Author's Note: Just so you know: past events are in Italics and present events are in just stantdard font.

********

A hushed silence fell over the theatre as two performers entered from stage right, their words carrying over the expanse into the auditorium seats. About midway up the center section of the house, a lone woman of thirty years of age sat pensively, her curly, red hair gathered over her right shoulder as she stared at the college students strutting about the stage. She shook her head gently watching them as they crossed downstage to the apron. They were tossing lines back and forth rather dramatically as if they were playing catch with a baseball instead of being their characters. Their movements were over exaggerated, their expressions and voices powerful as if trying to impress. She glanced down at the seats below and to the sides of her, gathering the expressions and attitudes of the other students watching the performance.

After several other lackluster performances, the woman stood up from her seat. “Joonho,” she called, turning her head to the back of the theatre toward the sound booth. “Please bring up the lights and then have a seat down here.” She made her way out of the row as the lights came up. She stepped down the stairs until she reached the steps that led up to the stage. She mounted the steps and made her way up the stage. “Alright everyone, take a seat in the first two rows.” She crossed to the center of the apron and waited until all the university students had moved into the designated seating area. “So,” she began, looking out at the two rows below her. “I feel like some of you are forgetting something essential in your performances; your character’s motives.”

A few of the students chuckled.

She smiled at them, shaking her head gently. “This isn’t a joke.” Her smile faded and her eyes turned serious. “It feels like some of you do not understand your characters. Their wants. Their needs.” She paused, gathering the expressions on her audience’s faces.

It was a simply concept, but they seemed to be trying to impress her with their acting abilities instead of just playing their characters.

“Let me give you an example.” She began to walk across the stage slowly. “A few of you have seen my latest role in The Scarlet Pimpernel.”

Several amused laughs erupted amidst the students. What she had said was assuredly an understatement. The majority of the students there had originally seen the show as part of a university assignment and then enrolled in the workshop after learning that the lead actress, Jung Jaemi, conducted some of the extra classes and workshops.

“As you know, the main character, Percy Blakeney, risks his life to save innocents from the guillotine in France, but—” She paused in her step, looking out at her audience. “—why would such a man decide to risk his life so much for people he did not know? It was not to be a hero, was it?”

“No.” A few of the students shook their heads in a negative response.

“What was it?”

One student raised her hand.

Jaemi nodded for the girl to respond.

“He did it because of his wife.”

“Right,” Jaemi said with a nod, sending the student a smile. “He is motivated by what he views as his wife’s treachery. Though he misunderstands his wife’s actions— that ‘betrayal’ he feels motivates him to right the wrongs he is so sure his wife had committed. He is so driven by this, that he keeps his love at a distance, never even confronting her about it. He doesn’t even learn the truth about her past until the scene by the footbridge, when he realizes just how much he still loves her. ” Jaemi paused, taking a seat on the stage, her legs dangling over the edge. “Now,” she began, glancing between the different students. “I want you all to think about your own characters and what truly motivates them. What drives them will be reflected in their actions, their words, their thoughts… If you don’t know your characters, then the audience won’t know them either and won’t be able to relate. If you try to ‘act’, you won’t get your message across to the audience. Only by truly being your character will you achieve that.” She paused, glancing down at her watch. “Well, that looks like all the time we have for today. For our next session, I think we’ll work on doing some more exercises with this and then we’ll talk about vocals and singing. Until then, take care!” She smiled, waving to them as they all began to gather their stuff.

As some of them began to leave the theatre, Jaemi overheard a couple of girls talking.

“So, how did the audition go?”

“I didn’t make it.”

“That’s too bad. It’s hard to get into that. That’s why I gave up. It’s easier to get into acting than it is to get into the music industry.”

“Yeah, I…”

As the girls walked out of earshot, Jaemi’s chest rose and fell with a quiet sigh. She stood up and began to tidy up the theatre, making sure everything was in place as her mind wandered to the conversation she had just overheard.

