❝09Dream Nine 
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                                   January 2013

Awkward wasn't usually a word that Yukari used often, but currently it was the perfect word to describe the painful silence between her and Song Yi. 

Despite the fact that Song Yi was the member she was the least close with, Yukari was the type of person who would throw all that to the wind and (mostly one-sidedly) engage in a conversation with the other girl. It was something she was good at and apparently to some people, (coughcoughKairicoughcough) one of the few skills that she seem to have. 

However at the moment, Yukari couldn't really care for having a conversation as mini-Yukari in her mind ran around in full panic mode, red alarms sounding as papers and furniture flew around everywhere to find the emergency abort button. Something that happened whenever fire was involved. 

"Umm...Yukari-unnie?" Song Yi called as she watched from the side lines with wide eyes as Yukari brought down the axe in her hands to cut the block of wood perfectly in half before mechanically putting another one and doing the process over. 

Ever since the two of them had stepped out and found the huge pile of wood that needed to cut, Yukari merely took a nearby axe and started chop them. The older girl didn't seem to notice what she was doing though especially since Song Yi had been calling her name for the best fifteen minutes with no response. 

Seeing her method of merely calling for the girl was not working, Song Yi waited until the axe wasn't high in the air before going over and poking Yukari on the shoulder. 

"ABORTABORTABORT! FIRESCARYFIRESCARY!" Was the response Song Yi got suddenly like her finger was a needle popping a balloon, before the older girl dropped the axe and started running around with her hands in the air. Song Yi watched with a raise brow at this, merely waiting for Yukari to calm down and properly address her to what was wrong. 

That didn't get to happen though when the door of the shack slammed open and Kairi came into view, her eye brows furrowed with Hyun Jae right behind her, her facial expression mimicking Kairi's. 

"What with all the yelling and why isn't the fire already set!" At Kairi's voice, Yukari froze in her run with wide eyes before she started to sputter uncontrollably, her words not really making any sense. 

"Why don't you just do it, if you're so impatient. I always see you order that idiot around, but can't you do anything for yourself." Hyun Jae snapped and Song Yi's face dropped in clear worry. 

"Of course, I can. It's simple, something an idiot can do." 

"Oh, really. Then let's see it." 

Yukari drew competitive lighting in her mind passing between Kairi's and Hyun Jae's eyes before the two of them faced forward and walked outside of the shack. Minah and Seulki appeared in the doorway after them, equally surprised before they scrambled back into the house to grab jackets that Minah raced outside with. 

Hyun Jae and Kairi didn't seem to mind as they both speed walked to the makeshift circle Song Yi made for the campfire. Kairi turned and pointed a hand towards Yukari. 

"Bring me the wood and come over here." Her tone didn't leave any room for arguments so Yukari merely squeaked and grabbed at the some wood around her. 

"Hurry up, so I can see her fail already." Hyun Jae stated, making Kairi send a glare to her which she ignored with a huff. 

When Yukari brought over the firewood, Kairi quickly started to work as she took a nearby matches and old newspaper as she tried to lit the match. Unfortunately when Kairi would successfully light a match, it would quickly sizzle out causing satisfied snicker from Hyun Jae. Ever passing second and every failed attempted at a match made Kairi's temper worse and worse making every watching extremely worried to watch was going to happen next. 

"Pft, so simple you said. You can't even light a damn match." Hyun Jae teased. 

"Then you do it. Instead of standing there and being useless like you always are." 

Hyun Jae snatched the box of matches from Kairi's hand before she took out the last two matches in the box. The first didn't catch fire which made Kairi smirk and Hyun Jae frown, but the second one caught on a strong fire that cause the two girls to switch expressions. 

"Ha, easy." Before anyone could do anything, Kairi stepped forward and pushed Hyun Jae, who didn't expect it making the match fly out of her hands. Yukari who was within the path of the lit match let out a cry before she fell back and landed on her feet, the lit match landing on the ground next to her before it went out. 

Song Yi rushed over Yukari who let out a little sniffle. 

