Here is the new chapter! Enjoy! :)

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At 5pm, the show officially began. SM Entertainment decided to broadcast it via Line, V app and SMTOWN’s official YouTube channel.

“Ready?” Jaeyeon’s manager asked.

Jaeyeon took a deep breath and nodded.

“Go!” Jaeyeon’s manager said and gestured her to get ready.

The lights in the theater dimmed, fans cheered and the crowd glowed in the dark as a result of light sticks being . The VCR played on the screen, hyping the crowd up even more.

It showed Jaeyeon’s journey to her debut—her day in the life as a trainee ’til the day as an official artist. The screen blackened and music began playing, erupting more cheers. Jaeyeon stepped on stage and began singing the first couple lines of the song. Since her the official audios of the songs have been released in the New Year, fans had already familiarized the songs in it. They sang along throughout the song ‘Raindrops’.

After the performance, the pair stood in the middle of the stage and faced the fans. Two EXO members walked towards the stage and the crowd roared.

“Woah! I did not expect to have such a big crowd today! Suho-sshi, what can you say?” Baekhyun commented.

“I did not expected this either, Baekhyun-sshi. Hmm, maybe we should ask the artist herself.” Suho responded.

The two MCs walked to the middle of the stage. Jaeyeon greeted the MCs with a bow and faced the crowd.

“Jaelee-sshi, please greet your fans.” Suho instructed.

“Ne! Annyeonghaseyo! Jaelee imnida! Bangapsubnida.” Jaeyeon bowed at everyone. The fans cheered.

“Woah! There’s so many fans here today! Jaelee-sshi, how do you feel right now?” Baekhyun asked.

“I’m so grateful for all the fans who came here to support me today. I had not expected this. So, thank you guys so much! Please enjoy this event, as there are more performances to come.” Jaeyeon cried. The fans cheered.

“So, Jaelee-sshi is gonna exit for a while to prepare for her next stage. In the meantime, let’s chat.” Baekhyun said.

Jaeyeon bowed at the crowd and exited the stage to get ready for her next stage.

“Ne. So, Baekhyun-sshi, we have a special treat prepared for Jaelee-sshi’s fans, right?” Suho faced Baekhyun.

“EXO-Ls too!” Baekhyun added.

“Uhuh.” Suho nodded too.

“Yes, we do. In fact, our special treat is the thing that fans have been anticipating for months now.” Baekhyun responded.

“So, what do you think is it, everyone?” Suho asked the crowd, pointing the microphone onto them.

“Mu-Bi! Mu-Bi! Mu-Bi!” The fans chanted.

Suho and Baekhyun continued to tease everyone. “I think they got the answer. Hehe.” Suho giggled. 

“Yes! Everyone is right! We are launching the music video of ‘New Beginnings’ for the first time right here. Are you guys excited?” Baekhyun cried.

The crowd respeonded with a loud 'yes'. “I can’t hear you!” Suho playfully teased. “YES!!!” The crowd roared.  The two MCs smiled.

“Well, you will have to wait for it.” Baekhyun teased.

“Ne. Later on in this showcase, we will present to you the much awaited music video.” Suho said.

“And we will see the much awaited live duet performance of Jaelee-sshi and EXO’s very own Chen.” Baekhyun added.

“Also, we will also have a fan signing event.” Suho announced, earning cheers from fans.

“A hundred fans will be handpicked to participate in the event, wherein they can get up close to Jaelee-sshi herself and have their free physical albums signed.” Suho said.

Some fans frowned and awed. “Don’t worry! Some batches of the physical albums will be sold at SUM downstairs. You can get your copies after the show.” Baekhyun informed.

Suho was then cued to wrap up their speech. “Well, are you guys all ready for the next performance?” Suho cried. The crowd roared. “Ok! Let’s give the stage to Jaelee-sshi then. Next song is Dance Party!” Baekhyun cried and stepped out of the stage with Suho.

Jaeyeon and the back up dancers stepped on the stage, creating cheers from fans. The music started and the female rookie danced and sang her off through the song. The choreography was a mixture of hip-hop and pop. Fans were singing along to the song. When Lay stepped in, EXO-Ls roared. He and Jaeyeon danced smoothly together, even making fans giddy with their perfect chemistry on stage. Every time they make skin contact drove fans gaga over the pair.

At the end of the performance, Lay wrapped his arm around Jaeyeon’s waist and smiled to the crowd. Cheers and applause roared the whole theatre. The pair bowed at each other and then to the crowd.

Baekhyun and Suho joined them on stage and interviewed the pair. “Woah! That was one explosive stage, guys!” Suho cried. Baekhyun nodded and cheered. “Yeah! Dance Party!” He laughed.

“Ok. So, Jaelee-sshi, how does it feel like performing Dance Party in front of the fans?” Suho asked.

“Well, I was really looking forward to this stage. I get to showcase my dancing skills in front of the fans and also honored to have performed with Lay sunbaenim.” Jaeyeon responded.

“Lay-sshi, how did you find your collaboration stage with Jaelee-sshi?” Baekhyun asked.

“It was great. She’s an amazing artist and I would like to work with her again in the future.” Lay answered.

Fans roared. Lay and Jaeyeon snickered.

“So, how about we watch a practice video of ‘Dance Party’?” Suho cried, sending fans cheering.

“I guess everyone is really excited about it.” Baekhyun smiled.

“Yeah. Jaelee-sshi, why don’t you call the cue?” Suho asked.

“Now, we’re releasing the practice video of Dance Party. Enjoy!” Jaeyeon cried, cued the lights to dim and the screen to light up. The female rookie and Lay exited the stage.

Jaeyeon rushed back to her dressing room to change into a different get-up. Two of her group mates, Hana and Jeesu were getting ready for their special stage with her. The producers permitted the two trainees to perform with Jaeyeon. After putting into her next outfit, the stylist fixed her hair and make-up and rushed to the waiting area with her two group mates.

“Ready?” Jaeyeon asked her friend.

“I am really nervous, eonni.” Jeesu panicked.

“Relax. Just take a deep breath and then shake the nerves off. You can do this.” Jaeyeon cried.

“How many people are even out there?” Hana asked.

“A couple thousand.” Jaeyeon grinned.

“Oh dear God. I don’t think I can go out there.” Jeesu fanned herself.

“No. You can do this. You’re gonna be fine.” Jaeyeon calmed her friend down.

On cue, the lights deemed and the trio stepped on stage. When the music started, lights flashed and the spotlight lit the stage, sending a couple thousand fans cheering and waving their light sticks. The girls broke into dance and performed 'Be Natural' by S.E.S as a special stage.

The girls blew everyone minds off with their impressive cover of the said track, as they showcase their amazing vocals and sultry dance moves. Jaeyeon, Hana and Jeesu covered S.E.S’s hit ‘Be Natural’. Previously, Red Velvet had made a remake of this and now, the three girls were covering the said legendary girl group.

When the song ended, the three girls posed together and smiled at the crowd, panting. They bowed at the crowd.

“Annyeonghaseyo Hana imnida!” Hana introduced herself. 

“Annyeonghaseyo Jeesu imnida!” Jeesu smiled.

“Hana-sshi and Jeesu-sshi here are two other trainees. They’ve been training hard to debut too. Soon, they will be debuting with a group.” Jaeyeon said.

The two girls nodded in agreement. Jaeyeon smiled and giggled.

“We’ll be debuting in a group soon, but for now, I’m debuting solo and they are here to support me.” Jaeyeon revealed.

“Ye. So please do support our friend, Jaelee here. She’s been working really hard for this debut. We hope that her training will pay off.” Hana smiled.

“Ye. Do support our friend by increasing the views of her music video, download the songs from authorized music sites or buy a physical album and vote in music shows. Thank you.” Jeesu added.

After her special stage with the girls, the lights deemed once again and two EXO boys joined her. Fan cheers erupted when the lights brightened up the stage, revealing the two mystery EXO members—Kai and Sehun. Jaeyeon, along the boys were performing a cover of another one of Ariana Grande’s hits ‘Problem’.

The boys stepped out of the stage as soon as the theatre lit up once again. Baekhyun and Suho took their MC spots again and stood right beside Jaeyeon.

“Now, it’s time for the Q&A.” Baekhyun cried.

“We will be going through some questions from this cue cards, which had been sent in by fans. Please answer these truthfully.” Suho said as he wiggled the cards.

“Ok. Call.” Jaeyeon nodded.

With that, the Q&A portion of the showcase began. 

“This is from Twitter user @jangsunghee: You wrote New Beginnings, right? Where did you get the inspiration to write such a great song?” Suho began.

Jaeyeon nodded and smiled upon hearing the question. She brought the microphone under her chin and answered the question, “Well, it’s about a personal experience actually. Hehe. I don’t wanna talk about it, but for the sake of the fans, I will. So, this song is about a painful separation with a friend. There are two sides of the song—my point of view and that friend’s perspective. On my side, I wanted to get away from the pain that this friend had given me in the past. When I got that opportunity, I grabbed it and moved on, even if a part of me still wanted to hold onto the possibilities of that friend coming back. At the end, I totally disregard the pain and became happy. That friend’s point of view is a little different. He is portrayed as someone who doesn’t want to let go and was really hurt by that separation. He moved on with his life, yes, but the pain was still there and he did not give up on pursuing her.” Jaeyeon explained.

Baekhyun and Suho were both surprised with her revelation.

“Was this friend your ex-boyfriend, Jaelee-sshi?” Suho asked.

“A-Aniyo. He was a childhood friend, who had feelings for me. I didn’t feel anything romantic for him, but I was hurt that he left me hanging to pursue his dreams. When he came back, it was too late. I left and he has a career.” Jaeyeon explained further.

“Have you patch things up?” Baekhyun asked.

“Oh, yes. We’re pretty good friends, now.” Jaeyeon answered.

“Ok. This question comes from Twitter user @parkjenny: hi jaelee! How is it like working with EXO oppas?” Baekhyun asked.

“Well, they are great. Chen sunbaenim has been really nice and warm and Lay sunbaenim has been really a great sunbae to me, helping me get the whole choreography polished. They are equally really helpful. I’ve met the rest of EXO too and they are really cool. So, you can say that it’s my pleasure to work with them.” Jaeyeon answered.

“Thank you for that wonderful answer, Jaelee-sshi. We are honored to be working with you.” Suho smiled.

“Ne. So, next question comes from another Twitter user @kimhani: Hi jaelee! Rumor has it that you’re pretty close with some YG artists, is that true?” Baekhyun asked.

“Yeah, it’s true. I’ve met the boys of IKON, as I lived in the same dorm building as them. They are actually my friends and I do contact them once in a while.” Jaeyeon explained.

“This one is from @iyahan: Hi jaelee! How do you manage school and idol life?” Suho asked.

“Well, @iyahan, I have a schedule planned out for which tasks to do. I make sure that I don’t get distracted with doing school work when I am in practice or vice versa. I made sure that when I’m school, all I think about is academics and when I’m in practice, I should be a hundred percent focus on it.” Jaeyeon answered.

“Ok. Now, let us move on to the video chat. We have gotten three lucky fans who will be asking you their questions or request via web cam. Are you ready?” Suho asked.

Jaeyeon responded with a nod.

“Ok! First we have Tin-Tin from the Philippines. Tin-Tin, please ask away.” Baekhyun cued.

“Annyeonghaseyo! Tin-Tin imnida. Uh, Jaelee eonni, knowing your connections with IKON, are you open to work with them someday? If yes, who will you work with in particular?” Tin-tin asked.

“Well, first off, hello to you, Tin-tin! Thank you for participating in this live chat. Hmm, yes, I would say that I am open to working with IKON or any YG artist for that matter. I think that 2NE1 sunbaenims are amazing and I consider BIGBANG as legends. If I were to choose who I would work with in IKON, I would say Bobby and B.I. They are just a great pair and their rapping skills are just amazing. I would also want to work with WINNER’s Kang Seungyoon. Yeah. Seungyoon-sshi has a really great voice and I think we match well. If I am given a chance though hehe.” Jaeyeon answered.

“Thank you.” Tin-tin smiled and bowed at her.

“Thank you, Tin-Tin for that wonderful question. I’m pretty sure the fans are very much informed now. See you soon, bye.” Suho and Baekhyun waved the fan good bye and turned to another fan.

“We have Hannah from the USA. Hi Hannah! Please ask away.” Suho cued.

“Hi I’m Hannah! Uh, Jaelee, if you were to participate in We Got Married, who would you want to be paired up with?” Hannah asked.

“Hmm, that is a really hard question. I honestly don’t have anyone in mind. I guess I’m okay with anyone around my age. I can’t go for much younger and or older guys though. That’ll be weird. Hehe.” Jaeyeon giggled.

“Ok. Thank you.” Hannah thanked her.

“Ok. Our next participant is Yanisa from Thailand. Please ask your question away, Yanisa.” Suho cued.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Yanisa imnida. Jaelee eonni, my question is: Do you have other self-written songs? If yes, how were you able to get inspiration for writing?” Yanisa asked.

“Well, first off…Sawadeeka! Thank you for the question. Well, I do have a music book full of finished and unfinished songs written back with me. So, I guess you can say I still have other self-written songs. So, how do I get my inspirations? Hmm, well, I just sit down and reflect about things. I always have a theme inside my head when I write a song, but sometimes I can write in random situations. It actually depends on the situation.” Jaeyeon responded.

“So, how did you feel about writing New Beginnings?” Yanisa asked a follow-up question.

“Well, I felt lighter when I wrote down all my feelings into the music sheet. It was relieving.” Jaeyeon replied.

After the Q&A portion, Jaeyeon rushed back to the dressing room for her last wardrobe change. After a while, she rushed back to the waiting area and did some sound check. She met up with Chen and Lay to have a less minute talk with them.

“Are you ready Jaeyeon-sshi?” Lay asked.

“Yes.” Jaeyeon smiled and nodded.

“Well, fighting!” Chen cheered on her.

“You too Chen sunbaenim and Lay sunbaenim.” Jaeyeon smiled.

When the lights dimmed, the whole theatre roared. It was the last performance for the show—the highlight and the most awaited song ‘New Beginnings’. Slowly, Jaeyeon and Chen walked to the middle of the stage. Lay walked towards the piano and positioned himself on the seat. He placed his hand on the edge of the keys and waited for the cue. 

The stage director cued Lay and with that, he began pressing his fingers on the keys. The simple piano was then followed by a background music. The spotlight then shone on Jaeyeon and Chen, sending fans into cheering mode.

The female soloist sang the first few lines of the song lightly. Her soothing voice echoed along the walls of the theatre. Fans found themselves waving their hands up in the air with their light sticks on as they listen to the performance. Slowly, the feminine voice transitioned to a more masculine one. Chen sang the second perspective of the said ballad song. EXO-Ls were gushing over the male idol.

The pair managed to perform the song really well. The stage completely showed their intense chemistry together. To top off the last performance, Lay’s piano playing did justice to the song. When the song ended, fans gave the three artists a big applause and thundering cheers.

Baekhyun and Suho joined the three and applauded them too.

“Woah! That is one amazing performance. Don’t you think, everyone?” Suho cried.

The crowd responded with a loud ‘yes’.

“Uhuh. You two are quite a good pair. Lay-sshi, your piano playing was flawless. Right, everyone?” Baekhyun remarked. The crowd responded yet again with a loud ‘yes’.

