Winter turned around in time to see a glass cup being flung towards her face before she was completely drenched in icy cold water. She heard Yu Ri’s sharp intake of breath behind her, and Winter stood as stiff as a rock as she tried to blink the droplets of water away from her eyes.

            “What…?” Winter said as her eyes adjusted on her attacker. Shin Ah’s livid face was shooting daggers at Winter, her hands clearly fisted at her side. Amidst her blurry vision Winter noticed that she was holding onto a rolled-up paper in one hand, the other clasping tightly onto a glass cup.

            “I knew it was you!” she screeched in a high-pitched tone. “You are the only one who knows about it; you spread the rumour!”

            “What rumour?” Winter replied hotly, “you splashed water in my face because you thought I spread a rumour about you?”

            “Of course you did! How else could anyone have known…” Shin Ah looked like she was struggling for words, “… about what I did! About me!” she managed to say.

            Winter simply stared at her face for a moment, not comprehending her words. Then it clicked in her mind: someone must have rattled off to others that Shin Ah was a bully back in high school. That must be why she was accusing Winter, because she was the only one who knew about Shin Ah’s past, who had witnessed her bullying others; who had actually been bullied by Shin Ah herself. But Winter certainly had not told a single soul about Shin Ah since they had an agreement the day before. If it was not her, who could it be?

            “How dare you do this to me, especially after what we agreed on yesterday?” Shin Ah continued furiously, “I know you, you scheming little pest. It must have been part of your plan to chase me out of the company, to replace me, to show others you’re better than me. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

            Her words created a ripple of gasps and murmurs amongst the eating crowd. Shin Ah’s voice carried across the entire canteen and everyone had stopped eating to look at the cause of the conflict. Winter hated it; being the object of judgement by people, being talked about, being targeted. A bubble of anger and anxiety burgeoned in her chest, rising faster as she thought about how she was getting victimized by Shin Ah in front of others.

            “No, that’s not what I want,” Winter said, trying to keep her tone steady as she struggled to control her anger.

            “Oh yeah?” Shin Ah advanced towards her, prowling like a tiger. “I know you’ve been jealous of me since high school. You hated seeing me shine when I danced on the stage during school performances. Why else would you go off and spread false rumours about me? Fine! Since you like competing with me, I’ll give you a chance to compete with me fair and square.” She brandished the roll of paper in front of Winter’s face. Winter took it, her eyes scanning over the headlines: ‘2016 new girl group debut project, Fantagio Music presents Girl’s High!’

            “Girl’s High?” Winter said, and the crowd around her began to murmur louder and in earnest, like bees in a nest.

            “It’s a debut project by our company that lasts for three months. They are creating a new girl group consisting of five members and are casting line-ups from trainees, and even background dancers are allowed to sign up. The rules are simple: if you are selected, you debut. You don’t, you leave the company immediately. Are you in?”

            “No!” Yu Ri shrieked, putting her hand on Winter’s arm in a halting motion. “This is a bigger gamble than you can imagine. You could lose everything!”

            Shin Ah’s nose crinkled as if she smelt something foul. “Or you could gain a free pass to debut,” she countered, her eyes challenging. “Though I doubt you ever will.”

            Winter’s brain whirled. They were both right. If Winter decided to participate in the project and failed to be selected, she would lose the house and her only opportunity to become a background dancer in the company. On the other hand, if she did her best, there was a very slim chance of her gaining a path to stardom, something that she had only once imagined. It would be like a miracle coming true. She looked around at the others staring back at her. This was the only time to prove to her dance mates that she was nothing like how Shin Ah described her to be, nothing like the cocky girl-with-a-royal-syndrome that needed an entire practice room to herself. Somehow, her decision in this game seemed to weigh on something more than just her reputation and how people would see her. It was a time to prove herself.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter