A familiar cacophony burst to life as Skye’s alarm echoed through her ears, causing the redhead to quickly awaken and silence the object in question.  She looked over her shoulder, a slight smile emerging at the sight of her roommate who lay awkwardly across her bed, still deep asleep. Skye slipped out of her bed, quietly making her way towards the bathroom and beginning her routine.  She swiftly and silently completed each step of her preparations, even taking a short while to prepare breakfast for herself and Kyulkyung and making sure to leave a note for the sleeping beauty informing her of the small gift.

Skye departed the apartment building, pulling her jacket tight against her body as she stepped outside in an attempt to keep warm in the cool winter morning.  She hurriedly made her way towards the large building that housed the practice rooms, quickly arriving and pulling off her jacket as she stepped inside and began her hunt for her destination.  Fortunately, she soon found herself in front of a door nearly identical to the pair she had opened the day before, but this time it was adorned with the name of the latest in a long line of SM Entertainment girl groups, none other than ‘Red Velvet’.

Skye timidly knocked on the door, grinning as it opened and she was invited in by the smiling face of Yeri.  Skye stepped inside, bowing deeply as Yeri introduced her to the other members of the group. “Thanks for taking some time to meet with me on such short notice, I really appreciate it,” Skye said as she rummaged through her bag.  She pulled out a few small meals, explaining, “Since it’s so early in the morning, I wanted to make sure you guys were ready for the day ahead.”

The others voiced their thanks as Skye distributed the food, each happily enjoying themselves as Skye made sure she had everything else in order.  “So how do you want to do this?” Skye asked Irene as the older girl finished eating Skye's gift.

“We normally start with individual warmups, so why don’t you do one on one questions while we do so?” Irene suggested, earning a nod from Skye.

“Sounds good to me,” Skye responded, looking around the room at each of the members.  “So who wants to start?”

The older girls shyly avoided her yes, but Yeri was happy to match Skye’s gaze and be the first to be interviewed.  The group separated into their own respective areas of the room, Skye following Yeri over to her own and pulling out her notebook as the maknae began her stretching routine.  “It’s nice to get a chance to talk with you again,” Yeri offered.

Skye smiled in return as she looked to the other girl, responding, “I’m also glad we have another chance to chat.  Your advice the other day has been quite helpful in calming my concerns, so thank you again.”

Skye found her page on Red Velvet, and began to interview Yeri, asking, “Is there anyone outside your group that you’re excited to work with here?”

Yeri didn’t even take a moment to think, quickly responding, “I’ve always dreamed of collaborating with my senior groups SNSD and f(x), but I unfortunately don’t think that’s very likely.  I’m good friends with Nayeon though, so I think it’d be fun to work with her! I’m also classmates with Chuu from LOONA, so it’d be exciting to perform with her. She’s super cute!”

Yeri immediately launched into her own recreation of Chuu’s apple heart, earning an embarrassed giggle from Skye and audible groans from the other members.  “Don’t make me pull up that VLive of you four doing the same thing!” Yeri threatened, causing the other members’ laughter to immediately cease and Skye’s own to intensify.

“Ignore them,” Yeri remarked.  “They act like they hate it when one of us acts cute, but they’ve all done it quite a few times, often voluntarily.”

Skye flipped through her notes, thinking carefully before asking her next question.  “You’ve always been involved in the production process, but it seems to have increased in frequency recently.  Is this something you’re hoping to continue moving forward?” Skye asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from Yeri.

“Absolutely!” she responded, sharing, “I was actually scheduled to release my first solo track later this year, but obviously plans changed.  Hopefully in the future, I’ll get a chance to share it with the world.”

Skye noted the other girl’s earnest tone, speaking truthfully as she replied, “I hope you do too.”

She flipped through her notes once more, her eyes quickly locking on the question she most wanted to ask, yet was most afraid to.  Deciding to give in, Skye asked, “Last question. Any thoughts on debuting at the same time as the rest of your future group members, rather than being added later?”