"What the f-" at the curse word that was about the fly out of Hyun Jae's mouth, Minah reached over to Seulki and covered her ears, "do you think you're doing!?" 

"Seulki, just stay inside, okay?" Seulki eyes flickered to Yukari, who had unshed tears in her eyes much to Song Yu's surprise before looking over at Hyun Jae and Kairi who was now pushing each other despite Hyun Jae clearly being pushed over easier than Kairi, before she nodded at Minah. 

Minah rushed over to the two girls pushing each other and grabbed at Kairi's arm. 

"I'm so tired of your attitude. Ever since they announced that you're going to be part of this team, all you ever done was push people away saying that you 'don't do teamwork'. You think you deserve to be a soloist just because you can sing and dance or whatever. News alert everyone here at this point can, you aren't that special." 

"Oh, pushing people away? You don't think you do that? You're too busy trying to play leader and bossing people around, you haven't even  noticed that you're clearly playing favorites. Giving all the hard for me to do while you, Princess and the maknae all do the easy crap. Who gave you a right to boss me around and tell me what to do? Being a leader doesn't mean when you can't even lead." 

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP IT ALREADY!?" At the third voice, everyone whipped their heads towards Song Yi, who looked extremely and uncharacteristically angry. Minah's mouth dropped open at this, "You're arguing is extremely trivial. You both are acting immature, so stop it and calm down." 

Hyun Jae didn't look too happy at this, "You would know, huh, Ms. Princess that everyone seems to love. You don't do jack and people love you for it while other people are working their off to right the acknowledge you get so easily." 

"Please guys, let's listen to Song Yi, calm down." Minah tried, her voice not very confident from the heavy tension in the air.

"AND YOU," Hyun Jae whipped around. "While all of us trained and auditioned for a spot to be here, here you are, all willy nilly getting a green card to be in despite you're lack of training, you don't deserve to be here while others worked so hard." 

"Shut the hell up, you don't need to bring those two into this." Kairi stated. 

"Yes they do. You all damn have everything to do with this," Hyun Jae yelled before she her heels and walked off. "I don't need this. I quit." 

Only after when Hyun Jae's form was gone from view, did anyone move. Yukari who had been watching the whole scene, got up and took after Hyun Jae before Song Yi followed after leaving an extremely quiet Minah and Kairi behind. 

"Umm..." Seulki started, not really knowing what to do as she walked outside, her eyes looking fearfully at Kairi, who had her gaze on the ground. 

Nothing was said for a while until Kairi finally let out a loud sigh as she sat on the floor, ", I hate to admit it, but she's kind of right about me." 

Minah's eyes widened at this, "What, don't think that. I know for a fact that you've been trying extremely hard to be a good leader. Even I know that and I haven't been around for that long." 

"I've been trying, but have I been effective? I go through bad moods and make favorites. I been giving orders out all the time without really earning respect to give me that right..I don't think I'm fit to be a leader." 

"Unnie..." Seulki mumbled before she walked over and hugged Kairi, who sighed, "don't say that." 

"Seulki' right," Minah mumbled as she sat down next to Kairi, "being a leader isn't easy and being a good leader takes time. It's not something that people automatically have. Just don't count yourself out yet...you've been trying and even though, you can be selfish sometimes and give out too many orders...Just think of this fight as a learning curb and learn from it instead of moping in it." 

