[center][color=deepskyblue][h1]Evaluation Day[/h1][/color] 
[img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/f6488bdd-88c0-4bd1-9240-2dd90bd77157.gif[/img][/center]
[color=deepskyblue][center][i]"All trainees, proceed to the basement. Please take your seats around the stage and wait to be called."[/I][/center][/color]
[hr][hr]
Those words, the bane of anxious trainees and the delight of confident ones, ring throughout the AS Entertainment main floor, causing the hopeful students to stop their work and listen. Whether in the middle of stretching, talking, or practicing, the trainees drop what they're doing and begin their march of death down the company stairs and into the Judgement Room, commonly called the basement. Managers and staff members monitor the trainees as they enter, nervous chatter interspersed with vocal warm-ups silenced at the sight of the mock-up stage placed against the back wall. Even the bravest of them can attest to the feeling of cold fear that washes over them when they see the stage, for the knowledge of their fate--and the remembrance of last year's evaluation, for an unlucky few--is terrifying indeed.

For Yuzuru, this stage is a challenge. And, having seen it every month for the last three years, not a particularly difficult one. The routine, at this point known by heart, is simple: sit down and wait for your name to be called. 

Most trainees who await evaluation day each month, have prepared their skills beforehand (unless you joined yesterday), and Yuzuru in particular has a good idea of what he wants to show on stage. After showcasing his dancing talents quite extensively for the past three years, he needs to prove himself worthy of debut by giving them something [i]new[/i]. Thus, his idea: a self-choreographed, mixed martial arts routine interspersed with a vocal (in Korean, no less) performance of Infinite's [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1oTSAhdzNQ]"Bad."[/url]

To Yuzuru, the Korean language is still not as familiar and beautiful as his mother tongue, but five years in South Korea is more than enough time to coax the vowels and words of Korea into his vocabulary. He hasn't gotten rid of his slight accent yet; this is mostly due to his ongoing use of Japanese to speak to his family on Fridays, and his love for Japanese music, traditional or otherwise. And while he knows that foreigners, even ones from close by, like the Chinese and Japanese, can be singled out for being "different," he can never fully leave behind his culture. A part of him would never accept that and besides, his mother would be gravely disappointed.  

So, while his tongue is busy going over the lyrics of "Bad," Yuzuru's heart is firmly Japanese. He's at AS Entertainment for a reason, after all--they promised an opportunity for anyone who could work hard enough to achieve them.

The crackle and screech of the faulty audio system draws Yuzuru out of his thoughts and back into the dirty yellow walls of AS Entertainment's basement, where the General Manager stands on the makeshift stage, characteristic frown on his face and mic in hand. If the rickety, years-old metal chairs don't alert you to the real nature of AS Entertaiment's financial status, then maybe the coffee stains on Manager Taeyung's well-worn yellow sweater will, along with the dark bags under his eyes. 

[color=ffd346]"Alright, listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. If you've been here for years, you know the drill. But, since we have a new recruit--"[/color] At this point, Manager Taeyung consults the papers in his hands; [color=ffd346]"--Song Daehyun. Right. Okay. Today's schedule is as follows: First, solo performances. You've prepared ahead of time, I would [I]hope[/I]. We'll call your name, you get up here, do your part, get down. Next, the girls, under dance instructor Ms. Lee, will have their dance performance of Very Very Very, and the guys have a performance of..."[/color] Manager Taeyung rubs his eyes, squinting at the paper in his hands. Somebody hands him a pair of glasses. [color=ffd346]"...Shinee's Lucifer. Good luck."[/color] He then steps off the stage and collapses into a nearby chair. 

Yuzuru sucks in a breath, squaring his shoulders. He's been practicing so long, he no longer gets any stage fright, but the sudden pre-concert nerves? Regretfully, still very present. At times like these, he focuses on his mother's words before he left for Korea: [i]"Make us proud." Don't come home until you're famous,[/i] she teased, but Yuzuru knows there will always be an empty place at the dinner table just for him. His step-sisters, too--
[center][color=deepskyblue]"Kang Hanseul! Please come up on stage!"[/color][/center]
--But right now, Yuzuru will wait his turn. The opportunity will come itself soon enough. For now, he--and every other trainee--just needs to wait.

[@KimHanuel][@Lovely Complex][@TheDookieNut][@KatKook][@Lady Ostara][@Hey Im Jordan][@Fabricant451]