Watched: Playing House

      December 26th, 2008

December 26th, 2008

The camera's red lights were on.

Lights beamed as the up-beat music bounced off the walls, the ten girl group members mouthing - what looked to be - effortlessly to the song lyrics as they danced perfectly in-sync.

Staff members waiting as silently as possible on the side lines, all watching the girls dance their hearts out.

"That's a wrap!" the director bellowed, sliding off of his chair to look over the footage.

"Thank you for your hard work!" the members collectively thanked the staff, politely bowing as they walked off the set.

Half of the girls shuffled into the cramped dressing room to change back into their street clothes while the other half mingled outside the door.

Echo couldn't help but heavily lean on the maknae's shoulder. Simply put, she was exhausted. It's been a long filming for their latest music video. They walked on-set yesterday morning and are now finally finished the night after. It was just in time for the girls to be able to eat dinner and get some necessary sleep.

It's been eight months since the girls have released a song, and everyone around them kept saying how this was their chance since the Wonder Girls was going overseas soon. Giving the perfect opening for the girls to take their place.

"I think it came out good," Hyoyeon nodded. "Although, I think I might have puked a bit in my mouth with all the cutie faces."

The other members laughed, some agreeing. Even though it was a part of their image, sometimes the aegyo they had to do was a bit too over the top. And having to perform aegyo non-stop for practically two days kind of gets to you.

"I like how simple the outfits are," Seohyun softly added. "I have a good feeling about this song."

"You have a good feeling about every song," Echo snorted. She lifted her head off the barely taller girls shoulders when she heard their manager calling for her.

"Your mom is on the phone," Kim Hajoon, their head manager since debut, smiled at the girl as he handed her the small device. During work hours the girls aren't allowed to go anywhere near their phones in order to keep them focused, so it was a kind gesture for the manager to call the New York born members' mom using his own phone.

Echo widely smiled as she took the phone from her managers hand.

"Mom!"

"Allison!" her mom's cheerful voice called from the other side. "What happened to you talking to your mother at least every week?"

The Girls' Generation member couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her mother tried years ago to move back to her home country of South Korea, but it didn’t work out so well for her so she ended up moving back to the city. "And I told you that promotions were coming up soon, I'm going to be very busy."

"Oh! That's right! Did you film the music video yet?"

"Just finished it," Echo smiled, absentmindedly twirling a long lock of dark brown hair in between thin fingers. "Everyone thinks it'll come out well."

"I have a good feeling about this one!" she could practically see the joy in her mother's eyes as she spoke about her daughters music video.

"You say that about every song," she softly smiled, eyes downcast. The more she talked to her mom the more she missed her. But she would never tell her mom that. The older woman would just feel bad and the last thing she wanted was to make her mom upset with her.

"I'm serious this time!"she laughed. Sobering up her mother asked, "So how has everything been? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever!"

"It's going good. Krystal, Jessica's little sister, was just added to the same project group as Ari. But who knows if Ari will stick with this one," Echo rolled her eyes as she remembered the last project group her sister had become a part of. The group itself didn't end up debuting, but it wouldn’t have mattered in the end since Ari ended up leaving it with only weeks into it. Although Krystal and Ari were rather close, so she hoped she would stay with this group or just stop being a trainee because her pickiness was starting to annoy more than just her sister.

"Isn't that just fantastic! Imagine, you and your members younger sisters being in the same group," she gave off a short laugh. "Is everything going well with your members?"

Echo's dark eyes unconsciously flickered to the back of Tiffany's form, the elder joyfully laughing at something the maknae had said.

"You know how it is, living in a house with nine other girls. There's always some drama going on."

"Well, I have to get back to work sweetie, please keep in touch with me this time?"

"I will mom, I'll text you before they take our phones for promotions."

"Lovely. Tell all the girls I say hi! And good luck! I love you." She had to close her eyes to hold back tears. For her entire life her mother had been her rock. Being raised by a single parent had been hard on all of them, but it only made their bond stronger. She had no idea what she would do if she couldn't even hear her mothers voice.

Taking a deep breath to hide her shaky voice Echo replied, "I love you too, mom."

The second she hung up the phone the rest of the girls, including her, were called into the changing room.

Ten minutes later the girls dragged their tired bodies into their twelve seat van. Echo ended up being squished in the way back in the four seater. Most of the members fell asleep before they even pulled out of the parking lot.

The vocalist felt a light prod on her left shoulder, turning she gave a questioning look to her leader.

In a soft voice she said, "How has everything been going with you two?"

Her eyes once again flickered to Tiffany's head, who was sitting in the front seat. Far enough in front that as long as they spoke in hushed tones she couldn’t hear them.

"Same as before," she sighed.

Taeyeon gave the younger girl a look, who ignored it. "You have to talk to her soon. None of us know what happened between the two of you, but promotions are coming up soon and the last thing we need is the fans noticing how Girls' Generations closest friends don't even look at each other anymore."

Turning to her leader, her eyes were soft. "I'll work on it, I promise."

"You better not be lying again," was the last thing Taeyeon said, shifting herself so she was facing the window.

First chapter! I eluded to some important points already and I'm actually very happy with this chapter! I love making it so you guys don't fully know what's going on~

I'm thinking about doing weekly updates on Friday's.