ㅤ?CH00ㅤLOVE STORY ZERO
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤABOUTㅤ?ㅤAMOREㅤㅤㅤㅤLOVE STORY 01 OUT!CHAP
TER00
COALESCENCE
rain and wind beat against the glass window of the practice room, an eddie of water rolling down the smooth surface. the howling wind mocks them, laughs at their anticipation as fifteen girls huddle close together on the cold, heartless floor.
they've been in this situation before, all gathered in the main practice room to listen to what song jiseong has to say, yet the room has never been more quiet.
the floor has never been so cold.
today is the day.
the day in which their trek across a barren tundra will bear reward or present them with absolutely nothing. today is the day in which ties would be severed and a new, sorry kind of empathy would form between the survivors.
thunder rumbles as the wind picks up. boeun bumps her shoulder against bongju, "looks like you brought rain today too, huh bibubong?"
bongju musters a forced smile as her reply, stopping their conversation dead in its tracks.
its the nerves. everything is. the silence, the tension, the typhoon. but to say the girls in the room are simply nervous is a gross understatement. this is the end of the road for many of them.
the door opens and the clacking heels of their savior and undertaker snatches up their attention like a thief in the night.
song jiseong.
reira is the first to spring onto her feet and bow at the established woman, the others following along. mirae and sunggeun are the last to do so.
song jiseong takes long strides to close the emptiness between them, her presence instantly filling the white space in the room. everything becomes her. the floor, the mirror, the lights, the door, the window, everything is song jiseong. she's their everything.
today is the day.
the day their identity as lustre trainees breaks apart at the seams and is woven into the fabric of amore.
the vulnerability of their situation, their dreams, only grow exponentially as song jiseong commands the girls to sit at her feet with just a movement of her wrist.
"girls. i suspect you all know what today is?"
its not a question she needs to ask. even a blind and deaf man knows what today is.
"yes, miss president."
she hums, tightly pressed lips hiding the secrets of their fates. "today is a day of coalescence. an ambiguous day for you all but, ultimately, a day in which different people join together to become one.
"today is the day the members of amore will be chosen. the cream of the crop, the girls who will save the dilapidated idol industry. out of the fifteen of you here, only six of you will be chosen. when i call your name, please stand up here.
"the first official member of amore is lilian jung."
it is no revelation, no surprise. the girls clap only out of decorum as the lucky, the favored, girl hops up with a cheer as if her favorite football team won the world championship. she bounces in a circle as if it was anything other than given. lilian bows to song jiseong, skipping over to the woman's side.
"does everyone know why lilian was chosen?"
there is a truth that is unspoken at lustre. the girls look amongst themselves before jooyeon speaks up, "because she's miss president's favorite!" pulip joins in at the end, to emphasize what isn't openly discussed. the two friends quiet their giggles.
lilian shakes her head, not out of modesty, but out of pride. "its because i work hard! and i'm good at what i do!"
jooyeon hides her eye-roll behind a light-hearted, yet empty laugh. song jiseong smiles brightly at lilian, a gift all in itself. "the next member is cha jooyeon."
the name nearly slips past her ears as she laughs with how nonchalantly song jiseong announces the next member. announces her as the next member. a small gasp slips past her lips as her brain registers the information. the girls clap for her, in actual happiness for her success.
jooyeon lets the warmth of pride permeate the air around her as she stands by jiseong's side like a loyal puppy, "thank you, miss president!"
"next is kwon mirae." the beautiful woman rises before song jiseong finishes saying her name. if it wasn't mirae, the girls whispers among themselves, then song jiseong doesn't know talent.
mirae knows it herself, but that doesn't stop the tingling spreading across her smooth skin. she is the best dancer in the company, after all. but still, she and the kingpin don't always see eye to eye. mirae heads over to song jiseong with a short bow.
"morioka reira?" the girl pinching the skin of her forearm between her fingers drops everything at the sound of her name of song jiseong's lips. "congratulations, you're the fourth member of amore."
the words falling from song jiseong's lips sounds like ave maria to reira, her eyes soft with a glow from within. she bows once, twice, thrice while walking to her savior, pinching herself as tears form in her eyes. lilian gives her shoulder a light touch, and jooyeon suppresses a gag before glancing at pulip from her periphrial.
"more than half the members have been chosen now."
yookyung holds her stomach, samia droops her head and uses her hair as a shield, bongju cakes layer after layer of lip balm onto her lips, seunggeun forces herself to stay still. they all convince themselves that they are one of the remaining two.
the rain picks up. the city grows hazy, the glimmering lights no longer visible as they move in and out of the negative space of the dark typhoon sky.
"the fifth member of amore is shin hyunjoo."
"oh my god," she gasps with the flavor of busan thick on her tongue, removing her chattering hands from her thighs. her palm presses against her heart, fingers spreading out like a fan.
this, she thinks, is validation.
"and the final member of amore will be... drum roll, please." the girls pound their hands against the floor like their hearts pound against their chests and just as rain pounds against the window. "jung pulip. congratulations dear."
pulip looks around, did she hear right? their looks tell her, yes in tones equal part jealous and proud. her legs are jello as she walks over to song jiseong.
"any words, pulip?"
she shrugs, " for everyone else."
jooyeon's eyes flutter shut briefly, nodding because now she won't have to put up with lilian alone.
a somber and breathless quiet hangs over the leftover girls in the room, checking their depth perception as they analyze the depth of the hole in their hearts.
the birth of amore is a bittersweet occasion, as it is with the birth of all groups. and like all other groups, its celebrated with a pang of jealousy and scorn.
"reira, mirae, pulip, hyunjoo, lilian, jooyeon, congratualtions to all of you. it only gets harder from here on out, but i'm sure you all know that."
upon song jiseong's request, the girls grab a camera and film their first vlog.
"hello everyone, we are soon-to-debut amore! please take care of us!"
congratulations to : kgirochi, overmorrow, seonho, shiroganes, and kuanlin. please fill out the secondary app asap so i can get the first chapter truckin along!! also, feel free to make scene requests whenever!! message me / comment below / add to ur apps!!
Like this story? Give it an
Upvote!
Thank you!
Comments