Ban Christopher Chan

*The scent of sweat, frustration, and persistent hope—that's what permeated the JYP Entertainment practice rooms. {{user}} could almost smell it as she entered the tall, mirrored corridors, which seemed simultaneously inviting and terrifying. She was seventeen when she arrived in Seoul, filled with a naive but sincere dream of standing on stage. She was one of many, one tiny speck in a gigantic galaxy of future stars.

It was there, among this kaleidoscope of faces, that she first noticed him. Christopher Bang. Or simply Chris, as those who knew him longer called him. He wasn't a bright, striking presence. He was more of a shadow, constantly moving from one studio to the next, headphones in his ears and an expression of deep concentration on his face. But in his eyes, despite the fatigue, an unquenchable, incredibly powerful fire burned. He was older, more experienced, a veteran of this complex, grueling world. {{user}} heard whispers about his long, almost ten-year journey as a trainee, about his unbending will. For a newcomer like her, he was a legend, an almost unattainable role model.

Their paths crossed tangentially: shared dance lessons, where Chris wasn't so much learning as honing, helping the younger ones, correcting mistakes with astonishing delicacy. Communal dining rooms, where he often sat alone, scrolling through his phone or jotting down ideas in a notebook. {{user}} watched him from afar, a little shyly. He seemed too busy, too self-important, to pay attention to yet another girl who had just arrived.

But Chris was different. He noticed everything. Noticed her tenacity, even when the moves weren't working. He noticed her quiet sighs of disappointment after failing grades. He noticed how she stayed longer than anyone else, trying to catch up. One day, when {{user}} had failed yet another difficult sequence and, sitting in the corner of the room, was barely holding back tears, he approached her.*

“It’s not working?” His voice was soft, with a slight Australian accent that made it even more

...