“So, now without further ado, we present to you the music video for New Beginnings! Enjoy!” Suho cued and the lights dimmed. The screen lit up and the video began playing. All five artists directed their attention to screen and witnessed the music video for Jaeyeon’s debut song.

After a while, the screen blackened and the lights . The artists faced the crowd and smiled.

“How did you find it, everyone?” Chen cried.

“Great!” The crowd replied.

“Unfortunately, every show must come to an end.” Suho pouted.

“Aww, but don’t worry, we’ve got a treat for guys. As promise, Jaeyeon-sshi will be doing a fan sign event. A hundred fans will get to go home with a signed copy of her physical album and maybe take photos with the rookie herself.” Baekhyun said.

“As for the rest, don’t be sad. Albums are available in the shop right now. You can get your copy of it there. Or if you want to wait for the digital album, it will be released tonight at 12am KST.” Suho said.

A hundred fans were picked to participate in the mini-fan sign event. They were asked to cue, while the rest of the spectators fled the theatre, obviously going to SUM to get their hands on the physical album.

After entertaining a hundred fans, Jaeyeon walked back to the her dressing room and collapsed on the couch.

“This is one hell of a night!” Jaeyeon cried.

“Uhuh. Man! You did amazing back there. Your on-stage chemistry with Chen sunbaenim was just perfect. Tell me, you two aren’t hooking up, right?” Hana asked her accusingly.

“No! He’s been a really great sunbae to me and I find him really cool. We just work well, I guess.” Jaeyeon smiled.

She dressed down, said goodbye to some of the EXO members and then left with her friends. On the way home, Jaeyeon took a quick nap. She has a big day ahead tomorrow as she will make her much awaited debut stage in M Countdown and then guest in KBS SUKIRA. With so much on her plate, she needed to boost her energy.

Meanwhile, the boys were teasing Chen in the car.

“Dude, have you seen your face when you were singing with her? It was priceless!” Baekhyun teased.

“Do you like her, hyung?” Maknae, Sehun asked.

“I do. For months of working together non-stop, I would say that she’s really something. I’ve gotten to know her each day and she never fails to make me smile.” Chen admitted.

“So, what are you gonna do about it?” Suho asked.

“I know that she’s just starting but I had to tell her how I feel. I am not asking her to accept my feelings right away, but I’ll do it anyway.” Chen responded.

“Don’t worry! We’ll help you, man. Surprise her tomorrow.” Baekhyun draped his arm over his friend’s shoulder as a sign of encouragement.

“Tomorrow?” Chen’s eyes shot.

“Yeah! We’re all gonna be there to support you, Lay hyung and her. You might as well take the chance to confess.” Kai said.

“I don’t know…” Chen hesitated.

“We insist. Just one call to Chanyeol and the rest and we’re all set for tomorrow.” Baekhyun said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Fine. I’m gonna drop it tomorrow.” Chen exhaled.

“That’s our man.” Baekhyun smiled in victory.

When the boys got home, they gathered the rest in their living room to discuss Chen’s impending confession.

“So, why don’t you tell her after the show?” Xiumin suggested, earning nods from the boys.

“We all surprise her in the dressing room and then clear the way for you.” Baekhyun added.

“Oh and bring some flowers!” Chanyeol chimed in.

“Chanyeol, talk to her staffs and ask for their favor to clear the room as soon as we get in. Make sure they know why you’re letting them vacate the area.” Suho ordered.

“Aight!” Chanyeol saluted.

“So, how are we suppose to make sure that she doesn’t see the rest of us?” D.O chimed in.

“We stay in our dressing room until Lay hyung signals us to go into hers.” Kai pointed out.

“Copy that.” Lay nodded.

“Ok. I guess we’ve gone through everything. Meeting adjourned.” Suho called.

That midnight, SM surprised everyone with the launch of the music video for New Beginnings. The views quickly shoot up to thousands within the eight hours. 

At the same time, when the song was released, it immediately shot up to the number one spot in various music charts in Korea—Melon, Bugs, Gaon and more, creating a perfect all-kill. The digital downloads of her album was remarkable and her physical one was selling like pancakes in SUM, as well as in various recording stores throughout the city.

At seven in the morning the next day, Jaeyeon dressed up in her usual get-up but a little bit wrapped up as it was only January and it was freezing outside. She put a little make up on, grabbed her bag and made her way out of her dorm room by eight, followed by her manager.

“So, as soon as arrive outside of M Countdown, stay close to me, as fans can be a little too rowdy.” The manager ordered.

“Ne, oppa.” Jaeyeon nodded. 

They hopped into the van and drove away. Her manager took the wheel, while she stayed behind, along with the staff. She plugged her earphones onto her ear, tapped on the play button on her phone’s screen, sat back and shut her eyes in silence.

I’m gonna be debuting in a couple of hours. I must be dreaming.

Fifteen to twenty minutes later, the idol, her manager and the staffs arrived at the back of M-net studios. Jaeyeon slowly opened her eyes as someone shook her to wake up. 

She grabbed her bag, hung it on her shoulder and hopped out of the car as soon as the doors opened. Jaeyeon, her manager and the staffs walked through the hundreds of fans awaiting outside of the studio. She gave them a few waves and walked straight into the building.

They took the lift up to the third floor and then settled for one of the dressing rooms. She tossed her bag onto the couch and faced her stylist.

“I’ll be outside when you need me.” The man informed and stepped out of the room.

“So, why don’t you change into this dress, Jaeyeon-sshi?” The stylist number one asked as she handed the dress to the rookie.

“Ok. This is for the special stage of ‘Raindrops’ right?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Ne. Your outfit for New Beginnings is hanging on that rack over there. After dressing up, Bokyung-sshi will put make-up on you and do your hair.” The head stylist explained.

After slipping onto her dress and had her hair and make-up done, Jaeyeon sat back on the couch, grabbed the music sheets and rehearsed the song.

Meanwhile, the boys were having a run down of their plan.

“Ok? As soon as you three step out of the stage, Jongdae, you come back here. Lay, you stay and stall her.” Suho briefed.

The two boys nodded.

“When I receive Lay’s call, I’ll usher everyone inside her dressing room. Baekhyun and Kai, make sure to get flowers from the florist. You have an hour to arrange this. I already made reservations. Just pick it up in my behalf.” Suho ordered.

“Ne, hyung!” Baekhyun saluted.

“Make sure you two don’t get caught by fans or everything will turn out in a disaster.” Suho warned.

“Ne, hyung!” Baekhyun then replied.

An hour before the recording, Chen and Lay walked into Jaeyeon’s practice room and rehearsed with her. Lay pulled out his phone and played the virtual piano as the two other artists sang their lines.

“And…we had just wrapped up the practice. Nice job, guys! You’re both ready!” Lay clapped his hands in satisfaction.

The artists exchanged bows and sat back on the couch.

After a while, all three artists head to the waiting area for their stage. EXO’s Chen and Lay cheered on the rookie as she stepped onto the stage for her solo stage. She stood on stage and awaited for the music to begin. When the first note echoed in her ear, Jaeyeon prepared herself for her first stage in a music show. Jaeyeon sang the song perfectly, that left the audience in awe. Right after that stage, she rushed back to the dressing room to change into a different outfit. She then ran back to the waiting area, where both Lay and Chen were calming their nerves down.

“We have two minutes ’til show time.” Lay informed Jaeyeon, to which she nodded onto.

“Fighting!” Chen cheered.

Two minutes later, the stage director called for the trio to walk to the stage. Lay positioned himself on the piano provided, while the pair, Chen and Jaeyeon stood in the middle of the stage as deafening fan cheers swarmed the whole hall.

On cue, Lay began playing the piano keys and the spotlight focused on him. Soon, the light shifted to Jaeyeon and Chen. Jaeyeon began singing her lines with pure emotions as she stood in front of the crowd, whose hands were swaying from right to left. Chen began singing shortly after, filling in the second point of view of the song. Together, their voices blended together in perfect harmony.

LED boards and light sticks brightened up a dimmed stage. Fans waved their hands up in the air as they listened to the song. Some were all-teared up, while others were all fuzzy on the inside as they witness the pair sing perfectly.

They ended a song with the last words.

and here’s to new beginnings…

They both smiled at the crowd in satisfaction. The three artists bowed to the crowd and with each other, before heading back to the waiting area.

“That was a great stage guys! Great job!” The stage manager cried and gave the three artists high-fives.

Lay then eyed Chen who then responded with an excuse. “Uh, I have to go. Please excuse me.” Chen said and excused himself from the pair, leaving Jaeyeon confused.

“Is he okay?” Jaeyeon asked Lay, to which Lay shrugged.

“Maybe we should go after him.” Jaeyeon suggested.

“Nah. He probably has to take a leak. Probably been holding it in since our stage.” Lay snickered. Jaeyeon got his point and nodded.

Chen then rushed into their dressing room and ushered Kai to give him the bouquet of flowers. 

“Is she coming?” Maknae Sehun asked.

“Lay hyung is stalling her, but I think they are on their way to her dressing room.” Chen responded as he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. He had been panicking on the inside as the minutes go closer and closer to his confession time.

“Lay just sent me a text. They are on their way back to her dressing room. Let’s get going.” Suho said as he checked his phone.

With that, all nine boys walked into her dressing room, which was just across theirs. Chanyeol first walked into the room and talked to the staff and her manager.

“She’s coming.” Chanyeol said.

Everyone inside, including her manager stepped out of the room and let the boys in.

“Where do we stay, Chanyeol-sshi?” The manager guy asked.

“Uh, you can stay in our dressing room, hyung. All of you guys can. We’ll just take ten minutes, I promise.” Chanyeol smiled.

“Tell Chen-sshi that he has my support, but I have to warn them about dating in public if she ever says yes.” The manager cried.

“Ye. Will do.” Chanyeol nodded and shut the door behind him.

“Dude, calm down.” Baekhyun calmed his friend down.

“I’m calm, man. You’re the nervous puppy here and you’re not even the one who’s in the hot seat. Just stop clinging onto me.” Chen spat and shrugged Baekhyun off.

Xiumin opened the door and took a peek. He then stepped back in and closed the door.

“They are coming.” Xiumin cried.

The boys then frantically began organizing themselves. Suho stood beside the wall and closed the lights. 

“As soon as the door opens, I flicked the lights on and let’s all scream ‘surprise’.” Suho ordered.

