The atmosphere in the room hung thickly, a mixture of remorse and irritated tension consumed the air, worsened by the sound of broken sobs emanating from the sofa. Aeyeong sat on the couch, cradling a crying Sijin in her arms, calmly comforting her dongsaeng in her soft, soothing voice. “It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”

Lìxúe, who was seated on the other side of Sijin, wiped her eyes. “You were just fine. You sang b-beautifully,” she said in a somewhat shaky voice as more tears began to spill down her pretty face, her delicate features scrunching cutely as she tried to hold back the tears.

“Those meanies! Those jerks! Those no good—urgh!” Byulhee cried, pacing back and forth behind the couch, fuming over the matter. “We didn’t do anything wrong! And Sijin was just fine! If Cruella de Vocal hadn’t pushed her so hard, then—urgh!” She threw her arms up in the air. “Stupid jerks! No one does that to Sijin! It's just not fair! It's rude. And mean!” She balled her hands into fists, her knuckles turning white almost instantly as she began to mutter incoherent insults at the heartless SM Company and all its employees.

Nell shook her head ever so slightly at Byulhee’s dramatic display of justified indignation as she kept a smile on her face, attempting to guise her own frustrations. She glanced down at her phone, her lips forming a slight pout when she saw that Siwon still had not texted her. Didn’t he know how much she must be hurting right now? Surely, he must have seen how they had so cruelly misjudged her choreography. It was unthinkable that someone could look down on her work as they had so unjustly done. It was unreal. How could they not see that she understood the art of dance and incorporate her knowledge to the powerful, catchy moves of pop? How could they demean her work purely because she did not take the rather erted ideas of two monkeys? (No pun intended.) She knew what she was doing. It wasn’t easy for most ballerinas to dance hip-hop, but she did. She knew dance in so many of its forms that it was downright degrading for them to have even suggested that she did not understand how to choreograph a dance. Not only that, but she ran a dance academy. How would its prestigious reputation fare if people actually believed SM’s libel?

They must all be jealous. That's why they so viciously demeaned her work. They must be jealous of her talent.

Her eyebrows fell from their knit position as she stared at her lock screen, the image of Chris Evans as Captain America staring back at her. Still no text from Siwon. She felt her chest clench, her heart heavy. She just wanted to feel his comforting touch and hear his consoling words more than anything else in the world to reassure her.

Her phone began to vibrate in her hands and a small envelope appeared on the screen. Her eyes lit up as her lips curved into a small smile of relief.

“I saw the show… do you wanna come over and talk about it?” the text message read.

“Yeah. That would be nice,” she replied back over text.

Her phone vibrated again. "Do you want me to meet you somewhere close to your dorms and drive you? Or are you up for driving?" the text message read.

Nell's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Can you meet me?" She did not have to wait long for a response.

"Sure. There's a small boba tea shop near your dorms. My treat if you want. =) " 

Nell's lips curved into a smile as she replied back. "Thanks. I'd love that." Her phone vibrated after just a few moments.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Love you." 

"Love you too," she texted back. She looked up from her phone, her eyes glazing slightly despite the small, soft smile that adorned her lips. She stood up, turning to address Aeyeong to inform her that she would be leaving for the night. 

Feeling Nell's gaze on her, Aeyeong glanced at Nell, her eyebrows raising questioningly as she continued to consol Sijin. 

Just as Nell opened to speak, Minyeon and Jaemi entered the room.

Everyone turned their attention to the pair, anxious to see what had transpired during the call they had made with their main manager, Minho.

Minyeon cleared , an impassive expression on her face. "So," she began, her tone even and calm. "We spoke to Minho about everything. He's just as upset as we are over the whole thing. He said Minyeong and the rest of the company are furious over what happened and are currently trying to contact SM about the matter." She took a breath.

"They're going to make sure that SM can't pull off another stunt like this again," added Jaemi. "JJE are trying to negotiate matters so that there's at least one person from the company involved in each phase of every episode so that SM can't manipulate things as much."

"It won't be easy," added Minyeon. "There's going to be a lot of fallout after this first episode, but the company is going to support us in every way on this." She glanced between all the members. "However, we have to do our part too."

"Like what?" spat Byulhee with a huff as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "SM is the one that screwed us over. I mean, Sijin was doing her best, but Mr. Cruella de Vocal had to be such a--"

"I know, I know," Minyeon interrupted Byulhee calmly. "We weren't in the wrong, but the public thinks we are." She pursed her lips slightly as she thought about all the comments that had already appeared all over social media surrounding SM and JJE. "So, we need to come up with ways that will show the public who we really are."

Jaemi shrugged. "And maybe make us look a little better."

Byulhee groaned audibly. "And play nice guy?"

"I think what they mean--" Aeyeong began, turning to look at Byulhee. "--is that we need to 'heap fiery coals on their heads'. It--"

Byulhee broke out in laughter. "I like the sound of that!" She doubled over, laughing harder.

Nell shook her head gently. "It's a scripture, Byulhee."

"But it j-just s-sounds so funny!" Byulhee said between laughs. "When Ae said it, I just pictured us starting a whole bonfire on the top of the SM roof and chanting our song! 'You don't looooove meeeeee!'" she sang in a strange tone.

Nell almost slapped her own head at the absurdity of Byulhee's thoughts, but held back out of politeness, though she did let out a giggle. Jaemi and Lìxúe laughed out loud as Minyeong and Aeyeong shared an amused glance. Sijin giggled quietly as she wiped away some more tears.

Within the atmosphere feeling much lighter, Minyeon continued. "Like Aeyeong was saying, we need to do our best to be nice and kind and do what we can, so that maybe the public will have a change of heart about us." She paused for a moment, glancing between her dongsaengs. "We're going to be a team. Work hard. Give our best. And probably do a little extra to make ourselves look better in the public eye."

"But we're also not going to let SM walk all over us either," Jaemi added, glancing between all the members. "We have a right to stick up for ourselves. So, while we will play 'nice'," she said, using her fingers as air quotes. "We're not going to let them get away with too much either." She paused, gazing between the different members. "No matter what though, Minyeon and I are going to be protecting the group as best as possible." Her countenance fell and her eyes saddened. "Sorry though that we could not prevent this. But we're going to work harder to protect you all."

"In the meantime," Minyeon continued. "We're going to have to get on Super Junior's good side so that we can have a little more leverage. If we become close with Super Junior, or at least let fans think we are, SM is going to be less likely to do something that could reflect negatively on Super Junior." She let out a breath. "Super Junior's anniversary is coming up, so we should probably do something for them then."

"L-like throw them a party?" offered Sijin as she wiped her eyes.

"Yeah," Minyeon nodded. "We could do that."

"I can make a cake," offered Lìxúe as she blinked away the tears that still threatened to fall from her eyes. "I really like baking." She smiled gently.

"That's a good idea," commended Minyeon with a small smile. "It's a start, but we will need something else too."

Sijin covered with her hand as she stifled a yawn, exhaustion from the the stress and heartache of the evening finally taking its toll on her.

"Though perhaps we better sleep on it. We need to get some rest before tomorrow's schedule," Minyeon said, noting Sijin's tired face. "We start vocal rehearsals tomorrow." 

The rest of the members murmured in agreement, a couple yawns escaping in the process. 

"That's a good idea." Lìxúe stood up from the sofa. "Good night everyone! Sweet dreams!"

"You too," the various members replied.

Aeyeong gently kissed Sijin on the head. "Get some rest, okay? Don't worry about what happened. Tomorrow's a new day." 

Sijin nodded as she stood up and began to head down the hallway.

"Night! Sweet dreams!" the remaining members said as she exited the room.

Nell turned to the other members. "I'm going to leave. I've got plans."

"Do you want us to wait up for you?" asked Aeyeong with concern.

Nell shook her head gently. "No. I don't plan on returning tonight," she replied with a polite smile. Her unnies nodded in understanding. "Thanks though. I just need some time to process everything."

"I don't blame ya," Byulhee said, blowing air out of mouth in irritation.

"Get some rest tonight," Minyeon said. "Are you going you to meet us over at the studio or are you coming back here in the morning?" 

"I'll be back here early," replied Nell. She already knew that Siwon would be worried about dropping her off a block away from the dorms so early in the morning. He would rather just wear a disguise and drop her off near JJE where he knew she would be safe. However, there were more chances of getting caught that way, so she would insist on having him drop her off near the dorms. She smiled gently. She really appreciated how Siwon was always such a gentleman and always worried about her safety.

"Alright. See ya tomorrow." 

"Goodnight." Nell nodded and proceeded to head down the hallway to grab a few things from her room. 

Byulhee blew a raspberry as she stood up from her seat. "Well, guess I'm gonna get some sleep too." She waved to the others. "Night."

"Night!" the three remaining members responded cheerily as Byulhee made her way toward her and Lìxúe's shared room. As soon as they heard the door close, they glanced between each other. 

"Poor things," muttered Aeyeong with a sigh. She shook her head gently and stood up from the sofa. "The next few days aren't going to be easy with what the media will be saying."

Minyeon nodded. "But we can't let it affect any of us too much."

Jaemi nodded slightly in agreement. "Yeah, we're--" She broke off as Nell's footsteps came down the hall. Nell entered the room and headed towards the front door. "Bye Nell! Have a good night!" Jaemi began to cross towards the door. "I'll lock up for ya."

"Thanks!" Nell called back  with a warm smile as she opened the door. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"See ya!"

Jaemi closed the door behind Nell as she left the dorm.

"Are you guys staying tonight?" asked Minyeon. 

Aeyeong shook her head gently. "No, I've got a cat who's probably missing me by now." And a fish, she thought. She began to walk towards the door, taking her purse from where she had set it on a small table near the entrance.

"I'm going to stay at my apartment tonight too," Jaemi said, snatching her keys from the hook by the door. "Gotta couple of things I need to take care of." She reached over and grabbed her purse off the table too. "See ya tomorrow, Minnie."

"See ya." 

"Sweet dreams!" Aeyeong called back as Jaemi held the door open for her. "See ya tomorrow!"

Jaemi shut the door and locked it after they had both exited the apartment. 

As Jaemi and Aeyeong began to walk down the corridor toward the elevator, Aeyeong turned to Jaemi with a knowing look. "You're blaming yourself, aren't you, Jay?" she said in a low voice so as not to disturb the other apartment rooms in the building.

Jaemi breathed a sigh. "I just wish I could have protected the group better from this. That's all. I just--" She scoffed quietly. "I knew something like this would happen, but--" She shrugged. 

"It's not like you could have prevented it," Aeyeong pointed out as they reached the elevator. She pressed the button to go down. "You had no control over the editing process."

"Still--" Jaemi scoffed as the elevator doors slid open. "I'd rather spare you guys the heartache." She reached out, pressing the button to reach the parking garage. The doors slid shut and began to descend.

She felt her chest clench with pain at the thought of Sijin and Lìxúe crying earlier. It reminded her too much of the day their group was disbanded. She had hoped that she would never see them cry like that again over something that should be a happy occasion in their career. Yet, once again, she had failed them. 

The doors slid back open and the two headed towards their cars.

"This is just a slight bump in our path," Aeyeong said. "We haven't shown SM what we're made of yet."

Jaemi chuckled. "Wait until they 'experience the full power of the dark side'," she said dropping her voice to a low octave.

Aeyeong's lips quirked into a mischievous smile. "I thought you and Minyeon made it clear we were going to be 'playing nice'."

"Yeah, yeah," Jaemi replied in English, playfully using a valley girl accent as she rolled her eyes in jest. She fell out of teasing and scoffed. "Like I'd ever go out trying to make trouble."

Aeyeng giggled. "That's true. If you did, your brother would have a field day with it."

Jaemi laughed. "True." She paused by Aeyeong's car. "Well, I'll guess I'll be seeing ya. Have a good night! Tell Berlioz I said hi!"

Aeyeong chuckled as she took out her car keys. "I will. Sleep well tonight!"

"Thanks! You too!" Jaemi waved and then hurried off to her own car.

Aeyeong stepped into the car and put the keys in the ignition. As she began to buckle the seat belt, her phone started to vibrate. She fished her phone out of her purse, glancing at the caller ID. She quickly answered it. "Hey," she said, a smile crossing her face.

"Hey. I saw the show--" There was a pause as if Donghae was not quite sure what to say. There was a sigh from the other end of the receiver. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"I know it's not your fault. You have no reason to be sorry," she continued as she waved out the window as Jaemi drove by, heading towards the exit. 

"I don't like what they did though," Donghae said, a hint of irritation in his voice. Aeyeong could almost picture the small pout on his face. "This is going to make it harder," he muttered.

"Make what harder?" asked Aeyeong, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh... Just your debut."

Aeyeong smiled. "Things will work out. Anyway, I'm heading home now, so I'll see you soon." 

"Alright. See ya." 

With that, Aeyeong hung up the phone and then began to drive out of the parking garage, her thoughts turning toward the events of the night. Minyeon was right. They had to think of something to turn the tide in their favor.

****

Minyeon closed the door to the room that she, Jaemi, and Aeyeong shared--when they weren't at their own apartments. She leaned her back against the door, exhaling a heavy sigh and closing her eyes. 

Without a doubt, their first episode had put a dent on their image.

SM had put them in a bad position and forced the Starlets to appear in the wrong.

But there had to be something that they could do to raise their image in the eyes of the public.

Probably SM would want some form of "apology" from them, but the group had nothing to be sorry about.

Minyeon's eyes snapped open as an idea suddenly came to mind.

She had worked at SM a long time. She had seen many groups come and go. She had seen the way SM had reacted to rookie groups, and one thing she knew they loved seeing was when their rookie groups performed the songs of their seniors.

Her lips quirked into a small smie as she pushed herself off the door and crossed over to her nightstand, pulling out a notebook and a pen from the drawer. She snatched up her mp3 as well and tossed them onto the bed. She fished her phone out of her pocket. 

She had an idea, but she needed a second opinion, or rather, nine. Her fingers flew across the screen as she quickly typed up a group text to the current Girls' Generation members as well as to her friend, and former SNSD member, Jessica. Within seconds of sending the text, her phone erupted with replies, all excited responses over her idea. 

Minyeon's lips curved into a smile as she read all of their supportive comments. She spent the next half hour catching up with them a bit, before promising them that she would text them all again later. She had work to do at the moment.

She quickly pulled up the internet on her phone and began searching for some sheet music until she found the one she was looking for. She snatched up her mp3 and plugged her earbuds in. She scrolled through her songs until she came upon one song in particular. As she began to listen to the music, her mind began to reimagine the chords in a whole new light. She took her pen in hand and began scribbling in the notebook, jotting down her ideas and losing complete track of time as the minutes slipped into the late hours of the night. 

****

Nell and Siwon sat on the sofa in the living room of his apartment, her head leaning against his chest as his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. 

Nell let out a sigh. "I'm just worried about the whole thing. I feel like I'm going to have to change my choreography now, because of what that show portrayed." She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "I can't stop thinking about what they said. What if my students or potential students believe what they said?" She felt Siwon's hand slip to her arm, giving her a comforting squeeze. 

"They won't," he said softly. "You've proven what you can do there. The academy is successful because of your work."

"That's what I'm worried about. I've worked so hard to build the academy up and expand it into what it is. I'd hate to see its reputation damaged because of this."