Yeri’s expression turned contemplative for a moment as she gave the question a few moments of thoughts before answering.  “I’m fortunate that my members didn’t treat me differently, but I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t any difference in how the fans viewed me,” Yeri admitted, mentally recalling the tough times of the past.  “I think it’d be nice not to be labeled as an ‘unnecessary inclusion’.”

Skye patted the other girl’s back affectionately, softly responding, “Thank you for answering a difficult question.  Don’t worry, I promise I won’t ask that one on stage.”

Yeri turned and faced the other girl, bowing her head in thanks.  Skye turned, facing the other four and announcing, “Alright, who’s my next victim - I mean interviewee?”

Her joke was met by a small chorus of laughter, but one of the participants quickly fell silent as Skye walked over to Irene and took a seat.  “Don’t worry, I won’t take up too much of your time,” Skye promised.

Irene nodded, commented, “Surprisingly, I’m not worried.  You did a great job with Yeri.”

Skye’s face turned a shade more red at the compliment, whispering a word of thanks before declaring, “Let’s just get this question out of the way.  Any thoughts on being one of the oldest members in the program?”

Irene immediately turned to Skye and glared, expression softening the slightest bit as the younger girl simply shrugged.  “No, not really,” Irene admitted. “Maybe it means I’m a bit more impatient about debuting? I honestly haven’t put too much thought into it.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Skye responded.  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, especially with how popular you are as a CF model these days.”

Irene turned away, looking back at the mirror and hesitantly denying Skye’s words.  “It’s easy to say, harder to believe,” she disclosed, a slight hint of her low self-confidence showing in her admission.

Skye tilted her head in confusion at the older girl’s denial.  “How can you say that? You’re an amazing dancer, have a legion of fans that would die before turning their backs on you, and not to mention ... you know ... that,” Skye responded, gesturing at Irene’s reflection in the mirror.

Irene’s mood lifted slightly at Skye’s comments, covering as she let out a small bit of laughter.  “I appreciate your kind words,” Irene answered, turning and facing the seated girl. “It’s just difficult for me to talk about my feelings like this.”

Skye stood, meeting the shorter girl’s eyes directly and assuring her, “Then we don’t have to, don’t worry.”  She began making her way over to the next interviewee, but turned and announced, “Maybe on stage I’ll just ask you about your new favorite alcohol brand and score you another modeling contract!”

Irene led the group’s laughter this time, her sadness lifted as she turned back to focus on completing her warmup routine.  Skye made her way to the nearest member, smiling at Seulgi as she took a seat. “Am I next on the chopping block?” the older girl joked, causing the redhead to roll her eyes in mock annoyance.

“Surely you can bear to tolerate my presence for a few minutes,” Skye responded, earning a roll of the eyes from the other girl at the pun.  “Jokes aside, you had one of the longest training periods out of any idols. What was your reaction to the thought of fighting for your career once more?”

Seulgi nodded at the question, responding, “I think I got a lot out of my training period, so I’m hoping that the skills that I’ve developed over all these years will help me find success in this program.”

Skye smiled wide, allowing her inner fangirl to emerge for a moment as she shared, “I don’t think you have much to worry about.  If we’re being honest, I think you’re one of the most talented people on this island.”

Seulgi grinned in response to the compliment, asking, “Is that so?  Are you a fan of mine?”

Skye nodded, happily answering, “Definitely.  I remember being very excited whenever I saw your name on one of your many collaboration projects.”

Seulgi looked down at the wide-eyed Skye, the mysterious persona of this previously unknown girl so unlike the smiling fan that sat before her.  She crouched down, meeting Skye’s eyes as she promised, “Then I’ll make sure you get another chance to see me on the stage.”

Skye offered a lopsided smirk at Seulgi’s promise, answering in return, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Seulgi stood, asking, “Any other questions for me?”

Skye joined her in standing, shaking her head in response.  “Nah, I'm too busy internally fangirling to think of any. Thank you for everything, it means so much to me.”

