Elijah

I drive Jennie home so she can get her things. The girls were supposedly still on break until tomorrow, but after the incident with Miyeon, YG decided to resume the training tomorrow. It's almost midnight when we make our way back to Hapjeong. I was silently driving when Jennie asked me to stop the car for a moment. I did what she asked and looked at her. She went outside of the vehicle, and I followed her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Jennie stares at me. "Promise me you won't do what you are thinking right now."

"Let's go back inside the car. It's dangerous here. Let's talk inside." I said.

"No. Promise me first. Promise me. Please." Jennie said, almost begging.

"Let's talk inside the car. It's cold. Look at you. You're freezing. Come on." I held her arm and tried to convince her to go back in the car.

She pushed me away. "You're going to do it. You can't do that to me again." I tried to ask her again to go back, but she refused. "Don't leave me. Please, don't do that to me again." Jennie is already crying.

I pulled her into a hug. "I won't do that again. Let's go back to the car. I promise I won't. Stop crying, Yobo." I succeeded in convincing her to go back to the vehicle. Jennie is still crying, clinging on to me. "Look at you. You're freezing." I pulled the scarf I'm wearing and place it around Jennie's neck when she starts to sneeze. "Don't do things that would harm you. I told you multiple times to go back to the car. It's freezing outside. What if you get sick?"

Jennie hugs me in response. "Don't leave me. Keep your promise."

"I will keep it, only if you stop being stubborn." I kiss her forehead and holds her hand while driving. I plan to fight for her this time.

We arrived in the dorm after several minutes. "Go in. I'll wait until you arrive inside."

"Come in with me, even just for a few minutes," Jennie said.

I shake my head and decline. "You need to understand that we need to be careful if we wish to continue our relationship. We can't do things that will get you in trouble. You need to keep in mind that our top priority is your career. Do you understand?" Jennie shook her head. "Always remember that I love you, Jennie. I'll do everything for you to be happy. Let's help each other to become the best version of ourselves. I want to see you succeed. Let's be patient, my love — one step at a time. We will work on your debut first. Then, we will wait for the dating ban to end. We can do everything we want to after that."

Jennie frowns and says, "Three years is too long."

I answered her back by saying, "You've been training for almost six years. Three years is just a piece of cake." I pinched her cheek. "You'll be busy promoting albums after albums. Time will pass so fast once you start your first Seoul concert, and then your first Asian tour and finally your world tour concert." I smiled brightly at her after saying all the things I believe the girls will achieve.

With a worried look on her face, she answered, "Do you think we will make it? Do you think we can do all the things you said?"

I hug her and kisses the top of her head before responding, "Of course. You know why?" She looks at me, waiting for an answer. "Because I heard that you girls have the handsome, hot, y, and cute Elijah Ellington managing your career." I winked at her that made Jennie laugh.

The next day

I arrived in the old YG building. All trainees spend their training in this old building. I'm one hour early, so I didn't expect to see Chaeyoung in the training room.

Chaeyoung, who is stretching at the moment, noticed me. "You're early, Oppa."

"An hour early for the first day of work." I chuckled. "I thought I'd be the first one here, but here you are, ready for battle."

Chaeyoung laughed. "It's because we're dancing a lot today. I hate muscle pain."

I am playing the piano to kill time when Chaeyoung joins me and starts to sing. I love Chaeyoung's unique voice. She's been training for almost four years, and her vocals matured entirely. We are singing along when the three remaining girls arrived. Trainers and other YG staff came following the arrival of the three. I wave at them to call their attention when the clock hits 7 am.

"Annyeonghaseyo! Thank you for coming. Today is my first day as an official employee of YG Entertainment. As you all read in the news, and I believe you received a memo from the CEO as well, I will be the one who will supervise the debut of the next girl group that we will launch this year. I won't be someone who will boss you around, but someone who will ask for your guidance in helping these four amazing girls to debut. To the trainers and staff, please take good care of me. I hope to learn a lot from you." The people in the room clapped their hands as I bowed my head to show respect before continuing my speech, "To the girls, Jisoo, Jennie, Chaeyoung, and Lisa, I ask for your patience and understanding. I know that you've been giving the company all the patience for years already, but I'm hoping you'll provide us with more. I also ask for your continued hard work and dedication, as these next few months will be crucial for all of us. Lastly, I'll ask for your utmost trust on all the things that will happen in the next few months. Allow me to help you reach your goal. Please take good care of me as well." I bowed my head to the girls, 90 degrees.

The girls go on with their training while I meet the trainers. I asked for the strengths and weaknesses of the four girls and planned how to use and improve them. Monthly evaluation from before became weekly. Extensive coaching from different trainers in the industry became normal. The four need to attend classes for formal etiquette, acting, and foreign language, aside from the usual lessons for dancing, singing, rapping, and songwriting. I removed the extreme diet in the girls' training routine. I hired a nutritionist who will focus and supervise their food intake in a healthy way. A fitness instructor supervises their exercise depending on the interest of each person in the group. My training program costs the company a lot of money. Members of the board complained about the financial burden of my plan, but I fought for it. This training program is experimental as I plan to adopt this method to the future trainees of the company. I'm confident about it as I see positive results from the girls.

I'm not only supervising the training method of the girls but also the training itself and the group's publicity in the entertainment industry. I am strict when it comes to training. I am blunt and outspoken when I don't like what I see. Everyone saw how the three younger girls shed tears after my sharp remarks. I pushed them to their limits but made sure that they understand.

Elijah is out with the staff drinking. Today was the last evaluation before the girls start recording the song written by Teddy.

Teddy opened another bottle of soju. "You've been hard with the girls for the past five, six months. I'm worried someone will quit."

"He is Sajangnim's nephew." added by Won, the girls' manager. "Jisoo-ya is one tough cookie. She never cried, even once."

Between the four girls, in terms of character, Jisoo is the strongest. She works and improves herself quietly. She never shed a tear even after my blunt attacks on her performances.

"The three younger girls, especially Chaeyoung, they lack confidence. Work on it, El." One of the trainers advised me.

"Jennie-ya is one shy bunny, but once she performs, the swag comes out. I think that's a good thing. She can use it in variety shows. Lisa-ya, though already fluent in Hangul, she still finds it hard to speak her mind. She's naturally funny, and I think she'll be the ace of the group in variety shows together with Jisoo-ya. My only problem is Chaeyoung-ah. She's not just shy, but she lacks confidence in her skills." Elijah said while drinking soju.

"Chaeyoung-ah." The vocal trainer, who spends the most time with Chaeyoung, starts to assess her character. "Keep on talking to her, El. You are good at boosting her confidence. She has one of the best vocals I heard in my career as a vocal coach. With proper guidance and support, I honestly believe she can even survive the industry as a soloist when an opportunity comes for a solo career."