This is a link to 22 by Lily Allen, incase you want to listen to it as you read along.

Click here!

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When she was 22 the future looked bright

Nicole could remember her idols days, as though they were only just yesterday. She was only 22 when she reached the peak of her career; she was part of one of South Korea’s national girl groups and was one of the favourite foreign girl groups in Japan. KARA was at the peak of their careers in South Korea but they were only at the start of their foreign activities. She remembered how she couldn’t go on the streets without being recognised; she doesn’t want to seem cocky, but she was quite popular with the male idols too. She had it all, when she was 22: she had an amazing group of friends; she had her group members whom were like her second family; she was famous and had her fans.

But she's nearly 30 now and she's out every night

Of course, everything has to come to an end. Sadly, her idol life with KARA ended a few years ago, it was the year of their 10^th anniversary and the KARA members had decided to disband. They had an amazing decade together but they thought that it would be the best to finish their careers there; they were beginning to grow old and they fantasized of starting a family. Well, Nicole is nearly 30 now; her desire to create a family slowly diminished, once she realised that all the men that she previously rejected no longer wanted her.  She still has a dream to have a family, so she decided to go out every night with high hopes that she might walk into “the one”.

I see that look in her face she's got that look in her eye

She's thinking how did I get here and wondering why

Nicole never did think she would end up here. In the girls’ bathroom at a club, fixing her make-up, she looked at herself in the mirror. She could barely recognise herself. Her make-up was smudged, looking like she barely put in any effort to try and look good. Her hair was tousled all around her head, looking like a tangled birds nest. Her dress was too tight on her and it showed a little too much. She was tired but she was desperate. The other KARA members had already started a family, why was she the only one without one? Where did the world famous KARA’s Nicole go? Where did all her confidence and self esteem go?

It's sad but it's true how society says

Her life is already over

After the disbandment of KARA, one of South Korea’s national girl groups, she knew that her life would never be the same. Even if you try and give up being a celebrity, it doesn’t stop you from leaving the public’s eye. All the decisions that she made post-KARA didn’t seem to ever be the right choice, the netizens labelled her a disaster, a lost case.

There's nothing to do and there's nothing to say

Til the man of her dreams comes along picks her up and puts her over his shoulder

It seems so unlikely in this day and age

Still staring at her reflection, she was left speechless. All that she wanted after KARA was to find her ideal man; that would be like a knight in shining armour. The one that would save her and they would live happily ever after. Her dream seems to be a joke now. Her fairytale dream would never become reality, no matter how hard she tries. She’s been trying for the last three years, yet nothing has changed.  

She's got an alright job but it's not a career

Wherever she thinks about it, it brings her to tears

You would think that all the money that you gained from being a celebrity would make you set for life. Oh, how wrong you are. Even after a decade of being an idol, Nicole knew that the money would not last her throughout her retirement or assist her in fulfilling her dream of creating family. This left Nicole no choice but to go and find a job, she was lucky enough to be hired as a choreographer for her old entertainment company, DSP; but she knew that eventually they would fire her. Who would want a 30 year old teaching choreography to idols? It made her cry sometimes. All the hard work she put into her 10 years of being an idol and she was left with this. She truly misses her idol days.

Cause all she wants is a boyfriend

She gets one-night stands

Post-KARA, Nicole always tended to clubs to try and find a boyfriend. She became a regular to some Gangnam clubs and that made it easier for men to approach her. Sadly, none of them were interested in being in a relationship with her. They only wanted to brag to their friends that they were able to have a one night stand with KARA’s Nicole. It was like a game to all the males that frequented the clubs; to see who could end up with Nicole first. Obviously Nicole noticed but she craved the attention that she once had, so she just played along until they eventually got bored of her.

She's thinking how did I get here

I'm doing all that I can

She had her glory years. 10 of them to be exact. She was hard working and persistent. She thought that the friends she made during her idol years would stay with her when she stopped being an idol. She was stupid and naïve. Even after her idol years, Nicole tried her hardest at all that she could, however no one acknowledged nor cared about her anymore. She was just another ex-idol trying to live a normal life but to no prevail. Nicole was strong but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could handle this. How did she end up like this?