Hye-jin and Whee-in were destined to be friends. That’s what their mothers both agreed on once the two met in their 6th year of school. Hye-jin’s mother and father had just gotten a divorce so she followed her mother from Gangnam to Jeonju-si to stay with her. They moved into a traditional house with Hye-jin’s grandparents and Hye-jin was enrolled in school immediately. No, the girls weren’t neighbors and they did not meet that way. In fact, Whee-in lived in apartments away from Hye-jin’s home with her mother and older brother. Whee-in didn’t even know of Hye-jin when the school year begun.

 

Hye-jin quickly adjusted to being the new girl. Students fascinated by her designer clothes and outgoing charms. Hye-jin quickly made friends on top of being on top of the social ladder in their grade. Whee-in being more shy didn’t bother with Hye-jin, she stuck to herself and only listened to rumors about Hye-jin and who she was. The rumors taught Whee-in that Hye-jin is from Gangnam with a rich father who works in business. Her mother was a housewife and apparently grew tired of Gangnam and wanted to go home. She learned Hye-jin had no siblings and was pretty spoiled. That Hye-jin preferred cats over dogs and that she can be a bit sassy with others.

 

Through all the rumors, Whee-in was still too shy to approach or be bothered with Hye-jin. They both went about their own lives and days as the school year went on. But Hye-jin was interested in quiet Whee-in. Even though she had made friends with everyone in their class, she wanted Whee-in’s friendship the most. She watched Whee-in often, stealing glances at her doodles and taking notice of how when she answered questions in class, she’ll kick her leg up under the desk. Hye-jin learned Whee-in’s mother owned a tiny restaurant and that her father passed away in an accident at work. She also learned Whee-in had an older brother who was in 9th grade. Hye-jin became determined to befriend Whee-in and once Hye-jin put her mind to something, she knew she had to do it.

 

Hye-jin tried to start with eating lunch with Whee-in. She noticed Whee-in always brought her own lunch and ate alone. Hye-jin decided to copy Whee-in and brought in her own lunch. She sat next to Whee-in and looked at her but Whee-in’s head remained down as she ate her food and doodled in her sketchbook.

 

“Hi. I’m Ahn Hye-jin.”

 

Whee-in’s anxiety went to the sky and instead of saying “hi” back to Hye-jin, the young girl closed her sketchbook and left. Hye-jin felt frustrated but she didn’t follow Whee-in. she simply left her alone and made a deal with herself to try again the next day. The next day Hye-jin sat across from Whee-in and reached across the table for her sketchbook. Whee-in slammed the book shut and got up to escape but this time Hye-jin grabbed hold of Whee-in’s wrist.

 

“Hi. I’m Ahn Hye-jin.” She repeated as she did the day before.

 

Whee-in’s heart raced so hard, her eardrums were creating a beat. Her face growing flushed, her eyes wide and doe like. She wiggled her tin wrist and managed to break free from Hye-jin, she once again ran off, leaving Hye-jin alone at the table with a perplexed expression and building disappointment. But Hye-jin was determined and Whee-in was scared but her interest in Hye-jin was building. She never bothered to make friends but seeing Hye-jin try so hard made her begin to wonder if having a friend is worth it.

 

On Hye-jin’s third day of trying to become friends with Whee-in, she just went for it. She sat next to the girl and threw her arms around her. Whee-in instantly tensed up, her eyes shutting as her heart slammed against her tiny chest like a hammer. Her breathing increased in speed as her anxiety shot past the bar. She wanted to scream or cry but she relaxed as soon as Hye-jin whispered in her ear.

 

“You’re my best friend, Jung Whee-in.”

 

From that day forward, Whee-in and Hye-jin’s friendship began to bloom. It wasn’t easy for Whee-in at first, eating lunch with Hye-jin every day was the first step. Hye-jin understood Whee-in’s shyness and didn’t force her new friend to talk. She did the talking for the both of them and Whee-in simply nodded her head in agreement or shook it in disagreement or sometimes she just shrugged her shoulders. Hye-jin was fine with this, she liked talking and she knew it was a huge step for Whee-in to even let her eat lunch with her.

