A Short While Later

Skye sat in the shade, mentally thanking the island's synthetic weather as she felt the dampness on her shoulder slowly evaporate.  Noting that there was only a short period of time remaining until she was scheduled to meet up with Oh My Girl, she forced herself to regain her composure.  She readjusted her makeup, dusted the dirt off of her clothes, and plastered an all-too-familiar fake smile onto her face. A quick double check later, she reentered the dance studio and began to hunt for Oh My Girl's room.

Her hunt was short lived, as she soon found herself in front of a door nearly identical to the one she had found herself in front of just a few short hours ago.  She decided to gently knock this time, folding her hands behind her back as she waited. A couple seconds later, the door slowly opened, revealing the face of Hyojung as she flashed her signature bright smile at Skye and invited her in.  Skye followed the older girl into the room, smiling and waving to the other members of Oh My Girl as their leader led them in their signature greeting and then introduced her to each of them individually.

Once introductions were finished and snacks were distributed, Skye joined the seated girls in a circle, with Binnie to her left and YooA to her right.  Skye pulled out her notebook, flipping through the pages in an attempt to find Oh My Girl’s page. Her smile faltered slightly as she flipped past Twice’s page, but forced it to return as she found the page she was looking for.

Skye looked up from the page, and began the interview.  “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so let’s get started,” she declared, gaining the attention of the members.  “What were your first thoughts when you were informed that you’d been invited to this program?”

Binnie immediately spoke up.  “At least for me, it’s exciting!  I’ve been in a group chat with a couple of same-age friends for a while, and now we have the opportunity to spend time together and possibly work together.”

YooA voiced her agreement, adding, “I’m in a similar boat, where I’ve kept in contact with the girls from the show ‘Idol Drama Operation Team’ and the ‘Sunny Girls’ special stage, but schedules have kept us from really being able to get to know each other.  With free time guaranteed to us on the weekends, we should have a great opportunity to make new friends.”

Skye smiled at the girls’ words, thinking of the friendships she’d began to grow over the course of the past couple days on the island.  Skye continued on, asking, “How do you feel about the thought of debuting again?”

Hyojung was the first to speak, responding, “Well, we’re going to be managed by a much larger company than we were previously, so hopefully we’ll have the chance to visit our international fans.  I don’t remember much of my early years in Thailand, but I’d love to go back, especially if given the opportunity to perform for fans there!”

Jiho nodded her head eagerly, suggesting, “Wouldn’t it be so cool to be able to travel around Europe, exploring different countries as we traveled from stop to stop on a tour?  I’d love that!”

Seunghee agreed, adding, “I’d love that too!  Maybe I’d finally get a chance to visit the Netherlands like I’ve always wanted!”

Skye mentally remarked on the stark contrast between the two interviews she conducted today, finding herself with a constant smile in the presence of the fairies of Oh My Girl.  She looked to the last two members who hadn’t spoken up yet, and asked, “What about you two, anywhere you would like to visit?”

Arin shrugged slightly, admitting, “I don’t think the place I’d like to visit would be a great place for a concert.  I’ve wanted to visit Saipan, a small island in the western Pacific Ocean with a population of just over fifty thousand, for a very long time.”

Mimi also joined in, sharing that, “For me, I was trying to settle on a single place to visit while the others were talking, but couldn’t decide on just one!  I want to visit Paris, Russia, and Australia!”

The group found themselves laughing happily at Mimi’s enthusiasm, and Hyojung was the next to add to the conversation.  “What about you, Skye? Where would you like to visit?” she asked.

“I’m a bit like those two,” Skye replied, gesturing towards Arin and Mimi.  “The number one place I’ve always wanted to visit was Korea, but now that I’m here, my goal has changed a bit.”

Skye rummaged around in her bag, pulling out a pair of small booklets and showing them to the others.  “These were my parents’ passports, with stamps for each country they visited. I have a long way to go, but I want to visit every country they did.  Maybe I’ll even get the chance to add a few unique stamps to my own passport, who knows?”

Skye quickly put the passports away, attempting to move past this conversation quickly and maybe save herself from another night of nightmares.  She looked back to the group, announcing, “Alright, it’s starting to get a bit late, and I want to make sure that we take care of something. As much as I share your excitement for wanting to visit international fans, let’s come up with something for your domestic fans who will be attending the convention.  Anything you’re going to want to say to them?”

Silence followed, as each of the members of the group thought on the past few years and the significance it had on their lives.  Arin found her voice first, answering, “I don’t think any of us think that we’ll have the most fans at the convention, but it doesn’t mean that we appreciate them any less.  We’re just grateful that they’ve allowed us to get to a point where we were even considered for this project, not to mention being invited!”

Binnie continued the sentiment, sharing, “Some of us haven’t gotten a chance to fully display our talents either.  YooA’s been invited to collaborations, Jiho has acted in other artists’ MVs, and Seunghee has done both as well! Despite that, we’re not very well known.  I want the public to know who we are.”

Hyojung concluded the group’s answer, responding, “I think each of us brings a lot of joy to those around us and those who support us.  I think that this project is the best chance we’ve had to bring that joy to a large amount of people, and we promise to work hard to make the best of what we’ve been given!”

Skye finished recording her notes, and raised her head to smile at the kind faces of the group around her.  “I think we’ve gotten what we needed,” Skye announced, smile growing at the cheers of excitement from the others.  “We’ll definitely have a chance to talk again before the convention, but I hope you all know that I’m rooting for your success and I hope that I get to know you all much better moving forward.”

Skye stood, bowing in thanks as she continued, “Thank you all so very much once again for allowing me some of your time.  Good luck in your preparations, and I’ll talk to you soon!”

She was met by a chorus of gratitude, each of the members waving farewell as she departed the room.  As she made her way outside the building, she was met by the crisp winter air as a light breeze gusted along through the darkness.  Her navigation throughout the island was easy at this point, and she quickly found herself at her destination.

Skye stepped inside the dining hall, intent on grabbing a quick bite to eat before going back to the apartment to research for tomorrow’s interviews.  As she looked for a table, she noticed that a few of the groups that she had heard practicing earlier were already seated throughout the hall, with most already enjoying their meals.

Skye made her way towards a small table in the corner of the room, close to where Eunseo and Cheng Xiao had been sitting the previous day.  She took her seat, grabbing one of the tablets and beginning to browse through her dinner options. As she perused the menu, she noticed a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye.  Jisun stepped inside the dining hall, nervously looking across the dining hall in a similar fashion to Skye’s own actions on their first night on the island. Skye raised her hand, catching the Jisun’s attention and inviting the other girl to join her at the table.

Jisun gratefully accepted the invitation, walking over and smiling brightly at the redhead.  “Thanks for letting me sit with you,” Jisun said, taking a seat directly across from Skye.

“Of course, I’m glad you’re able to join me,” Skye responded, smiling in return.  “You actually showed up at a perfect time, I haven’t ordered yet.”

The pair enjoyed each other’s company in comfortable silence for a few moments as each selected their meal of choice, then set down their tablets.  Skye began the conversation, asking, “How was your day? How did you spend it?”

Jisun was happy to share, responding, “Most of my day was spent catching up on movie recommendations.  Since my group doesn’t have too big of a discography, we’re not beginning practice until after the weekend.  In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying the freedom to relax.”

Skye nodded in understanding, admitting, “That sounds really nice.  I feel like with having so much catching up to do, I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to relax moving forward.”

A caring expression developed on the girl known as the ‘mother of fromis_9’, as Jisun replied, “I understand where you’re coming from.  I was incredibly nervous at the start of Idol School, as I was surrounded by former trainees, and I was starting with no formal training.  I’m not going to lie and say that it was an easy journey, but I won somehow and I’m here now.”

Skye smiled, sharing, “I watched your journey on the show.  I was very excited when you won!”

Jisun smiled in return, asking, “Oh really?  I wasn’t sure how many people actually watched the show.”

Skye was quick to answer, responding, “Yep, and you were my vote from day one.”

The slightest of blushes developed on the small face of Jisun as she voiced her thanks.  Luckily, she found herself saved from having to respond as their orders were delivered to their tables.  The pair thanked the servers, and resumed their comfortable silence from earlier in the night as they enjoyed their meals.

A few moments later, once both had finished their meals, Skye elected to continue the conversation, asking, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your favorite movie?”

Jisun thought for a moment, then shrugged as she responded, “It honestly doesn’t matter what the movie is, I just like seeing a new story.  I even like traveling between schedules because it gives me the opportunity to listen to the radio and hear someone else’s story as well.”

Skye found herself enjoying listening to the other girl, as the enthusiasm behind her words were obvious.  She shared, “That’s part of why I love movies too! Funnily enough, my favorite class in college was film, where I was exposed to new stories on a daily basis.  I’ve tried to transfer that passion into my song writing, where I try to tell a unique story with each composition.”

Jisun leaned forward, animatedly exclaiming, “Really?  I’d love to hear one of your songs … if you’re willing to share.”

Skye looked around, feeling a bit self-conscious.  “Not here,” she responded, standing and offering a hand to the shorter girl.  “But, if you’d like to head back to my apartment, I’d be happy to show you there.”

Jisun slipped her small hand into Skye’s extended one, standing and answering, “Absolutely, let’s go!”

The pair departed the dining hall hand in hand, sharing about their favorite stories across all kinds of media as they made their way towards the apartment building.  Skye found herself gushing about her favorite book series, and was happy to listen as Jisun responded with an explanation of her favorite film.

Their conversation lasted through their entire journey, through the entryway, up the elevator, and inside Skye’s apartment.  Skye the lights, revealing the emptiness within. Skye invited Jisun to sit on her bed, and began to rummage through her closet in search of her laptop.  Once Skye found the object in question, she joined Jisun on the bed, smiling at her guest as the laptop slowly came to life.

Skye opened the first document in her archive, explaining, “This was the first piece I ever started working on.  I haven’t finished it yet, but I hope I’ll find the right words to conclude it someday.”

Jisun squinted, slowly reading the words on the dim screen, “Shine - Original Composition by Skye.  It’s a beautiful title.”

Skye smiled gratefully, admitting, “Thank you, this song means a lot to me.”

Jisun paused, looking Skye in the eye and asking, “Would you sing it for me?”

Skye took a deep breath, preparing to decline Jisun’s request, but something in her eyes changed her mind.  “I’d be happy to to,” Skye responded. She closed her eyes, attempting to calm her nerves, and then began to sing.

“I still remember when we met for the first time, I felt myself getting lost in your eyes …

My pulse was pounding in my ears, As your words sent my heart to the skies …

But many years later we’re so different, All grown up and ambitious …

Twenty thousand miles the distance, The hand fate dealt us was vicious …

But somehow, I know things will be alright, As long as I’ll have you by my side …

I’ll hold your hand tight as we take the leap, I’ll always be with you for the ride.”

As Skye began the chorus, she found herself smiling as she heard Jisun’s soft vocals join her own.

“You’re the light of my life, You’re everything to me …

Yeah, my closed off heart, You’re the one with the key …

In this dark, dark world, You’re the one that’s shining …

It’s hard for me to live, But for you I’ll keep trying …”

As Skye finished the last note, she fought back the tears that always came unbidden whenever she sang that song.  She felt a pair of arms gently wrap around her, and happily embraced Jisun back.

“Thank you for sharing something so special with me,” Jisun whispered.  “I could tell that song means a lot to you.”

Skye nodded, admitting, “It definitely does.  That’s why it’s so hard to find the words to finish the song, I want it to be perfect.”

Jisun smiled, responding, “I believe in you.  I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

Skye returned the smile, then looked to Jisun’s wrapped around her torso.  “I thought you didn’t like skinship,” Skye joked, causing Jisun to pull her arms away and chuckle.

“I’m still not in love with it,” Jisun replied.  “But you overcame your discomfort for my sake. The least I could do is the same.”

Skye’s smile grew, and she decided to extend her arms and wrap them around the shorter girl, exclaiming, “Then come here then!”  Skye pulled Jisun against the bed, causing them both to erupt into a fit of laughter as they wrestled on the bed. They separated after a short while, both attempting to catch their breath through their glee.

A notification sounded out from both of their pockets, causing the two to check their phones.  “Looks like they sent us a preview of our profiles,” Jisun commented.

“Yep, and it has everything.  Concept photos, evaluation videos, and even the interviews,” Skye added.  “Giving us a chance to view them before they’re apparently released tomorrow.”

“Want to look at mine?” Jisun asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from Skye.  The pair sat up on the bed, leaning close to each other as they began to look through Jisun’s profile.

They flipped through the four concept photos, causing Skye to voice her surprise at the girl’s ‘y’ and ‘girl crush’ sections.  “You look great, but it’s so weird to see you like this after the cute and innocent feel of fromis!” she exclaimed.

“It’s weird to see myself like that!” Jisun responded, voicing her agreement.  The pair moved on to the interview, and listened as Jisun shared a bit about her short career thus far, told stories about her puppy ‘Achu’, and told of her goals in the new program.

“Idol School moved very quickly, and I don’t feel that I was able to develop my skills to the level of many other participants,” video Jisun explained.  “Now that I’ve been given an opportunity to train with some of the most talented people in their roles, I’m hoping to grow into an idol with abilities that fans will be proud to support.”

The interview ended shortly after her declaration, and Skye offered a round of applause at its conclusion.  Jisun giggled a bit, gently punching the other’s arm in retaliation. “Alright, how about we get to laugh at your embarrassing pictures?” Jisun retorted.

Skye shook her head, insisting, “Not until we watch your evaluation video!”

Jisun rolled her eyes, responding, “Fine, but you’re sharing after!”

Jisun began the video, where she sang her version of ‘Ah-Choo!’ by Lovelyz.  As the video played, Jisun explained that she felt most confident in covering this song, as it was the performance when she secured the most individual votes out of all of the Idol School contestants.  As the upbeat notes from the song played, Skye found herself humming along, enjoying the performance.

The video ended far too quickly for Skye’s liking, but probably not soon enough for Jisun’s.  “That was really good!” Skye insisted.

“Meh, I don’t really think so,” Jisun responded.  “But we’ve watched all of my stuff, now it’s time for yours!”

Skye acquiesced, pulling out her own phone and opening her profile.  She found herself cringing at the images, knowing how badly her poses looked in comparison to the original idol she was imitating.  However, Jisun voiced her support for each, exclaiming, “Wow, you’re really versatile! I think you look great in all of these!”

“Thanks, I appreciate the kind words, but I’m not sure I agree,” Skye responded honestly.  “Just wait until we’re able to see some of the other idols, I’m sure I’ll pale in comparison.”

Jisun simply elected to shrug, replying, “Maybe, but we can worry about that later.  Let’s look at your evaluation video!”

Skye was happy to oblige, mentally dreading the other girl’s inevitable request to watch the interview.  As the opening notes of ‘Mr. Mr.’ by Girls’ Generation filled the room, Skye gave a bit of explanation for her choice, sharing that it was the first song she had heard from a K-Pop group, and that she instantly fell in love.  The pair spent the remainder of the song in silence, enjoying Skye’s performance, until they reached the ending and Skye’s hat throw came on screen, causing Jisun to burst into a fit of laughter. Skye covered her face in embarrassment, eventually joining Jisun in her laughter.

“That was great!”  Jisun exclaimed. “Great way to make sure that the audience remembers you.”

Skye simply smiled, asking, “All right, ready for the interview?”

Jisun calmed herself, nodding emphatically in response.

“Just so you know, it’s a very different tone to the other content,” Skye warned as she pressed play, and the voices of Seungyeon and Skye filled the room.  The interview began as expected, with a bit of basic information about Skye. However, both viewers fell completely silent as Skye began to tell the story of her tragic past.  Skye looked over at the other girl, attempting to judge her reaction as Jisun’s eyes stayed locked onto the screen.

The interview ended a couple minutes later, plunging the pair into total silence.  Skye unconsciously held her breath as she looked at Jisun, waiting to see the other girl’s reaction.  Jisun turned, meeting Skye’s eyes and asking, “That’s why you’re so obsessed with your song being perfect, isn’t it?  It’s about them.”

Skye nodded, confessing, “Yeah, I feel like anything less than the perfect song would be a disservice to their memory.  I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, because I can’t bear to imagine a world where it fades into obscurity upon release.”

Jisun remained silent, electing to express her feelings through action as she hugged Skye once again.  Skye gratefully leaned into the embrace, resting her head on Jisun’s as she stared off into the distance.  Seconds, maybe minutes, maybe even hours passed as the pair sat there, Jisun offering support and Skye allowing herself to not think for a short while.

Jisun pulled away, taking Skye’s hands into her own and looking her directly in the eyes.  She opened to speak, but was interrupted as they heard the door open. Jisun pulled away, and turned to watch as Nayoung and Kyulkyung made their way inside the apartment.

“Welcome back,” Skye announced, smiling at her roommate.  “Kyulkyung already met her, but Nayoung, this is Jisun. Jisun, meet Nayoung.”

Jisun stood from the bed, standing and shaking the hand of Nayoung as the pair introduced themselves to one another.  The newly arrived pair took a seat on Kyulkyung’s bed across from Skye, and Jisun returned to her seat directly next to the redhead.

“How was your day?”  Skye asked. “What did you two do?”

“Not too bad, we spent today rehearsing as I.O.I., and plan to continue practice tomorrow.  That way, we can rehearse with our individual groups next week,” Nayoung explained.

“What about you two, how was your day?”  Kyulkyung asked.

“Mine was spent catching up on movies,” Jisun answered.  “I don’t have the burden of having to perform with two groups, and I fully intend to take advantage of that fact.”

The other pair chuckled, and Skye continued, “Mine was alright, just very busy.  I have to try and prepare scripted segments with every group before the convention, so I decided to start with Twice and Oh My Girl today.”

“Sounds like you’ll be busy,” Kyulkyung commented, earning a nod from Skye.

“Probably will be,” Skye agreed.  “Speaking of, we need to work out a time for me to prepare a segment with I.O.I. and Pristin.”