Seulgi smiled as she extended her arms for a hug.  Skye happily obliged, pulling the other girl close and cherishing her embrace for a brief moment.  As they pulled away, Seulgi joked, “So who’s your next target?”

Skye looked at the remaining members, bursting into laughter as Wendy slumped her shoulders and declared, “Fine, I’ll go.”

Skye moved over, taking a seat once again and looking through her notes on the star vocalist.  She looked up, asking the other girl, “What do you most want to accomplish as part of this program?”

Wendy paused her stretching, thinking for a moment before responding, “I’m not sure I’ve shared this before, but a dream of mine is to go on a tour where we have stops in each of the cities I’ve lived in.”

Skye nodded, continuing, “You’re regarded as one of the best vocalists in the industry, but are there any lesser known talents you have that you’re hoping to show over the course of this program?”

Wendy was happy to share, replying, “Two areas that I’ve invested my time into are languages and instruments.  I’ve never been much of a chance to show either, so hopefully this is my opportunity to display both.”

Skye took a moment to write down a few notes, then looked to Wendy and asked her final question.  “So you’re a phenomenal vocalist, a great broadcast personality, and you still have more to show. Is there anything that concerns you about the future?”

Wendy fell silent, averting her eyes from Skye and looking over at Joy.  Skye followed her gaze, recognition developing on her features at the older girl’s silent answer.

Skye stood, nodding in thanks to Wendy as she made her way to Joy’s area of the room.  She sat, noticing Joy’s unfocused eyes as she sluggishly made her way through the motions of preparation.  “Are you alright?” Skye asked, worry apparent in her voice as she took her seat.

Joy sighed, flatly responding, “Just tired.”

Skye’s unease grew at Joy’s response, further asking, “Did you not sleep well last night?  Do you want me to get you some tea ... or coffee perhaps?”

Joy offered a sad smile as she looked down at the concerned girl, shaking her head dejectedly.  “I appreciate it, but I’m not tired due to a lack of sleep. Just tired of all ... this,” Joy explained, gesturing around the room.

Skye nodded, confusion still apparent on her features but slowly comprehending what the other girl was saying.  “So what’s changed?” Skye inquired. “What’s keeping you from becoming the ‘person filled with joy’ that you’ve wanted to become?”

Joy sighed once more, pausing her warmups as she took a seat in front of Skye and faced the other girl.  “I guess this all just feels so shallow,” Joy admitted. “I became an idol because I loved the feeling of attention and acknowledgement … but I’m not sure that I want to subject myself to the hard work required to debut once more for the sake of my fans.  I kind of just want to live for myself these days.”

Skye nodded, finally understanding where the other girl was coming from.  “So what’s made you happy in recent memory?”

“Acting,” Joy quickly responded.  “I really enjoyed being able to focus on myself, and I was still able to receive love and attention for my performance.”

Skye felt the stares of the others on her and Joy’s area of the room as they conversed, noting the varied reactions of the other members.  All of the members seemed unsurprised by the topic of conversation, but Skye noted a deep sadness apparent in Yeri’s eyes as the young girl listened intently.  “Do you think you’re going to transition into being a full-time actress?” Skye inquired, asking the question on everyone’s minds.

Joy sighed deeply once more, standing again as she responded, “That’s a topic for another day, unfortunately.  Right now we have to focus on putting on the best show for our fans.”

Skye winced at the robotic and lifeless response offered by the other girl, and her discomfort only increased as she looked around at the sad expressions of the other members as they turned away and went back to their own individual exercises.  Skye gathered her things, looking around the room and offering a quiet word of goodbye as she made her way towards the door.

The members voiced an unethusiastic chorus of thanks and goodbyes in response, not even turning to acknowledge Skye as she awkwardly made her unceremonious exit.  As the door closed behind her, Skye looked down at her phone and noted that she still had a short while before she was scheduled to meet with I.O.I.

