v

He waved his arms to try and hail a cab. We saw paparazzi approaching, luckily, a taxi came up before any of them could get close.

          We both sighed. “That was close.” He said.

I nodded my head.

When we got to the carnival, we bought hats and scarves at one of the stands so that we could hide. We bought sunglasses too. Shin’s phone buzzed. He checked the text, then returned the phone to his pocket.

“The guys are wondering where we are. They said they’re by the Octopus. You wanna ride?”

I agreed, then we were off to find the others.

Kang-min was the first to wave when he saw us; the others waved soon after.

“Sorry you guys, we got caught up in the practice room.” I said as I bowed to the guys.

“Nah, it’s alright, Cherry, no harm done.” Kang-min replied.

“You guys can call her Nami or Mimi instead of Cherry.” Shin stated.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys that.” I smiled awkwardly.

They nodded.

“The Octopus only seats three.” Seito pointed out.

“Yeah, and they are nine of us.” Taichi continued.

“So we need to make groups.” Kang-min finished.

I laughed at how they finished each other’s sentences.

“Hanami and Minyoung call Mimi.” Shuri burst out. “Are you okay with that, Mimi-unnie?”

I nodded. “Yeah, as long as they’re okay with it.”

Tai, Shin, and Seung-young chose each other, which left Honey with Kang-min and Seito, which she didn’t mind.

          As soon as we sat down and got strapped in, Minyoung turned to me and said, “So, Shuri told us that Shinji-oppa kissed you.”

I rolled my eyes. That Shuri, I knew she’d tell them.

“Listen guys,” I said to them. Hanami was hooked to my every word, but Minyoung looked like she could care less, as usual. It surprised me when Minyoung chimed in.

“So is that why you two were late, huh?” She scoffed.

“No, listen, Shuri misunderstood the kiss.”

Hanami’s eyebrows rose. “So there was a kiss!” She squealed.

It was amazing how we were having this calm (well, semi-calm) conversation while the others were screaming around us.

“Yes there was a kiss but…”

Again I was interrupted by Minyoung. “Ah hah!” She said as if she discovered the weapon used in a crime scene.

“LISTEN!” I yelled. “He kissed me on the cheek, but only because we were dancing. Me and Shin-oppa were late because we were dancing, and he kissed me because we were dancing! We were dancing to Forever Together. He was doing his part and I was doing Risa’s. They talk about kissing in the song and he kisses her on the cheek onstage, so that’s why he kissed me!”

That rant left me out of breath. They both sensed my tenseness and shut up for the duration of the ride.

We all were having fun riding rides, playing games and eating ice cream, funnel cakes and pretzels, but that time went by quickly. Soon enough, it was 10:45. I noticed the time first. I tapped each of the girls on the shoulder and informed them, next I went to go tell the guys.

“Hey guys, tonight was a lot of fun, but it’s 10:45, we have to go, okay?”

Seung-young replied first. “Manager said that we have to follow you and show you the dorm. The boys’ dorm is walking distance from there, so we’ll be fine. We’ll come along. Shall we take two taxis?”

“There’s nine of us, stupid. How’re we gonna take two taxis?” Seito responded.

“Honey can sit on my lap.” I replied. “We’re pretty close, she won’t mind.”

“Well are you going to be fine?” Tai asked.

“Sure, I’m used to it. I have a lot of younger brothers and sisters.” I smiled.

 

We took a cab to the dorm and the guys took us up there.

“So we’ll see you guys later, right?”

“Yeah, we’ll see you girls tomorrow at lunch.” Seung-young replied.

His reply was followed by idle chatter between the nine of us and then we exchanged ‘goodbyes’.

          As we entered the room, our marveling gazes were followed by the excited screams of the Ri-bon unnies.

“Yay!” Rika squealed

“You’re home!” Rin followed.

“How was it?” Ritsuko asked

“Calm down girls, let them breathe.” Risa said.

Rita nodded in agreement.

“So girls,” Risa started, “How was it?”

“Who’d you end up getting partnered with?” Ritsuko asked.

We took turns talking about out day.

