Lìxúe stirred from sleep, blinking her eyes rapidly. As her body began to wake, her heart leapt within her chest and her eyes snapped open. She bolted out of bed, a smile on her face. She glanced over at Byulhee's bed and found her unnie still fast asleep. Keeping an eye on Byulhee, Lìxúe lowered herself to the floor, the wood floors creaking as she did so. Ascertaining that Byulhee was still sleeping soundly, Lìxúe turned her head to look under the bed as she stretched her hand out, searching for something. She pulled out a small shoe box. She crossed her legs so that she could sit comfortably. Taking the lid off the box, her eyes fell upon seven small bracelets made of leather cord and each decorated with two beads--a small silver star shaped bead and a round bead with little sparkly stars all over it.

She picked up one of the bracelets and let it slide down her fingertips. She stared at the bracelet as she began to curl it about her fingers. 

There were seven bracelets. Seven bracelets that she made years ago as a trainee, kept safe in the very same box until the day that she and her groupmates would finally debut. 

Her eyes saddened and her chest rose and fell with a sigh.

Seven.

That was one more bracelet than there were members. 

Minyeon. 

Lìxúe felt her heart clench within her chest. Her eyes glossed over as the emotion began to fill her being. She quickly blinked her eyes, pushing the tears back. 

Byulhee stirred, groaning in her sleep. 

Lìxúe snatched the bracelets in the box up into her hands, hiding them out of sight as she shoved the box back under the bed. 

"What time is it?" Byulhee asked with a yawn as she sat up in bed, snatching her phone from the nightstand. She blinked, yawning again. "Wait... it's--" She looked up from her phone, her eyes meeting Lìxúe's. Her eyes widened and her face broke out into a grin. "TODAY! IT'S TODAY!" she cried as she tried to scramble out of bed, but effectively got more tangled in the sheets. "It's--umph!" She tumbled to the floor, the sheets heavily entangled about her legs. 

"Are you o--" Lìxúe began with concern.

"I'm fine!" Byulhee replied, detangling herself from the mess of sheets. She bolted up to a standing position. "Eeep! I'm so excited!" she squealed. "What to do? Oh, I should get dressed first." She turned to her dresser. "No. Eat." She whirled around. "No. Brush my hair." She spun on her heel. "No, wait. I don't know. I'm too excited. I don't even know if I can sit down and read the paper." She laughed aloud at her own self. 

Lìxúe giggled. "Maybe you should just get dressed first," she suggested. 

Byulhee snapped her fingers. "That's a good idea. I think--" Her eyes widened. "Actually, I gotta pee. Be back." She scrambled out of the room quickly, her feet shuffling against the hard wood floor. 

Lìxúe giggled over her unnie's reaction and stood up from the floor, proceeding to make her way over to her purse. She slipped the bracelets into one of the small pockets on the inside of her purse. She let out a small sigh, a thin smile drawing across her lips. 

She turned away from her purse and proceeded to dress for the day. After dressing and brushing her hair back, she made her way to the kitchen where Jaemi and Aeyeong were. Jaemi was busying herself with making coffee for everyone while Aeyeong prepared yogurt with nuts and fruits for breakfast. 

"Good morning!" Lìxúe called as she entered the kitchen. 

Nick lifted his head from where he lay on the kitchen rug. His tail began to wag as soon he saw his owner.

"Mornin'!" the other two members replied cheerily. "How are you doing today?"

"Good," Lìxúe replied. "Hi honey," she continued, bending down to pet her dog. "How's my Nickie today? Need to go potty? C'mon, let's take you outside." She stood up and began to exit the kitchen, Nick closely at her heels.

Byulhee bolted past Lìxúe and Nick. "Hi doggie!" she called as she ran into the kitchen. "Goooooood morning!" she called. 

"Good morning," Aeyeong replied, sending her unnie a smile "How'd you sleep?"

"Fiiiine!" Byulhee sang. She whirled around to face Jaemi. "You're making coffee! I need coffee!"

Jaemi chuckled. "Not sure I agree with that--" She turned around holding out a to-go cup with coffee. "--but here you g--"

Byulhee gasped, her eyes wide and agape.

Jaemi blinked. "What?"

"Unnie! We're debuting today!" Byulhee cried with a squeal. "I just realized it again for the eleventh time today." 

Jaemi and Aeyeong both began to laugh at their fellow member's remark. 

Jaemi set down Byulhee's coffee cup on the counter. "Why don't you go wake up Nell and Sijin?"

"Okay," she replied before bolting out of the kitchen, skipping her way down the hall. 

Jaemi turned her head to Aeyeong, shaking her head slightly. 

Aeyeong giggled. "It seems funny to think of her being older than me at times." 

"She's a regular in Neverland, I think," Jaemi said with a chuckle as she topped off one of the coffee cups with whipped cream. She grabbed a lid and capped the coffee cup, closing it shut. She pursed her lips together. Though she loved her fun-loving dongsaeng, she sometimes wondered if her carefree attitude might trigger another issue similar to when they where trainees...

She shook her head ever so slightly, as if shaking the thought from her mind. It was not the time to think about such things when they finally were going to debut after all these years. Her lips curved into a smile. Today was the day.

****

{Style references for following scenes:}

The dressing room at the studio was filled with laughter and constant chatter as the Starlets prepared for their stage performance. After a brief rehearsal on the stage, the women were ushered to the dressing room so that there would be enough time to dress and ready their hair and makeup. 

Nell sat in front of the mirror as one of the stylists curled her hair. Her face remained neutral, but  her mind and heart were aflame with emotion. She could feel her heart pounding within her chest. 

Soon, very soon, she would finally be up on stage with her fellow Starlets in front of the world. 

It seemed so surreal that this day had actually come. 

It was almost too good to be real. Like a fairytale. 

Her heart fluttered.

Was this how Cinderella felt upon arriving at the ball? 

The corners of her lips quirked ever so slightly at the thought.

This was no fairy tale.

She and the rest of the members had gotten to this point through hard work, and they would maintain their dream through more blood, sweat, and tears. 

She herself had earned the right to walk on stage. With the amount of work and effort she had put into the group, she deserved every bit of life and love the stage had to offer her. 

Nothing could take away from her precious day.

Sijin, dressed in a black bodycon dress with a sweetheart neckline and red buttons, stood in one of the corners of the room, her hair and makeup already done. Her black heels were placed on the floor beside her. She stood on her toes with her left foot, pausing for several seconds before placing her foot back on the ground. She repeated the process on her right and then again with both feet. She did this several times, preparing her ankles to dance in heels just as Nell had taught them to do. After finishing the warm-up, she slipped on the black heels and took a couple steps to test them out. 

The heel wobbled slightly.

Sijin's eyes widened as she looked down at her feet. She took another couple steps. It was the left shoe. The heel was not right. 

Her heart quickened. 

No, no, no, no, no! 

This couldn't be happening! 

What was she to do?

She couldn't dance on stage with a heel like that... Surely, she would mess up the choreography...

Her eyes darted about as she wondered what she should do.

She removed the heels hastily from her feet and hurried over to where the stylist was finishing up Nell's hair. "N-ell!" she cried, trying to keep her voice steady, but utterly failing when her voice cracked. 

Jaemi and Aeyeong, hearing the tone in Sijin's voice, immediately turned their heads in Sijin's direction. 

"What is it?" Nell asked, blinking. 

"My heels," Sijin began, holding up the pair. "One of them is wobbly. I don't know if I can dance in them."

Nell's shoulders stiffened, but she kept her face neutral. "Show me."

Sijin slipped the pair of shoes back on and took a couple steps, the heel looking rather unsteady as she did so. 

Nell pursed her lips. What were they going to do? Sijin could not dance in unsteady heels. She would probably twist her ankle or worse. "Take them off. We'll trade." 

Sijin's eyes darted toward Nell's feet, which were decidedly much smaller than her own. "But--"

Nell held her hands out expectantly. "Don't worry, Nabi."

Sijin bit her lip. Nell could not dance in shoes that were both wobbly and too big. She would most likely end up injuring herself trying.  Sijin shook her head, straightening her shoulders in determination. "No, I'll wear them."

Nell sighed. "It's okay. I'll do it."

Jaemi approached them, holding out her hands. "Nope. I'll wear them. We can't have our main dancer and choreographer breaking her ankle, now can we?"

"But what if the shoe breaks?" Nell asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jaemi shrugged. "Don't worry. I'm sure Aeyeong has some sort of duck tape or magic glue or something in that Mary Poppins bag of hers." She chuckled. "Am I right, Ae?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. 

Aeyeong began digging through her purse. "I think I do actually." 

Jaemi grinned. "Then that's settled. Sijin and I wear the same size shoe and if the heel does break--" She shrugged. "--I'm used to wardrobe malfunctions during shows, so I can manage."

Byulhee whirled her head around from where she stood in front of the mirror. "What kind of wardrobe malfunctions?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Got any good stories?"

Jaemi chuckled as she began taking off her heels. "Well, I have had one of my shoes break before, during a dance sequence... And one of my gloves tore when I was trying to put them on... And there was one time my corset strings broke." 

Byulhee busted up laughing. "Did you flash everyone in the audience, unnie?"

"No," Jaemi scoffed. "Thankfully I'm uh--" She glanced down at her chest. "--kinda small. So, even though the dress slipped a bit, no one could tell." She laughed. "First chance I got though, I went back stage and we knotted the strings together." 

Sijin traded shoes with Jaemi. "What did you do the time when your shoe broke?" she asked.

Jaemi began to put on the wobbly shoe, testing it out. "Oh, well, since it was during a dance, I focused on dancing on my toes and leaned into my partner more. That's all. It was fine." She sent her dongsaeng a smile, reassuring the maknae that she would have no issues in wearing the faulty shoes. 

"Is this just an elaborate ploy to lean on Leeteuk more?" Byulhee asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Jaemi groaned.

Sijin blinked. "Wait..." Her eyes darted from Byulhee to Jaemi. "Does Jaemi like Leeteuk?"

Lìxúe turned her head from the mirror as a stylist finished doing her makeup. "What? Jaemi likes Leeteuk?"

"What?! Ugh! No. No. No!" Jaemi slapped a hand against her forehead. "Ugh. Byul! This is how rumors get started."

Byulhee threw her head back, laughing hysterically. 

Aeyeong chuckled as she pulled out some clear tape from her bag. "The day Jaemi falls for Leeteuk is the day the world ends." She handed Jaemi the tape. "Here. This is all I have. I don't have anything stronger."

"Thanks. I'll make it work," Jaemi said, taking off the unsteady heel and placing it on the counter. As she began to tape the heel to the shoe, the hair and makeup stylists finished their work on Nell and Lìxúe and proceeded to leave the dressing room. 

Lìxúe glanced about the dressing room. Only the Starlets remained in the room. Snatching up her purse, she pulled the seven bracelets from the inside pocket. She stood up from her chair, clearing . Her heart quickened in anticipation. "I have something I'd like to say." She smiled to all her fellow members as they stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. "Actually, it's more like I have something to give you all." She held up the bracelets in her hands. "I made these back when we were trainees. I was waiting for our debut to give them to you." She handed one to Nell as the rest of the women muttered a series of "awwhs" and "that's sweet". 

"Why thank you, LÌ," Nell said, taking the little trinket in her hands, bowing her head as she did so. 

