The first rapper audition went well enough, the boy doing a freestyle that was catchy but littered with expletives. Yoongi, who himself was renowned for his colourful language, was the one to stop him with a raised hand and a wordless point toward the door.

"Fucking dumb-ass." He reshuffled the papers spread out in front of him, looking through the list of names for rappers.

He yawned as a rapper he recognised as one of the Eclipse trainees walked in, setting a tub down onto the table before bowing and going to stand on the X with a wide smile.

Daehyun lifted the lid and squinted down into the tub before him, not quite sure what to make of it. He recognised the logo on the side of the white container, but the blue and beige puddle inside did not resemble any ice cream he'd ever seen before.

"I'm Wang Yin Kee, second year trainee, also known as Wild 'n Sexy," the boy on the X rapped, then crossed his arms across his chest, pouted and struck a pose.

"Can you do anything other than terrible aegyo?" Yoongi asked.

At first he stared at Yoongi vacantly. "Or you can call me Jackson." A slow smile spread across his face before he started rapping, head and shoulders moving to the beat.

♪Uhh yeah, wha's ma name,

Uhh yeah, wha's ma name,

So you think you know me,

And you think you own me,

Just because you recognise ma face,

Don' think you can roll to ma pace?

Not just another kid at your door,

Carbon copy of all the ones before

Not just nameless, shapeless, head bowed

Another simple face hiding in a crowd

Black smoke against a black sky... ♫

Daehyun put his hand up and the boy's voice trailed off mid-rap. "There's just one thing I need to know..."

For the first time since he'd entered the auditorium, the trainee looked nervous. "Yes, Sunbae?"

"What is this?" Daehyun asked holding up the white tub.

"It's... that's ice cream. I didn't know what you'd like, so I got my favourite flavour, blueberry-fudge swirl."

"Doesn't look like any ice cream I've seen before." He dipped a finger into the mushy mess and tasted it.

"It's melted, fool. I know it's a new experience for you, but that's what happens to ice cream if it's not eaten right away," Yoongi said, voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Tastes good," Daehyun replied to no one in particular, Yoongi's sarcasm clearly lost on him. He leaned over to grab the straw from his empty smoothie cup and started slurping up the melted ice cream.

The boy looked around from one to the other, seeming lost as to whether he may continue his rap or not.

"I've heard enough, kid. We'll post our decision to the notice board," Yoongi said.

Daehyun pointed at the nearly empty tub he was sipping from and gave the boy a thumbs up as he bowed and left.

"Not a bad start to the rappers," Yoongi said once the boy had left.

"Yah 'cause he was 'Wild 'n Sexy'," Daehyun said in a cute voice and batted his eyes at Yoongi.

They stared into one another's' eyes for a few seconds, eyelashes fluttering, then burst into raucous laughter. Even Taekwoon cracked a tiny smile.

"Next!" Yoongi shouted once they had composed themselves.

Four auditions later Yoongi found himself still thinking about the second kid - his rap needed work, his confidence needed to be kicked down a notch, but there was something about him... something that got him a circle around his name.

♪Yo! Yo! Uhh... uhh... yeah...

Yo! Yo! Uhh... ♫

"Next!" Yoongi said.

"But, I wasn't done yet," the boy busy auditioning exclaimed.

"Yes, you are. Now get the hell off my X before I kick you off it," Yoongi growled. "And tell the next idiot to get in here before I cancel the rest of the auditions."

"Here, have a cookie," Daehyun shoved a choc chip cookie into Yoongi's mouth. "There's nothing that can't be cured with something sweet."

Yoongi merely glared at him, half a cookie dangling from his lips. Even after the bag of cookies was empty no one new came through the door.

"Yah! Don't those fools know what Next! means?" Yoongi got up and headed toward the door.

He was halfway to the door when it opened and a familiar face popped in. Jackson entered dragging someone in by the hand. "He's sorry for keeping you waiting, Sunbae... he had an emergency to attend to..." He bowed and left the boy standing at the door facing Yoongi, who merely turned on his heel and sat back down without looking at the newcomer.

The boy bowed respectfully before the panel, placed a white box on the gift table and moved toward his spot on the X.

Yoongi looked the boy up and down, from his mousy-brown hair to his leopard-print jumpsuit and pink combat boots. "Not only do you keep us waiting, but you come here dressed as the entertainment at a six-year-old's birthday party."

"I'm sorry," the boy spoke softly, head bowed. "I'm Choi Jeongmin, first-year trainee, Sunbae."

"That's good to know, now send in the next idiot on your way out." Yoongi's tone conveyed his annoyance.