Siwon shook his head gently. "It won't be," he repeated. "Once they see all of the choreography you have planned for your group, they will know just how talented you are."

Nell smiled. "Thanks." Siwon's words did make her feel better, but she did not think the public would see her in a good light until she changed it. She let out a sigh, deciding to voice her thoughts aloud. "I don't think the public would like it if I keep it the same though." She let out a breath. "I think I'm going to have to at least add a few of their ideas just to appease everyone." She rolled her eyes, thinking about some of the suggestions Eunhyuk and Shindong had come up with. A smile slipped onto her face. She shook her head gently. "Those two are monkeys, you know," she said with a giggle. A beat passed and she sat up with a look of resolve. "I guess I'm just going to have to add a few more 'y' parts into the choreography. Then everyone will be happy."

"Just don't change it too much," Siwon said gently. "It still needs to be your choreography. I don't want you to lose your touch on it."

"Oh, I won't," Nell said with a toss of her head, her hair falling over one shoulder gracefully. She sent Siwon a disarming smile. "I know what I'm doing." 

"I know." Siwon smiled at her gently before leaning down and kissing the top of her head softly. Before he could pull away completely, Nell wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him gently on the lips. His hands slipped under her, lifting her gently onto his lap as their simple kisses began to deepen, the two of them finding love and joy in each other's company as the night went on.  

****

The following morning, all the Starlet members except Minyeon were gathered around the breakfast table, eating some breakfast.

Aeyeong glanced at the clock on the wall before turning to Byulhee. "Are you sure Minyeon is awake?"

Byulhee shrugged, currently preoccupied with chewing. She swallowed the contents in . "The door was locked when I went to wake her up. When I knocked there was no response. I think I heard her hair dryer in the bathroom though."

Aeyeong nodded. "Alright. I just don't want her to miss breakfast. It's not good to miss breakfast before schedules."

As if on cue, Minyeon entered the room with a smile on her face. 

"Good morning!" Aeyeong said cheerily. "You should eat something."

"I will," Minyeon said nonchalantly. "But first, I have to tell you guys my idea of what we could do at Super Junior's anniversary party. Follow me." She gestured for them to come to the living room with her.

The other members got up from the table, following her, Byulhee grabbing another bite before coming too. 

"Anyone know how to play 'Sorry, Sorry'?" asked Minyeon. She could play the song herself, but she wanted the other members to be able to understand where she was going with her idea and it would be better for them to experience it first hand.

"I can," Lìxúe said as she sat at their electric keyboard. She played a few practice notes and then began to play the song, her fingers gliding seemingly in an effortless manner over the keys.

After a few bars, Minyeon stopped her. "Now imagine that, but jazzy." 

Lìxúe's eyes widened. "Like take all the electronic sounds from the original and replace it with jazz instruments?"

Minyeon nodded. "And make a few other changes.Or maybe make it like an American 1920's or '40's type song."

"Make it more vintage, like our style," added Jaemi with a smile crawling on her face.

Byulhee's eyes widened. "I love it!" 

"It's a great idea!" Aeyeong added with grin.

"Of course, we'll need some new choreography for it," Minyeon continued, glancing toward Nell.

Nell smiled, thinking of all the possiblilities she could do with it. "Are we going with more of a swing dance for this one? Or maybe even throw in some tap dancing?"

"I don't know. We'll have to talk to JJE about it and see if they can help us arrange this one," replied Minyeon. "I think we need to make it either like a big band orchestra type of song or a vintage ballad. But we need to talk to JJE, see what we can work with."

Jaemi nodded. "Yeah. Though it would be cool, I don't think we'll be able to have access to a big band orchestra." She chuckled. "Maybe during our first tour." She shrugged.

"I think that would be cool," Sijin commented. "Even just changing the song to jazz instruments will change the whole feel of the song. Maybe we should do a medley of a few of their songs? Make them all a little different? Like make one a vingtage ballad and another a swing song?"

Byulhee slapped Sijin on the back. "That's a great idea! We could really show off our skills that way! We'll show that Cruella de Vocal and the rest of those meanies at SM what we're made of!"

As everyone erupted in excitment, chiming in their ideas and inputs, Jaemi glanced down at her phone and then exchanged glances with Aeyeong. "We're going to have to talk about this later."

Knowing that they were on a tight schedule, Aeyeong clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Let's hurry and get ready. We have vocal rehearsals to go to."

****

A hushed silence fell over the room as Aeyeong finished the last note, her beautiful voice finally fading from the air. The members held their breath, awaiting the final judgement from the two vocal instructors in the room. 

Mrs. Lee, a middle aged woman with one silver streak in her silky black hair, broke out in a smile. "Very good."

The Starlets all released a breath, smiles breaking out between them.

"Excellent work," Mr. Oh, an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair, said with a nod. "You all did great. I have a couple notes though. Jaemi, you were a little too high on your last note."

Jaemi nodded, making a mental note to correct it next time.

"Byulhee, you rushed your cue and were half a beat ahead," he continued. "Great job though of adjusting your speed after." He smiled. "Sijin--" He paused, turning to look at the youngest Starlet. 

Sijin felt her shoulders deflate. She had worked so hard to master that, especially after the whole Cruella de Vocal incident. 