Lìxúe handed one to Sijin, whose eyes looked as if they were already smarting with tears. "You made these for us?" she asked, hugging her unnie. "That is so sweet," she continued, pulling away. "Thank you!" She blinked, trying to rid the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry," Lìxúe said, grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter. "Here, let me get that." She dabbed the tissue beneath the maknae's eyes, preventing the tears from smearing her makeup. "There." She tossed the tissue away and then turned to Byulhee. "Here you--"

Byulhee pulled her dongsaeng into a bear hug. "Awwwwh! You made bracelets for us? And kept them this long? You're the best!" She pulled away, taking the bracelet "It's so cuuuuuute too!" She stumbled to put on the bracelet, nearly dropping it in her haste. She twisted her wrist about, admiring it. "I love it! I don't think there's a prettier bracelet in the whole entire world. You're the bestest!" She pulled her dongsaeng into another hug, squeezing Lìxúe tight. "Thank youuuuuuuu!" 

After being released from Byulhee's tight embrace, Lìxúe handed the next bracelet to Aeyeong. "Here you go, Ae."

"Thank you," replied Aeyeong, hugging Lìxúe. "I love it." She leaned closer to Lìxúe's ear, dropping a voice to a whisper. "It's a shame Minyeon couldn't be here to experience this." She pulled away, sending Lìxúe a knowing smile. Lìxúe smiled back, thankful that her fellow member understood her disappointment. 

Just as Lìxúe pulled away from Aeyeong, she was enveloped in another hug. "Thank you, my dongsaeng," she heard Jaemi's voice whisper in her ear. Jaemi gave her a little squeeze and then pulled away, smiling warmly at her as she took her bracelet and slipped it on over her left wrist. "Thank you."

Lìxúe slid her own bracelet on and then held up the last bracelet. "I made this one for Minyeon, but--" She let out a sigh, feeling her heart clench with emotion. It still hurt that Minyeon had chosen a different path without so much as a word to the group."It's disappointing that she left. I was hoping to see all of us on stage today together after all these y-years," she said, her voice cracking slightly. Her eyes smarted. She did not want to see her group torn apart ever again. She wanted the group to remain as it was. She could not bear to see another member leave or the group completely disbanded again.  

"I'm sorry," Jaemi said, bowing her head. "I know you miss her."

"Unnie," Lìxúe continued in a stronger voice. "Since you're now leader, I think Minnie would have wanted you to have this." She held out the remaining bracelet to Jaemi. She looked Jaemi in the eye. "Please, take care of us." 

Jaemi returned her gaze. "I will," she said, taking the bracelet from Lìxúe's hand. "I promise."

A knock sounded on the door. "Is everyone decent in here?" called Yesung from the other side of the door. 

"Mostly!" called Byulhee. "But I think Aeyeong's crop top looks more like a bra!" she continued in jest.

"WHAT?!" Donghae's voice was clearly heard from the other side of the door. 

The Starlets burst out in laughter. 

"We're all decent in here!" Aeyeong called, shaking her head at Byulhee's joke. "Byul's just kidding." 

There was a commotion on the other side of the door. "No. No! I'll go in first just in case! Hyung!"

"What is wrong wi--"

"Haha!" 

The door opened slightly and Donghae popped his head in, covering his eyes. "Are you sure you're all decent?"

"Clothing wise? Yes. As a person? That's up for debate," Byulhee replied with a chuckle. 

"We're all decent, Hae," Aeyeong repeated, shaking her head slightly. 

Donghae slowly uncovered his eyes, one finger at a time. His eyes zeroed in on Aeyeong's attire. He let out a breath of relief, thankful that she wasn't wearing something as small as a bra. However, the more he looked at it... His face paled. Oh, no... His lips pursed together. The red crop top bustier she wore fit her only too well... Her striped skirt outlined her figure perfectly. Too perfectly! And a bit of her midriff was showing! He chewed on the inside of his lip. Millions of people were going to see his fiancé dressed like that! Ugh... He didn't even get to see those kinds of outfits on her at home...