"Thank you, Sunbae," he said. "Have a blessed day." The mood in the room dropped as the boy left.

"Was that really necessary?" Daehyun asked.

"What? It was hurting my eyes looking at him." Despite his words, there was a hint of shame in Yoongi's voice for the first time that day.

"Take a break till I'm back," Taekwoon said as he pushed back from the table and left the room.

"He wasn't even paying attention to the auditions, why do we have to wait while he goes to potty?" Yoongi sighed.

▲▼▲

Taekwoon searched the faces around him as he walked down the hallway, some of whom were smiling up at him hopefully. The boy in the ugly suit was nowhere to be seen. He was heading toward the cafeteria when he spotted the kid in the blue leather jacket – the second rapper they saw – in one of the service corridors.

"That kid from earlier, you know where I can find him?" Taekwoon asked.

At first, Jackson glared at Taekwoon, controlled anger in every muscle. "Why? So you can finish what you started in there?" He turned from Taekwoon, then turned back to face him. "You know, we're not much different from you. You think you're better than us because you're a big name and we're not. We have feelings, we have dreams, we have... uhm a lot of other things I can't think of right now, but we have them..."

"Do you know where he is or do you just enjoy wasting my precious time?"

"He's in there..." he said, pointing at a door under the stairs.

"That's a closet."

"That's where he goes when people like you happen." He looked up at Taekwoon in defiance.

"Get him out of that ridiculous hole in the wall and bring him back in there," Taekwoon said. "And don't keep me waiting."

Taekwoon did not wait for a reply; compliance was usually a certainty when he gave an order.

▲▼▲

"What's he been up to over there?" Daehyun asked once Taekwoon had left the auditorium.

"Making notes, I suppose. Or writing a new song..." Yoongi sneaked a peek at Taekwoon's notepad. "Doodles."

"Do what?" Daehyun asked around a mouthful of cake crumbs.

"Doodles. He's been doodling. Page after page after page of..." Yoongi said while paging through the notepad. "Oh hey, you're back. Can we call in the ne..."

"Now we wait," Taekwoon said as he sat back down and picked up his pen.

Nearly twenty minutes later the door opened and an all too familiar head popped inside yet again. "Are we too late?" It felt like déjà vu as he once again led the boy with the loud outfit into the room. This time he led Jeongmin to the centre of the room and left him standing on the X and stepped to the side. "He's ready, Sunbae."

The boy on the X stood silently with his head bowed.

"What the... What's going on here? We've already seen this kid." Yoongi turned to look at Taekwoon in puzzlement. "And why can't he speak for himself? Or is he expecting that loud outfit to do all the talking?"

"Shut up, Yoongi. You're making him nervous," Daehyun whispered. "Hey kid! Hey, look at me." Daehyun flashed Jeongmin a smile as he looked up. "It's not everyone who gets a second chance in life, so don't waste yours. Your seven minutes start now."

"May I?" Jackson asked. He stepped back toward the X and whispered something to which the boy first smiled, then nodded. "Hwaiting!"

Jeongmin looked up, eyes locked on Yoongi's as he began his rap.

♪I stand here before you, reaching for my dream

Gotta make it happen, gotta make it gleam

See me step into the ring, cause I gotta fight

Watch me bob and weave, sidestepping the pain

Cross-counter to them who call me names

Said I couldn't do it?

Telling me I couldn't get through it

Bare knuckled blows

I gotta fight

Gotta gotta

Fight fight fight ... ♫

Taekwoon raised his hand, signalling he'd heard enough. "Is there anything else you can show us?"

Jeongmin stared back at him blankly, then looked over at his friend.

"Look, I can tell how much this means to you, but I have to be honest with you, you're no rapper. So..." Taekwoon's words trailed off as the boy shut his eyes and started to sing, a soft, haunting melody.

♪Dreamt with a song in my heart

Dreamt of my name on your lips

Dreamt my dreams

All I do is dream dream dream

My dreams get me through

When all they do is try try try

To break me

To shake me

Take me down

When all they do is break me down

They keep me falling

Feet can't touch the ground

But I won't break

No I won't break

No I won't break break break

My dreams get me through

When all they do is try try try

To break me

To shake me

Take me down

When all they do is break me down

(RAP)

Beat down the demons

Trying to drag me down

Watch me stand amongst them

Walk through their fire

Arise with no burns

Laugh as I drown every fiend

Who tried to hold me back

I walk in their world now

Used to dream in colour

Now my dreams all fade to black... ♫

By the time he sang the last note every eye in the room was on him. Then without another word he bowed and left the room.

"Why are you still here? Go after him," Daehyun said to Jackson.