CH.2 ♕ 032007
GDS4.COM
03042007 AT 11:36 AM // Lee Minji
It's been past thirty minutes since I've met Joong-sshi, and I've legit all but predicted that he's going to be anything but easy on me. How can I tell? Well, it's the way he has barely looked up at me from the paperwork set down in front of him. And the way he kept reminding me to keep focus whenever my focus would begin to slip; oh, god, it's like the man has some sort of emotional link to me already. Or maybe he's been warned by sajangnim that I have the attention span of a four year-old. That's probably it.
However, he's been glancing up towards the door the past five minutes, and I get the feeling he's expecting someone else. Probably Blo-oppa. I shrugged it off.
"They should be here by now," Joong-sshi muttered under his breath as he shook his head and picked up his pen to complete my contract. Ah, so he was expecting people.
As soon as he said that, the door opened and a shorter female sporting a tight smile. "Good morning, Hyunjoong-ah. How are you doing?"
He gave her a grin. "So far so good, but," he turned to look at me with mock pain in his face, "I'm not sure I want this one."
"It's not like I chose you to be my manager, Joong-sshi," I fired back, scowling. The older female's face lightened when I said this, and I realized how pretty she actually looked. She seriously could have been a goddess in her past life. Me with my big mouth, I couldn't help but ask, "Unni, who are you?"
Her cheeks turned a pale pink color as she cleared and I all but screamed 'goddess' in my mind. "Yes, forgive me. My name is Kim Miyeon and I am going to be—"
Before she could say more, a pair of voices that sounded like they were quickly approaching this very room interrupted. The male voice let out a hearty chuckle as a female voice said, "No, I'm serious Blo oppa! Is it really necessary to hold a showcase for the group's debut? For all we know the public won't even give an ounce of interest. If you didn't notice, we're not exactly a well known company." Is that...
Kim Miyeon unni peeked back at the hallway and gave Joong-sshi and me a playful scowl. "Speak of the devils." She turned here eyes on me and asked as she out a hand over her heart, as if offended, "Is she always this pessimistic? It kind of hurts."
Im Yoonkyung and Tablo oppa came through the doors the moment I said, "Well, of course. It's because she's getting old." Yoonkyung scowled as I sniggered. I turned to look at Miyeon unni again as I said, "No, seriously though. I think we're all just a bit paranoid, you know. What Yoonkyung unni said was true, about how people might not even care much about us because we're from a small company."
"Thank you!" Yoonkyung said as she threw her hands up as if to say 'told you so' and took a seat beside me. "And I'm only nineteen hears-old, you ... dolt."
I burst out in laughter. "Nineteen years-old and yet you still don't know how to properly insult someone. Thank god you don't have my manager or else you'd be screwed, unni." In response, she bopped my nose and stuck her tongue out. 'Nineteen years-old and still acts like a child, aish,' I thought.
Before pulling her chair in, she squeezed my shoulder as if to say 'congratulations' and I gave her a toothy grin. At least I know I'll get along with one of my group members. Oh, god, I wonder if she knows we'll be living in a dorm together. But wait a minute...
"What's this about a showcase? First I find out we're living together, and now we're having a showcase?" I gave Joong-sshi, who has been abnormally quiet during this whole meet-and-greet, a look. "Were you not planning on telling me this and just let me find out for myself, you horrible manager, you?" Joong-sshi looked flabbergasted as he attempted to dig up an excuse. Inwardly I smirked; this was the first time he lost his composure around me and, holy, blackmail heaven right here for sure.
An arm came up from behind me and squished my cheeks together. "No, Minji-yah, I wanted to be the one to tell you, but Yoonkyung here ruined the big surprise by being too loud, as per usual," Blo oppa said. Big mistake.
Yoonkyung stuck her tongue out at him. "Ya, oppa, you were the one who opened your big mouth in the first place! Don't go around blaming me for your faults!"
To escape the she-witch that is Im Yoonkyung, Blo oppa took a seat beside me and smiled at the two other adults sitting directly in front of us. Smart man; we all know just how naggy Yoonkyung could be. Whether it's about getting enough fluids during dance practice or defending herself from the unrightful blaming Blo oppa has going on, Yoonkyung unni's pretty face packs a mean punch. "Did you all get sajangnim's email regarding the showcase?"
Joong-sshi, for once, properly looked up at us and nodded at this. "Most definitely. Held in Jamsil Stadium, 3,000 exclusive tickets, roughly around seven months from now."
Miyeon unni shrugged, "In summary, that is. 'A lot' is an understatement but due to the lack of a better word, we still have a lot to go through. I mentioned it to Yoonkyung already, but Minji-ya, the group will for sure be releasing a mini album with roughly four to five songs, depending on how much you four can pull off properly. Concerning the showcase, it'll be around an hour and a half long, but then again it all depends on how many acts we can pull together with your group as the centerpiece. And apart from that you four girls still have to actually record the songs."
Yoonkyung unni's eye brows gathered at the center as her face morphed to confusion. "Speaking of which, where are the other two? And maybe," she continued slyly, "you could tell us who they are in the process?"
"Im Yoonkyung-ah," Joong-sshi said with a slight chuckle, "you're going to have to try harder than that. You and Lee Minji are almost at the same level of intelligence, you know; you can't get through us that easily." Again, I responded to his banter with a scowl, and he with a giddy grin.