She knew all too well how hard it was to get into the music industry. She remembered the grueling work of classes and training… The long, fatiguing days of dancing… The even longer late night rehearsals, preparing for a debut that never was…

She smiled softly as she entered the sound booth and turned off the lights.

…She remembered how she loved every minute of it.

After locking up the theatre, she made her way to her car and started the engine, turning on the radio. The sound of talking immediately erupted from the car speakers.

“—you for tuning in. This is Super Junior’s Kiss the Radio. I’m Lee—”

Jaemi’s smile vanished in an instant, and she reached a hand to the radio controls, immediately flipping the channel to another station.

Her thoughts shifted back to her time at SM Entertainment, a scowl slowly making its way across her face.

She loved every minute of it until that one day… That day in the training room after rehearsals. The day when she discovered that one of the members—

Her chest rose and fell with a heavy exhale.

She recalled spending much time and effort to make things work between her group and the company, but to no avail. She was a terrible leader; she could not save their group from the demise that they inevitably faced. If she had been a better leader, than perhaps her group, 스타레트 (Starlet), would have had a chance to truly shine.

She scoffed deprecatingly as she finally arrived in front of her apartment building. She trudged up the steps to the sixth floor, her steps slow and heavy as she continued to reminisce over her past actions, her heeled shoes making a dull thud with every step.

If only she had been a good leader from the start, then maybe he would have stuck up for her. Maybe he would have seen just how much she wanted to see her group succeed… Maybe then he would have helped her group rise to stardom, instead of sending them to the SM blacklist.

Her keys jangled as she took them from her purse and unlocked the door to her apartment. She flipped on the light as she closed the door with her back. Leaning against the door, she stared down at the floor blankly.

Even if she was a good leader, he would never have stood up for her or her group. Of that she was certain. He would have betrayed her no matter what. 

She hated him.

She hated SM.

Why did SM have to drop her group? They had the potential. They could have gone far!

Heaving a sigh, Jaemi pushed herself off of the door and made her way to the couch, flopping onto it. She tugged off her heels and sat back against the cushions, closing her eyes.

Even though the past ten years had been good to her, a part of her still regretted the choices she had made all those years ago…

She loved the theatre, but there was always that underline feeling of remorse that lay hidden in her heart.

She recalled the hours spent rehearsing with her fellow members; laughing, joking, and trying to support each other during the late hours of dance practices and training sessions. She remembered the lovely times she spent pouring over a notebook, filling it with lyrics for their future albums. If only—

Jaemi sat up suddenly, blinking her eyes rapidly as an idea struck her. She bolted from the couch and went to the closet, pulling out an old box out from the topmost shelf. Dropping to her knees, she opened the box hastily, pulling out a worn, faded red notebook. A small smile dusted her lips as she stared down at the notebook, her eyes twinkling. She took a sharp intake of breath and opened the book, her heart quickening all the more as her eyes fell upon the filled pages.

****

Jaemi walked out of one of the dance practice rooms, her duffel bag swung across her shoulder as she made her way through the halls of SM. All during practice her mind had been whirling with lyrics that needed to be written down, but she had to wait until practice was finished for the day. With her mind thus burning, she turned down an empty corridor and ped one of the side pockets of her duffel bag. She pulled out a little red notebook and a pen, and then she dropped her duffel bag onto the floor. Taking the pen in hand and holding the notebook against the wall, she began writing down the lyrics that were spinning through her mind.

After writing down a few lines, she crossed out some of the words and scribbled down others, her hand flying across the page.

Suddenly, she felt a presence come up next to her.

“Sorry to interrupt you, but what are you doing?” asked a polite voice.

“Writing lyrics.” Jaemi glanced up from her notebook, her eyes falling upon the young man standing there and taking in his appearance. He was of average height with a rather plain face. His choppy hair fell messily about his forehead. Instantly, she recognized him as being the leader of the other project group currently working towards debut.

“In the hallway?” He smiled, a dimple sinking into his left cheek.

