The lights of the city gleamed against the windshield of Jaemi's car as she pulled into the parking lot of the recording studio. Jaemi stepped out of the car, taking her Bluetooth ear piece out of her ear as she switched to holding her cell phone to her ear.

"I know," she said, placing her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she shoved her ear piece into her backpack. "This isn't the most ideal situation, obviously." She tossed her backpack onto her left shoulder. "But what choice do I have?" she said, locking her car.

"Are you sure you're up for that noona?" Jaehyun's voice came over the other end of the line.

"I have to be. That's all there is to it," Jaemi replied with a shrug, ignoring the nervous palpitations of her heart just over the mere thought of being the leader once again. She cleared . "I should probably let you go now. It's late and I have recording to do."

"What? At this hour?" her brother asked.

"Yep. Heading to the building right now."

"Tsk. You really need to have some fun soon, Jae noona. Don't work too hard, got it? It's late. You should only being doing something fun this late at night. Like--"

"Jaemi!" a familiar voice called.

Jaemi turned to her right to see Leeteuk on the sidewalk heading in the direction of the studio door, a selfie stick in hand as if he were filming himself at the moment. Her eyes widened.

"Wait. Jae, who is that? Wait... are you--" She could hear chuckling on the other end of the line. "Are you really going to be recording right now or--"

"I gotta go," she whispered, hastily cutting him off. "It's Leeteuk. On camera. Bye." She hung up the phone, shoving it in her pocket quickly.

"Hello~" Leeteuk spoke, donning his MC voice. "I'm here at the recording studio. It's currently 11:45 p.m. and we're going to watch Jaemi do some recording. Let's go!"

She sent Leeteuk a smile and a wave as he approached. "Hello," she said with a wave to the camera as he sidled up next to her to get them both in the frame.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as Leeteuk turned off the phone camera.

"I thought it would be a good idea to get some more footage," he said with a smile. "And introduce everyone to their new leader."

Jaemi scoffed.

Leeteuk raised an eyebrow, but did not comment as he approached the door. Taking the handle in his hand, he opened up the door, holding it open.

“Thanks,” she said, sidling past him.

A beat passed as Leeteuk followed her. “Can I ask you something?” he said as the door closed behind them.

“What?” she asked, glancing at him.

“How come you weren’t the leader to begin with?” he asked, dropping his voice to a hush. “Why was Minyeon the leader?”

Jaemi held a straight face as her eyes met his. “I thought she was more suited for the position,” she said before turning away with a shrug. “Thought wrong I guess,” she muttered, dropping her voice. “Again.” In a higher voice, she continued, “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. Just gotta focus on keeping the group safe now.” She started to walk down the hallway toward one of the recording rooms. “I have to say, you’ve done a pretty good job with being leader. You’re probably one of the best actually,” she said, her tone casual as she glanced at him from her peripheral.

Leeteuk shrugged. “Not really. We’ve had a lot of trouble over the years…” He trailed off for a moment, shaking his head a tad. “I used to care about winning awards, but now—” He exhaled, pausing for a moment and Jaemi detected a hint of sadness in his voice. “—I just want the group to stay together. That’s all that matters to me.”

Jaemi nodded in understanding.

The conversation ceased as they reached their destination.

After exchanging greetings with the man stationed at the sound booth, Jaemi entered the recording room door and took her place in front of mic. Placing the headphones over her ears, she took a deep breath, preparing herself. Looking down at the music sheets on the stand in front of her, she began to do a few vocal warm-ups. After warming up her vocal cords, they began to play the music.

As she listened for the cue, she glanced up from the music sheet and caught Leeteuk looking at her through the glass, his selfie stick raised to film her. She felt a knot form in her stomach. This was going to be the nation’s first glimpse of her being the new leader. Was she truly up for the task? She had no choice. She must do her best for the sake of the group no matter what.

Leeteuk raised his free hand in a fist and mouthed “fighting”.

Jaemi smiled back, sending the camera a wave before she began to sing her newfound lyrics. "I don't know why I wander, not knowing where I am."

It was useless to worry of the future. She must focus on being a leader and not look back.

"I feel even unfamiliar with myself, not knowing who I am," she continued to sing. "Since you're out of my life." Her eyes closed automatically as she began to pour her emotions into the lyrics. "No one can replace you since you were out of my life. Since you're out of my life. " She opened her eyes again, turning her attention to the camera again as she continued to sing. "Please hold me, I'm falling apart since you were out of my life."

She sent the camera a smile. From here on out, she would be the leader of the Starlets and protect her fellow members come what may.

****

Music blared through the dance practice room as the six women rehearsed the songs they had been preparing for Super Junior's anniversary.

"y, free, and single I'm ready too, Bin--"

A loud thud echoed through the room as Byulhee fell to the ground, her bottom connecting hard with the wood floor.

"Owwww..." she groaned. “Right on the tushy," she said, forcing a smile as her eyelids winced in pain.

"Oh my goodness!" Lìxúe cried, bolting over to Byulhee. "Are you alright?"

Jaemi, Aeyeong, and Sijin bolted over to their fallen member. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Nell let out a breath as she went over to the stereo, pausing the music on her mp3 player. This was the third injury they had over this song since Minyeon had left the group nearly a month ago.

Originially, Nell had choreographed "y, Free, & Single" to highlight their dancing abilities. It was a test to their strength and talents. However, with Minyeon gone, she had to completely rework the choreography to this song, (which had taken precious time), and yet, the members still were having difficulty learning it. First, Jaemi and Lìxúe collided into each other when the leader forgot the direction of a turn had changed, effectively running into their main visual as she was about to spin. The second incident occurred when Sijin took a misstep and almost twisted her ankle. Thankfully, the poor dear was not hurt physically, though it was obvious she felt horrible about the mistake. Now, it seemed Byulhee would need to take a break with her little injury.

"Thanks guys," Byulhee said as the others assisted her into a standing position. "Ouch. I think the floor just kicked me in the pants," she said with a slight chuckle. "Sorry. Let's get back to dancing."

"Take a break," commanded Jaemi. "No practicing until you feel better."

Byulhee opened to argue, but seemed to think better of it. "Alright, unnie." She gave the leader a salute before turning to lean against the wall to rest for a bit.

Nell shook her head gently. It was pointless to keep practicing this song if more injuries occurred. They were not learning the new choreography very well at all. She held back a sigh. It was a shame after all her hard work in choreographing the dance twice, but her members' welfare was more important. "Jaemi?" she began, turning her head in Jaemi's direction.

"Yeah?" Jaemi asked as she began to walk toward her dongsaeng. "What's up?"

Nell waited until Jaemi had reached her before she began speaking. "Super Junior's anniversary is in just a couple days," she said, her voice hushed. "I think that 'Sorry, Sorry' and 'Mamacita' look really good right now, but--" she broke off, tilting her head slightly as she bit her low lip slightly. "--I feel like we took two steps back with this one."

"So, you're saying that we should scrap this one?" asked Jaemi pointedly.

Nell nodded. "Yeah. This is the third injury and it seems like you guys--" she paused as she attempted to choose her words carefully.

Jaemi chuckled, seeming to catch on to her dongsaeng's meaning. "We , right?" she offered with another chuckle.

Nell sent her a tight-lipped smile as she shrugged, trying to avoid being rude.

After a moment, Jaemi shook her head, scoffing. "Ever since Minyeon left, I guess we just can't get used to the new choreography of this song." She shrugged. "At least our debut songs are fine without her." She let out a sigh as she nodded. "Alright." She whirled around on her heel to face the other members, clapping her hands to get their attention.

Her fellow members turned to face her.

Jaemi cleared . "How do you guys feel about scrapping 'y, Free, & Single'?"

There was a series of murmurs as they considered her words.

"I do like the dance, but we're having a lot of trouble with it."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to--"

"It's a cool dance. But it's been literally a pain in the--"

"Wait. But are we going to do another song instead?"

"No," Nell began. "We won't do another song. Just 'Sorry, Sorry' and 'Mamacita'. It will be simpler that way."

Aeyeong gave a slight nod. "I agree. Our performances will be better if we just focus on what we know already."

Jaemi nodded. "It's kind of a shame though. I do like the dance. But I agree with all of you. It would be better if we just do the other two songs. I'll call Minho and inform him of the change."

The other members murmured in agreement. With Super Junior's anniversary looming just ahead of them, they did not have time to waste. They would focus their efforts on rehearsing "Sorry, Sorry" and "Mamacita".

****

"Hey Mamacita! Ayayaya!" the members sang out as the song came to an end.

Nell gave a satisfied nod. She looked at her fellow members through the reflection of the mirrored wall ahead, sending them a smile. "Perfect," she said. "I think we're ready for tomorrow's performances."

"Yay!" Byulhee said, leaping off the ground with her hands in the air. She let out a breath, her expression shifting suddenly. "Hey, does anyone else think that the lyrics to that song are sooo weird? Like they don't make any sense!"

Her fellow members giggled.

Sijin shrugged. "Quite a few of SM's songs don't make sense though."

Byulhee snapped her fingers. "You have a point." She turned to Nell. "You said that we're perfect, right? Does this mean that we can stop practicing for the day? I wanna start baking the cake now!"

Jaemi chuckled. "Don't worry, Byul. We're done for the day. Aeyeong, Nell, and I are going to go downstairs to decorate. So, you guys can head back to the dorms."

"We're gonna make a caaaa-aake!" sang Byulhee as she dug into her duffel bag and snatched up her hoodie. She tugged off her custom cut DIY shirt with the name of Nell's dance studio emblazoned across the chest. "We're gonna make a cake!" She tossed her shirt aside, letting it fall to the floor unheeded as she threw on a hoodie over her neon purple sports bra.

Jaemi chuckled, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Good thing there's not another tall building outside the windows. Otherwise our neighbors would be getting quite the show between watching us in our--" She paused looking down at her own shirt. "--'crop tops' and you flashing your bra."

Byulhee laughed. "That is one way we could get publicity. Maybe we should consider advertising that way," she joked.

Jaemi slapped a hand to her forehead as several laughs and giggles broke out in the room. "Anyway--" she began, clearing as she made her way over to her duffel bag. "I'm gonna head to the restroom to change." She turned toward Aeyeong and Nell's direction. "I'll meet you two downstairs after I grab the supplies from my car." She looked towards the others. "I'll see the rest of you later." She dug into her bag, pulling out a sweatshirt to throw on over her tiny shirt. After donning the sweatshirt, she heaved her duffel bag over her shoulder and then sent her fellow members a wave before exiting the room. "See ya!"

Byulhee bounced up, throwing herself on Lìxúe's back as the latter began to head toward the door. "This is going to be so fun!"

Lìxúe adjusted herself to carry Byulhee properly, so the latter would not fall. She giggled over the older member's actions. "I love you, unnie," she said aloud. "You're so cute."

"D'awwh!" Byulhee squealed, squeezing her arms around Lìxúe. "I wuv you too!" She jumped off Lìxúe, giving her a slap on the behind as she did so. She proceeded to throw one arm over Sijin's shoulders and one over Lìxúe's, successfully linking the three women together. "I wuv all you guys though!" she said, giving the two a squeeze and almost causing Sijin to stumble in the process. "Now let's go make a cake. We'll be the three cake musketeers! Or three cake caballeros! Or--"

Aeyeong chuckled softly as she and Nell began to head toward the door. "Have a safe drive home! We'll see you later!"

Byulhee shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Tsk. Tsk. I figured you and Nell had other plans tonight... You know, with it being Suju's anniversary tomorrow... and both your men are SJ members... You know, maybe have a little early celebration..." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Nell let out a breath. "Is that all you ever think about?"

Byulhee shook her head. "No, I just want to be an auntie. So you need to make me one."

Nell's mouth fell open. "Byul!"

"What? I love babies! I think they're just the cutest." She paused. "Baby animals are cute too. Can we have the kittens if Berlioz ever has kittens?"

"Berlioz is a boy," Aeyeong responded, trying to keep her lips from curling up in laughter.

"Oh, yeah. Then get him a wifey cat so he can have kittens."

Aeyeong bit back another laugh. "Alright," she said. "We'll see you later!" she said as she opened the door and held it open for Nell.

"Bye!" Nell called with a small wave as exited the room.

"Bye!" the remaining three called back as Byulhee unhooked her arms from around Lìxúe and Sijin.

"Let's goooooo!" Byulhee sang, picking up her duffel.

The trio gathered up their belongings and proceeded to leave the dance practice room, ready to head back to the dorms.

****

The dorm kitchen echoed with giggles, music, and loud singing as Lìxúe, Sijin, and Byulhee bustled about, gathering ingredients and mixing several bowls with confectionery as Nick sat on the floor with his head on his paws as he quietly observed them.

"I growl, growl, growl," the three girls sang along with the EXO song pouring from the speakers of Lìxúe's phone on the counter. "I growl, growl, growl. I growl, growl, growl."

