2013

Choi Yoon Ji's morning didn't go as planned. She had intended to wake up early, but after staying up late working, she slept through her alarm.

She found herself running late. With a groan, she leaped out of bed, hastily threw on some clothes, grabbed her bag and laptop, and dashed out of her apartment.

She rushed to her usual café for breakfast and to meet her friend. Since her friend wasn’t there, she decided to open her laptop to continue her work. Ordering an americano and a croissant, she immersed herself in her tasks until a voice caught her attention.

“What are you doing on your laptop again?” her friend Min Ah asked.

“I have a meeting, and I still haven’t finished the conceptual design yet,” Yoon Ji replied.

“Late as usual. You can’t be you if you finish work before deadlines,” Min Ah teased.

“Come on Min Ah, at least I deliver on time,” Yoon Ji retorted.

Min Ah is a cook, and she was preparing for the opening of her little restaurant. She had been Choi Yoon Ji’s friend for 4 years now.

“I know, I know,” Min Ah said with a chuckle. “I just can’t help but tease you. Anyway, good luck with your meeting. II'll go order my hot chocolate and then come join you to work. I have a menu to finish.”

Over cups of steaming coffee and chocolate, they worked and talked about they respective lives sharing stories and laughter as they always did.

They were engrossed in conversation until they were interrupted by a music video playing on the coffee shop’s TV. It was the new release by Exo, a song called "Growl". Yoon Ji watched it carefully, her head nodding along to the rhythm.

“Nice song,” Min Ah commented.

“Yes, I like this group,” Yoon Ji replied.

“But I think the music video could have been better… You could have done a better job from concept to filming set ideas,” Min Ah added.

Yoon Ji chuckled and shook her head. “If you had the opportunity to work with them, would you accept?” Min Ah asked.

“I would never work with SM Entertainment, you know this,” Yoon Ji replied firmly.

“Wouldn’t you miss many opportunities if you keep holding a grudge?”

“Min Ah, you know I want to focus more on commercials. I'm doing music videos because it makes me feel like I'm somewhat realizing my dream,” Yoon Ji explained.

Choi Yoon Ji had once trained to become an idol. She loved the industry and had poured her heart and soul into her training, excelling as both a singer and dancer. However, due to some circumstances beyond her control, she couldn't realize her dream of debuting as an idol.

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