TALENT WORLD 0.5: ALASKA

“My name is Jaz. I don’t know where to start. I’m here on my desk writing about absolutely nothing. I have totally failed in life. I have lost ALL the friends I have ever had. Every. Single. Person. I cared about. I don’t even know why I’m talking to you, dear diary. It’s not like you would even respond. I guess I’ll forever be alone and worthless in life. I have called emergency services’ phone numbers and they did NOTHING to help. I cannot take it anymore. Maybe............. it’s time?” Jaz put the pen down.

Jaz walked at nighttime through the futuristic city of Taipei, a street full of beautiful lights and happy people, but he walked really fast with his head facing downwards. It was time to cross the streets, and he did, following the crowd, but when he was in the middle of the zebra cross........ he stopped. He just....... stood there, and turned his body around to face the cars, ready to face the end. The lights turned green, he spread his arms wide open, and closed his eyes.........and a car in full speed CHARGED at him. And Jaz was KNOCKED away, his body was sent flying.

A hooded girl JUMPED at him and tackled him as hard as she could. The car HIT their legs, but the two made it to the other side. She crawled towards him, dealing with her own leg injury, as he kept his eyes closed by force. She made her way to him, favored his legs and spoke. “What the hell are you doing??? Just........ come here.” Both of them favored their injured legs for a while, then two ambulances came. As the two were being separated, Jaz looked at her for a moment, before the ambulance door closed and everything turned black instantly.

Jaz resumed college life after days of staying in a hospital. He didn’t even know why he bothered coming to class, as he’s already scheduled to drop out and leave Taiwan in less than a month. Perhaps, he was just desperate to be distracted and to socialize, which hits him, because....... Taiwan’s ideology is freedom........ So, isn’t the “Land of Freedom” supposed to ensure whoever lives in it stays happy? How could someone living in the land of the free........ be so lonely? Before Jaz spiraled, he saw a flyer which said “SHOW YOUR TALENTS! Come to stage and simply show us your talents! Come join us in a night meant for simply having a good time and spreading love!” Jaz immediately signed up to be one of the performers to come tonight. He would continue staying active through the rest of the college day, but not a single person cared enough to say hi, and the professors barely tried either. Just like the previous 5 months of college, it appeared that no fleshed out conversations ever existed in this place.

Jaz made his way to the “Show Your Talents” Night, which was at a bar. The people there are familiar faces who knew him, so he said hi, but they simply only gave eye contact back to him. To his surprise, the performers on stage are actually being appreciated, people laugh at their jokes, so he felt calm for a bit. It was then his time to step on stage, and he wrote on the white board about a HUGE architecture plan to building a giant futuristic skyscraper, while on the table, he provided props of building blocks for the audience to visualize it. He wrote really fast, while multitasking it with the building process on the table, while even using his natural charisma to crack jokes here and there, but the audience............. were dead silent. He smiled to push through and kept showcasing his ambitious skyscraper plan in the most entertaining way possible, and the smile eventually turned into an awkward smile, because he saw zero reactions from the crowd, and finally......... he reached the end. He thanked the crowd, and he received a very short time of clapping from the audience, only for about 2 seconds. It was time for the next performer.

She performed a traditional stand up comedy, and suddenly........ the audience were LOUD. They laughed at every single one of her jokes, and reacted to every cool trick and wordplay she did. All of a sudden, it became an entire circus. It was clear to Jaz that the people there only wanted to cheer their own friends, and won’t cheer for him even though they knew him for a long time. Once she was done, she received the loudest cheers ever, and Jaz left immediately after. But he received a text from the event crews when he arrived home. “Heyyy........ We are so sorry if the event didn’t turn out the way you wanted. We really tried to cheer, okay?” Jaz texted back. “My problem was that no one even tried to make some noise when I was performing, but when the next performer performed, all of a sudden, EVERYONE was loud! Clearly, friendship bias exists! Cheer for EVERYONE! Don’t make people feel excluded!” The crews texted back. “We are sorry, but we really did try our best to cheer everyone, and besides, we can’t control every single person in the room, we can only control ourselves.” Jaz hit the block button, knowing he didn’t hear A SINGLE PERSON during the entire event, so them claiming that they “tried” was clear gaslighting that he couldn’t tolerate. Once again, a “social” event turned out to be just another ghost event made to make Jaz feel even lonelier.

It was just one week before Jaz’ flight, and he was on stage for his last dance performance at Taipei’s Kpop community. He performed, pushing his hardest to keep his happy expressions to fight through the dead crowd. It felt rough, but he made it to the end. The next performer was MINJAE. Once again, the crowd was suddenly alive when anyone that’s not him was performing. After her performance, Jaz stared at the nothingness on the floor while everyone else jumped to the music, until.......... “Hi! We are Minjae!” Jaz turned around, and saw her reaching out her hand. Jaz shook it. “I’m Jaz.” Minjae smiled while nodding. “We really like your performance! Your facial expressions are SO GOOD! You are really expressive!” Jaz was surprised, and responded. “You did good too!” Minjae put her arms on Jaz’s shoulder, and Jaz did the same, and the two jumped to the music until the night ended.

And within the blink of an eye.......... Jaz was carrying heavy luggages in a stressful day at the Taipei airport. He was being suspected every step of the way, and was asked too many questions, which spent so much time, that he nearly missed his flight. But he fought through it all, and RAN his way to the gate, and made it to his airplane. And just like that................. Jaz was back in Seoul, South Korea. As if life resetted, and he was back in level 0. Everything that came before this felt like a fever dream, and of course, like he just completely failed in life.