Hanami went first. “Well, since there’s four of us and five of them, Taichi-oppa had to split between me and Shuri. First we went to recording studio, which was amazing. Kang-min-oppa and Tai-oppa showed me the controls. We went to see the manager next; the only thing she did was lecture us. Tai-oppa left after that, so Kang-min and I went to the practice room and just talked about ourselves. We went to the costume room, then the carnival next.” She explained

          Each of us explained our day. When I mentioned Shin, Risa interrupted me.

“Did Shin say anything about me?” She asked.

“No… why?” I replied.

She sighed.

“Don’t tell anyone, but Risa-unnie and Shin-oppa are sort of together.” Rika giggled.

“Oh! Really!?!” Shuri asked with a high-pitched squeal.

Rita laughed.

“Yeah, once, when he was getting interviewed, the host asked him who is ideal type of girl would be and he answered, “Risa”.” Ritsuko explained.

I put on a fake smile. Why was it that I didn’t feel happy that one of the most inspirational people I know was in love with the other most inspirational person I know? I had always shipped them before.

Risa flipped her hair. “He’s always giving me little hints, and we even did a song together.”

“I love that song!” Yelled Hanami

“Yeah me too! I love you guys’ song, ‘Lovely’!” Hanami yelled after.

          So that explains why Shin kisses her in the Forever Together. I always thought it was because they were both the leaders of their groups.

It was late, so we went to sleep. Manager told us that we would all have to sleep on mattresses on the floor until the end tomorrow, but she didn’t tell us why we couldn’t choose rooms just yet.

The next day, the girls woke us up.

“Wake up, trainees! Time for your first day of work. We have a long day ahead of us.” Risa announced throughout the house.

Every girl in the room groaned, except for me and Risa.

          We left the dorm and head out of the building.
“What about breakfast?” Hanami asked.

“We usually get it on the way at the coffee shop down the street.” Ritsuko answered.

“Yeah, it’s on the way to Diamond.” Rin added.

“We’re walking there?” Minyoung complained.

“How do you think we keep our slim figures?” Rika said, bursting into a pose.

          When we got there, it was a lot busier than the day before.

“Come on upstairs, girls. Are you finished with your pastries?” Risa asked.

We all nodded, including Shuri who hid the rest of hers in her bag. She’s a slow eater.

The girls rushed through the halls. I looked around, hoping to see the guys.

“Get yourselves ready, girls.” Risa instructed. “The first meeting of the day is with the President.”

“We’re meeting President Diamond today?” Hanami asked.

Ritsuko replied. “Of course, he’s the one who picked you guys.”

We stopped outside a wide door with the President’s name plaque on it with his trademark diamond logo.

I took in a sharp breath, bracing myself. When we entered the room, the first thing I noticed was the tall, thin man sitting at his red wood desk. It was covered with neatly placed folders and papers, along with a computer. The walls of his huge office were lined with posters of his groups, awards of his, and newspaper clippings that had anything to do with Diamond Entertainment.

“Why hello, girls! Take a seat.” The man said, gesturing to the five chairs.

I offered the girls the seats instead, but they insisted we took them.

“Ah, a sense of seniority, I like that.” The President said.

“Now, I know that this is a lot to take in right now, and I know that you girls probably all have questions. However, as you know, I am a busy man, so let me do the talking and this will run smoothly so that none of us will be late for our next meeting. You have all been picked by the same audition process as each and everyone who is signed to Diamond Entertainment has gone through, you girls are outstanding performers, but I believe that there is always room for improvement. You will be pushed to your limits, but when you’re at your limit, you must push yourselves even harder. I believe in each and every one of you, and if I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. However, just because you are here, doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get dropped. This is going to take a lot of work and you better be ready for it, or you will be left in the dust. Listen to whatever any staff tells you, they will give you more of the details later on today. But let’s get on to the real reason that I called this meeting.”

He inhaled and then took a sip from his coffee mug.

“I wasn’t planning on doing this until later, somehow the information of when formation of a new group was going to be made has leaked into the public. Everyone wanted to know who Diamond’s new trainees really are.” The President’s voice was stern and final, but something in it gave me a sense of comfort.

