Waiting (Part 1/3)

“I can’t wait to meet Miyawaki Sakura!”

“I heard she is prettier in real life!”

“Nako, do you think Sakura is any different from what we see on the television?”

“Mmm, Saku chan may look cold at first, but she is actually very warm and welcoming. It does take some time for her to open up, but if you approach her first, she is actually very friendly!”

Chaeyeon frowned. She couldn’t understand why everyone was talking about meeting Sakura. Apparently, the HKT48 member was very famous in Korea as well. Since IZ*ONE was performing in FNS, the members would get the chance to watch AKB48’s performance of their new single, “No Way Man”. Sakura was the center, with Hitomi and Nako alongside her. Chaeyeon was looking forward to watching her fellow members more so than Sakura. After all, she barely knew anything about the girl.

“Chaeyeon, you have been awfully quiet.”

“Ah, I don’t know much about Miyawaki Sakura.”

Chaeyeon flashed a sheepish smile in which the members responded with a surprised gasp. Almost all the Korean trainees knew about Miyawaki Sakura and some were disappointed to know that she was not participating in Produce 48.

“How could you not know about Sakura?”

Chaeyeon shrugged her shoulders before grabbing her bag.

“Let’s go. We’re going to be late at this rate.”

Chaeyeon was more focused on her performance later.

~~~

“We’ll see you guys later then!”

“Good luck with your performance!”

Waving goodbye to Nako and Hitomi, the rest of the members focused on the monitor backstage. The two Japanese members will join them right after their performance of “No Way Man”. As soon as the camera panned towards the middle of the stage again, Chaeyeon saw the person standing right at the centre of the stage.

Miyawaki Sakura.

Chaeyeon found herself blushing all of a sudden. The look in Sakura’s eyes drew her in immediately and she found herself unable to look away. Once the performance started, Chaeyeon finally understood why everyone was raving about Miyawaki Sakura.

She was born to be on stage.

Her moves were powerful and sharp, and her expressions never once faltered.

Chaeyeon realised that she has much to learn from Miyawaki Sakura. The Japanese girl’s stage presence outshone everyone else. In the middle of the song, Sakura grabbed her tie and ripped it away from her collar professionally, as though it was part of the choreography. Chaeyeon could hear her members fangirling at the side, but she was more focused on the performance in front of her.

It was only when the song ended and they were asked to rush to their positions did Chaeyeon remember that she did not even monitor her own members’ performance.

She was too busy looking at Miyawaki Sakura.

~~~

When all the performances were done, Chaeyeon was looking forward to resting a while backstage when she was called to the meeting room along with a few other IZ*ONE members. Scratching her head in confusion, she turned to the other members who were in the room with her.

“Why are we here?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard that we would be collaborating with AKB48, Nogizaka46, and Keyakizaka46.”

“Does that mean Miyawaki Sakura will be here?”

“Why the sudden interest in Saku chan? Hyewon said that you couldn’t take your eyes off her during the performance just now.”

Chaeyeon knew that Nako was only teasing her, but her face couldn’t help but heat up upon knowing that her member had caught her.

“I-I was just amazed by her stage presence!”

“We are all. That’s why I look up to her a lot.”

Chaeyeon ruffled Nako’s hair playfully when she heard the door open, and a familiar face walked into the room. At first, the Japanese girl had a cold look in her eyes, but a wide smile broke out when she turned to face in their direction.

Chaeyeon watched as Nako ran towards Sakura and the two embraced each other immediately with wide smiles plastered on their faces. For some reason, Chaeyeon’s heart felt warm at their interaction. Chaeyeon knew that Nako treasures HKT a lot, and seeing how happy the Japanese girl was when she met her fellow HKT members made the Korean girl feel a pang of guilt.

After all, Nako could not participate in any of HKT48 activities in this 2.5 years.

Chaeyeon was lost in her thoughts that she did not realize Nako introducing the HKT48 members to everyone. Upon hearing her name, she looked up, only to be greeted by Miyawaki Sakura herself.

“Nako has told me a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of her. I’m HKT48 Miyawaki Sakura.”

Sakura’s eyes weren’t the only captivating aspect. Even her voice was pleasant to listen to.

Shaking her head, Chaeyeon smiled before shaking the Japanese girl’s hand.

Their hands fitted perfectly with each other.

“Jjaeyeon? Your ears are turning red.”

The Korean girl heard a snicker beside her. Knowing that it was Yuri, Chaeyeon smacked the younger girl on the back lightly before flashing a bashful smile towards the Japanese girl.

“I-I’m Chaeyeon. I watched your performance just now. You were really good.”

“Ah! Thank you! Nako said you speak Japanese well! She was right! I watched your performance too. You dance really well.”

Although Chaeyeon has received compliments for her dancing abilities often, hearing it from Sakura felt different for some reason.

“T-Thank you.”

Sakura was about to speak again when a voice interrupted them. The older girl bowed down slightly, as a way to apologise before walking back to the area where the other HKT48 members were standing.

“You can stop ogling at her already.”

“I wasn’t!”

“Please. You have not stopped staring at her since she walked in, and your cheeks are red again.”

“I-I’m just in awe at how pretty she is.”

“Says the girl who did not even know who Sakura was before coming here.”

Even though she wanted to make a sneaky comment towards the youngest member, her eyes caught Sakura’s as she was looking around. Upon seeing the shy wave from the Japanese girl, Chaeyeon felt her heart skipped a beat.

She wasn’t even listening to what the Japanese trainer was saying.

~~~

Chaeyeon wasn’t surprised to see Wonyoung and Sakura in the center. She thought they were perfect for the positions. The IZ*ONE me