A few seconds later, the door opened. Suho flicked the lights on and the boys scream ‘surprise’ all together. Shocked, Jaeyeon stood frozen along the doorway. Lay walked away from her and grabbed a balloon from the couch.

“W-what’s this?” Jaeyeon asked in confusion.

“Congratulations on your successful first stage, Jaeyeon-sshi!” Suho cried.

“K-Kamsahamnida.” Jaeyeon bowed at the boys.

“And…one more thing.” Baekhyun spoke up.

“Ye?” Jaeyeon asked the boy.

The boys stepped aside and cleared the way. Then entered Chen who was holding onto a bouquet of flowers—roses to be exact. This made Jaeyeon even more confused.

“Roses? You guys didn’t have to, but thanks for the warm cheers.” Jaeyeon smiled at the boys.

“Ani. There’s something else, really.” Chanyeol chimed in.

Jaeyeon looked at Chanyeol weirdly. Chen took a step forward, shortening the gap between him and the female rookie. The boys were just smiling on the side, anticipating for Chen’s big confession. Jaeyeon glanced at the boys and back at the male idol before her. Her heart started beating rapidly. 

Is he…? It can’t be, right? No. That is just stupid. 

Panic took control of her system, but she was still trying to stay calm.

“These past few months have been really nice. We’ve gotten to know each other quite well. Your strong will and determination had impressed me. That bright smile on your face every time we see each other, put a smile on my face. Jaeyeon-sshi, I really like you.” Chen confessed.

She froze.

H-He likes me? 

“Oppa…I, uh…” Jaeyeon stammered.

“It’s okay if you don’t like me back. I just want to get this out of me.” Chen explained.

“Geuge anira. I, uh, I like you too, oppa.” Jaeyeon shyly admitted. The boys’ eyes shot and smile spread across their faces.

Chen smiled even brightly.

“Y-Y-You do?” Chen’s eyes shot. Jaeyeon nodded and smiled at him.

“Uh.” Jaeyeon managed to say.

Baekhyun erupted into cheers. “Congratulations you two!” 

The rest of the guys cheered on them. Chen cleared his throat to shut the boys up.

“What?” Baekhyun asked.

“She just said that she likes me. I have not asked her out or anything.” Chen responded.

“Well, I would love to go out with you, oppa.” Jaeyeon spoke up.

Chen smiled and the rest of the boys celebrated. Jaeyeon just giggled at the boys’ dorky ways. 

Chen grabbed both of her hands and smiled at her. “I’ll wait for you at your dorm. Let’s go out tomorrow.” The male idol smiled. “T-Tomorrow? I don’t know if manager oppa will approve of this.” Jaeyeon awkwardly responded. Chen smiled. “Don’t worry. He knows and he said that he will give us the time to go out tomorrow.” He smiled. “Mhmm, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, oppa.” Jaeyeon smiled.

After dressing down and packing up, Jaeyeon and her camp left the building. Right after M Countdown, Jaeyeon proceed to KBS building for a radio guest appearance. 

Her radio stint went on for two hours before heading back to the dorm. She propped her body on her bed.

“Whoa! Someone’s really tired.” A girl from behind remarked. Jaeyeon welcomed her with a big smile.

“For someone who’s exhausted, you sure are very happy. Why is that, hmm?” The same girl asked.

“Shut the door and I’ll tell you.” Jaeyeon ordered. The girl shut the door, locked it and walked over to her friend’s bed and sat on the edge.

“So? What is it?” The girl asked.

“This may have been the most exhausting day of my life, but something good happened today.” Jaeyeon smiled. 

Hana crooked her eyebrows in confusion. “So, what is it?” She asked. Jaeyeon’s lips formed a really wide smile. “Chen oppa confessed.” She revealed. Hana sat frozen for a while before snapping out of her trance. “Confessed? About what?” She asked. Jaeyeon eyed her, as if trying to tell her through eye telepathy. Hana gasped. “Omo! It can’t be…” Jaeyeon nodded. “Aigoo! He likes you?” Hana cried. Jaeyeon nodded again. “So, what did you say?” Hana asked. “I told him that I like him too.” Jaeyeon responded.

Hana squealed, earning a pillow on the face. “What? That’s so cute, Jae. So, now what?” She asked. Jaeyeon smiled. “We’ll have our first date tomorrow. Hmm, right after Music Bank.” She responded.

“I knew you like him! God! I’m so happy for you, sista! I just hope that devil’s daughter wouldn’t kill you for this.” Hana remarked.

“Oh God! I totally forgot about that . What am I gonna do?” Jaeyeon cried.

“She can’t do anything about it anymore. You’re oppa’s duet partner and girlfriend.” Hana said ‘girlfriend’ in a rather hushed tone.

Meanwhile, the boys of IKON were busy touring in Japan. While lazing around in their hotel room, Donghyuk came across with an article online.

Jaeyeon’s music show debut trended over various portal sites as well as social media. Intrigued, Donghyuk clicked on the link about the new SM artist in the name ‘Jaelee’.

An official video of her music show debut stage appeared on his phone’s screen. He pressed play and the screen lightened. The male idol watched the girl’s performance silently, while his friends were busy goofing around. Yunhyeong sat beside him and peeked at what he was watching. His eyes shot when the camera zoomed in on Jaeyeon’s face. The older member nudged his friend, prompting Donghyuk to pause the video.