A voice cleared behind him. "Is it safe to go in or not?" asked Ryeowook, raising an eyebrow. 

"Oh, yeah." Donghae quickly opened the door all the way and the rest of the members filed into the room. 

Once the door was closed, Heechul turned to Donghae with a smirk. "Were you too busy ogling your fiancé to open the door?" 

Donghae chuckled. "No!" he said a little too quickly. 

"Congrats, everyone!" called Henry with a grin. "Are you all excited and nervous?!"

"Yes!" several of the Starlets called back with giggle.

As the room erupted in a series of congratulations and words of reassurance for the upcoming performance, Siwon made his way over to Nell. 

Nell turned to him, a smile on her face. 

"Are you ready?" Siwon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nell nodded. "I'm a bit nervous."

Siwon leaned closer, kissing the tip of her forehead gently. "You're going to do great today." He pulled away with a warm smile. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she said, thankful to have someone so supportive by her side. Before she could say another word, Leeteuk moved over to the center of the dressing room, calling for everyone to gather around. 

Everyone gathered into a circle, holding hands. Leeteuk nodded for Siwon to take it from there. Siwon cleared his throat and everyone bowed their heads as he began to pray for God's blessing on the Starlets' debut and for their future career.

Once he had finished, Leeteuk said a few words of encouragment and then he held out his hand toward the middle. Everyone followed suit, stretching their hands out to the middle of the circle. He cleared his throat. "1, 2, 3..."

"Kill them all!"

****

The Starlets and the members of Super Junior huddled backstage in the wings, waiting with bated breath and hearts aflutter. Nell stood with her eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths. Sijin clutched her fingers to the hem of her dress to keep from fidgeting. Aeyeong silently went about, checking her fellow members' teeth to ascertain that none had lipstick stains on them. Jaemi kept her eyes down, staring at the bracelets that now adorned her left hand. Lìxúe's eyes were transfixed on the stage as she checked the mic tape on her cheek to make sure it was secure. Byulhee twiddled her fingers, wiggled her hips, bopped her head back and forth, and poked the visible skin between her crop top and her skirt--all in attempt to keep herself contained. 

As the studio went to a commercial break, the Starlets were ushered onto the stage. The prop mic was placed on stage, and the women lined up behind it. 

Seconds felt like minutes. 

The group was introduced and moments later the music began. 
 

{Video for reference on the dance.}

Aeyeong stood with her hands wrapped around the microphone. She took a deep breath. This was it. She finally was going to perform on stage after all these years. "You don't~" Aeyeong sang, her heart pounding beneath her chest as she looked out towards the audience. "--love~" She removed one hand from the microphone and brought it back again.

The other Starlets fanned out behind her, their backs facing the audience.

"--me~" She slid her hands down the microphone seductively.

The music shifted, changing keys. Lìxúe took the center. "Today I'm ready," she sang, her eyes shining with delight as she gazed at the audience in front of her. The star beads on her bracelet glistened in the stage lights. She was here with her fellow members on stage for the first time. She felt the tears seep into her eyes.

"You don't love me," the rest of the Starlets echoed.

"It's time to say everything," she continued, sliding her hands down the microphone. 

"You don't love me."

"In the end, it's a simple story," she continued to sing, her velveteen voice filling the expanse of the stage.

"You don't love me," the others echoed, filing behind her in a line. 

"You don't love me," Lìxúe continued, moving forward to the left as she changed position.

"You don't love me."

Jaemi took the center spot, her weight pressed to her toes. Here, she was in front of the whole world as the leader of the Starlets. "Your eyes pretend to be surpised." This performance had to be her best for her fellow members' sake. She could not--would not let them down. 

"You don't love me."

"It's obvious like last night's drama," she continued to sing, dancing the moves as usual.

"You don't love me."

"Deceiving me further is too much," she sang.

"You don't love me."