“We need a name for the group and you many use stage names is you want. I may tell you to change your name, but if I do not tell you to, it is optional.” He turned to Hanami.

“I’ve taken the time to ponder over this and these are the results that I have come to. After careful consideration, and notes from your manager I have come up with this: Ms. Hanami Arakaki,”

“Umm, yes sir.” She answered.

““You are to drop the ‘mi’ in your name, thus being called only ‘Hana’.”

Hana nodded.

“Ms. Minami Kim,”

“Yes, sir.” I replied.

He smiled. “Your middle name is Sakura. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You are to go by that name.”

I nodded firmly.

“Ms. Shuri Tanaka,”

Her head popped up from looking down. “Yes, sir.”

“You are known for you room-lightening bubbly-ness, right?”

“Yes!” She smiled.

“From this point onward, you will go by the name ‘Honey’. However, your coworkers may call you your real name, which goes for you girls too.” She smiled even wider now; you could tell that she was happy with her nickname.

Minyoung frowned. She knew she was next.

“And lastly, you Ms. Minyoung Kang, you are known to be quiet and rough, yet have a beautiful appearance. You are from now on known as ‘Rose’.”

For the first time, I saw her smile. It was more of a smirk than a smile, but it was something.

“I hope you all are happy with these changes. I am so sorry, but that is all the time I have for you girls.” The President got up and retrieved his coat from the coat rack. He opened the door. “I will see you guys at our next meeting to discuss your group name.”

We all exited out of the door, the President closed it behind him. He tipped his hat at us and then was gone.

“So, Honey, Rose, Sakura, and Hana, are you girls ready?” Ritsuko smiled.

“Yes, unnie.” Hana smiled back.

 

***

 

      The rest of the meetings went by slow, but finally it was time for lunch.

“Risa-unnie, where are we eating lunch?” Minyoung asked.

“Oh, Rose-sshi, you spoke.” Rika said.

“Well, I wasn’t talking to you.” Minyoung frowned.

Her gaze caused Rika to stop in her tracks and cling onto Ritsuko.

“Calm, down Rose-sshi.” Rita said. “We’re going to the cafeteria down stairs on the second floor. After that, we’re heading up to the vocal room to show you around and run some exercises.” She explained.

Immediately when I entered the cafeteria, I saw the G2Y boys sitting at the table at the far left. Then, I remembered what Risa said about her and Shin.

Risa waved her hands and called out to them. The boys did the same. We sat down at the two tables next to theirs.

“So girls,” Kang-min started. “How was the first meeting with the President?”

“It was good. He gave us all new names.” I answered.

“Oh really?” Tai asked.

“Let’s hear ‘em.” Said Seito.

I stood up. “I’m Sakura.” Shuri did the same. “I’m Honey.” Hanami stood up too. “I’m still Hana.” Minyoung stayed where she was. “And I’m Rose.”

The guys applauded.

“Nice.” Shin exclaimed.

“Yeah, cool, but what’s your group name.”

Risa interrupted. “He ran out of time and left before giving them the answer.”

“Sounds about right.” Seito said.

“Yeah, that sounds like him.” Shin agreed.

          When everyone finished their food, we sat back down at the table.

“Where are you girls headed to next?” Shin asked me.

“I’m taking them to the vocal room.” Risa answered.

Her statement was followed by various ‘oh’s and weird faces from the guys.

“Good luck.” Kang-min said.

“Seriously” Seito added.

“What do you mean Seito-oppa?” asked Hana.

“The vocal room brings back bad memories for us.” Seung-young replied.

I laughed at how it seems as if everyone here finishes each other’s sentences.

“Not just us though, everyone who’s ever trained under Diamond hates that room.” Taichi explained.

“Not so much the room we hate, more so what happens in the room.” Added Kang-min.

“Wha…what happens in the room?” Hanami asked, scared.

All ten of them laughed evilly.

“Oh, look at the time!” Rin interrupted before anyone could answer. “We should be heading down there right now.”

Each girl took one of us by the wrist and led us away from the table in a hurry.

“Wait! What happens in the room?!” Shuri screamed.

