Wendy Son had wanted this more than anything. She persuaded her parents that she was going to make it as a singer. Though they doubted her success, they still let her try and the results would only end up on Wendy's shoulders since they told her not to go the destructive yet luxurious life of fame and coin.

But they told her not to come back if things fell through. It would be a disgrace to have a failure return home. How would they be able to face all the expectatations at home?

She was talented, she looked decent, and she was sure that her talent would override that. Everything else would come after.

After just two years of training, she was set to debut in a 4-girl group with Jennie, Lisa, Chaeyoung, and herself. They got along pretty well together at the beginning, and she was respected for her excellent vocals.

When they debuted, they were well recieved. People had hope in them and the company seemed to thikn they were going to make it big, prompting them to invest more in the group. Within at least six months, they were in high demand and were making appearances exponentially.

As their fame rose, so did the exhaustion of their schedules and difficulty keeping up. At least for Wendy it did. She was gaining a little weight, and when she was on her period, she definitely got a little bloated. The one cruel thing about fans was how quickly they would tear idols apart within a second.

Soon, Wendy's weight gain was all over the news and she managed to put up with the mean comments calling her a 'pig' and that she wasn't being responsible.

So Wendy's manager put her on a diet - many diets. The results weren't coming fast enough so she started to starve herself, which helped reach the goal.

Finally, everyone was happy, and they could get a move on with plans for their next comeback stage. 

However, because of Wendy's lack of nutrition, she was weaker and slower. She wasn't moving fast enough, not doing the movements precisely during practice, and her head wasn't in the right place throughout the day.

Now she was under fire for being absent and not working hard enough.

Wendy had to swallow her tears because no one seemed to understand. She was doing her best to be skinny, dance, sing, look good for the group and the company, yet nothing seemed to be going right at all. Her members were worried about her but because they were all tired, were beginning to get a bit short with her on how she wasn't taking care of herself well.

Eventually, she decided she would have to eat because her stomach hurt everyday. But after, she felt fat and did the thing that would get rid of it fast. She locked herself in the bathroom and forced herself to vomit everything back up. It was scary the first time, but she felt ok after. It soon became a daily routine. Eat, purge, practice, eat, purge, practice, shower, go to sleep.

Finally, it all escalated whne they made a comeback at Inkigayo. Wendy was so tired and she felt like she could collapse at any moment from starving herself again.

In the middle of the song, she felt really dizzy. The bright lights all around her confused her and she tripped on her own feet sending her face flat on the floor. Her members looked alarmed, but they kept going, Lisa taking over her part while she struggled to recompose herself on stage.

She coudn't get back up and dance. She didn't even know where they were in the music.

It was an embarrasment to the group and the company.

At the end, her members did help her up and lead her off stage, where the manager had a scream fest at Wendy.

"Wendy, we really care about you," the boss said. "So we think it is for the better that you resign from the group. The company."

Wendy felt so ashamed, and with her members there, it felt a million times worse. Plus, her parents would be proved right, and she did not want to hear smack about it from them.

"Last night proved that you are not fully equipped to survive with us. Your health and wellbeing is more important."

She wanted to laugh because they were the ones telling her to go on a million diets to make her stick skinny, and they were the ones screaming at her to stop slacking when she was losing energy wihtout nutrition.

"Wendy," Jennie said softly. "We don't want to see you faint like that again. It's for the greater good."

"I have nowhere to go," Wendy whispered.

--

Wendy brought only a backpack with few clothing, a water bottle, a snack from Chaeyoung before she left, and some things for washing up if she managed to find a place to sleep for cheap.

Since the company spent so much money on their training, all the money they made as a group went to the company first. The only time they would receive their true earnings was only after paying off the debts that the company paid for them to debut. That meant they got nothing until all the money was repaid, which would take a long time.

Wendy had nothing.

She hadn't even made it for a year.

She was sure news of her release from the group made ehadline news, but she didn't bother looking it up herself. 

Wendy had a little cash for when she just got here, but it was hardly enough for a room. Things were so expensive in Seoul.

She already ate the snack because she was hungry, but the old habit stayed with her. She went to an allyeway and vomited what she ate.

After walking for far too long, the sun was already setting in the sky and Wendy found no place. She couldn't go home, she couldn't afford even a studio room for one night.

Eventually, she ended up in front of a bar that was open for the evening. Some cool jazz was singing from the door and it made Wendy reminisce her high school days back home when she used to jam with her friends. What would they think of her now? 

"Move outa the ing way, !" someone shoved her, the force sending her onto the ground hard.

She was slightly winded and she slowly got back onto her feet unsteadily. 

"Wait. Are you her?" the person demanded.

Wendy felt fear for the frist time and briskly walked away. However, the person grabbed her and yanked her back. "You're that fat chic that got booted off the team!" he exclaimed. "OH ! I can't believe it!"

"Let me go!" she protested and tried to pry him off.

The man cackled and tightened his hold on her. "I'm gonna you over so hard - AGH!"

Wendy bit him, and she ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.

She wasn't sure if the guy gave chase, but she never turned back to look. All she knew was she was in danger.

Finally, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor, weak and a mess.

Everything had gone so wrong in her life. She was going to be a homeless failure, never to be heard from family and friends again.

I'm going to die and no one will care...

--

Jonghyun, a young music producer, was on an emergency trip to the dry-cleaner to pick up his suit and his younger sister's clothing. This weekend there would be a funeral for his sister's late daughter, who had passed from a rare fatal cancer. So that's why he was in a rush at 6am this morning to pick up the clothes, return it home, and then head to his own work after.

However, he almost stepped on what he thought was a corpse on the ground. 

"Oh my god!" He knelt by the girl's side and tested for her pulse. Finding that she was alive, he attempted to wake her. By the appearnce of things, the girl was very malnourished. Her eyes were sunken, her flesh hugging her skull. She also had a few scrapes and bruises on her face and hands.

But soon, her realized, as the sun broke the sky, this was the girl from that new group - Wendy, the girl that was kicked out.

He instantly felt bad for her. Wendy was in poor shape. He figured that she must have been kicked out with nothing, no place, nowhere to go if she was roaming around at night. She was still young perhaps around 20 since she started training at 18 - why did he know this much? He was a music producer, and had heard about them.

Jonghyun pondered whether to take her to his apartment, but that didn't sit right. Besides, he was hardly home and basically lived in his studio. He was no equipped to have a second person in his home.

The only place he could think of was his sister, Irene. She had a big mansion. Surely she could spare just one room for this poor girl. 

And...maybe since Irene was hurting from losing her child, she could take care of this girl. 

It sounded like a great idea. And he forgot about picking up the clothes in order to save this girl's life.

"miss, wake up please!" he shook her and he sighed with relief when Wendy's eyes cracked open.

"W-where...who..."

"Don't worry. I'm taking you to a safe place."

Wendy only regained full consciousness when she woke up in a stranger's car. She jumped in her seat and looked aroudn wildly, her eyes wide. I'm being kidnapped, was her first thought.

"Hey, there, Miss Wendy!" the man at the driver's seat said. "I'm Jonghyun! I found you on the street so I'm taking you to a safe place."

The girl was too shocked to respond or do anything rash. She was frozen and she could only stare at the rearview mirror where the man was smiling at her.

"H-how d'you know..."

"It's all around the news. Your...dismissal..." he said quietly. "but don't worry. You will be safe when I bring you to Irene."

"I-Irene?"

"Yep!"

He sounded way too chipper.

When they finally arrived, Wendy couldn't believe that she was standing before a huge villa. The hedgerow and flowers were expertly aranged like in those magazines, and there was a large fountain spewing water.

Her first instinct was to run away, but she realized that she also had nothing to lose by following this dude. If she were going to die, she would accept. At least it would be better than living knowing she failed.

"But..why am I here?' she asked as she followed him.

Jonghyun turned to her. "I need your help, you see. My sister is going throuhg a lot right now. I thought maybe you could keep her company in exchange for her letting you stay."

That soudned way too good to be true.

He pat her shoulder. "And you could get a meal. You look really...in bad shape."

Wendy looked at her reflection in the fountain water and saw a horrifying image of herself. She looked like the grudge form the movie!

"Follow me. I'll deal with everything."

Wendy was wowed evne more the moment they entered the masion. It was absolutely grand inside. This place could fit a lot of people, and it looked very luxirious for just one person. Apparently only Irene was living here.

"She's divorced," Jonghyun said. "So all this is for her. She even has a huge private pool and jacuzzi out back."

He led her up the stairs to a large study with heavy oak doors. He rapped his knuckles lightly and a feminine voice that sounded dull and unhappy called to them. "Come in."

Jonghyun turned to Wendy with a reassuring smile before pushing the doors open.

Wendy almost forgot to breathe when she saw how big this room was. The walls were lined with shelves filled with books and little artifacts. There was a desk facing the balcony that had a luxurious view of the ocean in the distance. The doors were open, allowing the wind to tickle the silken curtains that billowed slightly.

On the balcony, stood a woman with long black hair and dressed in a long night dress. The smell of cigarette smoke met Wendy's nostrils and she managed to hold back a cough from the strong smell.

"Irene, I - "

"Did you bring the clothes?" Irene demanded coldly.

"Uh...," he muttered and glanced at Wendy. "I am definitely getting them. There's something more important I need to discuss with you."

"Jonghyun, I asked you one simple thing."

"Yes, Irene, but please let your older brother ask you a favor. I promise to get the clothes and run all your errands for next week too."

The woman turned around slowly, her cold lifeless eyes grazing over jong and then Wendy. Her lips puckered as she pulled the cigarette from , simultaneously releasing smoke wisps. "What is she doing here?" she growled. 

"irene, I found her passed out on the street. She really needs help."

Irene frowned. "Who is she?"

"This is Wendy!" Jonghyun quickly replied. HE was nervous and sweating profusely. "She...She was fired and had nowhere to go. She has no home, no money, no food...Look! She's so malnourished she looks like a walking skeleton! Can you let her stay with you, please Irene?"

"I am not a charity home."

"I know that, but please have compassion on a girl who is suffering - "

"HAh! She's suffering? She's better off dead if such a stupid thinkg like getting fired turned her like this!" Irene threw her cigareet down and stubbed it out with her heel. "My daughter is dead! My husband is divorcing me for some other ! Why in the world would you bring her here?! I am not a caretaker!" She was basically howling now like a mad wolf.

Wendy wasn't the one getting yelled at but she was damn afraid.

"I'm sorry, Irene." Jonghyun said quietly. "I know you're hurting, but this girl is in need too. She can...she can keep you company in this big house. She can cook! Right. RIght? Wendy?" He looked to her and the girl nodded immediately.

"Oh, oh! And since she's young, she can help you with your chores!" he added. "You can hang out all you like smoking your life away in here and she'll take care of things for you."

Irene's fist tightened and she slammed it down on her desk. "Just because your'e older than me doesn't mean you can ridicule me like this!" she snapped. "In fact, you're making me really angry and I want you to go away, Jonghyun!"

"Sis, I'm not ridiculing you. It came out all wrong...I'm so sorry..."

"OUT!" She pointed to the door.

Jonghyun sighed in defeat. "Come on Wendy. We'll figure something out together."

The girl nodded and followed him. Gee, hearing someone else say that she was better off dead in real life really hurt more than the comments on a computer screen.

"Leave the girl here."

"What? But I thought - "

"Just leave her."

Wendy exchanged a wary glance with Jonghyun, who knew that he could not argue back with his already fragile sister. She felt more afraid of Irene than Jonghyun. How could she live with a bitter woman? But, she also couldn't blame Irene since shewas going through a lot of bad things right now. Wendy wouldn't ever know how it felt to lose a child, but being disowned by parents, friends, and fans was the closest she could get.

"I'll bring the clothes," Jonghyun told her.

"Don't bother. I'll have them bring it to me. I just want you out of my sight."

"Ok...if you need anything, let me know."

Irene didn't asnwer him and he left Wendy alone in this ice chamber with the scary woman.

"Let's get this straight. I don't feel pity and I don't care about you,' Irene growled. "You can stay here a little as my personal servant to make up for wasting my space with your sorry excuse of a person. Two months and that's that. Jonghyun can keep helping you as far as I'm concerned. You idols just use and sell your body for money so you can up to some rich guy that only thinks with his  if you can't find a job. I'm sure you'll have no problem."

"I...I don't want that..." Wendy mumbled. She wasn't a or a e, and she didn't want to stoop as low to use someone for money.

"Ah so you can talk, bravo." Irene said saracastically. "You look disgusting. Go take a shower. I don't want fleas in my carpet."

"Yes, M-miss...Irene..."

She heard an exasperated snort from the older woman, and Wendy scurried to the bathroom to clean herself up.

This was still better than being on the street.

--

hey! Here's another  story that's a little angsty and maybe fluff. I dunno if it will be slowburn or not yet. Sorry for the spelling errors, I will fix them later. 

Hope you like it. Please leave feedback if you like. Thank you for reading!

Title may change, I couldn't think of something better atm. 

Clases are starting soon so I'm not sure if I can update as frequently because of the work load I will have. Stay safe y'all.