"If you don't get away, you might get hurt," sang Byulhee as she cracked an egg on the side of the bowl a little more vehemently than she intended, causing the egg to spill all over her hand. "Oops!" she said, glancing each way in search of a towel.

Sijin, noticing her unnie's plight, hastily handed her a paper towel. "There you go, unnie."

"Thank youuuu, Nabi!" Byulhee cried, snatching at the paper towel. "You're my hero."

Sijin giggled, shaking her head. "Nah." She turned her head back to the bowl in front of her, mixing the chocolate cake batter.

"Let's try this again," Byulhee commented, grabbing another egg from the carton. She cracked the egg successfully and began to separate the egg white from the yolk. "A black shadow awakens in me," she began to sing along again as she disposed of the yolk and egg shells. She snatched up another egg and cracked it, repeating the process.

"Fireworks erupt in my eyes that see you," the girls continued to sing as Byulhee reached for the bag of flour hastily, not noticing that Lìxúe was moving at the same time to grab the sugar placed next to the flour. "Everyone get away from her side. Because I'm--"

Byulhee broke out in laughter. "Oops!" she said between laughs. "Sorry Lìlì." She giggled as she stared at Lìxúe's face which now had a puff of flour on the left side of her face from her cheek to the tip of her nose.

Sijin covered , trying to suppress a giggle. She reached out to grab a napkin for her unnie.

The left corner of Lìxúe's lips curved upward in a smirk, her eyes beginning to gleam as an idea came to mind. "Don't worry about it," she said, sending the older member a charming smile. She took the napkin from Sijin's outstretched hand. "Thanks, Nabi!" After removing the flour from her face, she got back to the task at hand, her eyes continuing to gleam as she added sugar to her bowl with corn starch. After mixing the two, she added her chopped strawberries and put the glaze on the stove to heat.

As Byulhee and Sijin finished making the chocolate and white cake batters and put them in cake pans to bake, Lìxúe glanced around, silently taking inventory of what ingredients were still needed for their cakes. The strawberry filling was currently cooling, and both the vanilla and chocolate frostings were in the refrigerator. A wry smile found its way onto her face.

Sijin turned from setting the timer on the oven, her eyes widening upon catching the look on Lìxúe's face. She had seen that look on her fellow member's face only a couple of times, but she knew what it meant. She opened to speak, but Lìxúe pressed a finger to her lips, signally Sijin to keep quiet. Sijin nodded ever so slightly as Lìxúe tiptoed her way toward Byulhee with her right hand cupped. Sijin could see flour in her fellow member's hand.

Byulhee stood, her head bent over the counter as she stared down at Lìxúe's phone, scrolling through the playlist. "Hey, what do you wanna listen to? Maybe--Oh! Oh! This is a good one!" she clicked on the screen.

The music began to play, and Byulhee whirled around just as Lìxúe lifted her flour filled hand. "So, wha--aaahh!" Byulhee blinked, flour falling from the tips of her eyelashes.

Lìxúe giggled, her eyes gleaming with delight.

Sijin put a hand to as she giggled, her eyelids squinting as she laughed.

Byulhee's eyes zeroed on the bag of flour on the island counter.

Lìxúe's eyes darted between Byulhee and the bag of flour.

The two eyed each other as each slid a foot closer to the flour.

Byulhee's flour covered face broke out in cheeky grin as Lìxúe narrowed her eyes and sent her unnie a smirk.

Sijin, who stood on the other side of the island counter, glanced at the bag of the flour in front of her and then at the two women currenlty locked in a standoff. Her hands slowly reached out for the bag in front of her. She had the advantage now. 

Within a split second, Lìxúe and Byulhee bolted for the bag of flour, but neither caught it.

"Hey!"

"Wai--ahh!"

Byulhee and Lìxúe jumped back, their faces and the fronts of their shirts plastered with flour. Sijin stood, with the bag of flour still in her hands, giggling at the success of her handiwork.

Lìxúe wiped the flour from her face and sent Sijin a smirk as she reached an arm out for the bag of sugar.

Sijin's eyes widened. She grabbed a handful of flour, throwing it in Lìxúe's direction. She felt something hit her left shoulder with a crack! Something oozed down her shoulder, causing her to grimace. She looked down and saw egg on her. Her eyes darted to Byulhee, who had since climbed atop the island counter with the carton of eggs.

"I'm queen of the counter!" Byulhee cried out, tossing an egg at Lìxúe.

Lìxúe dodged the attack, her eyes meeting Sijin's. She gestured with her head, signaling that the two should gang up on their unnie.

The kitchen erupted in squeals and giggles as their little war commenced and the kitchen turned into a battlefield.

Nick, observing the chaos, quickly got up from his spot on the floor and retreated toward the living room until the flour and sugar dust settled.

****

In one of the larger practice rooms at JJE, Jaemi, Aeyeong, and Nell busied themselves with decorating. Nell was currently setting up decorations atop three long tables that were pushed together to make one long table in order to accomodate all the Super Junior members and the Startlets combined. She placed white tablecloths over them to cover the tops, and put clear vases at the center of each table. She tied a blue ribbon around each of the vases. The ribbon was the same sapphire pearl blue that Super Junior fans the world over recognized. She finished the bows on each one and stepped away, admiring her handiwork. "There. We just need the flowers. We're picking up the bouquet and rose stems tomorrow, right?"

Jaemi and Aeyeong, who were on ladders hanging up streamers around the walls, glanced in Nell's direction. "Yeah," Jaemi replied as she tore a piece of tape from the tape dispenser. "We'll pick 'em up on the way here so that they're fresh. Remind me to bring some extra water for the flowers before we leave."

Aeyeong nodded. "I won't let you forget."

Nell took out a small bag of decorative fillers and began to spread the flat clear and blue marbles around each vase, giving the tables more flare.

Aeyeong's phone made a noise, notifying her of a text message. She climbed down the ladder she was on and pulled her phone from her pocket. She giggled, shaking her head over so slightly. "That Fishy," she mumbled as she typed away a response to her fiancé.

Jaemi smiled. "Is Donghae asking where you are?"

"Yeah. I told him earlier that I would be staying at the dorms tonight, but I guess he's having trouble dealing with Berlioz," she replied, cracking a smile over the thought of the Fish and the cat misbehaving yet again.

"You sure you want to stay at the dorms tonight?" Jaemi asked. "Your apartment might be destroyed by those two if you don't." She chuckled.

Aeyeong giggled, shaking her head. "They can manage one night without me."

"Tsk. Tsk." Jaemi shook her head. "I warn you though. If both you and Nell stay at the dorms tonight, Byul will have a field day of trying to interrogate you both." She laughed.

Nell rolled her eyes. It was rather irritating how Byulhee really wanted to know her business. She sighed. However, she would have to learn to trust her fellow members with the secret if they were to help support her and Siwon's relationship.

Hearing Nell's sigh, Jaemi glanced down at her dongsaeng, before fastening another area of streamer to the ceiling. "Hey, Nell. If you want, I can talk to Byulhee and ask her to respect your privacy with your relationship with Siwon. Maybe ask her to lay low with the questions."

Nell sent her unnie a tight-lipped smile. While it would be nice to keep Byulhee from prying into her life further, she must get used to the fact that these women were now a part of her family. "No thanks, Jae," she replied. "I can manage. Besides," she began with a small shrug. "We're probably going to need help in hiding our secret, so you should know more about us."

Aeyeong sent Nell an understanding nod. "It's not easy to keep a secret like that, is it?"

"No," Nell responded as she finished setting up the decorations on the table. "It's not easy. Though both our families are very supportive of us." A smile drew across her face. "And the rest of SuJu have been so supportive too. Even arranging secret dates for us." Her eyes sparkled in remembrance of several instances.

"That's sweet," commented Aeyeong as she began to move her ladder to another space.

"If you don't mind my asking," Jaemi began. "How long have you and Siwon been dating?"

"We were friends for about... eight years," Nell answered as she pulled out a chair from the table to sit in. "Then he confessed his feelings and we've been together ever since. We've been a couple now for about two years."

"Awwh, that's cute," Aeyeong remarked. "I'm glad you two found each other."

Jaemi smiled. "He seems like a nice guy. You both are cute together."

Nell smile, her eyes twinkling with delight. "Thanks," she said. "I'm glad to have him." She sat back in her chair with a yawn, as a wave of lethargy overcame her. It had been a long week. A long month actually. Between preparing for Super Junior's anniversary, preparing for the Starlets' debut, teaching her fellow members all the choreographies, and dealing with the issues brought about by Minyeon's sudden leave, she hardly had time to relax and rest. Her eyelids gently began to flicker closed as the weight of sleepiness slowly overtook her body.

A few minutes went by in silence.

Jaemi glanced over at Sleeping Beauty. It was strange how the Starlets and the very lives of its members were so closely linked with that of Super Junior's. Fate was a funny thing. She shook her head ever so slightly as if to clear her mind. She made her way down the ladder and then looked up at her and Aeyeong's work. "Looks good," she commented.

Aeyeong stepped off her ladder. "It does. I think tomorrow is going to turn out well."

Jaemi nodded. "I think so too."

****

Donghae walked through the doors of the JJE building, his eyes immediately zeroing in on his fellow SJ members hovering near one of the reception desks. Several squeals echoed through the spacious room as several girls noticed his presence. He noticed the security guards blocking their access. He sent a charming smile in their direction and then turned to walk toward the rest of his group. "Teukie hyung!" he called, nearing them.

Leeteuk turned to look at him. "Hey. How are you?"

"Good," Donghae replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. "What's going on? Why aren't you guys in the dance practice room?"

Leeteuk shrugged. "We're not sure what's going on. There seems to be some issue. They didn't even give me any cue cards yet."

Eunhyuk turned to Donghae, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Shouldn't you know what's going on?" He turned his head to whisper in Donghae's ear. Several squeals resounded throughout the room again. "You're the one with a Starlet for a fiancé," he said in a hushed voice.

Donghae elbowed Eunhyuk in the side, shoving him away playfully.

"Siwon doesn't know either," Eunhyuk continued, keeping his voice low. "I tried texting Byul, but no response."

Donghae lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "You got her number?" he whispered.

Eunhyuk flashed a gummy smile. "...Yeah."

Donghae tilted his head, sending him a knowing look. "You like her," he said, his voice no louder than a hush.

Eunhyuk's eyes flickered away momentarily as he tried to stop smiling, but failed miserably.

Donghae cracked a smile and turned to Yesung. "So, what's going on?"

Yesung shrugged. "The receptionist said something about a mix-up."

At that moment, the Starlets' manager, Minho, appeared, walking with one of the production staff members from the show. "This is ridiculous," Minho spat, shaking his head.

"You're telling me," the member from the production staff agreed.

Minho cleared his throat as approached Super Junior. "Sorry for the wait. There was a mix-up with dance practice rooms. We had to move the Starlets to another room."

The staff member handed some cue cards to Leeteuk. "Sorry there was no time to debrief you earlier." He cleared his throat as he glanced around to address all of the Super Junior members. "So, our theme for today is longevity in the music industry. Since this is the day of your eleventh anniversary, the Starlets are going to interview you regarding how you have been successful for all these years and how they can apply your words into their lives." He gestured his head toward Leeteuk. "Leeteuk has some of the questions that will be asked, so if you want to review the questions, I suggest doing so on your way to the dance practice room. We have a lot of filming to do, so we can't waste time. After all the questions have been asked, then you'll present the Starlets with this." He held out a brown box to Leeteuk. "Don't let them see it until the end."

Leeteuk raised his eyebrows. "Is this--?" he glanced toward Minho.

Minho nodded ever so slightly. "Now, let's go!" Minho said, gesturing for them to follow him.

After boarding everyone onto two separate elevators, they reached the designated floor and made their way to the correct room.

"Do you have the cue cards memorized?" the production staff member asked.

"Pretty much," Leeteuk said with a nod.

"Very well," the staff member said, taking the cue cards back. "I'll let them know you're ready so we can begin filming." He pressed a button on the side of his headset. "We're ready." There was a moment of silence as the staff member listened to the incoming instructions. He nodded once and then held his hand out in a five shape. Then he retracted one finger and then another. They watched as he silently counted down. When he hit one, he gave them the signal to enter.

Henry took the doorknob in hand and opened the door. Everyone's eyes widened all at once.

"Happy Anniversary!" called out six feminine voices as confetti fluttered all around the startled members of Super Junior.

The guys looked around, eyeing the streamers, the hand painted 'Happy 11th Anniversary' banner, the decorated tables, and the six bright-eyed, smiling women in front of them. The women all wore black skinny jeans, white button up shirts, black blazers or vests, and black Converse shoes.

The room erupted into chaos as all the Super Junior members began talking all at once.

"They did this for us?"

"Waaah. This is too much."

"So this was the 'mix-up'?"

"What kinds of cakes are those?"

"We shoulda realized earlier."

"Ryeowook, are you crying?"