Mr. Oh smiled. "Great job."

Sijin straightened up in surprise, eyes widening. 

"It was perfect. You nailed it."

"Yay, Sijin!" Byulhee, who was standing beside Sijin, threw her arms around her dongsaeng, giving her a suffocating embrace. "You did it! We knew you could! You'll show that stupid Cruella de Vocal who's boss!" 

"Nice job! Good work, Sijin," the other members chimed in.

Sijin smiled as Byulhee pulled away excitedly.

The vocal instructors smiled over the exchange before Mrs. Lee cleared , causing the Starlets to refocus their attention back on the instructors. "I have a couple notes as well. Seolmi--" He looked over to Lìxúe."--when you hold that note at the end of the second stanza, be careful not to extend it too long. You extended it a half beat too much."

Lìxúe nodded and jotted down the note on her lyric sheet.

Mrs. Lee smiled. "You all did excellent work today. I think that you all will be ready to record in a couple days as scheduled. Very well done."

A couple excited squeals erupted from the Starlets.

Mr. Oh chuckled. "I'm looking forward to the recording." He looked at his watch and then cleared his throat. "Looks like it's time for me to go. You girls take care. Bye Mrs. Lee."

"Goodbye!" they all called as he exited the room.

Mrs. Lee turned to the members. "Super Junior should be arriving soon. When they come, they'll be taking over the lesson. I'll be sitting right over there," she gestured to a cushioned seat by the wall. "I'll be watching them." She chuckled.

Byulhee grinned mischievously. "Why? You got a crush on them?"

Mrs. Lee laughed. "No. I've got to make sure they stay in line."

Quiet giggles spread through the group. Though all were grateful that JJE was doing what they could to help them out. 

At that moment, the door opened and the Super Junior members walked in through the door, followed by the whole camera and production crew from SM and a couple people with JJE logos written across their shirts. 

"Speak of the devils," muttered Mrs. Lee.

The girls giggled as they watched her cross over to her spot, crossing her arms in front of her as she sat down. 

"Eeesh!" muttered Heechul as they entered. "It feels like Big Brother is watching us." He glanced over at the two men in JJE shirts as they sat in a couple of seats by the door. 

"Gee, I wonder why," Kangin said sarcastically. "Last night's show went great."

Leeteuk scratched the back of his neck, looking particularly uncomfortable. 

The other members shuffled in, some trying to avoid the gazes of the Starlets as they sat down in the seats set aside for them. As soon as everyone had settled in, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung stepped up in front of the camera. 

"And action!" the production director called as everyone finally settled in.

"Hello everyone!" the three vocal leads sang in unison. "Welcome to Super Junior's Hindsight!" They held out their hands in the classic five shape.

Byulhee stifled a laugh. It was still a dumb title.

"Today on the show," began Ryewook. "We're going to be helping the Starlets rehearse their songs for their upcoming debut album."

"And we've brought the entire group to help us," Kyuhyun said with a grin as he gestured to his fellow members sitting behind him. The camera swept over them. 

"Hopefully we can share some of our experience with them," Yesung added with a small bow as the camera refocused back on the trio. "Let's get started."

 Ryeowook and Yesung began to cross over to their seats, while Kyuhyun walked to a nearby stand and picked up the conductor's baton.

"Hey! Who do think you are, Beethoven?" Henry called with a chuckle.

Kyuhyun looked back with a smirk.

"Boo!" Kangin called, tossing a wadded up paper at Kyuhyun. 

The paper bounced off the top of Kyuhyun's head, causing Kyuhyun to turn around with his eyes lowered, searching for the culprit. 

Kangin pointed next to him at Leeteuk. 

Leeteuk's eyes widened and he shook his head and his hands, profusing denying that he had no hand in the prank, though his wide, goofy smile almost stated the contrary. 

Mrs. Lee cleared and all the boys turned their heads in her direction. "Aren't you supposed to be critiquing and offering advice instead of playing around like children?" she asked in an icy tone, causing some of the Super Junior members to squirm uncomfortably in their seats.

"Yes. Sorry ma'am," Leeteuk spoke up for the group, his eyes wandered briefly, but upon catching Jaemi's eyes quickly averted them. 

Byulhee held back a snicker. 

Lìxúe bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. It was like watching little boys in school getting in trouble with the teacher.

Nell's eyes wandered and met Siwon's. She exchanged an amused look with him before the production director called out, "Cut!"

Both groups looked uncomfortable as the production director stepped over, eyeing both groups. "Look," he said, turning his gaze toward the Starlets. "I don't know if you are serious about debuting or not, but we do have a show to film. Show a little professionalism."

The Starlets looked taken aback by his criticism.

Mrs. Lee scoffed. "You mean like how your boys were being so well behaved?" She quirked her eyebrows up as a smirk danced across her face. 

The production director's shoulders stiffened momentarily, but not wanting to argue with his elder, he took a breath. "Let's just move on." He looked towards the Super Junior members. "What we'll do instead is divide you up into groups like last time and then you will work in your groups to help the girls in their individual parts. When you feel they've gotten enough practice, then we'll have them sing as a group. Alright?"

The Super Junior members nodded in agreement at the suggestion.