Meanwhile, Bayeon bowed on stage, wrapping up the first day of his Solo Kpop Idol career, and went backstage to knock at a door. He received no responses, so he knocked again. Still...... No responses. He hesitated, but decided to open the door slowly....... and respectfully. To his surprise........ Someone was on the desk, but it wasn’t his manager, it was....... JIMIN. “Sir??? You’re alive? With all due respect, many reports said you died in the Busan fires.” Jimin put his fingers on top of each other. “Sit down, kid.” Bayeon excitedly sat down with a smile. “Sir Jimin, I have many questions, if I may.” Jimin kept staring at his own hands as he spoke. “I’m gonna need you to switch up your outfits.” Bayeon felt so surprised by not only what Jimin said, but how he totally ignored his questions. “W- What........? But this is entertainment! People need to see colorful, exciting outfits!” Jimin rolled his eyes then stared at him. “DID I FUCKING STUTTER? I SAID WHAT I SAID, CHANGE YOUR OUTFITS!”

“........Very well. But if I may ask........ why? You’ve been a soloist in the industry for a few years, you know this better than anyone that fans like crazy outfits.” Jimin gave an annoyed face once again, then stared back at Bayeon. “I’m gonna say this ONCE and ONCE only. You don’t get...... to disrespect the Hanbok by wearing it on stage. That is a sacred, traditional clothing that WE wear during sacred events! You wearing it on stage while doing backflips and thrusting your hips, DISRESPECTFUL! And yes, I will have to pay for my crimes of doing this in the past, I have sinned against my country and I will forever regret that. I won’t let any youngster suffer the same regret that I did. DRESS MODESTLY, short hair, suits, hell even just a simple t-shirt works. Don’t use any sacred clothing on stage, don’t even think of dressing ridiculously either. You were a DISGRACE to our country, you disappointed us. So, now we have your word, you will NEVER do it again, okay?” Bayeon bowed down 90 degrees and left the room, feeling more than uneasy.

“Hi! What would you like to order?” “Three chocolate sandwiches please!” “Coming right up!” Just received the money, then went to the kitchen.He got hands dirty, and came back not only with the chocolate sandwiches, but also with a smile. “Here you go!” The girl asked a question. “Where you from by the way? And how long you’ve been working here?” “Oh, like......... yesterday? Hahahah!” Jaz thought about the question, then gave a smirk, then decided to give a fun answer. “I’m from Taipei, Taiwan!”

“WHOA! That is SO COOL! Thank you! Have a good day!” “SEEYA!” Jaz waved with a smile, then went to the backroom to clean up and started closing the place. He got on his motorcycle and went home, right when it was pitch black at night. His body was exhausted, giving up on him, but his soul felt a little warm, because for a little while........... He finally socialized. Before he entered his dorm, he saw a flyer of a “Healthy Sunday” event, and being the active person that he was, Jaz signed up immediately.

It was 06:30 AM in a really fresh aired Sunday, the sun hadn’t shined bright yet, and it was a car free day. He ran around the streets with a crowd, then stopped at a wide park in Seoul. He gathered with the crowd as they all did some intense routine exercises. Then all of a sudden, the coach on stage grabbed a mic, and he screamed. “LET THE GAMES BEGINNNNN!” He then spoke to the crowd WITHOUT the microphone, making the people standing behind everyone else unable to hear a thing. Then right when Jaz was able to walk closer to him, he stopped talking and walked away, as the rest started lining up and prepare themselves for the games. Jaz was so confused, that he didn’t realize there was a blonde girl standing next to him, and she spoke. “Hey....... What are we supposed to do........?”

Jaz kept looking forward, and she was embarrassed and slowly turned away. He finally turned around, and it hit him. He looked at her shyly walking away and said to himself “Wait, she was talking to ME?” Then suddenly....... “READY........... GAME!” Jaz was IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, so all eyes were on him, and the coach showed a number. Apparently, it was a memory game where one had to memorize the movesets of each number, and he didn’t remember any, so he used any move he had in mind awkwardly. “ELIMINATEDDDDD!” Jaz was embarrassed, and walked away while whispering to himself. “What the hell is this bullshit??? I’m going home!” He immediately hit the road with his motorcycle.

Jaz spent the rest of Sunday going back to Gimcheon to see his parents, but what his dad said surprised him. “Jaz........ Inflation’s not getting any better. It’s clear now, you have to become rich as soon as possible, or you’ll be poor and suffering forever.” Jaz spoke. “Okay, and.......? I’m already working, how else am I supposed to get rich?” His dad spoke. “We’re sending you away. To Alaska, America.” Jaz was stunned for a second, not exactly scared, but not pleased either. “Sending me away? You already sent me away because I’m living by myself in SEOUL right now! You’re gonna send me away even further? What’s the point, just let me work here, I like my life!”

“IT’S NOT ENOUGH, JAZ! THE MONEY HERE IS TOO SMALL, AND IT’S GETTING MORE AND MORE WORTHLESS IN THE EYES OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES BY THE DAY! You HAVE to leave! Be somewhere where there’s BIG money! ALASKA........ Now, or never.” Jaz frowned, then stood up. “I’m my own man, dad, I decide my own life, I’ll think about it.” Jaz went to his room, took a deep breath to calm himself down, then browsed the web. He saw someone writing endlessly everywhere, asking for foreign languages & poetry courses, so being the active guy that he was........ He responded to that person and offered help.