"Heh. And here I thought--"

"You too, Eunhyuk?"

"Ohhhh! That explains a lot."

"Whose idea was this?"

"Who cares whose idea it was?" Heechul said, bounding up to the Starlets. "They threw us a party, so let's party!" He started dancing for a moment before throwing an arm around Jaemi's shoulders. "You didn't happen to bring any drinks, did you?" he asked, his voice teasing. 

Jaemi rolled her eyes and shrugged him off playfully. "Sodas and water are in the cooler to your left."

Heechul threw his head back and laughed. "Just kidding."

Jaemi cleared . "Why don't you guys take a seat?" she said, gesturing to the table.

After the Super Junior members had taken places along one side of the tables and each had been served cake, the Starlets stood in front of the tables with just enough space between to allow for a couple cameramen to sit on the ground to film them. Other cameras were placed on the table to capture the reactions of Super Junior members.

Jaemi bowed, the other Starlets following suit. Jaemi straightened up. "Thank you, Super Junior. You have helped us and supported us all these weeks so far both on and off the show. We have so much to learn, yet you have been so patient with us. Thank you so much for your support. Please, continue to support us in the future." Jaemi bowed again and stepped back, allowing Lìxúe to step forward.

"You have been such an inspiration to us," Lìxúe said. "Not only for us, but for anyone in the entertainment industry." Her eyes met Zhoumi’s for the faintest of moments and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. "Thank you."

Sijin smiled, her cheeks slightly tinted in bashfulness. Yesung and Ryeowook each sent her an encouraging nod. She took a quick breath. "It hasn't been easy for us. We've had a few bumps in the road," she said, thinking of her own difficulties. "But you have been very supportive. Thank you for all the help."

"It’s been so fun!" Byulhee exclaimed, causing smiles and a couple chuckles to arise between both the members of Super Junior and the Starlets. "To be with such great idols and great people! Wahh~! It's been great! Here's to the Kings of K-pop!" She bounded forward, grabbing a glass of water from the table and raising it up in a toast. She set the glass down with such zealousness, she accidentally spilled some of the water onto the table cloth.

"To thank you for everything, we decided to throw you this anniversary party," Aeyeong said, her eyes meeting Donghae's for a brief moment as she sent them a smile. "Here's to eleven years and another one hundred and eleven."

Nell stepped forward, sending them a charming smile. "Also, to honor your anniversary, we decided to pay tribute to two of your songs. Hope you like them." She bowed her head, stepping back as the rest of the members took their opening positions. "Happy Anniversary."

The music began to play.

(Here's the dance for reference. Obviously, SNSD has more members than the Starlets. And uh, no lights or stage here in our story right now.)

Before the Super Junior members could react in applause, the women had already repositioned themselves into their second line-up and the second song began. 

As the song ended, several of the Super Junior members stood up, whistling. The rest clapped and cheered.

Nell smiled, knowing that SuJu was genuinely excited about their covers of the songs. 

As things began to wind down and everyone enjoyed cake and conversation, Leeteuk suddenly stood up, clearing his throat. "Thank you, everyone. This has been the best anniversary yet." His eyes wandered momentarily, gazing between all those present. "Thank you for this surprise." His eyes glistened slightly with tears. "Thank you." He bowed. He straightened up and then smiled. "We actually have a surprise for you too." He revealed a brown box, holding it out for Jaemi. "I think the new leader of the Starlets should open this."

Jaemi took the box from his hand, one of her eyebrows raised in a questioning gaze. "Thank you," she said. She gestured for the rest of the members to crowd around her so that they could see what was inside. As soon as everyone was gathered around, she gingerly opened the box, taking out the item.

Gasps, squeals, and excited shrieks filled the room as their first album was passed around between the members, each member flipping through the photobook for the first time.

As Jaemi glanced between the excited and joyous faces of the Starlets and Super Junior members alike, she knew instinctively that despite whatever challenges they faced and would face in the future, this was only the beginning of their career. And whether it was for better or for worse, Super Junior was going to see them through it until the end... starting with their debut stage.

Author's Note
Thanks for reading! Sorry this took so long. Originally, I was going to edit the songs and add pics of the Starlets and change things up a bit, but when I was about half way through, the software crashed and I lost all the work. So, sorry I could only add video references instead. 

Hope you all like the first version of their album. The second version will be revealed in another chapter. 

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you all are doing well. Have a good day!