Watched: To The Bone

      October 22nd, 2011

October 22nd, 2011

Echo took a deep breath as she deplaned, exiting through the terminal she hasn’t gone through in numerous years. Her dyed blonde hair swished behind her as she took in the different people and stores surrounding her. She couldn’t even remember what stores were in the airport when she first flew to Korea all those years ago, just to become a trainee with humungous hopes and daring dreams.

Her heart felt strained, and she didn’t know if it was for bad or good.

As she followed the signs through the airport to the luggage carousel she hastily texted her multiple managers telling them she arrived safely. It took more than just an arm and a leg to assure them she could make the flight on her own (and lots and lots of begging), after all she wanted to be able to spend a full day back in her city before everyone else flew in and before she had to get back to work. The group couldn’t go on a trip without all managers present, it made no sense for one to follow her to a place she technically wasn’t supposed to be.

Echo jumped back when she felt someone brush up against her side.

She blinked owlishly, realizing it was just the hustle and bustle of the city rather than a crazed fan trying to get too close to her person.

A serine smile made its way on her face as she stepped onto the escalator that lead directly to baggage claim - standing to the right of course.

There was a weird sense of humility rushing through her veins as she waited for her suitcase.

She took that long moment to look around and take in the other people around her; there was a thirty year old woman with three young children running around her like crazed maniacs, a man with a plush blue neck-pillow around his neck staring intently at his smartphone with his hip cocked to the side, a young couple eagerly speaking to each other in a language she didn’t understand with their hands clasped tightly together, a well-dressed woman impatiently tapping her foot with crossed arms across her chest and her phone clutched in one of her tan hands, a young girl with a clear college logo atop her with her black backpack’s straps clutched with both hands, and even an older man with a cane that looked like he could collapse to the floor at any moment (but his eyes said otherwise).

The idols dark brown eyes shown with a light she hasn’t had in years.

Once she spotted her purple suitcase the idol swiftly removed it from the carousel and wheeled it towards the exit. Originally, she told her managers she would just hail a taxi but they firmly denied her want and instead hired her a driver.

It took her a mere second to dial the number Hajoon supplied her with (telling her to call it once she received her luggage) and followed the man’s heavily accented instructions to the pick up location outside of the international terminal.

“Hello!” Echo brightly smiled to the European man as he mutely opened the car door for her and swiftly turned around to place her suitcase in the trunk.

Or don’t say anything back, she bitterly thought before sliding into the sleek black car and closing the door.

The driver was eerily silent the entire car ride until it came to arriving to her and her mother’s apartment.

Echo practically bolted out of the car once the familiar view of her apartment buildings front exterior came into view. The doorman is even the same man! Although, his hair is a much more grey than she remembered.

The idol felt small as she entered the apartment building she hasn’t even breathed in in a decade. The black and white interior is pleasantly nostalgic as she entered the lobby. She shyly approached the man at the front desk, coated in marble, before asking him for the key to room 13A.

The man looked skeptical before she pulled out her ID and the man handed her a key and welcomed her back.

“Thank you,” she half-whispered as she pulled her suitcase behind her and into the elevator.

Her nerves were on fire as she pressed the ‘13’ button (fun fact: this was one of the few buildings in NYC that even had a thirteenth floor). The elevator felt eons long before it finally dinged to her floor.

Her pale hands gently shook as they placed the key into the lock, twisting the knob.

Her heart momentarily skipped a beat at the familiar scene and scent of the apartment. Closing her eyes, she slowly moved through the short hallway, her fingers gently brushing against the peach colored walls.

Once the wall turned she peeked her dark brown eyes open to peer into the black and white kitchen, taking in the stainless-steel fridge, the oddly large sink, the empty wooden wine rack above the fridge, the three white stools pushed up neatly against the white marble island. She briefly remembered accidently dropping her grape juice on one of the stools when she was seven. Her mother was livid, and it took forever for her to find a matching stool.

A serene smile lit up her face as she ventured further into the apartment.

The large living room was oddly neat, the light grey L-shape couch was pushed against the window engulfed wall, covered in brightly colored plush pillows that the idol barely suppressed herself from jumping onto. It was when she saw the wall opposite of the couch that she began taking baby steps forward.

Her eyes welled up with hot tears as she took in the wall covered in numerous photo’s, surrounding a large black lined flat screen TV.

There was a large collection of pictures of her small family scattered about the wall, all with identical black frames. Her eyes fastened on a particular picture, one where the three members of her family brightly smiled at the camera having visited the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania together. Her sisters’ pudgy fingers grasped at her mom’s long black hair, the three-year-old brightly smiling. Echo herself was practically glued to her mother’s leg, the arm that wasn’t wrapped around the older woman was stretched out like an arrow, she smiled so hard her eyes were closed with her head tilted back. Her mother…. Her mother looked carefree. And healthy. And happy.

The realization was shocking, after all this picture was taken not too long after her father had left them. Her mother had taken their small family on an excursion in order to get their minds off the fact their father disappeared on his own accord. Her mother didn’t talk about it much but Echo knew she called the police and filed a missing person’s report. She always assumed her mother had discovered where he had gone relatively quickly because her demeaner whenever one of the girls asked where their father was changed from sad to slightly irritated within a short time period. Over the years it was a taboo question so Echo never got to ask her mother what she really knew about her father’s disappearance.

With a twist on her heels, Echo walked down the hallway next to the kitchen. The large wooden doors leading to each room didn’t seem as daunting as they did before she left (probably because she’s shorter now).

Numerous paintings and portraits lined the otherwise empty hallway.

It was when Echo passed by two of those doors, before stopping in front of one. Placing her hand on the brass knob, she gently turned it. Once that door revealed the room behind it a laugh jumped through the idols throat.

The baby pink colored walls matched the fluffy bedspread that covered the twin bed set in the center of the room, in between two large wood bordered windows. The white pillows were a stark contrast to the pink. As she walked deeper into the bedroom the fluffy white carpet underneath her feet tickled her toes, her eyes taking in the bedroom that stayed the near exact same since she left all those years ago (it was neater now).

Her light wood desk was still pushed to the right of the room, her books and previous homework now neatly placed into the small cupboards it had instead of harshly shoved in like she had it. Carefully, she sat on the wooden desk chair. She ran her nails along the surface of the wood, having not seen the entirety of the desk’s top since she was in the single digits.

She gently closed her eyes, leaning back in the familiar chair.

A comfortable smile laid itself on her face.

It was in that moment she knew she did what was best for her. She achieved her dream. There was much heart ache and numerous tears along the way but she would be a liar if she stated she didn’t like where she was today. She missed her mother dearly, oh how much she wished that beautiful, caring woman could see where she was today.

Her eyelids slowly slid open, taking in the New York skyline outside her window.

She is happy where she is.

She is happy she became Girls’ Generations tenth member.

God, I seriously love SNSD's bond.

Echo-ah, I hope I get to see you in concert!! Hwaiting!!

No lie, I swear I saw Echo in my apartment building today.

I'm sad to say, this is the final chapter of Idol Life : SNSD's Tenth Member.

I have put so much love into this story and into Allison since 2014. I'm just sorry it had to end like this, but I'm trying to write this chapter in a way that if I ever got the courage to I could add some things. I will be writing an epilogue and I'm terribly sorry there are still so many loose strings to this story.

I hope one day I can give you guys the ending I want to give you, but it's been so long I don't even know if it's possible and there was no way I would leave this story uncompleted.

For those that have been here since the beginning, and those that just joined the story, thank you so much for your love.

