"How on Earth did you manage to talk me into this?" Natalie wondered as she and Seunghyun stood together in the cold winter air, waiting for the countdown as the clock ticked towards midnight.

Times Square would have been simply too crowded and full of merrily celebrating drunk people for Natalie's liking, so the two had traveled to a park near the river where they could still watch from a distance as fireworks were set off around the city. Most of the snow had melted from the recent mild weather, but at least it had been a white Christmas.

"Hmm... I guess I just got lucky," Seunghyun grinned, toying with the chain of Natalie's pendant as it hung around her neck.

New Year's was that one time of year when the world seemed to take a collective step back on life and brighten their outlooks with the coming of a new day, a new beginning, and another chance to get it right. For many, it was a night to smoke their last cigarette, take their last drink, swear their last oath, and start a fresh page in the book called opportunity.

Natalie exhaled, her breath forming faint clouds as it left . "I don't even like fireworks. They're too loud," she shook her head. Seunghyun remembered that she was afraid of thunder and that fireworks just reminded her of the sound, but he had convinced her to come out that night anyways. It was, after all, the very last day of the year. Exceptions needed to be made.

"Well get ready, because the countdown probably started already," Seunghyun checked the time, and the numbers read eleven fifty-nine.

Natalie braced herself for what was coming, but when the clock struck twelve, Seunghyun saw the first firework of the night launch into the sky and put his hands over Natalie's ears before it had time to explode. When she didn't hear the loud boom she had been expecting, Natalie carefully opened her eyes, taking in the brilliant sight of the night sky bursting in kaleidoscopic streaks.

"Happy New Year," said Seunghyun, removing his hands so that she could hear him.

When the next batch of fireworks was unleashed, Natalie flinched at the first loud crack, but was already too taken in by the beautiful light show to be bothered too much. The priceless smile on her face made the coldness more than worthwhile, and when she turned to kiss him, Seunghyun found himself smiling against her lips just as widely.

:.

On the other side of the world, a select crowd of journalists, media reporters, and fans all filed into a concert hall while four girls awaited the performance of their lifetime. By the time this showcase was over, UC Love would have officially debuted. Make it or break it, this was the performance they had all been working for.

Eunji took a swig from the ice cold water bottle in her hand as she waited backstage. She didn't swallow the freezing water right away, instead letting it numb the roof of , numb her tongue, numb her senses until she dared to open her eyes to the thousands waiting on the other side of that stage.

"You ready?" Jaejin's voice made her gulp down the icy liquid, which she almost choked on as it went down, chilling and core.

"I don't know," she coughed a couple of times to clear her airway, "I guess so."

Jaejin frowned, "You guess so? Come on now, that's not the Baek Eunji I know. I was expect