6 Years Ago…
The midday sunlight shone brightly through the corridors of Star Entertainment's training building. Trainees walked in and out of the practice rooms. Some were chatting, some were busy joking around, some still looked exhausted after long training sessions, and some were still practicing in other rooms.
At the end of the corridor, there was a special practice room reserved only for trainees guaranteed to debut. The room was filled with the sound of loud music. Several passing trainees stopped in front of the glass door to watch. One trainee peeked his head inside and looked at a young man.
"As usual, Lee Joon." He said before letting out a small sigh.
"Ah… him again."
Inside the practice room, Lee Joon was dancing alone.
The music blasted loudly from the speakers. His movements were sharp and perfectly on beat with the music.
Step, turn, slide.
His feet stomped against the floor before his body spun quickly. Every movement Lee Joon made was filled with power. Yet none of it looked forced. Everything looked controlled and clean.
As if the choreography itself was a part of his body.
Sweat had already soaked the sides of his forehead, but there was still no sign of him stopping.
Outside the door, more and more trainees began gathering to watch the legendary trainee.
One trainee leaned against the wall while staring through the glass.
"No wonder he became the center. The CEO literally held auditions three years ago just to build a debut lineup around him, right?"
Another trainee nodded in agreement.
"All the staff here like him. Not just that, even the training director always praises him."
"Seriously. He's basically our legendary trainee. I don't even know what'll happen once he debuts. Other groups are probably gonna have a hard time competing against his group."
"Exactly… Even his group members are insanely talented too. Besides being handsome, they're all talented like Lee Joon."
"Oh yeah, where are the other members? I've only seen him alone so far."
"I think they went out to buy food. Lee Joon's the maknae in their group, so obviously his hyungs wouldn't let him go buy food himself."
Suddenly, the sound of formal shoes echoed from the end of the hallway.
All the trainees immediately straightened their posture with shocked expressions.
The training director was walking toward them. His face looked serious as always.
The trainees quickly moved aside to make way for him.
"Good afternoon, Director."
He only gave a small nod, but his steps never stopped.
His eyes were immediately drawn toward the special practice room where Lee Joon was training.
The music was still loud.
The bass echoed through the hallway.
THUMP. THUMP.
The training director stopped in front of the glass door and looked inside the room.
Lee Joon was still dancing alone.
The director watched him for several moments before finally opening the practice room door.
CLICK.
The music was still playing. Perhaps Lee Joon didn't notice the training director's presence.
Only after several more seconds did Lee Joon finally realize someone had entered.
He immediately stopped moving.
His breathing became slightly heavy.
"Director?" Lee Joon called out.
The training director walked toward the sound system and turned off the music.
The practice room instantly became silent.
Several trainees outside the room were still watching curiously.
The training director looked at Lee Joon with his usual calm expression.
"Lee Joon."
"Yes, Director. Is something wrong?"
Lee Joon immediately bowed 90 degrees respectfully.
"The CEO wants to see you."
Several trainees outside immediately exchanged glances.
"The CEO?"
"Right now?" Lee Joon asked.
The training director nodded while smiling slightly.
Lee Joon grabbed a small towel near the mirror and wiped the sweat from his face.
For a moment, his eyes stared at his own reflection in the mirror.
After walking for several minutes, Lee Joon finally stood in front of the executive office door.
The training director who had accompanied him stopped there as well.
On the door was a small engraved sign.
CEO — Star Entertainment
KNOCK. KNOCK.
The training director knocked twice.
A voice came from inside.
"Come in."
The director slowly pushed open the door.
Inside was a spacious office decorated elegantly and luxuriously. Fitting for one of South Korea's top entertainment companies.
Large glass windows overlooked the busy city of Seoul.
In the center of the room, a man in his late forties sat behind a large desk. Lee Joon immediately approached and bowed respectfully.
"Good afternoon, CEO."
The CEO observed him for a few moments. His eyes scanned Lee Joon from head to toe before smiling.
"Lee Joon, how's training? Everything okay? You're healthy, right? Sit down first." Lee Joon smiled slightly before taking a seat in front of him.
"Training's going well. I'm healthy. Did you need something from me, CEO?" Lee Joon asked.
