Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with the hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have Van, the leader of Apple Hair. He’s going to be talking about taking things slowly—or embracing a slow pace.

Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaiʻi.

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Hey. It looks like the other members have cleaned up their act a little bit. I’m a little bit skeptical about Seiya’s upcoming entry, but I guess I can’t fix everything at once. Today, I’m talking about embracing a slower pace.

First of all, the thing that spurred this letter for you was thinking about construction in Hawaiʻi. A cafe that was meant to open up a year ago finally had its grand opening. It seemed like forever since they promised to welcome people in. And of course, there’s the mess of the rail system, which seems like it’ll never get done. I won’t get too much into that.

All my life, I’ve been a bit afraid of a slow pace. Maybe I didn’t want to fall into too much of an island lifestyle. Maybe it was seeing both of my parents work so hard. And my older brother, too. It got so bad that I became impatient while eating a bowl of pho. If you know, you know. Pho isn’t something that can be eaten in just a few minutes. There’s the slurping of the soup, waiting for the noodles to cool down, putting in your basil and bean sprouts, and even squeezing a lemon in the middle of it all.

It took almost choking on a bite of noodles that made me rethink things. What if a “slow” pace wasn’t so bad after all?

I realized that people had different definitions of “slow.” I was comparing myself to people going at a hundred miles an hour, but that wasn’t realistic for me. Girl, I told myself. You’re going to burn out if you don’t do something soon. And why are you always comparing? Comparing really is the enemy. It steals so much, and it just keeps taking.

Right now, fighting for debut in Apple Hair means totally adjusting my timeline. Let’s say you’re trying to release a digital product. It might take you a few months, depending on how much you work a day. But while training in AWE Entertainment, I have to look in the timeline of years. I’ve heard of trainees who train for five years plus and don’t make it to debut.

I had to really look inside, to be really okay with that. Because in the end, it’ll be worth it. Stepping out on stage during debut day will be like finally finishing a bowl of noodles I’ve been working on for ages. It will be like winning my goldfish at the carnival.

Honestly, I’m going to keep going. And I’m more than happy to have my four members with me. Even though they have no problem driving me insane on the daily.

Always yours,

Van Le

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Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with the hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have an entry from David Cho. He’s going to be talking about daydreaming, one of his favorite activities.

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Hey everyone. It’s David. Today, I’m giving you insight into one of my favorite places and probably my favorite activity.

Barnes & Noble is located at the Ala Moana mall, and sadly it’s the last huge bookstore on the island. I remember the days with multiple locations, and a chain called Borders, but sadly most of them closed down.

Thanks to the rise of BookTok, this Barnes & Noble location has been getting a lot of love. And in a return to the store, I decided to pair my browsing with my daydreaming, making a concoction that would probably do us a lot of good in this chaotic world.

Since training for debut takes up most of my energy, I found that my “dreaming sessions” are the best way I can refill, taking in all the quiet and peaceful moments that I can stumble upon while giving the time for my brain to imagine in the way it’s intended to.

I even wrote a poem on my latest visit, while browsing the special editions with sprayed edges and intricate patterns that ranged from flowers and vines to seashells and flames.

It’s been a while since I was able to

Fully relax

Not only to recharge

But to realize the beauty in the things around me

In the times of dreaming during sunlit hours

Reminders come to me,

Filling me up like God’s love

Telling me that these quiet moments aren’t gone to waste

It’s likely obvious that I wasn’t able to fulfill my dream of being a social media poet. But sometimes, when I’m in such a beautiful area, and when the mood’s just right, the words come to me.

I want to encourage you to create as well. Because your story is just waiting to be dreamed. Maybe you can join me in a dreaming session this week. Allow yourself to think about the possibilities. And if the future’s much too overwhelming, you can find a bit of beauty in something like a special edition book. Sure, it might cost fifty dollars these days, but allow yourself to memorize the weight of the novel in your hands. I promise you that these daydreaming sessions aren’t a waste.

Much love,

David Cho

Hey, it’s Airen again! Did you enjoy David’s entry? Comment below or jump into the Chat to talk about it! Do you also consider yourself a daydreamer?

I’m excited for what’s in Apple Hair’s future. Let me know what type of behind-the-scenes you’d like to see of the band!

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Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with the hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have an entry from Corrin Chang, the Chinese American member.

Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaiʻi.

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Every so often, Seiya will drive us to the Coffee or Tea? at McCully Shopping Center.

He’ll order his typical Assam milk tea, and the guys and I will decide between the myriad of options.

Did you know it can get quite crowded here on Fridays and weekends? (We had to find out the hard way.)

One night, it was just me and Seiya. I think David was down with a cold. Kaden and Van were trying to figure out exchanging their parts for the upcoming vocal evaluation.

Here on Oʻahu, everyone has been talking about the recent Taemin concert. It was just our luck that Seiya and I chose the worst night to grab boba. A bunch of fans were at the shopping center preparing for the concert—which was in two days!

They were taking pictures and exchanging photocards. If I hadn’t been so shocked, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it.

Seiya and I ordered and had to wait more than half an hour to get our drinks. Because it was so crowded, we ended up drinking in the car. I ordered a taro milk tea with extra boba. It tasted sweeter after waiting so long, but all I can remember is the fans shouting about Taemin.

It made me think about how sweet it will be when the guys and I finally debut!

Oh. Seiya and I also talked about the rebuilding efforts for Maui. The rebuilding efforts are still happening for the wildfire back in August of 2023. News about it always affects Seiya the most, since he’s from an outer island (though he’s from the Big Island, not Maui).

While talking about the fires and Taemin at the same time, it made me wonder if it’s even right to celebrate with a concert here in Oʻahu.

Seiya reminded me that through Taemin and other artists, we can find a lot of healing. As I sipped my milk tea slowly, I couldn’t help but think about the many stories of Maui residents losing their animals…

It made me think about my pets at home. I miss them dearly. “It makes me sad that we can’t save them all,” I told Seiya.

Seiya looked at me without judgment. He always knows how I’m thinking about the stray animals—like the plentiful cats—all over the island.

“One cat at a time,” Seiya told me.

It was just what I needed to hear that night. I took another sip of my boba. One cat at a time. Just like one house rebuilt at a time. Just like one practice session at a time. Maybe debut is out of reach to the outsider. But to me, it just needs another step forward.

Lots of love!

Corrin xx.

Hey, it’s Airen again! Did you enjoy Corrin’s entry? Comment below or jump into the Chat to talk about it!

I would love to hear your thoughts about this current-events style exclusive.

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Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with the hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have an entry from Kaden Reyes, the Filipino American member.

Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaiʻi.

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Hello, it’s Kaden. I’m one of five of Apple Hair. As a trainee in Hawaiʻi, let me tell you that there are definite pros and cons. First, let me preface this by saying I’m incredibly grateful to be following in the footsteps of K-pop artists. This is just my personal list, and I’m going to keep fighting towards a debut with the other four guys regardless.

1. Pro: It’s Hawaiʻi

I just can’t wrap my head around young aspiring artists leaving their home suddenly to go to Seoul. Even though it is necessary for those kinds of companies, I don’t think I would do it. Being close to my younger sister, Lora, is very important to me.

2. Con: No One Knows What I’m Doing

It’s true. Every time I tell someone I’m a trainee, they get this weird, puzzled look on their face. In Korea, I’m sure it’s more common to hear “I’m a trainee.” Here on the island, people look at me like I’m strange for not being in college or starting my career. Especially as a new adult, I am expected to be doing something else besides training. The term “trainee” probably needs to be spoken out more. And people seem to be getting more aware of AWE Entertainment, my company.

3. Pro: The Cuisine

I’m heavily biased, but I don’t think I can last in a country without Filipino food. Hawaiʻi has some killer places for Filipino cuisine, and I don’t think Korea would be able to match that. If I were a trainee there, I’d be heavily missing my lumpia and ube desserts.

4. Con: The Massive “Time Difference”

So, Hawaiʻi operates on “island time,” which means that people are more relaxed about life in general. However, there is another meaning. Basically nothing is open past nine p.m. Sure, this works for the average individual here. For a trainee who sometimes gets off work past midnight, it’s not the best to have nowhere to go. 7-Eleven is most definitely sick of seeing me and the other four guys. It’s not like Seoul where restaurants and stores are open late.

5. Pro: The People and Language

I put these two together. The people in AWE Entertainment are generally understanding if someone were to take a day off. Sure, this isn’t very common. But it’s nice to know that I won’t get asked to pack my bag after missing a day or two. And I put language here too—just because I can’t imagine being asked to speak only Korean as a trainee. That would be a whole extra layer to the lifestyle. Being able to speak English while learning Korean on the side gives my brain a needed break.

You’ve probably noticed there is one more pro than con. I’m taking out a page from my teammates’ posts and putting a positive spin on my introduction to you all. You now know that I like to make lists to organize my thoughts. The next time I write to you, I hope that you’ve learned something new about Hawaiʻi and the trainee life.

Sincerely,

Kaden

Hey, it’s Airen again! Did you enjoy Kaden’s entry? Comment or jump into the Chat to talk about it!

What do you think are some general pros and cons of the K-pop trainee life?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Now that all five members have introduced themselves, who do you want to see for the second time?

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Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with the hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have an entry from Van Le, the Vietnamese American leader of the boy band.  

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Hey… I’m so sorry that you had to witness the exclusives from the other members, namely Corrin and Seiya. I promise to tell them to be a little more mindful. Anyway, Kaden will introduce himself next. But for now, let me tell you about my favorite game.

League of Legends may not be my little secret anymore. However, now I can boast to people that my highest rank was Diamond 1 and that I once scored a pentakill with Annie in a Diamond match.

If you don’t understand, let me explain. Basically, a typical game is a 5v5 battle, and the goal is to destroy the enemy Nexus. Um… let’s just say that I’ve spent way too much time trying to destroy Nexai. A pentakill only occurs when you kill all five enemies at once. And for the Diamond ranking, that means I was consistently in the top 3% of all players.

There’s quite a lot to balance in League. Not only do you have to slay minions for gold, but you also have to secure kills against the enemy, push against and destroy turrets, and take monsters like the Elder Dragon and Baron.

Hopefully, I’m not losing you. Anyway, a quick rundown on which champion, or playable character, matches each member of Apple Hair:

David — Sona

Seiya — Hecarim

Corrin — Poppy

Kaden — Maokai

And me? Hm… Honestly, I haven’t given much thought to which champion matches me best. My favorites right now are Ashe, Shyvana, Sejuani, and Amumu. Can you tell that I mainly play the jungle role? If you don’t know, the jungle is responsible for roaming the map and securing objectives.

I guess you can kind of compare it to my role as the leader of Apple Hair?

After a long day at school, my favorite thing to do was to queue up for a match. Girl, I cannot tell you how many times my heart raced with excitement to increase my ranking. After a few games, wins or losses, my parents would prepare a steaming hot bowl of pho. It couldn’t get any better than that.

As a member of Apple Hair, I typically have way less time to play. My older brother, another high ranker, sends me updates on the game. And I also try to queue up with my friends—Nick, James, and Kainoa. I’m barely maintaining my Diamond rank right now.

In another life, maybe I’d be a pro gamer… But I do enjoy performing more than destroying a Nexus, just by a little bit.

Always yours,

Van Le

Hey, it’s Airen again! Did you enjoy Van’s entry? Comment or jump into the Chat to talk about it!

Obviously, League of Legends is very serious to Van. What’s a game (video, card, board, etc.) that you’re very serious about? For me, I don’t play with gacha games like Puzzle & Dragons.

League of Legends can be stressful for some people, but it looks like Van uses it to relieve his stress. Taking the role of a leader can be taxing, especially for a band that’s up against fantastical forces.

Which champion do you think suits Van the best?

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Usually, in the CANON, I explore creating a fictional universe with hopes that you’ll follow along with your own world. Every fourth week, I’m releasing an AU story or an exclusive with one of the members of Apple Hair. This time, we have an entry from David Cho, the Korean American member of the boy band.  

Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaii. 

Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to share this exclusive with you.

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Hey everyone! I’m David Cho, the Korean member of Apple Hair and the one who likes Instagram poetry and mobile gaming. You may or may not know this, but they call me the “Christian” of the group. I’m the only one who goes to church regularly, and I’ve been a Christian since I was a little kid, since I was able to understand and utter the sinner’s prayer. 

I want to share a little bit about how I made my faith my own. 

Going to church every Sunday, I always felt comfortable there. And maybe it was a matter of finding that comfort, which is why I became so involved. I started out cleaning the bathroom, then singing in the choir. I set up chairs before the services and began to know almost everyone in the church by name—quite a feat when hundreds usually come to each of the services. I guess you can call it becoming fully submerged, until the only place I knew to go was the church, where I knew how to swim in the waters many people might call murky. 

My parents definitely had a view on where my faith should go. I won’t go into details about my parents, because it’s just so complicated, but I am thankful for them for teaching me about God at such a young age. They always had one rule in the house: play worship music when getting ready. I began to memorize these songs. I guess that’s where my love for music began. 

But making my faith real? That was a long journey. But it started with a new year’s resolution. I was fourteen that year. 

Have you ever heard of a manifestation movie? I want to give a shoutout to Michelle Phan, the OG beauty YouTuber, for bringing this more to the public. I know it sounds a bit non-Christian, but bear with me. 