"The other two, actually," Blo oppa went on to say, "have yet to be notified about their being chosen. Sajangnim instructed us to do it this way because in the end all the paperwork can be more organized since we're only dealing with two at a time. And no, Yoonkyung-ah, we won't be telling you two who the others are because I think we are both aware that you two have big mouths. In fact, I can already sense some variety show queens here."
Yoonkyung unni covered her ears. "Ooh, dont say that! I'll just end up setting my goals up too high and failing!"
Miyeon's gaze lowered as she gave Yoonkyung unni a 'really' look. "Stop that. This pessimism isn't going to get you anywhere, Im Yoonkyung. Keep your head up and aim for excellence, not perfection."
Despite the fear still evident in her wide eyes, Yoonkyung nodded. "Alright, manager unni."
Im Yoonkyung
It wasn't long after Miyeon unni said that that Minji and I were excused to grab some lunch. 'Don't pig out, you're debuting!' as the wise words of 'Joong-sshi' go, and I'm at a crossroad whether to be thankful because his words are true and, wow, we are debuting or to scowl because I want nothing more than to pig out on some Italian spaghetti or American ribs. Beside me, Minji is scowling and I suppose that's her opinion on it. I plop my arm around her shoulder as we wait for the elevator to take us down to the ground floor of the company building and say, "At least we're debuting, you dope."
Minji turns to face me, her eyes expecting and, dare I say, dreamy, and the usual Minji I know is gone as she whispers. "Do you think we're going to be as good as I know we're both imagining? Are we just going to be another slump?"
I am honestly surprised. This is Lee Minji. I've known this girl since she began training who-knows how long ago, who refuses to let her smile slip for even a second, the very same Minji who has never uttered a single complaint. I am caught off guard but I do what comes naturally: chuckle slightly and pull her along with me when the doors open. "We'll be just fine. Just remember what Miyeon unni said: aim for excellence, not perfection."
As soon as those words left my mouth and I almost forget that it was also time for trainees to grab some lunch, a way-too-cheerful Sungyeol calls out our names and comes stampeding our way equipped with a toothy smile. "Oh, great, here comes trouble on two legs," I whisper playfully, and that is enough to entice the younger girl in my arms to let out a laugh and, oh, is that a blush I see?
Sungyeol stops right in front of us, just about half a foot away of fully knocking Minji down, as his eyebrows scrunch together. "You two weren't laughing about me, right?" I stick my tongue out with a playful smile, and he shrugs because it's not like he actually cared if we were. Being a trainee does that to you to be honest. You get paranoid beyond belief when you hear that people start talking about you, but it's really the way you interpret it that truly matters because it could mean one of two things: you either balls or are just plainly too much for feels to handle. Sungyeol has gotten used to interpreting them as the latter because he's got this image to keep up as the always-too-happy choding of the woollim family, and we usually just don't argue with him about it because if Sungyeol is happy then almost everyone is happy. "I was just about to go get me more coffe Americano, wanna come with?"
"Minji and I were actually just about to go and grab a bite at that sushi place by Cube. Do you wanna come with?" He replied with a hesitant expression. Knowing exactly what he was unsure of, I simply linked our arms together. "Noona's treat, don't worry about money. I just got my allowance and this colossal event surely deserves to be celebrated!" Sungyeol's smile widens and he shrugs, pulling the two of us toward the door. Before we even stepped out of the building, Minji and I received at least seven 'congratulations, you two!'s, and I admit that it was pretty overwhelming that the other trainees and staff members already know the news. Not surprised though. Things travel really quickly around here.
Because of that dazed look that appears to have permanently situated itself on the girl's face, Sungyeol flicked Minji's forehead. When her focus was directed at him, Sungyeol grinned. "Ya, how does it feel to finally be debuting, you lucky asses?"
Minji was silent for a few beats, and when she replied it was soft, "Surreal. Like, I'm probably the happiest I've been in a while because of the whole 'train your asses off, we're debuting a girl group' thing Blo oppa pulled on us, but at the same time I'm really scared, you know. This things is basically a once in a lifetime chance and I don't want to be the one who screws it all up."
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Sungyeol captured her in a headlock and within a good few milliseconds Minji was complaining and thrashing and being 100% Minji with her loud, childish bantering. I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. God, these two are the best (or worst?) troublemakers I know, and that includes my younger sister.
When he released her, Minji grinned her Cheshire Cat grin. "So, is there any news we've missed today?" Nice question, properly thought out indeed. Lee Sungyeol is definitely Information Central when it comes to the trainee group because he generally receives positivity from everyone. Everybody likes him, which is a change since we're not even really training to make friends, and therefore feel the need to tell him everything.
Giant boy's eyes brighten immediately, just as we step into the sushi restaurant. "You guys have no idea. Ji Sun noona came over to see what all the hype building up around Howon was, and he ended up losing his composure in front of her and it was just totally hilarious, I can't." I couldn't believe it. We haven't even properly glanced at the menu yet, and he's already clapping like a seal and laughing by himself.
Seemingly amused, Minji raised an eyebrow and asked, "You didn't even see it happen, did you?"
"No!" he shouted, still in hysterics, and I almost dropped my head in embarrassment when the employees looked at us weird because you just cannot go anywhere with Sungyeol without being embarrassed beyond belief. "That's the best part!" he continued, "If I'm over here almost crying just from hearing about it, imagine how hilarious it must've been for real!"
i'll be putting up the chapters that were already posted, then i'll add more one by one.
Comments