“You can stop by for I.O.I. tomorrow,” Nayoung offered.  “And we’ll let you know about Pristin. It’s been a while since we rehearsed as a group, so we may need all the practice time we can get!”

“That works for me,” Skye responded, pulling out her phone and confirming a time to meet the next day with the pair.  Once finished, she turned to Jisun and added, “We should chat in a few days about when would be a good time for me to meet with your group as well.”

Jisun nodded in agreement and replied, “Sounds good to me.”

Jisun checked the clock, noting the late hour.  “I should probably head back to my apartment, my roommate might start wondering where I am soon.”

Nayoung and Kyulkyung bid her farewell, and Skye rose to walk her to the door.  As Jisun stepped out into the hallway, Skye asked, “Mind sharing what you were going to say before my roommate and her plus one showed up?”

Jisun turned, once again facing the taller girl.  “Not here,” she responded, repeating Skye’s own phrase from earlier and offering her signature wink before turning and departing towards the elevator.

Skye could only smile, close the door, and turn back towards the others.  “You heard the girl, time for you two to split up so I can get some quiet time to do some research before bed,” she announced, earning a pair of chuckles from the seated duo.

“Why, want some alone time with me?”  Kyulkyung joked, smile widening as Skye responded with an intense glare.

“She’s right, we have more practice in the morning,” Nayoung announced, standing up from the bed and pulling Kyulkyung up with her.  The taller girl pulled the other girl into a tight embrace, and planted a soft kiss on the forehead of Kyulkyung before pulling away. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kyulkyung said softly as she walked the other girl to the door.  “Sleep well!”

“You too!”  Nayoung responded as she opened the door.  She turned back for a moment, wishing Skye a good night as well before departing and leaving the roommates alone once more.

“How are you two doing?”  Skye asked as Kyulkyung began to prepare for bed.

“Alright I suppose,” Kyulkyung responded from within her closet.  “Nothing’s really changed, and I don’t expect anything to until after the convention.”

Kyulkyung reemerged, clad in her pajamas, and laid down on her bed, pulling out her phone.  “Did you see that our profiles were sent to us?” she asked, looking over at Skye who had taken a seat at the table.

“Yeah, I did,”  Skye answered as she pulled out her laptop and began to research the groups she would be interviewing the next day.  “Not going to lie, it was pretty tough to watch that interview again.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kyulkyung responded, rolling over to face the redhead.  “I’m sure It can’t be easy to bring up such a painful memory.”

“It isn’t,” Skye agreed, browsing the internet in hopes of finding inspiration for the upcoming interviews.  “But I’ll get better at it with time.”

Kyulkyung smiled, turning off her bedside light and announcing, “I’m going to head to sleep, don’t stay up too late.”

Skye nodded her head, promising, “Don’t worry, I won’t.  Good night!”

“Good night!”  the muffled voice of Kyulkyung responded, her face buried into the pillow as she spoke.

Within a few minutes, Skye heard the other girl’s breathing soften as she succumbed to slumber.  Skye continued her research for a while longer, making sure that she was absolutely satisfied with her preparation before allowing herself to shut off the computer and begin preparing for sleep.

Once finished, she climbed into the bed and looked at Kyulkyung.  The chinese girl looked so peaceful in her sleep, and Skye couldn’t help but feel jealous.  As she turned over, looking out at the moonlight, she thought of the day she had just experienced.  Her eyes had been opened to the severity of the problems that idols faced, and the thought of her own greatest fear resurfaced to the forefront of her mind.

“What if I can’t meet others’ expectations?  What if I disappoint everyone I care about?” she whispered to herself, the images of Kyulkyung, Miyeon, and Jisun at the forefront of her mind.  Her worries plagued her remaining waking moments, and she found herself praying for a peaceful night of rest as she felt herself drifting off into dreamland.

Author’s Note:  Firstly, thank you for waiting.  Your subscriptions and upvotes between updates are always appreciated, and keep me motivated.  Here’s my promise to you in return: higher quality updates will be coming, with higher frequency.  Next update will be here very soon (on or before October 7th), featuring Red Velvet, and I.O.I. will follow.

Thank you so much for continuing to read. I think this story has ridiculous amounts of potential to tell a really interesting tale, and I hope you'll continue to stick around to experience it in its entirety. I have a bit planned ahead, but especially after the convention arc, I'd love to hear what combinations of idols you think would work well together! Whether it be as a romantic relationship, friendship, or as groupmates, I'd be happy to try and find a way to incorporate your requests. If you have something you'd like to share, please comment down below, message me directly, or reach out to me on Twitter (@tylercapistrano). I hope to hear from you all, and hope to see you in the next chapter!