Seito yelled back. “You’ll see.”

“Good luck!” Shin shouted to us.

“FIGHTING!!” Kang-min & Seung-young yelled.

“Ganbatte!!” Seito & Taichi added.

Before we could thank them, we were outside of the cafeteria into a crowd of rushing people. They quickly took us to the fourth floor. When we got out of the elevator, I saw the room at the end of the hall. Slowly, we approached it. We were two doors down when we heard Risa and Shin’s song playing. It sounded as if it were coming from Risa’s back pocket. She retrieved her phone from her pocket. We all stopped to listen to the conversation.

“Yes, they’re here. We’re on the fourth floor on the way to the vocal room. Excuse me? Okay, I understand. We’ll be there soon.”

          Risa turned around to us. “Okay, girls, that was the President who just called. You’re lucky. He has decided to have another meeting during his lunch break, how generous. So hurry up and let’s go meet him.”

“Lucky! You guys get to miss out on vocal training for today.” Ritsuko said.

The four of us exhaled simultaneously. I hope I’ll be able to ask Shin-oppa about what goes down in the vocal room before I we have to go there. Soon enough we were outside the President’s office for the second time that day. Again he was sitting at his desk.

“Ah, girls, nice to see you again; I’m sorry that I had to leave earlier. While I was at the meeting afterwards, I realized that I had neglected to tell you the name of your group and assign your roles.” He stated.

“Umm, excuse me sir.” Said Hanami.

“Yes, Ms. Hana.” He answered.

“What do you mean “roles”?” she asked.

“I’m getting to that right now. Just be patient.” The President smiled. “First of all, your group name is going to be Hanabi?”

“Why Hanabi?” Minyoung asked.

“Because all of my trainees have to be at least partially fluent in Japanese, Korean, and/ or English, I’m sure you all know that Hanabi means firework. If you hadn’t noticed, all of your stage names are flowers, except for Honey, but you know that pollen from flowers makes honey. But back to the name, Since the first part of hanabi is hana, or flower in Japanese, I decided to name you girls Hanabi. Also because since bi means fire in Japanese, it is because you all had the fire I was looking for in new trainees. The name is of Japanese descent because I intend to promote you all in Japan as well as Korean, just as all big K-Pop groups and because I plan to in the future, debut you in America, and the name is easy for foreigners to pronounce.”

Shuri spoke. “But if the other three girls are flowers, why am I honey?” she asked.

“Well, honey comes from the nectar of flowers, right? And also, the name seems to really suit you. However, let’s move on to the next order of business. My decision in which roles you will play are based on my observations and the observations of your peers and staff as of yesterday and from your journey to get here, including the members of G2Y and Ri-bon. Also, these decisions are final, so do not contest them. The point of assigning roles is so that you may have a guideline to work on while you are being interviewed, picking out clothes, and etcetera. I’m not trying to say to try and be someone else though. Always be yourself, but also, keep your role in mind. The roles are based mostly upon your personal character and personality, so it won’t be difficult to keep with your role. Since our time left is extremely limited, I’ll cut to the chase.”

The President cleared his throat, and then began again.

“The role of the “bad girl” rapper will be is none other than Rose. The “cute and bubbly” lead vocalist is Honey. The “y” one and lead dancer is by Hana, and last but not least, the leader and all-around performer and main vocalist is Sakura.”

I was shocked at his decision. I was so sure that he was going to pick me as the dancing one. I haven’t seen any of the girls sing or dance individually, so I’m completely unaware of what competition I have… or don’t have.

The President looked at the time. “Now, that went faster than I thought it would. You still have time to check out the vocal room, but not enough time to do any exercises. You must do the vocal exercises either today, tomorrow or the day after. It is booked the whole day, so you’ll have to use it after hours. I have to go now girls, so goodbye.”

Again the President opened the door and followed us out of the room.  The unnies’ faces were lit with delight.

Rika was the first to speak. “Yay!” She squealed, jumping into a hug with Shuri. “Together, we’re the two cutie pies of Diamond, Honey!”

Rin followed. She went to stand next to Minyoung. “I guess we’re the two bad asses of Diamond, huh Rose?” She nodded in agreement. Following the trend, Rita walked over to Hanami and gave her a high-five. “And we’re the y ones.” Lastly, Risa and Ritsuko walked over to me. “And the President decided to combine the singer and dancer into one all-around chick.” Ritsuko said. “And the leader” Risa added.

          Risa interrupted. “Now, now girls, it’s time to get going to the next meeting. During the meeting with the President, manager texted me and told me to drop the girls off at the vocal room and take Sakura to Manager’s office.”

          We all silently followed her orders. I was too worried about what the manager wanted from me to ask Risa why. The girls’ faces were hesitant as they entered the vocal room, but at least we they don’t have to do training. As we walked to Manager’s office, the unnies kept congratulating me on being the leader.

“I knew he’d pick you.” Ritsuko said.

Rita added. “Yeah, it’s really obvious that you’re the mom of the group.”

Rin spoke too. “The other girls really seem to respect you, even Rose, although she doesn’t show it.”

All of the girls kept talking, except for Risa who kept quiet. I look up to her so much. We finally reached Manager’s office. As soon as Risa opened the door, the other girls stopped right outside of the door. Risa’s face went blank and she turned to whisper to me. “She’s in one of her moods. Be careful.”

          We all entered quietly. As me and Risa sat down, we could hear Manager’s foot tapping on the floor. We all sharply inhaled when Manager opened .

“Ms. Kim” She muttered, obviously hiding her rage.  “Yes, ma’am” I replied

“You are the leader of Hanabi. Am I correct?”

“Yes ma’am.” I could sense the tenseness in her voice. “You do know that your position comes with a great responsibility, don’t you?”

“Yes ma’am” I answered for the third time. I was too petrified to think of anything else to say. Manager in this state was extremely frightening.

“You are responsible for your group’s image. You are going to be the face of Hanabi. You have to make sure to keep the other members in line, while also staying in line yourself. You must follow directions, but also be able to give them yourself. You do realize that, don’t you?” She asked again.

“Yes, ma’am” I replied.

“I warned you not to draw any attention to yourself yesterday, did I not?”

“Yes you did, ma’am.”

“Then can you tell me why you and Shinji are all over the internet with the caption: “Leader, Shin, of Diamond Entertainment’s boy group, G2Y with suspected girlfriend.” She slammed a printout of G2Y’s largest fan site on the table. I grabbed the paper and saw a picture of me and Shinji entering the cab with his hand on my wrist. The picture was followed by many comments of angry fans.

“Manager, please let me explain.” I started, but she quickly snapped back. “I don’t want an explanation. We are going to have to release a press conference with Shinji saying that he’s single live. We were afraid that this would happen, but we let you all go out anyway, so we place some of the blame on ourselves. However, that does not excuse you. Don’t worry; Shinji is getting a good, long lecture later. This is your first offense, so we’re letting it go. There better not be a next time, because if there is, you will not like the punishment. Now leave my office.”

I stood up and quickly left the room, followed by the unnies. I walked down the hall, unsure of where I was going. I was stopped by Rika.

“Are you alright, Nami?” She asked.

Before I could answer, I caught a glimpse of Risa’s angry face.

“Wait, Risa, please listen.” I called.

She turned to face me, arms crossed.

“I… I” but I couldn’t find any words. I bowed deeply, and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Risa-unnie.”

          She stormed off, followed by Rita, instructing Rin to take me to the vocal room. We walked there in silence, but when we arrived, we found the other three girls waiting outside the vocal room.

“The vocal teacher had to leave early, so we decided to wait for you guys here.” Minyoung explained.

 

          We arrived back at the dorm. As we entered the room, we caught the phone ringing. Ritsuko ran to answer it.

“Oh, Shinji, hi, Risa’s not here. Oh… you wanted to talk to Minami? Sure, here she is.”

I walked over to take the phone. “Hi Shin-oppa.”

“Hey, Nami-sshi. Seito heard that you guys missed vocal practice today and that you needed vocal training before Wednesday. Is that true?”

“Yeah, the President said that we needed to use it after hours.” I answered.

