Zoey asked Chan exactly that, he brushed her off, saying that it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to reveal the surprise just yet. Now that got us curious. What could be so special about the song that he wouldn’t want to tell us what it’s about?
“Come on, we don’t have all day,” said Chan. “And let’s not forget you still have dance practice in the afternoon. So, who are you picking first?”
We all remained silent as we continued to look at each other. Then all of a sudden, Zoey pointed a finger at me.
“Sam should be in it,” she said.
I roll my eyes at her. For some reason, I shouldn’t be surprised. A few days ago, we all thought I might as well be involved in the song.
“Wise choice,” said Chan. “I was going to be disappointed if Sam wasn’t in it and chose whoever I felt wasn’t appropriate.” Everyone in the room grew tense after Chan said those words. Did he really have to say that out loud? Damn. “Please come stand next to me, Sam.”
I stood up from my seat and made my way over to stand next to Chan. I won’t lie, this felt awkward.
“Who’s next?” Chan asked.
“Mike,” Daniel blurted out. Mike, who was sitting next to him, raised an eyebrow.
“Mike, please do likewise,” said Chan. Mike couldn’t argue there, as he stood and came to join me next to Chan.
“For the next person, I suggest Lisa,” said Jennie.
“Really?” Lisa asked, looking surprised.
“Good, a little balance from the groups is just what I wanted,” said Chan. “Next?”
“Seunghoon,” said Mino, pointing at the top of Seunghoon’s head, who sat next to him.
“Me?” Seunghoon looked at Mino next to him. “I was just about to suggest that you join the group.”
“I like that choice, Mino,” said Chan. “Seunghoon, get over here.”
“Yes, sir,” Seunghoon obeyed, quickly getting up and standing next to Lisa. He and I shared a look, and he winked. For some reason, I felt glad he joined the team.
“Okay, I need one more,” said Chan.
This is going to be tough. Only one more? I looked at the people seated in front of me and started to wonder who was to join us. There was silence for a while as those still seated looked at each other. It was only when Christine did her “oo-oo” and pointed at someone.
“Jinwoo should join,” said Christine.
All of us, for a second, were surprised. For some reason, I never really gave Jinwoo much thought. It wasn’t only after we started picking people and Chan approved that I was expecting maybe he was trying to bring more of a pop hip-hop crew on board. I turn to look at Jinwoo, and he seems more surprised than the rest of us.
I turned to look at Chan, and I couldn’t tell whether he liked the idea. It was hard to tell with that stoic face of his. I turn back to look at Jinwoo, and just like me, he had been looking for some sort of validation from Chan, who didn’t seem to be giving any of it at the moment.
“Jinwoo, please stand and join the team,” said Chan.
That was such a relief. For a second there, I thought Chan would refuse. Jinwoo slowly stood up from his seat and came to join us. Mike and I gave him a thumbs-up as he came to stand next to us. The look on his face could show that he was mightily relieved.
“Now that the group has been set, we can go into the other studio room to work on the song,” said Chan, turning to us before he addressed the others. “Zoey and Mino will remain in here. The rest of you can stick around in any room to watch either of the two groups record. You won’t have dance practice till the afternoon, so I wouldn’t like to keep you bored.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Seungyoon. Everyone else agreed.
“Okay, let’s get to work.”
Those of us chosen to go and record in the other room followed Chan as he led the way. I could see Jennie and Jisoo following us as well. It seems the rest wanted to watch Mino and Zoey’s duet happen.
Chan led us to another studio room a few doors away from the studio room we were in. As the five of us walked down the hall, Jinwoo, who walked beside me, had been biting his lower lip for some time now. I nudged him with my elbow, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“Hey. Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered. “I just didn’t expect to be chosen.”
“Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect it either. But Chan didn’t object, so it must be that he thought of you from the very beginning.”
“I did,” Chan answered as he reached the door to the studio room. “In fact, Jinwoo and Sam were my first choices because of your unique vocals.”
“Wow, that’s a relief,” said Jinwoo.
Chan held the door open for us and gestured for all of us to get in. When we entered the studio, we were greeted by the producer we were working with on our album, and Maya happened to be there. The two of them greeted us, and we did the same.
“So, are you guys ready?” Maya asked as she took sheets of paper that had been on the sound system, next to where she sat.
“I’m just anxious to know what the song is about,” said Mike.
“Well, it’s more of a rap-pop kind of song.” Maya gave each of us a single sheet of paper, including Jennie and Jisoo. There seems to be plenty of paper to go around.
