Being a rookie was not easy, but each SM group was open and friendly to the newly joined group, f(x). Luna, Krystal, Sulli, Victoria, and Amber already became close these past few months.

Krystal, on the outside cold and stiff, always seemed to relate to Luna, whether it’s boys, school, problems with practice, anything. Krystal was her guidance, a warm heart and caring soul. The first week of joining f(x), Luna was secretly worried Krystal would have all of the attention, being so beautiful. She noticed Krystal had a slightly similar look to SNSD’s Yoona, even though Krystal is Jessica’s sister. But strangely, Krystal always gave Luna compliments on her natural features, but Luna just didn’t understand. Maybe she was just being nice…

Sulli, silly and happy, always knew how to cheer Luna up. Luna had always been jealous of Sulli’s natural cuteness, but even Luna’s heart melt when Sulli showed her aegyo. What Sulli and Luna had most in common from the start was their silly nature, joking around constantly. Luna, being sensitive, couldn’t help but feel frustrated to tears if her practices were not going right. But Sulli knew how to put a smile back on Luna’s face and encourage her. “Unnie! Please don’t cry. I promise after practice we can relax. You are doing so well, don’t be frustrated!” Sulli says with a hug.

Luna was never that close to her mother, so Victoria became her umma instantly, taking care of her and always being there. Victoria provided her girls with groceries, cooking, and a loving nature. Victoria: the leader and oldest, was quick to show responsibility and hard work. Victoria was flexible, strong, beautiful, and seemed like a wise owl. Victoria had so much more experience with boys than Luna, she couldn’t help but feel jealous. She wanted to ask Victoria so many questions, but never knew how to without turning red, so she usually kept to herself.

Amber, out of all of the f(x) girls, was different in the best way possible. Quiet but extremely positive, Luna gravitated toward Amber within the first few days of joining. Amber just seemed to always know the answer to her questions; Amber was a genius and she knew it. Luna and Amber both studied and enjoyed each other’s interests until they were forced to go to bed. Along with Krystal, Amber was always there when she needed some advice. Scared of asking Victoria embarrassing questions and feeling immature, Luna talked to Amber about boys and how confusing they were. Amber was at the same exact place as Luna: seeing boys as foreign creatures. However, Luna was jealous of how confident Amber was when it came to boys…

Luna snapped out of her current thought, sitting in front of her mirror, waiting for f(x)’s first performance on stage.

“Unnie? Hello? Did you even hear my question?” Krystal huffed and poked Luna’s shoulder.

“Sorry, what was your question?” Luna responded quickly.

“Well, hold up, what were you even thinking of, eh? Boys? Who?” Krystal stuck her tongue out cutely.

“I was NOT thinking of anyone! Sheesh, since when do you assume I have a crush on anyone?” Luna defended herself.

“Well, I DO know that you act differently around certain male groups, and well, certain members…” Krystal slightly eye smiled and giggled, messing with Luna just for fun. But Luna was falling for all of it.

“Wh-what? What male members?”

Suddenly, some familiar voices shouted, “Hello ladies! SHINee is visiting SM’s new rookie group for encouragement. Are you excited for your first performance?” It was Key, Taemin, and Onew. Key’s hair was styled as an adorable dark styled haircut, while Taemin and Onew’s hair was messy yet styled. They all looked so handsome, Luna couldn’t help but stare.

“Yah! Unnie, greet politely!” Krystal nudged Luna before they both gave SHINee a smile and bow.

“Annyeonghaseyo, SHINee. Thank you for visiting,” Luna and Krystal said in unison, “Victoria, Sulli, and Amber are all practicing.”

“Ah, well, why aren’t you two?” Taemin smiled at them both, curious. Key also asked, “Yes, why aren’t you two with them?”

“Um, well, we were just talking about stuff…” Luna quietly replied. She didn’t know if that was too personal or not.

“Oh, really? Gossiping?” Key gave a cute chuckle. He had such a confidence that made him even more attractive.

“N-no, not at all,” Luna laughed, “we are just… nervous. So Krystal and I wanted to talk and relax to calm our nerves.” Even though Luna was talking to Taemin and Key, she glanced at Onew every once and a while, hoping he would join in. Onew eyed Luna while she spoke, his head slightly down but with a soft smile. He looked relaxed.

