One famous actor once recollected that "What made me who I am now was the poverty from my childhood." I stood back up like a tumbler whenever I was exhausted, so the poverty must have done me some good too. As I was writing my part, I felt very proud of myself. I am a very lucky person, being a singer that I had always dreamed of, after walking through a dark tunnel of my life safely.
I organized my life stories, thinking of my fans that love me infinitely.
Lee Jae Jin
"Did you call your cousins? Hee hee."
Before Jekki debuted, we joked around while looking at the fans that were waiting for us outside our office. We couldn't believe how many fans we had, considering that we weren't even on TV. How did they know about us.. what did they like about us? Whenever I saw the fans, I felt strangely happy. They were all girls in my age. I remember saying hi and giving them autographs.
But once we debuted, the fans were more demanding than we had expected. There were many fans that waited in front of my Bang Bae Dong apartment. Graffiti on walls was a basic thing to do. There were more aggressive fans that distorted my door and spat in the keyhole.
Just a while ago, I was changing in order to go on some show. My eyes met with some fan that was watching my every move through the window as she was stepping on her ladder. So close! We were both so embarrassed that our faces reddened. But when I think about it now, I smile subtly. Their images overlap with mine a few years back.
My confession. When I was a member of Quicksilver, I was a huge fan of Taiji Boys and Deux. I was obsessed with dancing and my lifetime wish was to see their faces just once. But where I lived, Pusan, was too far away from Seoul and the chances of seeing my idols were very slim. Then one day, Deux came down to Pusan for their concert! Majority of Deux fans were girls, so us guy fans took full advantage of that. After the concert, we got to dance in front of Deux and converse with them. Just because we were guys, they had remembered us.
Since I have that memory, I try to understand fans that are relatively aggressive. But most of the time, there just are fans that shyly give me their letters and presents, and come to our performances and watch. I thank them.
Among them, I cannot forget a fan that has been writing me a letter every single day for the last 2 years. It's so hard to even write a journal that way, moreover, she was writing about my boring life! I was deeply touched. She sent me the pictures of me that I have never even seen, and she analyzed my dancing and singing in detail. I am grateful to her.
I am surrounded by my fans but when a holiday approaches, I become depressed. After I became a member of Jekki, I didn't get to spend my holidays with my family. However, I am comforted by the fans that cheer for me when I'm on stage. I cannot thank them enough for the endless love they give us. Because of them, Jekki can still try our best on stage.
Chapter 2: As an outsider
"A big snake was crawling into my skirt. Somebody told me that you were going to be a great figure."
My mother still tells me that my birth dream was not ordinary. She was catching clams at a beach and 5 snakes crawled into her skirt. Among them, the biggest snake twirled around her leg and even though it was only a dream, she was so scared that she detached the snake and threw it far away.
On July 13th, 1979, I was born in Gam Chun Dong, Sa Ha Gu in Pusan. My father was a detective in Pusan City Police Department. He was a fearful and distant existence. I resemble one thing from him ...the artistic talent. He always won 1st place whenever there was a montage drawing contest.
In comparison to him, I believe I resemble my mother completely in aspects of singing and my looks. She always won awards with her neighbors when there was a singing contest.
We were poor, but we were a happy family. But the household was clouded darkly when my father quit his job. He had taken the blame for his friend's mistake that was much poorer, and left his job instead. On top of that, my mother was constantly bedridden since she gave my birth, suffering from rheumatism. We had to worry about our daily meals.
Dark household atmosphere only made me stay outside. There were many criminals since it was a bad neighborhood. I stole cookies with my friends and my mother caught me many times so I was beaten pretty often. But there was something strange. I only stole cookies that were worth 100 won, but the storeowner reported to my mom that they were worth 1000 won. As a young boy, I had already had experienced how underhanded adults could be.
When I was in elementary, my father left to Saudi Arabia to work at a construction site. He was very quiet but his empty spot was surprisingly large for me. I then realized what it felt like to miss someone dearly.
A few years ago, he came back in an image where he grew significantly old. It ached my heart to see his tanned features. It was when I was in 4th grade. On his birthday, we invited all our neighbors and threw a party. The memory of my mom giving him a bottle of soju (*Note: Korean alcohol) and a pack of cigarettes as his birthday present ...and the bittersweet expression of my dad when he received them ...still remains in me as an unforgettable picture.
I grew up, feeling that the world I lived in was not as sweet as the one my friends lived in.
Chapter 3: As a Paperboy
It must have been due to my household environment. I matured earlier than everyone else. It perturbed me to see my mother so much, so when I got into middle school, I started delivering newspapers. The first income I earned on my own was 60,000 won (*Note: approximately 60 dollars). It was nowhere enough to pay for my mother's medicines and the tuition for my sister and me.
5 am. It wasn't easy to wake up from my sleep when everyone else was sleeping. But I got up earlier than anyone else. I needed to hurry and deliver my share of newspapers before my peers started coming to school. I would have rather died than to have them see me.
The business my father started after he came back from Saudi Arabia failed. That led my mother's store to close down as well. On top of that, she became more ill as the time progressed.
My father was elsewhere so I only got to see him about once a year.
"Jae Jin, I don't think I will make it to your graduation. Keep your grades up..."
He came when Mom wasn't home and gave me some money. Whenever I faced him walking away, he looked so lonely.
It is certainly relative to that matter that I dwelled so much in dancing. I needed an outlet from my depressed household.
At the moment I danced, I could forget all about the world's worries. I spent most of my days in school thinking about dancing. And my friends acknowledged me when it came to dancing. My sole outlet was dancing, only dancing.
Delivering newspapers and dancing...my grades dropped endlessly but my parents were so into earning money that they had no time to take care of me.
I won a watch as a prize when I went on some karaoke program sponsored by Pusan TV station. Mom realized then that I was dancing. She didn't say much but I could feel that she was glad for me that I could concentrate on something.
A day before my middle school graduation, I pierced my ears impulsively because the way other dancing kids had their ears pierced looked so cool. Mom scolded me greatly at first but afterwards, she gave me medication for the wounds to heal.
She is the type of person that supports me unknowingly when I do something. Besides the fact that I accomplished my dream, the thing I liked about being a singer was that I could buy her a new house. On the day she dragged her ill body and moved into the big house, she spilled out the tears she had been holding back at last.
Chapter 4: Chaotic Running Away from Home with Quicksilver Friends
I do not know since when, but everytime I turned on TV, I could only focus on singers and dancers. I was a very flexible person so I imitated every dance routine ever shown on TV. Even when I was in my classroom or delivering newspapers, the image of Lee Hyun Do from Deux did not leave my head.
Tae Yong was the first friend that exposed me to the world of dancing. It was during winter break in my 8th grade year. I was a mischievous boy so I pretended to go to library but hung out with friends instead. I was a fanatical fan of Deux at the time and I was especially engulfed by their dynamic choreography.
And one day, someone in front of library was dancing out the routines of Deux perfectly! I begged him to teach me what he was doing. And I learned it just at once, which surprised even him. That was Tae Yong, and the friend that danced with me was Jae Ju.
Us three teamed up by dancing. We spent more than 6 hours a day practicing. We gathered together right after school and until dawn, we danced. No one was forcing us to do it, no one was paying us either, but we just practiced, not realizing how fast the time was passing by.
"Instead of just dancing amongst ourselves, how about doing it in front of people?"
"No way, we will be embarrassed with our abilities!"
"No, let's try it."
At that time in Pusan, there was a weekly dance contest at a rollerblading link. We choreographed to a Deux song overnight and entered the contest. But everytime we danced there, we always won 1st place. It was very unexpected. I had never won 1st in anything before. I never even had good grades in my life. When I found out that my potential lied in dancing, I gained confidence in everything.
