[[YURI'S POV]]

*** FLASHBACK ***

"Annyeonghaseyeo. My name is Choi Yena, and you're watching Cooking Class! As you can see we're here in Gyeonggi Province and I'm with...."

I leaned closer.

"Hi mom! What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh you're awake already. I'm watching the last few weeks' episodes of Cooking Class. I saved all the videos in my phone so I can re-watch it anytime." She looked at me and replied. "I wanted to learn few tips and techniques, and to discover new recipes." She continued while chopping some vegetables on the dining table. "Can you continue chopping these carrots for me? I'll just marinade the chicken.”

"Sure." I replied. She stood up and I replaced her on her seat. I started chopping the carrots.

"The budae-jjigae ingredients are   sausage, bacon, tofu, pork, ground beef, instant noodles….. Do you know that this Korean dish is also known as ‘intriguing’ dish with illegal ingredients?  And now, we will be making ‘budae-jjigae’ today. Are you ready?...."

Hmmm. Interesting.

*** END OF FLASHBACK ***

"No, I'm talking about Choi Yena." I replied.

"Choi Yena? Who's she? Where?"  Gyu Ri asked while looking at Yue Hua trainees' direction obviously.

"Can you not be so obvious looking at them? They might think that we're talking about them." Eun Young said to Gyu Ri while waving her hand in front of Gyu Ri's face.

"Aren't we doing it already?" Sian asked with a confused look on her face.

Eun Young turned to Sian, and she's about to choke her any minute. But Sian was still looking at Yue Hua trainees’ row.

 

“Unnie, the girl with the small face who kind a resembles Tzuyu of Twice beside Kim Si Hyun is really pretty.” Sian said to Eun Young. She then turned her head also to the other side to check who Sian was talking about.

 

“Yeah, you’re right. But you’re pretty too.” Eun Young then turned her head at Sian with a sweet smile on her face.

 

“Aww. Thanks. I hope you too.” Sian replied without knowing the consequences of her actions.

 

End of story.

"She appeared on a cooking show. My mom really likes her a lot." I continued talking to Gyu Ri. While Eun Young was busy choking Sian playfully.

"Oh, I see. Is that when you came back to Busan?" Gyu Ri asked.

"Yup. She used to watch her videos every day when I was there. That's why she's looks familiar to me." I replied. I decided to take a quick glance again on Yena’s side.

 

 

 ..and she’s still looking at me

 

 

So I smiled at her.

 

 

But she quickly removed her eyes on me and looked directly to the big screen at the front… like she didn’t see anything.

 

 

Did she ignore me?

 

 

Or Am I just being too friendly that’s why she got uncomfortable?

 

*** FLASHBACK ***

“Mom, are you watching it again?” I asked my mom. I’m, walking towards her while holding two glasses of lemon juice on my hands. She’s sitting on the couch inside our living room while watching at the television.

 

 “Yes, but this is a new episode. Come here, sit beside me.” She smiled at me and then patted the space on the couch beside her. I handed her the glass of lemon juice and sat beside her. We watched the whole show. Yena was hosting the show together with a little girl. They looked cute together though. They’re like sisters. Yena smiled a lot and she’s very attentive. She’s like born to do it; and she’s very natural. I don’t know why her lips were automatically pouting every time she ate a good food, or it’s just the way it is. But overall, she’s not boring to watch, and she’s really charming. The show ended. The next show was about to air.

 

“Mom, why do you watch her videos almost every day?” I looked at her while sipping the remaining lemon juice in my glass.

 

“It’s because I learned a lot from the show, and she’s fun to watch.” She replied. She then turned off the television.

“Then why you keep watching her? There are so many cooking shows on the internet that you can watch though.” I said while putting the empty glass on the coffee table.

 

“Have you ever experienced looking at someone for the first time then you were starting to crave for that someone without you even noticing it?” My mom asked me. She stretched her right arm and put it on my right shoulder.

 

“Huh? What about it?” I looked at her. I’m so confused.

 

“That’s what I felt when I first met your father.”

 

“Huh? Wait…. what?... I don’t get it. What’s the connection of that on what we’re really talking about?” I’m even more confused.

 

“Hahaha. What I’m trying to say is, sometimes the unexpected things happens when you least expect it. Just like when I accidentally click the video of her show when I’m browsing some Korean dramas on the internet. I never knew that watching the show once would make me watch her even more. It’s because of the happiness that she brings to the people who are watching her. She may not look like doing much, but her charms are enough to make other people happier. Good food prepared by good people gives me extra boost of happiness. Oh my, am I too old to become a fan of a younger generation?” My mom laughed at herself.

 

I chuckled. “No mom, I completely understand you.” I smiled at her. She then hugged me.

*** END OF FLASHBACK ***

 

Is my first impression wrong about her?

