As you walked onto the darkened stage with the rest of your members, you felt the nervousness in your stomach double. Uncomfortable, you looked into the eyes of your leader, Jiyeon. She smiled back at you, as encouraging and motherly as she always does. Even still, you could feel the nerves radiating off of her and the other three members of your group. This was your debut stage. Your chance to shine. The endless hours of training and hard work all lead up to this.

Before you could finish your train of thought, the lights on the stage lit up, and the crowd before you began to cheer. You let out a deep breath as the first melodious notes of the title track before breathing in again, and beginning to sing. The lyrics and choreography felt automatic, and your worries melted away as you performed. The song finished, and your group bowed deeply to the excited crowd. Bowing once more and running backstage, you and your members exchanged tight hugs and bright smiles. Your debut was a success.

The five of you chatted loudly as you walked back to the dressing room, the excitement of your first performance still fresh in your minds. On your way there, you were stopped by another group walking to the stage, and you recognized them right away. They introduced themselves eagerly. “Congratulations on your debut!” Your group bowed in thanks, and introduced yourselves as well. “We’re Elemint!” As you stood up straight, your eyes met with the member standing at the end of the line. He was gorgeous. You blushed shyly when you realized you had been staring, and turned away to walk back with the rest your group.

All awkwardness was forgotten when you returned to the dressing room. Your manager Dongshin congratulated you enthusiastically. He was like an older brother to you and the group, always taking care of you and ensuring your safety.

“Good job girls.” Jiyeon smiled and patted you on the back. She turned to you. “You know…” Before she could finish her sentence, the group’s maknae Dae threw a paper airplane at your leader. “You wanna die?!” Jiyeon ran towards her, laughing. You rolled your eyes, but joined in on the excitement. Eventually, the show had finished and it was time for you to go back to your dorm. Before you left, Dongshin asked you to return something another manager had left behind. You agreed and set off to find the correct dressing room before everyone left. Unfortunately, you found yourself lost in the maze of halls and rooms. In your confusion, you bumped into something tall and sturdy. You looked and blushed when you realized it was him. “Oh god I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry!” you apologized, bowing deeply. He laughed. “It’s okay. Really!” You bowed once more and turned to look for the correct room.  You felt a hand on your shoulder. “Wait! Are you looking for my manager?” He gestured towards the folders you had held in your hand. “I think so,” you replied. “I can take those.” As you handed them over, he smilied brightly. “You know, you really did a great job. You’re very talented.” You found yourself blushing once again. “I don’t know about that.” “No really! It was great.”

Pretty soon, you found yourselves talking enthusiastically about music and other intrests until your members came barging into the room, torn between annoyance and amusement. “YAH!” You heard Tina, Elemint’s rapper, exclaim. “How long does it take to return something?!” You laughed awkwardly together. Still smiling, he took your phone and began to enter his number. “We need to talk again sometime!” As you and your members walked back to the van, Jiyeon gave you a knowing stare. “What?” you asked, feigning confusion and trying to hide your please smile. “Just be careful,” she said, trying to appear stern despite the unmistakable laughter in her eyes.