 

Eventually they exchanged phone numbers and every night, they would talk for 15 minutes. Whee-in was only allowed to have 15 minute phone calls. Most of those 15 minutes were Hye-jin talking about her day and going over things that she didn’t talk about at lunch. She would call Whee-in every night at 6PM. Whee-in always answered and though she didn’t offer much to the conversation, she still was glad to listen to Hye-jin and even giggled at some of her outlandish comments. The phone calls soon got Whee-in out of her shell and allowed her to tell Hye-jin everything that’s on her mind. How she wished she was less shy to how annoying their math teacher is to who she had a crush on and even some of her insecurities. Hye-jin always listened when Whee-in had something to say because it was rare.

 

Around the time of Whee-in’s birthday, she had gotten a karaoke machine.  Singing being something only her mom and brother knew she enjoyed. Whee-in would sing songs on the machine when she wasn’t studying and even wrote lyrics to sing her own songs. She decided she was tired of singing alone and one night told Hye-jin her secret passion to sing. She knew Hye-jin loved to sing because the girl did it often when they were on the phone and at lunch. Everyone always complimented Hye-jin on her voice and rumors were even going around that Hye-jin will go to a music school. But they were just rumors, Hye-jin didn’t want to leave Whee-in behind.

 

“Hye-jin.” Whee-in said into her phone one night.

 

Whee-in’s mother had gone to bed early so Whee-in had been on the phone with Hye-jin for twenty minutes. Both girls were laid out in their beds, staring up at their ceilings. It was a rainy night and thunder was booming outside. Hye-jin was scared of storms but talking to Whee-in kept her anxiety down. She was glad Whee-in finally had something to say after twenty minutes of nonsense coming out of Hye-jin’s mouth. When Whee-in said her name, she sat up slightly in her dark room. She held her breath so she could hear Whee-in clearly, she could not miss a word of what Whee-in had to say.

 

“Hye-jin?” Whee-in asked after a minute of silence.

 

“Yes?” Hye-jin asked, letting her breath escape from her nostrils.

 

“I have a karaoke machine.”

 

“You do?! I want one. Wait, you sing?”

 

“Mhm. Only my mom and brother know. Don’t tell anyone.”

 

“Why? Are you a bad singer?”

 

Whee-in’s face heats up in the dark of her room. She didn’t think she was a bad singer. Her mother always told her, her voice is beautiful and will grow to become powerful someday. Her brother always told her to shut up but she knew he enjoyed her singing as much as her mother did. But was she actually a good singer? Whee-in had no clue and now with the question Hye-jin asked, she was scared to answer. Whee-in went silent, her teeth nibbling on her tongue gently. Are you a bad singer? Rings in her mind.

 

“Whee?” Hye-jin asked, worried she just lost her friend.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Sing for me.”

 

“Right now? There’s no music and it’s raining.”

 

Hye-jin softly yelps as loud thunder booms again. The windows to her room shaking from the impact. She clutches the phone tight in her hand, her breathing increasing. Her eyes shutting, she is ready to hide under her bed from the storm. She’s ready to run to her grandparents’ room and cuddle under them to hide from the storm. Whee-in never knew Hye-jin to be afraid of anything but hearing her heavy breathing and yelps made something inside of her melt. She cleared without saying a word. The lyrics to “곰 세 마리” (Three Bears) escaped from .

 

Hye-jin eyes instantly closed as she listened to Whee-in sing the nursery rhyme. She hummed along and without even asking, Whee-in started over again once she finished. Hye-jin continued to listen to her friend and soon she started to sing along. They comforted each other from the storm with the childish lyrics. Both of them singing the song over and over again until Hye-jin’s mother came into her room to tell her to get off the phone.

 

“Goodnight, Whee.” Hye-jin whispered.

 

“Goodnight, Hye.” Whee-in replied.

 

With the passing months, Hye-jin and Whee-in’s friendship only grew stronger. The two started to become inseparable. They spent the mornings at school in homeroom together, lunch together, studying in the library together, they would walk to the park near the school together and basically anything else they could do together, they did it. Whee-in became more confident in herself and even managed to make a couple of acquaintances. Hye-jin became a calmer student and her grades improved with being friends with Whee-in. Their mothers found their friendship to be a beautiful one. For Christmas break, Hye-jin got to spend a night at Whee-in’s apartment and Whee-in got to spend a night at Hye-jin’s house. They got each other Christmas presents and spent the New Year together in Gangnam with Hye-jin’s dad.

 

It was in Gangnam where the two got scouted for an entertainment agency. Hye-jin’s father had taken the girls to the mall to buy inexpensive New Year gifts for their families. Whee-in was too timid to ask Hye-jin’s father to buy things for her so Hye-jin did all the talking. The mall was so busy with people but that didn’t scare Hye-jin. She kept Whee-in next to her as they looked in different stores. Hye-jin pointing out clothes she would wear once she was a teenager and clothes she found hideous. Whee-in listened and played along with Hye-jin’s game both of them discovering their sense of fashion totally different from one another.

 

The game made both girls hungry and Hye-jin’s father took them to the food court. The food court was full of commotion due to a makeshift stage that was set up and people auditioning on the spot for the label “Independent Stars”. Hye-jin dragged Whee-in and her father to get a glimpse of the stage. They picked a table close by and Hye-jin’s father left them to go grab food for the three of them. Both girls watched as a boy got on stage, he grabbed the complimentary guitar and started to play. They watched with stars in their eyes as he played the instrument and sung a song. His voice was beautiful, his face was beautiful, he was beautiful. Both girls fell in love with the stranger and the scouts from the record label did as well.

 

But Hye-jin quickly got over the boy once he was done. She wanted to get on that stage and audition. She wanted to show the people in this food court and this mall, that she could be a star. She found herself getting up from her seat but Whee-in held onto Hye-jin’s arm tight. She stared at her friend with confusion and fear.

 

“W-where are you going?” She asked.

 

“To audition.” Hye-jin said in a matter of fact voice.

 

Audition?  Whee-in thought to herself. Hye-jin was going to get on that stage in front of all these strangers and audition? She must be insane! Whee-in kept a grip on Hye-jin, her eyes scanning the room for the girl’s father but she couldn’t find him. Whee-in yelped out in surprise as Hye-jin yanked her arm free from Whee-in’s grip. She watched her friend walk towards the growing line. She couldn’t let Hye-jin do this alone! Whee-in got up and followed Hye-jin quickly, her hands shaking as Hye-jin wrote both of their names on the sign up sheet. The sign-up sheet  looked like a blur to Whee-in as Hye-jin wrote down their phone numbers and ages.

 

Whee-in silently prayed that Hye-jin’s father would come back and scold them. Scold Hye-jin for signing them up for this mess and make them not audition. But as Whee-in looked around for the man once again, he was nowhere to be found. grew dry but she didn’t say anything. She just stayed close to Hye-jin as more people audition. Everyone was older than them. They were still in primary school, everyone else was middle and high school. Maybe, they wouldn’t get in because of still being primary students. But Hye-jin wasn’t thinking about that. She was running through her head for what song to sing. She looked at Whee-in but her own excitement blinded her to her friend’s anxiety.

 

“We should sing Three Bears.” Hye-jin said.

 

Whee-in nodded her head but as they watched more people sing, Hye-jin decided that was too childish. They moved forward in line as Hye-jin tried to think of a new song, she hummed softly under her breath and snapped her fingers when the idea hit.

 

“Lets sing Tell Me.”

 

Tell Me was a song by a popular Korean girl group. Hye-jin and Whee-in had practiced the choreography to it for fun when they slept over Whee-in’s. Whee-in was comfortable with the song and the dance but she was scared to sing in front of all these people especially when three scouts were sitting at a table writing things in notebooks and watching people. But Whee-in didn’t have much time to think as she found herself being dragged onto stage with Hye-jin.

 

Some person handed both girls a mic and Hye-jin took the lead for them.

 

“I’m Ahn Hye-jin and this is Jung Whee-in.  We will be performing Tell Me.”

The music started to play from two speakers on the stage. Hye-jin got into position like the idols of the song did and Whee-in followed suit. They did the dance as they sung into the mics. Whee-in’s nerves high but hidden as she let herself fall into the groove of the music. Hye-jin’s confidence shined brightly as she did the dance and hit the high note and rap. They performed like they were the only ones auditioning and when the song came to an end, there was clapping and cheering. They bowed respectfully and left the stage,  Whee-in made a run for the bathroom to vomit from her nerves.

 

Hye-jin followed her friend and comforted her. They washed their faces with water and went back to the food court where they found Hye-jin’s dad with their food. They sat down to eat as he praised their audition. Whee-in wanted to pray that they didn’t make it but seeing the excitement on Hye-jin’s face and Mr. Ahn’s face made Whee-in thrilled. She was now praying that they made it and will become stars together. This was a dream that Whee-in was glad to be able to follow with Hye-jin by her side.

 

The girls waited two weeks for the call back. Whee-in’s mother was surprised when she found out her daughter auditioned. Surprised that her shy flower actually performed in front of people and enjoyed it. She never in a million years would’ve thought she would do that but she did. Her mother backed her up all the way and hoped for the best as both her and Hye-jin’s mother waited for the call back on if their daughters made it. For two weeks both girls constantly checked their phones and slacked on studies. Hye-jin kept hope in her tiny body but Whee-in lost it by the second week of waiting. But she acted like she didn’t to make sure Hye-jin didn’t lose hope.

 

They called Whee-in’s phone first. It was dinner time on the weekend for Whee-in, her mother and brother at the table with her. She was shoving rice into when her phone suddenly rang. Hye-jin knew what time Whee-in ate dinner and knew not to call so it was weird for Whee-in. She thought of ignoring the call but her mother gave her daughter a hopeful look so Whee-in left the table to answer the call.

 

“Jung Whee-in?” A voice answered.

 

Whee-in her breath in as she joined her mother’s side. She slowly sat down and sat the phone on the table. She turned the speaker button on and held onto her mother’s skinny wrist.

 

“This is her.” Whee-in answered, her voice shaky with nervousness.

 

“This is Song Tae-woong from Independent Stars. Our scouts watched you audition at the mall in Gangnam on New Years and the company has decided to enroll you as a trainee. Are your parents around?”

 

Whee-in wanted to scream, her eyes bright as she jumped up and down. Her mother quickly took hold of the phone and left the room to speak with Mr. Song. Whee-in’s brother joined in the jumping. The two linking hands to skip around in circles around their tiny dining area. She made it! Whee-in had made it into Independent Stars. She smiled so wide, her dimples sinking in so deep. She screamed happily as her brother picked her up, twirling her around. Her celebration died down as her mother came back into the room. She ran up to the woman, throwing her arms around her. She hugged her tight, her arms squeezing her mother’s skinny frame.

 

“Can I call Hye-jin?” Whee-in asked, smiling up at her.

 

“Whee-in, are you sure you want to do this? This will cost me a lot of money. Is this really your dream? To become an idol?”

 

Whee-in’s smile disappeared at the question. Was this really her dream? She loved singing and the karaoke machine was her most favorite gift. But Whee-in had always dreamed of being an illustrator. Drawing photos for children’s books and articles. Music was more of a hobby of Whee-in’s. She knew if she followed this dream, she would put their family in great debt until she debuted. But Whee-in thought about how much she enjoyed performing on the stage at the mall. She liked the applause and the adrenaline from performing especially with Hye-jin by her side. They could pursue this dream together and Whee-in wanted to keep Hye-jin with her forever. So she nodded her head and hugged her mother even tighter.

 

“Yes. This is my dream! I want to be a singer and travel the world! Once I make it, I can pay our debts and buy you a big home in Gangnam!”

 

With that answer, her mother called Mr. Song back and got the schedule for Whee-in to begin practice with the company.

 

Hye-jin received the call shortly after Whee-in got hers. She celebrated with her mother and grandparents and called her father first. She got the same schedule for training with Whee-in, the two of them becoming the youngest trainees under Independent Stars. After the excitement in both households calmed down, Hye-jin called Whee-in to celebrate over the phone.

 

“We did it, Whee-in!” Hye-jin cheered.

 

“I know! We’re going to be the greatest idols!”

 

“The best. We will take over Korea.”

 

“Together!”

 

“Together and forever. We’ll buy big houses and move in next door to each other and we will marry hot actors and have matching cats.”

“Whee-in!! We have to train hard together so we can debut together.”

 

“Of course. Hye-jin, I promise to train really hard.”

 

“Whee-in, I promise as well.”

 

This was a promise they both kept as they trained. They barely had time for each other as the days went by. Both busy with school and training but they still did their 15 minute phone calls every night. They took on their primary school talent show together and won first place together at the end of the school year. They grew together over the summer, their training still happening. Hye-jin went on vacation with her father and Whee-in’s artwork improved, the summer was a good one for the both of them and when Hye-jin made it back, they were officially in middle school, the 7th grade.

 

The first day was hard for both girls when they found out, they wouldn’t be in the same class. They cried during lunch but promised each other to hangout whenever they could. That meant fooling around during breaks in training and taking the long way to practice when school was let out for the day. The 7th year for school for Hye-jin was wonderful, she made friends with the older students and became popular. She still kept Whee-in close and remained humble but Hye-jin’s personality grew more sassy. 7th year for Whee-in was good as well, she made friends with a couple of students in her class and she joined the art club where she learned to  work with clay and watercolors. They both excelled in their dance lessons and vocal lessons. As trainees they had two huge test a year. Where they were lined up against other trainees to see who had improved the most and who could stay in the program. Whee-in and Hye-jin were both relieved that they made it but they knew the competition would grow harder as they grew older.

 

By 8th year, Whee-in was a top student in the art club and Hye-jin was a top student in choir. 8th year was a time for change and development. Whee-in had gotten her period first and it was strange but Hye-jin wanted her’s next as soon as Whee-in got hers. They both went through puberty and matured together. This was also the time that Whee-in learned she wasn’t attracted to boys. Something that scared her and caused her to freakout, she tried to like boys but the feeling wasn’t there. Instead, she had her eyes on a trainee who was two years her senior. Her name was Byul-yi and she was so cool to Whee-in.

 

Byul-yi came from a poor family but her determination was strong. Whee-in was in the same dance class as Byul-yi and she often watched the older girl. She liked her deep voice and the way she confidently danced in front of everyone. She was also funny and a bit cool, she had fallen head over heels for Byul-yi and it scared Whee-in. It caused Whee-in to feel guilty most days because she learned homouality was wrong and also knew her cousin got in trouble for being gay. It was a secret Whee-in held onto as she went through her 8th year, causing her art to grow darker and her training to become harder.

 

Meanwhile, Hye-jin grew vocally stronger and improved in the rapping department. In school many boys showed interest in Hye-jin but she was only focused on her work and training. She entered the talent show once again with Whee-in and they came in first once again. Hye-jin discovered she had taste in both boys and girls at some point that year but she didn’t think about it too much. She noticed Whee-in distancing herself from schoolwork and music, so she planned a picnic in the park with her best friend to find out what was wrong.

 

They met at the park around 3PM. They didn’t have training that day and minimum homework, it was a perfect day to eat together in the park and just talk. Hye-jin’s grandmother made them fried chicken and gimbap. Whee-in’s mother made them korean potato salad. The girls set up under a tree and used the tree to lean back against. Hye-jin opened the food containers and clapped her hands together.

 

“Yummy. I’m so hungry. They put me on a diet.” She said with a pout as she reached from the gimbap.

 

“Really? You don’t need one.” Whee-in replied, reaching for a chicken leg.

 

They discussed training and how they were improving.  They talked about their grades in school and Whee-in’s brother’s plan to go to college in Japan or go and enlist in the military. Hye-jin listened with awe, she always admired Whee-in’s brother and sometimes dreamed of kissing him. Only Hye-jin knew this, too scared of telling Whee-in in case it causes drama in their happy friendship. But Hye-jin interrupted Whee-in as she droned on about her brother, she wanted to get to the point.

 

“What are you hiding from me?” Hye-jin asked, her eyes narrowed into serious slits. She put her chopsticks down and grabbed a bottle of water from their picnic basket. The question threw Whee-in off guard. What are you hiding from me? Repeated in her head. She shyly looked away from Hye-jin. She couldn’t lie to her friend but she was worried if she told Hye-jin the truth, their friendship would be over. The thought of their friendship ending sent tears to Whee-in’s eyes. Hye-jin took notice of the tears in Whee-in’s eyes and crawled over to her, she hugged her friend close and rubbed her back.

 

“You can tell me anything.” Hye-jin whispered.

 

So the truth came out of Whee-in, “I only like girls. I… I think I’m gay.”

