[2004, Diamond Bar, California, USA]

            “Stephanie, don’t you dare leave!”

            By now, their yelling had become so loud and alarming that the entire Hwang family joined this rousing quarrel in the living room.  Stephanie Miyoung Hwang, a tiny fifteen year old with glowing skin and watery eyes stood before her father.  Her hands, clenched into fists on either side of her, trembled violently.  

            “Daddy, I’m going to sign that contract,” she insisted angrily.  “And I’m going to move to Korea and become a star!  You just don’t understand!”

            “Steph, think about what you’re saying,” her sister Michelle begged quietly from behind their father.  “You’re talking about a really big commitment.  What if things don’t work out?”

            “It’s too risky, Stephanie,” her father told with a softer voice.  “You don’t know what could happen over there.  You’re underage.”

            “The company will take good care of me!”  Though her father seemed to calm down, Tiffany couldn’t let go of her resentment.  She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek and took a deep breath.  “SM is a big company!  They can handle me.  They believe in me!”

            Her father absorbed her irritation.  “I believe in you too, Stephanie!  We all do!  But it’s not so simple.  You might train there for years and years and never actually debut.  It doesn’t matter if they believe in you or if we believe in you, or even if you believe in yourself.  It’s all a game of chance!”

            “That’s not true!”  Tears streamed down Stephanie’s face, and her anger seemed to fade for a moment.

            “Dad, let off her a bit,” Leo suggested, frowning at Stephanie.  “Steph…I know Dad seems harsh…But he’s right.”

            “He’s not!”

            “Stephanie!” 

            Her father looked at her with large, burning eyes full of pain and fury.  He breathed sharply as the wheels in his head turned.  His expression was possessed with uncertainty, fear, and frustration.  A few words rested on the tip of his tongue, and the darkness in his eyes gave a swift warning.  He hesitated, as what seemed to feel like the weight of destiny rested upon his lips.  He didn’t want to say it, no.  The words felt like burning arrows behind his teeth.  But, finally, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.

            “Your mother died only a few years ago.”  He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he watched Stephanie’s teary eyes fill with ache all over again.  Tears began to overflow in his own eyes, but he couldn’t stop himself.  “Are you really going to leave the three of us here alone without her or you?  Do you really want to break this family apart anymore?”

            Stephanie’s heart, mind, and body seemed to break all at the same time.  Her hate and anger shifted suddenly to desperation, and she saw her father as the last piece of her mother she could ever have.  As she looked into his honest, earnest eyes, her dreams flew swiftly from Korea and back to Diamond Bar, California.  She slowly submitted to his heartfelt plea, and ran into his arms.

            “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she sobbed, pressing her face into his chest.  “I still miss her so much.”

            “That’s fine, Miyoung-ah,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head.  “We all miss her.  Going to Korea isn’t going to fix that.  At least, if you’re here, we’ll be one family.  We can heal together.  Stay here, Miyoung-ah.  Stay here.”

*          *          *

[2000, South Korea]

            “Please, both of you should audition tomorrow.  You’re both so beautiful.  I think you’ll have a great future with SM Entertainment.”

            Jessica watched the scouting agent walk away from them, having understood only a portion of what she had said.  She had been walking through a South Korean mall with her sister and parents when that strange woman approached them.  Jessica looked up at her parents to find out what had just happened.

            “What did she want?” she asked bluntly in English, her voice as stern and melodic as that of a young princess.

            “She said she was from an entertainment company,” her mother replied, checking the card that the women had given her.  “It was so random though…I don’t know…”

            “Does the card look legitimate?” her father asked, peering over her mother’s shoulder.  He now struggled to hold a sleepy Krystal in his arms.  She had quickly become bored with the agent’s long monologue.

           “I think so…”  Mrs. Jung squinted her eyes skeptically.  “But…I really don’t trust it.  Even if it is a real offer, the girls are too young.  They need to live life a little before committing to a contract.”

            “Contracts are for adults,” Jessica insisted, looking over at a loud, colorful toy shop down the way.  “Hey, can we go check that place out?”

            “Jessica, you have a nice voice,” Mrs. Jung began, her eyes still filled with uncertainty.  “Do you think you would ever like to be a professional singer?”

           “Maybe I will in the future,” she admitted, still staring at the bright toys.  “But if I decide to become a singer, I’ll just become one then.  I don’t need to be discovered in a mall.  I’ll make a way for myself.”

            “Hmm, Jessica Jung, you’re a go-getter,” Mr. Jung grinned, patting Krystal’s back gently.  “I think Jessica has the right idea, honey.  We’ll let her make that decision in the future.”

            Mrs. Jung held the business card precariously in her hands.  The glossy rectangle shone like a golden ticket to fame and fortune.  It became very heavy in her hands, as if it held more than just a name and phone number.  She glanced at Jessica’s determined, little 11-year-old face and suddenly lost all her fear and doubt.  After feeling the card’s prickly edges one last time, she dropped it to the floor and followed Jessica into the toy store.

*          *          *

[1990, Kuwait City, Kuwait]

            “Sooyoung-ah, I told you it wasn’t a good idea to move here!”

            Sooyoung Lee barely heard his wife’s words as they raced through the Kuwait airport.  He held the hands of his two oldest daughters, while his youngest daughter bounced perilously in his wife’s arms.  They carried no luggage besides a backpack with important paperwork and documents.

            “Yeobo, please just follow me.  This is no place to argue.”

            “Sooyoung-ah, I’m just so worried!”

            “We’re going to be fine!  Don’t worry!”

            Their frantic Korean was a rare sound within the Arabic nation.  Natives rushed around the airport, shouting to one another in Arabic, while U.S. troops gave loud orders of direction in English.  Sooyoung listened for the little English he could understand, and they were eventually led to a kiosk within the airport.

            “We need to go back to Korea,” his wife said urgently, rocking little Soonkyu in her arms.  The baby had begun to whimper as she observed her surroundings with wide eyes.

            “I know,” Sooyoung replied.  Two families waited ahead of them in line, and he looked up at the flight list on the screen above the kiosk.

            Suddenly, the whole building shook, and a loud boom could be heard outside.  Soonkyu let out a loud cry, and her big sisters clung to their father in fear.  He wrapped his arms around them and looked back at his wife.

            “What was that, Sooyoung-ah?” she asked anxiously.  “Are they already bombing the cities?”

            “Don’t worry,” he said, his throat tight and barely functional.

            They finally reached the front of the kiosk and attempted to communicate with the attendant in English.  Their hearts beat quickly as they struggled to find the right words.  After discussing with the attendant for a few minutes, Sooyoung turned to his wife.

            “The next flight to Korea is in three hours,” he informed.

            “We can’t stay here that long.”

            “I know.”  He took a deep breath.  “There’s a plane leaving for Los Angeles in a few minutes.  Let’s take it and figure out what to do later.”

            “Should…Should we just try again in Los Angeles?” she asked hesitantly.

            “Maybe…”  He turned back to the kiosk and asked for four tickets, since Soonkyu wouldn’t need one.

            They rushed out to the plane and boarded it quickly.  Soonkyu stopped crying when they sat in their seats.  The little baby, who had little idea of what was going on around her, seemed suddenly aware of everything.  As the plane took off, hope and wonder swirled within her wide eyes.  She suddenly frowned, as if she had lost a friend, as if she had lost many friends.  For the rest of the flight, she remained quiet, yet awake, as if sleep had never existed.  As if an entire lifetime had never existed.