chapter 1   Beginnings   Han Sungsoo's eyes scanned the line of his most trusted production staff that he had, just minutes before, called in for a private meeting. With a small tick of his brow, he noted the four individuals serious faces from his seat at the head of the conference room. Each was the picturesque image of aloof and attentive, but behind this facade, Han could see the nerves rolling off them in waves. Han knew the source of their worries lay offhandedly in front of him -- a seemingly innocent manilla folder which, inside, held the future of their company. This decision was a big one, one of the biggest they would have to make, for the good of the company and Pledis family.

The only sound a dull yet constant tick from the clock that hung precautiously on the wall above CEO Han's black plush rolly chair and the low hum from the fluorescent bulbs overhead. Slowly, he clasped his hands and set them in front of him on the cool surface, before gesturing with a short nod towards an older woman with a very intimidating disposition in a pinstriped business suit sitting to his direct left.

Chung Bohee, production manager of Pledis Entertainment, took it as a sign to rise from her seat. She in a quick, nervous breath and as an attempt to loosen up, smoothed her hands down the front of her blazer to rid the expensive attire of nonexistent wrinkles. She could feel the burn of the four sets of eyes on her as moved with sure strides and with a bow of her head, leaned carefully over PD Han with long fingers, peeled the folder open to reveal a freshly printed packet. Everyone held their breath as the older man skimmed down the list with interest, flipping the page after a short minute with Bohee quietly standing beside him.

The brunette woman's intense gaze remained on the CEO's face in waiting, a small permanent frown edged onto her sharp features. She could practically see the cogs in his brain turning in thought, contemplating her list and the girls on it. They had all been doing the same thing these last few months, trying desperately -and failing- to pick a final lineup for what they had dubbed the Highlight Project.

When he starts getting closer to the last page, Bohee decides to speak up, her voice clear and monotonous, "That is all of the female trainees that you asked for, boss. I circled the ones who you recommended and highlighted a few that I thought might be a good candidate."

Han hums in response, satisfied with her performance as he reads over the last few names before abruptly flipping the pages back over to the front. He quickly turns his attention to the only other man in the room, who sits at his far right. He's a young man who holds a certain boyish charm and equally youthful appearance, with long shaggy hair and a neatly shaved face. His arms are crossed over his chest, an oversized maroon hoodie adorning his toned torso and worn whitewashed jeans cling to his muscular legs. Definitely not meeting attire, Han thinks with a scowl, but with how short notice this was he can't really blame him.

"Have you finished with this month's dancing assessments?" Han asks with a small quirk of his brow.

"Yes, I just finished them an hour ago. I have the videos ready like you requested. But, I have to say that some of the girls really surprised me this time around. Some better, some worse, you know the drill." Oh, Minseok says as he tugs an athletics bag off of the floor beside his chair and places it into his lap. He quickly shifts through his belongings before he pulls out a black flash drive and much to the surprise of Bohee and Han, slides it across the table towards the manilla folder with a grin. CEO Han's brows shoot up in surprise before he scoffs in distaste at the disrespectful action as Kim Goeun, the vocal coach, tries to hold in her laughter by throwing a petite pale hand up to . Bohee shoots the younger woman a glare that shuts her up before she tries to shift the conversation back to more important matters as she realizes that the CEO's cheeks are quickly tinging on tomato red.

'God if these two get at it then we'll never get out of here.' she rolls her eyes.

"Let's watch the videos then, as well as Ms. Kim's vocal assessments, and try to strategize the lineup for the Highlight Project."Bohee's voice booms over the two men, successfully breaking them out of their staring contest, she notes with a small smile.

"I agree, I think it would be best to watch the video assessments and then go from there. What do you think, Ms. Lee? I asked you to look into the female trainees and come up with a list of your own that will possibly gain Pledis popularity."

All gazes fall on a young woman staring into a floral print compact mirror as she applies coral pink lipstick to her plump lips, the tube secure in her freshly manicured fingers, oblivious to the added attention. CEO Han gives an incredulous cough at the young woman as Minseok lets out a sarcastic snort before she casually glances towards her boss.

Lee Hyejeong and Han meet eyes, and she immediately perks up from her bored slouch. The tube slowly falls from her grasp in surprise before she gets ahold of herself and rushes to stuff her lipstick and compact back into her purse, a light flush on her high cheekbones. Then as if nothing happened, with a flick of her long wavy brown hair over her shoulder, Hyejeong stands up and gathers her laptop in her arms and walks the short distance to the podium at the corner of the conference room, her bright blue stiletto heels clicking against the linoleum tiles. The thirty-one-year-old lets the laptop fall unceremoniously down onto the hard surface and quickly bends over and retrieves the adapter for the device and with skilled hands makes short work of the setup.

"I went over the list of ladies last week and have come to the conclusion of who I think would work best from a marketing perspective." Hyejeong pauses as she opens up a slideshow onto a projector with several trainee profiles, "Of course, Jeon Eunji has been a recurring topic these last few months because of her cousin Wonwoo, so I think Pledis would benefit from adding Eunji into the group due toWonwoo's popularity. If we have his cousin, she'll bring in an already established popularity that the girls could use to their advantage."

 A picture of a young woman, around twenty in age pops up on the screen, with noticeably pretty features that were very familiar to another Pledis Entertainment member, even down to her striking fox-like eyes. The picture is an uncanny resemblance to Jeon Wonwoo of Seventeen, no one can deny that. Quickly, the photo disappears as another possibly younger girl takes her place due to Hyejeong clicking the next arrow on her keyboard.

 "Also, I noticed one of the younger trainees has a famous sibling from under another company, which I was thinking might strengthen our alliances there."

The four others attention remained locked on the slides as the girls in question appeared on the screen next to their basic information as well as a line graph of predicted popularity. When the final slide popped up on the screen, everyone turned back to the CEO to see him leaning back against his chair, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, a solemn expression etched onto his features.

"Well, let's watch the assessments then pick the lineup. I think I've already made up my mind, but I want to make sure these are the seven girls we should go with." 


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The sharp echoing sound of heels clicking against the wood flooring makes the buzzing chatter of the practice room full of trainees fall into a deep haunting silence. That was a rare sound in such a room since most people who entered wore sneakers of some sort or flats, and if you ever were fated to hear the melodious clicks, you knew that you were either very fortunate or extremely unlucky. However, as the metal door swung open, every trainee froze in her place, shivers running up their spines in anticipation and fear for what was to come. The girls halted in mid-stretch, to turn their attention to the older woman entering the room.

Bohee stood tall, incredibly tall to the point of towering intimidatingly over more than half of the young trainees and with her large, calculating and dark eyes, sharp nose, and scowling lips, this only added to her overwhelming domineering aura. The thirty-seven-year-old practically glides across the wood in her pointed shiny black heels, weaving in and out of the girls around as she makes her way to the front of the room. All eyes trail after her intimidating figure, however, everyone's gaze is set on one thing-- the folder.

Clutched in her spindly fingers, pressing right against the front of her pin-striped black and gray blazer is a manilla folder, standing out starkly against the woman's dark suit. The girls collectively in a breath as she stops at the front of the room, heels together and eyes searching over the many faces that stare back at her as if they'd seen a ghost. This wasn't the first time she had seen such looks directed towards her. Innocent eyes wide with fear, rosy cheeks flushed and washed out, pale with anxiety, hands desperately grasping into themselves until their knuckles are white. No, Bohee had seen this all before, countless times because she was the bearer of news. When trainees saw her, she would be the one to tell you whether you were being dropped from the company and lose your dream, or were being promoted. She hated this, she really did. She didn't like being the one to make or break a child--yes because that's what they were--children. But this was her job, and she didn't have another choice. She was the strong one, the one CEO Han relied on and now, like the times before her was the moment to deliver what she had come for.

Bohee holds the folder out in front of her and skillfully flips it open to the first page. She stills, eyes boring through the paper, pupils wavering as she reads the first name on the list and leaves the girls to their own thoughts. Everyone holds their breath at once, fear drenching through their bodies and shaking them to the core before the woman's monotonous voice rings out through the room.

"Jeon Eunji--" The name snaps out into the tense silence, the older woman glances up from the paper and scans over the row of girls for a familiar face. She can see the deflation in several girls shoulders as relief floods over most, which tells her that none of these girls are who she is looking for, much to her irritation.