He arrived at the student’s house, and took a moment to SLAP the motorcycle while he screamed. “Freakin’ ALASKA!” Then he heard a voice. “Wait! I’m coming!” Jaz calmed himself down, then the door lock sounds were heard, and the door opened. “Hello!” The face that greeted him, was the same blonde girl that was at the ‘Healthy Sunday’ event. “Come in!” Jaz stepped into her house, and found himself in her studying room, as they sat on her desk across each other. Jaz spoke. “So, you are.........? I haven’t heard a proper introduction, I think.....?” She spoke. “Oh, yes! I forgot.” She stood up, and bowed 90 degrees. “Greetings, senior Jaz! My name is NIKITA. I am 16 years old, I am now studying in high school in Seoul, I am from Russia!”

Jaz smiled, and talked. “Russia? Up there in the North? Do they have sir and ma’am sayings there?” Nikita spoke. “NOPE! Since it’s the modern ages, we don’t really say those things anymore, because, well........ FREEDOM. So, I apologize if I could come across as a bit rude, senior Jaz.” Jaz grabbed his pen. “No worries, I’ve tasted a place with a Freedom ideology myself. Do you have any family members here?” Nikita’s smile faded. “No..... That’s why my study pressure is really heavy. I’m even applying to work part time somewhere, so it’ll be even harder.” Jaz looked down on her white pale hands. “Yeah, that’s tough.” He turned his eyes towards hers as he spoke. “Let’s put this topic aside for now, and let’s get to work okay?”

Jaz taught Nikita many things for 2 hours, using the whiteboard and the notebooks on the table, until the time was finally up, so he sat down next to her. “So........ I heard your situation, but I sadly can’t give discounts for your classes, as my financial situation is also tough. But....... I’ll just make this our pilot episode of our lessons. So tonight being your first lesson........ is FREE. But you’ll have to pay next time and forever going forward. Hope this helps.” Nikita put her hand on her chest, and nodded. “Thank you, Senior Jaz. This greatly helps. I genuinely mean it!” Jaz spoke. “I’ll also work harder on teaching you as much as possible, so you don’t have to keep paying for too long, so maybe that will be the “discount” if you’re willing to learn faster. Accept the challenge, IF YOU DARE!” Nikita smiled hard, but too shy to smile with her teeth, as she waved at Jaz who was going back on his motorcycle. “YOU BET! THANK YOU, SENIOR JAZ! GOODNIGHT!” “GOODNIGHT!” The sound of the motorcycle echoed LOUD, as he gassed away from her house, and the gassing sound slowly faded.... But the warmth he left in her house....... Stayed.

*****

Nikita’s white, slender fingers pushed her pen against the paper, as her straight, golden long blonde hair laid on the table as well. Then her pen HIT Jaz’s white sleeves, painting parts of it black. “Oops.... Nikita, focus, write on the paper.” Nikita’s green eyes opened wider in shock. “Oops! Sorry, I- I just wish I could SHOW this poem to people, y’know? Stand on stage and READ IT OUT LOUD DRAMATICALLY! I used to have that life! God, I miss Russia. A life of FREEDOM!” Jaz attempted to brush off the paint on his sleeves, but it wouldn’t go off, while he spoke. “This FREEDOM that you love so much, paints a wound in me that I can’t ever heal from. I’ve had that phase, Nikita, I loved freedom so much when I just started living in Taiwan.”

“But now, I realized that same freedom also means......... Freedom to ignore. Freedom to passively bully your friends. Freedom to exclude someone from your friend group. Freedom to guilt trip someone for a single mistake while ignoring the years of good they’ve ever done. Freedom to think that someone’s life struggles does not matter to you. Freedom to lie about caring when you actually only want to criticize and dehumanize them. That..... is what FREEDOM really means.” Nikita pouted on the table, then lifted her head.

“Senior Jaz, I’m sorry you went through so much....... But the freedom I grew up with was not like that, at all. People actually cared about each other. They love my poetry performances, they loved it when I spoke in English, they think learning another language is the coolest thing ever! It’s just....... LIFE, at its finest. I really wish you could experience that Freedom life, Senior Jaz.” Jaz thought about it for a second before he responded. “Kita, I think the most important thing is to focus on what we can do right now, not the later that we have no power over. Well, this was our second lesson, so........ I’ll have to ask for the money!” Nikita raised her arms up high, then dropped her hand on his, which made a loud CLAP sound, and the money was on his hand. “Yes! Here’s the full, uncut money! Good to do business with you, Senior Jaz!”

Meanwhile, Jimin visited Eddie’s idol backstage room, and found him staring at the wall, and Jimin casually approached from behind and whispered. “Eddie, you’re grieving, aren’t you?” Eddie simply nodded, and Jimin talked. “Why don’t you use it for something more useful? You’re officially debuting soon, and you plan to drop out of Shanghai University if your debut was a big success, so what about you use your mood to write songs? People will love it, just write down your feelings, and the whole world will pity you, and relate to you.” Eddie nodded once again, then followed Jimin around, but to his surprise, they arrived at a dance room instead of a recording studio, so Eddie talked. “Huh? I thought we were heading to a studio.” Jimin winked. “It’s a DANCE Studio, so you’re not wrong.”