I looked down at the lyrics, and I could tell that Chan had written them. They were good. There were many parts where the lyrics rhymed with each sentence so well, including the chorus. I’m guessing Jinwoo and I were going to sing that part. I wondered why Chan didn’t write out who would sing which part. I wanted to ask, but I kept it to myself. I bet he would explain later on what needs to be done.
We went to sit down by the chairs first, and Mike, who sat next to me, couldn’t help but comment on how good the lyrics are. He prayed that he would get to rap the opening verse because it was so cool and catchy. Lisa heard him, and she opposed saying she also wanted to do the verse.
“Really?” Mike asked, looking at her as she sat on my other side. “I called it out first, so dibs. I’ll get to do it.”
“Aw, that’s not fair,” said Lisa, pouting her lower lip. “I really wanted to do it.”
“Well, the person to ask is big brother Chan since he wrote the lyrics,” said Seunghoon.
We all turned to look at him, and he stood there with his arms folded, looking back at us. When I looked at him, I suddenly had a funny feeling that he was going to say something else. Maybe he’ll pick someone else aside from Lisa and Mike to do it. And that left only Seunghoon.
“Neither of you will be doing the first part,” he said. “Sam will do it.”
Everyone was silent, including Maya, who happened to come and stand next to Chan. She had a surprised look on her face.
“What?” all of us uttered in surprise.
“Sam will rap the opening part,” said Chan.
“Wait a minute,” I said, my heart starting to race. “I usually sing. I don’t rap.”
“Well, if many people heard most of the songs in your albums, there are some parts where you don’t appear to be singing but talking.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s different from rap,” I explained.
“You might not know this, Sam, but I think you do know how to rap.” Chan raised his eyebrow at me. “You just don’t want the world to know it.”
I felt all eyes on me. Mike, who happened to sit next to me, gave out a crooked smile. He turned to address Chan and the others.
“He’s not wrong, you know,” he said. “There are times when Sam is listening to rap music, and I get surprised when she raps out parts that are a little too fast for some people to muster. But Sam does it effortlessly.”
“No, I don’t,” I said, my cheeks starting to blush. “It was only that one time when I was cleaning the basement back home.”
“Nah. You’ve done that more times than you’ve realized. There was this one time when we were driving on tour and you sang rap songs with Zoey on the way.”
“I was bored. That doesn’t make me a rapper.”
“I think it’s settled,” said Chan. “Sam will open up the song with that verse. Don’t worry, there are plenty of parts for everyone to rap and to sing. The beat Yong-guk created along with our producer will guide you, but it’s best we listen to it first.”
“Wait, Yong-guk worked on the beat?” Mike asked. He wasn’t the only one who looked surprised.
“Yeah, he did. There was a time we had worked with each other, and we didn’t get to release the song because we couldn’t find the right people for it. Now we do.”
I had no idea Chan and Yong-guk actually knew each other from before. What a funny way for the two of them to be so discreet. Anyway, these were two talented men at their best, working together. I looked down at the piece of paper, reading the first verse. It was a good opening verse, though, and I couldn’t help but imagine what the beat sounded like. Speaking of beats, isn’t Yong-guk supposed to be here by now?
As though the universe had read my thoughts, the door to the studio flew open and Yong-guk stepped in. He wore a simple white shirt and black jean trousers with black leather boots. When he saw us, he smiled and greeted us, and we greeted him back. Mike and I couldn’t help but express how happy we were to see him after what happened yesterday.
“I’m just from the other studio, and Zoey was super happy to see me,” said Yong-guk as he chuckled. “She told me not to tell you that she hugged me, though.”
I shook my head. “Typical,” I said. “It’s good to see you back with us and in one piece.”
“Yeah, and you have a lot of explaining to do,” said Lisa. “How come you and Chan know each other?”
“Oh, uh…” Yong-guk hesitated for a bit. “That’s a story for another day. Right now, we better get to work, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, he’s right,” said Maya. “I better go and check on Zoey and Mino. Is Ken with them?” Maya looked at Yong-guk.
“Yeah, I came with him, and he remained in the other studio.”
“Great. I wish you the best of luck,” said Maya as she looked at us and gave a thumbs-up. “Sam, don’t be nervous. You will do great.”
Maya quickly left the room, and after she left. Yong-guk turned to look at Chan and said, “I’m guessing you already told Sam she’ll be opening the first verse?”
“Yep,” Chan answered as he turned to look at me. “And she doesn’t seem too happy about it.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Yong-guk knew I was going to do the first verse?”
