Eight months had passed, seasons came and went by, and from seventy souls.... only twenty-four remained. It was heartbreaking to see the others falter, unable to endure the crushing weight of pressure. Even for me, the so-called senior among them, every moment had been grueling.
Now, the trainer stood before us, holding out certificates like tokens of survival.
"Congratulations, everyone. You've completed the course," he said, then gestured toward the doorway. Five men in sharp suits waited there, smiling as though they held the keys to our future.
"From here on, you'll go your separate ways. But remember this feeling we've lived through fire and nearly died together. Good luck with your debuts. Woo Seokjin, Ji Sanghye…" His gaze fell on me and the boy beside me. "Fortune truly favors you two."
I didn't understand his words at first, but then one of the managers approached us directly. My heart jolted could it be? Don't tell me… we're debuting in the same group?
A week later, I was lying on a stark white hospital bed. The bright surgical lights glared down, cold and unforgiving. The doctor lowered a plastic mask over my face, leaving only my eyes, nose, and lips exposed.
"This procedure will take three hours," he said gently, "but under sedation, it will feel like only a moment. When it's done, you'll be new..... almost unrecognizable."
Snap! His gloves tightened with a sharp clap. "I'll administer the anesthetic now. Just a small sting."
The prick of the needle bit into my left arm. I gasped "Ahk!" and then felt the hot pulse of a laser glide across my skin, pressing dangerously close to my right eye.
"The eyes," the doctor explained calmly, "are the most painful point of this operation. That's why you'll rest while we work."
"I'm… really about to become someone new, aren't I, doctor?" My voice trembled but carried a fevered excitement. "From this moment, everything will change money, fame, the dream I've chased for years… it's finally real, isn't it?"
"Of course," he answered smoothly, like silk. "You'll shine brighter than any star. That, I can guarantee."
The scalpel-laser lowered toward my eye, its gleam piercing through the haze. My vision blurred, swallowed by the creeping weight of anesthesia. The last thing I saw was the needle of light pressing into my eyelid before the world melted into silence.
Slowly.
Slowly.
Slowly…
Wolves Kiss – Life Finder (Translated lyrics)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CgNjWoUqfk
[Intro]Where did I come from, and where will I go?
Questions surround me, dizzying my soul.
Under a starless sky, how can I shine?
Still in the darkness, I search for a sign.
(Verse 1)Who am I, and why am I here?
The answer I seek only brings me to tears.
Even when time stops, like a dead clock's hand,
I'm stuck in this place, I still can't stand.
(Chorus)Where is the meaning of life I crave?
A thousand questions crash like waves.
Searching under fading shadows' veil,
Only silence above so bitter, so frail.
[Verse 2]Among the crowds with their different views,
I'm lost in the noise, yet lonely too.
The same old days, the same old scene,
Can I break free from this empty dream?
(Chorus 2)The answer I'm chasing what is it, tell me?
Does true happiness really exist, can we see?
Even when dreams fade beyond the horizon,
All that returns is an echo inside me.
[Bridge]Maybe the answer is nothing at all.
We're running on roads with no end, no call.
Tears and smiles, pain and love,
Are just passing winds from above.
[Outro]Meaning of life must I build it alone?
Should I ask myself while the fears have grown? (Ooh~)
Even if the future's a fading light,
I'll keep on walking, pushing through the night.
(Hmm~)Beyond the sky with no reply,
That's the force that keeps me alive.
Yeah! Pa-Dap-Pow!
(-Music Ends-)
-Chapter 1 Ends-