"Jeon Eunji, where are you?" Bohee barks again, tone turning sharper in annoyance as she flits her gaze over the large group of young adults.

The deep sea of girls suddenly parts and Bohee’s attention flits to a long legged girl in mid-stretch on the hardwood floor. She noticeably fits the description more than anyone else, that’s for sure, with her brunette medium length waves, strong defined features, a button nose and eyes slanted down almost exactly like a fox, paired down with a slender and slightly muscular build. And if that wasn’t enough to clue her in just who this girl was, her fox eyes wide in mix surprise and terror seal the deal. As if by pure instinct, she snaps up from her position on the floor, her long and lean limbs curling in on herself in nerves just a faction as the trainees spread out even more to leave her exposed to the calculating gaze of Bohee.

Fear seeps into her every sense, and she can feel herself shake as she, against her better judgment, timidly raises her hand above her head, making herself known to the room of eyes and older woman. Bohee quickly gives the timid girl a once over, rounded chocolate orbs staring through Eunji who anxiously quivers in her spot before Bohee lifts a finger and points to the space of air next to her.

"Please come here, you are needed by CEO Han."

The shy twenty-year-old cautiously moves forward on shaking legs to the front of the room, tennis shoes squeaking ever so slightly, every single step feeling heavier than her last and Bohee can’t help but feel a little bad for the poor thing. She moves like a baby deer whose mother stepped across a busy highway and is waiting patiently at the other side for the tiny and clumsy animal to get across, yet she knows her impending demise awaits her. Eunji couldn't shake the burning feeling of dread churning in the pit of her stomach. Had she done something wrong? If she had to describe herself in one word, it would be background. She wasn't one to brightly stand out and instead blended into the background of everyday life, but that was okay with her. That was what made her comfortable, and honestly, she preferred letting others take the spotlight. Eunji was careful and precise, and everything she did was planned out so she wouldn't be the dead center of attention, so why her name was on this list was beyond her reasoning. She knew she wasn't the best at anything, but she didn't feel like she deserved to be dropped from the company and that was her number one fear right now.

'They're dropping me, that's why my name is on the list. She's calling me up here to tell me I'm not fit to be an Idol,' a small voice whispered in the back of her mind, gripping her heart in a tight, vise-like lock. Eunji forced her legs to move until she stood a hair's length away from the older woman of her torment. It took everything in her body to keep her face blank and let the swirling emotions rest within her heart. No, she couldn’t show weakness right now, she had to be strong, if not for herself, for her parent's pride. Eunji slowly closed her eyes and readied herself for the lone walk to the door when Bohee called out another few names.

"Jang Saetbyul, Chae Aejeong, Ahn Areum and Gong Gaseul," Bohee finishes as collective gasps are heard throughout the room.

Eunji jumps in surprise, her eyes wide and ears perked up in disbelief. She’s not the only one being called down? She immediately stares as a short girl with an oval shaped face, choppy brunette bob, and well-defined sharp facial features emerge from the group. Her appearance definitely sparks up whispers among the other girls as she passes by with ease, bluntly ignoring the girls around her.

Eunji, just like the other trainees, had heard of the creative and mysterious Jang Saetbyul, one of the best female rappers at Pledis Entertainment, with her boyish charm and unique voice, but to see her up close was surreal. She hadn’t ever been this close to the younger girl, not enough to really look at her, but now, up close she seems just as intimidating as her title. Her body glides and slinks across the floor in manish, easygoing strides, her hands buried deep in the pockets of a bright green hoodie, to stand to Eunji's right.

The younger girl flits her steady stare over to Eunji, who holds her breath as she stares for a split second. Eunji gulps, anxiety growing in her stomach as the younger’s curious gaze scolds her. She just knows that Saetbyul is judging her, by the flick of her pupils and she can’t help but feel the same as if Bohee’s intense gaze was on her, but as time passes, Eunji notices a small, genuine smile curves up her pale pink lips and her heart squeezes in relief and lets her shoulders relax as Eunji gives a small smile back. Obviously, the other female was just as nerves as she was and she shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but at a time like this every gaze on her felt like a million stares instead of one and the scrutiny was wearing her thin.