“But, did you think that was everything I had to say? There’s more, I’ll tell you a secret....... I’M MAKING A COMEBACK AS AN IDOL. Yes, me, 24, turning 25, will RETURN before summer ends!” Eddie seemed to like it. “That’s awesome, I can finally see you live! In person!” Jimin’s smile faded, and he spoke. “........You will feature in it.” Eddie gasped in shock, as Jimin kept talking. “This will be your first impression to the public about your idol talents, so make a big one. Consider this a trailer for your solo debut.” Eddie bowed 90 degrees, then was about to leave the room, but was PULLED back by the arm by Jimin. “THAT’S NOT ALL. Eddie....... We’re debuting in a boygroup...... together. We are gonna take over the world by storm, using MY superstardom and MY experience. Follow my lead, and you’ll be famous.” Eddie spoke. “Oh my god........ Yes! What about Bayeon?” Jimin inched closed to his ear and whispered. “...........Bayeon is not in it.”

Jaz GASSED his motorcycle during the sunset, then arrived at a high school, which was empty by that point, but the gates were only half closed. Jaz walked his way, and made it to the school’s front yard, where Nikita sat idly on the stairs. “Hey! Senior Jaz, how you been?” Jaz looked confused. “Why you care how I’ve been........ What do you need? Are there some homeworks you want to do before the school completely closes? Do you need help with that homework?” Nikita frowned. “Nope.” Jaz spoke. “Okay, did you break something? So you need help to fix it before the school finds out?” Nikita facepalmed. “N- NO! Oh my god, you don’t get it!” Jaz talked. “Okay, what is it then? Why are you even out here still at school at sunset?”

Nikita looked down, while crossing her arms on her knees. “I...... hate my guardians. I’ve been waiting for so long, but.......... nothing. Did they forget about me? What the hell, like, I’m waiting right here! I hate them! I want my parents in Russia back!” Jaz looked down on her while standing up. “Yeah, parents and guardians are so annoying these days. So you’re out here to escape for a little while, until bedtime at least?” Nikita’s green eyes grew wide in shock, staring right at Jaz, then she put both her hands on her head. “N- NO! WHAT THE H- NO! ARE YOU SERIOUS???? YOU STILL DON’T GET IT???” Jaz spoke. “No, I really don’t get why the hell would call me to get here instead of going home! So no, I don’t! What is it?” Nikita stood up to face him, but her hands trembled, and she shyly looked down. “Senior Jaz, I- umm.........” Nikita stared at the leather gloves that Jaz had on, and she shyly talked. “.........I need a ride.”

Jaz looked upset. “OH MY GOD THEN JUST SAY THAT!” Nikita rubbed her chubby cheeks for a moment before putting them away to continue staring at his leather jacket while he continued. “LOOK! IT’S PITCH BLACK NOW, YOU’VE WASTED TOO MUCH TIME!” Nikita nodded. “Okay! Okay, let’s go, to my home, you know where it is.” Jaz still looked upset, his arms crossed, and Nikita stopped herself before going on the backseat, as she talked. “Do I......... have to pay?” Jaz spoke. “YES! You HAVE to pay for this free ride!” Nikita paid a reasonable amount according to the distance, then she put her own long leather jacket on which was as low as her knees, then got on the motorcycle. Jaz GASSED through the city of SEOUL at night, enjoying the bright lights for 15 minutes. Then he arrived at her home, and dropped her there and left, as Nikita walked to enter her house while speaking to herself. “”Then just say that”?????? IS HE FUCKING SERIOUS?????”

Jaz was working once again in the sandwich store, serving costumers with a big smile on his face, when his dad called numerous times. His mood was broken, and during a break time, he decided to call him back, as his dad spoke. “Jaz, I’ve signed you up to WORK in ALASKA. It is DONE. You are going next month and you’re quitting your job.” Jaz talked. “WHAT??? DAD, aren’t you out of money and need some time? I’m helping you out here by working, why not just work for a few months and then send me away again? Why can’t you think realistically? You’re just gonna send me to whatever place you want, and then when financial situations happen, you blame ME for it, even though I’ve warned you and I actually had plans to solve them!” His dad talked back. “YOU ARE GOING TO ALASKA WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! WHEN YOU GET HOME, WE WILL SERIOUSLY START THE APPLICATION PROCESS!” Jaz sighed and hung off the phone.

On another day, Jaz rode his motorcycle to empty audition buildings, where him and his friends used to audition against Bayeon. He entered and walked through the performance sets, the stages, and the stairs, remembering his dream that shattered before his eyes when he was eliminated. He started feeling like this healing walk became an unhealthy one where he remembered his own failures, but he kept walking upstairs and forward. He found many empty offices, but to his surprise, when he looked down to look through the black censor tapes, he could see a pair of legs behind the glass walls of an office. He decided to knock, but there were no responses. He entered the door himself, and saw a familiar suited man with a pair of glasses, elbows on the table, and his fingers laying on top of each other covering his mouth, NAMJOON.

Fast forward to days later, Jaz found himself going off of the airplane in a place of freezing weather..... ALASKA. He immediately headed towards his new house where he shared rooms with many other workers from countries all around the world, and collapsed to bed. Soon enough, he found himself working at a dirty warehouse job all evening, full time. He was ready for this harsh reality to be his entire life, but not too long after..... he received a call.

Somewhere, also in Alaska, was Minjae, a young 14 year old student from North Korea, somehow now studying in high school in Alaska, America. She lived as an only child in a foster home, but despite her expectations, her foster parents were almost never seen at home. Soon enough, a new face, JAZ, entered the foster home. Minjae looked stunned, and asked him. “Ehkkk! Who are you? Are you another foster kid?” Jaz looked confused as well, but nodded energetically and shook her hand. “Hi! It’s...... a long story. I’m Jaz!” Minjae looked at him with a confused, innocent face. “We are Minjae!” Jaz spoke. “Uhm..... “We”? Nevermind, we got a lot to talk about. I’ll unpack, and then let’s get to know each other!”

Back to the empty office days prior, Jaz stared down Namjoon, no longer tense, just........ confused, with a lot of questions. “Mr. Namjoon..... So you didn’t die in the Busan Fires?” Namjoon didn’t asnwer, but simply rolled up his sleeves, showing no scars or wounds. “Perhaps you can tell me if I was even there or not. Foolish one.” Jaz looked at his clean, healthy arms. “So you weren’t there. That office behind the Iron Door was empty the whole time, it was shielded by so much steel to trick me into thinking you were inside. You outsmarted me on this one thing, I’ll give you that. But did you really win the war? I CRUSHED your abusive, toxic empire. Busan Talent School is no more. What can you do now?”

Namjoon answered. “Nothing. I have nothing now, I can only speak to you. About....... What could have been.” Jaz cut him off. “Oh, you know damn well NO ONE is interested in your “could have been’s”“. Namjoon grabbed a piece of trophy that Jessica once destroyed while talking. “Being the fool that you are, you would listen anyway. My school existed for a reason. It wasn’t for me, no. It was for YOU. Busan Talent School was created for you to GRIND and GRIND and GRIND, until you become so smart, so talented, that the world WILL 100% accept you. All you looked at was the abuse and the overwork, IMAGINE if you had listened to Busan Talent School, followed their instructions, and worked your way for YEARS until you become the PERFECT PERSON. You would have been IRRESISTIBLE. All the jobs in the world would have wanted you. You would have ZERO struggles in college, graduate easily, and you would be set for life!”

Jaz couldn’t speak a word, so Namjoon kept going. “You........ crushed my empire, Jaz. And by doing so, you crushed your own future. The death of BTS meant the death of your career, your biggest dreams. You want to be a Kpop idol so bad, right? Yet you complained to the government that the teachers helping you reach that dream are overworking you!” Jaz SLAPPED the table. “SHUT UP! Namjoon, BTS fell for a reason, it reached a point where NO ONE liked it, and all the students got together to LITERALLY tear the whole school building down. Are you that ignorant that you can’t figure out why all your students turned against the institution? LEARN, Namjoon, LEARN! You cannot learn a simple lesson, yet you forced us to learn thousands of skills everyday back then! If you’re so good, answer this, how would YOU solve my life’s problems right now?”

Jaz met Nikita in her house just one day before his flight to Alaska, where the entire lesson was quiet, and Nikita spoke. “I can’t believe it’s our lesson today. Jaz.....?” He had trouble speaking, but eventually turned to her. “.....Yeah?” Nikita talked. “You really helped me with high school. I think I can graduate year 1 and move on to year 2 easily....... All thanks to you.” Nikita handed him the cash, and he accepted it, but she offered her pale hands again, as Jaz spoke. “Huh?” Nikita answered. “That was the cash, now is the handshake.” The two shook hands, and Jaz spoke to her. “I believe in you, Kita.” Jaz got on his motorcycle, and gassed away, as the LOUD sound of his bike slowly........ faded into emptiness, as empty as Nikita’s soul at that moment, as she felt like she has lost something.

In a flashback inside the office, Namjoon answered Jaz’s question. “Very simple, GRIND. I would even BEG people for help at this point, probably even restart high school elsewhere! The truth is, for the past eight years, I was protecting young people like you....... From the labor life of suffering that you’re having right now. Remember that BTS had The First World of Football, The Second World of Basketball, The Third World of Music, The Fourth World of Dance, and The Fifth World of Academy? You are now in THE REAL WORLD. You haven’t graduated from TALENT SCHOOL, because life itself IS Talent School. Life is a competition! Whoever is the smartest, most talented, and most opportunistic WINS! You don’t fight for “The Face of the First World” title anymore, but you do fight for the CEO title! You do fight for promotions! For better pay! If you wish to blame me for making BTS a competition, then blame this world for being a competition!”

Jaz looked out to the night sky in the windows, seeing the empty dark blue skies without any stars on them, while he spoke to Namjoon. “Namjoon, I am honestly sick and tired of this adult labor life. I’m only 18, but I have parents forcing me to quit my job last minute against my will then blaming every decision they made for me, on me. I have an uncertain future where every place I want to settle in are ridiculously expensive and competitive. I’m just so tired. I think...... your words do mean something. Namjoon, I hate you more than you can understand, and you’ll never be forgiven......... But I will consider your words, and I may come back to you if I need you.”