I call this technique by a different name—a personal movie trailer—a one to two minute clip with pictures, video, music, and text. You’re meant to make this for the new year, listing affirmations about yourself along with your goals for the year. You can choose music that will remind you of your identity and goals. By watching this video before you go to bed, you remind yourself of your purpose and you can refocus. 

Anyway, when I initially made this personal movie trailer, the first thing I wrote besides “I am David Cho” was “I am a Christian, and this year, I will make my faith my own.” 

Watching the video before I went to bed every night—the clip included some anime visuals from my favorite phone games, along with the opening of “Stand By Me” by Florence + The Machine for the Final Fantasy XV soundtrack—I felt a little bit weird. Would this movie trailer really work for me? Would I really draw closer to God? It was such an abstract concept that I didn’t know whether I was just lost, wading through the swamp of wandering souls.

But one day in May, after watching my trailer the night before, I woke up and went to church. During worship, we sang a song called “Goodness of God.” And I felt it, all of his goodness and love, filling me up as if I was standing under a warm waterfall, bathing in so much aureate light. 

After I returned home from service, I spent a long time in bed. I know that making my faith my own is a process, a lifelong one, but that day I made the decision—This is what I believe. And this is completely my own. Not my parents’. Not my pastors’. But mine.

Just like the other boys of Apple Hair, I’m on my journey to become a singer. But I also hope to share my faith on the stage one day. And please pray for me as I continue to share my testimony with the other members? 

I have much more to share—this won’t be the last time I talk about my faith. 

Much love,

David Cho  

Hey, it’s Airen again! Did you enjoy David’s entry? Jump into the Chat to talk about it!

For my paid subscribers, here’s a link to early access to Debut in Broad Daylight. The link won’t work unless you’re on the paid list! If you recently joined, don’t worry. I’ll get you added ASAP! I appreciate you very much! 

As a monthly bonus for my paid subscribers, here is early access to Onsen Boys! This is chapter three of the Japan AU featuring Seiya and David. 

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Or feel free to start here, where Seiya Morimoto writes about his first day as a trainee at AWE Entertainment. This is a member exclusive!

Yo yo YO. 

So I heard… a certain member is claiming to be your favorite member. I don’t mean to be sassy, but can I get a “that’s BS” from someone? 

Just jokes, Corrin! Corrin talked about his audition story. So I’m here to one-up him by talking about my first day as a trainee. 

Now, my audition story was pretty cool too, but my first day was one for the books. Or whateva.

Now, I entered the AWE building, and I was pretty full of actual awe. My sister dropped me off, and the whole time she just kept gushing over me, which felt weird. But I guess she was just proud? 

I was immediately brought to a conference room on the second floor. Man. It felt a little intimidating to be around fifty people who also made the cut. But I puffed my chest out. I was good enough to be here, right?

After we went over all the rules, we split off into two groups by age. I was in the older group, and we immediately went into a dance practice. The guy introduced himself as Mr. Bright, and he looked a bit like a young Channing Tatum. 

I tried not to be distracted by his handsomeness. Now, I love freestyling dance as much as I do rapping, but it was a whole new experience to have every move laid out for me. I have to give a shoutout to my bro Corrin, who joined the company at the same time as me. I remember noticing him at this practice. We were in separate rows, but he was wearing this cute Dumbo shirt. 

Anyway, we watched some dance routines on the projector, and then it was time for vocals with Mrs. White. Man… she’s definitely intimidating. We had some vocal warmups to test our ranges, and then all the trainees tried their hand at writing a rap. I still remember mine. Here’s a few lines: 

I thought you couldn’t believe that I would ever make it

In fact even when I got a call, you thought I faked it

I thought a lot about my parents. Unlike my sister, they don’t really care. About nada. So it was an easy decision to leave home and head into the AWE dorm. 

After vocals, where some of the trainees performed their raps (not me ‘tho), we headed off into lunch. I sat on a table that was almost full. There, I met Allen—he already gave me bad vibes from the very beginning. 

After lunch, Merlin Kim addressed all the new trainees. He talked about it being a hard road. Damn. He made it sound like we were going off to war soon. 

We headed into another dance session with another instructor, Mrs. Tori, who introduced herself as Japanese—like me—and Spanish. She gave us a presentation about hip hop and then impressed us all with a hard-hitting dance that looked like she was punching and kicking an invisible person. 

Now… the day was already interesting. But here’s where it got a little cray. Merlin Kim split us into groups of five, and we had a few hours to prepare a performance that he would personally judge. To use to determine the groups that he’ll form later on. 

Man. If I told you my heart raced at that very moment, doing acrobats like a hammah. 