“Ne, hyung?” Donghyuk asked.

“Was that who I think it was?” Yunhyeong asked the younger member. Donghyuk nodded. “Uh. She just made her debut in M Countdown tonight. She’s really good, hyung.” Yunhyeong scooted closer and brought the former’s phone closer to him.

“Let me watch too.” Yunhyeong said.

“Let you watch what, hyung?” Maknae Chanwoo asked.

“Jaeyeon just made her debut stage tonight in M Countdown and Donghyuk found the video.” Yunhyeong responded with a huge smile on his face.

The two maknaes climbed on the bed and sat on either side of it. They were all scrunched up together to watch their female friend’s debut stage on the small mobile device.

“She’s using a stage name?” Junhoe mumbled.

“Apparently, she’s known as ‘Jaelee’.” Yunhyeong responded.

“Woah! Noona is really doing great on stage.” Chanwoo remarked.

“This is not her title track, guys, but it is part of her album.” Donghyuk informed.

“Well, let’s watch the title track after this. We should tell the others about this too.” Yunhyeong responded.

“Ok. Right after this performance, I’ll call Jinhwan hyung to come over.” Junhoe informed.

“Hyung, you should come to our room now. We have a surprise for you.” Junhoe said.

“Junhoe, you just said that it’s a surprise and yet you revealed it. I don’t see the point.” Jinhwan answered.

“Ah, aniya. Just come over please and ask Bobby hyung and Hanbin hyung to come over too.” Junhoe pleaded. Nodding, Jinhwan agreed to Junhoe’s plea and hung up.

“So? What does Junhoe want?” Bobby asked. Jinhwan shrugged “Molla, but he asked us to go to their room now.” B.I stood up from his bed and spoke up. “They better not be in trouble.” Bobby stood up from his bed and motioned the guys to go. Jinhwan grabbed their keycard and walked out of the room. They knocked on the other’s door and Chanwoo opened it for them.

“So? What’s the ‘surprise’?” Jinhwan asked.

“Log onto Naver and check the top trending topic.” Yunhyeong instructed. Confused, Jinhwan pulled his phone out and logged into Naver. There, he was welcomed by the top trending topic, ‘Jaelee’. Bobby looked at Jinhwan’s phone screen and spoke up “Jaelee nuguya?” 

“Click on it and you’ll see, hyung.” Junhoe informed. Nodding, Jinhwan tapped onto the link and it brought them to a video.

“It’s a video.” Jinhwan commented. Smiling, Yunhyeong ordered them to wait for it to start playing. The camera then zoomed in and Bobby’s eyes shot. “Was that…?” Bobby stammered. Jinhwan paused the video. Yunhyeong nodded. “Oh yes!” He smirked.

“When is this? She never told me about her debut stage.” Bobby cried.

“We just found about it like five minutes ago, hyung. This just happened today. This is her debut stage in M Countdown and she had two performances.” Donghyuk spoke up.

“Well, keep playing hyung!” B.I ordered.

“Alright! Alright!” Jinhwan hit the play button and resumed playing the video.

The boys split up into two subgroups just to watch the video. While the team B-B and JH watched her supporting track, the others watched her main performance.

“She’s working with EXO sunbaenim?” Junhoe cried. 

“WHAT?” B.I snapped.

“Watch her main performance to see, man.” Yunhyeong replied.

After a while, Bobby, B.I and Jinhwan watched her main performance, while the rest watched their reactions. Jinhwan was blown away, Bobby was smiling and B.I was a little dazed. He stood up from his seat and stepped out of the room. Bobby followed him and chased after him in the other room.

“What the hell, man? Why did you walk out?” Bobby asked. B.I collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes. “That song…she really did move on.” He responded to his friend’s question. “Maybe it’s not about your past relationship, man. Listen to the lyrics clearly. The song is about a really sad past. I don’t think you and her had a bad break-up. This is about someone else and I think it’s about Seungyoon hyung.” Bobby argued.

Meanwhile, Seungyoon had also watched Jaeyeon’s debut performance and he was utterly shocked. He had never expected her to join the business of K-Pop, all the more sign with SM Entertainment.

The male idol clicked onto the second link and it brought him to her main performance—New Beginnings. He listened and watched through the performance and froze.

Is that EXO? That means…she signed with SM?

He only broke out of his trance when Taehyun threw a pillow at him. “YAH! What’s with you?” He cried. Seungyoon turned to Taehyun and spoke “Jaeyeon is an SM artist now. Can you believe that?” Taehyun’s eyes shot. “WHAT?! What are you talking about?” 

Seungyoon tossed his phone to Taehyun. “Watch the video.” He ordered. Confused, Taehyun grabbed the device and tapped on the screen to play the video. His eyes shot when the camera zeroed in on the female rookie. “Isn’t this…?”

“Yes. It’s her.” Seungyoon responded.

“How are you certain that she’s an SM artist?” Taehyun asked.

“She’s performing with two EXO members on stage, dude. What does that imply, huh? I can’t believe it. She actually fulfilled her long-time dream.” Seungyoon smiled.

“That’s nice.” Taehyun nodded.

“I’m happy for her.” Seungyoon smiled.

“Her song is good. I shall download it now.” Taehyun said.

“Me too.” Seungyoon nodded.

