M/Vs online

August 12th 2013:

On my 15th Birthday (16th in Korean Age) the music videos were released. They were going to be monitored for a whole week, and at the end of that, the results will be revealed. Every trainee had managed to get their songs and music videos finished before the deadline, although some were of slightly lower quality than what would usually be accepted. All of us remaining trainees decided that we would watch our released M/Vs together while celebrating my birthday. The staff had ordered some food for us so that we could celebrate, and decided to record our reactions to the M/vs at the same time. The most impressive M/V was by far Hyun-Shik's. Even with a budget on the lower side, he had managed to create a high-quality music video that looked like it had been produced by one of the big companies. The cuts were perfectly crafted and timed, and the story flowed easily and was clear. Even our acting looked pretty good in the video thanks to his direction. Although, we all agreed that his song was lacking in certain areas, mainly depth in the instrumental. It was a little too light. My M/V turned out pretty nice. The others all liked their appearances in military-style uniforms, and the story fits well with the song, however, it looked a little rough. I had zero experience in making a music video, so the editing was very amateurish, and it showed through. The other M/Vs were all received fairly well. Akira's video was surprisingly well-made, while Chan-wook's lacked a fair bit in terms of quality, and planning. Although this was probably due to the fact that he spent the longest on making his song, which was of fairly high quality.

I also spent some time with the girls from TWICE, and I hung out with Ha Seungri and Kim So-Yeon too. My Aunty and Uncle had me over for dinner with Hayashi and Akira. I also received a package from an anonymous person as well. It turned up at my Aunty's door in the afternoon addressed to me, but with no name of the sender. Inside was a letter and a small box. When I opened the box I found a beautiful necklace inside. It was a bronze medallion with the Korean symbol Destiny carved in the centre. Around the outside of the medallion were the Italian words: "Uniti dal Destino, uniti dalla scelta" (Together by fate, United by choice). On the other side is another Italian phrase: "Contro l'oceano che si corrode e il vento che soffia, siamo una montagna che si erge forte" (Against the corroding ocean and the blowing wind, we are a mountain that stands strong) It was a truly beautiful meaning, and the medallion looked oddly familiar. I decided to pick up the letter and read it.

'Dear Chu Jin-Ho' it read.

'It has been a long time since we last spoke. Those months in Naples were some of the best days of my life. Meeting you and getting to know you were truly a blessing. I have missed you since I left Italy and returned to Korea. Unfortunately, as I did not own a phone, I have been unable to keep in contact with you.

I was able to get this address from my father. When I saw you on tv and realised that you were now in Korea I was so happy. I was hopeful that I might finally be able to see you again.

The gift I have sent you is the twin of the one you gave me the day I departed Italy. I was so surprised that I forgot to give it to you. I was also surprised because it was the same gift that you had gotten me. I decided that I would wait and gift it to you at a better date. I figured that now you had come to Korea it would be the best time. I feel horrible at the loss of your parents, and so does my father. Your parents were like a second family to me, and your father was like a brother to mine.

I am currently working hard so that I might meet you again soon. Until then I hope that you can wear this medallion. I have never taken mine off since the day you gave it to me. I'm sorry that I haven't tried to visit you. It has taken a lot of my courage just to write this letter to you in the hopes that you might remember me.

I hope to see you again soon, and Happy Birthday.

From Ye Won.

P.S: I still remember the words you said to me that day;

"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"

Thanks to those words I took a risk and it paid off. I'll be seeing you soon I think, until then stay safe and healthy!'

I finished reading the letter and furrowed my brows. I was trying to figure this out. The name Ye Won rang a bell, but from what. According to the letter she had been in Naples at the same time as me, and while my parents were still alive. I thought back and managed to remember something. I remembered a good friend of my father visiting us for a couple of months. I think he brought his daughter with him, and I got close to her as she didn't speak any Italian and we were the same age. Was her name Ye Won? The medallion certainly looked familiar. But the memories from my past life that returned had blurred some of the memories from my early childhood, so I couldn't be certain. I definitely felt some connection to the medallion and the girl's name, however. I decided that I would ask my aunt and uncle later on and see if they knew. After that, the party continued for another couple of hours before we had to return to the dorm. Bidding my Aunty and Uncle good night we returned to the dorm, medallion now hanging around my neck. It was the best place to have it while I tried to remember anything about this.

Bonus scene:

August 10th 2013:

It was 8:30 pm at night. I was sitting at my desk writing a letter. It was Jin-Ho's birthday in two days and I had decided that I would try and make contact with him again. I hadn't seen him since I left Italy after the two-month stay in 2008. My father had visited for Jin-Ho's father's birthday, and we had decided to stay for a couple of months. Us being the same age, and me not speaking Italian led me to start talking and hanging out with him. he showed me around Italy and we got fairly close. We shared our aspirations with each other at one point, him even giving me some very good advice. "You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore" He had sounded a lot older than he looked when he said that. It left a very deep impression on me and had led me to audition for the entertainment company I am now part of. It was around that time that I had started to develop feelings for him, but I had to leave a few days later. I had decided that I would get him a gift to say thank you and to help him remember me. However, the day I left he had presented me with a bronze medallion. It had surprised me because it was the same medallion that I had bought to give to him. The surprise at receiving a gift from him also caused me to forget to give him my gift. I had thought about sending it to him straight away after I realised but then decided that I would wait for a more meaningful time. After seeing him on Project: New Dawn, I had finally decided that I would try and get it to him somehow. I had asked my father if he could contact Jin-Ho's parents to get their address, I then found out that his parents had passed and he was with his aunt and uncle. I had cried for a couple of hours after finding that out. they were like a second family to me after all. His mother had even subtly suggested we get married while I was visiting which had caused me to get flustered on multiple occasions. I had finally managed to get the address off my father anyway and decided that I would send the gift for his birthday. I also decided to write a letter to go with it. I wondered if he would even remember me. I knew that trauma could cause people to forget things, and I hoped that losing his parents hadn't caused him to forget anything.

Mustering up a lot of my courage I had written a fairly heartfelt letter to him and sent it along with the medallion. 'I hope he remembers me' I pray after handing the package over to the postman. Only time would tell.