Jaemi chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. “Inspiration struck, I guess.” She shifted her notebook from the wall to her hand and then bowed her head in greeting. “This is the first time we’ve met in person. I’m Jaemi.” She straightened up with a smile. “You’re Park Jungsoo, right? I’ve seen you around in between classes and training. You’re the leader of O.V.E.R., right?”

“Yes,” he replied with a grin. “Although there’s been some discussion about changing the name though.” He laughed, causing Jaemi to crack a smile over how strange his laughter sounded. Jungsoo tilted his head slightly. “You’re the leader of Seutaleteu aren’t you?”

Jaemi nodded, smiling gently over how he pronounced ‘Starlet’. “Neh.”

“How do you like it?”

“Being leader? It’s pretty fun actually. A lot of work though. A lot of late night rehearsals.” She giggled softly. “By the time we get to debut though, I’m afraid we’ll all look like a bunch of zombies instead of some bright-eyed starlets.”

Jungsoo chuckled.

“So, how do you like being leader?” she asked in return.

“It’s interesting.” He shrugged, his face falling slightly.

Jaemi tilted her head in concern. “What is it? Do you not like being leader? Or does your group not get along?”

“Sort of,” he responded with a sad smile. “There’s a lot of competition between the members— It’s just—” He sighed quietly, his eyes darting off to the side. “We’re a generation group.” His eyes met hers. “Only a few of us will be able to continue to the next rotation.” He shrugged. “I may be leader right now, but I am the oldest…” He trailed off, leaving his sentence to remain unfinished.

Jaemi felt sympathy for him. It must be horrible knowing that you can only live your dream for such a short amount of time before— What was even going to happen to other members once they ‘graduated’? She felt her chest tighten at the mere thought of it. She looked up at Jungsoo with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I wish that there was something I could do to help,” she said sincerely.

Jungsoo smiled gently. “Kamsahamnida.” He let out a breath and then smiled wider. “I will still do my best. It’s my job to spread the love of O.V.E.R all over the world.” His eyes grew brighter and his dimple seemed to dance upon his cheek as he spoke this determination.

Jaemi smiled, admiring his resolve. “I think that’s great. If the company sees you doing your best, then something good will come your way.”

Jungsoo nodded slowly. “I hope so.” A beat passed and he smiled. “So, do you have your own Cyworld?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Aniyo. Why?”

“To promote your group.”

“Oh. I’m not good with all that stuff,” she responded with a small chuckle. “Let me guess: You’re on yours every day?”

“With your group debuting before us, I have to try to promote as much as possible, sunbaenim.” Jungsoo smiled somewhat guiltily.

Jaemi laughed at his expression. “I guess you’re already one-up on me in the leader role, Junior,” she joked, sending him a wink.

At that moment, Jungsoo’s cell phone beeped, indicating that he had received a message. He fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open, reading the message. His eyes widened. “Oh. I lost track of time.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “Mianhamnida, I have to go. It was nice talking to you.” He smiled, bowing his head.

“It was nice talking to you too, Jungsoo,” she replied, bowing in return. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure.” She straightened up, sending him a genuine smile.

“Neh. I will see you around,” he said, nodding gently. He turned like he was about to leave, but paused. “Are—” he broke off, ruffling his hair. “Are you going to the company picnic next month?”

“Yeah. Our group is supposed to be giving a preview of one of our songs.”

“Great! Our group is going to be showcasing some of our talents too.” He looked somewhat sheepish. “I was kind of hoping that maybe you could give me your opinion on what you think of our group. Maybe give me some tips?”

Jaemi giggled. “Sure. If you help me too, that is. I think we leaders will need all the help that we can.” She grinned. “I will definitely see you there if not before, but I think we’ll be seeing more of each other just around the company.”

 “True.” Jungsoo nodded with a smile. “Well, I’m leaving. Take care!”

Jaemi waved and watched him turn a corner and walk out of sight. She smiled gently. It would be nice to have a friend who understood what she was going through as a leader.

Her smile fell.

It was a shame though that his group was only a generation group, she mused. To know that your own group would not last would be terrible, but it would be even worse to know that you would be one of the first to leave.

