As hyper as they were after their debut, the Universe members could not forget to thank the makeup artists, the managers, the stage crew, the sound crew, etc., etc., etc.

The members had gotten together to bake cupcakesand breadsand now passed them out to the crew in thanks. The crew applauded enthusiastically for them, wished them good luck in the future, and asked them to come back for their future comebacks and performances. Grinning and extremely cheerful, Universe went to go change into their “red carpet” clothes because they were having a debut party after. All three companies were hosting it together and it was going to be absolutely huge.

Chan Hee was dressed in an elegant deep red dress that was strapless and made of sleek silk. It closely wrapped around her figure and was long, draping to the floor. Her hair had been pulled up in an elegant twist and a silver and diamond bracelet was draped on her wrist.  

JiHyun wore a simple all-black assemble (black button-up and black pants) and a simple silver earring with classically-styled hair.

Soo Ri wore a striking black dress. It was short, but came up to her neck. It was covered with gorgeous black topazes and white diamonds, and the back was cut again in a heart shape. Her hair was also pulled up in a simply ponytail, but diamonds and gold beads were incorporated to stay in her hair.

Kyuhyun wore a crisp white button-up and a dark blue blazer with gold buttons over it. His hair was messy-formal, falling over his eye perfectly.

Shim Jang had a lovely one-shoulder dress that stopped just above her knees. It was a deep purple lined with diamonds near the waistline. She wore a diamond bracelet up near her shoulder that was revealed. Her hair was parted to one side, and curled.  

Jae Sun had on a sharp all-white outfit, except he wore a white V-neck and an open vest. To make it more formal, he had on a loosely tied white tie.

Soori had on a light pink dress that was layered; short in the front and long in the back. It had glitter white on the hem of the dress. Her hair was also parted to one side, but it was straight.  

Gongchan, like his image, had a very classic outfit. Black and white. To add flare, the black had gold rimmed cuffs and he sported a silver watch.

Eun Suk had on a white one- long sleeved dress that also stopped just short of her knees. The dress has a glittering black belt on around the waist. Eun Suk’s hair was in loose waves.

Sky had on a dark blue button-up and a short, open white trench coat with gold buttons. His pants were also snow white, and his hair was also messy-y.

They were supposed to enter different vans according to their gender, but none of the members really cared anymore. They were family by now.

So, Gongchan, Soori, Jae Sun, Soo Ri, and Shim Jang got into one car, and Chan Hee, Eun Suk, JiHyun, Kyuhyun, and Sky got into another.

As Sky got into the car, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out. There was one from his sunbaenims, one from Victoria of f(x), and one from GDragon.

9:55 pm  

You guys were amazing out there! We’re watching your interview and we’ll be at the after-party at 11pm! Daebaek! You guys really showed off your skills. We are soooo proud of you, our babies! Congratulations on your debut! \^^/ See you later!

-B2ST & Epik High

10:10pm

Damn, you rocked the stage! Good job. Saw you wore the gift I gave you. ^^ See you at the party, man.

-Jiyong

10:35pm

You coming to the party? Everyone’s so excited about your group.

-Victoria

Sky smiled as he read the message from B2ST and Epik High aloud. Then, he flipped to text Victoria back, when Kyuhyun said, “Is that from Victoria of f(x)?”

“Huh?”, Sky said, unaware that Kyuhyun had been reading over his shoulder.

Kyuhyun smiled and flipped open his phone, showing Sky a message from Krystal of f(x): “Oppa!~ Come quick, no one believes I know the famous you!”

“And look”, Kyuhyun said, changing the message to show everyone: “We watched your guys’ performance and it was fabulous! Good Job! We are so proud of you! Hwaiting!~ See you at the party tonight, okay? –SNSD<3”

Chan Hee scoffed and said, “Yeah? Look at this?”

She went to her messages and showed them, “DAEBAK! EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT YOUR DEBUT AT SM! YOU GUYS HAD A FLAWLESS DEBUT! WOW! COME QUICK! THE CAMERAS ARE WAITING! –CHANYEOL”

“Dude, that’s your brother, that doesn’t even count”, JiHyun remarked and reached out and snapped shut Chan Hee’s phone. Chan Hee stuck her tongue out at him.

~

“We’re here”, the driver announced.

“Thanks”, Jae Sun said, hopping out. The others followed suit.

Soori lurched slightly, stepping on the hem of her dress.

Gongchan caught her, steadying her by putting his hands on her hips. Soori was about to thank him except, “Wow, you’re pretty clumsy, huh, Soori?”

Soori shoved him with all her might and stomped away gracefully to where all the other Universe members had gathered together. The three Presidents were there as well.

“Okay, you guys did absolutely fantastic, just wonderful!”, the JYP President said.

“But now we have to determine what order you’re going to go in”, the YG President said.

“Some of you need to go solo, some of you should go in pairs or more. Whatever evens out height”, the SM President explained, “When we take pictures, we don’t want anyone to look extremely tall or short.”

“I want to go solo”, Chan Hee said automatically. She flashed Soo Ri a look and waggled her eyebrows. A challenge on the red carpet, then.

Soo Ri took a deep breath, “I want to go solo also.”

“Soori and I fit together well. Besides, the media wants to see us together”, Jae Sun said, indicating Soori and himself.

“JiHyun, you’re the leader… but you’re shorter than Sky, Kyuhyun, and Gongchan”, the JYP President said. Kyuhyun and Gongchan snickered, and Sky struggled to maintain a straight face. JiHyun scoffed and said, “Then I’ll just take Eun Suk as my partner and leave you tall maknaes trailing in the dust.” He held his arm out to Eun Suk, who smiled and took it.

“Shim Jang, you’re the fierce main dancer in the group, shouldn’t you do the walk by yourself? For image, I mean”, the YG President asked.

Shim Jang shrugged, “No problem.”  

“All right, and… Sky, Kyuhyun, and Gongchan will go out as our attractive and hot trio of boys. Fantastic”, the SM President said, clapping Gongchan on the shoulder, “Perfect.”

And so it went on:

Chan Hee, of course, strode out first, fashionably beautiful, turning in a sharp and dramatic manner. The fans were awestruck at how skillful she was at presenting herself.

Soo Ri followed her, in her own glorious style, perhaps not as comfortable, but just as beautiful. The cameras could not get enough of her.

Shim Jang also strode out; confident and magnificent despite it being her first time out on the carpet.

Soori and Jaesun were very warm; their arms were linked, but with their free hands, they were waving and shaking people’s hands.

JiHyun and Jin were next, and they were also very interactive with the crowd. With JiHyun guiding her, Eun Suk signed a few autographs, took pictures with fans, and conversed with them. JiHyun scored himself an interview, where he promoted Universe as much as he could.

The three boys followed afterwards, and the girls’ screaming suddenly went incredibly high-pitched, it was amazing. Kyuhyun treated it like a catwalk, owning the carpet. Sky was very respectful, bowing quite a bit and slightly bashful. Gongchan was waving, yelling, and having a great time. The fans loved them.

And then they were inside the building, and it was only idols; no interview people, no cameras, no media.

Chan Hee was immediately occupied by her brother, who hugged her fiercely, before Baekhyun snatched her away, only to have LuHan charge him and drag Chan Hee away for himself. It was quite entertaining to watch.  

Kyuhyun was predisposed to speak with the SNSD sunbaenims, who immediately began to go into detail with how wonderful his debut was and how handsome he looked now.

Soori and Jaesun were of course, welcomed by Krystal and Jessica. Their parents were also there. Soori started to cry when she saw her parents. Jaesun tried to laugh and comforted his sister by putting her arms around her and squeezing her tightly, but he was also trying to hold back the sudden emotions himself.

Soo Ri stood there by herself for a moment, awkward, before Jinwoon pounced on her from behind. She yelled in surprise, but couldn’t help but laugh when she say who it was. She punched him lightly and said, “Why can’t you just be normal, huh? How hard is it to just walk up and say hi to someone?” By this time, Seulong and Jo Kwon had also caught up to her and had warmly congratulated her on her debut. “You dance so yyyyy”, Jo Kwon said to Soo Ri, and started doing his own feminine waves. Seulong grabbed Jo Kwon before he burst out into full dance mode.

Sky was talking to Victoria when Jiyong came up to both of them. Grinning, Jiyong asked how Sky felt now that he had finally debuted. Sky was about to shrug in response, as he normally did, but found himself describing in detail everything he had felt on stage: the power, the energy, the stress, the lights, everything.

JiHyun had spotted, for the first time in two and a half years, his closest friend, Bi Rain. Impatiently, he shoved through people, and then, before Bi could even exclaim in surprise, JiHyun flung his arms around Bi and tackled the superstar to the ground. “HYYUNNNNNNG!”

As for Shim Jang, she was speaking with Dongho of UKISS, who had just made a comeback as well.

Meanwhile, Eun Suk and Gongchan had found themselves at the dessert table at the same time.

“Hey”, Gongchan said, with a smirk.

Eun Suk nodded in his direction.

“Not even going to say hi?”, Gongchan asked, his smirk falling.

Eun Suk shook her head.

