Chapter 45

"Hello, Kim Hyun-joong, my name is Kim Yoo-beom!" Seeing the somewhat shy Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Yoo-beom couldn't help but smile, then walked up to Kim Hyun-joong, extended his hand, and introduced himself.

"Ah, so you're the senior Kim Yoo-beom!" Hearing Kim Yoo-beom's introduction, Kim Hyun-joong couldn't help but be surprised and exclaimed.

Looking at Kim Hyun-joong's reaction, Kim Yoo-beom couldn't help but ask curiously, "Oh, you know me?"

"Uh-huh!" Kim Hyun-joong nodded vigorously, looking at Kim Yoo-beom. At that moment, he looked like a fan who had just seen his idol. With an excited face, Kim Hyun-joong said, "Although I've only been with DSP Media for a month, I've already heard about your great name from other senior trainees and teachers. You are truly amazing!"

As if to prove that he was indeed a die-hard fan of Kim Yoo-beom, Kim Hyun-joong's face turned red with excitement: "For a whole year, you were the top performer in every evaluation among all the trainees at DSP Media. In the four areas of dance, singing, stage performance, and acting, you were always number one, and you maintained this dominance for a full year. Not just in DSP Media, but probably in all the entertainment companies in Korea, no other trainee has achieved what you have."

Listening to Kim Hyun-joong's words and seeing his excited face, Kim Yoo-beom felt a bit embarrassed. He wiped his nose and thought to himself, "Was I really that awesome back then?"

In fact, Kim Yoo-beom didn't realize how shocking it was to monopolize the top spot in the four key areas that directly measured the strength and potential of trainees for a whole year.

As Kim Hyun-joong said, Kim Yoo-beom's all-around dominance during his one-year training period at DSP Media was enough to earn the admiration of all trainees in Korea.

Not just DSP Media, but even S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and the now low-key YG Entertainment, when they learned of Kim Yoo-beom's impressive achievements and saw his all-around talent, they were drooling.

Even now, the teachers at various entertainment companies often use Kim Yoo-beom as an example when scolding their trainees, saying, "Look at you, look at you, what kind of shape are you in? Look at Kim Yoo-beom from DSP Media, what qualifications and capital do you have to be proud?"

Therefore, Kim Yoo-beom gradually became a legend in the Korean trainee circle, a trainee with exceptional talent and ambition. Trainees with both potential and ambition all took Kim Yoo-beom as their goal and even their biggest rival after debuting.

BOA from S.M. Entertainment, RAIN from JYP Entertainment, and SE7EN from YG Entertainment, the strongest trainees of the three major entertainment companies, all took Kim Yoo-beom as their target to catch up to and their biggest rival.

"Ha ha, Yoo-beom, this boy is Kim Hyun-joong. After you left, he is the only one among all the trainees at DSP Media who shows some potential in acting, so he is now learning acting from me." Kim Ji-deok walked over, patted Kim Yoo-beom's shoulder, and pointed to Kim Hyun-joong with a smile.

"Teacher, you're too kind. I still have a lot of shortcomings and need more guidance from you!" Hearing Kim Ji-deok's words, Kim Hyun-joong quickly put aside his star-chasing mentality and bowed respectfully to Kim Ji-deok.

Kim Ji-deok gave Kim Yoo-beom a helpless look, then shook his head with a bitter smile, pointed to Kim Hyun-joong, and gestured for the two to get closer. He then turned and sat down in his chair, picking up the newspaper on the table to read.

Seeing Kim Ji-deok's bitter smile, Kim Yoo-beom understood that Kim Ji-deok didn't like Kim Hyun-joong's formalities. Instead, Kim Ji-deok preferred the free and easy behavior and reactions of Kim Yoo-beom.

Unfortunately, Kim Hyun-joong was not Kim Yoo-beom, and deep down, he had to be respectful when facing Kim Ji-deok.

"Alright, don't call me senior or anything. I'm not used to it. I was born in February 1986, so I'm probably older than you."

After getting a nod from Kim Hyun-joong confirming that he was younger, Kim Yoo-beom continued, "Yeah, from now on, just call me brother."

"Okay, got it. I'll rely on you, brother!" Kim Hyun-joong, not a pretentious person, thought about it for a moment, saw no harm in it, and especially since Kim Yoo-beom was his idol, having his idol recognize him as a brother was a great opportunity. He quickly nodded in agreement.

Kim Yoo-beom indeed had a good impression of Kim Hyun-joong and understood his future achievements, so he genuinely treated Kim Hyun-joong as a brother.

Similarly, Kim Yoo-beom was Kim Hyun-joong's idol, and being able to get closer to his idol and become good friends was something Kim Hyun-joong looked forward to and hoped for.

Therefore, the two quickly closed the gap between them. In just a few minutes, they were talking like close brothers, and the topics quickly shifted from training to Kim Hyun-joong's school life and even to Kim Yoo-beom giving him advice on chasing girls.

Sitting to the side, Kim Ji-deok couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Seeing the two getting more and more excited, with the intention of trying things out right away, Kim Ji-deok cleared his throat to remind them of his presence.

"Alright, there's plenty of time for that. Save your talk for later. It's practice time now. Kim Hyun-joong, come over and continue today's practice. Yoo-beom, sit over there. I'll check your practice later to see if you've been playing around in Taiwan this month."

With Kim Ji-deok speaking, Kim Yoo-beom and Kim Hyun-joong immediately became obedient and, following Kim Ji-deok's instructions, began their regular class.

Sitting to the side, Kim Yoo-beom watched Kim Hyun-joong's practice and couldn't help but marvel. No wonder he was one of the two future all-around talents. Even now, Kim Hyun-joong was already showing his potential and talent in acting.

In the Korean music industry, there is a phenomenon: artists who debut as part of a group generally find it difficult to achieve a second peak in their careers after the group disbands.

In most cases, when a group in Korea disbands, the members can only rely on their past achievements. As these achievements fade, their popularity also decreases, and they gradually disappear from the public eye.

Of course, this is not absolute. There are a few exceptional individuals who, after the group disbands, can achieve a second peak in their solo careers, or even surpass their group period.

Among the older generation of top ten groups, only Lee Hyori and Kim Jong-kook achieved this. Among the new generation of top ten groups, only G-Dragon and Kim Hyun-joong managed to do so.

G-Dragon, with his talent in music, including composition, arrangement, and production, became a representative of all-around musical talent.

Similarly, Kim Hyun-joong, with his skills in dance, singing, acting, hosting, and even comedy, was destined to be an all-around artist.

In terms of dance, Kim Hyun-joong was a dance expert from the beginning of his career, showcasing his dance skills on variety shows like "X-Man" and "Love Letter."

In singing, while his full potential was not fully realized during the group period, after going solo, Kim Hyun-joong quickly demonstrated his exceptional singing skills and techniques.

In acting, Kim Hyun-joong was the most successful and well-known singer from the new generation of top ten groups in the acting world.

Similarly, Kim Hyun-joong also had exceptional talent and potential in hosting and comedy.

In short, Kim Hyun-joong was an all-around artist. Therefore, after 2008, Kim Hyun-joong and G-Dragon were widely recognized as artists who would definitely succeed in their solo careers, even surpassing their group periods.