CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kang Seulgi must be Wendy's guardian angel. She must have felt the negative energy coming from me. That little singer would be in danger if they stayed in front of me and the security staff knew about it.

Of course, I wouldn't do anything to her. My violent and homicidal thoughts were nothing more than that. I wouldn't do anything physical with a fly, let alone a human being. Even so, Kang Seulgi acted before I could say another word to Wendy. In the blink of an eye, the two women were walking towards the elevator, the blonde being dragged by the arm. I was alone in the hall once more.

I needed time to calm down and put on my Ice Queen facet. I couldn't let that happen again. Wendy caught me off guard. Seeing my favorite singer in front of me was fascinating. I was surprised she was there and even more surprised by the story about the girl on the playground. However, I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't true; maybe she wasn't the stubborn girl who landed on her face after playing where she shouldn't have and falling. But how would she know about that story?

I looked into the rehearsal room; they were taking a break to rest. Sooyoung took a sip of water now and then, listening to the petit vocal trainer Wheein-ah, Wheeinie, or whatever I should call her. And it looked like Sooyoung felt my gaze on her because she met my eyes and smiled. It was one of those smiles that could melt an iceberg. It was impossible not to smile back.

If she saw me talking to Wendy, she didn't let on.

I really hoped this wasn't the calm before the storm. However, if that were the case, I would be happy for Sooyoung to hold back and get on with the rehearsal without going through the door to confront Wendy. She was showing that she would behave herself when something pissed her off. She could be professional when she needed to be.

Honestly, Wendy's presence there didn't bother me. The production order clarified one thing: they intended to explore that drama during the competition. Which meant that Kepton4 would feature prominently this season. After all, it's not every day that a coach from this competition, who is also the new muse of rock, gets to judge her former band and friends. It was practically a scoop regarding Wendy's past, and the production could dictate the narrative. They were already doing that, with Wendy acting on their behalf and for self-benefit.

What bothered me at that moment was the omission on her part. The lie. Or the partial lie. Yes, she knows Wheein. The vocal trainer was the one who initiated the interaction between both of them. Kang Seulgi recognized her right away too. So, it was obvious that this was not a lie. However, she admitted to Seulgi that she was there at the behest of the production. So yes, she withheld information when I asked her what she was doing there.

Come to think of it, it wouldn't be strange for her to do that. She hid that she was going to Seoul to sign a record deal. She betrayed her best friend and bandmates. Why would she do it differently with me? I’m someone she saw a few days years ago. That move put me on high alert. If I meet Wendy again, I won't let her beautiful smile, nor the charisma capable of enchanting anyone, distract me again. She was the enemy now, in a way, she always had been. The enemy who has the voice of an angel and the perfect songs, yes. I wouldn't let her mess with my band, at least not while I was around.

After Wendy's surprise appearance, I didn't dare stray from that room. I barely blinked my eyes following the rest of the rehearsal, relieved to see that the interference from Wheein was decreasing more and more. That was a good sign. The band was less tense, making fewer mistakes. Two days of official rehearsals seemed like a short time, but a professional-level band should be able to play to perfection. Only the best performances would move on to the next phase of the competition.

My focus on looking into the room was so concentrated that I barely noticed how the hallway was slowly filling up. The bands were finishing their rehearsals and were mingling in the corridor with the next bands that would rehearse in the afternoon. I think I saw a glimpse of Sihyuk's bald head entering one of the rooms. Park Jinyoung was also present near the elevator nodding to a man who was talking to him.

I was about to look away, I didn't want to look like a weirdo staring at them, but Wheein appeared in front of the head coach. She quickly bowed before showing some sheets of paper to Jinyoung. She was pointing at the sheet with a pencil as she spoke, and he nodded. If I were to guess what she was talking about, it would be the changes she asked the band to make to the melody. At some point, I noticed that they were all writing on sheet music after she said something when she interrupted rehearsal.

It was only then that I noticed the band behind me, waiting for me to leave. They were visibly tired. I imagine that learning a new song and playing it for hours on end must be difficult. Even more so with someone pointing out their mistakes and making them play from the beginning again and again. However, they were smiling. They were the ones who said that what mattered was having fun. I think their smiles were a sign that they were headed in that direction.

We decided to take the stairs down to avoid the elevator traffic. Taemin stayed behind to use the restroom, leaving the vehicle key with Sooyoung. When we reached the ground floor, Sehun and Taemin headed towards the nearest bus stop to go to their respective jobs in Mapo-gu. Sooyoung and I walked in silence until we reached the kombi. She unlocked the driver's door and came around in time to stop me from opening the back door. I think she wanted to be chivalrous and open the door for me, she even held out her hand to help me in.

“How many chocolates will I get for today’s rehearsal?” Sooyoung asked me still in front of the door. She had her arms outstretched touching the van's roof from the outside, leaning her torso slightly towards the inside of the vehicle. I couldn't close the door.

“Is that why you are being nice right now?”

"Of course!" she replied laughing. "I just figured you'd keep up our tradition of giving us goodies after a good performance."

“And I will. But this was not a concert. Also, it was the first rehearsal, so I don't have anything to compare it to if you guys were ok,” at this point, I was just teasing her. I would buy them some treats, they were great.

“Well, Wheein-ah said we were great,” she countered pouting. “She also told me that I have a beautiful, sweet voice.”

 “Yah! Sooyoung! Don't treat your coach so informally, you need to respect your elders.”

"She's younger than me, Unnie!"

“Younger? How can someone younger than you teach you anything?”

“Because should she be an idol,” Sooyoung replied as if what she said was the most obvious thing in the world. Now she was rocking back and forth still clinging to the ceiling, “She was going to debut, but she dropped out a few months before. Her company did not want to waste the years of vocal training invested in her and now she assists with the other trainees.”

"Wow! How many minutes of rehearsal did you waste to know that?”

Sooyoung shrugged, she knew from my light laugh that I wasn't being serious with that question. She did well to know the qualifications of someone who, in theory, should be more experienced than her to be able to teach what Sooyoung wouldn't know.

With summer approaching, the last few days have been hotter. Today's morning, for example, would have been perfect to spend the day cooling off at the beach. I bar