[Plain text - Korean, unless stated otherwise ; Bold - English ]      

               Chaerin and EunMi had met up at the nearest café near NH Media, grabbed themselves a couple of drinks – one hot chocolate, the other coffee – and are now on their way into the building for their meeting.

            “I wonder what the other girls are like,” Chaerin says to her best friend, EunMi. She had wondered all night what the other members might be like. Chaerin herself is a very different girl – so is EunMi – and is picky. She usually judges people right away, then gets to know them, instead of the other way around. She likes cute things, a y image, and absolutely hates tomboy stuff. It’s ironic though because her best friend and now (presumably) her group member, EunMi, is a full-blown, all out tomboy herself. EunMi hates anything girly, though she will dress up sometimes and wear dresses. The girls both hate the image of the other, but at the same time, love each other as  best friends and wouldn’t trade the other for anything.

            “I hope there’s another tomboy-type,” EunMi says, sighing afterwards.

            “I know. I hope there’s another actual girl.”

            EunMi gasps dramatically and hits Chaerin’s arm playfully. EunMi did have a strong hit though and Chaerin winces and rubs the spot where EunMi had just hit her.

            “Yah!” Chaerin whines, “That hurt!”

            “Good!” EunMi tells her dongsaeng, sticking her tongue out at her.

****

            Seung Me walked into the NH Media building looking around. She thought about the girl she saw the day before – Vizio. Would she be here? What was she doing here yesterday anyways? She shrugs it off and continues into the building, walking to the waiting area until someone called her in for the meeting. It was a usual thing.

            She takes a seat on the white couch and watches the passer-byers. Some looked like plastic Barbie dolls, others looked like overweight ahjummas. Seung Me laughed aloud at her thought. That was sorta rude, she thought, but she still thought it was funny how diverse everyone was and how everyone here tried to fit in – botox and surgery or not.

            She looks at her wrist, the orange watch facing her, and reads the time on it: 10:43 a.m.

****

            Anastasia had arrived early for the meeting, as usual. She is walking down the hall from the bathroom where she just spent 20 minutes fixing her hair…again. This was a nerve-wracking day. She wants to meet the girls, but was afraid to. Where they going to be nice? Judgemental? Evil demons who would torture her for the rest of her career? She didn’t know, and was a bit afraid to find out. But this was her big break into the music industry. She had been preparing for this moment. It was her time to shine and no silly girl was going to bring her down.

            She walks into the waiting area and spots a small-framed girl sitting on the white couch. The girl is currently staring at her watch. Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows. Was this girl going to the meeting? Was this one of them possible devil children she could be paired with?

            From her thoughts, you might think Anastasia is a mean, rude girl, right? Wrong. Anastasia is quite sweet, kind, and caring for younger people – like the girl sitting there staring at her orange watch weirdly. But, Anastasia was a normal girl, viewing people and thinking things. She didn’t sugar coat things, she didn’t hide her feeling and thoughts, but was considerate and as nice as her sarcastic brain would allow her to be.

            “Excuse me,” she spoke up after a few seconds, “Annyeong haseyo. Could you tell me what time it is?”

            The girl looks up at the tall girl, blinking, and then smiling. “Annyeong haseyo, Unnie! Sure! It is 10:45 a.m.”

            “Kamsahamnida, dongsaeng!” Anastasia bows to the younger girl. She takes a seat across the room from the girl, picking up a magazine. She flips through the pages and views each article for a moment before moving on to the next one. Nothing interesting.

            The room had become quiet and Anastasia glances up at the girl, who is fidgeting in her seat, staring at random things on the ceiling. Anastasia raises an eyebrow and follows the girls gaze. There was nothing on the ceiling except for a chandelier that was covered in dust. She looks back down at her magazine and sighs quietly, waiting for her name to be called and the meeting to begin.

***

    “Yo! I’m here!” says Vizio in Mandarin. She walks into the building with her infamous ‘swag walk’. She has on a pair of black shades, a black hoodie, a pair of white skinny jeans, her worn out red converse and her hair pulled into their usual side pigtails. She flashes the lady at the desk a ‘peace sign’ and then bows. She says in Korean, “Annyeong haseyo!”

            “Welcome back, Miss Vizio,” the lady smiles. “I told you, my name is Kyung Soo.”

            “I know. I like ‘Lady’ better.” Vizio leans on her right foot and swings her left leg slightly as she leans on the desk. She speaks in her – as she calls ‘awesome English’ - , “Yo! Lady! Wassup?”

            Kyung Soo chuckles and shakes her head slightly, “Vizio, you need to go to either the waiting room or something. Your meeting is soon. In less than 5 minutes. Why don’t you head there? Take the elevator to level 3 and walk down the hall, turn right and there a pair of double doors. Easy as that, ok?”

            Vizio sighs and makes a popping noise with . She nods and walks away. “Thanks, Lady!”

            “You’re welcome!” Kyung Soo calls after her, shaking her head and laughing.

            “Level 3. We have a level 3? Pretty big building…I guess I never noticed it before. How many floors are there anyways?” Vizio says to herself while pressing the elevator button repeatedly.

****

Ae Sook runs to NH Media as fast as she can from the bus stop. She can't be late. Not after yesterday! She is breathing heavily, but manages to slow her breathing down once she gets inside the building. She sure is glad that her dark brown hair is  pulled into a pony-tail, otherwise is would look horrible! She fixes her uniform quickly and walks up to the lady at the front desk – Kyung Soo. She puts on a sweet smile.

            I’m so glad I wore my flats instead of my heels this time.

            “Annyeong haseyo!” she greets Kyung Soo.

            “Annyeong haseyo, Miss Ae Sook-ah! Go on and head up to level 3. You know where the room is at, neh?”

            “Neh!” Ae Sook nods, trying not to breathe heavily.

            “Go ahead then,” Kyung Soo motions her to go ahead and grins.

            “Annyeong, Unnie!” Ae Sook bows and skips off to the elevator.

            “Anastasia! Seung Me! Go-“ Kyung Soo stops when she spots Chaerin and EunMi walking into the building, “Chaerin-ah! EunMi-yah! All four of you go up together!”

            Anastasia and Seung Me stand up, looking at each other with an eyebrow raised and walk to the elevator together, keeping a distance from each other. The two other girls – Chaerin and EunMi – walk up to the elevator together. Vizio had already taken the elevator and so had Bae Kyon. The four remaining girl stood there, waiting.

            Chaerin spoke up, “Are you two here for the meeting with President-ssi at 11 a.m.?”

            Anastasia and Seung Me nodded in unison. They exchange glances.

            “So are we,” Chaerin looks at EunMi, and then back at the girls, “I’m Chaerin. This is EunMi.”         

            “I’m Seung Me,” Seung Me bows, “It’s nice to meet you two.”

            “I’m Anastasia,” Anastasia bows, too, and gives the girls a wide smile.

            “Do you speak English?” Chaerin looks at Anastasia, curious. Anastasia wasn’t a Korean name, she knew. Chaerin loves finding people who speak English. It amuses her.

            “Yes. I do. I’m from Las Vegas, Nevada,” Anastasia tells the shorter girl, nodding.

            The elevator doors open and the girls board the elevator, EunMi pressing the number 3 button and the doors shut.

            “Really? I’m from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I love meeting fellow Korean-Americans. It’s amusing, really. Is Las Vegas a nice place? I’ve always wanted to go!” Chaerin asks Anastasia.

            “I think so. It’s very big,” Anastasia chuckles, “What about Oklahoma? I’ve always heard that’s where the cowboys and Indians are.”

            “Really? So typical of you. Stereotyping my state. I could easily assume you’re an alcoholic or something like that, being from Las Vegas.”

            “Ok, ok. Sorry. I’ve just always heard that.”

            Seung Me just stares ahead until the elevator doors open. She always got nervous around English speakers. EunMi, on the other hand, speaks some English. She is currently thinking to herself about the meeting.

            “EunMi unnie! Anastasia is from Las Vegas! Didn’t you live in Reno? How cool is that?” Chaerin shakes EunMi excitedly and smiling.

            This kid seems a bit hyperactive, but cool. I might actually like her, Anastasia says to herself about Chaerin. She looks at Seung Me, who looks like she is witnessing something she isn’t supposed to – her eyes are wide and she is fidgeting with her fingers. So odd.

            The elevator doors open and the girls step out, one by one.

            “She is?” EunMi finally asks, zoning back into reality. “That’s cool!”

            “Neh!” Chaerin answers, grinning.

            The girls enter the gigantic meeting room. A huge table takes up most of the room. The room’s outer wall is mainly made of glass, showing a view of the city – well, a park. Papers covered the table. Obviously contracts and whatnot.

            “Welcome girls!” the President says, smiling wide and bowing.

            The girls all bow and greet him, “Annyeong haseyo!”     

            The girls notice two other girls already sitting down – one who seems hyper and is bouncing in her seat slightly and the other who is looking around nervously and smiling sweetly. They also noticed a man in his late 20s sitting by the President. JunSeong, the girls' new manager.

            “Everyone take a seat and this meeting will begin!” the President says cheerily and sits in his own seat. Each girls sits down: Anastasia by Ae Sook, Chaerin by Anastasia, EunMi by Chaerin, Vizio by EunMi and Seung Me by Vizio. Now, the meeting is to begin.