“I know how you feel, don’t worry. I hope you don’t feel intimidated by the crowd… or by us,” Onew looked at Luna for a moment, Luna melted at his handsome smile. She noticed he had a slight piece of hair out of place from his perfectly styled look. It actually fit him pretty well. Onew’s eyes awkwardly scanned the floor. Luna stopped her thoughts and looked at Krystal for an answer.

Krystal finally joined in again, “Oh, no, all of you are so welcoming and nice, we appreciate it!” Luna realized how fake Krystal was sounding, but she was so good at it; her sister probably taught her how to be so polite. The conversation became less awkward as Krystal talked to Key and Taemin, while Luna and Onew were silent for a while.

“If you need any help with dancing, just ask Taemin; you both know how talented he is,” Key said, his hand on Taemin’s shoulder as Taemin slightly bowed with a smile.

“Oh, well thank you. Actually, Luna is a great dancer as well. Her auditioning choreography was amazing. She has wonderful movement,” Krystal stated, looking at Luna. Luna blushed, not knowing what to say. The boys looked impressed, which made Luna feel even more embarrassed.

“Well, she has a beautiful voice as well,” Onew added before their manager called them back to their room. Luna and Krystal said their goodbyes to the boys before they left. Krystal looked at Luna with a slightly surprised look once the boys were gone.

“What?”

“Yah, Unnie, why are you so quiet with them? I know you’re not used to boys, but you probably made them feel uncomfortable!”

“I did not! I was just letting you talk…”

“Well next time, don’t just gawk in silence, it’s awkward!” Krystal softly hit Luna’s arm.

Luna didn’t like how much Krystal was scolding her, it wasn’t SO bad, was it?

Finally, it was time to perform. Even without as much practice as Amber, Victoria, and Sulli, Luna felt confident and ready. F(x) came onstage to a cheering crowd. Luna smiled brightly, a strong feeling of adrenalin coming on. They performed “La Cha Ta” perfectly, each step on beat. Each member even got their own cheering when they sang individually, Amber having the most as she gave her amazing rap. Luna whaled her strong voice on every note and sounded clear and stunning.

After their performance, the cheering crowd made Luna feel so naturally high as each member joined hands and smiled before running off.

“Wow! That was so great!” Sulli had a higher voice than usual, probably from excitement.

“Omo, I am so glad that went so well, Luna and Krystal really didn’t need all that practice, then,” Amber teased, walking back to f(x)’s room.

Luna subconsciously scanned the halls to their room, looking for Onew, she felt like a little girl with a kindergarten school crush, but she didn’t care. Luna couldn’t help but feel disappointed in herself, desperately looking for a boy she barely knew, what was wrong with her? She then thought of Krystal being right… Her natural high faded as they finally reached their room. Amber sat and drank from her water bottle with a giant dorky smile on her face while Victoria continued to praise each member. Luna tried to forget Onew and focus on their performance. She was so proud of them all.

Victoria hugged each member, almost in tears. Victoria and Luna were the most sensitive of the group. Luna, still full of high emotion, teared up as well once she received her hug from Victoria.

“I am so proud of you, Luna, we all agree that your beautiful voice is the strongest. You brought the performance to a new level,” Victoria held Luna, her arms wrapped around her back, one hand behind Luna’s head. Luna felt so much closer to Victoria, and she quickly felt as though Victoria was already her umma.

Sulli had an adorable eye smile on, thinking to herself. She was playing with her ruffly skirt and heavy shoes. Krystal began to join in playfully by hitting her shoes against Sulli’s, and then Amber began to do the same. They all played together as Victoria and Luna sat in front of their mirrors, watching and giggling.

There was a sudden knock on the door, quiet but loud enough for Luna to notice. Her head turned to see SHINee’s Onew smiling. “Annyeonghaseyo, you all did so well. I’m very proud of you all! May I speak to Luna-shi for a moment?” Luna began to walk to him without hesitation, her heart thumping. She didn’t notice the others’ reactions whatsoever.

Luna and Onew stood in the busy hallway, some awkward space between them. Onew seemed more confident, however. She didn’t want to seem as obvious as before, so she scanned the floor, but felt Onew’s eyes on her.

“Luna-shi, I’ve noticed how shy you look towards the other SM groups, and I just want to let you know that you don’t have to. We are all very welcoming and believe f(x) has a lot of potential.” Luna quickly looked up at Onew, his eye smile gave her that natural high again. She smiled back.

“Thank you,” that seemed like all she could say at the moment. Her mind went blank. Luna felt a sudden worry, she wanted to say more but nothing was coming out… Silence was between them.

“Well, I hope you continue to do your best and have that beautiful voice continue to sing. Hwaiting!” Onew then bowed, Luna quickly joining. Onew stared at her, waiting for an answer. She was silent, looking at the floor. Onew said goodbye once more and left, he looked back at her while walking away. It seemed to Luna like he just felt so awkward… he probably would never talk to her again. Luna didn’t notice how red she became, walking back into her room.

Before Luna could even get a reaction from the group, SNSD’s Hyoyeon, Sunny, Yoona, and Jessica came to the door. Jessica quickly ran and hugged Krystal before a proper greeting. Yoona, Sunny, and Hyoyeon all bowed and said hello as well as f(x).

“You all did so well! SM is so proud, f(x), continue to do your best. I can already see your talents showing!” Yoona clapped her hands together in delightment.

Hyoyeon and Sunny smiled together and congratulated each member. “Amber, you rapped so well!” Sunny gave a cute thumbs up. Hyoyeon was smiling and soon Jessica joined in, “Wow, I am so impressed.” SNSD left with a bow before Jessica gave Krystal one more peck on the cheek.

F(x)’s van ride home was fun and relaxing, talking about their performance, the crowd, and how impressed everyone was. Sulli and Victoria sat in the middle section of their van, while Amber sat in front next to the driver. Krystal and Luna sat in the back. During their conversation, Luna was hoping nobody would embarrass her and bring up Onew…

Krystal poked Luna, asking, “So, Unnie, what did Onew say?” Luna blushed, putting her fingertips on her cheek.

“Well, he said what any other group would say. He encouraged me to work hard and to open up.”

“Open up?” Sulli asked, looking back at Luna.

“He told me I don’t have to be shy to the other groups, apparently…” Luna looked out the window after her statement, trying to look as if it were nothing.

“Unnie! I did overhear some of what he said. Onew said that Luna’s voice was beautiful… for the 2^nd time!” Krystal smiled and giggled.

Amber looked back to Luna, “Aw, that’s cute… he seems to really like you, Luna-shi. I think he admires your voice. Or your looks.” They all “oooh”’ed.

Victoria smiled and shook her head, “Oh, you girls… That is very sweet of him, Luna-shi.”

The happy conversation continued all the way back to their dorm. Finally being home, Luna realized how exhausted her body was while how awake her mind was. It was racing, so much happened today. Amber and Luna shared a room together while Sulli and Krystal shared another. Victoria had her own room across the hall.

After getting ready for bed, Amber and Luna lay in their bunk-bed quietly before Amber spoke up.

“Luna-shi? How do you feel about Onew anyway? He seems to act like he knows you so well.”

Luna smiled to herself, happy with that statement. “I-I don’t know, Unnie. I enjoy it a lot, though. But… he is a lot older than me, and I know he’s just being nice. I think he just can tell how shy I am around boys. He probably feels bad for me…” Luna couldn’t help but get upset over her own observation. But, it seemed like reality hit her. No matter how hard she’d try, Onew would never be interested in someone as young and as immature as her. She sighed softly. Amber was quiet once more, so she probably fell asleep already. As tired as Luna’s body was, her mind just kept racing through its own tracks. She wondered if Onew would ever be so open to her again like he did tonight.

“Luna-shi?” Amber broke the silence once more, startling Luna.

“Eh?” Luna responded, putting her hands behind her head to relax.

“Did you notice how everyone cheered for me the most?” She giggled a bit, this made Luna smile.

“They loved your rapping, Unnie. I hope more people enjoy us because of how different we are. You make us different, you know.” Luna quickly responded.

Amber giggled once more, “Gee, thanks Luna…” Amber yawned and soon they both fell asleep, content.