Finally! Shinee are back from the military and about to stage a comeback in February 2021. During the long wait, aside from tending to my health issues, staying safe during Covid-era and a crazed full-time job workload, I fanned the flames of my heart for Shinee by putting this 14-episode fanfic together. This work of fiction is told from the point of view of Shinee’s manager Jun, highlighting various vignettes from his life with Shinee in 2012 and 2013. My one regret is that I did not finish this in time for AO to read. AO - wherever you are, your beautiful spirit lives on in our memories. May we live every day burning bright!
*Dedicated to AO - oceans apart, united by Shinee. Rest in peace.*
NEW JOB
Chapter 1 : Sleepless Night
March 2012
Jun lay in the darkened room, listening to the soft snore of his new roommate Lee Jinki. Early morning light was starting to filter in. Bleary-eyed, Jun looked over to the slumbering log in the bed next to him. Jinki had wrapped the duvet around himself hot-dog style, one pale foot stuck out.
Jun thought fleetingly of fan girls and the squealing the naked foot would induce. Well, just sleeping in the same room with Jinki would have them fainting already. He signed, annoyed that he didn’t get any shut-eye. A mix of new-job anxiety and excitement had made sleep a stranger. Just a few hours before, he had moved into the apartment and been introduced to the occupants. They happened to be the five members of Shinee - who were now his responsibility.
6am. The alarm buzzed. Jun went from room to room, intent on performing his wake-up duty. He gave Jinki a good shake but there was no reaction. Next was Jonghyun and Taemin in the twin room. Faint traces of bergamot laced the air. It seemed Jonghyun had the aromatherapy diffuser on all night. Both were sound asleep with angelic faces, pale and real. He almost felt bad rousing them from their slumber.
“Wake up boys!” Jun shouted.
Minho! Time to get up.” He opened Minho’s door but the tall athlete in a football jersey was already sitting up on the side of his bed, tousling his hair and trying to open his eyes. Ever polite, Minho looked up with a respectful smile.
“Morning hyung” he croaked.
Finally, Kibum. Hopefully, he had not drunk too much last night. He felt the urge to knock on the door first. He did so but hearing no response, walked into the small room next to the front door. The room housed a single bunk bed and a vanity with a mirror, its table-top extensively covered with bottles of skin tonics and tubes of BB cream. There was a small built-in closet, bulging with designer jackets, shirts and pants. The clothing situation had spread to the top bunk of the bed as well, which was strewn with several messy piles of bags, scarves and hats. Small towers of books and CDs lay about the floor.
For all the possessions overwhelming the small room, the lower bunk was empty. No occupant.
A slight twinge of panic overcame Jun. His initial frantic thought was that Kibum had stayed out all night with his friends. Quickening his step, he headed to the kitchen. Anxiety turned to relief as he saw a be-spectacled Kibum in stripy blue pyjamas. He was drinking a glass of water, scrolling through his phone.
“Hey, you’re up.”
“Hey…” Kibum dispassionately responded, not looking up from the screen.
“What time did you get up?”
“5.55am. You said we had to leave by 6.15am right?”
“Er yeah.”
The first one of the members up and getting ready for they day, with no wake-up call. The very epitome of responsibility. Jun made a mental note that Kibum probably had his shit together.
The next 15 minutes was filled with a flurry of activity - flushing toilets, frantic teeth-brushing, selecting camera-ready clothes. Jinki got out of bed eventually (Key’s sharp “il-eoNAA!” in Jinki’s ear had something to do with it) and walked zombie-like to the bathroom. 6.13am and the boys were almost there.The wake-up routine had gone better than expected.
Jun had started his manager career looking after F(x). Being in the same company, he had met the Shinee members before - enough to say a cursory “Hi” in the SM building hallways. The Shinee boys hardly remembered Jun though - which was evident from the introductions the previous evening. They had peppered him with questions such as “So when did you join SM?” and “Is this your first manager job?”
Shinee were renowned for their professionalism - having spent their formative early years managed by Park Choi Jin who was notorious for his strict disciplinary standards. These days, Mr. Park had the top job of Chief Management Director. All the managers of the SM groups reported to Director Park now. This led to Shinee’s daily manager Hyeok getting promoted to Head Manager and therefore, a new daily manager was needed. That was him.
Each SM group were assigned at least 2 managers - a head manager and a daily manager. The head manager was mainly responsible for master-minding strategy, coordinating large projects with other departments and international travel. The daily manager dealt with day-to-day coordination such as ensuring the group had food in the fridge; organizing transportation, living arrangements and getting the group through their schedule. There were also sub managers, called in as needed to help coordinate complex events or to accompany individual members to tedious film shoots. As the daily manager usually lived with the group, inevitably they became a counsellor, manager and older brother to the members. A pseudo-parent for the young minds in their charge.
When the vacancy for Shinee’s daily manager appeared, Jun decided to volunteer for the role. F(x)’s schedules were getting pretty light which made him worry about the security of his full-time job. Plus, after years working with an all-female group, managing the emotions of five males couldn’t be any harder right? Several interviews later, he got the job. And now here he was, sitting in a beige meeting room at SM headquarters, getting his first briefing.
“Yeah, they are pretty easy, they know the drill. Especially since they don’t all live in the dorm all the time.”
Jun jotted down a few notes as Hyeok spoke.
“Management has big plans for them this year so the schedule will be hectic. They are opinionated as hell though - everything from the songs, the choreo, lyrics, marketing, fashion.”
“Hang on…how does that work? What happens if they are unhappy about content?” Jun said, befuddlement obvious on his face.
“Well…you’ll be spending a lot of time managing their expectations,” Hyeok said firmly. A few seconds later, he contradicted himself. “But sometimes they have good ideas, I give you that.”
“What do we do then?” Jun asked.
“Speak to me. Sometimes I float their idea with the departments and they actually like them.”
“Oh ok. That’s different.”
Jun recalled all the challenges he had with the f(x) members and how none of their ideas were taken up by the strategy team. It was so frustrating for the team, especially Amber. And inexorably, he became a punching bag for the girls’ bitterness.
“But pick your battles,” warned Hyeok. “They fight quite a bit since they all think they know what’s best for the Shinee brand. Let them hash everything out first. It’s a beast to referee though. Just take your cue from Jinki if you are unsure. He’s seen it all before.”
Jun wrote “Jinki” down on his notepad.
Hyeok leaned back on the black office chair, twirling his pen. “Any other questions?”
“So they don’t live in the dorm all the time? Who has their own place?”
“Well, Jonghyun and Taemin go home sometimes as their parents are in Seoul. I think Kibum maybe buying his own apartment soon. It’s good that they are not cooped up together all the time anyway. Less arguments.”
“And I take it you are still involved? I just handle the day-to-day?”
“Yep, you will handle all domestic schedules, especially during this busy period. It’s best you just move into their dorm. There’s a spare bed in Jinki’s room. I’ll oversee and help out with the schedules overseas. There’s a fair bit of traveling to Japan coming up so I gotta plan that.”
