There are some things in life that catch your eye, and then, there are those that capture your heart. Pursue those.

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Jieun’s POV

            The days after becoming a trainee passed by faster than I would ever expect, and with things rushing by in the blink of an eye I couldn’t help but fear that if I were to close my eyes for too long, I would open them again to see that in reality, nothing had changed. I constantly wondered whether it was my own talent that brought me to where I now was, or if it was just lady luck that had been trailing me since I graduated high school. The fact that I would be debuting in a few weeks—early December—with not even half a year of formal practice made everything seem all the more unreal. I could sing, I could play the guitar and piano; I had perfect pitch, but were these the only things needed to debut so early? My manager said that I would debut with Nagging in a duet with Seulong, and now, sitting here in her office I waited with a notepad in front of me as I thought up possible stage names.

            “Thinking hard?” My manager entered with her clipboard, tossing her purse onto the floor beside her desk and taking a seat. I nodded, rubbing my forehead with weak hopes that it would actually help my brain work faster. I didn’t clearly know why my real name couldn’t be used as my stage name like so many idols out there, but I didn’t argue. Many popular artists used English names like SNSD’s Jessica and Tiffany, but it didn’t seem fitting for me since I wasn’t from North America and my English was lacking. In my mind I wanted a name that meant something far beyond than just what I would be called—a name with a deeper meaning that future fans could connect to. I wanted my music to be from my heart, but more than that I wanted it to touch the hearts of my listeners. As I expressed my thoughts to my manager through rough hand motions amidst my scattered brain, she suggested,

            “How about IU?” She seemed determined that the name would work, and there was simplicity in the name that caught my interest. Time was something we were short of, so I agreed. Before my manager left for a short errand, she told me that she would be back soon to drive me to JYP Entertainment for more practice with Seulong. Returning to my own practice room, I pulled out my pink guitar from my case and began playing Nagging, humming along as I thought up possible harmonies for the song. In the back of my mind, I hoped that I would at least catch a small glimpse of Wooyoung while I was at JYP.

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            “Stay here, Jieun. I’m going to check something at the front desk.” My manager informed, leaving me alone in the middle of the lobby with nothing but my pink guitar to comfort me. She scurried over to the front desk while I looked away, feeling it to be too nosy to watch her. From a distance I could hear upbeat music coming from the dance studio. The tune was catchy and fierce, catching my attention and drawing me to approach the sound, lugging my guitar with me. I completely forgot that my manager had asked me to wait; the only thing I wanted to know was where the sound was coming from. It was as if I were a little kid being lured away by candy, but when I got closer to the door I heard a warm voice sing the intro of the song. Excitement surged through my veins as I curiously peeked through the crack of the door, eyes bulging at the group of seven handsome guys dancing, carefully checking their reflections in the large mirror after each move. Wooyoung was among the seven, his moves sharp and his voice warm enough to melt my heart on the spot. Seeing him practice like this reminded me of why I was so drawn to him in high school, only now that we were older, he had a more mature charm. His careless and playful vibe was replaced with one of passion and determination, and the focus he had in his eyes as he sung assured me that this was his dream. Suddenly, the choreography fell apart and five of the seven crowded around Taecyeon. I supposed that it was his solo that was next, but he looked exhausted.

            “You want a break?” Wooyoung asked Taecyeon, passing him a water bottle from a cold bucket of ice near the stereo. Taecyeon was out of breath but he caught the water bottle and chugged it down in a minute, wiping his mouth with his arm and got back up again.

            “We can’t afford one—it was part of the deal, remember?” Taecyeon huffed, motioning for the others to get back into their formation.

            “Right. Start the music again!” Wooyoung ushered one of the staff sitting beside the stereo; he had on a beaten black t-shirt and baggy jeans, his eyes scrutinized their every move. I guessed that he was their choreographer. When the music began, my eyes were locked on all seven of them, a small gasp escaping my mouth when one jumped out from the group with some sort of flip.

            “Snooping around now?” Seulong’s voice accused me close behind. I gasped again and backed away from the door embarrassed. Seulong inched in and pulled the door completely shut then shook his head at me disapprovingly.

            “They’re practicing hard for their upcoming debut, especially two of them. They’re new trainees who hadn’t had much practice under JYP but they were offered a challenge to work their hardest until debut time and if they impress JYP himself, then they’ll be allowed to debut early with the other five.” He explained, leading me back to where my manager waited worriedly. She, in a way, resembled my own mother by the way her forehead creased when she was in deep thought.

            “Jieun, don’t wander around on your own in this building again, okay?” She lightly scolded me with the tone of a mother. I nodded shamefully and followed her and Seulong to the rehearsal room.

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            Sitting backstage at Music Bank, I was watching a replay of last week’s performances with one group in mind—2PM. When their performance finally came on, I forgot that I had to go up on stage in less than five minutes and gave all my attention to the miniature screen overhead. Their debut song was titled 10 points out of 10 and their concept and choreography was both eye-catching and unforgettable. The moment Wooyoung introduced the song with his voice, I shuttered at how much his vocals improved since I heard him in the practice room just a week ago. He sounded like a whole other person, which was strange for me to describe since his voice was still uniquely his own. Though the other 6 boys were handsome and had their own signature styles, my eyes were locked on Wooyoung alone. The song then proceeded to the part where Taecyeon began rapping—the part I was left off at and I was already as captivated as an ELF the day Super Junior released their Sorry Sorry album. I couldn’t help but smile foolishly at how much more handsome Wooyoung became since I last saw him months ago outside of Seoul’s Institute of the Arts. During Wooyoung’s short rap, Seulong crept up beside me and pointed at Wooyoung’s face beside the screen changed focus and commended,

            “That kid has been working his off for the past two weeks. I’ve never seen a trainee so dedicated before. If anyone is proud of the stage they were standing on it should be him—Jang Wooyoung.” I glanced at Seulong’s approving nod and redirected my eyes back to the screen. Looking closer, I could see the bags under Wooyoung’s eyes and the paleness of his skin tone, but still his face had on a triumphant smile that reassured me he was okay. Just imagining how hard he had to work in just two weeks to achieve perfection of such tough choreography, I couldn’t find it in my heart to blame him for not looking for me.

            “Don’t get too attached,” Seulong added, following my stare that was obviously locked on Wooyoung, “It seems more than likely that he’s dating one of the JYP trainees named Suzy and she’s known in the company for her icy attitude. When she debuts, it’ll seem like SNSD’s Ice Princess Jessica won’t even stand a chance.” He concluded with a shutter, and I felt a sting in my heart. My assumption of them being together had pretty much just been confirmed. Was that another reason he hadn’t come to look for me?

            “Oh no more time for fangirling, we’re up next. This is your debut performance so don’t mess up.” Seulong winked playfully. Way to put on the pressure. I followed him up onto the stage where many 2AM fans gathered to support Seulong, holding up banners and waving balloons in the air excitedly. Remembering Wooyoung’s words to me back from high school, I took a deep breath and prayed that the audience would give me a positive reaction today. If they did, it would mean that it was my talent that brought me here, and if they didn’t then it meant that my luck had run out.

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Wooyoung’s POV

            The two weeks felt like an eternity, but our sweat—and thankfully not blood—paid off in the end. We performed a pre-debut performance for JYP in our dance studio and he approved Taecyeon and I to debut in 2PM. Our intense choreography caught the attention of people all over Korea and internationally, and we were now living in dorms together as 8, including our manager. Once the two weeks were over, I allowed myself to enter a slightly more relaxed state which showed off the carefree side of my nature, earning me the title of being the goofball in 2PM. Only three days had passed since debut, and I still remember the promise I made myself—the promise to find Jieun after I debuted. One thought that made me hesitant of complying was the contract I signed before debut, because there was one rule that my manager made crystal clear that no one under any circumstance should ever bend or break, and that was the no dating rule. My roommate in the dorm was our maknae, Changsung, who was obsessively addicted to watching Television.

            “Hyung, come here! You have to watch this performance!” Changsung called me from where he sat in front of the TV. I had ignored him the six other times, and I had no intentions of changing my reaction the seventh.

            “Seriously Hyung, this girl that goes by the name IU has the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard! She sounds like an angel, and if it helps, she’s pretty cute too.” Changsung continued to plead. Sighing, I stayed seated on my wheeled chair and rode out the door of our room to where the TV was, dodging the sofa that Changsung failed to sit on and stationed myself beside him where he sat comfortably on the floor. He grabbed the remote and blasted the volume of the TV, but the sound wasn’t deafening, it was enchanting. My eyes darted to the screen to confirm just who this IU was, and without a doubt, it was Jieun standing on stage at Music Bank with Im Seulong singing a duet. The rest of the performance we watched without a word to each other, and I could’ve sworn my jaw dropped. The moment the music ended, Seulong pulled Jieun in for a hug and I felt my mind flare up with jealousy.

            “Man, Seulong sunbae is so lucky to have sung with her. I wish it was me—I probably fit her age-wise better anyway.” Changsung mumbled, taking a large bite out of his banana. I glanced at him and chuckled at how closely he resembled a monkey, especially in the awkward position he was sitting in. Changsung’s jealousy couldn’t possibly compare to mine. Impulsively, I snatched the remote and changed channels, and then rode on my wheeled chair back to the dorm room. 

A/N: Hey it's been a long time since I updated! sorry for keeping you all waiting. I was at camp and my laptop died but now I'm back with a new laptop... sorry if this chapter is kind of scatterbrained--I actually lost a lot of my planning for this fanfic when I transfered files but I have all my planning from here on until the end of this fanfic written out by hand ^^ (Got bored without internet and planned the rest of this fanfic out). Hope you all enjoy this anyway, I'll try to update soon. (: