Kpop Club (6 page)

“Thank you
very much,” said Krystal blushing like anything. “I’ve just
finished school and am waiting for my exam results.”

“I see, I see
- I take it you obviously want to be a singer?”

“More than
anything in the world.”

“Do you see
yourself as a solo artist? Part of a group? What kind of music do
you want to do?”

KYM leaned
forward as if he couldn’t wait to hear Krystal’s answer.

“I love all
kinds of music. At the moment I don’t have a strong preference
about being a solo artist or anything like that, but I know one day
I’d like to do my own music, compose it and everything.”

KYM nodded his
head, reflecting on what Krystal had said.

“That’s cool.
I’d be interested to see what you know about composing. Before I go
on my monologue, can I offer you anything to drink? Tea? Coffee?
Iced plum tea?”

“Oh, yes
please. I’d love some plum tea.”

“Sure thing,”
said KYM, walking over to a mini fridge and pouring some iced tea
into two paper cups.

Krystal
couldn’t help but notice how muscular KYM was in his slim fit white
shirt. He wasn’t the most handsome man in the world but he was
definitely attractive.

“Right,
Krystal, I don’t know how much you know about me and the groups
we’re in charge of at KYM Entertainment but -”

“I’m a big fan
of yours,” said Krystal, interrupting KYM. “I know you’re
responsible for the Andre Project, X:EAT, Juva-Nile and Eagle 18,
to name a few.”

Krystal
instantly felt embarrassed for interrupting him. KYM chuckled.

“Very good,
you’ve obviously done your homework. Well I won’t bore you with
that then. I’ll move on. You must know what Hallyu is right? The
Korean Wave?”

“It’s not
boring at all but yes sir, I know what Hallyu is.”

“Then you’ll
know that kpop is starting to get popular all over the world.”

“Oh
definitely, it’s just brilliant,” said Krystal.

“Yeah, in many
ways it is but it’s not all good news. Many of these new groups are
all style and no substance. They are highly manufactured and don’t
set a very good example for young people.”

Krystal put on
her serious face and nodded in agreement. KYM continued.

“I have a plan
to put a bit of heart and quality back into kpop. I’m forming an
international super group called Kpop Club. I’ve spent the last
year searching for international talent and have found amazing
girls from Algeria, America, Peru, France, Australia, UAE, India,
Thailand, and the Philippines. I’m hoping that you’ll be the final
piece in the jigsaw, the Korean piece if you will! The fact that
you are Korean but can speak and sing in fluent English is perfect.
An added bonus is that you already look like a pop star.”

Krystal went
red as a beetroot.

“You see,
Krystal, kpop has a certain vibe that people like. Even if they
can’t understand Korean, people like the way the music feels. Kpop
Club songs will have that kpop vibe but will be sung in lots of
different languages; doing this will help the international
audience connect with kpop even more.”

Krystal’s eyes
lit up.

“At first, all
the songs will be sung in English and Korean but eventually we’ll
incorporate some verses in French, Spanish, Thai, Arabic, Hindi and
Tagalog,” said KYM, buzzing with energy. “What are your first
impressions?”

Krystal took a
big gulp.

“I honestly
think it’s an amazing idea. It’ll help to spread kpop and will
teach us a lot about different cultures.”

“Exactly. We
live in a globalised world and while it sounds corny, one of my
main goals is that Kpop Club will in its own way, help to connect
people from different countries and cultures.”

“I think that
sounds lovely,” said Krystal.

“I’m really
stoked that you like the idea! Now, in practical terms we’ll have
to discuss a contract. As you may or may not know, most kpop
artists sign contracts for between 5-10 years. These contracts
require you to make a lot of sacrifices. For example, you’ll have
to spend a certain amount of time in the recording studio, going to
promotions, doing interviews – it’s really quite hectic and being a
pop star isn’t as easy as it looks on television. Are you aware of
the sacrifices you’d have to make?”

“Most
definitely - this is all I want and I’m more than willing to make
sacrifices.”

“Great,” said
KYM, smiling. “Do you have any questions at this stage?”

Krystal paused
for a minute. The vibe she got from KYM was so good that she almost
didn’t want to ruin it by asking anything. However, she wanted to
do things right this time.

“One thing I’d
like to tell you, sir, is that I was potentially going to sign a
contract with OMG Entertainment. One of the main reasons I didn’t
sign the contract was that Manager Oh wanted me to have a lot of
plastic surgery.”

“I see. OMG
Entertainment has a reputation in the industry for producing
artists that look and sound a certain way and I’ve heard of similar
stories. Don’t worry - I wouldn’t ask you to make any physical
changes at all – you look great as you are but more importantly you
have an exquisite voice that will complement the rest of the group
perfectly.”

“That’s a huge
relief,” said Krystal. “There is one more thing - my father doesn’t
know I’m here or that I’ve been auditioning at all. I’d need his
blessing before I sign anything.”

“Of course,
Krystal, that makes perfect sense. I’ve signed a lot of young
artists and am very familiar with parents’ concerns. Obviously, you
can’t sign a contract here and now. You’ll want some time to think
things through - I wouldn’t want you to sign without being happy –
that wouldn’t be in either of our interests.”

Krystal
smiled.

“Here’s what I
suggest,” said KYM. “Go home now and talk to your dad - convince
him to come to our offices. We can all sit down together and talk
about your future. I’d like to give both of you a tour of our
offices and then we can run through a contract together. I’m
confident I’ll be able to convince you and your dad that signing
with KYM Entertainment is the right choice. There’ll be no
obligation to sign anything and you can have as long as you need to
consider things. How does that sound?”

“It sounds
amazing, thank you.”

“Excellent!
Well if you could let me know when works, that’d be great. I’m
generally free most lunchtimes except Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Please take a copy of my business card as well and tell your father
he is welcome to call me at any time if he wants to discuss
anything beforehand.”

“Thank you
very much!” said Krystal, a big smile beaming across her face.
“I’ll get in touch as soon as possible.”

“Excellent. So
where do you live, Krystal?”

“In
Yonhui-dong.”

“Well come on
then, let me put you in a car home,” said KYM, taking Krystal by
the hand and guiding her to the reception desk. “Krystal, this is
Jihae, our receptionist; Jihae, as you know, this is hopefully the
final member of Kpop Club - Krystal.”

“Lovely to
meet you,” said Jihae, with a warm smile.

“And you,”
said Krystal, returning the smile.

“I have a few
things I need to get on with in the studio,” said KYM. “Jihae,
please can you arrange a car to take Krystal back to her house in
Yonhui-dong.”

“Certainly,”
said Jihae.

“Krystal, it
was an absolute pleasure, I really hope we’ll be working together
soon. Go home safely and please get in touch as soon as possible,”
said KYM.

“I will do,
thank you so much.”

Jihae led
Krystal to the front entrance where a black Mercedes was waiting to
take her home. Krystal said goodbye, got in the back of the car and
laid her head against a soft leather headrest. I could get used to
this, thought Krystal, as the car slowly pulled away.

Krystal spent the next couple of days plucking up
the courage to tell her dad about her KYM meeting. At first he was
extremely upset that she had been going to auditions without
telling him; anything could have happened to her behind closed
doors, he said. He couldn’t stay mad at her for long however, and
eventually agreed to meet with KYM the following Sunday.

When the big
day finally arrived, Jihae took Krystal and her dad straight to
KYM’s office where he was waiting with his door open. He shot up
the moment he saw them.

“Krystal!
Thank you for coming. This must be your father, it’s a pleasure to
meet you Mr Kim,” said KYM, extending his hand.

Krystal’s dad
gave KYM a firm handshake and said hello. Krystal knew he’d remain
suspicious of KYM until he got to know him better.

KYM asked them
to sit down on the sofas and offered them a drink, Krystal again
going for a plum tea and her father opting for a hot black
coffee.

“Thank you so
much, Mr Kim, for coming to meet me today. I know as a parent you
must be very concerned about Krystal’s wellbeing. This is obviously
an important time in her life, having just finished school. I just
want to say, I’m here to address any and all of your concerns. I
want you to know that when I sign an artist, I keep their best
interests at heart.”