"Get into your same groups as last time," the PD continued. "Find a spot somewhere in the room and get to practicing. We'll have the cameras come around to you."

As the groups dispersed, a couple of the groups seemed to have trouble remembering who they were with the previous time. 

"I swear, I was on Seolmi and April's team," Kangin asserted loudly.

Donghae shook his head. "I think you were on a team with--"

"No, I was on this team," Kangin continued, giving Donghae a pointed look.

Zhoumi chuckled. "You were on Minyeon and Sijin's t--"

"I was not," Kangin reiterated a third time. "Ryeowook was."

Ryeowook's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh... I was on--"

The production manager approached, having taken notice of the dispute. "It doesn't matter. Ryeowook, go join Minyeon and Sijin's team."

"Yes, sir," Ryeowook replied humbly as he crossed the room to where Sijin, Minyeon, Sungmin, Shindong, and Yesung were currently sitting around in a circle. He pulled up a chair and stood somewhat awkwardly near them. 

Shindong raised an eyebrow. "Where's Kangin?"

"He, uh, is now over there." Ryeowook gestured to Kangin's new group. 

"Traitor," Shindong said jokingly.

"Why?" asked Yesung, tilting his head slightly.

Ryeowook shrugged. "He said that was the team he was on last time."

"I think we all know the real reason why he's over there," interjected Heechul, who was sitting with his group nearby.

"Why?" Sijin asked, tilting her head.

Heechul chuckled and then nodded his head toward Lìxúe and Aeyeong. "To put it nicely, he wanted to be with the visuals."

"Ohhhh," Sijin responded with a knowing nod. 

"Have a seat," Shindong said to Ryeowook, gesturing to an empty place next to Sijin.

A slight blush crept onto Ryeowook's face as he placed his chair besides hers and sat down. 

"So, you want us to begin?" asked Minyeon.

"Yeah," replied Shindong as he held out his phone to record their voices.

"I'm a girl who is different from you," Minyeon sang.

"You don't love me," the guys sang in accompaniment. 

"Who is crazy when it comes to love," she continued.

"You don't love me," the Super Junior members sang.

"Calculating and measuring every little thing," she sang out.

"You don't love," they continued.

"Is that what you call love?" she sang, her eyes making contact with Sungmin ever so briefly before turning away.

Sungmin shifted in his seat.

"You don't love me."

Sijin opened and sang. "You don't know me."

"You don't love me," the men continued to sing. 

"You don't know a girl's heart," she sang, careful not to make any mistakes.

Yesung sent her a reassuring smile.

"You don't love me."

"You keep giving excuses," she continued, her heart pounding with excitement with her success.

"You don't love."

"Just leave me, you better go!" Sijin sang, passion in her voice. 

There was a pause and then both Ryeowook and Yesung broke out in a small applause. 

"That was really good, Sijin," Ryeowook said with a warm smile.

"It was," agreed Yesung with nod of his head, his eyes sparkling with joy. "You're doing really good. The notes were perfect."

"Thanks," Sijin replied, her cheeks tinting slightly as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Agreed," Shindong said. "Also, Minyeon--" He paused, turning to address the eldest Starlet. "That was perfect. It was the right emotion and all the notes were spot on."

"Thanks," Minyeon responded with a small smile.

"What did you think, Sungmin?" asked Ryeowook. 

Sungmin shrugged. "Sijin did good."

"What about Minyeon?" asked Yesung.

"Alright, I guess."

Minyeon's smile faded and her face fell back to its neutral position. 

"Alright?" Shindong scoffed. "Hyung, I think you need to have your ears cleaned." He leaned over and blew at Sungmin's ear.

"Hey!" Sungmin cried, swatting Shindong away.

Shindong threw back his head and laughed at Sungmin's irritated expression. 

Sungmin shook his head slightly, but a small smile drew across his face. "Let's just practice again and then move on to their next part."

"Then we'll practice the next song," added Yesung, glancing at the other lyric sheet.

As they began to practice again, laughter sounded from another area of the room, where Byulhee and Nell's group were currently working. 

Byulhee was currently leaning on Siwon's arm as she tried to compose herself from laughing so hard at a joke that Eunhyuk had told.

Nell pursed her lips in irritation while keeping her smile intact. 

Byulhee sat up, still laughing. She turned to Eunhyuk, who was seated on her other side and shoved him hard. "You're too funny!" she said between giggles before laughing harder. 

Henry chuckled, watching the interaction with amusement.

Byulhee leaned against Siwon again for support, Siwon chuckling over her reaction. 

Nell tapped her fingers impatiently against her skirt. They were supposed to be rehearsing, not flirting. She cleared . "Byulhee..."

Byulhee sat up, wiping her eyes of tears. "Yeah, Belle?"

"Are you ready to practice?"

"Yes!" Byulhee answered excitedly, picking up her lyric sheet, which in her fit of laughter, she had let slip to the floor unheeded. "Let's go!" 

Henry repeated the last line: "Just leave me, you better go."

"The sugar-coated i love yous," Byulhee began.

"You don't love me," the guys sang.

"I was deceived every single day," she sang out. 

"You don't--"

Eunhyuk broke out laughing, causing the others to halt in the song. 

"What?" Henry asked.

