I got up from bed really early, probably because of my jetlag, and got ready for the first schedule that we all had to go to together. I didn't know what to expect, since yesterday had been so surprising already, but Hyojin had told me that it was mainly going to be an introduction to some of the different group lessons that I'll have to attend, as well as a chance to get to know each other more. Since we were all going, the manager was going to pick us up to drive over to the company building. After getting ready, Hyojin made us a delicious breakfast of a kimchi pancake. I ate in silence, listening to their brief conversations in Korean and picking up a few words here and there. We quickly finished up and left the dorm.

It was around rush hour time in the morning, and the city was just buzzing with life. It sort of reminded me of the last time I had visited China; people filling the streets pretty much at all times of day, and lots cars zooming around. The sky was a clear blue today, the bright sunlight streaming in from the east where it had just risen, in between the many tall skyscrapers in the area.

Across the street, I spotted the black minivan that I had taken once before, from the company building to the dorm on the first day. Our manager was standing right by the van that was stopped by the side of the street, with his sunglasses on. We paused by the sidewalk, waiting for the endless amount of cars to pass before finally crossing the street. The other side of the street had some stores at the bottom of these very tall buildings, and there was a restaurant at the corner of the street with its scents drifting over in the air.

"Yah! Pabo ya?" A hand grabbed my arm with a super strong grip, and pulled me backwards to the little island in the middle of the road, right before a car drove by where I was standing a second ago. I turned to see Minnie giving me scowl filled with disapproval before releasing her iron grip on my arm.

"Sorry." I mumbled, looking down, embarrassed. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest realizing how something might've happened if she hadn't done what she did.

Even though it was a small gesture, it still warmed my heart.

Maybe she doesn't really hate me.

The traffic was horrible and it took us a really long time to get to the company building, much longer than it took us last night. The van was filled with silence, except for when our manager was on the phone, probably speaking to other important people in the company. I sat at the back with Jiwoo beside me, Miyoung and Minnie taking up the middle row, and Hyojin sitting up front beside the manager.

When we finally got there though, our manager drove to the back of the company building and to the underground parking lot. I guess this was how the idols come here without being swarmed by the fans who were always waiting outside the building. Our manager punched in a series of numbers before the doors opened and we were led to the elevators.

Our first stop was to the dance studios, where we were greeted by a dance teacher. She was in a tight tank top and sweat pants, with one pant leg rolled up to her knee. Her short hair was tied up in a ponytail, showing off her glowing cheeks and charismatic smile. She turned off the music as we arrived, having been dancing before we came, as indicated by the sweat dripping down her forehead. Our manager passed me an in-ear translator that was the same as yesterday's, before he dropped us off. I placed it in my ear and pressed the power button, and with a buzz, it came to life, translating all the pieces of Korean floating about.

"So, welcome, LOVELITE, I see that you guys have a new member on your team." The dance teacher said, smiling at us as she grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her neck. "Choi Yoonmi, I see that you're new to Korea too, so welcome." She flashed a pleasant smile, then led us farther into the dance studio. The room was quite large, with full length mirrors filling three walls of the room. On the fourth wall was a row of bright red lockers, where we could store our stuff when coming to dance practice. There was a long side table at the end of the lockers, filled with a clutter of CD players, speakers, CDs, and cameras, among other things. The floor was hardwood, along with the bar that extended across the mirrors at approximately waist height.

I followed the other girls and bowed at the dancer teacher, smiling back at her. We put down our stuff at the front of the room before she led us to the center and sat us down in a circle.

"I guess this would be the proper time to do introductions," she said, eyes sparkling. "I'm Jiyoung, one of the choreographers here, and I do a mix of all sorts of dance, from hip hop to lyrical and everything in between. I'll primarily be working with you on your group choreographies, like the one for your debut track and follow up track. Now, I'm sure this is all very new for you, Yoonmi, so we can have the girls show you what they have prepared so far. So girls, how about we start stretching and then perform the tentative title track?"

I awkwardly sat at the front of the room, while the rest of the girls started stretching, Minnie and Miyoung being particularly enthusiastic while talking to the choreographer. She seemed pretty young and outgoing, taking care of us like an older sister would. After they've done some basic stretches, the four girls got into their starting positions, and Jiyoung came over to start the music. She connected her phone to the docking system and pushed a few buttons to select the song, before dropping down and sitting beside me. She gave me another animated smile as the music started and the girls started dancing to their song.

It was a lot to take in, and I didn't even know where to focus. The song by itself was able to showcase some amazing vocals, which were probably from Hyojin and Minnie, by what the former had told me the other day. It had a fast and catchy beat, with multiple layering of instruments, and then finally a very electronic but enjoyable melody. The rap was fast, playing on eighth and sixteenth notes, and a bit of syncopation throughout the second verse, probably done by main rapper Miyoung and some by Jiwoo.

The dance was another story, amazing me with their sharp and controlled movements, and most of all, its coordination. Although there were far less members than the big groups that the CEO had showed me on the first day, the girls' stage presence was just as competitive and filled the room nicely. Each member had their own part throughout, but when the chorus came along, their synchronized movements matched up together and everything really fell together perfectly.

Their perfection made me wonder if I could really contribute to this group and fit in at all, even if it's only for just a few months.

After a tiring day spent at the company building, our manager finally showed up to bring us back to the dorm. It was Jiwoo's idea to show me around the building some more, and with that, we ended up in the cafeteria on the second floor, getting some dinner. The cafeteria was huge and took up nearly half of the whole floor. There were huge floor-to-ceiling windows of tinted glass, providing views of the world outside, but still keeping the company's secrets. The floors were a shiny white, reflecting the blinding sunlight that streamed in, and making the whole place glow. Along one side of the cafeteria was the kitchen, hidden behind a wall and closed doors, and the serving area behind the glass counter, where a couple of middle aged women worked. There was also a refrigerated area for the cold foods and desserts under the glass counter, showcasing their aesthetic appeal. The other half of the cafeteria was filled with tables and seats, some very large ones in the middle to seat up to ten people, and some smaller ones at the sides that just seated two.

We each had a trainee card, and as Hyojin demonstrated today, that card is what we use to get food from the cafeteria. She also warned me, however, that we each have special diets that we're supposed to follow, and that information would automatically show up once you swipe your card, so that the cafeteria ladies would know what to give you. My card wasn't officially activated yet, so Hyojin used hers to buy the whole group some dishes to eat with the rice we had back at the dorm.

On the drive back to the dorm, we were once again caught in the rush hour traffic. The rays of the setting sun tickled my face as it warmed up the air in the car, and I soon felt myself nodding off with the hum of the van. The jetlag was still heavily affecting me, and I wanted nothing more than to continue sleeping even as we arrived at the apartment. I was awoken by Jiwoo's light touches on my arm, her eyes hesitantly telling me that it was time to go. I smiled sleepily at her, happy that asides from Hyojin, she was also making an effort to be friendly towards me.

Tonight's dinner actually wasn't as good comparing to Hyojin's own cooking, but it certainly seemed healthier, which was probably because of the special diet that she had mentioned. After a quick meal of mostly listening to their conversations as I tried to stop myself from nodding off, I helped clear the plates before being ordered by Hyojin to go sleep. I washed up and changed then climbed up the small ladder to my top bunk bed.

I smiled as I listened to the other girls in the living room, watching television and sounding pretty excited. Unfolding my thick blanket that I had carefully tucked in this morning, I suddenly heard the sharp sound of something paper-like falling to the ground. I climbed down the ladder quickly, noticing the small square that wasn't previously on the floor.

My breath caught as I picked it up and realized what it was.

It was a Polaroid photo, of Minnie with a guy, with the date marked from two years ago, his hand around her waist and her arms wrapped around him as well. The two of them looked very close, and the cute heart sticker in the corner of the photo could almost confirm that they were a couple. That wasn't what had surprised me though, it was how different she looked. The genuine smile on her face was enough to completely change it from what I had seen of her in the past few days. Even now when she smiled, it couldn't match up to how real and happy she was in this photo. And she looked absolutely and effortlessly stunning. 

Ooh I wonder what's going on with Minnie~ and who could the guy be?