"We saw that you were crying earlier, you must really miss your family" 

"Yes I do"

"They aren't here in Korea with you, are they?

"No, they aren't."

"Not even your twin sister? That is your twin right?" Shin Dong Yeop asks while referring to the picture that was in the background during my performance.

"Yes she is my twin"

"How long has it been since you've seen your family?"

Knowing I wasn't going to be able to avoid the truth any longer, I answer calmly.

"8 years"

"8 years? But it says here that you have only been in Korea for 2 years"

"Yes that's true" and with a deep breath I say" I haven't seen them in 8 years because my whole family was killed in a car accident because of a drunk driver when I was 15"

Silence filled the hall.

"I was the only survivor" I whisper. That thought filled me with anger as I frown and bite my lip to avoid crying again but a stray tear escapes and rolls down my cheek.

"I'm sorry I asked that question. But one thing I wish to say is that I'm sure your family is proud of you. They would be thankful for this song you have sung for them".

"Thank you," I say and bow deeply. "My twin and I had a dream. For me to produce music and for her to choreograph the dance for a performance we did together. That dance you saw earlier was what we were supposed to dance together if given the chance. It wasn't exactly what we wanted but it will have to do. I would really like to thank immortal song for giving me this opportunity to fulfill our dream"

At this point, I wasn't the only one in tears, members of the audience were wiping away their tears as well. "Elise, my dear baby sis, Mom, Dad, I'm gonna make you proud" I mumbled as I stare at the ceiling and await the results.

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3 wins later, I'm eliminated but as I walk back to the waiting room, I smile to myself. I wasn't just happy with the results. I was happy with the performance. I was happy that I'd just fulfilled one of my dreams. The dream we shared. Being overwhelmed by the emotional aspect of the performance, I couldn't focus on anything else earlier. At first, I was overwhelmed with pure grief but now it was more of a bittersweet feeling. I knew my family would want me to be happy and move on with my life but this song hit too close to home and I couldn't help it.

"Oh, Ellie-Shi is back" Gfriend's maknae, UmJi said.

All of them suddenly start clapping for me.

"I thought your performance was really beautiful"

"That part where you danced without music, that was pure art"

"The arrangement was beautiful as well"

Their compliments meant a lot to me coming from singers I admired. "Thank you," I said. As I took my seat, the room was filled with an awkward silence all of a sudden.

"Did I interrupt something with my arrival? You can just continue what you were talking about"

"Erm, We were actually going round with best childhood memories and everyone seems to feel it's their birthdays. Are your best childhood memories your birthdays too?" Moon Heejun asks carefully. I feel my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. I was sure my emotional rollercoaster was done for the day but it went straight for the downward drop. I kept it together, though. I knew they were awaiting my answer.

"They are one of my most painful memories. It's not only a day I used to share with someone" I answer before looking down and saying "It's also the day I lost my entire family"

Audible gasps fill the room as I avoid their eyes.

With a deep breath, I look up with a sad smile on my face. "But yes, they are my best memories too"

Thankfully, the next performance begins and everyone's attention is shifted away from me. Thanks to the MCs, the mood in the waiting room livens up. My mood takes a turn for the better as well. The MCs notice this and ask me to dance. But they played a random song and so I freestyled, ending with a bit of a dorky dance. "Oh I see that you have a playful side to you as well," Moon Heejun says while laughing. "Haha yeah, today was just a little tough for me considering the theme of the show, but otherwise, I promise you won't see me moping around all the time."

"Himnaeseyo! (Hang in there) Everything is gonna work out for you"

"Yes thank you very much" and just like that the filming of the episode ends on a positive note with Ali taking the final win with an amazing performance.

As we wrap up GFriend members walk up to me to say hi. In terms of debut they were my seniors especially since I haven't actually made my debut. So I greet them politely. "Ellie-shi, I really think you're amazing, having gone through what you have and you're here still standing strong".

"Thank you very much Eunha-shi, everyone has their struggles, I'm sure you girls had your fair share too but look where you are now," I say complimenting them in return.

"Ellie-unnie, I mean can I call you unnie?" UmJi starts off.

"Haha yes! Of course you can!"

"Oh yeah how old are you?" Sowon asks being the oldest among them.

"I'm older than all of you, I was born in '93"

"Oh then we'll all call you unnie and you can just refer to us by our names" 

"So unnie, can we take a picture with you?" UmJi asks me in adorable English.

"Your English is so adorable, I watched showtime and I saw how you took care of all the orders of your Unnies in LA"

"Oh yeah, you mentioned being a Mamamoo fan on the ICSYV episode. You probably watched showtime because of Mamamoo"

"I like you guys too. I really loved Rough and your 2X sped up performances take mad skills."

"So Mamamoo or us?"

"Let's take a picture shall we"

They burst out laughing at that and gather closer as we take a photo.

Yet another step closer to my dream career, I head home on my bike, ready to take on the world one step at a time. 

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A/N: I'm sorry if it was a little draggy over the last 3 chapters but I really wanted to give you a good idea of Ellie's tragic backstory. Thank you again for reading:)