Eunhyuk pointed at Siwon. "It's just the horse looks so serious right now."

They all glanced over at Siwon, whose eyebrows were drawn into a stern gaze as he stared at the lyric sheet.

Byulhee burst out laughing too. 

After a few moments of laughter, Byulhee suddenly stopped as if she had been struck by lightning. "I want a horsey ride right now."

Nell's eyes widened before her eyebrows narrowed a bit. "Huh?"

Henry laughed at Byulhee's unexpected declaration. "What?"

"I want a horsey ride," she reiterated. "That sounds like fun right now."

"We're practicing," Nell said simply.

Byulhee's lips curved outward in a pout. "But I won't be able to focus now that the idea is stuck in my head."

Eunhyuk turned to Byulhee. "I can give you a piggy back ride and we can practice together at the same time." He smiled warmly, his gums showing. 

Byulhee returned the smile. "Yay! Thanks, Hyukie!" 

He stood up and Byulhee soon followed, jumping onto his back and wrapping her arms and legs around him. As he held on to her legs, he began to give her a ride, the two of them singing the words of the song as they made their way around the room. 

Nell shook her head gently over the display. Sometimes she wondered if Byulhee was really her unnie. 

"Ready to continue practicing?" asked Henry.

"Yeah," Nell answered. She cleared and began. "During the lonely and hard times," she sang, her eyes briefly meeting Siwon's. "I only looked at you and endured." She turned her gaze away, looking up towards the ceiling. "How could you do this to me?"

Henry nodded. "Sounds good. Your tone is nice." 

"The notes were good," Siwon said with a warm smile. 

Henry glanced around the room. "I don't get why they're having us practice with you," he began. "It seems like you all already have it down. Hardly anyone is actually using the lyric sheets. You have them memorized."

Siwon nodded. "Everyone is doing a really good job." His eyes fell on Byulhee and Eunhyuk who currently had the camera following them as they continued their piggy back ride. "Even them."

"My love has always been one-sided until now," Byulhee half rapped. "You're too selfish for me to love you." She turned to the camera with a dramatic look. "Now step, better stop, our break-up spot, mini stop, the story of a girl who only gives is from long, long ago." She paused as her part was over and then burried her head in Eunhyuk's shoulder as she began to laugh over how much fun she was having.

As the camera moved away from the two, Eunhyuk came to a stop, panting for breath. Byulhee slid down off of him, giggling. "That was fun..." She continued to giggle. Eunhyuk turned around and as soon as he did, Byulhee ceased laughing and her heart thumped. 

Crap. 

He was just as attractive as he was all those years ago when she first met him as a trainee. 

He was funny too. 

A part of her wondered what would have happened all those years ago if she didn't have a boyfriend at the time...

Oh, no. 

Oh boy.

She was still attracted to him.

She pulled away, still keeping a smile on her face. "Thanks for the ride." She whirled around, bounding toward where the rest of the group sat. 

Eunhyuk stood in his spot for a moment as if not realizing that Byulhee had already left. He let out a breath to calm his ever quickening heart and followed after her, passing by Aeyeong and Lìxúe's group.

Having practiced all they could with little critique from the Super Junior members--the men asserting that the women's voices were perfect-- the top visuals of the Starlets were left with little more to do than socialize with their group, Kangin and Kyuhyun practically hanging off Aeyeong's every word and joking with her. 

Donghae sat quietly, trying not be bothered by the obvious flirting of Kangin and Kyuhyun to his--almost-- fiancé. He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs out a bit more. It irritated him. He had kept a secret for ten years. Ten years! None of his group members knew that he and Aeyeong were in a relationship. He had been so good at keeping he and Aeyeong's secret. 

He glanced over at Siwon and Nell. Heck! Everyone in Super Junior knew about Siwon and Nell's relationship. No one was trying to to flirt with Nell. 

He let out a breath. It was going to be harder and harder to propose to Aeyeong the longer these schedules continued. Being nearer her so often without being able to show any sort of affection or skinship toward her was just darn frustrating. He had to do something soon; otherwise, he would likely be driven insane.

Lìxúe laughed, causing his attention to be diverted for the moment. He looked at Lìxúe and Zhoumi talking.

Zhoumi, noticing Donghae's gaze on them, turned to him with a smile. "Hey, what do think? We were trying to think of an idea for some kind of activity or something for all of us to do to kind of get to know one another more, you know, without the cameras around?" 

Donghae's eyes widened slightly and he sat upright in his seat. Maybe this could be the chance he was looking for... Maybe. 

"We were just saying that while some of the groups seem to be getting along," Lìxúe began, glancing about the room. "There are some--" she paused, eyeing a couple groups. "--that seem to be struggling. It would be nice if we could all get along without the cameras right there."

"The only problem is, where could we go without looking conspicuous?" Zhoumi continued. 

"You've got a point." Donghae nodded in agreement. He knew that all too well. It was hard enough trying to court Aeyeong without being caught and recognized. How much more so would it be to hide thirteen famous idols and seven rookie members from being recognized? 

"I guess we'll just have to think about it," Lìxúe said with a small shrug.

Zhoumi nodded. "Text me if you have any ideas."