From then on, us three musketeers were not only famous in our school, but in the entire region of Pusan. We didn't just imitate others'dances, but we started choreographing on our own. We lived in a same neighborhood so we met at a park during lunch and practiced.
As we became high school students, we were more involved in dancing and we also had the glory of being the last group to perform at some other school's festival. Jae Ju and Tae Yong became friends in my life that I could not imagine not having.
We got in trouble once then. Adults did not have good opinions on 'dancing kids.' Compared to their worrying, we were rather innocent but we couldn't confidently tell our parents that we were dancing. We didn't try to deceive them on purpose but we just never got around telling them, that's all. Then an event occurred where all of our parents realized what we were doing.
When we thought that we knew quite a lot about dancing, we thought about going to Seoul rather than staying in Pusan. In order to earn our traveling expenses, we decided to run away! Now that I think about it, where the heck did we get the courage to do so! We stayed at a friend's house and wrote songs that we would be singing in Seoul and practiced our dance. To make money, we delivered food, worked at a moving center, and just suffered all around.
But we were caught only in 10 days and were dragged (?) back to home. We all of a sudden realized how great their love was for us.
"I am so sorry that I cannot give you everything that you need, like the other parents."
I was expecting my mother to scold me greatly. Unexpectedly, she told me this and cried. I can't forget her tears from then.
Anyway, my first and last attempt to run away from home ended like this. My friends and I became more mature from this point on, I wonder if the fans would understand.
When I look back on my middle school/high school days, I have nothing to reminisce about, without Jae Ju and Tae Yong. They are such valuable friends I have. I sought for an opportunity with Seoul with them, but it always hurts me to think that only Jae Duc and I were selected.
When Jekki was singing 'Couple,'I was reminded more and more about my Quicksilver friends back in Pusan. They were still practicing, not giving up their dream of singing. I felt so bad that I was the only one among us performing onstage!
Last winter, when I was more secured financially and mentally, I tried to look for things I could do for Tae Yong and Jae Ju. I jotted down audition dates and I gave them shoes and clothes that would make them look more 'fancy' when they dance. I know they weren't that big of help but I wanted to show them that I cared.
Tae Yong and Jae Ju are now in college. I wish that someday, they would be able to perform onstage. They have more potential and talent than anybody I know!
"Good luck to Quicksilver friends!"
Chapter 5: Historical Arrival to Seoul
"I sent your dancing demo tape to all the famous productions in Seoul."
In summer of 1996 when we were dancing as Quicksilver, our friend Eun Jung said that she recorded our performances without us knowing and sent them to Seoul. She referred to herself as a 'manager' for everything concerning Quicksilver, so we were thankful to her but we were also embarrassed and worried.
We were quite famous in Pusan but I didn't think our dancing was perfect enough to be recognized by Seoulites.
But we received unexpected news.
"I like how you guys dance. Call me up!"
I doubted my ears. Our idols Yang Hyun Suk, Lee Juno, and a place called OK Music had called us! Hyun Suk specifically told us, "I was very impressed by you guys so let me see you on your break." Juno's production also told us to come to ING office in Ap Gu Jung right away.
We embraced each other and yelled, "YES!" We were so hopeful about becoming singers. Come to think of it, nothing was confirmed but we made some money and took a train to Seoul.
Dawn. We arrived in Seoul but we had no idea where Ap Gu Jung was. We wanted to rest so we slept at the station. But when we woke up, it was already noon and we had even lost Juno's office number. At last, we located his number in a phone book and met him when the sun was setting.
To us dancers, Juno was a hero. The fact that we were face to face with him was a very nervous thing. We also met "Young Turks Club," a very popular group at that time.
"I wish we could be just as successful as YTC."
We were country boys from Pusan so everything seemed just so foreign. We danced some trendy routines in front of Juno. After he saw our dance, he didn't say anything for a long time. And what he said afterwards really disappointed us.
"Don't expect too much just because I asked you to see you guys. Since you guys are still in school, go back to Pusan, keep your grades up, and come up again during winter break, all right?"
