Chapter 16: I am HERE to give you all the comments now!! This was such a nice thing to wake up and see! Very excited for this!

“We start, as we must, with our Somyeong.” This is such a great way to start the story. With the history Somyeong has, this is rather heartbreaking to read through. I love how you started with words of praise on how pretty she is, how great she is...and then to just casually drop she is not to be the center anymore. "as she is now" indeed, and it's so bitter because had they debuted her sooner, she could have been without real issue. Poor girl. The cruel world of business and kpop are coming for you :< At least Sungsoon seemed to have some regrets over this...

With Somyeong's section, I feel like this line sums it up the best. "the ghosts of the others lingered in the corner of her eye". Her entire section just breaks the heart so much. But first. Can we discuss HaeNi? Like...they've become my otp for this fic now? Cohabbing with their doggos? Talks of mortgages? Domesticity? YES PLS. It's just so wholesome honestly. The fact that they stream their labelmates' music is just so much wholesome ;A;. And THEN you go an ruin it by breaking our Somyeong. Why. JUST WHY. Poor thing though. Back to what I was saying, Somyeong is basically going to be haunted by the past things of what could have been, who should have been...it's got to be so hard for her. Comparing this to the image she shows in Miho's section is a great contrast. I really appreciate Hyuni basically telling her it's okay to feel things and backing it up with the support our poor Somyeong very much needs. Life isn't easy for her, and it's not going to be easier once she has to start sharing her life with new people again while those ghosts are still lingering about. :(

Again, just love the relationships here and the familiarity. Somyeong already knows so much about these two and the intimate details of their lives. I'm so glad she has them to take care of her. It's going to be a bumpy ride for sure.

MIHO MY BBY! <3 “Our little Miho is a no-brainer.” - heh. She sure is. Having no brains I mean. She's my child, I can make fun of her if I want XD I do like how the "little Miho" and the talk of her face is the center of Minah's attentions. It's similar to Somyeong's section but reversed. It boils down to business and what will sell. And pretty, easy to digest faces are easy to sell.

"sweet pudgy stepdad" oh my heart. That is literally so freakin endearing. The interaction with Misun is also just HEARTEU. The threat of the water diet made me giggle just a little as did her inability to remember Hanzo's name haha. Miho's section again contrast's Somyeongs with its air of bright, optimism vs the bleakness and anuish Somyeong had. It's a great way of seeing both sides of the industry: the brand new shiny trainee and the beaten down veteran fighting to debut.

JOOA!!! Oh my gosh, its so cute that she calls Miho Mihi. That's adorable. Their short interaction was just darling honestly and I love how Jooa just goes on about her hopes and plans now that they're both trainees.

It's been mentioned, but ouch. That cold assessment of Miho's appearance almost instantly when she joins, from her pretty face to her weight all at once is just...so harshly real. It was whirlwind from auditioning to being a trainee already, and on day 1 she's whisked off to be in a MV for the company. Welcome to show biz Yamada. Be prepared to be judged.

"like the makeup artist had first erased her entire face and then carefully pencilled it back into the best form it could take, all the while doing it in such a way that it looked like she hardly wore any makeup at all. Witchcraft." This entertained me because it really is an artform to master the so much makeup but no makeup look. Miho is getting her first taste of culture shock imho. What she once saw of Misun, now SHE is experiencing it. Welcome to the kpop world Yamada. And even now, she's seeming to keep positive along with wearing a comfy sweater. We stan a comfy sweater lbr. Back on track, we're starting to see the culture shock and it'll be interesting to see where else it emerges as the story progresses and the impacts be they positive or negative.

"eeeh really she didn’t know a lot about Kwangho but that guy" BAHAHA XDD Ahem. AXIZ are es. And we stan es. Stan ery. Stan AXIZ. XDD I see you asking for Somyeong Sunkgwan, you ain't slick boy. And then they're asking about her, who she is, where she from, who she is, dummy already asked that and WE'RE BACK TO JAPANESE BECAUSE OVERLOAD. XD I can't tell you how entertained this whole section was for me to read. And I see that crush forming Miho. You ain't slick XD

"Hyunmin smiled the very faintest amount. “Mood,” he said." Stan Hyunmin folks.

Man, this really has to be so much for her. Nevermind that they tossed her immediately into this world with no experience. That's a lot for anyone let alone someone unprepared. But then...THEN you WROTE THE SCENE. Oh my gosh YOU WROTE OUT THE SCENE. I LOVE. <33 And I also cackle. It's so perfect from the panic of Kwangho and the other to Miho just laughing about how dumb and clumsy she is. It's so perfect. And I will forever be here for the chaotic mess that is AXIZ everytime now.