“Fine”, Gongchan replied, pouting. He started to turn away, when he felt a hand grab him. He looked. It was Eun Suk. She had grabbed his shirt with one hand and was pointing to with the others. She looked like a chipmunk.

“Maemuthesfull”, she mumbled.

“Huh?”, Gongchan asked.

Eun Suk held up a finger, indicating for him to wait. A good minute later, she swallowed and said, “Sorry, my mouth was full.”

“Oh”, Gongchan said, laughing.

Suddenly, he heard his name called. “Hey, Gongchan.”

Gongchan turned. “Myungsoo!” Laughing, Gongchan moved to hug Myungsoo of Infinite. They had been best friends for a long time, but had lost touch over the days.

“Forgot all about me, did you?”, Myungsoo said lightly, playfully punching Gongchan in the shoulder.  

“No way, man! But where did you go, anyways, huh?”

“I’m in Infinite now.”

“Well, thanks a lot of telling me! I thought that was you! You were in that phone CF, right?”

Myungsoo nodded, smiling, “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Gongchan shook his head in disbelief, “You jerk, I was so worried for you.”

Smiling, Myungsoo hugged Gongchan again.

Gongchan noticed Eun Suk awkwardly standing at the dessert table again. He pulled her over and introduced her, “Myungsoo hyung, this is my friend and fellow member, Eun Suk.”

Myungsoo nodded in her direction, “Nice to meet you.”

Eun Suk was, for some reason, mute.

“Eun Suk?”, Gongchan whispered.

“O-oh, I’m Eun Suk.”

Gongchan sighed and Myungsoo looked at her with a quizzical brow.

“Gongchan, come meet my members?”, Myungsoo asked.

Eun Suk stared at Myungsoo, deflated. This was obviously a tactic to get away from her.

Gongchan nodded and with a gentle pat on the shoulder for Eun Suk, followed Myungsoo.

Eun Suk stood there, awkwardly hugging her arms.

~

Soori’s parents had just left, and Krystal, with a sly wink, had gone to talk to Kyuhyun.

“You just watch yourself!”, Jaesun had yelled at her. Krystal had smirked and disappeared.

SNSD was also leaving, as they had a shoot early morning tomorrow. Jessica wrapped her arms warmly around Soori one last time and left. Jaesun smiled at Soori and said, “I’ll see you in a bit. Jonghyun’s calling me over there.”

Soori nodded, wondering what time it was. As she was searching for a clock, she saw him. Him. She quickly, but as gently as possible, shoved through the crowd of people, and managed to grab onto the back of his jacket.

“Junho oppa”, she called.

The boy turned around- and it was Junho!

“Soori, hey”, he said, with an adorable smile.  

He smiled.

Soori’s heart stopped- whether from happiness or anger, she wasn’t sure. Barely managing to keep her voice down, she looked around her. The SM President was only a few feet away.

“Can you come with me?”, Soori asked. Junho looked confused, but nodded.

She led him to the lobby where it was totally empty, before she turned to him and asked him (trying to keep her voice totally calm), “Where were you on Nichkhun’s birthday?”

Junho looked at her, confused, “With… Khun…”

Soori sighed, frustrated, “I meant where were you when you were supposed to meet me at the cake shop?”

Junho’s look of confusion cleared, “Oh… that… I-Soori-“

“I just… want to know where you were”, Soori cut across his stumbling.

There was silence.

Junho looked down and said, “I’m sorry. I forgot; I was so caught up with everything that was happening… One of our members was… having a hard time.” Sincerity rang in his every word.

Soori looked at him as he looked up, his face grim. “I’m sorry I didn’t go that day. I really am. I’ll make it up to you”, Junho said.

“How?”, Soori asked.

Junho had to think for a moment, but then he smiled as he held out his hand, “After this party, I’ll go out and buy you everything you want at the supermarket. I mean it. Everything, okay?”

Soori hesitated, but after when he flashed a grin at her, she found her hand in his.

Chan Hee was blushing from laughing so much. Finally, fanning herself with her hand, she declared, “I really need some fresh air, give me a moment.” She headed towards the front entrance, when someone caught her hand. It was LuHan. “I’m coming with you.” Chan Hee smiled, but simply said, “Okay.”

The two of them headed toward the lobby, when suddenly Chan Hee heard a very familiar voice float out from the lobby: “-Were supposed to meet me at the cake shop?”

LuHan and Chan Hee exchanged a look before they pressed themselves against the wall.

Chan Hee sneaked a quick peek- she was right, it was Soori, with someone else? She couldn’t tell who it was because the person had his or her back turned towards them.

“I think-“, LuHan started to say, but Chan Hee shushed him, placing her finger on his lips. Chan Hee listened harder to Soori’s voice. “How?”, Soori was asking.