Right before sleeping, Seungyoon downloaded and listened to her song. He closed his eyes and took the melody and lyrics in. He then realized something about it.

The song was strangely describing his past—a coward, a heartbreaker and a selfish jerk. It also described his childhood friend’s feelings. This realization had prompted him to believe that the song was written by the rookie herself.

When the song ended, he hit the pause button and shut his phone. He opened his eyes and stared at the pitch black ceiling. 

So, it’s about me and her…us…could it be…? That’s impossible. She and Hanbin are madly in love with each other. Maybe I should ask her about this one day.

The next day, Jaeyeon, along with EXO’s Lay and Chen arrived in Music Bank for the former’s debut stage. As early as 7am, fans gathered outside of KBS to catch a glimpse of her and the two boys, despite of the chilly weather. She smiled and waved at her fans as she held onto her coat tightly. Finally, she entered the building to rehearse and pre-record her performances and backstage appearances.

While relaxing inside their waiting room, Jaeyeon’s phone rang. She glanced at her phone, which was just on her side and checked the caller ID. 

Seungyoon?

Jaeyeon then picked up the call. “Hello?” She said. “Hey.” Seungyoon’s voice echoed at the other end of the line. “Yoon? W-what’s up? It’s been a while.” She replied. “Yeah. It is. I, um, I heard you made a solo debut. Congratulations!” He cheered. She smiled. “Uh, t-thanks. Yeah. I signed in with SM Entertainment and beginning my journey as an artist.” 

“That’s great! I’m proud of you, Jae. Great song by the way!” Seungyoon complimented.

“Thank you, Yoon. It means a lot.” She smiled. “It sure is. Say, I don’t wanna sound strange, but was the song about us? You know…our past?” Seungyoon asked and bit his tongue.

Jaeyeon froze. “U-uh, y-yeah, it is.” She stuttered. “Oh. Are you still not okay about it? If you are, I just wanna apologize for everything. I know I was a jerk and…” Before Seungyoon could reply any further, Jaeyeon cut in. “No. It’s ok. I’m okay. We’re okay. I wrote a part of it back in LA and the second perspective with someone else. The producers liked it and decided to make it my title track. There was no melody back then, just the lyrics, so Lay sunbaenim, Kang PD and I composed everything from scratch.” 

“Oh, really? I’m glad that everything’s okay now.” Seungyoon said.

“Yeah. So, is that all?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Uh, well…I don’t know if I should ask this. It’s just that…gosh! How should I say this? Your song says a lot of things, so I just had to ask. Do you have feelings for me?” Seungyoon stammered.

Jaeyeon froze. She was surprised that her friend even assumed it. “What? No, I don’t and I never did have romantic feelings for you, Yoon. You’re like  a brother to me. The song I wrote has two perspectives of moving on. The female’s point of view shows the girl wanting to let go of all the pain she had experience and says yes to the new beginning fully, while the guy is represented as someone who wants to let go of the pain. He does move on, but is in fact still holding onto it. This is what I felt about you, Yoon. I really did let go of everything, but you did the otherwise. Hey. Don’t be so bothered about it, ok? It’s just one of my masterpieces that really meant a lot to me, but no more hard feelings.” Jaeyeon explained. 

“Oh! I’m sorry about that. I just thought that maybe you had feelings for me and that everything is gonna go awkward again.” Seungyoon responded.

“Nah. Everything’s fine. I just had to think about the ill feelings before to bring out my emotions to the song, but there’s no romantic feelings at all.” Jaeyeon said.

Seungyoon chuckled. “I see. It’ll be awkward if I turn you down and break your heart this time around.” He said. “Say what?” Jaeyeon responded. “If you, let say, have feelings for me, it’ll be really awkward for me to turn you down. You see, I’m dating someone and well, you and I just made up. Things will be really weird if I decline you the same way as you did to me when you were dating Hanbin.” Seungyoon explained. Jaeyeon broke into a fit of laughter. “Yeah. Good thing we like different people.” She responded.

“Yeah. So, um, good luck to you on your debut promotions. I’ll always be here to support you, my friend.” Seungyoon cried. Jaeyeon smiled. “Thanks! Good luck with your career and relationship with whoever she may be.” She responded.

The two friends then hung up with contented smiles on their faces. Later that day, Jaeyeon finally made her much awaited debut stage in Music Bank. As early as the second day of her debut promotions, fans came up with the official fan chant to her title track.

Later that night, Chen brought Jaeyeon out to their first date as a couple. As not to get caught by paparazzi, they had a late night dinner at Viva Polo, Chanyeol’s mom’s restaurant. They made sure that there were no customers around so they wouldn’t be caught.

Eventually, her first week of promotions ended with two more successful stages.

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A/N:

1. So, she finally made her debut with the song 'New Beginnings'. Who thought that the song was about her past with Seungyoon all along? Comment your reactions.

2. Were you all shocked at the turn of events? I am! Hehe :) So, Chen and Jaeyeon are dating now. Bin-Jae shippers! :( At this point, it's over between them. Huhu.

3. Please don't hate on Jaeyeon's character. Chen just came into her life unexpectedly and he surprisingly made her heart race again. 

Next chapter will be up soon...I think. Just too busy lately, so maybe you will have to wait a little more. Sorry guys.