Skye decided to make her way over to the dining hall, hoping to grab a quick bite to eat between her interviews.  She walked along one of the many beautiful paths across the island, mentally replaying Joy’s words over and over again.  Something about the lifeless delivery of them haunted Skye as she thought of how the girl’s stage name felt so ironic for such a currently joyless individual.

Fortunately, Skye’s mood lifted slightly as she stepped inside the dining hall and the wonderful scent of others’ meals reached her nose.  She found a small table to set her things down, and quickly placed her order before pulling out her phone and checking the time once again.  “Our individual profiles go live in a few hours,” she murmured, shuddering in nervousness at the thought.

She killed a bit of time by playing around on her phone, uninterestedly scrolling through social media as she waited for her meal to arrive.  A few minutes later, the server arrived, causing Skye to look up and thank him as she was given her food. She looked around as she began to eat, watching the other idols as they also enjoyed their meal.  Her eyes settled on Tzuyu and Elkie a few tables away, smiling as she watched their animated chatter back and forth.

Her grin widened as her eyes landed on the familiar pair of Yoohyeon and Sakura sitting nearby.  Skye knew from her ‘gaming surprise’ group chat that the two got along fairly well, but she was fairly surprised to see them going out of their way to spend time together.  Sakura turned and met Skye’s gaze, smiling and waving at the redhead. Skye returned the favor, waving and gently shaking her head as Yoohyeon also turned and invited her over to sit with the pair.

Skye gestured at her watch, signaling that she didn’t have much time to spend.  The other girls nodded in understanding, waving farewell once more before turning back to their conversation.  Skye quickly finished her meal and stood to depart, offering a brief greeting as she passed by the pair. She stepped outside, groaning as she stretched her limbs and began the scenic walk back towards the practice rooms.

She soon found herself in front of a door marked ‘I.O.I.’, knocking on the door in an attempt to announce her arrival over the loud music echoing from within.  No response was offered for a few moments, and Skye awkwardly raised her hand to knock once again. As she reached forward to do so, the door opened to reveal the beaming face of her roommate.  Kyulkyung’s grin widened at the sight of Skye, and she quickly stepped aside to allow Skye to enter.

Skye happily accepted the invitation, moving in and smiling wide as the upbeat notes of ‘Crush’ filled her ears.  Nayoung noticed her entrance, waving to the new arrival and moving over to pause the music. As the room fell to silence, the remainder of the eyes turned and locked on Skye.  Nayoung moved over, introducing Skye to those that she hadn’t already met.  Skye happily shook the hands of each of the members, mentally noting Chaeyeon's particularly warm greeting to the redhead.

Once everyone became acquainted with each other, they sat on the ground in a small circle and Skye began the interview.  “So now that you’ve had a few days together, how does it feel to reunite?” she asked, smiling at the infectious energy of the group.

“It feels like a party!” Doyeon declared, earning a cheer from the other energetic members.

“I agree, it’s been nice to be able to spend time together without worrying about other schedules or company politics,” Chaeyeon added, offering her calmer perspective as she cast her mind back to some of the difficulties she had faced during the original I.O.I. promotions.

Skye nodded in understanding, continuing, “Speaking of schedules and companies, do you have any thoughts on how your experiences with your previous companies affected you?”

“Despite all their shortcomings,” Sejeong began, sighing at the thought of the last few years’ struggles.  “The guidance they provided is a large part of why we’re here today.”

Skye looked around the room, gauging the mixed reactions of the other members.  Many sported faces of grudging agreement, while others seemed optimistic and earnest towards the future.

Skye decided to tap into that earnestness, asking, “So what are you most looking forward to through this program?”

“I think it’ll be a great chance to improve!” Sohye quickly replied.  “There are so many talented individuals on this island, it should be a perfect place to really develop our skills.”

“I agree, and this is a much nicer place to live than the Produce dorms,” Mina added.  “Much better food as well!”

Skye laughed as the others voiced their agreement, thinking of her own pleasant experiences in the dining hall.  She kept the interview going, asking, “Anything you’re not looking forward to?”