“Lucky for you girls, we have the vocal room booked last tonight, and we’re willing to help you with you vocal training. Are you girls down?”

“Yeah… I mean yes! Thank you.” I began to bow, then remembered that he couldn’t see me though the phone. “We’ll be there in about 20 minutes. Thanks again, bye Shin-oppa.” I hung up the phone to find Rita behind me, giving me a death stare.

“What did he want?” She asked.

“Shin-oppa and the others offered to help us with our vocal training, so we’re gonna head back to Diamond. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure, it’s fine… as long as you know the way there.” Rika interrupted, saving me from this awkward conversation with Rita.

“We’ll be fine.”

 

          When we got to the vocal room, the boys were waiting for us. They were singing one of their old songs a capella, which sent me, Hana, and Shuri into a frenzy.

“Oh you’re here!” Kang-min smiled.

Seung-young broke down what vocal training was about.

“You see girls, the reason why everyone hates vocal training so much is because it’s really rough, especially when you first start training.” He started to explain.

Seito chimed in. “It tests your vocal skills and takes everything you got, pushing you to your limits. Most of the blame is put on the vocal teacher. He’s tough, but extremely effective.”

“So we thought that if you had us for your first vocal training, it wouldn’t be that bad.” Tai added.

“All you have to do is pick a song and sing it in front of the camera. You can re-record until you’re confident with your choice. The hard part is getting criticism from the President and from the vocal teacher. There’s a catch though, you can’t sing a song produced by Diamond or a song by anyone from Diamond, including songs where they feature. Also, the song has to be a slow/ soft song and you’re not allowed to sing a song that’s in English.”

          I went first, singing ‘You And I’ by Park Bom. Next, was Hanami with ‘Hello’ by Yui.

          Shin pulled me to the side. “Did Manager yell at you about our picture and how people think we’re dating?” He asked me.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Oh, speaking of dating, how’re you and Risa?” I asked.

His face went from embarrassed to confused.

“What do you mean? Me and Risa aren’t dating. Where did you get that silly idea.” He sighed. “People think that just because we sang a love song together, and I kissed her on the cheek in ‘Forever Together’, it means that we’re dating. We’re label mates, that’s what label mates do. I sing love songs with my guys, but does that mean we’re in love with each other?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that when she heard about the picture, she freaked out and left. They told me that you guys were a thing last night.” I explained.

He sighed again. “I knew it. Ever since that one interview on Inkigayo where they asked who my ideal type of woman was and I answered “Risa”.”

I chuckled. “They mentioned that too.”

“She doesn’t get that they asked me what my ideal type was, not who my ideal woman was.”

His rant was cut short when the guys called him in.

“G-hyung,” Seung-young called. “Where are the batteries for the camera?” He asked

“Ask Tai-hyung.”

“None of us know where they are.” Seito replied back.

He grunted, then went back into the room. I followed him and heard Minyoung singing ‘Like A Movie’ by 2PM.

“Why did Seung-young call you “G”, Shinji-oppa?” Hanami asked Shin. “Because I’m so G!” Shinji replied with a wide smirk. “Just kidding; G is my nickname, for Shinji.”

“Oh.”

Lastly, was Shuri who sang BEAST’s ‘Say No’.

 

          Back at the dorm, the unnies were talking, but when we entered room, it quickly went silent. They were probably talking about me.

          Finally, someone broke the silence. “Oh by the way, Manager called and told us your room assignments.” Rika mentioned.  “We’ll show you to your rooms.” Rin said while getting up. She was followed by Ritsuko and Rika, the only ones who were on our side. Now I understood why Manager made us wait to choose rooms. Because I was the leader and Hanami is the oldest, we get to share the bigger room. Since Shuri is the youngest, she and Minyoung get the smaller room even though Minyoung is the same age as me. She must be angry about that.

          I let Hana choose her bed first, because leader or not, she is still older. I ended up getting the bed closest to the door, as opposed to the bed that is next to the window. The three unnies sat on my bed.

“Okay, Mimi-sshi, this is the deal. Risa is extremely angry about the picture of you and Shin-oppa. She feels like you’re trying to steal him.” Ritsuko said.