“Yeah. In fact, he was the one who suggested that you should do it.” Chan looked at Yong-guk and smirked. “And he did have a point. You’ll be excellent for the part.”
My mouth couldn’t help but drop as Yong-guk stared at me, smiling nervously. So, he was the one who brought up the idea of me rapping the first verse. Oh my goodness! This song just keeps on giving.
“I know you think I should be the one to rap this part,” I started to say, “but won’t that catch people off? I mean, everyone will be expecting to hear my vocals, not my rap.”
“That’s the thing. We would like to catch people off guard,” said Yong-guk. “At first, they would think that it’s someone they haven’t heard before until they realize it’s you. Those who know your voice and listen to some of the other songs where you rap a little will realize it’s you from the get-go.”
I felt like covering my head in embarrassment. “I don’t think I sound good when I rap. Like I said, I only rap for fun.”
“You sound good to me,” said Mike. “I always wanted to ask if you would ever consider it. I just never got the chance.”
“Besides, won’t it be good to do something fun for a change?” Lisa asked.
“Wow, Sam rapping the first verse,” said Jinwoo. “Everyone will love it.”
“I can’t wait to hear you rap,” said Seunghoon. He gave a big, bright smile. “Don’t worry. If you feel nervous, we’ll help you out.”
“She’s a pro,” said Chan. “She knows exactly what to do. We can get started. Everyone gather around at the console. We will play the beat, and Yong-guk will guide you.”
“But I didn’t agree to rapping the first part,” I said quickly before Chan had the chance to turn around.
“Well, everyone is for the idea,” said Chan as he looked at me.
“But not me. Do you seriously think I can pull this off at the get-go?”
“Yes,” everyone answered, including the producer seated at the console.
“You heard them,” said Chan. “We aren’t going to start working on this if you refuse. If you want, we can simply tell the managers, and we can cancel the song out of the album.”
I raise an eyebrow. He’s really going down this road, huh? He might not be bluffing with his threat, but one thing was for sure: we can’t delay working on the song any longer. The sooner we deal with it, the faster we get this album done.
“Fine,” I said as I stood. “Let’s get this over with.”
“This is going to be exciting,” said Jisoo. She remained seated with Jennie as the rest of us stood up and made our way to the console.
Chan and Yong-guk sat alongside the producer. First, we played the beat of the song, and no one could deny that we liked it. Afterwards, Yong-guk divided the lyrics, which person sang which part. Jinwoo and I were to lead on the chorus with our vocals while the rest had parts to rap, though there were a few lines that required all of us to sing.
After going through the beat once more and going through our lines in a few rounds, it was time to record. I felt myself shaking a little, and my hands started to shake a little. What if I mess up on the first try? With the rounds that we did, no one said anything. In fact, I got surprised looks and praises with the way I rapped. I don’t know how it’s going to sound following the beat.
Before entering the recording booth, Yong-guk held me back for a minute.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m just a little nervous,” I answered. “But I’ll be fine.”
“I know I’ve put you in some sort of pickle, but I would really like to make it up to you, if you don’t mind.”
That caught me by surprise. My eyes widened. What should I say next? “Uh, yeah,” I hesitated. “Don’t take it personally, Yong-guk. I understand why you thought that way. Though I still feel I’m not a good rapper.”
“That’s why I want to make it up to you. You better go in there.” Yong-guk turned around to see Chan standing next to the producer. “We’ll talk after this is over.”
“Sure.” I turned around and entered the booth, feeling my cheeks starting to blush. Is Yong-guk asking me out? Well, there are a number of ways to make up to someone. It’s too early to get ahead of myself and assume things. I’ll know after I finish recording this song.
I settled beside Lisa, wearing the headphones that hang on the music stand. Once all of us were settled and the producer gave us the signal, the beat started to play. I only had a few seconds until I started to rap out my part. Looking down at the lyrics on the music stand, I started to rap on cue. This is a new experience for me, and before this, I just told myself to rap as if I do whenever I listen to a rap song, even if it’s just for fun. After I finished my part, Seunghoon followed soon afterwards. We went on recording, and we did it all just in one take.
As soon as we were done, the producer told us to take a break. When we got out of the recording booth, we found Jennie and Jisoo also standing close to the console, waiting for us.
“Sam, you were amazing,” said Jisoo. “Who would’ve thought you were that good?”
I gave out an embarrassing laugh. “Well, I did say I only love to rap for fun,” I said.
“Zoey is going to be in shock to hear it,” said Seunghoon.
“From now onwards, you’ll be rapping in our future songs,” said Mike.
