Chapter 29: Stealing the Show! S.E.S's Debut Documentary (First Update)

Impressive!

Lee Yunjae could only say that much, watching the girl on stage perform her dance. He was deeply impressed, and even Yoo Jin and the others might not be able to catch up to her.

She displayed the essence of jazz dance to the fullest, her simple attire and free, simple performance directly expressing her inner feelings through body tremors, shakes, and twists. Her excitement was intense, yet slow and gentle at times. The urgent and rhythmic dance, the perfect combination of movements and melody, and the flawless release of her dance skills infected everyone on the scene with its lively and vibrant energy.

Lee Yunjae was not the first to see jazz dance, but this was the first time he saw someone perform it so outstandingly. A person who could dance jazz so well must have experience with various other dance styles, such as Latin, tap, classical ballet, and modern dance, as jazz dance evolved from these styles.

"Wow... Am I watching a professional dancer?!" Although the crowd's screams enveloped the small and thin Lee Yunjae, he seemed to block out all the noise, staring blankly at the stage.

Cheers... Gahye... Gahye...

The audience around loudly called out the name of the girl on stage, indicating that she was quite famous in Dongdaemun. However, no matter how hard Lee Yunjae tried to think, he had no impression of her. In his mind, there was no artist named Gahye who danced so well.

The continuous cheers from the audience seemed to have conquered all the men and women present, who were deeply immersed in her dance.

After five minutes, her performance ended, and she only danced a jazz routine without singing.

"Everyone, isn't Gahye's jazz dance great?!" the host incited the crowd.

Great!! A wave of praise echoed from the audience.

"Then, do you all want to see Gahye perform next week?!"

Want!!

"OK, since everyone is so enthusiastic, we will invite Gahye to perform next week! All the contestants have finished their performances, so now it's time for the most exciting part, the voting. Please have the first 200 audience members with voting rights come up one by one to vote!"

Under the host's organization, 200 audience members lined up to vote. After watching the impressive dance performance, Lee Yunjae lost interest in the voting results and made his way through the crowd.

Under the night sky, Dongdaemun was brightly lit, with noisy music from the shops playing continuously. Many were songs by HOT and Seo Taiji and Boys, and the various music sounds mixed together, creating a rather discordant atmosphere.

Lee Yunjae, carrying a large teddy bear, was still a "scenic spot" on the street. Many passersby turned to look, with a return rate of almost 90%.

Finally, after hailing a taxi on the roadside, Lee Yunjae headed straight for S.M. Entertainment. At this time, BoA should still be training in the practice room.

Half an hour later, Lee Yunjae appeared at S.M. Entertainment and quietly slipped through the hallway to the stairs. The second floor and above were much quieter than the basement, mostly practice rooms with no extra people walking around. Just as he was about to take a step, he heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him. Lee Yunjae cursed under his breath and quickly ran away, with the teddy bear completely covering his body, making it look like a teddy bear was moving forward.

"Hey... Yoo Jin, look, what's that!" Choi Sung-hee immediately noticed a teddy bear running and exclaimed.

"Oh my... Am I seeing things? I see a teddy bear running!" Yoo Soo-young covered her mouth and widened her eyes.

The three people coming up the stairs were Yoo Jin, Yoo Soo-young, and Choi Sung-hee, and behind them were two staff members carrying cameras. From the badges they wore, it was clear that they were from SBS.

"Wow... Let's go check it out!" Yoo Jin took off running, with Choi Sung-hee and Yoo Soo-young following closely behind. The two staff members also became interested and enthusiastically chased after them with their cameras, eager to find out what was happening.

There was no way out, and a wall blocked Lee Yunjae's path. He took a few deep breaths, cursing his bad luck, and prepared himself for a scolding.

"Hey, that teddy bear in front, I'm talking to you!" Yoo Jin called out "politely," maintaining her sweet image as an idol in front of the camera.

Hmm! The voice sounds familiar! Lee Yunjae thought to himself, then turned his head slightly and saw the three people chasing him, instantly feeling relieved.

"Yoo Jin-ssi, you scared me!" Lee Yunjae turned around, pouting.

"It's you... I thought the teddy bear was running on its own... Yunjae, weren't you supposed to be resting this afternoon? Why are you at the company instead of playing outside?!"

Lee Yunjae explained, "BoA-ssi is leaving, and her birthday is on November 3rd. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, so I bought a birthday gift and wanted to give it to her in advance!"

"Oh... It's rare for you to be so thoughtful!" Yoo Jin ruffled Lee Yunjae's hair, smiling. "The teddy bear is quite cute. Next time, get one for me too!"

Lee Yunjae shrugged indifferently but then noticed the camera behind Yoo Jin and the others.

"Yoo Jin-ssi, what are you doing..." Lee Yunjae asked in surprise.

"Oh... We're filming a debut documentary. We were having lunch in the cafeteria and are now going to the practice room for training... We saw a running teddy bear and came to check it out out of curiosity!" Yoo Jin explained.

Upon hearing this, Lee Yunjae immediately turned around and said, "Yoo Jin-ssi, I'll go first. PD-ssi, please cut this part... I didn't mean to steal the show!"

The PD, Cho In-mo, laughed and said to Yoo Jin, "Yoo Jin, is this one of your company's trainees? He's quite cute!"

Yoo Jin chuckled, "Yes... Yunjae is our company's youngest trainee and very hardworking. He's only been with the company for three and a half months and placed third in the C class monthly exam today!" In front of PD Cho, Yoo Jin naturally highlighted Lee Yunjae's good qualities, which would benefit him.

Cho In-mo looked at Lee Yunjae with surprise, finding him cute like a little boy, but never expected him to be a trainee at such a young age and to stand out in the elite C class of S.M. Entertainment.

SBS and S.M. Entertainment had a good relationship, and SBS had filmed HOT's debut documentary, so they were well aware of the quality of S.M. Entertainment's trainees. Although not all were elites, at least nine out of ten were, especially at this stage, where they were cultivating all-around talents. For Lee Yunjae to stand out at such a young age in the C class, his future prospects were promising if he continued to work hard.

"Your company is truly full of talented people!" Cho In-mo sincerely remarked.

"Yoo Jin-ssi, since you're filming the debut documentary, I won't disturb you. I'll go first!" Lee Yunjae said goodbye and bowed to Cho In-mo.

In the camera, Lee Yunjae left a teddy bear's back view, slowly walking away.

"Phew... Luckily, I didn't embarrass myself. I didn't expect my first appearance on camera to be in such a situation... It's so embarrassing..." Lee Yunjae thought to himself as he walked to BoA's practice room.

He first slightly opened the door and saw BoA practicing dance steps in front of the mirror, the music echoing in the practice room. Standing outside, Lee Yunjae hadn't heard anything, marveling at how well the room was soundproofed.

Confirming that there was no teacher in the room, Lee Yunjae slipped in and closed the door behind him. BoA, deeply engrossed in her practice, suddenly saw Lee Yunjae's reflection in the mirror and instinctively stopped.

"Yunjae... Why are you here?!" BoA asked in surprise.

Lee Yunjae put down the teddy bear, took a deep breath, and said, "BoA-ssi, you're leaving... and your birthday is next month on the 3rd. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, so I'm giving you a birthday gift in advance!" Lee Yunjae handed the teddy bear to her, feeling nervous and anxious, as it contained a secret he couldn't reveal.

BoA happily accepted the teddy bear, feeling its softness through the thin plastic wrap. Even she couldn't resist the charm of a plush toy.

"Thank you, Yunjae... I really like it!" BoA looked at Lee Yunjae with gratitude, perhaps the only one in the company who remembered her birthday.

"By the way, BoA-ssi, when are you going to Japan? Is the date set?" Lee Yunjae and BoA sat down.

"Yes, it's set for November 2nd!" BoA's face showed a mix of joy, anticipation, and anxiety.