And with that one conversation, his job as Shinee’s daily manager started. Hyeok’s intern added him to the group’s Kakao talk and gave him all the schedules for the week. Jun went back to his apartment to pack. There was no lengthy farewells necessary with the f(x) girls - they had had a farewell dinner last week and they were all out on a group schedule anyway. Plus, they were sure to see each other again in the SM building. He moved into the Shinee dorm that night - lugging his suitcase and bags from one side of Apgujeong to the other.
Chapter 2: Chemistry
Suitably caffeinated, the sleepy members in the 7-seater van started to re-animate as the van crawled through Seoul traffic.
“Hyung, do you think I can get rid of this long hair now?” Taemin whined, directing it at no one in particular. “It’s really starting to annoy me now.”
“I thought it was going to be your signature look,” opined Kibum in a slightly sarcastic tone, not looking up from his phone. Taemin started to pout.
“Argh…leave him alone!” Minho shouted from the back seat, evidently triggered. Kibum smirked, enjoying the fact that he was getting Minho riled up.
Oblivious to the commotion, Jonghyun’s eyes were glued to his handphone screen, texting with an enigmatic smile on his face.
Jinki sat in the front with the driver, looking ahead and calmly sipping his ice americano. Minho and Kibum continued with their to-fro. As the exchange started to disintegrate to petty name-calling, Jinki interjected in a smooth evenly-keeled voice, “You can do what you want Tae.”
As interesting as it was to listen to the ruckus, Jun had to interrupt to give a quick run-down of the day.
“Ok guys, we have wardrobe and make-up first thing. We have to be out of there by 0830. Then we go across town for the Weekly Idol taping. We’ll have lunch there but by 1500, we are leaving for KBS Music Bank. That won’t end until 2200 and you’ll still have Hyunmoo’s radio show at 2300. It’s a long day so pace yourself.”
Not hearing much reaction from the group, he assumed they had already read up on today’s schedules.
“I think it’s couple scarves for us today Jongie,” said Kibum apologetically to his seat neighbor.
“Waah…why the two of us again!?” Jonghyun looked up from his phone, his face twisted in mock horror.
“Because we are in love.”
“It never gets boring huh?”
“Jongkey is here to stay.”
“Argh, I want to go to the toilet so bad!” Taemin whined.
“You didn’t go at the dorm? C’mon, Mr. Straight Intestines, y’gotta look after yourself…” Minho fussed teasingly.
Jun soaked in all the dynamics he heard and saw. They obviously knew each other well - enough to dig into familiar trigger points to get predicted reactions. Jinki was an obvious leader, rising above the fray of disagreements. There was tension between the two 91-er’s - Minho and Kibum, marked with petty squabbling. Kibum and Jonghyun seemed to get on well. Taemin was comfortably settled in the “maknae" role, exuding an expectant air that the others will take care of him.
As if getting to know each member was not enough, Jun had become the daily manager of Shinee in the middle of an exploding promotion. “Sherlock” was getting rave reviews from the critics and fans. SM had spent a ton on the choreo - engaging top choreographer Tony Testa for the routine who had worked with Michael Jackson. There was a rumor floating around the management team that Tony Testa’s fee was the highest they had ever paid a choreographer. There was huge pressure from the top for “Sherlock” to do well and the promotional schedule was hectic. Jun couldn’t help but feel that pressure on his shoulders.
Chapter 3: Wishful Thinking
Only a few years back, Jun had wanted to be a pop idol. At age 20, he had passed an audition in his hometown and had received an offer to be a SM Entertainment trainee. Elated, he put his college studies on hold so that he could focus on training camp.
The camp was soul-crushing. Working an average of 18 hours a day, the trainees were put through continuous dance practice until their feet bled and singing drills until their throats were hoarse. There was ego-bruising performance tests and malicious rivalries amongst the trainees. Jun was lucky if he got 4 hours of sleep each night. Despite his best efforts, he always ranked in the last quartile during the showcase performances. Deep inside, he knew why. He had started late and his peers were simply better. Perhaps they had more time to perfect their craft but as it stood, he could not reach their caliber. Ten months of trainee camp later, he was exhausted and strung-out with stress. He started to entertain the idea that being an idol was not his calling.
However, there was one thing Jun excelled at. The trainees attended mandatory Conduct classes where they were instructed on how to behave. Topics include handling challenging press questions, building relationships with seniors and so on. Jun aced these assignments. He could easily strike the right balance between giving enough information while staying vague during prickly questions, while remaining friendly and approachable. It helped that he was older than the other trainees but he was also a natural at defusing arguments and saying the right thing to appease frayed tempers.
When the Training Director informed him of his removal from the idol training program, it was a gut-punching blow but he had to admit he had expected the news. But then the Training Director had thrown him a lifeline. Perhaps he would like to join the business side of SM Entertainment? The Director made some vague comments about Jun’s high levels of EQ and being a good fit for the artist management team. Thinking that he could still wriggle back into being an idol, he took the offer.
The next month, he was interning in the Artist Management Team as a general dogs-body. He created complicated schedules on excel spreadsheets for the various artists; arranged cleaning services for the idol dorms and coordinated grocery deliveries. He realized fairly early on that he enjoyed the work and therefore he was good at it. A natural at multi-tasking; he quickly developed a reputation for reliability and speed. He finished his internship as the top performer amongst the Artist Management interns and at the age of 22, he was given his first junior assistant role, helping a daily manager look after a new girl-group called f(x). And with that, his dreams of being a pop idol were shelved as his new career started.
Chapter 4: Breaking News
April 2012
Jun hummed cheerfully as he parked the van in the underground car park. Having just come out of the half-year corporate strategy meeting, he had great news to tell the boys. The firm had big plans for Shinee in 2013 for both Korea and Japan. The A&R team were envisaging a double album with at least 2 title songs, followed by an EP in late 2013. They also talked about MBC’s pitch for a documentary series, centered around the Shinee members taking individual vacations. He figured that would go down a treat with each of them, knowing that would all get to choose their destination and spend some time promoting on their own. Even better though, there was a department meeting next week to vote for the song listing for the double-album. For the very first time, the group members would be invited to cast their votes for the songs. Something they had been asking for and have never been involved - until now.
“Hey, I’m back!”
Strains of the latest football computer game filtered through the hallway. Predictably, it was Minho and Taemin on the couch, excitedly playing against each other. Jinki was relaxing in the massage chair next to them, watching the screen with armchair commentary at the ready.
“Where’s Jonghyun and Kibum?”
Onew turned his head. “Oh hey hyung, you’re back! Check their rooms.”
Sure enough, Kibum was lying on his lower bunk bed with his headphones on. He was bopping his head, browsing through his signed Sistar CD booklet and texting on his phone with someone. Jun guessed Soyou, knowing that the two had recently become super-friendly. He waved his hand in front of Kibum’s face. “Hey, meeting in living room - now.”
In the twin room he shared with Taemin, Jonghyun was hunched over his desk and appeared to be feverishly writing in his notebook. Several balls of crumpled paper were littered on the floor around him. “Hey Jong, announcement time. We are gathering by the TV.”
A minute or so later, Jonghyun and Kibum shuffled into the living room. Minho turned down the TV volume, guessing that a team meeting was imminent.
“Ok guys, I have news! So I just got back from the half-year management strategy meeting for 2013. They are going to prioritize you guys and push Shinee in both Korea and Japan next year. The initial thought is for a double album with 2 title songs and also another EP later on in 2013. That’s a lot of new music. And wait for it….for the first time ever, you are all invited to attend the song selection meeting next week!”
“About time.” Kibum muttered sarcastically. He had a genuine smile on his face though. “Well, we are shareholders now. We should have a say.”
Taemin, Jinki and Minho high-fived each other.
“Are they still taking song submissions for the meeting next week?”Jonghyun asked earnestly. “I’ve been writing a few and wanted to submit them…”
“Yep, relax. You still have time. A&R are still collating the songs for meeting. If you have any new songs, just get those submitted this week.”
Jun held back on the news of the MBC vacation documentary. He was sworn to secrecy anyway. The network wanted to capture the members’ genuine initial reaction to the news on camera.
After dinner, there was a palpable hum of energy in the dorm. Jonghyun had disappeared in his room, intent on completing all those half-finished song fragments in his notebook. Taemin had gone to the SM dance studio to practice. The April 2012 Japan tour was coming up later that month and Taemin had to rehearse his individual performance with the dancers. Minho was at his daily epic gym session.
Later that night, Jonghyun softly knocked on the door of the bedroom Jun shared with Jinki.
“Hey hyung… do you want to hear the lyrics I just wrote? It’s for the song Yiruma wrote a few months back.” He flourished a few pieces of paper in his hand.
Jun took the papers and leafed through them. “ Selene 6:23 huh? What’s the lyrics about?”
“Well, it’s about the fans being so near yet so far like the moon. You reach out but you still can’t touch.”
“Well, let’s hear some of it then.”
Right then, Jinki walked into the room he shared with Jun, biting into a foil-wrapped kimbap roll in his hand. Seeing Jonghyun there, he quickly piped up. “I was looking for my phone. Don’t mind me!”
“Oh hyung, since you are here right now, maybe you could sing the first two lines. It’s the piano ballad that The Underdogs wrote with Yiruma. I haven’t totally figured out line distribution - could you sing the first few lines to see how it sounds?”
“Oh yeah sure.” Jinki put the greasy kimbap down on his desk, wiped his hands on his jeans and took the proffered pieces of paper.
“You still remember the melody hyung?”
“Yeah, first verse right?”
Onew sang softly:
“Nuneul matchwojwo
Meolliseo neoreul bomyeo honjatmallo soksagyeo
Geujeo hanbeon useojwo
ne eolgulman bwado nan gyeondjl su jsseo"
Jonghyun nodded along. “Yeah, it sounds great when Jinki starts. Right in his range sweet spot. I’ll have you go first.”
Jun Woo liked the melody but was confused about the lyrics. “What’s with the title though? Doesn’t make sense to me…Who’s Selene? Is she a fan?”
A chuckle was heard in the room. Kibum had snuck in while Jinki was singing. “You gotta think laterally when reading Jongie’s lyrics. It’s never that obvious.”
Jonghyun smiled enigmatically at the guys. “Mythology” was all he offered.
Jinki got it straight away. “Isn’t Selene the goddess of the moon?”
Jun Woo looked only slightly appeased. “What does 6:23 mean then?”
Chapter 5: Trigger
A couple of nights later, Jun was treating himself to a solo drinking session. It had been a long day. The weekly dry-cleaning delivery had gotten mixed up and was sent to Exo’s dorm apartment. He then had to talk to the cleaning company to sack one of the new cleaners who was caught riffling through Minho’s underwear drawer.
His late night soju session was his few stolen moments of peace to shrug off stress from the day.
A sudden voice interrupted his reverie. “Mind if I join you?”
“ Hey Jinki…yeah, sure. Please do.”
Jun took out another soju glass from the cabinet and poured one out for Shinee’s leader. Jinki knocked it back in one.
“So how are you these days, Jinki?”
“Not bad. Just pacing myself through the schedules.”
“What about the others?”
“Same old I guess. Jongie is busy writing. I think it’s affecting his sleep at night - he’s napping a lot in the daytime, more than usual. Minho is as energetic and fit as ever. Kibum is coming down with a cold so he’s extra grumpy. Taemin’s fine.”
“That’s good. Sounds like normal.”
“You know, I could murder some fried chicken right now. Maybe we could order some in.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it Jinki. Photo shoot tomorrow. If your skin breaks out from all the extra grease, I can’t help you.”
“Argh! What’s the point of being the son of a butcher if I have to diet all the time?” joked Jinki, in an exaggerated tone of exasperation.
“Hold out for one more week. You can eat your fried chicken then. No TV or photo shoots next week.”
Jinki downed another glass of soju. The two men drank a few more shots in comfortable silence, taking turns to pour for the other.
Jun had a nagging thought about Jinki for a while now which he had never voiced. He felt the liquid courage rising.
You know you’ve got a great voice. I wish you would push yourself more.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you seem to be content to just be the leader of Shinee. I mean Taemin is ambitious. You know he wants a solo career. So does Jonghyun but as a singer-songwriter and producer. Kibum has his musicals and talks about a fashion empire. Minho has his acting career…but you seem content to just be.”
“I’m just happy to be in Shinee.”
Jun tried to look beyond this response. What was holding Jinki back? Did the guy have no other ambition?
After an awkward pause, Jun tentatively said “I just know that if I had a voice like your’s, I would push for a solo album y’know?”
The response was defensive and immediate. “Well, maybe my voice isn’t all it’s cracked out to be?” Jun was shocked at Jinki’s angry tone.
Jinki looked a bit sheepish as he realized he had lashed out at his manager. “To be honest, lately my voice hasn’t been that great lately…my voice cracks beyond an A4,” he said softly.
“Maybe you should be taking it easy with the soju and spicy chicken. Have you spoken to your vocal coach about it?”
Jinki fidgeted with his shot glass before downing the clear liquor.
“Well, I kind of mentioned it. Not sure if he was listening though. And this year is going to be tough. Everyone’s putting a lot behind Shinee and I just have to perform y’know?” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Ok, no more soju for you. Let’s call it a night. I think we need to get your vocal chords checked out. I’ll take care of it.”
Chapter 6: Feel Good
The rest of 2012 passed in a blur as Jun settled into his new role. The April tour in Japan was a great success. In May, there was a trip to California for the SM Town concert. It was then straight into practice for two sold-out Shinee World II concerts in July. By August, not only were Shinee preparing for a Japanese single release but preparations for the 2013 double-album were ramping up. Titles had already been chosen - the first album was called “The Misconceptions of You” and featured songs that Shinee were known for - colorful, bright and playful. The second album was “The Misconceptions of Me” and its songs were darker and dreamier in concept. A lead single “Dream Girl” had been selected to kick off the promotions in February 2013. SM had allocated a generous budget so the choreography team went all-out and commissioned Tony Testa again. The SM directors had loved his Sherlock choreography and importantly, Shinee had received much envy in the industry for the routine.
The Shinee members attended all the album concept meetings and had some smart ideas to contribute. The boys knew their own individual strengths and made sure each member had a chance to shine. For example, Kibum was volunteered to do all the english shout-outs in the songs and Minho was given singing lines which utilized his newly-developed falsetto.
As promised, Jun had brought up the issue regarding Jinki’s strained voice. This led to the singer being monitored by a top otolaryngologist in Gangnam. It turned out that Jinki had started to develop nodules on his vocal chords. Dr. Kim was constantly advising Jinki to take a six month period of vocal rest which would delay and even reverse the polyps. Unfortunately, it seemed as if Jinki could never rest for long. Although he tried to limit using his voice unless necessary, there were many songs to record for the album and numerous practice sessions.
Jun enjoyed working with Shinee immensely. Although every day was busy and some of the work could be tedious, he admired how each member’s talent contributed to the creation of the product that was Shinee. With his own idol dreams put away, he lived vicariously through each member - watching their talents manifest in singing, dancing or acting. Just being close to the light was enough.
—
One hot evening in late August, Jun returned to the dorm to peace and quiet. This was rare as usually there was a cacophony of noise - bleeping computer games, competing music or the loud rattling of pans in the kitchen as someone cooked ramen.
“Anyone home?” he called out. Silence.
He peered into Key’s room but it was empty. He knew Minho was likely at the gym and Taemin had gone to his parent’s home for a few days. The door to the twin room was slightly ajar though. He heard the whirl of the air-con unit inside. He poked his head round the door and saw Jonghyun lying on his back on top of the bed, still in his gym clothes, peering intently at the Misconceptions album tracklist.
“Hey, deep in thought?”
“Oh hey…” Jonghyun flipped from his back to his front to greet Jun. “Well, I was just thinking about the background track Thomas-hyung came up with today. No one has written the lyrics yet so I thought I’ll give it a go.”
“Oh yeah? That’s good. You’ve got a couple of songs on the tracklist already right? Like the Selene one.”
Jonghyun smiled. It was obvious he was particularly proud of Selene 6:23. The other members liked it too. Jinki belted out the chorus in the shower every day.
“What if… I wrote the lyrics like a spoiler for the double album? Use all the song titles in the album in the track itself? It will be track one…”
“I thought it was decided already that Dream Girl would be track one. I mean it’s the lead single.”
“Well, you will just have to help me persuade everyone that the lead single will be track two.”
Jonghyun pouted, putting on his best “aegyo” face. Jun Woo signed but he knew he would somehow end up doing Jongie’s bidding anyway.
“Well, it depends on how good your lyrics are then. Getting all the song titles into one song? Yeah, good luck…” teased Jun.
Jun felt a twinge of guilt as he downplayed Jonghyun’s talent to his face. As if his beautiful voice ringing out from the bathroom shower cubicle every day wasn’t enough, the guy could also write. In all honesty, he was in awe of Jonghyun’s poetic lyric writing.
Jonghyun seemed not to have noticed Jun’s skepticism.
“Let me get to it then!” as Jonghyun playfully shooed Jun out of the room.
For a fleeting moment, Jun felt envious that so much talent had been bestowed on one person. He quickly pushed the thought away though, reminding himself that Jonghyun had worked hard since he was barely a teenager. He had gone through the same intense training camp that Jun had to go through but Jongie had survived and flourished. So had Jinki, Kibum, Minho and Taemin. He quickly shifted gears and made a mental note to bring food to Jonghyun if he didn’t emerge for dinner.
Chapter 7: Tonight
In November, the group started practicing the choreo for Dream Girl. True to form, Tony Testa had created a challenging routine that required precise perfection.
The members had to work with an individual microphone stand as a prop. Tony had microphone stands custom-made from aluminum so they were light enough for the members to rotate, lift and move. Shinee were known for their ability to pick up choreo quickly but even this routine was taking its toll, mentally and physically.
“Argh..props are the worst!” exclaimed Kibum loudly during a break.
It was 10pm. The members had been in the dance practice room for 2 hours already. With this being their third dance practice session, they should have had the basic moves down by now. However, handling the mic stands was proving to be a disaster.
“Let’s take five for a break,” exclaimed Jinki, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Let’s call it a day instead! We are better off getting our individual moves down by ourselves first. No point running through the routine when we drop the stands every 10 seconds!” exclaimed Kibum bitingly.
“That doesn’t work. When do we have time to get together in the next few days?” challenged Minho.
Kibum scowled. He was about to retort sarcastically but Jonghyun piped up just in time.
“Hey, why don’t we take a longer 30 minute break, get some iced coffees and then just work on blocking the moves without the mics?”
Jinki, Taemin and Minho quickly agreed. Kibum kept his month shut - he knew he was outnumbered. The truth was - he was feeling more tired than usual. He had stayed out a little too late with Soyou the previous night, drinking beers and eating spicy chicken feet at her apartment. He wasn’t going to let the members know though. They would certainly pull an overnighter practice session just to spite him, if they knew.
“So, how many times have you hit your face?” Taemin teased Minho as they walked to the 24/7 coffee shop in the building. Taemin had lost at “rock-paper-scissors” so he was getting the coffees. Minho thought he had better accompany Taemin.
“Argh…I’m pretty sure my nose is banged up. Not as bad as Jinki though with his old-man elbow.”
“Or Jonghyun and his busted knee!” added Taemin.
“Hey, do you think Kibum is hungover? He’s a bit slow with the choreo today…usually he’s much quicker on the uptake,” Minho pondered, changing the subject.
“I heard from Jun hyung that he didn’t come in until 4am last night. We were up by 7am so he couldn’t have gotten more than 3 hours of sleep,” whispered Tae conspiratorially.
“That’s it then. When we return with these coffees, let’s suggest pulling an overnighter!”
Taemin laughed mischievously. “Yeah, let’s! Jonghyun never goes to sleep this early anyway and Jinki has no schedules this week so he’ll agree.”
Minho cackled. “It’ll be worth it just to see Kibum’s face!”
Chapter 8: Destination
Still busy with album preparations in November, the members had no idea about the MBC documentary series that SM had signed them up for. They were vaguely told that there would be some filming to show the preparation of the Misconceptions double-album.
After an intense month recording songs, Jun could see that the members’ energy was flagging so the announcement about the documentary was well-timed. Jun knew that the boys were going to be ecstatic with the concept of this series. An opportunity to take an overseas trip by themselves anywhere in the world! They could split up and go to different places! The only catch was that they had to bring a film crew. Jun had a vested interest in the series as well. As the daily manager, he would have to go with one of them. Cross fingers that at least one of them will choose an exotic destination with good food.
A week later, MBC were ready to film the “reveal”. Jun had set this up by asking the members to attend a meeting in Conference Room 2 at SM headquarters. The MBC film crew were ready and waiting in the room - at hand to announce the concept and capture their initial unfiltered reactions on film. Jun was waiting outside when the members trickled out of the conference room after hearing the news. Kibum was first out of the room.
“Hey manager-hyung, is this really true? We get to go anywhere we want?”
“Yep, a 5-6 day trip. Any destination. You’ll all go early December so you need to tell MBC the location in 2 days. They’ll have to book the air tickets & accommodation for the crew. ”
“It just sounds too good to be true. We really can split up? What about family members?”
“Yep, the idea is to create 5 mini-documentaries so it would be good if the locations are different. No family members though.”
“Oh my god. This is incredible! I’ve gotta get in front of my laptop and do research.” Kibum bounded down the corridor, disappearing quickly out of sight.
A few minutes later, the other members skipped out of the conference room, deep in discussion.
“It’s UK football season right now. I would love to watch a few matches,” said an excited Minho to his teammates.
Taemin and Jonghyun looked dazed as if their brains was cycling through all the myriad possibilities available.
Well, I know what I’m going to do. A relaxing holiday by the beach for me! Sleep, eat, enjoy some sunshine,” exclaimed Jinki.
“Yeah, but where hyung?” Jonghyun asked.
“Er..not sure. Where’s warm in December?”
Jun Woo interjected their collective reverie. “So rest of the day is free guys. Go ahead and get your research done. MBC need your vacation destinations by the 23rd so they can book the flights and hotels for the crew. ”
“Wow, they don’t give us a lot of time, do they?” Jonghyun saucily commented.
“Sorry, I didn’t give you guys advance warning. But MBC swore us to secrecy. They wanted to capture your genuine reaction to the news.”
“You certainly got that!” chuckled Minho. “Did you see Kibum’s face? His eyes totally bugged out!”
“It’s really true then? We hold off on the album prep for a week while we go on holiday?” asked Jinki carefully.
“Yep,” Jun affirmed. “I’ve sent round the new monthly schedule on group chat just now. Take a look.”
Jun couldn’t resist making one last comment. “Hey, make sure you go somewhere good! Remember I have to go with one of you.” Jinki gave his manager a mock salute.
Their spirits lifted with the glorious prospect of a rare individual vacation, the Shinee members looked like an excited bunch of teenagers as they made their way out of the building, laughing and teasing each other.
Chapter 9: Dynamite
April 2013
2013 was shaping up to be a crazy year. The workload was immense. After the individual holidays were filmed in December, the members all got some time over Christmas to spend with their families before the hectic schedules began. The “Misconceptions of Me” album was released in February 2013. Promotions for the single “Dream Girl” went well and the lead track swept the music charts. Yet again, Shinee released a brand-new concept and was much admired for their colorful wardrobe.
The companion album “Misconceptions of You” was scheduled to be released in April with “Why So Serious?” as the lead single. Filming for the music video was scheduled for next week.
“What do you mean you had an accident?!” screamed Jun into his mobile phone.
“So…er yeah. I was driving over to the office and this car just pulled out in front of me. I’m at the hospital now getting checked out. My face is badly bruised. Not sure what other injuries I have.”
“Which hospital are you at? I’ll come over right now,” exclaimed Jun breathlessly, panic rising in his voice.
Jun raced down the hallway to Director Park’s office. He needed to escalate this. Through the glass wall, he could see that the director was having a conversation with Jinki. Great - he can hit two birds with one stone. He knocked on the glass wall and walked in. “Guys, sorry to disturb but it’s an emergency! Jonghyun got in an accident.”
“Jonghyun had an accident?! Is he ok?” Both men stood up, shock on their faces.
“He’s fine. He just called me. He is at the hospital getting checks done. He only told me that his face is badly bruised. I’m heading to the hospital right now.”
“Let me come with you, hyung,” Jinki immediately pleaded.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” interjected Director-nim. “It will be a media circus if you go Jinki.”
The Chief Management Officer immediately went into crisis management mode. “Jun, take some assistants and try to secure some privacy at the hospital for Jonghyun. Keep this away from the press for now. I’ll let the CEO and the rest of the management team know. We’ll come up with a press statement before this gets picked up. Jinki - you inform the other members if they don’t know already.”
Five minutes later and Jun was racing over to the hospital in the van, with a couple of A&R assistants. When they arrived at the hospital, Jonghyun was in good spirits, chatting animately with a group of starstruck female nurses. They were all crowded around him, laughing at his bad jokes. He noticed some of them flipping their hair flirtatiously, charmed by having an idol celebrity in their midst.
“Jonghyun, I’m here. Is everything ok?”
“Oh hi hyung! Yeah, CT scans all done. Nothing but a bad blow to the nose and minor fracture to the arm. I’m just waiting for you so I can get a ride back.”
Aside from the cast around his arm and some bandages on his nose, he looked better than Jun had expected.
“Let’s get you back to the dorm then, before the nurses are fired for slacking off.”
The members were all anxiously awaiting Jonghyun’s arrival at the dorm. Jonghyun had cheerfully made jokes on the Kakao group chat on the journey back so they felt somewhat reassured that he wasn’t too badly injured.
“I’m home!” Jonghyun cooed as he stepped through the door. Jun followed behind.
“Hyung, are you ok?” Kibum was the first to race to the door to check on Jong.
“Hey there…I’m ok Bummie. It’s just a minor fracture on the arm and my nose is bruised when I hit the steering wheel. Just need to rest for four weeks. ”
“Aigoo! What happened?” fussed Minho.
“I got rear-ended! At the busy junction in Cheongdamdong!” Jonghyun exclaimed in indignation.
After much fussing from the other members, Jun Woo had to talk about the inevitable.
“It’s good that you are safe and well Jonghyun. Not sure what we are going to do about the upcoming Why So Serious promotions though. The music video shoot is 5 days from now.”
“Can’t we postpone?” Jinki suggested.
“Everything has been booked already including all the music show appearances and promotional events. I think management may suggest you all go ahead without Jonghyun.”
“That’s ridiculous!” piped up Minho. “Who’s going to sing Jonghyun’s high notes in the live stages? There’s that crazy howl at the beginning for starters.”
“I think Taemin can handle it,” Jonghyun advised confidently. Taemin mouthed “No way!” vehemently at Jonghyun’s suggestion.
“Well, I think we should just postpone,” said Kibum, crossing his arms.
“I’m not sure it’s up to you, guys. I’ll talk to management but with everything pre-booked, they may suggest Jong sits this one out.”
As Jun predicted, management did prefer that the “Why So Serious?” promotions go ahead without Jonghyun. If he recovered quickly, Jong could join the live shows at the tail end of promotions.
All the members except Jonghyun voiced their opposition but Jun had to stand firm with SM Management on this one. Too much financial investment was riding on this. Heck, Shinee had performed before with four members.
Jonghyun spoke to Jinki alone one evening. “I think we have to accept it. The others will stop resisting if you say so. I mean the choreo isn’t difficult to re-arrange for four people. Taemin can handle my singing parts. I mean he even sounds like me sometimes! How difficult can it be?”
“It just won’t be the same without you Jongie.”
“Hey, you guys will be fine. But it’s just my luck to miss out on the easiest choreo ever! All we do is bounce around!”
Chapter 10: Beautiful Life
By June, Jonghyun had fully recovered and preparations were in full swing for Shinee World 3 in Japan. As hoped, Jonghyun recovered in a month and actually joined the last week of music promotions for “Why So Serious?”
Taemin’s vocal progress was much noted by all - he handled the high notes so well that management began to plan a solo career for Taemin in earnest.
In late June, the Shinee members started an epic arena tour in Japan - 15 concerts in 9 cities that wouldn’t end until December. It was a hot and humid summer as they promoted the “Boys meet U” album. Initially, the tour had started well.
There was a joyous MV shoot in Okinawa that the boys loved. The weather was perfectly sunny over the 2 days when they were shooting. They were asked to cycle along the beach, flirt with a Japanese model and eat copious amounts of taco rice at a cute retro-American cafe. In other words, positively a holiday.
Over a campfire on the beach, the members sat round in contentment, gazing at the view of the sun setting over the horizon. The film crew were changing the camera lens to catch some night scenes. There was nothing to do except relax.
Jonghyun was trying his best to strum the guitar, recalling the finger positions he knew from his bass-playing days. Minho was awkwardly talking to Mina, the Japanese model drafted in for the shoot. His Japanese was not as fluent as Kibum’s though, so Kibum kept interrupting to translate. Jinki and Taemin were playing with a packet of sparklers and boasting to each other about their childhood prowess with fireworks.
“Wish every MV was like this. Dress in t-shirts and shorts, sit around on a beach,” signed Jonghyun.
“Yeah, let’s get a memo to SM. We Shinee - refuse to do choreo 50 times for music video shoots ever again!” said Jinki excitedly. Everyone laughed, knowing it was wishful thinking.
The shoot ended late at night with the members playing around with sparklers and spelling out “S-H-I-N-e-e” in the dark night. The scene came out beautifully on film, capturing the palpable happiness from the group.
Chapter 11: Become Undone
By September, the workload was starting to get to all the Shinee members. Touring was extremely tiring. An extraordinary amount of energy was needed for live shows and the schedule was relentless. Tempers were fraying.
“Have you seen my wine?” Taemin said frantically. Jun paced around by the front door, anxiety creeping up his neck. It was 10.30am and the flight was departing in two and a half hours. This was going to be a tight one, even when factoring in the need for some reckless driving.
Jinki and Minho had woken up late, so they were behind schedule. Kibum usually woke up the other members at a reasonable time but lately, he had been antagonistically petty. He had gotten up early that morning, gone about his usual routine but did not wake the others. Unfortunately, Jun had morning conference calls with Director Park that morning and had assumed Kibum would take care of wake-up call duty.
When he emerged from the calls at 10am, Jinki and Minho were still sound asleep. Jong was in the shower, taking his sweet time. Taemin was still in his sleepwear, hair askew, padding around room to room searching for something.
Jun went into crisis manager mode. Firstly, Jinki and Minho. Ripping away the covers, he screamed “WAKE UP!!!! We are LATE for our flights!!!” at both of them.
He pounded loudly on the bathroom door. “Jongie, speed it up! You have exactly 20 minutes to get yourself on the van with your bags.”
Jun noticed a fully-dressed Kibum head out to the van, loading his suitcase in the trunk. In stark contrast, Taemin still had bed-hair and obviously had not found what he was looking for.
“Taemin, what’s going on? What are you looking for?
“I bought a case of special wine for my parents. I thought I left it in the kitchen but it’s gone.”
“That green case with 2 bottles? Ok, let me look for it. You get in the shower and get changed. Have you finished packing already?”
30 mins of frantic activity later, everyone was almost there. Jun had looked through the whole house but there was no case of wine. He remember seeing the handsome green box that contained two elegant bottles of Japanese wine and presumed it was an expensive gift from a generous fan. There often were random gifts of clothing, food, plush toys, flowers littered around.
One by one, the members finished getting ready and piled into the van. Kibum and the driver had been sitting in the van for 20 minutes already. Taemin was still in the kitchen, opening all the cabinets.
“Sorry Taemin. Looks like that case of wine has gone. It’s not in the house. I looked in every room for you.”
Taemin looked as if we was about to argue for another look-around but Jun cut him off firmly.
“We have to get to the airport Taemin,” he pleaded. “Look, I’ll alert the cleaning company ok? If they find it, they can hold it for you for next time.”
Taemin sulkily nodded and got into the van.
“Driver, sorry to ask you to do this,” Jun pleaded. “Could you do everything you can to get us to the airport in 25 mins?”
Jun’s adrenaline started to calm a little as they set off. It was all up to the driver’s skill and the luck of the traffic conditions now. Nothing more he could do.
“Hey, listen up before you all fall asleep. Quick question for everyone. There was a green case of wine in the kitchen. Did anyone take it?”
Amongst all the denials, Kibum calmly said “Yeah, I took it.”
Taemin sulked accusingly, “That was mine! I bought it for my parents.” He muttered “Thief” under his breath to his neighbor Minho.
“Just like Kibum to take without asking,” sneered Minho.
“Hey, I had no idea ok! Thought it was a gift from a fan.”
“Yeah? Well, don’t you think you should have asked us all before you took it?”
Kibum’s face turned hard. “Well, do you ask us before you take all the chocolates?” he said bitingly.
Jun looked at Jinki to see if he was going to intervene. But Jinki had his eyes shut. Either he was asleep or trying his best to appear so, intent on ignoring the shenanigans.
“Ok, ok - that’s enough! I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding,” Jun said, attempting to smooth things over.
“Taemin - good news, your wine has been found and even packed. I’m sure Kibum will hand it over to you when we arrive in Seoul. Crisis over.”
The rest of the car journey passed in brooding silence. Everyone looked intently at their phone screens or put in their earphones. With the wine found, Taemin’s face started to brighten as he listened to his music. However, Kibum stayed in his cold hard shell, arms crossed defensively for the entire journey.
Chapter 12: Tell Me What To Do
Beneath that sassy exterior, Jun soon realized that Kibum was fraught with insecurities. He was what the industry termed a good all-rounder - above-average at dancing, rapping and singing. He was pleasing to the eye but not a beauty. In a more mediocre group, Kibum or his stage persona Key would have stood out more. However, in Shinee, the others just shone so bright - with natural-born talents that seemed impossible to emulate.
Jonghyun had an incredible vocal range and a talent for songwriting which he passionately honed. Jinki was also a talented vocalist with an unmistakable vocal timbre. Taemin was universally recognized as one of the best dancer performers in the entire k-pop industry. Minho had the face and physical build of a male model and a promising career as an actor.
At the start of Shinee’s career, there was often popularity rankings in magazines. The members would feign little interest but in truth, Jun knew they all liked to peek. Taemin was very popular especially in Japan. Jinki and Jonghyun were also popular for their vocal talents and there was always a healthy swell of appreciation for Minho’s looks. Key often ranked last.
Jun empathized with Kibum. Even though they were all taught to de-sensitize themselves to media, it was still hard not to let your self-worth be affected. Luckily, Kibum had a grounded loving childhood which helped him build layers of resilience.
The irony, Jun thought, was that Kibum possessed many strengths. He was intelligent, practical and realistic. His memorization skills were strong which gave him advantages in learning choreography and song lyrics. He was a charismatic performer. Attuned to the camera’s presence, he knew when and where to smile and make eye contact for maximum effect. He was adept at learning languages and his Japanese and English was the most fluent of all the members. His powerful nasal voice and sassy personality brought a unique dynamism and charm to Shinee.
Plus, he had a head for business. He understood Shinee’s brand to SM Entertainment and commercial considerations for decisions. He even managed his own money matters well! Within the group, he could always be relied upon to check the final bill for restaurant meals and to know the currency exchange rate when overseas.
But it didn’t seem enough for Kibum and who could blame him? His envy for his bandmates would manifest itself in various ways. The bust-up about “stealing” Taemin’s case of wine was just the latest incident.
He was gentle to his best friend Jonghyun who despite his extraordinary gifts, carried a deep vulnerability that none of them matched. He was more respectful to Jinki who rose above the petty arguments and absorbed the stress generated by the younger members. He fought most with Minho - being of same age, their discussions often degenerated into catty name-calling and mean remarks. His disagreement with Taemin was more self-generated.
In the early days, he would boss Taemin around who needed the structure given by Kibum’s constant nagging. As Taemin matured, his beautiful unique looks took on an ethereal quality. Moree importantly, the young dancer’s work ethic and ambition started to produce results. Trained vocally by Jonghyun, Taemin’s vocal range was expanding and his breathy mixed voice was reliably smooth. Through multiple hours of practice, his artistry in dance increased ten-fold. Despite his steady ambition to better himself, Taemin remained humble, eager to learn from everyone around him.
It was no secret that management thought Taemin had the “whole package” and believed he could be a successful solo artist. As news started to filter through that Taemin would be the first in the group to have a solo debut, Jun could see Kibum distancing himself more from his young charge.
It was a miserably cold November morning and Jun was driving Kibum to the KTX station. Shinee had a rare 3 day break from all schedules and all the members had opted to head home to rest and see their families. With Kibum’s hometown being in Daegu, he was going to take the express KTX train which took about two and a half hours. Despite dressing like a kpop star, Kibum was never bothered by the public on these journeys home. The few fans that had approached him in the past were very respectful and it never got out of hand.
The mood in the car was reflective. Before he left for his parent’s house, Taemin revealed to the group that he had started recording solo songs, in preparation for a 2014 debut. Although everyone congratulated Taemin on the surface, there were varying undercurrents of emotion. Jonghyun was genuinely delighted. Firstly, he considered himself Taemin’s mentor, having vocally trained him for many years. Plus, management had also started talking to Jonghyun about his solo career. He knew he would not be far behind.
Jinki and Minho were sincere in their congratulations. Minho had his own acting ambitions that kept him busy and it was below Jinki to feel anything but happiness for his fellow member. In contrast, Kibum seemed more withdrawn and pensive.
“So what’s up Kibum?” asked Jun. As the car was going to crawl through Seoul traffic, it was an ideal opportunity to check in on Kibum.
“Not much these days,” said Kibum gruffly.
“You thinking about Taemin?”
“What’s there to think about?”
Kibum’s defenses were high. Jun knew he had to be more direct.
“I mean, is this making you think about your own ambitions?”
Kibum turned pink. It seemed as if Jun hit a nerve. The floodgates opened.
“No matter how many hours I work, the others are at a different level! Heck, I’m surprised I even lasted this long! I don’t have the looks of a Taemin or Minho. I don’t have Jong’s or Jinki’s voice. I’m like… a chicken amongst swans!”
Jun chuckled. The analogy was apt. “Well then, just be the greatest chicken you ever can be!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean you have talent too Kibum. There’s stuff only you can do and the others can’t. Just focus on being the best version of you that you can be.”
Kibum looked perplexed.
“ Ok, let’s break this down. What’s something that only you can do?”
There was a brief pause while Kibum’s brain whirled.
“Well, I guess I can cook the best, i’m decent at variety shows. My artwork isn’t bad - they did use my drawing for The Misconceptions re-issue,” he reflected fondly. “And I’m the fashionista in the group. I can put outfits together whereas the others need help from the stylists…”
“Ok, so what’s the pinnacle of that talent? Maybe be a stylist yourself?”
“Yeah, I guess being the team’s stylist. Or…even being the wardrobe stylist for the tour…” Kibum said slowly. He was starting to get the idea. “Do you think SM will let me do it though? I mean plan the whole wardrobe?”
“Well, what’s stopping you from putting a proposal together?”
“Nothing…I mean I can do a powerpoint and everything! I’ve sat in on so many of these presentations, thinking I can totally do it better. I know the members, what they look good in. I know the songs and the mood we are trying to capture. The stylists get it so wrong sometimes because they don’t understand Shinee.”
“You know what to do then.”
“Oh my god! I have so much work to do! I have to study the latest fashion shows! Does my laptop even have powerpoint installed?”
“I’ll speak to Hyeok. I don’t see why they can’t give you a presentation slot at the next concert meeting.”
“You know what? I have a better idea. How about I pull together the presentation first and just email it to Director-nim, copying all of you? It will have more impact coming from me directly.”
Jun couldn’t argue with Kibum’s political savvy. Yeah, that wasn’t a bad idea. Take it to the top so that he doesn’t get rejected at the lower levels of management.
“Deal. I’ll let you handle everything then.”
“Thanks for the chat Jun!”
As the car pulled up to the train station, it was a very different Kibum that emerged out of the car. Eyes gleaming with intent and wrapped in his expensive YSL leather jacket, Kibum strode across the plaza, head held high, as he blended into the swath of commuters.
A few weeks later, it was an excited Kibum that ran into the dorm, banging the front door and kicking off his shoes hastily.