“No, thanks,” I said. “Maybe once in a while. I’ll stick to singing and doing the vocals.”
“Speaking of vocals,” says Chan, “Sam and Jinwoo, you still have a lot of work to do. You did pretty well out there, Sam.”
“Thank you,” I said shyly. I turned to look at the producer and Yong-guk. They both gave me a thumbs-up.
Jinwoo and I went back into the recording booth after having a little break and worked on the vocals on the song, especially on the chorus part. It was close to lunchtime when Lee came by the studio to check on us. Mike told her that I had to rap in our new song. Lee couldn’t believe it. Mike had told her when Jinwoo and I were walking out of the recording booth.
“For real?” Lee asked as she turned to look at me. “I knew you had it in you.”
“Apparently, Yong-guk and Chan also saw it and thought it would be nice for me to rap,” I said, giving Yong-guk and Chan a grim look.
“Well, I simply can’t wait to hear it. I hear Zoey and Mino’s duet was just as great. After lunch, you know you have choreography with Taeyang.”
“Okay, that means we continue from where we left off tomorrow,” said Chan. “There is little to do. We will be done before you even know it. Yong-guk and I, with the producer, will see if we can polish up the beat on some parts.”
“I can’t wait to hear it,” said Jennie as she stood up from where she sat. “This song is going to be awesome.”
“Wait until you hear what Christine has to say about the duet. Come on, we have a long day ahead.”
We left the studio, leaving the producer, Chan, and Yong-guk. I wanted to have a quick word with Yong-guk over what he proposed earlier, but it seems he’ll have to catch me after practice.
When we walked down the hall towards the elevator, we found Christine, Rose, Zoey, Mino, and Seungyoon down the hall. They stopped when they saw us, and we finally caught up with them.
“Hey, guys,” said Lisa. “How did it go with the duet?”
“It was amazing,” said Rose. “Can’t you see how Zoey is still blushing after singing it?”
“No, I am not,” Zoey defended herself. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Nah, you’re clearly blushing,” said Mike. Zoey turned to give him an angry look. “Don’t look at me. It’s Rose who started it this time around.”
“Aren’t you going to say anything, Mino?” Seungyoon asked as he wiggled his eyebrows at him.
Mino rolled his eyes at him. “Just quit it,” he muttered as he folded his arms.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the annoyed look on Mino’s face. “We will still get to hear the song anyway,” I said.
“You should hear our song, though,” said Seunghoon. “Sam actually had to rap the first verse.”
“What?” Christine, along with the others who hadn’t been in the studio room I was recording in, couldn’t believe their ears.
“Yeah, she was actually really good,” said Jisoo.
“You can rap, Sam?” Mino asked as he looked at me with a surprised look on his face.
“Yeah, I can,” I nervously answered. “A little.” I couldn’t help but add that last bit.
“Nonsense,” said Zoey, rolling her eyes at me. “You’ve always known how to rap; you just never wanted to take the part because you have always been the one writing our songs. Let’s not forget those rap sessions in the bathroom we used to do.”
The WINNER members couldn’t help but laugh. I turn to Zoey, telling her with my look that she shouldn’t have said that in front of everyone. She shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at me.
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear it,” said Christine. “You shouldn’t be such a big baby about it, Sam. We all know how good you are.”
“Whatever,” I said, wanting to end the conversation quickly. “I’m so hungry right now.”
“Great,” said Lee as she made her way in front of us. “Shall we go? You do need to rest up a bit before your choreography session with Taeyang. Moreover, he told me to warn you that he’s going to be thorough. So you better get ready.”
Zoey scoffed. “Please,” she said with a smirk on her face. All of us started to follow Lee to the elevator. “We already had rigorous sessions with him. What could be worse about today?”
Today was simply much worse than we had all anticipated. It’s times like these that I wish Zoey hadn’t said anything earlier. Her taunting might as well have jinxed us in the process. As we all sat down on the dance floor, all sweaty and panting for air, I turned to look at Zoey next to me, who lay down with her back flat on the floor. She looked dead with exhaustion.
“Remind me to close your mouth whenever we’re going to say something that will backfire on us,” I said.
“It’s not my fault that the world had a way of jinxing me,” Zoey said through heavy breaths.
“Okay, everyone,” came Taeyang as he appeared before us. “Break time is over.”
All of us on the floor groaned in agony and frustration. Taeyang has had us doing the choreography for the fourth time now, and he only gave us ten-minute breaks. He really wanted our dance to be perfect, but doing it four times already is just too much.