We weren't anticipating much but to go back to Pusan like that, we were very saddened. It was hard to suppress our excitement after we went back down to Pusan. The image of Juno and his office had already settled down in our hearts and we weren't able to forget them. All throughout my classes, I dreamed of being a singer.
Finally, the winter break came and we went up to Seoul to see Juno again. But the production said it was impossible to keep all four of us. Coincidentally, Mr. Lee from DSP held an audition and Jae Duc was selected as a member of a group soon to be formed.
It was very strange back then, now that I think about it. We were not devastated by the fact that only Jae Duc was picked, at all. We even felt good about it, since we thought, 'If Jae Duc succeeds in Seoul, he will sent us a lot of info about trendy dance moves.'
And Juno said he wanted to keep me. Right at that moment, I felt SO BAD for my Quicksilver friends. We went through thick and thin for 3 years and I couldn't get rid of my guilty conscience because I felt like I was betraying them.
Jae Duc, as a Jekki member, and I, as a backdancer in Juno's production ...our lives in Seoul began so.
Chapter 6: From a Backdancer to a Jekki Member
Including Jae Duc, all members of Jekki often visited Juno's production to hang out. I cannot forget the shock I received from seeing the members for the first time. Ji Won was someone I met in Juno's office. He was well dressed in old fashion mode. Sung Hoon was cute, masculine, and rich boy looking at the same time. 'Do all Seoul kids look like them...? They must be pretty popular in Seoul,' all sorts of thoughts went through my mind.
Su Won too, looked so clean cut and impressive. I was very surprised and wondered where DSP could've gathered such handsome boys. When I saw them all together in one place later, I was even more shocked. Not only were they good-looking, but they could dance and sing well too. It seemed like the best singing and dancing kids from Korea were all congregated. If they teamed up, anything appeared possible. Slowly, I started to envy them.
As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't envious of the fact that only Jae Duc was selected at first. But I couldn't help feeling 'left out' gradually. At that time, Jae Duc received some cold hard check as his allowance just because he was a 'member.' When they went to eat out, I felt like I was being an intruder, that I was a burden on them. But I followed what they were practicing as their dance and I taught what I knew to the other members.
I must have impressed them with my diligence, because a few months later, the manager, Ki Young called me aside and told me,
"I watched you for a while and you seem to dance well and teach them well. How about joining the team now?"
What else did I need to say? Of course the answer was "Yes!" I will never forget my happiness from that day. I became a member of Jekki afterwards and for the first time, I was able to have the glory of receiving a cold hard check for my allowance too.
Chapter 7: My Heart Trembling Debut Stage
"Now, let's try one more time."
I fell on hard wooden floor, and stood back up more than 100 times. But none of us stopped practicing until we learned all of our dance routines. The night was over and the new day was approaching. We were still teenagers but when it came to practicing, we were more hard-working then any other senior singers we knew.
At that time, we went back and forth from Kwang Hwa Moon Studio to our composers' recording studio, to practice singing. We danced in our own production. But after our break was over, we couldn't adjust our schedule because of school. Generally, we gathered together by 6 p.m. and once we started practicing then, we went all night.
As opposed to the members' soft looking features, they all had some kind of determination to practice.
I guess I can't forget how much we suffered during that time, so I really like our debut song, 'Hak Won Byul Gok.'
"Like the phone that doesn't ring, I'm living this world without any expressions. When the school bell rings 'ding' our war begins again. Everyone's friend is everyone's enemy, everyone struggles to trample down on each other......"
When I first heard this song, I was so amazed by how it explicitly stated our exact thoughts. I somewhat held a peculiar anticipation that we would be opening up the enclosed hearts of teenagers.
And I was right. Our first stage was on KMTV's 'Show! Music Tank!' which was known to promote newcomers. Fans who had never even seen Jekki perform once cheered us on.
When I got onstage, I could clearly see each and every fan. I felt dizzy. Then the anxiety of having to succeed overcame me the next moment. I am not sure how I did on that stage afterwards.
I thought that compared to our practice, our debut stage didn't exceed our expectations. Unexpectedly, though, the reaction was very successful. The audience screamed like crazy and the producer of that show complimented us.
A strand of hope spread in my heart. And I was overwhelmed by the fact that I had accomplished my dream.
'I did it, at last!'
Chapter 8: My Shoe that Flew Away
What I love the most is being onstage. On the other hand, what I am most afraid of is being onstage as well.
Even now, when I go onstage, all the surroundings zoom in. The cameramen, the fans' balloons, the placards' when I first got onstage, all those views were very titillating. But the excitement didn't last long, as I was conscious of everything and made way too many mistakes.
The most embarrassing mistake of all happened when I was singing 'Hak Won Byul Gok.' The choreography for that song was very aggressive so usually, I just set my mic down when I danced. Without much thought, I finished my "cool" dance part. When I looked down, I felt my eyes going blank. The mic that was supposed to be on the floor had disappeared! I had no idea how to overcome that situation so my legs started shaking.
Fortunately, the cameraman didn't show my embarrassing moment but it was very nonplusing for me.
From that day on, I acquired a new habit.
'Mark the floor before I set my mic down!'
Another episode that has to do with being onstage.
I don't become stingy when it comes to buying my shoes, but there is a sad reason behind it. Jekki's dance, especially mine usually turns out to be aggressive, so my shoe keeps on escaping my foot. It's not even funny. I always tie my shoes as tight as I can before I go onstage, but when I'm dancing, my poor shoe is always flying elsewhere.
Imagine having to sing as if I'm having fun, when I am checking for my shoe! Cold sweats were trickling down my back but now that I think about it, it is funny. I thank the fact that there are 6 members in those cases, so I am not alone.
I could laugh at these little mistakes. But when there are 'accidents' that prevent us from showing our true competence, I can no longer laugh.
Our first official, non-cable debut was aired on MBC TV's "Ingi Gayo Best 50." We were so excited about this fact that we practiced all night for our dance and song. We were prepared. At the rehearsal, we were even complimented by the related personnel that we were 'quite alright.'
But when the actual live show began, something went wrong with the audio so our voices were killed off. We crowded in the corner of our waiting room and started crying because we were so angry. We couldn't erase our overnight practice. We could imagine the fans' disappointment and the families' sadness.
But I guess that accident brought us good luck. Afterwards, we always showed great stage manner without any big mistakes. It seems that as we are more experienced, we make fewer mistakes. But still, the stage comes to me as the most fearful existence. It makes me very high but also very nervous.
Chapter 9: Dreaming of Being a Cartoonist
"Jae Jin, you have some potential in drawing...keep it up."
Ever since I was little, I could draw better than anyone else could. Like I mentioned earlier, my father who was a detective always won first place at a montage drawing contest, so I am very certain that I inherited my artistic talent from him.
When I was old enough to grab things in my hands, I started drawing at home. As I started using watercolors in 4th grade, I was more interested by drawing. It was to a point where I won all the awards that concerned drawing.
"Mom, I drew this all day, please take a look!"
"Wow Jae Jin, you can really draw!"
I drew more diligently, just to see my parents' smiling faces when they got home late from work. But as I grew older, I realized that drawing was a luxury in my environment. My parents couldn't even afford to buy me cheap watercolors. Whenever I entered a contest, it seemed as if my peers were showing off in front of me, as they drew with their expensive watercolors.
So I gave up being an artist officially. What captivated me at that point was drawing cartoons. I needed no expensive watercolors and I didn't have to envy my friends that were rich. I could replicate any cartoon drawing I saw once. I even wrote a story along with my drawings and sent them to a publisher in Seoul. I was awarded for that. My friends really envied me.
Even though I knew that I couldn't afford to go to an art university, it was not easy for me to give up drawing. So I practiced whenever I found an opportunity.
