I Got Reincarnated As A Prodigal K Pop Superstar - Chapter 1

“Hah… hah…” I could hear Jungkook panting heavily beside. We are currently practicing a routine for our long-awaited debut.

“You alright, bro?” I asked him as I stuck a water bottle on his forehead to cool him off.

He grabbed it and let out a soft chuckle before replying to me, “It never gets any easier, does it?”

I gave him a smile and patted his back, “No… no it won’t.”

“Jungkook! You good?” Namjoon-hyung approached us and was obviously worried.

Well he isn’t the only one…

We were all feeling the pressure. I mean, who wouldn’t? Our debut was just right around the corner.

“Yes hyung. Don’t worry. I’m just tired, that’s all.” Jungkook gave his biggest bunny smile to show that he was okay.

We were rehearsing our choreography for our title song called No More Dream. But we’re wondering how this will go and how people will react to it.

“Ya. How many people do you think will come to our debut? Better yet, to our first fan meeting?” Hoseok-hyung wrapped his hands around our shoulders while asking. I know he was just trying to lighten up the mood like he usually does.

“Ya! Don’t pressure the kids! We all know that it would probably be hundreds! You two finish up your drinks and get back in to formation.” Yoongi-hyung was obviously the most nervous one of all.

He really didn’t want to be here in the first place and just wanted to be a producer, but as we hung-out more, he decided to stick around. Besides, he already signed the contract.

“Ne hyung. Be right there.” I replied and smiled at everyone. It was a smile of sadness and joy.

Because I knew that after tonight. I would no longer be here.

Why you ask? It was because I never wanted to be here in the first place. Well at least I think I don’t.

When my parents died, I almost thought that I had no one. That was when the only relative, who was my aunt, contacted me.

And guess what? She just happened to be in Korea.

Having no choice, I flew to Korea and started living with her. Everything was fine at first until she suddenly said that she won’t be providing for me anymore, and I was forced by my aunt to audition for Big Hit Entertainment because they were offering free scholarsh.i.p.s and living spaces.

I didn’t want to be an idol since I wanted to create and produce music, but this was as close as I could get though. Idols don’t really get much freedom in writing their own songs.

But the training though…

Boy, the training is definitely no joke.

I remember waking up at 5am to prepare for school and after it ends at 4pm, I would then rush to the company’s dance studio to train from 6PM until, often times, at 3AM.

It was a nightmare at first, but my body got used to it.

Voice lessons, rap lessons, dance lessons, acting lessons, poise lessons, and other lessons were incorporated.

The worst part was the monthly evaluation. This was where they would cut trainees from the program. Trainees who were not making any progress.

Thankfully, I was able to pass them. Most of those times were just by plain luck.

“Let’s get started again! Come on!” One of the dance coaches clapped his hands while yelling which snapped me back from the deep thought.

I watch the backs of my fellow members and smiled. Tears were starting to well up in my eyes.

“Woah! You good?” Taehyung asked in a worried tone.

I looked at him one last time and forced a smile, “Yeah! Of course! I’m just excited. That’s all.”

He gave me a smile and a nod before going back to his formation.

I’m sorry guys… But this is goodbye.

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“Everyone is probably asleep now…” I thought.

We were at the dorms already, and it is 2AM on my time.

“She’s probably waiting for me right about now.” I slowly stood up and was careful not to make any noise.

I grabbed the large luggage that was hidden under my bed and placed a note on the bed.

“Sorry boys… I guess you guys would have to debut without me. I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine.” I was now feeling a little bit emotional, but I left the dorm anyway and started walking towards the gate of the apartment buildings.

I gave one last look to wish them the best before heading to the place where I was going to meet a person.

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“You’re finally here! I thought you wouldn’t come!” The woman said.

I waved at her and sat down. “Are you sure this would help the group?” I asked.

She smirked before saying, “Of course! As a producer and analyst, you would be helping them achieve their highest potential. I’m pretty sure in 5… no 3 years-time, they would be international superstars and would be an icon in the industry.”

“Good… then let’s shake on it.” I said before signing the contract in front of me.

“I’m looking forward to working with you and create the best music we could, PD-nim.” She chuckled.

And that ended my career as a K-pop idol before it even began, but it lunged me forward to becoming one of the best producers in the industry.

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5 years later…

“Dah- dah dah… Let’s go with that melody.” I told one of the sound engineers beside me. I was now inside my office studio preparing the last part of a song that I was going to present to my clients.

The door to the studio slightly opened revealing my secretary, “PD-nim, BTS is now here. Should I send them over?” She said in a cheerful tone.

“Wow! Really? They’re early… Alright, send them in!” I replied to her cheerfully as well.

I then faced the mixer and finished the song quickly. The engineer gave me a nod and then a thumbs up.

Whoa… he actually liked that, huh?

Even though I just slapped some random effects and sound loops, he still liked it. Ha… well whatever.

“Still the guy who always finishes things late, huh?” I turned to look at where the voice was coming from and saw Yoongi-hyung smiling while leaning on the door post while the rest of the members were smiling and waving behind him.

I immediately stood up and hugged him tightly and the rest of the group hugged us as well.

I let go and smiled at him, “I see you are doing well. Should I call you Yoongi-ssi or Suga-ssi now?”

He gave me a light punch to the shoulder, “Paboya… just call me Suga-hyung. How dare you talk to me as if we’re not friends?”

That’s a relief. We haven’t really talked much in the last few years. Every time I would help them write a song I would usually do it virtually.

I still felt guilty after leaving them.

They all sat down and became comfortable. We talked about the song that we made called Boy with Luv and started reminiscing about the past. The atmosphere was now awkward. But J-Hope-hyung lightened up the mood again. He always does.

We soon finished the meeting and planned our recording with an American singer. After months of preparation we were finally able have an epic comeback. Boy with Luv was a hit! Stations played it, Spotify data was off the roof, and even Youtube views were unbelievable, and the song even trended worldwide.

After the end of the intense promotion period, we held a party to celebrate the success of the song. Especially after it won the Song of the Year in MAMA.

The night was long and joyous as we celebrated. People and celebrities from different companies came to congratulate us as well. It was when the party started to calm down that BTS and I spent our time talking and laughing at a nearby balcony.

“Hey Dan, I hope you won’t be offended by this question. But did you ever regret leaving us?” Namjoon-hyung asked. Everyone turned serious as they turned their heads towards me.

What was I gonna say?

Deep down I knew I had to do it to help them behind the scenes.

Did I regret it?

Of course!

Every day of my life!

I thought that my dream was to become a famous producer, but in the end, it was a lonely journey. I had no one to celebrate every success with. I missed my team, my members, I promised myself that in the next life I would make my own super group just like them. And I will never ever leave them.

But what can I say now? It’s too late now, right?

I just laughed at them and responded jokingly to lighten up the awkwardness, “What are you saying hyung? HAHA! Of course I do! But BTS would probably end up horribly with me on the team, right? Remember my dirty laundry everywhere? Ugh! Who would want to fan chant to that?”

They all started laughing hard and agreed with what I said. No matter what, these guys are still my friends. And even though we parted awfully, we were still friends.

The night ended with us playing games and horsing around. It was truly fun.

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Three days later, I decided to take a short break from making and producing songs and just relax at home. I woke up and did my usual routine.

I was about to head out for my morning run when I saw a note under my door. Curious, I opened it and read it.

The letter shocked me but I was used to it by now.

The content says, “You do not deserve to be at the top. You do not deserve to write songs for a group that you have abandoned. Today, I will find you and I will kill you!”

I sighed at the content. This was normal for me. Even though it was written in blood, this wasn’t the first time that I got death threats. I was perfectly safe.

I put on my mask, and bonnet and started my run.

After arriving home from my run, I noticed that my door was unlocked and was slightly opened, “Didn’t I lock this?” I was sure that I actually did. “Jae Hwa-Ajhuma?” I tried calling out to one of the housekeepers who come here every day. “Forget it, she’s probably cleaning in one of the bathrooms and forgot to lock the door.” I shrugged it off and went straight for the balcony to relax and cool down.

I was on my phone to check emails and potential clients for my next work. “Blackpink, huh?” YG Entertainment was asking me to write and produce a song for them. “This group didn’t even release a single song after their last single.” I contemplated.

“Guess I can help. Anyway, I still had some saved songs, right? I guess the theme of “that” song suits them. I was waiting for Everglow’s company to approach me, but yeah, I guess this song would work with Blackpink too.” I leaned on the balcony facing the amazing view while happily typing on my phone to reply.

Suddenly, a felt a sharp pain hit my head. I began to lose control over my body and my vision became hazy. The next thing I knew, I was falling from 5-story building before blacking out.

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“What happened?” I woke up while touching my head.

Ouch!

It still hurt!