*****

“So yeah, we are HONORABLY proud of our country and our great supreme leader and we would do everything in our power to protect it! No one can ever disrespect our country’s name! Our biggest of dreams is the blossoming age of Order and the fall of the Imperialist! A world where no one says “I” or “My” or “Me” ever again! What about you?” Jaz looked afraid, but shrugged it off and started talking. “Alright Minjae, I’d rather not say exactly where I’m from, but I have roots in the Korean Peninsula. My dream? My dream is simply to have a job! To work!” Minjae put her index finger on her chin. “But..... You’re already working now.” Jaz almost laughed, but kept talking. “Yes! But I meant, I want to work for a LONG time UNINTERRUPTED! Without switching to new jobs for a year! That way I would have LOTS of money! And I could buy ANYTHING!”

Minjae’s smile grew. “Anything........ for us?” Jaz spoke. “You meant “us” as in you alone as a single person, right? No. I wanna buy everything for mysef!” Minjae talked. “Your dream of just working at a job for a long time......... is admirable for someone who says “I” instead of “We”. We are impressed! Now, do you know why you were called to live here?” “Not clearly, Minjae, so tell me.” Minjae continued. “Our foster mom and dad are rarely home. They work for FULL 6 days a week, which meant they couldn’t take care of us much. And they do not make much at work to financially help us either. So they called you, a working “man”.” Jaz suddenly stopped her. “Hey! “Man”? I’m 18! I’m grown, don’t say “man” like that!” Minjae poked his shoulder. “You’re still a kid, bro! Adults are 20 year olds! Look at your skinny asian as-” “STOP RIGHT THERE! NO SWEARING! BAD KID! NO BAD WORDS IN THIS HOUSE! BAD KID, MINJAE!” Minjae suddenly covered her own face. “Okay- OKAY! ..........Sorry.”

Minjae looked sad and scared, and Jaz was surprised, and grabbed her hand and slowly put them away to reveal her face. “It’s okay. Just..... Don’t say any more bad words, I’m sure our foster mom and dad won’t be proud of you for that.” Jaz let her process things for a minute while he looked at some books, then he turned to Minjae. “If there’s a homework that you think is TOO DIFFICULT..... tell me about it. And I’ll help you, okay? I have experience in helping students. I’m gonna work to make money for you everyday, and all I ask in return is, you study hard until you graduate high school. Now go to school, winter jacket on, I don’t wanna see winter jackets left hanging in the house again, see you around, Minjae!” Minjae tried to speak. “.......Okay. See you.”

Hours before his warehouse shift, Jaz went to a mini skiing event, where he saw two familiar faces he once saw during his auditions, Jerome, and Azka, who were also watching the show. He tried to say hi while waving as soon as the opportunity strike, but they simply passed by to head to the restrooms. Jaz felt disappointed, but not surprised, as they’ve always ignored him anyway. Jaz whispered to himself while watching the high schoolers skiing. “Minjae...... Study, be a good kid, and I’ll give you a fun time.” Jaz headed towards his warehouse and clocked in, a place storing basically EVERYTHING, mostly food, but it had some clothes and tools.

Jaz reunited with his coworkers, Alfa and Nora, and without wasting too much time, they started cutting clothes together before folding them in boxes. Nora brought out another pile of clothes while talking. “Jaz, you know you could just leave early since you’re not bound by the strict contracts that applies to us two, right? So why you always stay until the end? Don’t you miss your little sister?” Jaz started stuttering. “Hey- she’s NOT my little sist- I- Stop it! She’s not my sister okay? And second of all, I’m really desperate for extra money, I would beg the boss for your strict contract but he doesn’t trust me yet.” Jaz gave her the pile of clothes, as she spoke. “I..... don’t get it. We’re like..... tortured here, forced to work all the time. How can someone WANT to work?”

Alfa nodded. “Yeah, what’s YOUR purpose staying here for so late?” Jaz turned to him. “As I said, the extra money is important to me. But...... I went to college in Taiwan not too long ago, and I made like.... ZERO FRIENDS. It was so lonely and boring, literally had nothing to do. Just one hour of class everyday and then I’m free, other than the stupid homeworks of course. But there was no space to socialize! So of course I started craving for a job! I want something that FORCES me to do something and FORCES me to socialize!” Nora nodded as she answered. “Oh, so it’s just another guy with nothing to do in life.” Jaz felt the insult, but nodded and smiled anyway. “That’s right, Miss Nora.” She snapped, and turned her head towards him. “HEY! Don’t “Miss” me! You’re not younger than me! That’s CRINGE!” Alfa stared at the two, as Jaz answered.

“Okay, my bad......... MADAM Nora.” Nora screamed while cringing. “EWWW WHAT THE HELL- ACKKK! STOP THAT! NO MADA- JUST SAY MY NAME!” Alfa put his own fingers in front of his mouth while watching. “Wow, he’s such a dickhead!” Jaz turned to him. “Got a problem, SIR Alfa?” Alfa immediately put his hands forward. “OKAY! OKAY- STOP! I don’t want the smoke!” Jaz continued working while talking. “Wow, Freedom people like Americans and Taiwanese really hate being called sir, ma’am, or senior, eh? Respect goes out of the window, I guess. No wonder little siste- I mean Minjae dislikes Freedom people.” The three continued working, until it was 8pm, and Nora spoke. “WHAT THE FFF...... HE’S STILL HERE? Jaz, GO HOME! I can’t believe you stayed till the end! Need a ride?” Jaz answered. “Shut up! I work longer if I want to! And yes, I need a ride!” Nora asked Alfa to take Jaz home with his motorcycle, while Nora went home herself.

Jaz kept wondering why past generations had it so easy to socialize and make friends, while he ran into a conference where the famous tech giant CEO and touchscreen phone founder himself was there delivering a speech, the man who was simply known as STEPHEN, which is always written in capital letters. There was an opportunity to ask questions, so some critics stood up. “STEPHEN, there’s been complaints from the youths that your touchscreen phones, while it has changed the world and created some conveniences, has actually prevented the youth from socializing. Just the addictive radiation light that comes out of it is already addictive enough, not to mention the texts, video games, features, and it keeps getting bigger by the year. How would you address these concerns?” STEPHEN answered.

“Good question, one I am asked about a lot. You see, we are always working on new features to solve this issue. In fact, we have added many features such as the reminder to work, reminder to take breaks. We understand it seems like it’s troubling the youth’s ability to engage in real life, but we do care, so we hope for your understanding on our efforts.” The critic was speechless, and simply sat back down. “We understand, thank you, STEPHEN.” Jaz was shocked, whispering to himself. “What.......? What kind of coward- critic was that??? I would destroy him right then and there. Does nobody have the balls to keep asking him difficult questions? Do they fear the rich that much?” Jaz kept seeing the same, scared journalists, so he quietly walked out.

That evening, Jaz found himself at home, in a laptop video call with a Shanghai University student named TAOLIN, and Jaz listened to him calmly. “So, Jaz, I know we’re both mourning about her. You know...... Ryujin.” Jaz almost went on a downward spiral once again, but after a few minutes, he talked. “I was....... really hoping you didn’t have to say her name.” Taolin responded. “I know. But to ensure we both know who we are talking about, her name had to be mentioned at least once, I am sorry. So....... Despite us mourning, I am sure we are both able to look at her case objectively, that’s what we’re both meeting for. Ryujin’s case isn’t unique, in fact, it’s the same case that’s been happening with angry people. Cruel people would make their way into your life, and it is totally justified to let it all out on that cruel person that has made your life hell. BUT...... What would you do to other people who had nothing to do with creating the new, broken you? Would you swallow your ego, refuse to release all your anger on this innocent person, Jessica? Or would you just let it all out on her? Ryujin....... choose the latter.” Jaz was speechless as Taolin kept talking.

“This is why I hate the emotion of ANGER more than anything, it will NEVER be justified. If you’re used to being angry because you believe you are rightfully angry, eventually, it grows a big EGO in you, and you’ll start believing you’re always right, always the victim, even in situations where you’re obviously WRONG. Ryujin, over time, had gotten used to letting out her anger everytime her pride is hurt, even just a little bit, and that turns into this moral superiority feeling she had. That’s why she hurt Jessica, even attempted to go further than just hurting her, she no longer cared what was right and wrong, someone else hurt her, so her ego was hurt, so she thought she had the right to throw a punch at whoever she wanted to make herself feel better. And that led to a tragedy, created by her own hands, her own decisions. Ryujin’s fate wasn’t a case of hate or mistreatment, it was EGO, which she built by all the years of anger she always decided to let out. We’re all victims of anger, Jaz.”

“Jaz, look at me. I know the abuse you’ve received from both your high school and college were beyond what anyone at that age should withstand, but even with all that, do not be like Ryujin. Do not throw hands, not with the intent to kill. All I ask for is you do not end up like her, you are young and have so much to live for...... We still need to meet, remember? That still needs to happen.” Jaz finally spoke. “Taolin, I’ve already thrown hands. But I guess, it was simply to protect myself and my friends.” Taolin nodded. “Good. Anyway, you have a big ahead of you, right? A big conference? You should get some sleep. Good night.” Jaz ended the call, then prepared himself for the conference tomorrow, as Jaz had found himself in the world of independent youth activism.

The following morning, Jaz and Minjae walked together on a Saturday, and he found a seat for Minjae and left her there. He then fixed his suit and tie, then walked backstage, as the moderator spoke. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to a historic debate between a giant corporation and the youth, where they will clash over the topic of “Should touchscreen phones exist?” Let’s welcome, the CEO of CYBERO, the man who found the touchscreen phone himself, STEPHEN!” Stephen stepped into the podium, thanking the audience, and the moderator continued. “Now, arguably the most passionate independent youth activist today, one of the most outspoken voices against touchscreen phones in social media, please welcome, JAZ!” Jaz stepped into the podium, no thanking the audience, no smiles on his face, only pure focus on STEPHEN.

Jaz started speaking. “Did you know that loneliness has reached a historic high among the youth in this cyber era? In just 11 years, loneliness numbers has gone up by 58%, interviewed youths from Alaskan Hills University, Shanghai University, and Taipei University have mostly complained that they’re unable to make friends, has no one to vent their hard days to, and saw no socializing opportunities, with non employed students reporting the highest cases of friendlessness. In many stories, with the friends they’ve worked so hard to make, when uncomfortable conversations happen, instead of meeting in real life to calmly talk about it, the discomfort that already happened during texting have already led to the end of the friendship, so a talk in real life never happened. Need I remind you that texting is one of the worst ways of communication, where one’s own negative thoughts speak for the person on the other side instead of the person themselves, and this created a judgemental society among the youth that gives no opportunity for anyone to explain themselves. STEPHEN, none of this has ever happened before you launched the touchscreen phone nearly 20 years ago, this rectangle thing has robbed the youth of friends and happiness, this touchscreen phone MUST go.”

STEPHEN answered. “Thank you for all your..... passionate complaints. I hate to repeat myself, but I will. We have added many features throughout the years, such as the reminder to take breaks features, so please keep in mind that we do care-” Jaz cut him off. “I’M SORRY, I don’t usually interrupt, but I will now, WE are also sick of repeating ourselves! Your precious features? They DO NOT work! In fact, they’ve NEVER worked! Even in extreme cases where the phone shuts down to force the user to live and socialize, the user would spend their whole day looking down, ignoring everyone in front of them, while craving and waiting for their phones to turn back on!” The crowd started cheering for Jaz, even clapping and screaming, while corporate bosses backstage were annoyed of Jaz, as STEPHEN answered. “Then, we must work harder to find a feature that works. It’s that simple, we are here to help, not to ruin children’s futures.” Jaz calmly pointed at STEPHEN’s face, like he was about to shoot lasers through STEPHEN’s glasses. “That....... is the problem. You would never abolish the touchscreen phones. You just hide behind new features to excuse yourself from the atrocities you’ve done. You just love money so much........ that you no longer care about humanity.”

STEPHEN somehow stayed quiet, which surprised Jaz, so Jaz kept talking. “Listen up, STEPHEN. Think of your childhood, you had a nice one, right? Plenty of friends, plenty of ex-girlfriends, even. Everytime you had a difficult time, you ALWAYS had someone to hug, to cry with, to let all your tears out shamelessly with. Don’t you think...... This generation deserves that life? Are you gonna gatekeep that amazing social and romantic life from the current generation? Imagine if you never dated, never made friends, had to face everything all alone........ Would you like that?” The crowd went quiet, with some quiet “Ooooo....... Chills.” Heard. Minjae was so engaged with this topic, fueling her dislike for Freedom even more. Jaz delivered his closing remarks. “STEPHEN........ We are not going to stop, until you do. This youth has had enough, your precious money hungry product will vanish, as it should. This generation may have suffered from your cursed glowing rectangles, but we guarantee you......... The next generation won’t.”

Cheers, claps, and even confetti filled the room, all showing love towards Jaz and his passion for a better life for the youth, as Jaz came down from the stage to greet Minjae. “Let’s go home.” Minjae spoke. “That was so good! We are so proud of you! Our great country must be proud of you too!” When they made it outside, Minjae posed a question. “So, you have texted us that you would give us a “fun time” if we study hard and become a good girl, but we are curious, what would that “fun time” be? We really want to know!” Jaz giggled a bit, then answered. “Well, Minjae, you haven’t had your exams yet, so I couldn’t know for sure if you have been a good girl or not! So I’m not telling you!” Minjae spoke. “Arrrrgh....... FU-” “DON’T! NO BAD WORDS! BAD GIRL! See? This is why I am not telling you! You’re still a bad girl!” Then Jaz saw a familiar, blonde-haired figure passing by, which made him stop talking immediately. “Wait here, Minjae.”

Jaz went through the people passing by to approach that blonde figure, and called her. “Hey, uhm........ NIKITA?” She had a full winter jacket on, as Alaska was starting to hail ice, and as soon as he called her, she was surprised, lifted her head up, and stopped her steps. She slowly turned around..... Her green eyes greeted him. “Senior Jaz?” Jaz waved while talking. “YOU’RE HERE TOO??? WHAT THE H- HOW???” Nikita had a WIDE smile on her face without showing her teeth, making little jumps while talking. “I TRANSFERED! I studied so, so HARD for this, and I can’t believe I made it! It’s all thanks to YOU, Senior Jaz!” Jaz looked shy. “Wha- No, No, come on, this is all YOUR hard work in studying!” Nikita squinted. “No! Seriously, you pushed me! You know what I would do if I had to study alone instead? ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz..................” Nikita leaned her head back, opened her mouth and pretend to sleep with a LOUD voice, and Jaz laughed his ass off.

Jaz eventually calmed down and talked. “Kita, are you....... working while studying here?” Nikita looked down as she answered. “Oh........ Unfortunately, yes. There’s just no other way. Living abroad....... That’s always been the cost. But hey, IT’S COLD AGAIN, JUST LIKE MY HOME IN KRASYNOYARSK! YAYYYY!” Jaz was feeling so bad for her, but he became so confused because she turned it into a celebratory moment. “Kita, what is wrong with you........ You know what, yay! I’m so happy for you that you’re back in your habitat! At the cost of me who’s FREEZING my a- I mean, just, freezing and suffering here.......” Nikita used big hand gestures while answering. “WELL...... Would you like a SNOW ADAPTATION TUTORIAL FROM YOURS ONLY, NIKITA?” Jaz panicked. “What the- NO! I’m broke!” Nikita laughed and gently slapped his shoulder for the first time ever. “Hahahahahah! I won’t charge you, BRO! I just want you to not die or get sick a lot when living here. Come onnnnn, Senior Jaz, I WANT to do it, I wanna repay you somehow.....” Jaz looked at the ice hailing skies while he answered. “Ughhh........ Fine. I’ll let you teach me! Kita......... I’m so happy to see you!” Kita smiled hard while shyly keeping her lips glued together. “I’m........ SUPER happy to see you too!”

END OF CHAPTER 8