Chapter One: Why are you sad, Fox?

 

To Ryujin, Chaeryeong was someone who caught her eye from the start... and it wasn't like how Yeji—the charismatic trainee that everyone knew had a sure fire debut spot in the next JYP girl group whose presence you would be sure to feel… and it wasn’t like how Shin Yuna—in all her innocent dreams and fiery passions caught attention of everyone around her…or like how Julia from Canada with a smile that made you feel connected and welcomed did.

 

Chaeryeong stole Ryujin’s attention because she was so simple—she did not look like a girl who dreamed of being an idol—to be looked up by people. The girl always had her head down, her hair covered her face.

 

She did not have the focus Ryujin saw on Yeji and Yuna’s eyes—and in her own eyes whenever she looked at herself in the mirror. No, the girl always sat in the same chair at the cafeteria staring empty headed at the chair across from her.

 

Ryujin has seen her dance, but even then her moves were sloppy. Lazy. 

 

Maybe she could sing?

 

Ryujin waited for a vocal session with their trainer hoping to hear the voice of the girl. But still—when she was asked to stand up and sing with everyone—Ryujin could not even hear her voice. It was like her voice was silenced by everyone else singing around her.

 

Ryujin looked at the trainer expecting her to get angry at the pale faced trainee—but instead Ryujin saw disappointment and a little pity? From the instructor's face.

 

Everything about her was simple, ordinary, mundane… yet she was a constant intriguing mystery to Ryujin.  

 

Over the weeks, Ryujin expected the girl to be eliminated, so even when she desperately wanted to get to know her, Ryujin didn't want to be distracted by pointless relations that would only hurt her goal…

 

So instead, Ryujin found a friend in Yeji and Yuna—people, her gut told her, would debut. 

 

Still, everyday everywhere in the company—Ryujin was weirdly aware of Chaeryeong’s presence and her absence. 

 

It was on the fifth day of not seeing her around the company when she could no longer keep her curiosity contained.

 

Plopping down next to an equally sweaty and tired Yeji, Ryujin raised her voice in what she considered to be the most indifferent tone, “I haven’t seen Chaeryeong around? Has she been eliminated?”

 

Yeji turned to her with a clear disbelief, this was the first time Ryujin saw Yeji’s cat eyes widen so much—it would’ve been hilarious if not for the genuine confusion Ryujin felt at her reaction, “Eliminated?!”

 

“Uhh…” Ryujin muttered, eyes blinking. She looked at Yeji, trying to make sense of it all.

 

“Park Jinyoung PDnim would never eliminate Chaeryeong,” Yeji said, a sad smile now overtaking her face. It piqued Ryujin’s curiosity even more. JYP himself would choose not to eliminate chaeryeong? But why?

 

The confusion must've been clear on her face for Yeji let out a slow chuckle, “haven’t you seen Chaeryeong in Sixteen or K-POP Star?”

 

Ryujin shook her head, she didn’t know—“Sixteen? You mean the show where twice members were chosen?”

 

“Yes. chaeryeong was among the finalists.” Yeji’s words caused Ryujin’s eyes to widen.

 

That night, the moment she got to her dorm room, Ryujin grabbed her phone and searched the name chaeryeong. Not a lot popped up but there was a link that intrigued her. 

 

‘Lee sisters impresses JYP’

 

Clicking on it, Ryujin watched—at first she was confused at the young girl she saw. She looked like Chaeryeong but Ryujin didn’t feel the same pull she felt with the Chaeryeong she saw around the halls of JYP—but then she finished her audition and it seemed she had a younger sister—Ryujin realized that she had mistaken the older sister for Chaeryeong because just as this girl stepped onto the stage, Ryujin couldn’t take her eyes off of her. So Chaeyeon was the older one, and this is Chaeryeong..

 

As she continued to watch, Ryujin was amazed by the talent, skill—and the life she saw in this young Chaeryeong. She was so different to the silent girl whose head were always bent down—who seemed to just want to be alone and disappear.

 

No wonder Yeji said, JYP himself would not want to let go of Chaeryeong. It was so clear in the video how taken the producer was with the sisters. How everyone was…

 

Ryujin wondered what happened that made Chaeryeong transform from this bright dreamer to the lifeless trainee she saw in the company.

 

What happened?

 

In search of the answer to her question, Ryujin spent the entire night watching Lee Chaeryeong’s videos in K-POP Star 3, and when that didn’t give her satisfaction. Ryujin took a bath, changed her clothes and got ready to binge watch the sixteen survival show.

 

Which was why when Ryujin walked into the practice room she shared with all the other girl trainees, Yuna who was talking animatedly with Lia—saw Ryujin walking like a zombie into the room. Immediately the high tension teen jumped up at Ryujin, “Unnie! What happened to you? You look like a zombie!”

 

Ryujin winced at the loud sound. She knew staying up the entire night was a wrong decision, but Ryujin couldn’t find it in herself to regret. 

 

“Ryujin-ah, are you okay? Did you cry?” Lia’s soft voice was a balm compared to Yuna’s sharp cry. Ryujin shook her head, “I’m okay, I’m just tired,”

 

Although she did cry, three times to be exact. The