"Do you want me to fire Kwangho? I will in a heartbeat, he doesn’t add that much anyway.”" Stan Namtaek.

SOMYEONG RETURNS. It's sad to see how cool her reception is to Miho, not even asking if she was okay. But it also makes perfect sense when paired with the previous Somyeong section. You have veteran Somyeong and Miho here on day 1 being placed in a MV that was probably meant for Somyeong in the first place (I'm guessing at least!). Somyeong is indirectly being told she's second fiddle, and that's never a good feeling. Poor thing...

"Wow the emotions of this day were a LOT." And despite all of Miho's flurry of panic and emotions, she still can for a moment understand she's going through a lot. I appreciate this little line for that reason, even if for a moment. Ever the optimist! But this was a really good showcase of two very different people and their circumstances. We also get to see how fickle kpop can be. One moment you should be the center, and then a newer more on trend model comes and you're relegated to the back row for a bit. It's a bitter pill and reality that they are to be judged at face value first...and sometimes, that means breaking your nose and having blood and snot everywhere in the end.

I can't wait to meet the other girls! Thank you again for the update. <3

Chapter 16: okay, i’m sorry for quoting your fic back at you as much as i’m going to do with this comment, but here i go.

so,, first, because that’s when i knew we were IN for a journey, “We start, as we must, with our Somyeong” being the literal START of the fic? ???? okay i see you. and i love it. love the contrast between business ruthlessness and dm “”family””. "A pity indeed. Now who shall be center instead?” is so accurate and concise and plays with my feelings, mwah <3

ah yes the loneliness of failed debut teams and lingering of past relationships, please make me cry !!! my favorite part was when somyeong’s seemingly joking and having casual conversation with hyuni and then in come The Tears bc she can’t hold her emotions in any longer. the complexities of emotional vulnerability in characters >>>>

miho section was fireeee. you wasted absolutely no time to bring in korean-japanese relationships and i’m Listening. “chin up, shoulders high, and do not let them put you on a water diet or I will tell them exactly what I think-” was wonderful, i’m a misun stan. also jooa cameo !! talk about brightening the chapter.

the other thing that Got Me was the cold-hearted detailed commentary on miho’s appearance vs nobody caring that her only acting experience was a middle school play. oh kpop industry, how little sense you make. and then you had the audacity to hit us (particularly me, this feels like a personal attack) with this treasure of a paragraph “She felt, for the first time, that she might belong in this world. Japanese idols still looked like ordinary if beautiful people but Korean idols looked like straight-up goddesses to her. Maybe, just maybe she could also fit in just a little bit. And she even got to wear a comfy sweater!” whhhaaaat !!! i can’t take the wholesomeness. the axiz banter was really just the icing on the cake. it made me smile and you can just Tell that you enjoyed writing it.

don't worry about short chapters! i for one know i'll be glad to read anything you write. we're in this mode 4 lyfe

Thank you for including my babies from Injae to Sukim and etc. I appreciate you incorporating them and can not wait to see this story kick off. CLC is the best, but totally underrated group EVER. I think the vast contrast between NO and Remember Me is so contrasting, it’s blinding and it hurts. But it hurts so good.

Chapter 15: Congrats to everyone chosen!!
This was such a neat idea! It plays out some of the company's history for us and then you're also giving us timelines while also introducing some other characters. The content is just A+ and I really like how you did their pre-debut using CLC's teasers. It just fit so well. (I'm also a er for some CLC sooo~) I'm really looking forward to the content you have planned and seeing how the girls all interact!

Chapter 15: congrats to evryone that was picked!

Chapter 15: oooh congrats to everyone that was picked!!!!!

Chapter 15: i'm so excited for the story to start!! congrats to everyone who was picked!!

Chapter 15: damn those blog posts were A Journey. i love the time capsule kind of feel and i kinda got curious about some of the recurrently mentioned sirena girls (a testament to how easily i get attached to girl groups). also aaaa thank you for choosing harin !!!!!!

Chapter 15: it's been 84 years.gif
congrats to everyone chosen!!
honestly i feel for that fan waiting all the way back in 2014 for the girls to debut just for a good chunk of them to leave (hello project fan things)
also i love to see my babies nature

Chapter 7: ahhh im so excited!!!! also sujin has been updated with a new talent twin skdjfhsdk