“So she feels threatened?” Hanami asked, trying but failing to hide the satisfaction on her face.

“She won’t admit it, but yes.” She replied.

“The truth is,” Rika started, but then hesitated to finish her sentence.

“The truth is that she is madly in love with Shin, but they haven’t been seeing ‘eye to eye’ lately.” Rin said bluntly.

I swallowed hard, contemplating whether or not to tell them what Shin told me. I didn’t want to betray him, and I’m still not sure who I can trust of the five unnies.

“Thanks for the warning, but can you try and convince her that Shin will never fall for a girl like me. He is way out of my league and he probably only sees me as a young girl. Guys tend to go for their noonas, not their juniors.” I said.

They all sighed. Ritsuko spoke. “Don’t tell her we told you, but since the first time she saw you, she feared that you might be a rival. On Inkigayo, they asked him ideal personality type, but they also asked him what kind of looks he likes in a girl. Shinji answered that he likes short girls, with small faces, and long hair. He also said that he liked big eyes and fashionable girls.”

“But why is she threatened by me? Risa is all of those things… except for short.” I replied.

“At first, she just blew it off because there are a lot of girls who could fit that profile that he sees on a regular basis, but when we took you all around today, she kept noticing characteristics of herself in you. Obviously, that stirred her up a little. The picture of and Shin was the last straw, I guess.” Ritsuko continued.

“What are you all talking about? I’m nothing like her. Risa-unnie is one of my idols, as is Shin-oppa. Risa is a great leader. She is strict, but compassionate, beautiful yet stern. She can dance and sing amazingly. Every woman who knows her envies her style. How can I compare to that?” I asked again, hoping to get a different answer this time. I can hardly stand causing such pain to my idol.

“Wow, you really are oblivious aren’t you Nami-sshi?” Rin said “We’ve been watching you. We’ve been with you all day and we spoke with the guys about what they think about you. No homo, but you’re really pretty, as are all of us at Diamond. We all have our style. Hana here and I are the y ones. We have long hair, and long legs. Rika here and Honey-sshi are the cute ones. They’re short and so is their hair and their faces are round. You and Risa are the girl-next-door type with your subtle, but striking beauty.” She explained.

“To her, every little thing kept adding up. First, you fit Shinji’s liking almost perfectly. Risa is a taller than Shin, but you’re shorter than him, which he likes. Then, the President picks you as the all-around performer role, when Risa is only the singer role. Next, you become the leader of your group, just like her, and as if it weren’t bad enough, you and Shin get pictured together.” continued Ritsuko.

Rika, with a pout face continued. “You and Shin-oppa have so much in common. Sure, Risa-unnie is the leader of Ri-bon, just as you and Shin-oppa are of your groups, but she’s the oldest, which, like in most groups is why the leader is chosen. Neither you nor Shin is the oldest in your group, but your outstanding talent impressed the President so much that he made you two the leaders. Yes, Risa has a nice style, but that’s not the kind of style that Shin goes for. Haven’t you noticed how different she’s been dressing lately when you see her in our latest music videos and interviews? Also, you and Shin are all-around performers. You sing and dance, and if we heard right, you act too. Not offense to Risa, but she’s definitely not the best dancer in the group. Another thing is that you’re both half-Korean and half-Japanese. Not that you’re the only ones who’re both Japanese and Korean, but most us, including Risa, are only one. And to top it all off, yesterday, the five of us went on a hunt to disturb you and the guys’ tour because we wanted you to have more fun with us than them. We interrupted all of the other girls, but not you, right, Hana?” She asked, turning to Hana. Hana nodded.

“Why didn’t you guys interrupt me and Shin?”

Again Rin sighed. “We all split up, and lucky for you, the one who found you two first was Rita. She watched you two from outside the practice room and immediately texted Risa to come look. She saw you dancing to our song ‘Perfume’. What bothered her was that you were doing it better than her.”

          I was silent, half out of shame, the other half was because I was confused. I was stunned and couldn’t, I mean didn’t believe what they were saying.  They left in silence, probably because they feared that they had said too much.