****

Jaemi sat on the floor with her notebook laid in front of her, the pages scrawled with songs that never had a proper performance. She had her cell phone in her hand, her finger hovering over the dial button. She stared at the screen where the name of a close friend— and former member of 스타레트 – was written across the top. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. She opened her eyes and pressed the dial button. Holding her phone to her ear, she leaned back, resting her head against the wall as the phone began to ring.

There was a sudden click on the other end of the line. “Yeobosayo? Jaemi? Is everything okay? You’ve never called me this late before. ”

Jaemi chuckled. “You’re gonna think I’m crazy...”

****

“Are you crazy?” Jaemi’s manager said, running a hand through his hair. “You can’t tell the other members about this!” He stood up from his desk and began pacing about the room. “This isn’t good…”

“But they have a right to know,” Jaemi said, watching her manager as he walked over to the wall and leaned his arm against it for support. “Won’t they wonder what’s going on when she suddenly stops coming to rehearsals and training?”

“You mean missing more than she’s already been missing with all her partying?!” cried the manager angrily.

Jaemi sighed. “I mean, they’ll want to know why she is being dropped from the company. I can’t just lie and say that I don’t know anything. They have a right to know.”

The manager’s shoulders rose and fell as he let out a weighted breath. “It’s not that simple, Jaemi,” he said quietly. His eyes shifted to her with a saddened look in his eyes. “What if word of this gets out? This could do more damage than—” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Do you know what this could do to your group?”

“But none of us had anything to do with it,” she responded. “Even if word does get out, people won’t think bad about the rest of us, will they?”

“It’s bad publicity, Jaemi; publicity that could destroy your group.”

A beat passed. “Is that why our debut date was pushed back?” Jaemi asked quietly. “In case word leaks out, the company can…” She trailed off, not wanting to state the outcome of such a situation.

A silence fell over the room.

Jaemi slumped back in her seat, mulling over her own words. She rubbed the sides of her temples, nursing a new found headache. “What do you want me to do then?”

“I’m going to talk it over with Lee Sooman and some of the other higher-ups,” he said, walking back to his desk. He wrapped his knuckles against the surface. “For now, just continue to train and rehearse as usual. The choreographer and your vocal instructor have already been informed that she will no longer be training, so parts will be redistributed.” He reached for the phone on his desk. “Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will work out just fine,” he said as he began to dial a number. “I’ll give you a call if anything changes.”

“Yes, sir. Gomapseumnida.” She stood up and bowed low before leaving his office. As soon as she had closed the door behind her, she let out a slow breath.

This was not going to be easy.

****

“Well, I didn’t say it would be easy,” Jaemi said to her phone which was laying on the floor beside her mat as she was on all fours, doing stretches. She stretched one of her legs arabesque. “But I did locate everyone.”

“What?!” cried a female voice from the phone’s speaker. “You did?!”

“Yep,” Jaemi replied with a smile as she switched legs, stretching the other one. “And everyone’s on board.” Her eyes twinkled with delight. “We have a meeting with J.J. Entertainment in about a week. And we’ll have a demo recording the week after. I’ll send you the details over email later.” She glanced at the time on her phone. “Gotta go. Have a meeting with one of the managers in a little bit. Talk to ya later. Bye!”

As she hung up the phone, a wide smile adorned her face. It seemed like their dream was actually in sight after all these years.

****

Jaemi walked down the corridor, her head bent low as she stared at the floor as she walked. Her mind turned and tumbled over the matter.

스타레트 was in jeopardy.

A member was gone; disbanded because of her behavior.

She wanted so desperately to tell the other members, but she knew that she had to listen to her manager’s advice. Something like this could really disturb her group, causing them to lose focus, perhaps even discouraging them detrimentally.

“Jaemi!” a voice called, rousing her from her thoughts.

She looked up and saw Jungsoo walking down the hallway towards her. He waved a hand as he approached.

“Annyeong!” she said, instantly standing straighter and putting on a smile to mask the unsettling thoughts that agitated her mind.

Jungsoo tilted his head slightly, noticing the sudden change that had come upon her. “Is everything alright?”

“What do you mean?” she asked blankly, blinking twice.

“Just a moment ago…” He trailed off, as if unsure how to broach the subject. He shook his head gently as if figuring that he had misinterpreted things. “Never mind. So, how are you?” He smiled sincerely.

Jaemi felt her chest clench with guilt. She had wittingly deceived him. In the past couple of weeks since they had met, they had talked quite a few times and he was always very open and honest with her about his own troubles, even asking for advice on a few things.

He trusted her.

Couldn’t she trust him in return?

She sighed, dropping the charade. “They pushed back our debut date. You’re going to actually debut before us now. I guess I’ll be calling you sunbaenim now.” She chuckled softly, trying to detract from how hurt she felt by the new developments.

Jungsoo’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Why?”

She clicked her tongue. “It’s complicated.”

He bit his lower lip slightly. “Do you want to talk about it?” He glanced around the hallway. There was no one else around at the moment, but people frequented the hallway most of the time to get to where they needed to go. “Maybe somewhere more private where you can talk freely?”

Jaemi breathed in, unsure of whether to take him up on his offer.

She had no reason not to trust him.

Plus, she needed some advice on this issue. She could not talk to anyone else about this. If he swore silence about this, then what harm could it do?

After a moment, she looked up at him, nodding gently. “I’d like that.”

****

Jaemi entered into the empty dressing room of the theatre. It was her last performance for the show, and as usual, she was there early. The ensemble and the hair and makeup crew would be arriving shortly.

She took a deep breath, a smile on her face, as she thought about the events yet to come. Starting tomorrow, preparations for her group’s debut would go underway under the revised name of The Starlets.

Her eyes twinkled with delight as she made her way to the wall lined with mirrors and a long counter. Placing her phone on the counter, she got out her stage makeup and began applying it to her face. As she was putting on the blush, her phone began to vibrate against the counter. She set down her brush and picked up her phone. “Yeobosayeo?”

“Jung Jaemi? Is that you?”

“This is she.”

“Ah! This is Oh Miyoung from J.J.E.”

“Oh, hey! How are you?” asked Jaemi, tucking her phone between her left ear and her shoulder so that she could continue putting on her makeup.

“I’m alright, thanks,” Oh Miyoung replied quietly.

Jaemi paused, detecting the tone of her caller’s voice. “Is everything alright?”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “Actually, we may have encountered a problem.”

Jaemi felt her heart clench and a lump form in . “What kind of problem?”

****

A cool breeze blew through the trees, gently rustling the leaves. Jaemi sat on a picnic blanket, her arms wrapped around her legs as her eyes roved about the park, gazing at all the activities going about among her fellow colleagues. A faint smile played across her face as she watched her own group members milling about, laughing and chatting with others.

Her thoughts turned suddenly and her smile faded.

They had no idea that their dreams were fairly uncertain at the moment.

 She rubbed her eyes gently, yawning as she did so.

The whole situation was rather stressful and she had to have quite a few meetings with different members of the company over the past several weeks.

She yawned again, closing her eyes and resting her head against her knees.

“Tired?” a familiar voice asked as she felt the blanket shift beneath her as Jungsoo sat down next to her.

She opened her eyes and twisted her head to see him, sending him a smile. “Well, if it isn't the new Junior, E.T.”

Jungsoo laughed, his eyes scrunching up and his shoulders shaking slightly. “Will you stop calling me that?”

“What?” she asked, tilting her head slightly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Junior or E.T.? Because I don’t think you have a choice with Junior now. Not after your group’s performance today.” She chuckled.

Jungsoo shook his head gently, laughing. “I was referring to ‘E.T.’ Now that the dongsaengs have heard you say it, they keep making fun of me.”

“Ah. Well, it’s your fault.” She shrugged. “You wanted a stage name.”

“I’m special that’s why,” he responded jokingly. “When I was born, it rained. God cried, because he lost an angel.”

Jaemi scoffed. “Yeah. He cried tears of joy.”

“Yah!” he cried, trying to maintain a look of mock shock, but failing miserably when his face broke out in a wide smile and he began to laugh.

Jaemi giggled at his reaction as he doubled over in laughter and patted his stomach as he did so. After his laughter had died down, Jaemi continued speaking, shifting the conversation. “Good job today. I think you guys all did great!” She brushed her fringe out of her eyes as the breeze blew. “I think that your group works well together despite the competitiveness.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I think you’re doing a good job leading them, Jungsoo.”

“Kamsamnida,” he responded sincerely. He glanced down for a moment, a beat passing before he turned to look at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. “So, how are things going?”

Jaemi shook her head gently, her smile fading. “I’m just hoping I can get this whole thing straightened out quickly,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I really just don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as some of the members of 스타레트 approached them.

Jungsoo nodded slowly in acknowledgement. “We can talk later,” he whispered, smiling gently at her.

“Gomawo,” she replied with a grateful smile, truly thankful to have a friend like him with whom she could put her whole trust.

****

Jaemi stood in front of the new SM building, her dark sunglasses hiding the hardened look in her eyes as she stared at the “SMTOWN” marquee. Her chest rose and fell with a heavy exhale.

Turning away from the building, she pulled her phone out of her purse and checked the time. She was early. The other manager and a lawyer from J.J.E would probably not arrive for another good ten or fifteen minutes.

She scoffed quietly, mentally cursing herself for being so early, thereby forcing herself to wait outside the company that had stunted her career ten years before and was once again trying to muddle with her dreams.

She let out another sigh.

It was her fault all those years ago. If she had been a better leader, then—

The sound of laughter broke into her thoughts as a couple of vans that had just pulled into the parking lot began to unload. Fans watching from behind the guarded gate squealed in delight. Jaemi glanced casually as the riders began to disembark.

From behind her glasses, her eyes widened and her heart quickened. She pursed her lips together.

Standing in front of her was the last person she wanted to see.

****

The cool November breeze blew about, causing Jaemi to wrap her scarf more tightly about her neck as she waited in front of the SME building. She glanced at her phone. They should be coming out any minute, she mused.

As if on cue, the doors opened and Super Junior 05 stepped out, their managers leading them to where the vans were already waiting to take them to SBS.

Smiling, Jaemi waved. “Jungsoo!”

Jungsoo turned. Catching sight of her, his face broke out in a grin and he hurried over to her. “Hey, Jaemi! What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see the performance, but I have a meeting with my manager.” She grimaced dramatically in jest. “So—” she said, clicking her tongue. “I wanted to just catch you and say: Break a leg, Sunbae!” She grinned.

Jungsoo chuckled. “Gomawo!”

“What are you still doing here, E.T?” she asked with a chuckle. “You better get on that van.”

“You better go to that meeting,” he replied with a mischievous smile. “I’m excited for the news.”

“What news?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Oh, just something about your group,” he began elusively, looking away from her towards the vans where his dongsaengs were almost done getting in. “I’m excited for it.” His eyes met hers. “I had a bit of a say in it actually,” he said with a small smirk, sending her a wink before turning to head to the vans.

“Break a leg!” Jaemi called, sending him one last wave as he entered the van. She her heel, a smile on her face as she mounted the steps to head to the meeting.

The meeting was a blur, like something out of a nightmare. She had no concept of how long it lasted. All she could do was sit there numbly at the rectangular table next to her band mates as they were told the dreadful news.

She was vaguely aware of the tears and sobs that burst through the room as the other members began to cry. Someone asked if they wanted to stay with the company, going back to being trainees or if they wanted to quit. More of their precious tears were spent as they went around the table, giving their answers in turn. Listening to the choked sobs of those quitting, the disappointed voices of those staying, and the uncertain remarks of those requesting to think about it, she felt her chest tighten. 

Things were not supposed to turn out like this…

It was all her fault.

She had not protected her fellow members as she should have.

She failed as a leader.

She failed them.

“Jaemi?”

She looked up to see their manager looking at her inquisitively.

