EXO's Lay bared his fears and doubts as a trainee living in South Korea in his biographical new book Standing Firm at 24, and how he was able to eventually overcome these emotional burdens.

Fan translators elaysiums and yixingspixie uploaded the English version of Lay's foreword to the new book on Twitter

Lay confesses that he did not have a lot of confidence after debuting as part of EXO, describing a "very, very deep anxiety" he had felt while performing on stage. But he was able to overcome by learning to trust his instincts more and drawing strength from his hard training.

"There is a scene etched in my memory, the first time I stood on the debut stage, everyone saw how easily I laughed, how confidently I danced. But I knew at that time, that my heart was full of the resistance of wanted to escaped," said Lay.

"The stage was so big, the applause was so loud, in the instant that my name rang out, in the moment my legs stepped out there - in my heart, other than the excitement I displayed, my mind was swelling with questions: Did I make a mistake with my position just now? Was my performance satisfactory? Later on I must not say the wrong ting, was my reaction too slow just now? Will we be acknowledged? Will our future be good?" he added.

Lay fans will also admire the idol even more while reading the book as it reveals the difficult journey he went through to fulfill his dreams.

"The name of the book is 'Standing Firm at 24' it's because Confucius said 'At 30, I stood firm' also originated from the encouragement of the little secretaries from my personal studio, considered as a small summary to myself," said Lay.

"This book is me looking back at the traces I have encountered. The significance of looking back, is most certainly to fly forward for the better, flying to that place called 'Standing firm at 30.'"

"I hope that in my future, I can stand on one stage after another. I hope that I always remember the feeling of all the perseverance and hard work that has been left on my body. It is this strength that has shaped the way I am today."

You can read the whole foreword to his new book through the fan-translated posts below:

---

Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.