Seulki enthusiastically nodded as Kairi looked up at the two of them with a weak smile, "Thanks...I just hope Hyun Jae comes back now...so we can work this out..." 

~~~

"I'm calm now." Hyun Jae mumbled, her voice a bit muffled. 

"Are you sure?" Yukari asked, her grip relaxing as she slowly freed Hyun Jae from the headlock she was currently in. Hyun Jae was extremely surprised when the older girl had somehow caught up with her and put in a headlock, yelling something about staying calm and all this weird junk that Yukari usually says. 

Hyun Jae had naturally fought back, her arms flailing uselessly as she tried to convey her angry with her limbs, but after a while she grew tired of it all and had actually calmed down. 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just let me go now, I can't freaken breath." Hyun Jae let out a deep sigh of relief when Yukari's arms finally let her go and fell to the floor, next to log Song Yi was sitting on who had came along as well. 

"Good, now that's over. We can go back." Yukari chimed as she went to grab Hyun Jae, but the girl slapped her hand away before she could. 

"No way. I'm not going back. There's no point this, I don't work in groups for a reason and this whole thing is just a pain in the ." 

"You know," Song Yi started. "You say that Minah or myself haven't been working hard to be part of this group, but I don't think you have either. You don't even try to interact with us willingly and that solo thing is a just an excuse you made up." 

"Don't even try to talk back to that or I'll put you in the calming hold again," Yukari started, cutting Hyun Jae off before she could say anything. "Just consider this Hyun Jae, if you do decide drop out of Dream Girls, what is the success rate that you'll even get to be a soloist. I'm going to be blunt because I'm your Unnie." 

"Don't" Hyun Jae started, but was ignored as Yukari continued to talk. 

"Not very high especially since you quit being a group. They'll think of a you merely more a quitter with no right to be a soloist and building back the favor to show them that you are something to be looked at, takes a while....Also, I really like you, Hyun Jae despite you being all prickly. You're fun to be around and I'll be sad if you go. SEE SAD!" 

Hyun Jae tried not to gag at the pouting puppy face that Yukari was trying to make as Song Yi tried not to laugh.

"Even though you're mean sometimes and you tell me lies sometimes, I really don't want to see leave. So don't go~!" 

"Yukari-unnie, I don't think you doing that is going to make her stay." Song Yi pointed out before Yukari looked at her. 

"Wha? Why not?" 

"Just stop making that face and I'll go back to camp, alright?" Before Hyun Jae could do anything else, Yukari hauled the girl off the ground with a loud 'yay'. 

"I'm not going back because of you or this group...My goal is to be a soloist, got it...and it's cold out here."  

"Haha! How cute! Right, Song Yi?" 

"Shut up or I'll end you." 

By the time the girls got back to camp, food was already set which made Yukari almost sob from joy as she grabbed at a plate and shoved into . Now that the fight and high emotions were gone, there was an awkwardness that Seulki and Minah's conversation didn't seem to destroy as Hyun Jae and Kairi sat across from each other. 

Kairi suddenly let out a sigh before she took a piece of meat and held it out towards Hyun Jae who rose a brow. "Take it...It's a...it's my meat filled apology...I got my emotions about this whole thing get the better of me and I took it out on you when you had the right to be angry...so..." 

The rest of the members of the group stopped what they were doing and watched as Hyun Jae hesitate before she reached forward and ate the meat. Yukari almost sobbed as Seulki patted her shoulder comfortably as Minah smiled brightly along with Song Yi, all knowing that was as close as Hyun Jae was going to get to apologize. 

Even though they all knew that the situation had cooled down for now with some issues still needed to be worked out, they couldn't help, but feel joy as they went about the rest of the day, getting along and feeling like a group (even unwillingly, Hyun Jae mumbled). 

~~~

Seungho let out a nervous laugh as Kairi and Hyun Jae stood there with glares in their eyes. The early morning sun behind them in an encouraging endeavor as the rest of the group watched with amused looks. 

"Explain" They both hissed out in unison. 

"I just wanted to get you all to be a better team and some of you guys had issues you needed to work out...and hahaha...please don't kill me." 

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✉(A/N).

Somehow...this turned out long...weird. Despite the happy conclusion, there is clearly things that needed to be worked out with the girls that will appear in future chapters. Not everything is happy all the time. 

With that over, the next chapter will focus on the mv shooting and the album shooting.

Just realized all my gifs that I use at the top mostly anime related...clearly, you can all see what I'm interested in...-_-;

For those of you interested, love interests will be start making their way into the chapters of the story. Though, they won't be as heavy at first with the romance, but down the line they will be a big part. 

That is all for now, see you all in the next chapter. 

( h a r l e q u i n. )