For that reason, I advanced to Kong Ye High School of Arts in Pusan. I still remember how nervous I was at the audition. I glanced at people next to me and they could really draw! I was discouraged at the thought that they were all professionally trained. But I proceeded with what I had been practicing all along ...I drew a clothespin and got admitted.
If I hadn't become a singer, by now, I might've been a no-name cartoonist, wandering around some publishing company. I imagine myself being a famous cartoonist in 10 or 20 years from now. Since I lack in my foundation, I wish to study abroad in Japan or America and learn more about animation. But as of now, I want to try my best as a Jekki member. I hope I remain the same self, always working hard, even in 10 or 20 years from now.
Chapter 10: I am a Professional One-Sided Lover
I am such a clueless boy when it comes to love. I never step up and express my feelings when I have someone I like, I just wander around that person. I was like that when I was in elementary, and I haven't changed since. I was pretty juvenile, only torturing the girls I like rather than being nice to them.
My very first one-sided love goes all the way back to my elementary days. Hye Jin was pretty and smart so she was very popular. I liked her too but I was mean to her and even made her cry.
In middle school, my one-sided love continued. I started liking a girl that I saw coincidentally so I always watched her at the same time, on the same spot.
"Hey! You're still aching all by yourself? I'll do some research for ya!"
But that girl was way different from what I had thought. She appeared quiet on the outside but she was actually someone who played quite a bit. And she even had a boyfriend... Thus, my second one-sided love ended not so productively.
And then came my very first love, not one-sided. I started getting pretty famous in Pusan as I danced with my friends. I was then introduced to someone that claimed to have fallen in love with my dance. She was very feminine and quiet, and I too was someone that was shy.
We met once a week to exchange the letters we wrote each other. It was an awkward meeting at a bus stop, where we just gave each other the letter and parted. I didn't get to talk to her much but I do remember drawing a lot of courage from her letters. A while later, we broke up spontaneously because she had to study and I had to dance. But she still remains in my heart as my purely beautiful first love.
I guess I had too many crushes since I was little. When I find someone that I like, I have a habit of first observing her from a distance. And I wait for my feelings to grow and when I really start to like her, I step up. That is why I like someone that I find cuter every time I see her. And I also like someone who is confident about herself. That way, even if I don't fill her everything, she would be happy.
I am 21 years old now. I too want to hang out with my girlfriend as my other friends do. But right now, I just want to sleep whenever I find a moment and I am way too tired- there is no way I can treat someone nicely at this point even if I do love her. I want to wait until I have room in my heart, both physically and mentally.
Same thing goes for a marriage. Until I am competent enough to make my loved one happy, I want to postpone it. And I want to get married when I have enough confidence to love just one woman for the rest of my life. I don't want to take after my parents' generation, where they continue their unhappy marriage just because of their children.
Chapter 11: My Guardian Angel
The stage and search lights that turn on just for me, and the reflection of myself dancing dynamically below those lights...
This was the stage I imagined of before I became a singer.
I always had liked being onstage. So I really adore my life as a singer since I can sing and dance onstage. I've danced in Pusan too, but sometimes it feels dreamy that I am in Seoul, receiving all the fans' love.
First of all, I achieved my dream by becoming a singer. Many people out there may spend rest of their lives without accomplishing or knowing what they want. I, myself, had a goal since I was little and I achieved that goal before I turned 20 years old. I am very proud of myself for that.
And I may sound materialistic for saying this but I also like the fact that I earned a lot of money. I could buy a house to my mother who lived her entire life without one, I could buy suitable clothes and shoes for dancing to my Quicksilver friends, and I could also buy my sister her cell phone. Those things were all possible because I earned money.
But I would like to stress to my fans that being a popular singer doesn't necessarily hold its pinkish little world. Many teenagers these days seem to hold too big of a fantasy about being in entertainment business. I could totally empathize since I was once that way before I debuted.