“Ok b**ches, this is what’s going down! You are looking at your new head wardrobe stylist for the Tokyo Dome tour!”
The four members were seated around the dinner table with Jun, in t-shirts and sweatpants, enjoying take-out fried chicken, salad and beer.
“Wow, congrats Kibum!”
“Knew you could do it, babe!”
The chorus of congratulations was heart-felt. No one had the remotest interest or had the talent to be a wardrobe stylist - except for Kibum.
“Can you put me in something more flattering? Anything that slims my thighs?” grinned Jinki, patting his greasy fingers on his thighs for emphasis.
“You are going to make me wear something ridiculous right? teased Jonghyun.
“I will never do that Jongie! I’m going to make everyone look extra pretty. Oh, you know what, I’m going to be democratic. I will post up 5 outfits on our Kakao thread. You can pick what you want to wear but it’s first come, first served. I’ll wear what’s left over. So remember to watch your phone!”
“Yeah, I call BS. You are still going to give me something crazy,” Minho said, as he bit into a chicken drumstick.
“Please - just don’t put me in a skirt or give me long hair ever again,” begged Taemin as he rubbed his hands together in a mock-plea.
Jun was ecstatic for Kibum. He had never seen Kibum work so hard on something other than singing and dancing. He came back from his Daegu family trip with a 80-slide powerpoint which he kept refining and editing over many late nights. His proposal for the wardrobe design for the Tokyo Dome concert was well-received by management. They were impressed with his professionalism which rivaled their lead wardrobe stylists. Once Kibum found out that he got the job and would lead the 4-person stylist team for the upcoming tour, his confidence skyrocketed. There was no stopping him now.
Chapter 13 - Y.O.U (Year of Us)
Not content with the double Misconceptions album, SM executives wanted to push out another EP for Shinee in late 2013. Jun Woo was told “This is the year we put Shinee on the map. They HAVE to be the group of the year.”
Starting from August, the group started recording new tracks. There were some stand-outs - including an electronic dance single called “Everybody” which was eventually chosen as a lead single.
Fatigue was setting in. Jun Woo was particularly concerned about Jinki - his voice was not getting better, it was getting worse. His voice sounded raspy and strained especially during the high notes. Dr. Kim despaired over his condition - having ignored his advice to rest for months, the specialist doctor was now advising that Jinki would need surgery to remove the nodes.
With “Everybody” being an EDM dance track, there was an opportunity to highlight the choreography. SM Management decided to bring in Tony Testa again.
“This is the hardest choreo yet,” mumbled Kibum in disbelief as the members watched the dancers dance the demo.
“No way…there is no way,”Jinki exclaimed, shaking his head. “It’s too fast…”
“And we have to learn this in a day?” moaned Jonghyun.
The only two that seemed excited were Taemin and Minho. “It looks amazing!”
The SM dance director Gregory Hwang was also full of enthusiasm. “And so, at the beginning, I was thinking that the four of you could each grab one of Taemin’s limbs and throw him forward! Taemin, you just have to land on your feet in a crouch position.”
Kibum just stared at Gregory. “Hold on, you want us to throw him!? You do know that we will have to do this for every performance!” Kibum’s sarcasm was palpable to everyone except Gregory. The dance director hardly heard Kibum as he sketched out his glorious vision of the dance routine.
“This choreo is going to be iconic! Tony has done it again. You’ll see…this track is going to top the charts. Let’s give them legendary Shinee,” exuded Gregory, waving his arms with a flourish. Taemin, you’re up for this right?”
Several hours later, the members were truly exhausted. Jinki lay on his back on the dance studio floor, sweat pouring from his face. “I’m getting too old for this…” he signed.
As predicted by Gregory and to the jubilation of SM executives, the choreography for “Everybody” did stun their industry peers, critics and the Shawol fandom. The robotic synchronization, the body-lifts and the ‘helicopter” move left many in admiration. The whole concept of the EP which ventured into EDM and dubstep was also much lauded. A departure from the cheery pop of “Dream Girl”, it was another genre Shinee had experimented with and conquered.
The members continued their trend in participating in other aspects of production. They often suggested changes to the music and lyrics. Jong wrote the lyrics to “Symptoms” - a sultry modern R&B track written by The Underdogs which were much admired. Kibum had recommended the head stylist to check out New York designer’s Thom Browne’s new collection. The stylist loved the military outfits featured in the collection and promptly bought five jackets in gray, navy and red. To reflect the simple color palette, she also put them in simple white shirts with overly-wide-brimmed black hats for the ballads.
Whether it was the high-energy track or the impressive choreography, the lead single “Everybody” swept the charts and received various Number 1 positions on music shows. In one year, they had released 3 albums, each expressing a totally different concept. It was their most prolific year yet and the boys were beyond exhausted.
“Surely we’ve done enough to get it this year?” asked Jonghyun tentatively.
The nominations for the 2013 Melon Awards were being announced later that day.
“Hard to say. I think we will get a Bonsang - not sure about the big one though. We are not exactly flavor of the month anymore,” opined Kibum, ever-realistic.
“EXO are so popular, it could be them for the Daesang,” said Taemin.
“Well, we gave it our best. I don’t think we could have worked any harder,” said Jinki.
“My legs are sore, Jonghyun needs a month off just to sleep, Jinki’s losing his voice and we’ve spent so much time together, Kibum is about to punch me in the face,” added Minho emphatically. “If we don’t get it this year, I’m not sure if we ever will.”
Chapter 14: Epilogue
It was 1am in the morning and five dog-tired members of Shinee piled into the group van.
Jonghyun was holding the Melon Awards statue and talking via Kakao video with his mum and sister, a beautific smile on his face.
Kibum’s phone pinged non-stop and he was texting furiously as the congratulations flowed in from family members, friends and industry peers.
Jun looked at all the members as they reached this career pinnacle. It was an incredible moment for him as well, as a manager of a successful group.
“I’m so proud of all of you. We finally made it.”
“Ah Jun,” said Jinki, grabbing his manager in a bear hug. “You know we couldn’t have done this without you and everyone that works for Shinee!”
Jun couldn’t resist. “So what’s next boys?”
Kibum gave him an side-way glance of irritation. “Can’t we just enjoy one night and bask in our achievements?”
The other members murmured in agreement.
“Well, there’s always Tokyo Dome,” said Taemin innocently.
“I mean, that’s a crazy next goal right? Selling 50,000 tickets for each night…” said Minho wistfully.
Jun paused, wondering whether he should mention the latest plans from the SM planning team regarding the Shinee Japan strategy. Wouldn’t it be better to space out the positive messages instead of laying it on thick in one night? I mean, the members were already so hyped, at this rate, they were unlikely to get any sleep. Especially Jonghyun.
But the champagne at the after-party had loosened his tongue and blunted his judgment.
“Well, actually I’ve been meaning to tell you all something….”
FIN
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