I wasn’t placed with Corrin if you’re curious, but the other four group members didn’t fuss when I said that I could be in charge of the rap verse. 

We were the first group to go up in front of Merlin Kim. My heart just about exploded in my chest. But hey. I went out there and did it. In the second verse, I spat out the rap and then fell back into formation. We performed a dance that was beginner-level, but still kinda in sync. 

Merlin Kim smiled after. 

I think I impressed him? 

So. That was the first of many days training in AWE Entertainment. I hope you found it a cool read? I won’t say anything cocky like Corrin did, but I will repeat something. Apple Hair’s got your back! Is there anything else you’re curious about that the other members can answer? 

Best, 

SEIYA

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Or feel free to start here, where Corrin Chang writes about how he started his journey as a professional singer. This is a member exclusive!

Hi everyone! It’s Corrin (your favorite member of Apple Hair). I got the great news that I’ll be writing the first member exclusive! Hey, that’s a great honor. I hope you’re enjoying reading our story? 

I’ve been thinking that maybe you want a little background! (and it’s just what I feel inspired to write about). So I’m here to give you my audition story. 

As you know, I love to busk. Just me and my guitar out on Waikiki. I opened up one day with a Bruno Mars song. My voice cracked a few times, but I gathered a small crowd. Sunset just passed and I was struggling to see, as you might know that twilight often has that effect.

I finished the song, and I saw a man approaching me. At first I prepared myself to say no to whatever money he had to offer (as that’s not exactly legal for busking here). But he simply gave me a card. 

I glanced at his face, a man in his thirties? He was dressed all fancy in slacks and a dress shirt, and his smile was pretty nice. I looked down at the card, and it said AWE Entertainment. At that time, I’d never heard of the company. 

I finished busking and went back home. Now I wouldn’t say that I’m a chronically online person… but I definitely acted like one on that day. Mom called me out for dinner, but I was too consumed with looking up info about AWE.

Outside, I told my mom that I wanted to audition.

She was hesitant, and she warned me about the perils of the entertainment industry. As a single mother and nurse, she just wants me to have a stable life. I can’t blame her! 

I most always listen to my mom’s advice, but there was something about that man and something about that name. AWE. Isn’t that just such a cool name?

Anyway, I continued to research. I hid this from my mom, but I had a date in mind. A seemingly random Saturday to everyone, but a day that was displayed on the AWE Entertainment website for everyone to see. Open auditions—bring yourself and a confidence that you could successfully debut as a singer. 

I waited until that Saturday to beg my mom to go. She put up a pretty good fight, (we rarely argue, so this was particularly distressing). Anyway, she gave in. But I couldn’t celebrate just then. I still had the whole actual audition to worry about. 

Mom drove me to the audition since I was running late—thanks to the argument. The first time I saw the AWE building, I got a little tripped out. The whole time, I thought it was another condo. Who knew some K-pop mastermind was building an entertainment company here? 

Anyway, my mom wished me good luck, and then I got in line, which snaked all the way outside and around the building. I saw a few… or maybe a lot of handsome and pretty people. It felt like it took forever for the line to move even an inch. 

Eventually, I got inside the building and saw that the auditions were happening in the lobby. When it was my turn, I got in front of a blank white screen, facing three judges. One of them was CEO Kim, but I didn’t know that just yet. 

I brought my guitar too. In the middle of my singing (a One Direction ballad), CEO Kim raised his hand, and I slowly faltered to a stop. I was aware of the entire waiting line looking at me, probably picking me apart. It wasn’t a good feeling. 

“Good,” he said, not giving away any other emotion besides a pleasant indifference. “Now, we want to see you dance. Can you dance for us?” 

“Um.” I had read a lot about K-pop auditions, and one of the main points was to do whatever the judges ask. “Yes.” 

One of the judges played a track from the speakers, and I began to dance. I felt a lot like a monkey, jumping around and flailing a bit. At that point, I thought that I for sure failed the audition (there were a lot of people who prepared much more than me, and a lot of people who could actually dance). 

I exited the company with a bit of embarrassment, and my mom picked me up and asked me how it went. Since I thought I failed the whole thing, I just said, “I think it went okay, but not the best.” 

Two weeks later, I got the call. It was Merlin Kim welcoming me to become a trainee, if I so wished. The training sounded intense, but I was all for it. It sounded like my future. It sounded right. 

So that’s my audition story. I bet it’s way better than the other members’ stories. Anyway, thanks for reading and reliving this journey together with me. Apple Hair’s always rooting for you. And may this be a sign to take that chance and that risk. 

Lots of love!

Corrin xx.

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