An entertainer always has to care about his/her 'shown' image. In reality, it's even hard to have a meal outside without any difficulties. I would rather give my autograph after I eat but people would then tell me that I am arrogant, so I cannot be that way. When I go down to Pusan on holidays, I have to give at least 1000 autographs a day as I get called from a house to a house of my relatives. That is why I prefer wearing a hat or sunglasses to cover myself up as much as possible. I feel very uncomfortable when people look at me.
Some extreme adults give me their criticizing glares since I am a teen dance singer. 'My kid won't study because he is distracted by them...' 'So ostentatious as little kids...' I can perfectly read off those expressions on their faces. But I don't think they particularly care that I know what they are thinking.
And it is not easy to make friends anymore now that I am a celebrity. Not just the ones from opposite sex, but it's also hard to make friends that I can talk to easily from same sex.
I am currently attending Kyung Ki University, where many other entertainers go. I major in multimedia screen theatre (*Note: Not sure what this exactly is). As my classmates, I have HOT's Jae Won, Woo Hyuk, FinKL's Jin, and a few other actresses.
There also are many friends that want to be potential entertainers. They treat me more as an 'entertainer friend' rather than just spontaneously referring to me as a normal friend. It's not really their fault- it's due to the lack of time to befriend them and the disparity in our environments.
Although I face many of these hardships, I still think of myself as a lucky person. I am aware that my kind of luck doesn't visit everyone. So if there is a guardian angel somewhere watching over me, I want to bow and just say 'thank you' over and over. That's how happy I am these days. And as much as I'm happy, I want to always remain humble and try my best.
Chapter 12: Kim Jae Ju from Quicksilver speaks of his friend Jae Jin
I was still an immature 8th grader when I first met Jae Jin. I had already known his face since we lived in a same neighborhood, but I never had a chance to befriend him. My first impression of Jae Jin from a distance was that he was a very handsome boy, with dark pupils and visible facial features. He looked just like Jackie Chan that was popular among us back then.
I coincidentally started attending a library with him. As I talked to him, I found out that he was a very deep thinker. He spoke non-hesitantly of his hardships in his household. I could not be prejudiced against him.
Then an incident occurred where we were transformed as dancing friends, from being just playmates. It began when we met one of the musketeers, Tae Yong. Tae Yong taught us Deux's choreography and we were immediately captivated by the charm of dancing, even though we had never expressed it prior to then.
"Why not make an official team name, no? I thought about it all night ...how about Mook? Isn't it cool?"
Jae Jin, being an active person, named our team and also became the leader. Both Tae Yong and I supported the idea of Jae Jin being the leader.
Thanks to his assertiveness, we practiced hard everyday. We became more famous as we advanced to high school, so we changed our name to Quicksilver. We were so famous in Pusan to a point where potential dancers came for an audition to join the team.
Eventually, we went to Seoul for an audition and Jae Jin became a member of Jekki. I was hiding my sadness at that time, and he was so apologetic to me. He was condemning himself for the outcome.
"Jae Ju, you just didn't have enough luck this time. Whenever there is an audition in Seoul, I'll contact you. Wait for my call, okay?"
I could totally tell how bad Jae Jin felt for me since he had always been an affectionate person. Jae Jin is now famous as a member of Jekki, but I am thankful that he hasn't changed from the way he was before he became a singer. Since I am a student, he obviously makes more money than I do. As if it is his duty, he always sends me clothes and shoes. He is a very kind friend.
"I want to live in Cheju Island. Wanna come with me?"
A while ago, Jae Jin asked me this jokingly. We could never forget Cheju Island we traveled to back in high school. We held a dance party there and received beers from adults (since we couldn't drink of course, we sold them to buy food). The wind blew so strong so it knocked our tent over. It was a trip full of enjoyable memories.
Lastly, I wish for Jae Jin to show off his abilities onstage, in the name of Quicksilver. I will always support him for being a Jekki member.
"Jae Jin! Our friendship will last forever!"