 

Hye-jin blinked hard at the confession. She then pushed Whee-in playfully and laughed, “That’s okay, Whee! I like boys and girls so we’re both gay!”

 

This cause them both to erupt into laughter. Their picnic continuing as normal as their secrets were both cleared from their conscious. They shared who they thought were cute at the label and who they found cute at school. Whee-in was happy to freely be able to talk about Byul-yi with Hye-jin and found out Hye-jin had a crush on her brother. It was weird for Whee-in but she let it go. Hye-jin was free to like Whee-in’s brother as long as she didn’t pick him over her. Later into their 8th year, they learned that Hye-jin was biual and that Whee-in was a lesbian.

 

9th year was harder on the two. Hye-jin’s grandfather passed away and that left a hole in her household. She now had to help her mother care for her grandmother along with growing schoolwork and training. Hye-jin was starting to slack in school and mainly focus on her family and training. Meanwhile, Whee-in had to figure out how to help her mother who was close to losing her restaurant due to debts. Her mother had to let go all the employees and run the restaurant with just herself, Whee-in, Whee-in’s brother, and two of Whee-in’s cousins. They all worked for free to keep the restaurant afloat but Whee-in still had to focus on school and training. She completely abandoned her art to help her mother and found herself falling into depression.

 

The girls kept each other happy the best they could given their circumstances. They still had their 15 minute phone calls and even joined the same study group. They did the talent show together once again but came in second place due to Whee-in forgetting her lines. Hye-jin was mad at Whee-in for a bit but she quickly got over it as they matured through that year. Evaluation under the company was coming up and both girls were growing anxious. Hye-jin had been lacking in the dance department and Whee-in in the vocal department. They both prayed together that would get to continue on the day of evaluations. They’ve  watched many trainees they liked leave with tears in their eyes and sobs escaping their lips.

 

Whee-in knew her debt to the company was huge and if she was removed as a trainee, then she wouldn’t be able to pay her mother back. Hye-jin didn’t have to worry about the debt due to her rich father but Hye-jin wanted to be there and being removed as a trainee would just ruin her dreams. They both worked their asses off the week of evaluation and both made it through. They kicked their asses into gear and worked on improving themselves in their lacking departments, they had to do this.

 

Whee-in managed to graduate from their middle school at the top of their class. Hye-jin graduated somewhere in the middle but left with high popularity and a high social status for the beginning of high school. They entered grade 10 together with the pressure of their futures being weighed on their backs. Whee-in’s mother starting to push Whee-in into leaving the trainee program and following a more practical career path and Hye-jin’s parents paying for her to take piano lessons along with guitar. Both girls continued forward as they always did but the workload in high school grew more tedious with each day. Whee-in was losing her passion the music and wanted to go back to art.

 

Hye-jin was losing passion in school and wanting to focus all her time on music. They were slowly becoming more opposite. Hye-jin hanging out with the cool kids and getting into trouble while Whee-in hung out with the underdogs and focused on art and chess club. They barely had time for each other anymore and their friendship turned into mainly texting and brief conversations during passing periods. But once the talent show whirled back around, Hye-jin and Whee-in did it together and got first once again.

 

There was one night in particular during their 10th year, that really tested the strength of their friendship. They both joined a study group with a few people in their grade. It was their turn to study at Tan Eun-ha’s house. Eun-ha was known as a bad girl who smoked cigarettes and drink alcohol but she still cared about her grades. Whee-in thought it was a bad idea to study at Eun-ha’s but she went with Hye-jin to spend time together since they hadn’t in a long time.

 

The night started with studying games. One being asking each other questions from the textbook and buzzing like a game show to answer. Whee-in relaxed as they played the game, the game turning competitive with everyone jumping up and shouting answers. They were processing everything and things seemed like good clean fun. But then Eun-ha left for a smoke break and that caused one of the boys, Kwon Young-su, to bring out the alcohol. Whee-in and Hye-jin both agreed to not drink but as the night continued, Hye-jin found herself with a bottle of soju in her hand. She took tiny sips and babysat the drink but eventually those tiny sips turned to gulps.

 

Whee-in wanted to leave once Hye-jin finished her drink but she didn’t say anything. The group continued to study with the alcohol and soon music was starting to be played. The study group turned into dancing and lots of grinding. Hye-jin grinding on one of the older boys there. Whee-in tried to keep calm and kept to herself on the couch with her textbook in her lap. She kept her eyes on Hye-jin, hoping her friend would be ready to leave soon. Whee-in’s anxiety crept up as the minutes passed and Hye-jin grabbed a second beer. She couldn’t let Hye-jin get drunk and take her home to her grandmother and mother.

 

Whee-in got Hye-jin away from the boy and managed to pack their backpacks. She ignored Hye-jin’s drunken whines of protest as she zipped their backpacks up. Whee-in’s heart dropped to her stomach as a boy easily slipped Hye-jin from her grip. She looked at him, her eyes blazed with frustration.

 

“We have to go.” Whee-in said sternly.

 

“Hye-jin doesn’t want to go.” He said.

 

“I wanna stay with oppa.” Hye-jin cooed.

 

Whee-in gulped back her anxiety and shook her head, “No. We have to get you back to my house.” She said.

 

“I’ll make sure she makes it home.” The shady male replied, his hand going to Hye-jin’s thick thigh.

Something in Whee-in lit like a spark. She frowned and pushed the male back hard, he stumbled backwards and fell on his . The living room erupted in laughter and Whee-in left with their backpacks and Hye-jin on her arms. The night air hit Hye-jin’s flushed face and Whee-in kept Hye-jin close to her side. She knew she couldn’t take Hye-jin back to her own house so she took Hye-jin to her apartment to sleep. She called Mrs. Ahn to let her know and helped a drunk Hye-jin to lay down.

 

“Whee-in, you pushed him so hard.” Hye-jin said.

 

“I know. Hye-jin, you need to be more careful. You shouldn’t have had a drink, we were there strictly to study.” Whee-in scolded.

 

She shut her bedroom door and dug through her dresser. She found clothes for Hye-jin to change into and changed her own clothes. She sat down at her own desk to study as Hye-jin rolled around on Whee-in’s small bed. Even though Hye-jin was drunk, she loved being cared for by Whee-in. She liked how frustrated but concerned she sounded and she liked the smell of Whee-in’s bed. Lavender and strawberries mixed with some anxiety and kimbap. An odd but comforting combination to Hye-jin. That was the night, Hye-jin learned that she was starting to grow feelings for her.

 

From that day forward, Whee-in became more protective over Hye-jin and a bit motherly. Hye-jin listened to Whee-in more and they continued to grow with each other in school and as trainees. 11th year came in quickly and the pressure was really coming down on the two. Training had grew harder as they advanced through the stages, school also growing harder as they prepared for higher education. On top of that Hye-jin had a boyfriend and barely made time for Whee-in anymore. Whee-in felt hurt but she knew Hye-jin was in love and it would be selfish to take that away from her friend. When Hye-jin was with her boyfriend, Whee-in continued her craft in art and music.

 

Whee-in also grew close to Byul-yi who taught her basic music production skills and helped her with songwriting. Whee-in and Byul-yi’s friendship became an intimate one as the days passed. But Whee-in remained guarded and careful around Byul-yi, she was confused as to why the older wanted to spend so much time with her along with being scared of her own uality.

 

Hye-jin and Jung-ho (her boyfriend), relationship grew serious and deep. Hye-jin used that as motivation to practice harder and give her all to school. She felt bad for kind of abandoning Whee-in but she figured the other understood. Hye-jin worked on perfecting her rap craft and dance abilities. Her lessons in singing and modeling working the most on her, she was one of the top trainees vocally along with an older trainee named Kim Yong-sun. Hye-jin didn’t like Yong-sun all that much but she respected the older girl. Her voice was amazing but she really needed to work on her dancing. Hye-jin often wondered how Yong-sun wasn’t dropped from the trainee program for her poor dancing but she quickly learned the company need someone with Yong-sun’s voice. Hye-jin started to see Yong-sun as competition and worked harder on singing.

 

Her dedication to get to Yong-sun’s level cause Hye-jin to lose focus on Jung-ho and by the end of their 11th year, they broke up. Hye-jin didn’t take the breakup as badly as Whee-in thought and they spent that summer being best friends again. Hye-jin got to know Byul-Yi through Whee-in and soon the three of them became a triangle of friendship. Although Whee-in and Hye-jin were best friends, Whee-in became really close to Byul-yi and counted her as her second best friend.

