NOT EDITED, THE EDITED ONES WILL BE UPLOADED ONCE AN EDITOR WORKS THROUGH THESE.
Upkey Girl 4
< The Girl With A Purple Aura >
The aura of a star I've seen up till now were red, blue, and yellow.
Each correlating to acting, singing, and entertainment areas and what I've verified for the last 10 years without exception. In addition, while the chrome and brightness were different for each person, it was enough to distinguish red as red, and blue as blue. There has never been a color that was ambiguous enough for me to be unable to distinguish.
But purple?
The light coming from the girl was a blueberry color I've never seen before.
My curiosity sparked, so I took in a puff of smoke, extinguished it and headed over to the girl.
A top and bottom set of light pink trainers, black hair braided like a native American girl, a hairband with a knot in the front, and white sneakers and socks.
She was blowing air into her cheeks and let out a long sigh through her nose.
She was peeking around the studio while nibbling at her thumb with a nervous expression.
She appeared to be a late participant.
From the luggage carrier, she was probably just arrived from the countryside.
"Are you here for the audition by any chance?"
I asked her from behind, and she was startled and quickly pulled out her thumb that she was chomping on.
"Huing?"
Huing, what.
Letting out an unidentifiable sound, she stared at me her large eyes emcompassed by blue circle-lenses. (TLN: circle lenses denote color lenses in kr. Apparently, it's a term for a particular style of lens? Not sure.)
If it's a staring match, I'm confident I can win.
I stared back.
Probably not a middle-schooler, is she a high-school student?
Really clean skin.
"Audition?"
Once I pointed toward the studio and asked again, she nodded furiously and flushed red.
"Aaa, yeah. The text told me to come by two thirty, but I don't know Seoul's streets that well…"
"Mmm, what do we do. It's over now."
"Yeah, that's true, that's true…"
It's a shame but sticking to the time is a virtue.
But the purple aura kept tugging at my curiosity.
Her looks were good, and it would be a shame to send her back.
"What was your number?"
"Mmm, just a moment…"
The phone she pulled out of her pocket was an old feature phone I haven't seen in quite some time.
It looked like the one my mother was using 10 years ago. I can probably find it if I rummage through the drawers.
The late participant clicked the buttons to go into her inbox and showed me the text message from Heungul Heungul.
It was a notice meant for smartphones, but since the feature phone couldn't zoom in, fuck, what was the message? I can't see the damn font.
If it was a devoted-child phone, at least the screen would've been larger. (TLN: hyodo 효도폰 phone is a term used for phones made for the elderly, to try and get children to buy their old parents phones.)
"Umm… I can't see because the font is too small…"
"The number was 374."
Kid, couldn't you tell me sooner?
But wait.
I'm pretty sure the last number today was 300?
From 301 to 600 is for tomorrow from what I could remember.
"The time isn't the issue, I think you have the wrong date. 300 and on is tomorrow."
"What? Uhhh…? Just a moment."
She scrummaged through her sports hipsack worn towards the front for a picee of paper.
It was a printed notice… wait, why didn't you look at that in the first place.
She's the type to take the hard route.
"Ah, it's true. I'm on tomorrow!"
"That's good."
"Uh… then it means I have to come back tomorrow?"
"That's probably a good idea?"
"Ah…"
I asked because the luggage carrier was weighing on my heart.
"Where did you come from?"
"From Jeju Special Self-Governing Province SeoGuiPo city, GangJeong town."
Couldn't she just say Jejudo, why tell me the full address… (TLN: do = island)
"Jejudo…"
"Yeah."
"Do you have to go back today?"
"No, it's not like that, but I have some personal matters and I would like to audition today."
It was a short conversation, but the kid brought out my sadness and sympathy.
It's against the rules, but why don't I ask Hyun Dong?
Most of all, I was curious about the purple aura, so I called Hyun Dong and explained the situation. I strongly emphasize she came across the sea, all the way from JejuDo.
Then he was cool with it and told me to bring her down.
"Let's head down."
"Ooo, Really?"
As I pointed toward the entrance leading down, she let go of her luggage carrier handle and gave me a 90 degree belly button bow. (TLN: belly button bow is the bow they teach preschoolers in KR)
"Gamsahapnida!" (Gamsahapnida, is basically thank you, but I wanted to leave it in. It's a very sincere thank you as can be inferred quite obviously)
She continued.
"Gamsahapnida! Thank you so much!"
The orange colored luggage carrier she let go of started to slide down the tilted pavement.
"Ah, carrier, carrier."
"Ah-it, my bag!"
Ah-it my bag what.
Why are you staring at it instead of running and grabbing it?
Why am I the one running after it?
"Utsha!" (TLN: 읏싸utsha is the sound they make when they're lifting something heavy. Prob need to replace?)
I ended up catching the bag as if I were being mind controlled.
She gave a shameless series of claps with a face of honest-to-god admiration.
"You're so fast. I couldn't have caught it myself. Thank you."
I think this kid is a nutjob?
I handed over the handle and headed down the stairs first.
I looked back at the rattling sound of the bag making an impact, ahhh, she was dragging the bag down without a second thought.
She didn't even put the handle back down.
Is this her concept or what? (TLN: they use concept as in a movie concept for people in KR. When they do something out of the ordinary and keep doing it.)
"No no, you should carry that thing down with the handle put back."
"The handle is broken and won't go back in."
"Gimme that."
I walked up and pushed the handle back in by pressing down on the button.
It was a very smooth and silky entrance.
"Huh…it's fixed…?"
"You realize you're supposed to press the button to push it back in?"
"Yeah, I know, but it didn't work when I did it…"
The kid acted like a cave-man meeting a modern civilization and proceeded to repeatedly push and pull out the handle in astonishment.
I was directly level with her face because of the height and stair level difference; she gave me a timid smile. (TLN author wrote 배시시 baesisi **)
It like a five year old girl proudly telling her dad 'Dad, take a look at this' and letting out a pure smile.
Well, can't be mad at her if I tried.
Again, I ended up carrying down the bag myself.
Quite the trainer. (TLN: trainer as in training animals. 조련)
"Thank you…"
"You're on your own if you can't sing after this."
"Yeah, I'm good at singing."
"What did you apply as?"
"Vocals."
I was in doubt but wasn't worried since she'll make it through with just her face as long as she wasn't tone-deaf to the point that she's unrivaled by the heavens.
I took her into the training room where people were gathered.
Upon seeing the judges holding a meeting around the table, she quickly bent over and gave a bow along with an introduction.
"Anyeonhaseyo. I'm called Yu Eun Bit. I'm from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province SeoGuiPo city, GangJeong town, uh… I'm 19 this year, but it's a mistake in the birth registration process, so I'm supposed to be 20, yeah, twenty. And it's a family two people… no three, my grandmother and younger brother. If you just give me a chance, I'm confident I can prove myself. I'll do my best. Yeah."
Silence.
They had no words at the stupefying character's appearance.
Hyun Dong's cheeks and nostrils were flaring like he was suppressing his laugh. He must've realized, because he hid is lower half of his face with his hands.
"Uh… and…"
Did she think she didn't introduce herself properly?
Yu EunBit couldn't look at the judges properly, proceeded rolled her eyes at a 45-degree angle, and squeezed out any introduction she could.
"My hobbies are singing, and my specialty is writing lyrics. The… I can rap a bit, and I've never danced before so I danced for the first time while preparing for the audition. If you teach me, I'll do my best to learn until my joints wear away."
"Hhhhn, what's your application number?" (TLN: the hhhhn is a long questioning sound. doesn't really mean much)
Did she pity the tensed-up kid? Lu Joo ssem in charge of choreography flipped through her stack of applicant profiles and asked softly.
"Uh… what number was it…?"
Ugh, this idiot, even I remember.
I walked over to the judges and answered in her place.
"Number 374."
"Yeah, number 374."
"Do you want to sing first? What song did you prepare?"
When Yeom DaePyo asked with a soft laugh of fufu,she said she prepared a dance as well and would like to show her dancing first.
Then she braced her throat with a uhumuhum.
Why was she preparing her throat when she's about to dance…?
"You can start at the spot where it's taped."
Yeom DaePyo operated the camera designated for the whole-body shot and placed her in the frame.
Hyun Dong turned on the face-closeup camera. It zoomed in on Yu Eun Bit's face and it popped onto the monitor.
Upon seeing that, Lu Joo ssem nodded with satisfaction and mumbled to Hoon Min hyung.
"The visuals are good."
"Yeah, it's good."
It was good.
It was exactly those words.
It wasn't something you could describe with words — just good.
Disregarding the cuteness, I could feel a strange charm.