Not a second goes by before a shorter girl, but noticeably lean with a curvier bottom half, and muscular thighs push from the back of the room, ignoring the whispering around her as she maneuvers through the throng of girl. Her silky raven hair is pulled back into a low ponytail but several fly away hairs have fallen out to frame her rounded face and her curvy and muscular frame is clad in a pale pink sweatshirt and black tights. Unlike Saetbyul who has very sharp and defined features, her face is very soft, with her rounded and full cheeks along with her full pink lips and large dark eyes, and tiny button nose, she has an overall adorable and foreign appearance. However, the large and prominent serious, brooding frown on her face is a distinctive contrast to her appearance, making her appear a bit less like an adorable little bun and more like a mature business woman.

That's Aejeong- or I think it is? She's definitely pretty, but foreign, from the looks of it. Or she's had a lot of plastic surgery. Eunji thinks to herself before shooting a small smile in the others direction as she comes to rest next to Saetbyul, who in turn, gives a short and stiff formal nod of her head before facing Bohee. Her personality is definitely a stark contrast to her precious look and from the way the rest of the girls back up from her, it’s obvious that they agree.

From all Eunji knows, Aejeong has been at Pledis for around four years, maybe longer, but she is one of the most talked about dancers and vocalists in the company, that's a known fact, especially from a creative perspective, or that’s just what Eunji has heard. However, she didn’t know very much about the latter despite this information. Surely Pledis wouldn’t want to get rid of a duo that is flourishing in talent? Or maybe they had yet another budget cut, which meant a few more girls had to go? Eunji’s teeth worried her bottom lip as she wrung her hands together, thoughts all leading south of Positive Ville and entering the outskirts of Negative City.

And as the last two girls make their way up to Bohee, this doesn’t do much to soothe the worries bubbling up inside her. Both girls brush past Eunji, the first being much taller than the second, with long raven hair and deep brown double-lidded eyes, and small features that match her very slim and lean, model-like frame. The one trailing not even a hair of a centimeter behind is a deep contrast with her medium length charcoal hair, large forehead, and gleaming face. However, the second girl reaches out with long fingers and gives Eunji’s left wrist a squeeze in reassurance as she passes, bright and contagious smile on her long face, seemingly reserved just for Eunji and actually makes her heart thud in her chest as a smile finds her own lips. And just like she came, she was gone in a fleeting second to stand next to the taller girl and completing the lineup of five girls.

Gaseul and Areum are two who she knows very well, both being top vocalists and training here for over two years. They were equally nice and friendly, and both happened to be close friends, even with some of the younger trainees but Areum was notably more serious than Gaseul with a gentler aura. However, Gaseul, the bright and optimistic ravenette did have an odd sense of humor and was one of the more extroverted trainees who spent her fair share in the company of the head vocal trainer as well as Areum, so for these two to be in such a lineup was unheard of. There wasn’t any way that Pledis would cut these girls, not unless the CEO was absolutely clueless and didn't know talent if it hit him in the face, which Eunji knew that wasn’t the case since he had produced popular groups such as After School and Seventeen. So why were they all here?

As if she heard Eunji’s thoughts, Bohee cleared and held the manilla folder back up to her chest. She turned sharply on the heels of her shoes and started towards the direction of the door. The girls awkwardly stood frozen to their spots, looking off after her in confusion. When Bohee realized the group wasn’t following her, she stopped in her tracks and craned her neck around to face them.

"You four are the last ones I need, please follow me to Ceo Han's office. Come now.” She ordered and jutted a thumb to the threshold. With quick feet, the girls stumbled after her, rushing to keep up with the tall woman as she fled the room and clicked down the empty studio hallway. The five girls silently trailed after her, everyone too nervous and lost in their own thoughts to even try to think about starting up a conversation.

Am I getting kicked out? Am I really that bad? Please don’t kick me out, I don’t want to leave yet… I haven’t even had the chance to show what I’m made of… Eunji thought to herself as they came even closer to CEO Han’s office. With every step her heart pounded wildly in her chest, making her wonder if the other girls could hear it because it was just so loud in her ears. This had to be it, this had to be the end