Following the initial meetings with their group members, Hye-jin felt excited while Whee-in felt anxious. Both girls were getting the chance to live out their dreams as idols, even if  they weren't going to be in the same group. Whee-in felt her anxiety at it's worst as she tried to digest her new reality. She was going to debut in a group with four eonnies without Hye-jin on her side. Whee-In also worried because two days had passed and she hadn't heard back from Hye-jin, she spammed her best friend's phone with messages expressing all her thoughts and fears. She worried that Hye-jin had already forgotten about her but she kept herself calm as she reminded herself that Hye-jin was probably busy. Whee-in knew very soon she would be quite busy as well on the track to debut.

Whee-in felt slightly blindsided by the lack of contact with Hye-jin; but she tried to turn her anxiety into excitement as she walked into Independent Stars Entertainment (ISE)'s headquarters building. On that particular day was Whee-in's official meeting with the CEOs, Managers, and her group members. It was the day Whee-In would be learning the name of the group she is, the positions, and of course the concept. Besides being told she had to cut her hair above her shoulders, Whee-in knew nothing of their concept. She was hoping it would be a modest concept, she didn't want to debut in less than conservative clothing if she didn't have to. She also hoped that she would be able to speak up for herself if she didn't like anything but for the most part, she just hoped that their debut would be successful. Whee-in had worried that she wouldn't be able to repay her debts if the debut didn't chart well. 

She crossed the lobby of the building and found herself at the main elevators. She pressed the up button and fiddled with the hem of her own shirt, her teeth nibbling gently on her bottom lip. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw Yong-sun crossing the lobby to the elevator as well.

"H-hello, Yong-sun." Whee-in said bowing to her unnie.

"Hey, Whee-in-ah!" Yong-Sun said with a smile and quick bow.

"Are you ready for our meeting?" Whee-in asked as they both walked into the elevator. Yong-sun pressed the button to the 12th floor and turned to look at Whee-in with a smile. Whee-in couldn't help but notice Yong-sun's kind eyes and dimples. It caused Whee-in to blush a bit from how beautiful her unnie is. Whee-in actually took notice of all her unnies beauties when they all met two days ago at the cafe. Whee-in worried that she didn't look as good as them but she tried to keep her head up.

"I am ready! I hope they don't make us cut our hair too short." Yong-sun responded with a slight frown.

"A-ah... Same." Whee-in said, her voice trailing off.

Her heart hammered hard in her chest as the elevator crept up to the 12th floor. They both exited and made their way down the hall, Whee-in's eyes took in all the different offices and the names on them. She forced herself to take deep breaths in and out of her own nose. Her hand reaching into her black across the body purse for her phone. She took a quick second to shoot Hye-jin a text, her hands shaking. 

To My: Hye <3

I'm learning my concept today! >.<

Whee-in tucked her phone back into her purse and walked into the meeting room. She gave a soft sigh of relief as she realized it was only her and Yong-sun in the room. She walked towards the large meeting table and slowly sat down in a seat that was facing the door. She glanced at Yong-sun as she sat on her right and pulled her own phone out to check the time. Whee-in glanced at the clock on the wall and realized they were both about 20 minutes early. She glanced at Yong-sun and gave her a nervous grin.

"Ah, so.. I uh... Who do you think will show up next?" She asked.

"Hm? I'm not too sure. I do not know the others besides Hee-yeon." 

"Oh... Hee-yeon is very pretty." Whee-in commented, her fingers fiddling in her lap.

"She is." Yong-sun agreed then went back to looking at her phone.

Whee-in cleared and decided to not bother Yong-sun with anymore small talk. She silently criticized herself for being so awkward. If Hye-jin was with her, she would have been more comfortable. It also didn't help Whee-in's anxiety too much that Yong-sun was one of the star trainees. She heard that Yong-sun was the serious type and didn't have any troubles calling out other people's mistakes. Whee-in figured that Yong-sun would most likely be the leader which made Whee-in worry about perfecting everything. Soon her thoughts and worries are tossed aside as the door to the meeting room is opened. She stood up quickly along with Yong-sun as they both greeted the newcomer.

"Hello!" Yong-sun and Whee-in said in unison. 

"Ah! Hello." Yoona greeted back with a smile. She made her way to the meeting table and took a seat next to Whee-in on her left. Whee-in looked down at her own lap as Yoona and Yong-sun easily fell into conversation. It was probably because the two were close in age but Whee-in was surprised to find out that Yoona was actually the unnie over her and Yong-sun. Whee-in made a mental note of it and took a quick second to admire Yoona's youthful looks. It was then when Yoona told the two of them that she used to be in a pretty underrated group for about three years then they disbanded. Whee-in's stomach filled with butterflies at that news, what if they had the same fate? But her worries were quickly knocked out of her head again as Hee-yeon and Sun-young entered the room. Everyone rose to their feet once again and gave their greetings. 

There wasn't a moment for everyone to sit as the CEO, CO-CEO, Directors, and Managers entered the room. Whee-in could feel the color drain from her face as she bowed to each and every higher up. She followed along with her unnies in greeting them in the utmost formal language and body gestures. All the girls remained standing until all the seniors were seated. Even then Whee-in was the last one to sit down, her heart racing. She worried that her heart beat could be heard in the meeting room. 

"Welcome to Independent Stars Entertainment. I am very excited to have fresh new talented artists such as you five." CEO Cho Min-su greeted. Whee-in gave a bashful smile as her unnies thanked Min-su.

"We have a lot to go over today but so lets just hop into it," Jun-ho continued, "I know that you five signed the contracts with Ki-bum yesterday. But lets go over the contract all together now." Min-su's assistant passed out the signed contracts to each and every girl. Whee-in stared down at the long and lengthy contract, her eyes trying to focus on all the writing but it was an overwhelming amount. 

"We will go over the most important parts. For one, you girls will be required to live in the dormitory together for the first three years starting from tomorrow. For two, there is a strict dating policy, we will not allow dating until you win at least two daesang awards if that doesn't happen then the dating ban is for the first four years of your career. For three, the company will take 30% of your earnings to pay back your debts along with 20% for studio fees, costumes, hair and makeup, video shooting and etcetera. We will also take 20% for your living fees and food fees. In total we are taking 60% out of your total profits, I would like to say that is pretty generous compared to other labels."

Whee-in couldn't do anything else but nod her head. She hoped that she could get her debts paid off quickly so that they could earn more as a group. She heard of some agencies taking out 80% for newly debuted groups, so she was grateful that it was only 60%. 

"Because of this low percentage we are asking you five to provide your own transportation to practices and the studio. We will provide the company van for video shoots, tv programs, fan meetings, and to concert venues." Min-su elaborated. 

Whee-in found that rule to be fair. She shifted in her seat as she thought about how it was a bit of relief that transportation fees weren't included in their percentages. 

"For the first year of your debut, we ask that you ladies do not go out with friends or meetup with them to avoid scandals, especially male friends. We are also prohibiting the use of personal social media accounts but you girls will share one collective account managed by Kim Ga-eun who is the social media director and manager. There will be consequences for being wrapped up in a scandal, that may and can result in your removal from the group. Next, I would like to keep you girls on a strict diet and implement daily gym sessions."

Whee-in and her unnies all remained silent as they listened to Min-su go on about their contract. Whee-in tuned out as he went on about what they could and couldn't do. She couldn't believe that she potentially wouldn't be allowed to see Hye-jin in person for a year! That rule seemed to be overboard to Whee-in but she didn't dare express her opinion on the rule and if her unnies agreed with her, she had no way of knowing because they kept their own thoughts to themselves. Whee-in just made sure to smile and nod and soon enough Min-su was done going on about the rules.

"Now onto the part that you five must be anxious about," Min-su said with a chuckle, "Your group name, concept, and roles." 

"Ah yes!" Hee-Yeon said with a giddy grin.

Whee-in watched as one of the directors stood up and walked over to a board that Whee-in was just noticing. They all turned their attention to the covered up board, Min-su joining the director's side as they unrevealed what was underneath. Whee-in's eyes took in the sight of the word 'FLAVOR' written in bold purple letters at the top. She didn't hate the group name but she also wasn't too happy about it. She wished they could have chose their own name but she pushed the thought aside as she glanced at the other words on the board. Their fandom name would be 'Flavorful(s)' and their group color was purple and white. 

"The concept of FLAVOR is that... You five will bring a new FLAVOR to kpop. Something that hasn't been overused and things that haven't been done before. Your fans will be called Flavorables." The director said with a wide smile on her lips.

"I like it!" Sun-young said.

"Me too." Yong-sun agreed with a small smile.

"It's great." Hee-yeon said. 

"I hope that we really can bring something new to the scene." Yoona commented.

"It's... Flavorful!" Whee-in said with a nervous laugh.

This elicited a laugh from the room which caused Whee-in to feel a bit comforted. She gave a nervous smile that turned into a genuine one as Yong-sun gently patted her thigh under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She was thankful that someone was picking up on her nervous and took the time to give her encouragement. Whee-in's gaze went back to the board as the director continued to speak.

"Based on what you five have shown through your trainee days and audition tapes, here are the following positions: Kim Yong-sun, you will be the Leader and Lead Vocalist."

Everyone gave claps to Yong-sun's position. She placed her hand dramatically over her own heart as her face showed pure surprise as she was elected into the leader role.

"I will try to be the best leader ever." She said with a nervous laugh and head bow. Now it was Whee-in's turn to give Yong-sun a reassuring pat on the back and encouraging smile. 

"Im Yoona, you will be the Visual, Center, and the Lead rapper." 

Everyone clapped once again and Yoona beamed with pride for being the visual. 

"Ahn Hee-yeon, you are the Main Vocalist and will also be the Face of the Group." 

More clapping filled the room whilst Whee-in's heart raced with anticipation for her role to be given. 

"Park Sun-young, you will be a Vocalist and Main Dancer." 

Whee-in clapped along with the others but she caught the slight disappointed look on Sun-young's face. Whee-in hoped the others didn't catch onto the quick moment of sadness on Sun-young's face which quickly was replaced with a smile.

"Jung Whee-in, you will be the Lead Dancer, a Vocalist, and Maknae!" 

With that Whee-in's four unnies all turned to look at their maknae and give her sweet "awws", Yong-sun even playfully pinched Whee-in's cheek. Whee-in gave a nervous smile from the attention. She knew she was the youngest so it hadn't surprised her that she was going to be the maknae but it did hurt Whee-in's pride to be just labeled a vocalist. Though, her getting the role as the lead dancer did feel good. She was glad the company had seen her dancing skills and gave the role to her. 

"We took it upon ourselves to create your stage names since that can be a hard decision to make. Yong-sun you will be known as Solar; Yoona your name remains the same; Hee-yeon you will be Hee; Sun-young you will be SunnY; and Whee-in your name remains the same." The director continued. 

Whee-in felt a bit bummed that they couldn't choose their stage names but then Whee-in thought about how much anxiety that would bring her and sighed with relief. She hoped her unnies liked the names they were given and that they will all be able to take on their alter-egos under the stage names. The meeting went on to discuss the course of events for the rest of the week. The events included moving into the dormitory tomorrow along with listening to demos tomorrow and beginning recording their reality show that will show the making of FLAVOR and how it will all come together. 

"One more thing... The group's introduction will be: Hello! We are FLAVOR, lets make this world FLAVORFUL!" 

With that final statement, the meeting was adjourned. Whee-in felt many emotions as they left the meeting room but the first thing Whee-in had to do was run to a restroom to vomit up all her nerve. As she let herself vomit into the toilet, her eyes welled up with tears. Tears of joy, sadness, and anxiety. She had finally made it but she worried about not having Hye-jin by her side but she also felt joy that she was officially part of a group and she was launching into her idol career. 

~ 

Meanwhile over at Golden Clouds Entertainment, Hye-jin found herself sitting in a meeting with the company and her group members as well. But different from Whee-in, Hye-jin was excited and chattering with her members before the big CEOS, Directors, and Managers entered the room. Hye-jin was already forming bonds with Byul-yi, Hyuna, Ju-hyun, and Seul-gi. Hye-jin didn't even mind that she was the youngest among the women because they didn't treat her that way which felt good. 

"I hope our concept isn't sugary sweet." Hyuna said with a playful gag.

"Yah! Don't jinx us! I definitely can't do cute!" Hye-jin agreed with her unnie.

"It wouldn't be too bad..." Seul-gi commented.

"Yes, it would! Ahh, do you know how much aegyo cute groups are forced to do?!" Byul-yi asked with playful panic in her tone.

"Your aegyo will probably be really cute." Ju-hyun commented with a small grin.

Hye-jin had took notice of the way Ju-hyun checked out Byul-yi. There was no hiding the attraction in Ju-hyun's eyes as she interacted with Byul-yi and spoke to her. Hye-jin had to admit herself that Byul-yi definitely was charming and it was easy to talk to her. Byul-yi had even loaned a charger to Hye-jin before entering the meeting room so Hye-jin could send Whee-in a quick text. 

To: Whee!

My phone was dead so I missed all your texts! I am so sorry! COME ON WHEEIN BE STRONG! WE GOT THIS! BTW, my label doesn't allow cell phones so I don't know when I'll be able to text you again! I hope they provide a company phone :< This is total bullsh--!

But Hye-jin protested the thought of even growing a crush on Byul-yi, it wouldn't be good for the group and plus Hye-jin knew Whee-in had a huge crush on Byul-yi.

When the CEOS, Directors, and Managers entered the meeting room, the atmosphere was more lighthearted than over at ISE entertainment. Son Jun-ho was a handsome and charming CEO who didn't try to rule with an iron fist. He allowed his artists to have a little more freedom which led to tons of scandals in the past but he lived with the motto that all press is good press. But the secret behind his company doing so well, even with all the countless scandals, was that he had a popular mafia in the workings of his company. This wasn't common knowledge to the public or even the artists under the label. 

Son Jun-ho started the meeting off with warm introductions, introducing the five girls to their two main managers. Ho Ji-min and Choi Jung-hee. Both were women which made Hye-jin feel somewhat comfortable. Not that she would have minded male managers but she felt they would understand the group's needs more than a male manager. Positive energy radiates through Hye-jin's body as the lights in the room are turned off and a screen lights up. The director team and Jun-ho had made a power point so that they could keep the five girls engaged as they went over rules.

"I try not to be too strict but lets get into it. First we will take payment... For the first two years we will be taking about 80% of the profit because we have your debts to pay off along with all the things that comes with debuting a new group and producing the very first single album." Jun-ho said with a smile on his face.

Hye-jin's eyes widened at the high percentage. How was she going to live if she had to split what the group made with the others then 80% of it with the company? Her instantly went up in the air to ask a question which caused her unnies to look at her nervously.

"Yes, Hye-jin?" Jun-ho asked.

"What... What can we do to bring that percentage down? How will we eat off that... Amount... Sir?" Hye-jin asked, her confidence slowly dwindling as her unnies continued to look at her. Hye-jin didn't show discouragement though, she forced herself to keep eye contact with Jun-ho as she waited for his reaction to her question.

To their surprise Jun-ho chuckled from the question. "That's a good question. Fret not, we pay for everything from living expenses to food. The 80% really includes your living arrangements, food, and all the other things that comes with producing a successful group. Don't worry, you'll be making lots of money soon enough." 

"Thank you, sir." Hye-jin says with a convincingly fake smile on her lips. In all honesty, she felt slightly annoyed that 80% was coming out of their profits. That only left 20% and there was no way that was only 4% of money being given to each member. Hye-jin tried to shake her annoyance off as she tried to recenter her focus on the power point as it went onto the next slide.

"Our rules aren't too strict but we do ask you girls to forfeit your personal phones. We do this to ensure you won't spoil what we have coming up along with having your full focus on your careers. If we see that you girls are succeeding in the first few months of debut then we will give your phones back based on your performance."

Hye-jin felt her heart sink a bit from this rule. It meant no contact with Whee-in, she had just managed to reply to her best friend. Whee-in had bombarded her with texts showing her how anxious she was and how much she needed Hye-jin. Hye-jin just had to hope Whee-in could hold out for a few months. Hye-jin's plan was to work hard and have the best performance rate to earn her cellphone back. She sighed softly as she powered off her phone and placed it in the middle of the table along with the other members. She watched helplessly as their phones were gathered by Manager Ji-min into a basket and set aside

"As for leaving the dorm... We won't restrict you girls from hanging out with friends but we do ask that you do not hangout with males. You'll only get an hour to hangout with your friends as we want to focus on you girls building a relationship with each other. Next up, we will be asking that you guys come up with your own stage names. We feel that should be something up to you!" 

"Ah! I already know my name... It's Moonbyul!" Byul-yi said with an excited smile.

"That's really good." Hye-jin agreed as she scratched her head to think of a name.

As Jun-ho continued going on about the rules placed upon them. Hye-jin was wrapped up in her own mind as she tried to think of a stage name, who did she want to become on stage? She considered her baptismal name, Maria, but then she decided that wasn't the best choice. She continued to think about her name that she didn't even notice the meeting soon switched into the introduction of their group name.

"Hye-jin, what do you think of the name?" Seul-gi asked.

Hye-jin came out of her mind as she realized everyone was looking at her. Her eyes quickly flickered over to the power point, she takes in the name in 'HERSTORY'. 

"I like it. It sounds like history." She commented.

"Yes! That's exactly the point. HERSTORY is essentially history but being told from the point of women. We decided to make HERSTORY as a beacon for female empowerment." Jun-ho said.

"Feminism?" Ju-hyun asked with excitement in her voice.

"That's quite bold, Mr. Cho." Hyuna commented.

"I am not afraid to create bold groups. HERSTORY will make history and change things around in this industry. You five have been chosen to represent the women of this world. It is a very girl power concept."

Hye-jin couldn't hide the wide smile that formed on her lips as she listened to her CEO. She loved the idea of empowering the woman of the world through their music and works. In fact, Hye-jin decided that she would grab this concept by the horns and shine bright. The wheels turned in her head as she continued to think of shining bright. That's when the name Hwasa popped into her head. She could barely hold back her urge to shout her stage name out but she bit her tongue as they went onto tell each member their position in the group.

"Hyuna, we have watched you carefully over the years and decided that you would make a great Leader along with being the Main Dancer, and a Vocalist." 

Hyuna gave a wide smile as she squealed out a bit. Her face then turned slightly red and she bowed her head to apologize for her outburst. It caused the room of higher-ups to laugh. Even Hye-jin chuckled a little at Hyuna's reaction. It must be nice to get assigned the role of a leader.

"Juhyun, we have made you the Lead Dancer, Visual, and a Vocalist. We picked you as visual for your stunning looks."

"A-ah, thank you." Ju-hyun said in a soft humble tone.

The others gave Ju-hyun a few claps and congratulated her on being the beautiful one of the group.

"Byul-Yi- I mean.. Moonbyul... You are the Main Rapper and Vocalist."  

Hye-jin gave her newfound friend a pat on her back as she beamed with pride. Hye-jin had heard about Byul-yi's rap skills from Whee-in, it didn't surprise the younger that she got assigned that role in the group.

"Seul-gi, we are making you Face of the Group, The Center, and  Main Vocalist. We really enjoyed your charisma and charms from your audition videos."

Hye-jin clapped for Seul-gi along with the others as she is told her role. It was definitely one that would probably make Seul-gi be the center of attention but Hye-jin tried not to think too much about it.

"Hye-jin, you will be the Lead Rapper, Lead Vocalist, and Maknae."

Hye-jin's eyes widened at her two leading roles. She hadn't heard of many groups having one person that was the lead vocalist and the lead rapper. How would their lyrics be distributed fairly? She couldn't even bring herself to glance at Seul-gi because she just realized how badly Seul-gi had been screwed over in the terms of their roles in the group. Hye-jin simply smiled and nodded as the other clapped for her. She her lips nervously as she glanced at Seul-gi, who didn't show if she was upset or not. Her unnie simply smiled and continued to clap.

"We've also decided to let you five come up with your group's introduction. We will give you girls two days to think of it then come back to us with your ideas. I believe there is nothing else to discuss as of now. We will be helping you girls move into the dorm tomorrow so look forward to it. I say go out and play one last time today." Jun-ho wrapped up the meeting. 

Hye-jin and her unnies waited until all the higher-ups exited the room. 

"What do you guys think?" Ju-hyun asked.

"I think we have a kickass concept." Hyuna shared.

"I'm nervous... What if we get attacked for our feministic message?" Seul-gi asked in a soft tone.

"I think CEO Jun-ho knows what he is doing. I don't think he would invest so much money into us if it would result in too much negative backlash." Byul-yi expressed.

Hyejin nodded in agreement with Byul-yi and the older's words seemed to calm the others down. They all rose from their seats as they left the meeting room and go on to prepare to move into the dormitory. Hye-jin hoped she could borrow someone's phone to get in contact with Whee-in, she had to check on her best friend and share the good news. 

FLAVOR's Lineup 

Name: Kim Yong-sun

Stage Name: Solar

D.O.B: February 21st, 1991

Roles: Leader, Lead Vocalist  

Name: Im Yoona

Stage Name: Yoona

D.O.B: May 30, 1990

Roles: Visual, Center, Rapper

Name: Ahn Hee-Yeon

Stage Name: Hee

D.O.B: May 1, 1992

Roles: Main Vocalist, Face of Group 

Name: Park Sun-young 

Stage Name: SunnY

D.O.B: August 12, 1993

Roles: Main Dancer, Vocalist

Name: Jung Whee-in 

Stage Name: Wheein

D.O.B: April 17, 1995

Roles: Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Maknae

HERSTORY's Lineup 

Name: Kim Hyuna

Stage Name: Hyuna

D.O.B: June 6, 1992

Roles:  Leader, Main Dancer, Vocalist

Name: Bae Ju-hyun

Stage Name: Hyun

D.O.B: March 29, 1991

Roles: Lead Dancer, Visual, Vocalist

 Name: Moon Byul-Yi

Stage Name: Moonbyul

D.O.B: December 22, 1992 

Roles: Main Rapper, Vocalist

Name: Kang Seul-gi

Stage Name: Seulgi

D.O.B: February 10th, 1994 

Roles: Face of Group, Center, Main Vocalist

Name: Ahn Hye-jin

Stage Name: Hwasa

D.O.B: July 23, 1995

Roles: Lead Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Maknae