She slid her back down the mic seductively. "You don't love me." She changed positions, keeping her weight purely on her toes as crossed to another area of the stage. She was thankful that Sijin had brought the issue to their attention, so that she was not burdened with this. She hated the idea of burdening her fellow members any further. As their leader, she would do her best to protect and support her fellow members come what may. 

Byulhee slid the prop microphone across the stage, her eyes gleaming and heart bouncing. Her face broke out into a grin. She was here! They were finally here! Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "For all this time," she began to sing, lowing her eyes seductively as she curled her fingers about the mic. "I only looked at you and held it in." She began to slide the microphone across the stage again, trying to keep a seductive face as sang, though it was difficult to manage with how happy and excited she was at the moment. She continued to dance, muscle memory taking over. "How could you do this to me?" she sang, her voice powerful. 

She heard several whoops from the audience. She could not hold back a grin. She must have surpised her them with her vocals. Though she was marketed as a rapper, she had a strong vocal abilty too, just as the rest of the members did.

"You don't love me," the rest of the members sang as Aeyeong took the center stage.

"I'm a girl who is different from you," Aeyeong sang, her voice strong and powerful as her eyes met the camera.

This was supposed to be Minyeon's part. Was Mineyon watching this right now? 

"You don't love me."

"Who is crazy when it comes to love," she continued, keeping her voice steady. It was a shame that she was here in Mineyon's place instead. 

"You don't love me."

"Calculating and measuring every little thing," she sang, her voice still strong as she continued to dance as well. She hoped that Minyeon was happy with the path she had taken in pursuing another dream and a seemingly hopeless love. 

"You don't love~"

"Is that what you call love?" she sang, feeling almost as if she was asking the question to Minyeon, wherever she was.

"You don't love me."

Sijin took the center stage, her heart hammering in her chest. It was her turn. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking. She blinked, trying to keep her eyes from being wide. "You don't know love," she sang, keeping a smile on her face. 

"You don't love me."

"You don't know a girl's heart," she continued, thankful that muscle memory kept her dancing the proper moves as she slid the microphone a few steps. Her eyes met the camera. She smiled, lowering her eyes seductively. She felt her heart thump, surprised by her own actions.  

"You don't love me."

"You keep giving excuses," she sang, pouring her soul into the lyrics as she felt more invested in the performance than ever.

"You don't love."

"Just leave me, you better go," she sang as the key changed and their Super Junior partners came out on stage, bringing chairs. 

"Super Junior!" cried out several fans.

Several fan chants began. "Su-per Jun-ior! Star-lets!"

The Starlets clapped along to the beat for a few moments as each Starlet went to her respective partner. Each proceeded to do their different fliratious moves with their partners. 

Nell stepped in front of Siwon, a smirk on her face. 

"The sugar-coated I love yous," Aeyeong sang.

Siwon wiggled his eyebrows back-and-forth humorously, causing Nell to crack a smile as she and the other Starlets sang: "You don't love me." 

"I was deceived every sing day," Aeyeong continued.

"You don't love me." Nell reached a hand out, curling her fingers about his tie. She tugged on it slightly as she lowered her eyes and drew closer to him. Just as it seemed as if she would kiss him, she drew back, snatching the hat from his head. She held the hat over her own head.

"Now I know truly," Aeyeong sang.

"You don't love me," the other Starlets sang as they tossed their partners' hats back to them. 

Nell sent Siwon a warm smile as she moved away from him. 

"You don't love me," Aeyeong sang.

Nell took the center position. Her eyes glistened in the lights that flooded the stage. She was confident in this. She had led countless showcases for her students at the dance academy. She knew the choreography of this dance inside and out. She had earned her place here on the stage after all these years. Now, it was her time to enjoy it.

"During the lonely and hard times," she sang, showcasing the moves that she choreographed. She heard the cheers from the audience and felt a wave of exhiliration overtake her. She was truly living her dream now. "I only looked at you and endured," she sent the camera a flirty smile. "How could you do this to me?" She moved aside.

"You don't love me."

Lìxúe stepped up to the center again. "I'm a girl who is different from you," she sang, feeling more confident and comfortable now than when she started earlier. 

"You don't love me."

"Who is crazy when it comes to love," she continued, as several audience members called out her name and held up a banner with her name on it. 

"You don't love me."

"Calculating and measuring every little thing," she continued.

"Seol-mi! Seol-mi! Seol-mi!" several members of the audience chanted louder.  

"You don't love me."

She felt the tears well up in her eyes upon seeing these fans. She had been a little nervous about how others react to a model becoming an idol. Now, she felt as if she had nothing to worry about. Not only did she have supportive fans in front of her, but she also had five sisters behind her who would always love and protect her. "Is that what you call love?"  

"You don't love me."

"You don't know love," Sijin sang, taking the center stage once more, her voice stronger than before.

"You don't love me."

"You don't know a girl's heart," she sang out, feeling her heart beating not out of nervousness, but excitement. 

"You don't love me." 

"You keep giving excuses," she continued, her movements a little more confident and flirtacious than usual. 

"You don't love~"

"Just leave me, you better go," she sang, as she and the other Starlets moved to their partners' empty chairs and sat in them. 

Byulhee took center stage, the Super Junior members surrounding her on both sides and clapping to the music. The other Starlets sat in the chairs, clapping to the beat of the music as well. "My love has always been one-sided until now," she rapped, clapping to the rhythm. "You're too selfish for me to love you." She wrapped her left arm around Eunhyuk's shoulder as he wrapped a hand around her waist. She felt her heart thump harder--and it was not due to the excitement of being on stage. She jumped up as he pulled her to his side for a brief moment before she sprang back down in one fluid motion. "Now stop--"

Eunhyuk spun her to his front and he held her hands steady as she dipped back, letting her legs slide forward until she was almost in a sitting postion.

"--better stop, our break-up spot, our mini stop," Byulhee continued, feeling Eunhyuk's strong muscles helping to guide her back up into a standing position effortlessly. No matter how many times they had rehearsed that move, she never once had a calm heart. Her. Him. A y move. Darn! She wanted more. Why did he have to be... so y too? Ugh. The temptation was too much."The story of a girl who gives is long, long ago."

"I need your love, love," sang the Starlets as Nell and Aeyeong stood on chairs near the front of the stage while the rest fanned out in the center. The Super Junior members gathered about the chairs Nell and Aeyeong stood on, dancing to the beat.

"I want your genuine heart," Sijin sang.

"I need your love, love."

"But why are you doing this?" Jaemi chimed.

"I need your love, love."

"Can't you just love me the way I am?"  Lìxúe's belted.

"You don't love me."

"I'm a girl who is different from you," Nell sang from her spot atop the chair.

"You don't love me."

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

"You don't love me."

"Calculating and measuring every little thing," Nell continued as Siwon offered his hand and she took it, stepping down from the chair.

"You don't love."

Aeyeong, on the opposite side of the stage, was doing the same as Donghae held her hand.

"Is that what you call love? That's not love." Nell sang as she joined the rest of the members at the center of the stage. 

"You don't love me."

"I'm sick of you," Aeyeong sang as the music continued to build up. 

"You don't love me."

"Getting crazier little by little."

"You don't love me."

"Arguing over this and that is just tiring," Aeyeong belted, her strong voice overpowering the stage. "Just leave me, you better go!" She threw her hands up in the hair on cue as the music ended. 

The studio erupted in applause and screams of excitement.

****

The Starlets were quickly ushered off the stage and to the dressing room to prepare for their next song. There was no time to revel in the moment they had just experienced on stage as they scrambled to get their outfits off and put on their next set of clothes. Yet, as the dressing room door shut behind them, the room erutped with a series of excited squeals and words of congrats.

