It was a month before their 10th anniversary. And they were called to the meeting room after their individual schedules. They all knew what was coming. Nowadays, they were more focused on dramas, variety programs, and radios instead of music. They rarely did concerts or public performances, and the plans of their next album was nowhere to be heard.

 

 

 

They all remembered the thick papers they had once looked and signed when they first debuted. It clearly stated that the contract would last for 10 years. And after that, whether they would get a renewal as a group or not, would need to be evaluated.

 

 

 

But almost everyone had already decided what they wanted to do after this. They had already missed out the most precious 10 years of their lives, and most of them didn’t want to miss another 10 years. So when the company offered Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun,Tiffany a new singing contract, and Yoona a new acting contract, most of them declined it. Instead of Taeyeon, who said that she needed to think it over.

 

 

Taeyeon remembered asking the company why weren’t they being offered a new contract as a group. And the company’s reply was that girl groups containing a number of at least 7 members was now out of trend . The answer was to expected but it somehow disappointed Taeyeon. So it really was the end for them now.

 

 

 

The company gave the five some time to think. So that night, at their dorm, they had a small talk. Like they used to when they first debuted. 

 

 

 

“I’m not taking it. I want to go to school. Properly this time.” Yoona spoke first. “Maybe I’ll keep acting after I finish school. But not now.” She pushed her contract into the circle that was formed in the middle of the nine of them.

 

 

Seohyun pushed hers forward too.

 

 

“School too.” She said as she smiled towards Yoona, who returned the smile.

 

 

 

“I don’t really know what to do.But the only thing I do know is that I don’t want to work now.” Jessica made a face before throwing her contract into the circle.

 

 

“You don’t want to work at all.” Sunny mocked.And Jessica stuck out her tongue as a sign of protest.

 

 

“I miss the States.” And with that, Tiffany added her contract into the pile. “And I miss sunbathing under the sun in my bikinis without being taken pictures.” She added, which made the others laughed.

 

 

“Tae?” Tiffany then turned to the leader who was sitting next to her.

 

 

“I’m not sure.” Taeyeon said with an uncertain voice. 

 

 

“It’s okay. You still got time.” Tiffany patted her shoulders and soothed. Then she turned to the others and they started talking about whatever they were going to do when they finally finished their contract.

 

 

Taeyeon stared down at her contract, which clearly stated that if she were to renew her contract, the company would put her into another girl group with no more than 5 members. She lifted her head and saw her friends talking and laughing with each other, sharing the memories they’ve made over the past decade, and it was then did she decided that she would either sing with these eight girls, or not sing at all.

 

 

 

 

It was after a while did the others noticed that Taeyeon was crying.

 

 

“Wow, what is it?” All of them gathered around her, their faces looking worried.

 

 

Seeing their worried faces, Taeyeon tried her best to hold back her tears and forced a smile on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

“Nothing. I just never thought that this day would come so soon.”

 

 

Nobody spoke another word. For that was exactly how they felt too.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

It was their last concert. Their goodbye performance. And all nine of them gave it their best as they sang, danced and had fun on the stage with their fans.They performed almost every song they had ever published, and even invited fans up stage and danced along with them. It was like a party, a party with over 50 thousand people. The concert lasted for more than four hours but no one complained. 

 

 

When they finally sang their last song-Into the New World, the whole arena sang with them. The voice echoed so loud that the girls couldn’t even hear their own voices. And it was at that time did they finally started to cry. Tears of joy and tears of happiness were seen not only on stage but also within the audience, to celebrate the end of a fabulous era, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Girls’ Generation, and to finally say goodbye to their glorious past.

 

 

 

 

They had never thought that they would make it this far. But they did. And after 10 years, they were still here, being able to sing for their fans and with their most beloved sisters. 

 

 

And as they stood on the middle stage in a circle,facing the audience around them, their hands intertwined, they bowed, for the last time, as the most famous girl group in South Korea.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was a little after 10 when they finally left the stadium. And after taking a little detour to the nearby 24-hour supermarket, and another hour drive, they finally arrived at a small villa they had rented for the night just outside of Seoul.

 

 

 

The girls had always wanted to get out of town, to have a vacation together, but they had never been able to gather all the nine girls together because of their various and busy schedules. So Taeyeon suggested that they plan a little getaway after the goodbye concert and go somewhere where they could have a small barbecue party in a nice garden that overlooked Seoul and have a campfire where they could sit together and talk, somewhere they could lay on the ground, relaxed and carefree and watch the summer stars as they drink soju or wine. This idea was, of course, agreed unanimous by all the members since they all wanted to spend their last day together.

 

 

So they had arrived their destination at around 12 and the known chefs immediately started doing their jobs as soon as they as got out of the car.

 

Yuri, Taeyeon, Sunny and Tiffany were in charged of the cooking and barbecuing. Hyoyeon and Seohyun were in charged of setting up the table in the garden. Sooyoung and Yoona were normally in charged of eating, but right now, they were busy building up the campfire they had once wanted to build so much during high school field trips but never got the chance to do so since they never attended. And Jessica was, well, she was being Jessica. So what Jessica did was, she sat there the whole time, looking at her members running around as she fanned herself with one hand and holding her drink with another.

 

 

 

“Yah! Jung SooYuen! Come here and help us with the fire!” Sooyoung yelled through the thick smoke she and Yoona had just made. They really tried, but since neither one of them had experience in lighting fires, the outcome was a complete disaster.

 

 

“What makes you think I know how to make a fire?” Jessica didn’t even move an inch from her seat. She took a sip from her self-made Margarita and said back.

 

 

“At least she made her own drink.” Yoona said to Sooyoung, knowing that whatever they say would not make the ice princess change her mind. Then she continued to wave the paper on her hand diligently, hoping that the smoke would somehow miraculously sparkle up and turn into actual fire.

 

 

 

 

“How come you two can’t even light a simple fire?” After seeing them suffer for such a long time, Sunny finally came to the rescue. She scolded them with a half amused-half annoyed tone as she approached the campfire and lit the newspapers she just brought before stuffing them inside. “If you were being left alone in a deserted island, you’ll probably freeze to death before you get to set up the fire properly.”

 

 

 

“But you’ll be with us, right?Sunny unnie?” Yoona flashed her cutest smile and wrapped one of her arm around Sunny’s arm.

 

 

 

“What?I’m your babysitter?” Sunny scoffed as she lightly hit Yoona on the head with her free hand. “You can’t count on me forever.” 

 

Yoona stuck out her tongue and pouted.She knew what Sunny said was true, but she had been too dependent on not just Sunny, but all the members now for such a long time now that it would probably take her quite some time to adjust.

 

 

 

“Kids~!” Taeyeon called out, “It’s done!” 

 

 

 

 

“Food!!” Yoona and Sooyoung ran away immediately, forgetting whatever they were being ordered to do. Sunny could only sigh and continue to finish her job. Hyoyeon walked up to Sunny as she started fanning the fire with her.

 

 

 

“You really are too kind to them, you know that? You’ll spoil them!” 

 

Sunny laughed,

 

“It’s ok. I don’t mind.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I’ll have the chance again.” She muttered, speaking to herself, not wanting Hyoyeon to hear.

 

 

“ It’s almost done.” Tiffany walked over and said in an appreciating tone. “Come, ” She put one hand around Sunny’s shoulder and another around Hyoyeon’s. “Let’s have our last dinner.”

 

 

 

 

 

-TBC-