Thank you to: NotTelling, Solana401, MasterOh, hurricane_katrina, Soshixxt, sunshiner95, xoZumi808, tinajaque, Laryssa675, Razang, ILoveYouXox, aksaalzh, GodaimeHokage, Lydine, caroline-, xXxaddictedtosnsdxXx, Myatthu, twinnovation, foreversweetbaby, loielisse, the-nnn, algama1992, sunsetsky, SunnyBunny023, Rei-Chan29, YuiiStar, Aahnri, minerve, thylane_77, tropicalbaekhyun, Peaceprin2, lizzie01, Ameliarose, mrp824, EvilRolevel, MZMayks, sandrajin4396, HiHiCutiePie, jhaniece0422, JFarland1001, soaoluveme428, ClassicallyRenee, MiriLeMonster, GirPocky, KwonBoa723, taengoo03090412, TheLoneWold, WickedThunder02, ladygamer99, Pokey123, Kathlea_jsy, minions9, matsujean47, nfminfs, yuansaga, teddymag717, SuperShannon, banana_bubbles, LoveStar2310, SNSD_Ssica, hanjayheebum, shane137, aimashou, princessjohanne, FuzzyGremlin, hiyoup, runningjom, julianguyen1995, nessafaelivrin, Amyrah26, eyeluvmuzik, Lily18737, OneDirection11, marsyaadriana, minimimay, cfxoxo, Sugakookietaetrash, trickyvix87, nataliekiwi14, Jihoee, Comet4012, Sapphire69, Milasa, fanfic_ss, Yongmi5, looneytunes, LoveUBro23, XxXSweetMelodyXxX, mblues, KalaCR, Kjohnson, RedStrawberries, Marie0106, kpopanddramaluver, shanisekpopfan, sofieflittner, CottonCandiez, jeansuntang, minthu12, ShineChandesune, asher_riley, frostyfrosting, hoshisaranghae, candy_89, ItsNotLikeILoveYou, RuthMusicFan123, K-Popfreak258, sailormoon2, huniemae, PinkSapphire, hxngjxsxx, gongminseomaknae, Joon_Hyuk, mhicca, Yoong10, smtownjjang, Chaoyu, marianne, XxVioletAshesxX, SuJuELF14, Itzelren, musiarc, Kim_HyeRin, brookiee, Crystaldavid26611, ceejayfxsnsd0509, asdfghjki, idontknooow, SoKMin, NineDivineQueens, awa999, Popcornusa, Debbie_Siro, PomPoms, alyssa1238, ninaleg, PetitieTulip14, lunahyera_baek, lucina21, abbccc, shimar, SooyoungBunny, killua1014, laithe, squeakumz, misakikobayashi, 4everLoVeSNSD, Domo1954, priyapatel, teentopbapshineefx, Lulu3492, Babyfacedbeauty, dr3amers, yerin4eva, Sky2001, Krystal9412, BabySsul_13, smw1cat, unicornKpopper, lolove014, purlea, SerenaXi, yunjae23, wnglo29, LCS_Akasha, chocoyoon, eeevol, eudaimonia-rp, SwirlYAu, vibrance, thranya2002, malikx22, Pink_Star_Lights, Nagi7239, wattpadlover, buzzinghead, ZzoeyAxX, emmazahirah, JayDows, charlotte20010, ARedKaraShiDae, sicaneey, Kpoplovingberry, RedSoshi, jung54, Sonata7, OneCrayCray, babyforeversweet, paulina16, KwonJooYoung, DionnaJanae16, starloves_mic88, Jorlea, Andornette, 204863, PinkMJ09, Kurota, kibummedout, Kpoppersunshine, joannexo23, EjLovesYou, SONE-Cai, soomars, Stehpanie25Ruiz, michelle_truong1031, A10_01, sophiatcha, elisabeth_will, XieXieKpop, Giannarodz23, ranne21, Zakurazu, swechas, ArmoredPenguine, YeeunKwon18888, Luca0AJ11, AnnieFannie, Adoyeol, bobbig216, Xtheredone, ReadingRainbow, _natashaeo, velvetbuddy, najjdff, Bakanda, shen_kenny, Hsksjje5, xxVIPxxBLACKJACKxx, nmgxox, Hihiimelons, mewpoop, Livermore, Hunatysone, kcjchan, NinjaFairy334, Baltimoreharleyquinn, LOVEloveKIMminSEOK, Sosoomin, laomEmc, sumyatkywa, Marleen266, Choi_Eunmi16, Shin-A, nina_23, Geee;aahh, zzzack, kamuikamui, MRSTDC, Dolcelulu, AngelKat, Pjilianne, eue6hh, Aetherus, SeoulSweetheart, Azehimself and SM_4321.

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Love you all!

- FoxTales