“Do you want to stay and go back to being a trainee or do you want to leave?”

Jaemi did not dare to look at her fellow members for fear her resolve would waver. She had failed them. She did not deserve to have this. Her eyes met the manager’s. “I’m leaving.”

She walked out of the SM building, her mind ablur from the meeting. She could scarcely recall what happened after she had given her answer. There was quite a bit of talk about contracts and whatnot. She could not focus on anything except her own failure. She wondered what she could have done differently, but nothing came to mind.

It was not like the news of what happened to the ex-member had been spread.

Everything had been kept quiet.

Her group was talented and were ready for a debut.

She had protected them from the knowledge of what happened.

She had kept quiet about the whole thing.

The only person she had told was…

Her eyes widened.

…Jungsoo!

Her heart raced, remembering what he had said that morning. ‘He had a say in it?’ What did that even mean?

She recalled their first meeting.

Her chest clenched.

He had said that he would always do his best to make sure the world would know his group.

felt dry.

It was just a generation group, but—

What was stopping it from being a permanent group if the competition was eliminated?

She mind reeled.

She had always viewed him as a friend, but what if he viewed her as the enemy? Their groups were supposed to be debuting within just a short time of each other. What if he was jealous over the fact that his group was rotational and hers was not?

Her stomach churned and she sat down on one of the steps, trying to compose herself.

He—

He had betrayed her.

He had acted like a fellow colleague; a fellow leader who understood what she was going through.

He had acted like her friend.

He was her friend.

And he betrayed her.

At that moment, the vans pulled up in front of the building.

Jaemi’s eyes widened and she stood up, gasping slightly as a certain figure exited the first van. Her eyes met his and she turned away hastily, hurrying down the rest of the steps and away from the building as fast as she could without breaking into a full-on run, ignoring whoever it was that was calling her name.

This is what she reaped for trusting people so easily.

****

She turned her head away hastily, hoping to avoid contact. She glanced down at her phone again.

Why did she have to be so early?

She walked a few paces away, attempting to put some more distance between her and them for fear of being noticed too easily.

The sound of that strange laughter of his met her ears.

Why?! Why today of all days?! When she had to go to this meeting at SM to try to straighten things out so her group could debut?!

Great!

It was déjà vu all over again!

She looked at her phone once more.

Please, hurry…

She looked through her peripheral to see if they were heading into the building yet. They were all laughing as they began to head to the steps. Through her peripheral she could see one figure pause, staring in her direction.

“Come on, Leeteuk,” said Kim Junghoon, Super Junior’s Prince Manager. “We have to go to that meeting soon.”

Jaemi could not hear Leeteuk’s response. Her heart pounded. She glanced at her phone again.

Why couldn’t they hurry?!

“Jaemi?”

Her shoulders fell, but she quickly straightened them up again, preparing to act professional and not express any sort of the emotional turmoil going on inside. She shifted her head to regard him. “Leeteuk,” she said, taking off her sunglasses, letting her eyes convey a sense of calmness in her demeanor.

He smiled, a dimple appearing of the left cheek. “It’s good to see you again.” He shook his head in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I have a meeting in SM in a few minutes,” she replied nonchalantly, turning her attention to a car that just received clearance to enter the place.

“Does that mean that—”

“Ah!” she exclaimed, purposely interrupting him. “There’s the rest of my party. Do excuse me.” She bowed politely and then took leave of him, heading to the car, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

She could hear Kim Junghoon urge Leeteuk to go inside as she hurried away. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Hope I don’t have to bump into him again,” she muttered as she paused.

She glanced back at the SM building and a sudden dread came over her.

Somehow, she knew that just as ten years ago 스타레트‘s fate was tied  with Super Junior’s, The Starlets’ fate would now be chained with them yet again. 

Author's Note
Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm really excited to get going with the story, but I'm trying to be patient. :P Hehe, don't worry! There's still time to turn in apps! Please, send 'em in! I'm dying to see all the characters you all come up with! If you think you need an extension with your app, please PM me and we can discuss it. :) Have a good day!