Soori was worried. Lately, Junho had been acting different. Usually when they talked, the conversation was easy to continue, natural, filled with laughter. Lately though, Soori felt like she was dragging Junho’s weight. He didn’t seem to care anymore. And although Taecyeon won’t tell her what was going on, she had an idea that it was about jealousy.

Last night, Shim Jang had crawled in her and Soo Ri’s bedroom and told them about how Minzy of 2NE1 had told her about how the other groups were nervous and jealous… Our teasers debut would coincide with many of theirs and competition was high this year. Minzy had wished Shim Jang “good luck” in an almost offensive manner and left Shim Jang angry. Shim Jang had been quiet for a long while before she said, “You know, for such an amazing dancer, Minzy’s a stupid girl.” And Soori couldn’t help but laugh.

But laughing was the last thing she felt like doing right now. Where was Junho? They were supposed to meet up at the pastry shop to pick a cake for Nichkhun’s birthday. They had promised to meet at 7:00 pm. It was 7:25 pm. Soori sighed and took a seat on the bench in the sidewalk. She pulled out her phone and dialed Junho. He didn’t pick up and she was directed to voicemail. She tried again. Same thing. And another. Same… 

She groaned in frustration.

A while later, she pulled out her journal. Might as well get something done while waiting for him…

When I was very little,

My parents led me to a place,

Where laughter runs in streams,

Where happiness grew on trees,

And sadness was rarer than diamonds.

This place, this garden of love.

My greatest secret is that I would like to go there someday

With you.

She read over the lyrics again and then checked her watch.

7:50….

She sighed, ripped the paper out of the journal, crumpled it up and hurled it down the street, yelling, “IDIOT!” Many people stared at her, but she didn’t care in the least.

She packed up her things. I’m leaving, she told herself.

A minute later she was sitting back down.

I am hopeless, she thought to herself. But I can’t help it if I like him.

She called him again, and when she was directed to voicemail she left a message, “Junho-oppa? Um… I’m at the bakery shop. I was wondering if you were going to come or not… yeah. That’s all. I hope everything’s okay. Can you call me back when you can? Thanks.”

 She hung up and started to walk back when it started to rain. For many people, this would be a terrible thing, but Soori stood still and left the drops drench her. They trickled down her arms and neck and face, cooling her off, leaving her fresh and clean and beautiful. She stood there until she lost track of time… 

Abruptly, the rain stopped.

“Soori! What are you doing?”

Gongchan was there, holding a jacket over her, and getting himself drenched in the process.

“You’re insane! Everyone’s looking at you!”, Gongchan told her.

Soori, for the first time, looked around her. Sure enough, a bunch of shopkeepers and citizens had their faces pressed to the window, looking at her.

“Oh, I didn’t realize”, she said, and moved out from under the jacket.

“I really like the feel of rain”, she explained.

Gongchan looked at her like she was crazy.

“You’re going to get sick, you stupid girl”, Gongchan told her, trying to cover her with his jacket again.

“I won’t”, she said defiantly, and moved away from him.

“Stop being dumb”, Gongchan said, attempting to shield her from the onslaught of rain.

“I’m not!”, Soori insisted, getting annoyed.

“Just listen to me, okay!?”, Gongchan yelled back at her.

“Just leave me alone!”, Soori said, really annoyed now.

Just a few moments ago, it had been so peaceful. Why did he have to come and ruin everything!

“I’ll go back to the dorm in a bit, okay? Just let me be”, Soori told him, trying not to cause a fight in front of everyone.

“You’re going back to the dorm now”, Gongchan said, and with that he grabbed her arm and tugged her all the way to the girls’ dorm.

“Jae Sun. Tell me why you decided to set the kitchen curtains on fire?”, Kyuhyun said, in between coughs. Smoke was rising from the bathtub where a pile of curtains had been submerged in water.

“Well, I didn’t exactly decide anything”, Jae Sun clarified, “I was simply trying to make some homemade miso soup when the curtains went – POOF! And there they were, on fire.”

“I highly doubt that they spontaneously combusted”, Kyuhyun said, sweating. When he heard Jae Sun and the dog yelp, he’d come running. When he saw the curtains start to catch flame, he’d hastily grabbed a pair of dishes (the nearest thing) and started beating the curtains like mad. When the flames were finally gone, he gingerly removed them and drenched them in water.

“Yeah, well. Fire’s always cool”, Jae Sun said. He was not sweating. Not a single hair out of place.

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Okay, Jae Sun, whatever you say.”

“No, really, have you seen fireworks before? They’re amazing.”

Kyuhyun sat on the ground next to Jae Sun, wiping his face with a towel.

“Kyuhyun hyung…”, Jae Sun said suddenly.

“What’s up?”, Kyuhyun asked.

“Where do you go almost every night?”

“What?”, Kyuhyun said. He hadn’t realized that anyone noticed his leaving every night… The only advantage of sleeping on the couch… Or so he thought.

“You grab your recorder, guitar, and just go”, Jae Sun said, “I know you’re not meeting up with my sister. She always sleeps early.”

Kyuhyun sighed. If he didn’t tell the truth, Jae Sun could misinterpret this as “Kyuhyun was cheating on Krystal”.

“I practice at night…”, Kyuhyun said.

“Liar”, Jae Sun said.

“No, really. Except it’s not at the practice rooms. It’s a different place. A special place”, Kyuhyun said, seriously.

“Show me”, Jae Sun replied.

Kyuhyun was about to protest, but the smoke was getting to him.

“All right, get your bunny and your candy. I’ll show you.”

Soo Ri was lying on her bed, flipping through her photos from yesterday, critiquing herself. Chan Hee had looked pretty confident that she was better than Soo Ri…

Soo Ri groaned. She had unexpectedly put herself in competition with the most competitive person in her group.

She saw herself in the mirror.

So ugly, Soo Ri thought to herself. How am I supposed to beat anyone when I look like this?

Suddenly, the door slammed open.

“GONGCHAN! Let go-!”

Soo Ri hurriedly shoved her photos under her pillow, and got off the bed.

She went out to the living room: where Gongchan and Soori were having a “fight”.

Well, Soori was clawing at Gongchan…

“Um… everything okay?”, Soo Ri asked.

“Go shower!”, Gongchan shouted over Soori’s yelling. He pushed her into the bathroom and shut the door, putting his weight on it so that she couldn’t get out.

Soo Ri watched, wide-eyed.

Finally, Soori quieted from the other side and then the shower being could be heard.

“Can you get her some dry clothes or something?”, Gongchan asked Soo Ri, still leaning against the door.

Soo Ri nodded and went to go fetch some clothes, somewhat in a state of shock.

Soo Ri gathered Soori’s stuff together and put in a neat pile against the bathroom door.

“You’re soaking wet… do you have anything else to wear?”, Soo Ri asked, looking at Gongchan. He really was drenched.

Gongchan shrugged. He pulled off his backpack and checked the contents inside.

“What’s in there?”, Soo Ri asked curiously.

“Candy. Want a lollipop?”, Gongchan offered to her.

“I’m okay”, Soo Ri said.

“Okay, well, I’m off”, Gongchan said, “Byeeeeee!” He waved cutely and then was off. 

Soo Ri shook her head in amazement. She couldn’t understand Gongchan ever. Sometimes he seemed like he was already a mature man, someone who could harm and stand his own ground. Other time he seemed like the youngest of children, a person to protect and pat gently…

Soo Ri returned to her room, when her phone beeped.

She flipped it open. She was expecting it to be her mother or her brother, her friends from 2am and Miss A had stopped contacting her ever since she’d been picked for 1VS. It was her mother… saying that she missed Soo Ri and wanted to know how things were. Soo Ri sent her a long reply before she plugged in her earphones and put her music on shuffle… but her thoughts lingered on what Shim Jang had told her yesterday… the other groups are jealous…

Was that really true? Frustrated, she flipped her phone back open and called Jinwoon from 2am, the one who was the worst at lying.

“Hello?”, Jinwoon said over the phone.

“Hey, Jinwoon, why haven’t you contacted me for such a long time?”

“Huh? Oh, cause you’re practicing and all…”

Soo Ri could hear the other boys murmuring excitedly.

“I didn’t want to distract you… so, yeah”

“Liar”, Soo Ri said, “I can hear all of you guys over the phone. You aren’t really jealous, are you?”

“J-jealous? Of what?”

“Our debut. Universe..”

“Well, we’re not jealous. We’re just… we’re just… we’re just…”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?”, Soo Ri yelled, frustrated beyond belief.

“We’ve been friends for so long and you all are JEALOUS? If you were in my spot, I would be HAPPY for you, you jerks!”

“Wait! Soo Ri! No! Okay, yes, we’re jealous. But that’s not why we didn’t call.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s twice you’ve lied now.”

“Sorry.”

“If you’re really sorry then stop being petty and call me often, okay? That goes for ALL of you”, Soo Ri stated.

“A-all right”, Jinwoon said, sounding deflated.

“Good”, Soo Ri hhmphed, and hung up the phone.

“Who were you yelling at?”, Soo Ri asked. She sat down on the edge of her bed, towel drying her hair.

“A few lame jerks”, Soo Ri said, disgruntled. She flopped back down on her bed, but a wrinkling sound made her jump up quickly. Her pictures!

She pulled them out, making sure they weren’t damaged.

“What’s that?”, Soori asked, interested.

“Nothing”, Soo Ri said, quickly hiding them behind her back.

“Soo Ri. You at lying, just show me”, Soori said, rolling her eyes.

“Um… only if you promise not to laugh”, Soo Ri said.

Soori nodded and held her hand out.

Soo Ri handed over her modeling pictures.

Soori was quiet for a short time and then she said, “Soo Ri, you are so beautiful.”

Soo Ri suddenly blushed, “N-Not really. I mean, Chan Hee-“

Soori shook her head, “I’m not comparing you to anyone and I don’t know that much about modeling. I’m just saying you are really really pretty.”  

  Soo Ri felt embarrassed, but a part of her had to admit that it was nice to have someone praise her like this.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, Soori?”

“Yes?”

“Why did Gongchan drag you in earlier?”

Soori’s face turned sour. “Well, he-“

Suddenly, they heard the front door open and slam shut.

The sound was followed by quick footsteps and suddenly their bedroom door banged open. It was Shim Jang.

“Soori, you’re all over the Internet! You and Gongchan!”, she yelled.

“What!?”, Soori asked, utterly confused.

“What are you talking about?”, Soo Ri asked, trying to calm Shim Jang down.

“Here, look”, and Shim Jang pulled out her phone and uploaded the web page where:

It was Soori standing there with her eyes closed, blissfully enjoying the rain, and there was Gongchan holding his jacket over her head, like a gentleman. Soori looked so pretty, her clothes pressing to her pretty figure, and her face the picture of serenity. Gongchan looked like a gentleman, with a concerned and focused expression on his face. He looked… good, Soori thought… he actually looked like a man in this picture, instead of the maknae. Although… I’m the maknae, too, she thought…

“Wow. You look beautiful, too”, Soo Ri said.

“Gongchan looks pretty good too, right?”, Shim Jang said.

Both girls looked at her weirdly.

“What! It’s true! I’m not saying I like him, but he looks different than he usually does when he’s all cheerful and acting like a choding. He actually looks like a man, all serious and protective”, Shim Jang said defensively.

“Guess that’s true… Anyhow, I wonder how the president will take this”, Soori said, slightly worried.

“Are you kidding? They’ll love it. This is the stuff they want. How cool is it going to be later, when someone interviews you and whips out this picture and asks ifthis is you? Famous before being famous, that’s exactly what the presidents wanted!”, Soo Ri said comfortingly.

“I hope so”, Soori said.

“Guess we’ll find out. It’s time to cook. Eun Suk will be back from college and Chan Hee will be back from practice any minute now”, Soo Ri said.

“Why didn’t Chan Hee come back with you, Shim Jang? Weren’t you practicing?”, Soori asked Shim Jang.

“Yeah, I was. I don’t know… I think she was talking to the Exo guys when I left. Lately, I’ve just been so absorbed in dance that I don’t realize much…”, Shim Jang said honestly.

Soori was about to respond when the doorbell rang.

The two girls looked at each other.

Eun Suk and Chan Hee both had keys. They never rang the doorbell…

“Wow, is this place real?”, Jaesun asked, looking around at the  natural beauty that surrounded the both of them.

“It does look surreal, huh?”, Kyuhyun asked. He sat at the foot of a tall oak, a place where the grass had worn down and the trunk had grown smooth because Kyuhyun had sat there so often, practicing late at night.

“Isn’t it scary at night?”, Jaesun asked.

“It is, until I start to sing”, Kyuhyun replied.

“Sing something”, Jaesun stated bluntly, sitting across from Kyuhyun with his legs crossed.

“I don’t need to sing anything. You have your bunny to keep you safe”, Kyuhyun responded.

“Well, the bunny is afraid”, Jaesun shot back, snarky.

Kyuhyun groaned.

“What do you want me to sing?”

“Kyuhyun? Jaesun?” JiHyun appeared from between the trees, looking at both of them in surprise.

“Hi, hyunggggg”, Jaesun said, patting the seat next to him.

JiHyun complied, following Jaesun’s example and sitting Indian-style.

“What are you two doing here?”

“I’m trying to get Kyuhyun to sing”, Jaesun explained, “Because the bunny is afraid.” Jaesun held up Chu by the ears.

JiHyun laughed and then he said, “Did you guys hear?”

“What?”, Kyuhyun asked.

 “We’re going in for outfit fittings to choose our outfits”, JiHyun said.

“No way! When?”, Jaesun asked, excited.

“Friday, May 4^th, 2012. 9:00pm Pacific Time.”

^^^^^^ That’s when it’s a free-for-all for clothes. Tomorrow night.

There are eight options for boys and eight options for girls.

YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS!

List THREE preferences, in order of your favorite to your least preferred like this:

1. Word that leads to your Most preferred

2. Words that leads to your Middle preferred

3. Word that leads to your Lead preferred

PRIVATE MESSAGING ONLY.

Also, now is the time for your character to receive good luck gifts. Like if a sibling gives them a good luck necklace or bracelet.  You must specify WHO it is from and either describe it or send me some kind of link! You will wear it on your debut stage and possibly to interviews and variety shows!

On the other hand, I tried to focus on some new characters. Not all of them got in, but the characters who aren't all that big of a role now will be later! The quiet ones tend to have charismatic talents, right? :D Haha, all the characters are going to be so much more involved later when they actually get into the idol world! But first, you have to go through the predebut stage, right? :D Oh, the stress.

I've finished 3 exams and have 4 left this week. Wish me luck! :D