“Is it just me, or did you take a full case of Red Bull?” Zoey asked as she turned around on the floor and now slept on her belly to look up at Taeyang. “How are you not tired?”
“Oh, I am,” said Taeyang. “You’re forgetting that I’m not doing most of the dancing.”
Zoey moaned as she slowly put her face on the floor. “This is just torture,” she muttered.
“Come on,” said Lisa as she stood up. “We need to perfect the dance. Let’s not forget that we don’t have enough time on our hands.”
Mino muttered lazily. “I hate to admit it, but she’s right,” he said as he slowly stood.
Slowly and one by one, we all started to get up from the floor. Zoey was last, of course, after some gentle persuasion from Taeyang and me. We took position, and Taeyang played the song on cue. It was close to 4 PM when Taeyang announced that we were done for the day. We pretty much had done seven rounds of practice. Our last two rounds were good; we were almost close to perfect, Taeyang had commented. Tomorrow, we were to perform in front of our managers.
Zoey was mightily relieved as she felt she had gone through an intense body torture session. I also felt it. The news media weren’t joking when they said most K-pop artists had to go through rigorous training. This might be why most artists are so good, and yet some tend to drop out or go on a long hiatus just to take some time off.
After hitting the showers and dressing up in comfortable clothes, I was waiting for the others in the dressing room when I received a text from Yong-guk. When I read his message, he asked to meet him downstairs. I told him I would be right there. The BLACKPINK members, Zoey and Christine, were still in the showers, so I could give them a shout-out that I would be downstairs if they needed me.
When I took up my training bag, Jisoo came out from the shower room in a white towel.
“Oh, Jisoo,” I said to her as I made my way to the door. “Please tell the others that I’ll be waiting downstairs. There’s something I need to do.”
“No problem,” she said as she went for her locker.
I left the dressing room and made my way to the elevator. I got on and pressed the button to the ground floor. When I walked out, I found Yong-guk seated in the waiting area and looking through a magazine. I approached him, and he looked up when he heard me coming. A smile came across his face.
“Hey,” I said. I had no idea what to say next.
“Hey,” he answered back. “How was practice?”
“Brutal. I’m surprised I’m still standing.”
“So I heard. Knowing Zoey, she probably complained a lot.”
“Yeah, she did. I need to let Lee know that we better have a load of ice when we get to the hotel.”
I came to sit down next to him on the couch, placing my training bag on the floor. When I looked at him, I didn’t know what to say next. This is just super weird.
“So, uh… about my offer,” said Yong-guk as he turned to face me. “I was thinking of making it up to you by taking you out for dinner.”
I suddenly blushed at what he said. He wants to go out to dinner with me?
“Uh… that will be nice,” I said. “Yeah, I can work with that.”
Yong-guk couldn’t help but smile. “You seem a little nervous,” he said. “Is it a bad idea? We can always go someplace else.”
“Oh, no.” I quickly waved my hands. “It’s not it. A dinner will be nice, honestly. It’s just that it’s been a while since I went out for dinner with someone. And doing it here is a little weird, that’s all.”
“I see.” Yong-guk raised his eyebrow. “I’m surprised no one here has had the guts to ask you out for dinner since you came here. You do have a lot of admirers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not as much as Zoey, though.”
“Nah. You have a lot more admirers than you think. Some make it obvious, like Seunghoon.”
I laughed. “I admit, Seunghoon annoys me and cranks me up at the same time. I can’t lie, he’s fun to be around. There’s also no denying that he likes me a lot.”
“Yeah. So, about our dinner... should I come pick you up at 8 PM?”
“That would be great, yes. I just hope Collins won’t make a big deal out of it.”
“We’re just going to have dinner as friends. I know the media will obviously talk, but who cares, right?”
I laughed. “Yeah. Who cares?”
The sound of the elevator reaching the ground floor caught my attention as the doors flew open. The BLACKPINK members, Zoey and Christine, walked out. They were laughing and giggling. At first, they didn’t seem to notice Yong-guk and me. When Rose did, she whispered to the others, and they all turned their eyes on me. It didn’t take them a minute for them to start giggling silently and whispering. Typical.
“Guess I’ll be the talk of the town for a while,” I said as I turned to Yong-guk, who also watched them.
“Let them gossip,” he said. Then he turned to look at me with a smirk on his face. “I don’t mind.”
When I looked up at the girls, a sudden thought soon came to mind. I smiled and turned to Yong-guk, who had been watching me. He had an eyebrow raised.
“Now what are you smiling about?” he asked.
“Do you want me to make this dinner more interesting?” I asked.
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