“Chaleul meog-eodo dwaeyo?” Vizio recites from her memory. [[Can I have tea?]]

            “Correct. You may go now, Vizio-ssi,” the lady smiles and bows to the girl.

            “Thank you, thank you!” Vizio stands up and bows, running out the door. She just passed her 3^rd test this month (she assumed). She got all the answers right, so she might as well consider it passing, right? She smiles wide as she races to the front desk to see Kyung Soo AKA ‘Lady’.

            “Lady! Lady! Listen! My Korean is better!” Vizio says, stopping at the desk and pointing at herself.

            “That’s great news!”

            “I understood that!” Vizio says, jumping up and down and drawing attention to herself.

            “Did Hyo unnie say you passed?” Kyung Soo asks, smiling and typing on her computer.

            “No, but I think I did!”

            “I’m proud of you Vizio. A month and a half of lessons and you are doing great!”

            “I know!” Vizio flips her hair with her hand and poses with her hands on her hips and her chin held high, showing that she is ‘high and mighty’ as she thinks for improving. “S.Me has been helping, too.”

            “Vizio,” Kyung Soo chuckles, “You’re late again.”

            “Aish! Bye, Lady unnie!” Vizio says, bowing and running back down the hall and to the elevator. She presses the ‘up’ button repeatedly as she always does. She waits for the elevator and bounces up and down.  “Pali! Pali, pali, pali!”

            “Where is Vizio?” Yoo Sawng asks, stretching. The other girls, who are stretching as well, shrug.

            “In lessons probably. She had another test today,” S.Me answers after taking a drink of her water. “I hope she passed. Her Korean is improving. Although, everyti-“

            “I’m here!” Vizio shouts, opening the door and running in, slamming the door behind her. The girls burst out laughing and Vizio stops and looks at them. “What?”

            “Unnie, you didn’t say ‘I’m here’ right…again,” S.Me walks up to her unnie and pats her on the shoulder. S.Me explains that Vizio said ‘hold on to me’ instead of ‘I’m here’. That is a natural thing for Vizio. It is the one phrase she always manages to mess up. Well, besides when she was visiting U-Kiss with the rest of Lilac and she accidentally said a bad word instead of something else. It didn’t faze her, but she did blush a deep shade of red.

            “Ready to practice?” EunMi asks, standing up.

            “I still need to practice the part of the dance for the second verse. Rinnie, can you help me?” Bae Kyon asks Chaerin, looking up at her as she stands up.

            “Sure,” Chaerin nods and reaches out her hand to help her unnie. Bae Kyon and Chaerin had gotten closer in the month and a half. Bae Kyon had been very quiet and timid in the beginning when they girls first met because that is how she is. EunMi had also had the same reaction when meeting the girls – quiet and cold. The two girls were hard to open up, but eventually they started to, especially Bae Kyon. She talks to the girls more.

            “We have a month left,” Yoo Sawng says to the girls. “Bae Kyon and Chaerin can practice the part that Bae Kyon needs to learn and us four can stretch some more.”

            The three other girls nod and Vizio begins stretching. S.Me lays flat on the floor and yawns. Chaerin stands on the left of Bae Kyon and they face the wall-length mirror. Yoo Sawng starts the music for the part they need to practice and Chaerin starts dancing. Bae Kyon watches intently and nods subconsciously. Once the music starts again for that part, Bae Kyon tries the moves and Chaerin watches her.

            “Unnie, moves your arms like this,” Chaerin does the movement to show Bae Kyon, “and then spin and pose. Once EunMi starts singing her part, you move like this.” Chaerin shows her the movement. Bae Kyon nods and the music restarts and she dances it how she should.

            “Ok, I think we are ready!” Chaerin turns to Yoo Sawng. “When are the backup dancers supposed to start practicing with us? And where is JunSeong oppa?”

            “Next week and I don’t know. Maybe if we practice quickly and he arrives after we finally perfect it, he’ll be proud!” S.Me says, raising her head up to look at the girls.

            “Took the words right out of my mouth. I am shocked,” Yoo Sawng says to the younger girl who is lying down. “You need to get up so we can practice, Seun-ah!”

            “I know, I know,” S.Me gets up slowly, stretching her arms in the process.

            The girls had recorded their song not long after they visited the recording studio. They were happy with their positions in the group. In two weeks they would start recording for their music video. Next week they will be changing their look – hair, start wearing makeup, new outfits, etc.

            The girls get into their positions, the music starts to play, and they start their routine.

            After practicing three times, JunSeong walks in, shutting the door behind him and sighing.

            “Sorry I am late,” he tells them, “How is it going?”

            “It is going great. Bae Kyon-ah finally learned her part,” Yoo Sawng says to him.

            “Let me see,” JunSeong says to no one in particular and sits in his usual chair in the corner of the room. The girls take their positions once again and when the music starts, they dance their hearts out – as they always do.

            After they finish with their signature poses, JunSeong nods and stands up. The girls watch him, trying to regulate their breathing. He paces back and forth, looking at the ground while thinking. The girls exchange glances and continue to watch him and wait.

            “That was excellent. Keep practicing and everything will be ready in time. You have the rest of the day off,” he says, stopping and looking at the tired girls.

            “Really?” Vizio speaks this time. “I can go get ice cream?”

****

            “Eunkyo is coming over for our free night,” EunMi announces to the girls.

            “It’s only 2 p.m. When is she coming?” Chaerin asks, taking a drink of her water while walking into the living room where the other girls are sitting.

            “In 30 minutes.”

            “So we finally get to meet her?” S.Me asks. “Co-Ed seems cool.”         

            “Tia and Melanie couldn’t come?” Yoo Sawng asks, thinking back to how Chaerin really wanted those two to come instead of her other best friend, Eunkyo.

            “They are busy promoting their new single,” EunMi tells her. “But I think Chaerin would much rather have Eunkyo come over.”

            “Why?”

            “You’ll see.”

            Chaerin just stands there staring at her unnie, who is smirking. She senses an evil plan. S.Me, Vizio, Yoo Sawng, and Bae Kyon sit there looking from Chaerin to EunMi.

            “What’s going on? I am confused,” Bae Kyon asks, looking at EunMi. EunMi shrugs and stands up, walking into the kitchen.

            “So, what games are we going to play?” Chaerin asks, sitting her water on the coffee table and sitting by S.Me. “Any suggestions?”

            “Truth or Dare is going to be a must,” EunMi calls from the kitchen, “Who wants a popsicle?”

            “Me!” Vizio yells once S.Me translates.

            “What color?”

            “Red!”

            EunMi smiles evilly as she takes some popsicles out. Tonight was going to be fun. She had everything planned out and only one other person knew what was going on – Eunkyo.

            “How about we play ‘Just Dance 2’?” Bae Kyon asks, smiling wide. “That’s a fun game!”

            “Bring it on!” Chaerin says, grinning, “I will beat you!”

            Everyone knew this is probably true, but they still want to play and challenge the ‘Almight Dancing Queen’ herself – Chaerin. Bae Kyon shakes her head at Chaerin and sticks her tongue out at her. S.Me laughs and puts the game in the Wii.

            “We can play it first. Rinnie, do you want to challenge me first?” S.Me asks, turning on the Wii and waiting for it to load.

            “I’ll watch for now. Bae Kyon unnie can go,” Chaerin says, looking at Bae Kyon. Bae Kyon shrugs and stands up. She takes one of the Wii remotes from S.Me as she stands beside her.

            EunMi walks into the living room and hands Vizio her popsicle, sits beside her and watches the girls play the Wii. After a few games, Chaerin competing in at least 2 of them, there is a knock at the door. Vizio and Yoo Sawng continue dancing and laughing while EunMi nudges Chaerin to go answer the door.

            “I guess I’ll answer the door,” Chaerin sighs and stands up, walking to the door.

            EunMi smiles evilly and chuckles. S.Me looks at her and raises an eyebrow, followed by Bae Kyon giving EunMi a weird look.

            “Why the evil smile, Unnie?” Bae Kyon asks the girl.

            “Oh, nothing.”

            Chaerin opens the door. “OMO.”