Yu EunBit's eyes went wide after seeing her face on the monitor.
"Wah, it's my face…"
"Why? Is it cool?"
When Hyun Dong let out a slight smile and asked her, she flapped her head up and down.
"Yeah."
"Is it your first audition?"
"Yeah, it's my first. It's my first time in Seoul as well. So, I was a bit lost."
Lu Joo ssem check Yu Eun Bit's profile for the accompanying song in her dance, went into a music streaming site with her tablet and put it into the playlist.
It was VNF's song titled 'Keep Becoming Pretty' (TLN: 자꾸자꾸 예뻐져, doesn't particularly denote self, it could be keeps becoming pretty or I keep becoming pretty.)
I really hope she does well, really.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Phoo…."
She took deep breaths while shaking her hands. She tilted her head to each side and turned her ankles.
I wonder if I developed a sense from seeing 200 people. I felt there was something special in her posture during her stretches.
I felt as though something extraordinary was about to happen.
-Doom chit doom chit domm chit doom (hey!) doom chit doom chit doom…
Ut, as the song came on Yu Eun Bit's expression transformed.
She gave a wicked glare and took her pose.
She started syncing her lips and jumping up and down.
It was an explosion of excitement! (TLN: I really want to put 흥'Heung' here…)
-I freeze whenever I see you, but my cheeks flare up like strawberry syrup.
Woah, woah.
She's a terrible dancer!
Bad enough to make me think 'is it even possible'!
Her hands and feet were all in a jumble, but the energy and expression made her the lead in this no matter what!
What a daring confidence.
"My body keeps twisting, my words keep twisting too…"
It wasn't lip-syncing nor was it properly singing; it was a weird mix of the two which ended up sounding like a spell.
At this part, Yeom DaePyo and Hyun Dong ended up bursting out in laugher.
"Kup…"
"Pft!"
It was the first time Yeom laughed while he was evaluating.
Even Lu Joo ssem in charge of the choreography covered her mouth with her hands and looked down as if she was about to break out in laughter at any moment.
The only one keeping an eye on the senseless dancing was Choi Hoon Min hyungnim. He was nodding in sync to the rhythm with a serious look on his face. As though he alone was sucked into another world.
"Yeah, yeah, that's good."
In the end Lu Joo ssem turned off the music and stopped her dazzling display of dancing.
But Yu Eun Bit was in a trance and kept on dancing with all her might.
Ah, I can't hold back anymore.
"Kuhuhuhuhk."
Realizing too late the music was turned off, the participant hurriedly arranged her hair and bowed.
"Thank you. Huhwooo…"
Was she self-satisfied?
The best part was her gloating expression.
She looked over the judges' expressions in confidence all the while panting for breath.
Lu Joo ssem comforted her as if she found her cute but pitied her. It was in no way ridiculing her.
"Uhgoo, it really was your first time."
"Yeah, I practiced at home by myself."
"Yeah, it was a self-practiced song no matter who looked at it."
At Hyun Dong's soliloquy, everyone broke out in laugher.
"Hmmheheheh."
It felt as though nobody was thinking of Yu Eun Bit as a participant. More like they were child's cute tricks and enjoying the time.
Since she made it to this point, Yeom DaePyo said with a laid back tone, to show everything that she prepared.
"What song did you prepare?"
"I prepared 'Because I'm a woman'." (TLN: 여자이니까)
"Mmm, nice choice."
"Can I take a drink of water?"
"Go ahead, take some breaths as well."
She ran over with hurried steps toward the judges and grabbed the water bottle I was drinking from to start chugging.
"Thanks for the drink."
Well, at least she has good manners. (TLN: author actually put '인사성 하나는 밝아서 좋다' which means good at greetings, but '' in Korean is more about manners than a greeting in the western sense.)
She returned to her spot and again prepared her throat with a Hmm! Hnng!
Ok, please be good at singing.
Help me keep my face after breaking the rules to recommend you.
The 1st preliminaries were done without accompaniment.
While everyone was looking at hear in quiet anticipation, Yu Eun Bit readied her emotions and started to sing.
"I heard men tired quickly if you give everything easily, it doesn't seem like it's wrong."
Everyone looked towards the close-up monitor.
< The Girl With A Purple Aura > End
burn8
Author’s words
Thanks for reading.
Side note: please consider donating so I can pay the editor to work on this. Thanks!