How what? Chan Hee thought. What is going on? Who is Soori with?

“After this party, I’ll go out and buy you everything you want at the supermarket. I mean it. Everything, okay?”

The supermarket? Whaaa…? Chan Hee glanced towards LuHan to give him a puzzled look- and caught her breath when she realized how close his face was to hers. They were about two inches away from each other. LuHan was equally startled. He backed away immediately, blushing furiously, but banged his head on the wall behind him.

“Ow”, he said. Chan Hee covered his mouth to stifle the sound, but used one hand to smooth the back of head, to help erase LuHan’s pain. At the same time, Chan Hee turned towards the lobby to sneak another peak at what was going on.

To her utter shock, she realized that it was Junho of 2pm and Soori- not only holding hands, but also heading their way.

“Crap, go back, go back!”, Chan Hee whispered frantically, running in the other direction and dragging LuHan with her. Chan Hee kept checking to make sure Junho and Soori hadn’t stopped them, and as a result, didn’t notice JiHyun and Bi Rain coming out. Chan Hee let out a short scream when she bowled into them. JiHyun’s arms automatically stretched out to catch her and he did catch her- by the waist. LuHan eyes widened, and he automatically pushed JiHyun’s arms off of Chan Hee, causing them all to topple. Normally, Chan Hee would be extremely careful and respectful towards her sunbaenims, but here she was bowling over the famous Bi Rain! But that was not the most urgent problem!

“Move, move, move”, she hissed, and with all her might, shoved the three boys back, back, back, in the party.

“Wha-?”, JiHyun started.

“Act natural”, Chan Hee commanded, and instantly relaxed her face into a smile.

Bi and JiHyun were totally confused, but both put on natural and comfortable smiles as Junho and Soori passed by, no longer holding hands.

Chan Hee let out a breath.

And then the YG President’s voice rang throughout the room.

“Everyone- it is time to wrap up this party, but before  we do- I would like to introduce to you the star of today’s show- Universe!” There was a roar of applause before the YG President continued to say, “If a few of the mentors could perhaps say a few words, and then perhaps a member of Chrome and a member of Epik Love?”

~

Doojoon and Tablo walked up onto the stage and to the microphone.

Doojoon paused before he said, “Hello, I am Beast’s Doojoon and a mentor of Universe. I, uhm, I would like to congratulate Universe on their fantastic debut- it was amazing, yes?”

“YES!”, the crowd roared back.

“Yes, so congratulations, and good job on your debut. It was really something! But… I would like to remind the members of Universe where that starpower comes from… you all became trainees with a skill set beyond many artists who had already debuted. But there was one thing missing that took a long time- and a worthwhile time- to find, and that was heart. So, tonight, I am congratulating Universe not only on their flawless performance physically, but the aura they gave out and what they have come to represent as members of this idol world, is something that I am… extremely, extremely proud of. Universe, you are daebak!”  

The crowd roared in response.

Shim Jang smiled and couldn’t help but clap as well. Doojoon, as funky as the dude was, really knew how to make a speech.

And then it was Tablo’s turn.

“I…uh...I’m Tablo… from Epik High. Hello.”

Soo Ri smiled warmly at Tablo. So awkward… she thought, it’s cute.

“I had the honor and the curse of mentoring Universe. They were the best and at some points, the worst, group of musicians ever to exist.”

The crowd laughed at his extreme statements.

“But I think the important thing… is that I can call them musicians. Music… is not an easy thing to achieve. I think everyone here knows that.”

Everyone murmured in agreement.

“But although I call myself a mentor, I think it’s these kids that taught me what music is really is. It’s not about one relationship or one sorrow or one anger or one pain… It’s… It’s about your lasting, true identity. And how you realize it. And these kids understand what that truth is. They know, better than anyone in this room, that truth… because they journeyed that grueling and painful pathway to get to that debut stage. And that realization, that knowledge that they possess now is a miracle that they have created all by themselves, and…well, I have just been lucky enough to hang on for the ride. ”

-

Wow.

Wow, Tablo.

There was silence for one beat.

One.

And then one person, Bi Rain, began clapping.

Beast and Epik High joined in, and then the Presidents.

And then the members of Universe began to clap.

And it spread… and spread…. Until it was one tumult of roars.

Kyuhyun had tears in his eyes as he watched and listened to the crowd, even as he smirked. This, he thought, is truly a moment to remember.   

a/n: thank you so much for all the lovely, long comments. <3 mwah* so... the beginnings of romance here, no? hehe. MAKE SURE YOU FILL OUT THE FORM IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. IF YOU DON'T, YOU'LL MISS OUT ON A LOT! <3