"Nice job everyone!" Aeyeong called out as she slipped her heels off and began to wiggle out of her skirt. "That was great!"

"Oh my gosh!" Byulhee cried. "Kaaaaaah! That was sooooo fun! I can't believe we just---Eeek!" she squealed in delight as she began taking off her top. "That was the best! I-I-I can't--- Eeeeeeeeeeiyyyyaaah!" She tossed her bustier up in the air.

Aeyeong reached up, catching the garment. "Careful. We have to keep these nice."

"Oops! Sorry! I just got excited," Byulhee said, taking the top back. She set the top carefully on the counter and then bounced up with a squeal. "We did it! I- Yeeeeah!" She bounded over to Nell, throwing her arms around her dongsaeng in a back hug. "You were so great! And the dance--Waaaaah! It's the best!"

Nell's shoulders stiffened. "Um, thank you. You did great too," she said politely. She paused. "Could you let go?" She squirmed uncomfortably due to the skinship, as she was donned in only her bra and dance shorts at the moment.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Byulhee laughed, letting go of her dongsaeng. "It woulda been bad if the door had opened suddenly. Then we'd be a ship and Siwon would be jealous!" She laughed as she moved away from Nell.

Nell rollled her eyes, but could not stop the smile from sneaking onto her lips. 

Sijin smiled as she hung her dress on the clothes rack. It had been both fun and terrifying being up on stage. As her thoughts dwelled on the performance, her cheeks flushed. She could not believe how confident and flirty she had been, it was so unlike her. 

Lìxúe came up next to her, hanging her own clothes on the rack. "Nice job, Nabi!" 

"You too!" Sijin said with a grin as she began changing into her next dress which matched Nell's, having long sleeves made of lace and decorated with sequins and beads. 

"That was so much fun. I can't believe that we're here. And we were on stage," Lìxúe shook her head in disbelief as she began to change into her own dress. It was similar in style to the rest, but her and Aeyeong's dresses were sleeveless.

Byulhee and Jaemi had ones that were short sleeve.

As everyone finished dressing, the makeup and hair stylists entered to touch up the Starlets for their next performance. 

After a few minutes of hastily touching up hair and makeup, Jaemi cleared , clapping her hands to get the Starlets' attention. "Nice job, everyone! Our first performance went really well. Now, let's get refocused We have another performance to do."

Soon thereafter, the Starlets were ushered back to the stage for their second performance. With bated breath, the Starlets waited as the lights came up and the music began to play...

****

The Starlets and Super Junior members were all gathered about on the floor in one of the rooms at JJE, eating take-out and chatting over the day's events. 

Leeteuk stood up, holding up his paper cup full of water. "First off," he began, his MC voice in full effect. "I want to propose a toast." He glanced about at all the Starlets. "To the Starlets! You did a great job today. May all your performances be just like this one."

"Aish!" Heechul said, standing up. "That's a horrible toast. Let me try." 

Several laughs and giggles resounded about group. 

"If you're gonna toast to a bunch of Starlets, you gotta do it right." Heechul cleared his throat and held up his cup. "Here's looking at you kid," he said with a wink, before tilting his head back and taking a chug of his drink as if he were drinking alcohol instead of water.

Everyone busted up laughing at Heechul's joking manner. 

Heechul smiled. "Joking aside," he continued his voice softer and his demeanor more docile. "You did great today. Here's to today and for many years to come!" He raised his cup in the air. "To the Starlets!" He took a drink.

"To the Starlets!" the rest of the Super Junior members echoed, raising their cups and following suit.

As cheers and congrats resounded through the room, several of the Starlets began to cry. The happiness in the air was unbreakable, untouchable even. This day would go down in the hearts and minds of each and every Starlet as one of their most precious memories. It was the official start of their new career and the beginning of a journey that would lead them on a path of many struggles and even more happy memories for years to come...

Author's Note
Thanks for reading!