"And vice versa," replied Lìxúe cheerily with a wink.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me!" Zhoumi began, changing the subject. "How did that recipe you were trying out the other day turn out?" 

"Oh, it was great," Lìxúe replied with a smile. "I--"

Before she could say another word, however, the production director clapped his hands. "I think we've got enough footage of the practice. Now let's have the Starlets step up to the risers and practice both songs. We'll start with 'You Don't Love Me' and then move into 'Piano Man'." 

****

After rehearsing both songs several times with little trouble, the camera crew wrapped up filming and left, leaving behind the Starlets and Super Junior. 

Mrs. Lee gathered her belongings and waved to everyone as she exited the room. "Bye!" she called. "Make sure to turn off the lights and lock up the room when you're finished in here."

"Will do," Jaemi said, running the keys between her fingers. As co-manager, she held the keys to not only the main doors of the JJE building but also several other rooms and studios the Starlets would be frequenting. "Good evening, Mrs. Lee. Thanks for today!"

She and the rest of the Starlets bowed in gratefulness as their vocal instructor left the room. As the door shut behind her, an uncanny silence filled the room as both groups were left alone together. 

Minyeon turned toward the Super Junior members. "Thank you!" She bowed, the other members following suit. 

"It was fun," Henry commented with a smile. 

"It was," Zhoumi agreed. "Actually, we can help you guys clean up."

"Oh, no," Minyeon began. "You don't need to--" 

"We insist," Siwon said as he began gathering the chairs to stack them up by the wall. 

As everyone began to gather up the chairs and stack them, comfortable conversation began to flow between the groups, breaking the silence.

As Zhoumi was passing by Lìxúe to put away a chair, he paused. "Hey, we didn't finish our conversation earlier."

"Do you want to video call each other later tonight? asked Lìxúe.

"Sure," he responed with a warm smile. "How about 8 o'clock?" he asked. "Or is that too late?"

"That will be fine," she replied, her eyes shining gently.

"It's a date then," Zhoumi replied in a cheesy tone.

Byulhee, who was passing by, laughed out loud. "You guys sound like a couple!"

"Don't they always?" Henry added with a chuckle.

Zhoumi's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, we're not--"

Lìxúe shook her head gently. "We're just friends." Though the statement was not false, Lìxúe knew that her feelings for Zhoumi were not as they once were. Her feelings for him ran deeper than that of "just friends". However, part of her did not want to run the risk of losing that friendship by expressing those feelings. She knew, however, that she would probably have to take that chance soon. It would not be healthy for her to harbor these feelings deeply when she would be working with him on an almost daily basis.

As they finished and finally began to exit the room, Nell slipped in between several of the Super Junior members, intent on staying with Siwon that night. The Super Junior members quickly surrounded themselves around her to shield her from any eyes that might be watching. They had done this so many times before that not even one of the Starlets noticed it happened. As they slipped away toward Siwon's car, the rest of the Starlets and the few of the remaining Super Junior members said their goodbyes and began to leave, Jaemi staying behind to verify that none of the equipment had been left on, and then turn out the lights and lock up the door.

As the others began to walk towards the elevator, casually chatting, Minyeon received a text from Nell, stating that she would not be staying at the dorms that night, but would see them in the morning. Minyeon quickly texted back, wishing Nell a good evening and reminding her of the time they had to be at the studio. As she slipped her phone back into her purse, they stepped into the elevator and began to descend. Minyeon glanced around. Sungmin was no where in sight. He probably left with the others that had hurried off just minutes before. It was for the best. The less time spent around him the better. She glanced about the elevator, noticing how well the others seemed to be getting along. Lìxúe and Zhoumi were chatting in one corner, laughing about something or other. Donghae, Yesung, Sijin, Byulhee, and Aeyeong were talking about how their groups went earlier, giggling over some silly moments that happened while filming.

A small smile crossed her face as she glanced between them all. If they continued to work together, then perhaps things would go smoother in the days and schedules ahead of them.

 

 

 

Author's Note:
Hello my dear readers! (yes I am alive! lol) (Wow. This is the longest chapter I've written in this story so far. Over 8,000 words!) 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the chapters ahead: lots of interactions with the Suju members, the recording of the album, dance rehearsals, rehearsals for the anniversary party dance... Speaking of which, my original plan for the medley was "Sorry, Sorry", Henry's "Trapped", and "y, Free, and Single". If anyone has any comments or suggestions regarding this, like if you think another song will be better, let me know! I'm open to suggestions. Same with anything else in this story. If you've got an idea or suggestion, let me know. :) 

Also, don't forget to comment and let me know what you think of the story so far. I'm always looking for feedback so I know what to improve upon. A couple of you didn't comment last chapter, so remember to do so. If you don't comment at least once every two chapters I may not write as much of your character into the story. I understand life gets busy and hectic (trust me, I know), but if you can't comment or will be on hiatus, just send me a PM and let me know. I understand. :) 

Anyway, thank you all for reading! I really appreciate all your support! Hope you all are looking forward to the rest of the story as much as I am! I've already started on the next chapter, Chapter 8: Sleeping with the Enemy, so *hopefully* it won't take me as long as last time. 

Anyway, thank you all so, so much for all your love and support! You're all so amazing! Thanks again! Love you all so much!!!