The group paused for a moment, looking around.  “I’m sick of competitions,” Somi announced, earning sympathetic nods from the others.

“I’m not surprised,” Skye admitted.  “Alright, Mina’s mention of food has made me hungry, so one more question before we wrap this up and head to dinner.  Any final thoughts that you’d like to share?”

The group looked amongst themselves, smiling at each other, and Chungha voiced the thought on many of their minds.  “It’s just good to be back,” Chungha announced, earning a cheer from the others.

And with that declaration, the pack of twelve departed the practice hall together, happily parading across the island in a  pair of groups. One, mostly comprised of the younger members, was loud and energetic, happily singing together as they made their way towards the dining hall.  The other, comprised of the older members and Skye, followed closely behind, chatting quietly and telling stories of the past couple years. The idols soon arrived and made their way inside, chossing to claim one of the larger tables in the hall so that they could all sit together.  Seats were decided, orders were placed, and the group soon found themselves conversing once again.

Sejeong was the first focus of attention, as Yoojung asked her how promoting as a soloist and group member differed.  She was happy to share her perspectives on both, then shifted the conversation as she asked Sohye about her experiences while acting.  Sohye shared some behind the scenes moments, as well as talked a bit about the interesting dynamic of working with her parents professionally.  Somi was happy to comment on that, complaining about the embarrassment felt when appearing on variety shows with her father in particular.

The conversation immediately ground to a halt as their food arrived, save for a single comment made by Doyeon about the size of the portions ordered by Sohye and Mina.  The table was a sight to behold, as each individual had ordered a different dish that best fit their own unique tastes. The group immediately began digging into their meals, occasionally remarking on the quality as they hastily devoured their dishes.

A short while later, a joke made by Yeonjung gave Skye inspiration for a song title, and she pulled her phone to write down a note.  As she did, she noticed the time, and a realization struck her. “Hey guys, check this out,” Skye announced, displaying her screen to the group.  “I didn’t even notice, but it looks like our profiles went public about an hour ago.”

“Don’t check yours!” Nayoung immediately warned, earning murmurs of agreement from the others.  “Whatever you think you want to see, it’s not worth exposing yourself to the chance of hate comments.”

Skye paused, then nodded her head in reluctant agreement.  “You’re probably right,” Skye announced, dejectedly putting her phone in her pocket.

Down the table, Kyulkyung quietly pulled out her own phone and began to flip through the webpage home to each of the idol’s profiles.  She eventually found Skye’s in the sea of names, and discreetly scrolled down to the comment section at the bottom of the page. Her eyes scanned over the top comment, and her visage immediately shifted to one of disgust at what she read.  She hastily put her phone away, but the words in question were already burned into her memory.

Apex Profile – Soloists – Skye

Top Comments

#1: What a thoroughly unnecessary & underwhelming reveal.  Probably just some sad little girl with a sob story to tell whose only purpose was to generate excitement.  She'll never debut. (+63019 -99)

Author’s Note:  I know I’m two days late, and I’m incredibly sorry.  Unfortunately, I have two reasons why. Firstly, I had to take my dad to the emergency room on Saturday, as he got in an accident and required emergency stitches.  The good news is that he’ll be fine, and the stitches will be out within a week. The second reason is because I had to go with my parents to put our dog down on Monday.  I ... really don't have any good news to share on that one.

But anyways, prior to my weekend going from decent to terrible, I ended up watching the entirety of Hotel Del Luna over the past two weeks, and it was awesome!  It was my first K-Drama, and I’m very glad I decided to watch it! If you want to chat with me about recommendations for my next watch (thinking Sky Castle), story feedback / requests, or anything else, feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@tylercapistrano) or message me here on AFF.

I’m starting a new class on the 14th (6th class, 19 units, WOOHOO), so I may need a bit more time for the next chapter.  I expect it to be a bit longer (covering the night after dinner and the two weekend days), so look forward to that one on spooky day (October 31st – Halloween!  In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you soon!