Eunwoo glanced at her appearance through the mirrors. The dim lights of the practice room reflected her mood. The familiar face stared back at her, and her head starts to pound. She remembers tonight will be exactly 1 year from when she first arrived here.

While her year at Pledis is considered short compared to the other trainees, it’s ten long years ago when Eunwoo remembers the first time she stood on stage at a school performance--the lights bright, the memory even brighter.

I've been through hell and survived—that’s what competition survival shows end up being anyways--but there are still some days when it feels like it’s her first time tasting pain. Usually Jieqiong would be here, always up to go drink green tea latte together or escape to Hongdae for covert shopping trips, but this was the fall and falling autumn leaves always accompanied tearful goodbye hugs with the Shanghai girl. Reminding herself to call her best friend later, Eunwoo climbed the white detailed steps to her favorite place in the building. She had come across it by accident actually, sent on a delivery trip her first week as a trainee.

Jung Eunwoo! barked Pledis’s strictest vocal coach. Yes? the squeaky voice that came out was not the first impression Eunwoo wanted to make to her fellow trainees and most importantly, the higher-ups closely watching the newest crop of girls. Go, get some towels from the third floor, you girls are going to work hard today.

After a quick 90-degree bow, she had raced out of the room and up the winding staircase away from the gaze of the other trainees that were so much more experienced, away from the sighs of coaches with perpetual hands on clipboards. Eunwoo had opened a wrong door and stumbled into the small room.

It was nothing special really, she was pretty sure the few employees who used the room thought of it more as extra storage, but with the large glass windows facing the street and baby blue walls, Eunwoo stood no chance and the blue room as she likes to call it, easily nestled into her heart for good. The time spent alone here took her mind off aching joints and more pressingly, calmed down thoughts she desperately kept hidden that threatened to burst out, the worst being—I'm not good enough.

Turning the door handle, Eunwoo stepped inside only to stop as her gaze followed long pale legs. She knew this pair, they belonged to a particularly striking girl. Known as the favorite of the company’s resident head dance coach and rumored to have once been chosen to be pushed as Pledis’s next it girl, Minkyeong was sprawled out on the floor, her right arm covering her eyes.

After a couple seconds of silence, it’s Eunwoo who starts, Hey. Minkyeong shifts her arm away to look and promptly sits upright. Whatever vulnerability that was present in her face had disappeared, the customary mask back in place. Hi Eunwoo, Minkyeong says then, eyes dark and piercing. Her eyes have always had that effect, Eunwoo remembers.

//

Just a couple months in as a new Pledis trainee, Minkyeong had become famous for steely gazes that scared everyone into suddenly bowing when she passed them in hallways. Not only was she bite, but if there was ever anyone with eyes like a vixen, Minkyeong would turn up the charm like a champ, “she definitely flirted with me, it was her eyes!” as male trainees would exclaim. It didn’t help that Minkyeong had joined Pledis a short time after Eunwoo, yet was prettier, better at dancing, and had a distinctive vocal color. Although others saw her as stiff competition, even with a haughty image, talent was talent, and Jung Eunwoo respected that.

It was no surprise then, that no one else noticed the dark brown eyes normally sharpened to cut on command were soft and glistening when Nayoung was promoted as leader of the girl group lineup they all yearned to join. As the good news carried itself around, many different trainees all came up to congratulate Nayoung, and the unguarded moment passed just as soon as it came leaving Eunwoo left to wonder if she had imagined it.

A month later and another crack appeared. Eunwoo had unintentionally walked by the cafeteria and overheard one of the younger girls anxiously confessing to the older trainee, eyes looking down and hands meekly behind her. She had quickly walked away to give them privacy but as Eunwoo turned around to go back, she caught a glimpse of soft brown irises, deep and tender. The image burned into her memory.

She refused to give it attention.

Eunwoo heard later from Siyeon that the story going around was that Minkyeong had been firm in her answer—No—but, she had let the girl down gently, something that surprised the rest of the trainees who had all taken the girl as a cold heart breaker. I'm not surprised Minkyeong unnie was confessed to by a girl ,Yebin stated, they were casually eating snacks now after practice, she has a nice body and a pretty face...girl crush is the trend right now! Eunwoo voiced a sound of agreement but by then Yebin had changed subjects to gush over one of the pretty boy trainees, Joshua. It was only later at night in the dorms when everyone had already gone to sleep and the quiet darkness filled the air that Eunwoo dared to remember. She dreamed of honey that night.

//

Back in the blue room, Eunwoo openly stared at Minkyeong.

What are you doing? Minkyeong questioned, head cocked to the side.

Nothing! Ah, I mean, sorry it's nothing, realizing how long she must have been looking, Eunwoo turned away hastily to refocus on a nearby shelf.

Both girls were quiet then, and just when Eunwoo thought she would choke on the silence if it continued, Minkyeong’s voice cut through, Were you checking me out, Jung Eunwoo?

Eunwoo turned her gaze back to Minkyeong, opened.

You know, it's bad manners not to ask for permission before you ogle someone like that, Eunwoo. Minkyeong, smirked before walking past, I'm going downstairs to continue practicing .

Eunwoo stood in the center of the room, as she listened to Minkyeong’s footsteps patter down the stairs, only one curious thought filling her head, She has a cute eyesmile .

When Eunwoo comes back down to the practice room 15 minutes later, she tries to ignore the redness spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

Later that night, Jieqiong calls from Shanghai and asks her if something happened, your voice sounds a little funny, did you meet a boy?? Eunwoo can only smile, It's not that, but maybe ask me again later.