 

The filming continued. Trainees kept entering the studio. There were these three trainees from Starship Entertainment; the two of them named Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yu Jin were freakishly tall and really pretty. They were very loud and naughty at the same time. Also, there was this one innocent looking trainee named Kang Hyewon from 8D Creative; she looked so pure, but I felt that there’s something odd about her. We were all nervous and excited at the same time when we saw ‘AKB48’ on the big screen at the front. It’s the first time we would see Japanese Idols entered the show. They were all so cute, and they were a lot of them.  But the one I noticed is Honda Hitomi because her cheeks were so full; I wished I could touch it. Then, we heard that two new entertainment companies would also be participating in the show for the first time. They were Woolim Entertainment and WM Entertainment. They were kind a looked like a rival. From Woolim Entertainment, they have four trainees. There’s this one trainee who had a brownish/orange hair named Kim Chaewon, she’s pretty too. And there’s this one trainee named Kwon Eunbi, I felt like she’s the leader of the group because I just vibe it from her. From WM Entertainment, there’s this trainee named Lee Chaeyeon. She’s really popular because I’d also seen her from K-POP Star 3 and Sixteen, survival shows.  Then the last Japanese trainees entered the room, they were from HKT48. There’s this one trainee who was really small named Yabuki Nako, but she’s really cute though, like a keychain. Then there’s this one trainee named Miyawaki Sakura, she had big ears and she’s really stunning. I almost fainted when we made eye contact. All trainees entered the studio and seated on their chosen seats.

 

Few minutes had passed. Two people entered the studio; we stood up because we’re shocked. They were Kang Daniel and Jeon Somi. They were the two winners of last two seasons of Produce 101. They were talking about the mechanics and they also introduced the trainers for the show. While trainers entered the studio one by one, I felt like someone was looking at me all this time. I tried looking at Yena’s direction. But she’s not even looking back; she’s just staring at the front. Maybe I was just assuming things. I don’t even know why she’s the one I automatically think of.

 

When all trainers entered the studio, they discussed how things should be going in the first evaluation. We were all nervous, when it’s now starting. While the staffs put the tables and chairs for the trainers, they called the first batch of trainees who will perform.

 

The first group went down, including in that group is Choi Yena. They carefully stepped down on the stairs. I could see the nervousness on their faces. I mean, who wouldn’t be? They were the first trainees who will perform. And usually, first performances always set the standards for the next performers, and or the expectations of the judges and the audiences. Few minutes later, everything was all set.

 

“I’m looking forward to this performance.” I whispered.

 

“Trainees, please enter.” Trainer Soyou said.

 

The Yue Hua Entertainment trainees entered again the studio. All eyes were on them, but I don’t know why how Yena caught my attention. Maybe because of what happened earlier?

 

The trainers interviewed them for a bit. I observed her, and some questions started to pop inside my head. She seemed so bright, friendly, and bubbly, just like what I saw on Cooking Class before. Like maybe because she’s just nervous?, Or maybe because she’s just not in the mood? Or maybe because I was just expecting too much from her?, And many more. I seemed so puzzled to the point that I didn’t notice that their performance was about to start.

 

[[Now Playing: Move by Little Mix]]

 

I was shocked how her charms changed in an instant when she started to dance, from being cute and bubbly to y chic real quick. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. My jaw dropped especially when she did her mini dance break. She danced and sang so well. Their performance was really good and they really set the standards quite high. I was amazed.

 

“Yuri…”

 

“Yaaa! Yuri!” Sian snapped her fingers in front of me to gain my attention.

 

“Wha... what?” I slightly turned my head to Sian but my eyes were still looking at the front stage.

 

“Your crush is so good.”

 

I turned my head completely at her in a complete shock. “Huuuhh?! What the hell are you saying?!”

 

“Oh, isn’t she? I thought she is. They were three of them performing on the stage, but it seems like your whole attention is only at her.” Sian then pointed at Yena on the stage carelessly.

 

“What the fu….” I immediately grab Sian’s hand down. “Sh.. she..is not, oo.. okay?” my words stuttered like I’m having a panic attack.

 

Sian raised her one eyebrow up with a smirk on her face. “Then why are you blushing? Do you like her?” while poking my cheeks with her other hand. I grab her other hand down again with my available hand.

 

“What the fudge…. Jeez.. I’m not. Okay? It’s my mom. My mom likes her a lot. You probably misheard my conversation with Gyu Ri earlier, because Eun Young was busy choking you to death.” I removed my both hands off her, and I composed myself.

 

 “Pffftt. Say what you want to say.” Sian playfully winked at me.

 

I slightly shook my head a little with a weird smile while turning back my sight at the front stage. I just partially heard the comments of the judges of their performance, because of Sian’s unexpected remarks a while ago.

 

“We will announce the rating of the trainees of Yue Hua Entertainment” Trainer Bae Yoon Jung announced.

 

“The one who got an A”…

 

“Yuri’s girlfriend” Sian said quietly while winking at me. I quickly turned my head at her with disbelief on my face.

 

“is Choi Yena”. Trainer Bae Yoon Jung revealed.

 

We mindlessly both grabbed each other’s hands as our eyes widened as we heard the result.

 

“Wow! I didn’t know that my prediction would come true” Sian said with her other hand on . She then looked at me and said “Who knows, maybe the ‘girlfriend’ part will also become true.” I extremely squeezed her hand with a slightly pissed look on my face.

 

“Yaaa, children! Stop that. We’re filming.” Eun Young looked at us. I removed my hand off her while still giving Sian an I-Will-Choke-You-Too-Later-Part-Two look on my face, she just giggled.

 

The Yue Hua trainees left the stage. I’m trying my best not to look at Yena while she’s walking out because I could see out of the corner of my eye that Sian was looking teasingly at me. The performance of the other trainees from different agencies continued. The Yue Hua trainees haven’t been returned yet; maybe they were having an interview about their performance and other stuffs backstage. I couldn’t understand why my mind subconsciously looked for her every single damn time. Maybe I was just too conscious because Sian always made fun of me.

 

 Suddenly, the stage lights turned off, and there were technical difficulties on the cameras and sound systems. All of the people inside the studio were confused and curious about what’s happening. A staff walked in and announced that something happened on the electric power, so the filming would be delayed for a few minutes or more, but they assured that they would fix it as soon as possible.

 

Few more minutes had passed, it’s getting hotter inside the studio because the air condition was not working too, and only the emergency lights were working. The staff once entered the studio again and announced that the repair may take more minutes. The staff also said that trainees can drink free cold water at the water refilling station backstage for us to freshen ourselves before the filming continues again.

 

“Yuri. Let’s go get some water. I’m so thirsty” Sian grabbed my hand as we went down. I almost tripped because Sian was walking down very fast on the stairs, as if she had a night vision. When we’re at the backstage we were shocked because the queue was long at the water refilling station. There were no available bottled waters because the delivery truck was still on the way. We’re both confused on where to line up, because the line was messy and it was quite dark so we really couldn’t see that much. I lost my grip on Sian’s hand because it was really crowded and the staff was trying to fix the line. I really couldn’t see properly. I bumped into someone and I fell on the ground. Some trainees accidentally hit me while they were walking around because they cannot also see. Someone tried to grab my hand to help me stand up.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

This person lifted me up.

 

“Yes… yes. Thank you so much” I replied. I tried to look at her face but I couldn’t see it clearly. Someone bumped into my back so I was slightly pushed forward. She then grabbed my both arms with both of her hands and I unintentionally grabbed hers so we would both not fall. I could feel the warm of her breath on my face. It was very close.

 

But the light suddenly came back.

 

*** FLASHBACK ***

“…….Oh my, am I too old to become a fan of a younger generation?” My mom laughed at herself.

 

I chuckled. “No mom, I completely understand you.” I smiled at her. She then hugged me.

 

“ Really? What part did you understand? Is that the part of me being a fangirl?” She jokingly said while caressing my back.

 

“Hahahaha. Of course mom. I would probably still stan my idol if I would be on your age.” I replied. “But there’s just one thing I wanted to ask.”

 

“Sure. Go ahead.” She stopped caressing my back and then looked at me. She looked eager to listen to me.

 

“I don’t know. I mean… How would you know if it’s already something special?”

 

“What do you mean? Is that about love? Oh my. Is my baby girl in love already?” She hugged me teasingly.

 

“No mom.” I smiled and I leaned myself backwards. “I mean… It’s just weird. Like what you said a while ago on how you met my father. How can you really say if it’s special? I just don’t get it. I mean… Is it really possible just by looking at the person for the first time, you will start to crave for that person’s presence more?”

 

She smiled softly.

 

“You will soon understand it by yourself.”

*** END OF FLASHBACK ***

 

 

“It’s not exactly love at first sight. It is more like soul recognition.”

 

 

I remember that quote.

 

 

I even accidentally highlighted that quote in that book that I just borrowed from my friend..

 

 

..it’s because of my amusement and it totally slipped out of my mind that this book was not mine.

 

 

I never truly understand what it meant..

 

 

..because I never felt it in the first place.

 

 

Based on what I understood..

 

 

..you can see your soul in somebody’s eyes.

 

 

Like you unintentionally gave a part of yourself to that somebody..

 

 

..so you searched for it and you found it.

 

 

 ..and then you couldn’t stop..

 

 

..because you will only feel complete when you’re with that somebody.

 

 

It feels like...

 

 

..no matter what you do

 

 

It’s like…

 

 

A Fate You Couldn’t Prevent From Happening.

 

 

I didn’t know what happened next.

 

 

All I know was..

 

 

Everything was starting to blur..

 

 

Her grip on my arms was getting tighter..

 

 

..and I pulled her even much closer.

 

[[a/n: Yow! Long time no see! LOL. The exams almost killed me. The good news is it’s now over. But the bad news is I will go out of town these next few days for a vacation, so I might not update the next chapter as soon as possible. But the good news is I already wrote the 1/4 of the next chapter. But I will try to complete it as soon as I can if my mind completely recovers. I’m sorry if this took long. But I hope you like it. I’m sorry if it’s messy a little bit, I wanted to update as soon as possible because it’s almost a week since the last update; and also it’s because my mind is malfunctioning because of the exams. LMAO. Tell me your thoughts about it! Thank you for reading! xoxo]]

Follow me on instagram and twitter: @yenaxyuri

 

REFERENCES:

Choi Yena's Eating Compilation (Cooking Class)

 

IZ*ONE Members (Final Rank)