 

Year 12 finally hit the two and Hye-jin finally grew anxious about her future. They still hadn’t debuted or even spoken to the company about being put into groups yet. Hye-jin grew fearful that they would stay as trainees forever and never get a change to pay back their debts. Hye-jin grew even more anxious as Whee-in started to apply for universities. Whee-in assured Hye-jin it was just to make her mother happy but they both knew Whee-in was starting to lose motivation.

 

That year for christmas, Hye-jin wanted to get them special gifts and she did. She got them matching friendship rings. The rings were silver with a heart shape, the center being their birthstones. They made promises to each other to continue following the dream of becoming idols and to forever remain best friends. They promised to give each other everything they got and give their lives everything they had.

 

With those promises made, they carried out the rest of their 12th year. They both applied to University of Seoul and the both of them got in. Hye-jin’s tuition being paid  by her father and Whee-in getting in on a full-ride scholarship. It was their final talent show in school and they won first once again. The summer was full of training and preparing to leave Jeonju-si behind for Seoul. Hye-jin was scared to leave her mother and grandmother alone but they encouraged her to go and so she did. Whee-in was scared to leave her mother behind since she would be alone but she encouraged her as well and soon Whee-in was off to Seoul as well.

 

The big break for Hye-jin and Whee-in came shortly after Whee-in’s 20th birthday. Hye-jin was given the choice to continue training or go under a new label to debut within a year. Hye-jin picked debuting. She told Whee-in the news, who had a meeting the next day to see what would happen. They both prayed and hoped that Whee-in would get the same option and that they would be able to debut together within a year.

 

Whee-in walked into her meeting with a smile on her lips. She was given the choice to continue training or to debut under Independent Stars. Whee-in picked the latter and though she should be happy, she felt a bit saddened to learn that her and Hye-jin wouldn’t debut under the same company or even be in the same group. When she told Hye-jin the news, they both held onto each other and cried for a bit.

 

But finally Hye-jin wiped their tears away and shook her head, “At least we are debuting and doing what we always dreamed of. I know we'll make it huge and forever remain best friends. I’ll never take this ring off.”

 

Whee-in nodded her head in agreement with Hye-jin’s words and smiled, “Of course. We’ll have a stage together and we will forever remain the best of friends. I won’t remove this ring ever.”

 

Was this the beginning to a forever friendship or the end of a beautiful friendship?

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The Groups:

Flavor 

Name: Kim Yong-Sun

Stage Name: Solar

D.O.B: February 21, 1991

Position: Leader, Lead Vocalist 

Name: Im Yoona

Stage Name: Yoona

D.O.B: May 30, 1990

Position: Visual, Center, Rapper

Name: Ahn Hee Yeon

Stage Name: Hee

D.O.B: May 1, 1992

Position: Main Vocalist, Face of Group

Name: Park Sun-Young

Stage Name: SunnY

D.O.B: August 12, 1993

Position: Vocalist, Main Dancer

Name: Jung Whee-In

Stage Name: Wheein 

D.O.B: April 17, 1995

Position: Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Maknae 

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HERSTORY

 

Name: Kim Hyuna

Stage Name: Hyuna

DOB: June 6, 1992

Position: Leader, Main Dancer, Main Vocalist

Name: Bae Juhyun

Stage Name: Hyun

D.O.B: March 29, 1991

Position: Lead Dancer, Visual, Vocalist 

Name: Moon Byul-yi

Stage Name: Moonbyul

D.O.B: December 22, 1992

Position: Main Rapper, Vocalist 

Name: Kang Seulgi

Stage Name: Seulgi

D.O.B: Feburary 10th, 1994

Position: Face of The Group, Lead Vocalist, Dancer

Name: Ahn Hye-jin

Stage Name: Hwasa

D.O.B: July 23, 1995

Position: Lead Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Maknae

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(A/N: I tried my best to put the groups together! It was a bit difficult but I hope you guys enjoy it. Flavor has like a short hair concept going and HERSTORY has a suit/girl crush concept going! Thank you so much for reading and please do tell me if you have any suggestions on the groups or the story! Due to the unfortunate death of Sulli, I removed her from the story out of respect.)