"Yes, give me a moment." The CEO opened a file on top of his desk.
Inside were several pictures of his group members, including himself, along with group concepts and marketing plans. On one of the pages, a large name was written.
DOMIN8.
The CEO pushed the file slightly toward Lee Joon.
"We're almost done finalizing your group's debut concept."
Lee Joon looked at the file. His heart started beating slightly faster.
"As you already know, this group will become the company's biggest project for the next few years."
Joon only nodded slowly. The CEO looked at him once again.
"And we've made our decision." He closed the file before looking directly at Lee Joon again.
"You will be the first member introduced to the public." For several seconds, Lee Joon said nothing. Because he was trying to make sure he hadn't heard wrong. The CEO continued speaking with a wider smile while patting Lee Joon's shoulder.
"You will become DOMIN8's permanent center." The training director standing nearby gave a small nod.
"Your introduction video will be filmed this week. We'll start revealing you to the media and fans soon. I believe you're ready. Right?" Lee Joon slowly inhaled before smiling and nodding. The dream he had chased for years was finally standing right in front of him.
"I'm ready, CEO. Thank you." Lee Joon stood up and bowed respectfully once again.
"This is only the beginning."
"After you're introduced, the other members will follow." The CEO looked at him seriously.
"From now on, every move you make will be watched carefully. Your diet and training schedule will also become much stricter." Lee Joon nodded.
"I understand." The CEO leaned back slightly in his chair before speaking softly.
"Lee Joon."
"You are the face of this group."
"We are all depending on you." Lee Joon stood and bowed once more.
"I won't disappoint the company or my group. Like I said before, I'll never waste all the effort and time I've spent for so many years." The CEO nodded with relief and smiled.
Several minutes later, Lee Joon walked out of the office. The corridor felt quiet. But his chest felt full. Because at that moment, he truly believed that he was finally on the right path.
Several days after that meeting, Star Entertainment's building became much busier than usual.
The marketing team staff moved around nonstop. Video editors sat in front of their computers. Social media managers checked the launch schedules repeatedly. Because that evening—They were finally introducing DOMIN8's first member.
6:00 PM
Star Entertainment's official account finally uploaded a brand-new video. A black poster with white text appeared first.
STAR NEW PROJECT BOY GROUP
Then the words changed.
FIRST MEMBER REVEAL
A few seconds later, a silhouette appeared in the video. Bright studio lights illuminated the body of a man standing in the center of the stage. Soft music slowly began playing. The silhouette started moving. His steps were calm and sharp. The camera slowly approached him.Then—His face was finally revealed.
Lee Joon.
His blond hair was neatly styled. His sharp eyes carried a powerful aura that filled the screen. Words appeared underneath him.
LEE JOON
CENTER (THE ACE OF STAR ENTERTAINMENT)
The video then showed several short clips of Lee Joon. Lee Joon dancing inside the practice room. Lee Joon singing inside the recording studio. Lee Joon smiling brightly during a trainee vlog recording. Then one final sentence appeared on the screen.
DOMIN8 - COMING SOON
The video ended. Social media immediately exploded with comments from netizens and K-pop fans. Only minutes after the upload, countless reactions flooded Star Entertainment's accounts.
"WHO IS HE?"
"His visuals are insane."
"His center aura is crazy."
On the Pann forum, one post immediately started trending.
[HOT POST]
Title: DOMIN8's first member is insanely handsome.
His name is Lee Joon. He already looks like an idol who debuted years ago. His visuals are absolutely legendary. It's hard to find visuals like his these days. Not only are his visuals legendary, but his talent is super duper SS+ too.
The post was quickly flooded with comments from netizens.
"God-tier visuals."
"His center aura is seriously strong."
"I feel like he's about to become everyone's bias."
"His photocards are definitely gonna be expensive."
Inside the Practice Room
Meanwhile, Lee Joon sat on a small sofa while holding his phone. His introduction video was still playing on the screen. His manager smiled.
"The reactions on social media are really good." The training director stood nearby.
"This is only the beginning." Lee Joon stared at the screen. His name was displayed boldly.
LEE JOON
DOMIN8
His heart felt full of hope. Because he believed that the whole world was finally looking at him.