"So soon...?" Lee Yunjae exclaimed, then said dejectedly, "That day is a Monday, and I have class, so I can't come to see you off!"

BoA pinched Lee Yunjae's cheek and smiled, "It's okay... The CEO and others will see me off. We can keep in touch!"

Lee Yunjae nodded helplessly, unable to change anything.

"Yunjae, let's make a promise! You must work hard, and I look forward to the day when we can perform on the same stage together!" BoA said with anticipation.

Lee Yunjae was lost in thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. Although he didn't know what that day would be like, he knew that since he had made a promise with BoA, he would work hard to make it happen.

......................................

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, two days had gone by. At Incheon Airport, BoA, Mr. and Mrs. Kwon, Lee Soo-man, and a staff member accompanying BoA to Japan gathered at the boarding gate.

Today was the day BoA was leaving for Japan. For the next four years, she wouldn't return, undergoing tedious and repetitive training in Japan, without friends and with a language barrier. All the difficulties she would have to overcome alone. The farewell was emotional, and while Lee Soo-man remained indifferent, BoA and Mrs. Kwon were already in tears. This separation would last four years, and even if they flew to Japan to visit, they would be apart for most of the year.

"Alright... Since BoA chose this path, going to Japan will be very beneficial for her. Don't cry, it brings bad luck!" Mr. Kwon pulled on Mrs. Kwon, who was sobbing, and whispered.

Soon, the flight to Tokyo, Japan, was about to take off, and passengers began boarding. BoA, carrying her luggage and backpack, took one last look at her parents and Lee Soo-man, ten meters away, and resolutely walked into the boarding gate.

At the same time, in Cheongdam Elementary School, Class 5-1, Lee Yunjae sat by the window, looking up at the clear sky, where a plane slowly flew by, leaving a white trail.

"BoA-ssi must be boarding the plane now!" Lee Yunjae thought to himself, "I wonder if she brought the gift I gave her..."

What Lee Yunjae didn't know was that the teddy bear he gave BoA would remain in her home in Korea for the next four years, gathering dust. The secret it held would remain buried under the thick layer of dust until five years later, when BoA would realize it, but by then, things would be different.

......................................

As Lee Yunjae was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called out from the back door, "Lee Yunjae, someone is looking for you!"

Lee Yunjae was taken aback. He didn't have many friends in class, and even fewer in school, so who could be looking for him? Could it be the two delinquents from Class 2 coming to cause trouble? But then he thought it unlikely, as the school was not the place for such confrontations.

Standing up, Lee Yunjae walked to the back door and saw a short, uniform-clad junior standing in the hallway.

He didn't recognize her... Lee Yunjae recalled and confirmed that he indeed didn't know this junior.

"Is... is it you I'm looking for?" Lee Yunjae pointed to himself uncertainly.

Yes! The junior nodded firmly and said, "Hello, senior! My name is Seo Joo-hyun, and I just transferred to Class 1-1. Thank you for helping me the other day. To show my gratitude, my mother asked me to bring this to you!" She then lifted the food box wrapped in a yellow cloth she had been carrying.

Lee Yunjae patted his head, finally remembering this junior. She was the one who had been extorted by the two delinquents a few days ago...

"Hehe, you're too polite... It was just a small favor!"

Many in the class looked at him with surprise, as if to say, "You, the weirdo, actually help people?!" Lee Yunjae scratched his head, chuckled, and took the food box from Seo Joo-hyun.

Seo Joo-hyun seemed shy, and after Lee Yunjae took the food box, she bowed slightly and turned to leave. Watching her small, braided back, Lee Yunjae suddenly smiled. He had never seen such a shy girl.

Today, three updates, totaling 15,000 words!

Ending the trainee period, I feel there's so much more to write about, like the dissolution of H.O.T., S.E.S., and the entry of new 21st-century talents like Lee Teuk and Jeong Seul-gi. However, writing all that would make the story too drawn out. So, I decided to end the trainee period at the last second of 11:59 PM on December 31, 1999!

The protagonist is, after all, the protagonist and can't always be a supporting character!

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