“Is that so?”
said Krystal’s dad.

KYM
smiled.

“Yes, sir. You
may have heard a lot about some of the slave contracts some kpop
stars are made to sign? We’re a very transparent company; contracts
at KYM Entertainment are very fair, as I hope to illustrate to you
later. I believe this is the perfect place for your daughter to
launch her career.”

“Right,” said
Krystal’s dad.

“I don’t know
how much Krystal has told you about the group I’d like her to be
part of? Kpop Club?”

“She’s told me
a little bit about it but I’d like to hear it from the horse’s
mouth,” said Krystal’s dad.

“Certainly. As
you may know, people around the world are becoming more and more
interested in kpop music. One limitation of the genre is that only
a very small percentage of international fans understand Korean.
Kpop Club will have 10 members from different countries and their
songs will be sung in different languages but will retain that kpop
feel. The group will send out positive messages that you don’t have
to look a certain way to be successful or happy and that kpop is
for everyone. Krystal would be a vital member of the group as she’s
talented, confident and speaks English.”

“Right,” said
Krystal’s dad.

Krystal
started to feel a little embarrassed that her dad was being so
short with KYM.

“Before we go
into precise details about contract terms, I’d like to give you a
tour of our offices so that you can see what goes on behind the
scenes,” said KYM.

“Yes, that
sounds great,” said Krystal, doing her best to sound enthused for
her and her dad.

“Excellent -
well if you’re ready, please follow me,” said KYM, getting up and
walking over to open the door for them. “First, I want to take you
to one of my favourite places in the whole world – the
canteen.”

KYM led them
out of his office and down the corridor to a cosy room that
contained a number of large wooden benches. The walls of the room
were painted brilliant white and played host to a number of plasma
TVs showing kpop videos. One of those TVs would do nicely in their
living room, thought Krystal.

At the end of
the room was a big open plan professional kitchen. Krystal could
just about make out two chefs bouncing around; they were preparing
something that smelled gorgeous.

“This is
today’s lunch menu,” said KYM, pointing to a blackboard with the
day’s specials written on it.

Bulgogi
Jeongol Set

Dwaengjjang
Jjigae Set

Pasta Set

Salad Set

“As they say,
an army marches on its stomach – not that we’re an army!” said KYM,
laughing to himself.

Krystal’s dad
couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“It’s very
important for all our artists to eat well. We’ve hired a top chef,
Luigi Kim, who does a combination of Korean and Italian food. How’s
it going Luigi?!” yelled KYM looking towards the kitchen.

A rather
rotund man popped his head around the corner.

“All good
thank you, boss – how are you?” said Luigi.

“Great stuff,
all good thanks, Luigi,” said KYM, turning back to face Krystal and
her dad. “Krystal, when you sign a contract with KYM Entertainment,
all the food in the canteen is free. When we’re on tour then we
always organise food and can accommodate any dietary
requirements.”

“Brilliant,
but you needn’t worry - I eat everything!” said Krystal.

“I do like
this kitchen,” said Krystal’s dad, starting to relax a little.

“Right, let me
take you to the gym,” said KYM.

They left the
canteen and walked into a corridor on the other side of the
reception area. The gym was the first room on the right. As they
walked in Krystal saw two members of the group, X:EAT, running on
treadmills; she was completely star struck – she couldn’t quite
believe they were right there.

“This is a
state of the art gym,” said KYM. “We have a personal trainer,
Sebastien, who comes in every other day to help with any training
needs. He also works with our medical team to check that all our
artists are fit and healthy. I won’t show you now, but we also have
really nice men and women’s changing rooms with saunas and
Jacuzzis.”

“Cool!” said
Krystal.

“Yeah, there
are actually three kinds of Jacuzzi in the changing rooms – normal,
black tea and green tea. We find that with all the dancing we have
to do, Jacuzzis offer the perfect way to sooth aching muscles.
Speaking of which, let me take you next door to one of the dance
studios.”