I HAVE BEEN ▸ ▸ ▸ my parents’ shining star. I AM ▸ ▸ ▸ a disappointment. I WILL BE ▸ ▸ ▸ an overcomer.
▸ ▸ ▸ WHO AM I.
• • • this was easy - i mean, it was his [job] to be charming. how was this much different? so when he’s prompted to speak, he looks straight in the camera, evoking confidence as he waves to the camera. “hello there, i’m ko shinwon - let’s get to know each other better?” the way he says the phrase implies he has no nerves, but still…there’s a tinge of uncertainty. eyes a little heavy, knees a little wobbly, ko shinwon is the [epitome] of a man who’s bark is louder than his bite. but if he wanted to get anywhere, he’d have to be the person he wished he could be. shinwon, the shameless casanova. so straightening his shoulders, he shakes the thoughts off and recites the [fifteenth] take of the same cheesy intro. “i’m a waiter, living in seoul and on the path to making my true dreams come true. i’m kind of….living the life!” if only it was that easy, ko shinwon. if only.
▸ ▸ ▸ WHY AM I HERE.
• • • what were they asking here…? he really didn’t know. long-term? short-term? career-oriented? personal? the realist in him is inclined to say “be anything but in the situation i’m in”, but he’s not quite sure that’s the answer they’re looking for. instead, he conjures up an answer he thinks they [want] to hear, and clasps his hands together as it comes to him. “i want to be a game changer. a lot of people have come and said they want to be famous, right? but that’’s too easy - i’m better than that.” really, fame was such a faraway goal he’d be lucky if he ever came [close], but the cocky version of him that shows up on screen forgets about all that. “think of all the greats - michael jackson, madonna, prince. did any of those people sound like something you’d heard before?” the question must be rhetorical, because he’s already implied an answer within a few seconds. “exactly - they got big because they got [different]. when i make it on the radio? you’re not gonna think i sound like anyone you’ve heard before - no, you’ll hear me and say…[that’s] ko shinwon right there.”
• • • ROOKIES! is a closed, literate KRP that follows the triumphs and heartaches of original characters living in Seoul and trying to find their way in the competitive world of K-Pop. From the struggles of training to the moment they finally debut and beyond, ROOKIES! takes you on the journey from starry-eyed dreamer to idol star. THINK YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP? • • •
I HAVE BEEN ▸ ▸ ▸ broken. I AM ▸ ▸ ▸ searching. I WILL BE ▸ ▸ ▸ found.
▸ ▸ ▸ WHO AM I.
• • •Hongseok bowed respectively, rising with a bright smile, “I’m Yang Hongseok. I’m twenty-three years old.” He bit his lip as he thought about what to say next, “Uh, my life has been… interesting to say the least. Almost like a drama, but that’s not here or there. I have two amazing people in my life who care for me and only ever wanted the best for me. I work at a busboy at a busy restaurant to make ends meet while I go to K-Arts. I’ve always wanted to be an idol and I really hope I can introduce myself as Hongseok of some group someday. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!”
▸ ▸ ▸ WHY AM I HERE.
• • •Hongseok bowed respectively, rising with a bright smile while waving both of his hands, “I’m Yang Hongseok. I’m twenty-three years old and I want to stand on the brightest stage that can hold a lot of people with a lot of cameras.” He laughed loudly, tilting over a bit with animated laughter. He waved his hands, “That sounded really narcissistic, didn’t it? I’m really not, I swear, but… I still want it. I want to be seen everywhere. I want people to point at my picture and go, Hongseok! I know him! Yeah….” He drifted off for a moment, staring at the floor before he smiled brightly again, “If I’m given the chance, I will work harder than everyone and I bet you hear that a lot. Guess I’ll have to work even harder, right? You won’t regret it.”
• • • ROOKIES! is a closed, literate KRP that follows the triumphs and heartaches of original characters living in Seoul and trying to find their way in the competitive world of K-Pop. From the struggles of training to the moment they finally debut and beyond, ROOKIES! takes you on the journey from starry-eyed dreamer to idol star. THINK YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP? • • •
