“Wanna join me for dinner?” Hyuna awkwardly asked Sohyun. “My mom’s making sushi.”

“Sure,” Sohyun said. Hyuna felt awkward being around Sohyun, now knowing that Sohyun is that long lost sister of hers. It gave her more of a reason now to be at Kirin. Nothing seems to interest her there but now she’s more interested in watching over her sister. To protect her if someone will hurt her, to guide her through Kirin, to…..just be her sister pretty much.

“Sushi’s ready!” Hyuna’s mom shouted up the stairs. Sohyun excitedly got up and went downstairs. Hyuna smiled and followed her to the dining room where her mom was putting down plates of sushi. Already Sohyun was sitting at the table, drooling at the deliciousness in front of her. Hyuna giggled and sat next to her. Hyuna’s mom smiled at this and joined the two at the table.

After dinner, Hyuna and Sohyun decided to take a break from homework and watched a little bit of To The Beautiful You. They both laughed, they both spazzed, they even cried a little. Hyuna’s mom finished washing the dishes and went over to the two spazzing in the couch.

“Who wants ice cream?” she asked. Both Sohyun and Hyuna sat up and looked at her excited.

“WE DO!” they said, running to the kitchen. Hyuna’s mom just giggled and followed them. Both waited patiently as she got the ice cream out of the freezer. Hyuna and Sohyun happily ate ice cream before going back to homework. Hyuna started to feel weird. Very weird.

“Are you ok?” