“He’s calling for you.” The man told the young blond. A light smile appeared on the blond man’s face.

  “Feel free to go before me.” He watched the other man stand up and enter the audition room.

  The forty-third auditionee walked into the room looking dignified. He stood on the circle as requested, but not before handing his bio to the team in front of him. When one woman caught sight of the black-haired man, she gasped lightly.

  After repeating the introductions that he had bestowed on the previous forty-two auditionees, Carter allowed the man to respond.

  “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr Jones. It seems at least one of you recognises me, so I’ll confirm. I am the former professional long-jumper, Yue, and I’m twenty-four. Since my accident, I took a large interest in music, so rest assured, I won’t be a let-down if chosen. The rap I’m going to perform is one written by myself, detailing said accident and music finding me.”

  Yue cleared his throat, and then immediately after went into his rap. In his rap, he explained how he felt at the time of his long-jumping accident, which lead into how music came into his life and his new journey with that. When finished, Charlene sighed happily, entranced by Yue’s lyrics.

  “Before you show us your dance moves, I’d like to ask something.” Her blue eyes twinkled with interest. “Have you no desire to return to long-jumping?”

  Yue thought for a moment. “I have fond memories of that time in my life, though I think that chapter has now reached its end. I’d like to start something new, so I’m fully committed to music now. This group is the perfect opportunity to showcase my new-found passion.” He ran his dark brown eyes over the panel. Chris did her best to look at him, but as soon as his gaze moved on, she quickly averted her eyes to a less awkward part of the room. As he’d answered her question, his eyes lingered a little when they reached Charlene. In return, she blushed.

  Unable to recognise her feelings, Yue continued with the audition.

  “I’ll now perform my dance routine.”

  Daniel straightened up, giving this part of the audition his full attention.

  As Yue moved his body, the expression on his face was one of pure enjoyment. His gestures had a lot of energy and strength. With each step flowing into the next, Yue displayed great rhythm, too.

  At the end of his routine, Yue’s breathing had increased. He eagerly looked towards the potential co-workers, desperate to hear their opinions. Though, just by watching their demeanour, he had a pretty good idea about what they thought.

  “A career change was probably the right decision.” Carter informed him. “Charlene?”

  The woman beamed. “I’d love to see more of you! Uh, I mean, ‘hear’.” She bashfully brushed her hair behind her ear. Daniel gave her a sideways glance.

  “On some level, I have to agree with Charlene. Your change in career is an unusual one, but there’s a lot of potential. I’m interested to see what else you can do.” The man told Yue, bringing the topic back to the audition.

  With silence following Daniel’s words, Carter sighed, a little frustrated. Chris wasted no time filling the gap; she couldn’t risk being fired before she even started.

  “Having gained a fanbase from your long-jumping days, the group will have a great starting point, if you are to make the cut.” Chris commented absentmindedly, worried more about the success of the group. “Oh, what I mean is, your fans will be excited to see this step that you made, and they will be curious about your abilities off the field.”

  Yue patiently waited for her to finish. He thanked the panel, and then he left the room after being dismissed.