DARA POV
 

I woke up at the loud banging of our front door downstairs. What the hell? Irritated and still a bit sleepy, I forced myself to get up and go downstairs. Seriously, people need to just use the doorbell.

The loud banging continues. And it's becoming incessant and more impatient than ever as I near the door.

"Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!" I screamed, now completely wide awake and a little annoyed. What's up? I walked faster now, this person's gonna get it once I open that door! After a split-second, I finally opened the door with such hate and is already face to face with that person who just doesn't know what he/she has gotten into for waking me up like that.

"Listen. I'm----" My irritated voice was cut-off by a small manila envelope half-slammed right in my face. 

I should have known. It was only Ji Eun, my best friend. Before I could reply, she dropped the envelope on my hands as she entered our house, making herself comfortable in the sofa.

I looked down on the envelope with a blank expression. What's this?

"Well?" I finally heard her talk.

"Well what?"

"Take a look at it."

I looked at her, confusion registering on my face. "Ji Eun, I don't do banks. I don't have enough money to apply for a credit card. You know how hard and embarrassing it was for me to pose as Shamu the whale in the kids' department store last month for some cash," I rambled on.

She laughed out loud. "Wait, what? Banks? Shamu the whale? Dara, are you sure you're awake?" She laughed even harder as she gestured me to flip back the envelope. "Just take a look at the back of the envelope first, you dork." 

"Um, ok," I mumbled, my face burning a little. I was just embarrassed talking about some odd jobs I had to take before, and Shamu the whale was one of those I'd like not to remember. I gingerly turned the envelope to take a look on what's written at the back. 

And then I saw it. YG's gangsta-ish initials, with my name and address printed below. Okay...this is a weird feeling. I blinked my eyes for a few times.

"That Shamu the whale mascot you took last month was epic," Ji Eun was talking about how funny my 'jobs' were, but I'm not with her at the moment. "but nothing beats the time when you dressed as a crab for a soy sauce promotion at the supermarket. What's that dance again?" She was already rolling with laughter as she was saying the weirdest gigs I had in the past. 

Anyway, back to my own twilight zone. I suddenly felt YG's initials floating in the envelope. Oh gosh, I'm feeling dizzy. This is just surreal. 

"Um, Ji Eun?" I called her name, my throat becoming dry all of a sudden.

"And then there was this time when you dressed as---" Ji Eun immediately stopped when she saw how pale my face was. "Dara, what's wrong?"

"This," I answered faintly. "It's from YG."

She pumped her fist in the air. "Hell yeah!" She stood up and put her hands on my shoulders to hold me down. "Open that envelope now!" 

"Well, I..I think I---" 

Before I knew it, she already snatched the envelope away from me and tore it open. She scanned the first page of the letter.

"We are pleased to inform you...." She started reading aloud. "blah, blah, blah..." she continued on, her eyes getting bigger. "A representative will call you and a meeting will be arranged."

Oh, shiznit! this means....

"You made it!!!" Ji Eun exclaimed triumphantly, jumping up and down. 

"Hell no!"

"Yes you did! Look at this! Look at this!" She embraced me, and I find myself jumping with her. "Oh, Dara, I love you!"

It dawned on me. I'm in. After auditioning for two years, I'm in.

"OMONAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" I finally screamed! "This is it! We gonna make our plans come true!"

"Yes, my friend! You gonna be inside papa YG's turf!!!" She screamed back, dancing around me. We did this victory dance for a while, before we settled ourselves back in the sofa, panting.

I smiled my little smile, it only seemed like yesterday....

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"I've seen your moves, Dara," Ji Eun replied with a smirk. "You've got some tricks up your sleeve."

"Are you kidding me? NO!" I stomped my foot angrily. "Why don't you do it yourself? You won 3rd in our school's singing contest 2 years ago!"

Ji Eun rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a kid. Just join the audition and try to get in. Once you enter YG's premises as a trainee, you'd get closer to our goal. You'll see him in the flesh."

"That's my point! I can't stand seeing him on TV, why go near him?!"

"Because," she whispered to me, while giving me an icy stare. "There's a saying that keep your friends close...and enemies closer."

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That was almost two years ago. I did audition, just so we could make more concrete plans against him. Sometimes it surprises me how our hate made this possible for us, for ME.

Because after 2 years of hard work, I finally got in.

Get ready, Kwon Jiyong. A new trainee is in YG. You just watch your step.

JIYONG POV

"New trainees in the house next week," Taeyang announced all of a sudden one afternoon after practice. Even if we're not exactly doing group activities nowadays, we guys still hang-out and dance and practice in the studio once in a while. Idk, I guess it's just some group habit we formed through the years.

"Really?" Daesung looked up at Taeyang. "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, I just heard it from the staff," Taeyang replied breezily. "heard it was mostly girls. Or all girls, if I'm not mistaken."

"Ooooh, girls! Younger than me, perhaps?" Seungri interrupted, grinning from ear to ear.

"Shut up, maknae," T.O.P said teasingly. "Those young girl trainees calling you oppa? In your dreams. That's not gonna happen in this lifetime."

"Aish, hyung! I didn't mean it that way!" Seungri shot back defensively, his face burning. We all laughed at his expense. We know he's tired of being the youngest and yearns to have girls in YG premises younger than him, so we knew what he really feels about this.

"Anyway, have you seen the videos? I guess most of their audition pieces are up."

T.O.P looked at me. "Oh, yeah. I think it is. We can ask Teddy hyung about it. I remember him mentioning about it two weeks ago at dinner."

"Really, now?" I took a deep breath. Girl trainees are kinda rare in YG, so I'm quite curious about those who were chosen already. And I know that it's not only me who's thinking about it, but almost the rest of us, since the last time we accepted girl trainees was almost 3 years ago, and they're quite few.

I finally stood up. "Let's check them out, I'm interested!" 

And they all looked at me, surprised by my sudden outburst. But guess what they did next? Well, we were all curious so...

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"I like that Jiang Aera, she has this it factor," T.O.P hyung was saying, staring at a video of some girl singing some rnb ballad.

"Yeah, kind of. But I think she's better off as an actress," Daesung commented. "Idk, it feels like she's one of those girls who can star in romantic-comedy dramas."

We watched in silence as the girl sang her heart out. I couldn't really say something yet. This Aera is good, but well....

And then the next video was like. OKAY. It was a girl singing as well, but the difference was...to be honest? Kind of horrible.

"That girl cannot hold a tune," I murmured with conviction. How the hell was she accepted? "Who is she?"

"Park Sandara," T.O.P hyung answered again, his eyes glued to the screen. 

"Meh. She's pushing it. Not good."

"I think she has a rather nice voice," T.O.P hyung replied. "It's sounds like..fresh or whatever."

"True that," Seungri agreed. "She looks nice in front of the camera, too."

Are you kidding me? Something's not right. Excuse my french, but is the president out of his mind?

Preview: Chapter 4
Jiyong:

"Annyeong-haseyo," the girl greeted us shyly, bowing ever so slightly. "My name is Jiang Aera. It's so nice to be a part of YG family." After introducing herself, her eyes met mine. She then gave me a small smile.

I smiled back. Hmm. She looks nice...definitely nice -- and gorgeous. 

On to the next girl. She looked so quiet, but you can definitely see something different from the way she held herself. It's like she was really meant to be here.

"Annyeong-haseyo," She said quietly. "I'm Park Sandara. I'm very honored to meet you. I'll do my best while staying here." 

She bowed to us, one by one. The moment we formally bowed to each other, I suddenly felt chills. I looked at her immediately. Our eyes met, and she smiled at me.

But it didn't reach her eyes.