I looked around and it didn’t look familiar to me.

I was in a hospital of some sort. “Naneun Oedie? (Where am I?)”

Wait…

Is that my voice?

Why do I sound like I’m 10?

I looked at my hands and saw how small it was.

Wait what? Am I dreaming? I touched my face and it felt smooth like a baby.

“No way…” these words came out of my mouth and it still sounded like a little kid’s

I quickly stood up which made me dizzy.

Shoot…. I was probably out for quite a while…

My legs aren’t working properly and they are… way shorter now…

I had wires, an IV and an oxygen mask on, and it was making it hard to move. I started removing them and headed towards the bathroom to check myself.

“This can’t be happening…” was the only words that came out of my mouth.

I was in another person’s body. This was a child’s body!

I started to touch my face and see if it was really me.

Suddenly, my head began to throb. Memories of the owner’s body just came rushing in. I knelt on one knee from the pain and began screaming.

After what seemed like an endless time of torture, I finally stood up and slowly tried to make my way back to my bed.

“Ha… I guess there’s no helping it. This boy had a pretty great life. In fact, the previous owner of this body was a prodigy.” I sighed as I could not believe it myself. If the memories didn’t come in, I wouldn’t even dare believe it.

I had trouble walking. I was still pretty much weak.

How long was I out?

I stayed where I was because I was beginning to feel dizzy and decided to sit on the floor next to my table.

I was in a 10-year old boy’s body. His name was Jin Bo Kim… or it’s probably mine now.

I sighed again and began focusing on the boy’s memories.

“Wow… this dude’s got it good…” I said as I saw countless memories of joy and laughter.

He came from a rich family of business people. Kim Jin Bo was loved by his family. He had everything he ever wanted. He was also one of the 9 young great prodigies around the world. No one could beat this guy when it comes to business.

“Ha… don’t worry little boy. I’ll take care of your family.” Deep down I was pretty much excited myself since I lost my family in an early age.

Is this my second shot to having a normal life with a family?

The more I focused on the child’s memories, the more I realized that some of the events in history were not the same with my own memory. History, science and even geography was sort of different.

“Eh? What’s this?” I recalled a memory of me studying and researching inside the City of Atlantis.

What?! Atlantis?!

Didn’t it sink in my world?!

“Ha… ha… haha! I guess I’m reincarnated in a different earth with a different history.” I guess that’s the probable explanation to this.

I grabbed the table nearest to me and tried standing up but was interrupted with the sound of the door loudly opening.

“JayB” A young girl started crying beside a woman who I recall was my mom. Together with them were a crowd of nurses and doctors.

“Mom… I’m… awake…” I smiled at her with tears in my eyes. I didn’t know why but she resembled my mom in my previous life as well. She had that warm smile.

The nurses gathered around me and slowly picked me up to place me back on the bed. They started to put back everything I removed and were now running some test.

All throughout that time, my mom was just holding my hand and was crying.

“Uljima, eomma (don’t cry, mom). You’ll look older with that.” I joked. She just smiled at me and replied, “You silly boy. Is that the first thing you say to your eomma when you wake up?” I just smiled at her and we both chuckled.

The girl beside her was just silently sobbing. Somehow, she looked kind of familiar.

My mom pulled her to my side, “Sooyoung-ah, uljima. JayB is fine.”

My eyes widened in surprise to what my mom called the young girl beside her.

No way… can it be?

The eyes… those lips… this face…

Sooyoung-ah? As in Park Sooyoung? As in Joy from Red Velvet?!

“Park… Park Sooyoung-ssi?” I stuttered as I asked for her name.

She got angry for some reasons and asked, “Ya! Neo michyeosseo?! (Hey! Are you crazy?!) Did that car hit you hard that you don’t recognize me? And why are you talking formally to me? It’s creeping me out!”

I chuckled at her and she smiled at me.

So that’s how the owner of this body died. Car accident huh?

“Why are you here?” Shouldn’t she be training by now or something? Or is it because this place has a different timeline than where I came from?

“Aish! Ya! Jugeulle?! (Hey! Do you want to die?) Can’t your best friend be here when you wake up?!”

Best… best friend? Her and me? Ha… the timeline is way messed up.

I quickly diverted the topic. “My… my memories are still a little hazy? How long was I out?”

She looked at my mom before she answered. “You… were in a coma for a year… We celebrated your birthday about a month ago… You’re officially 11 years-old now…”

“Excuse me? What?”

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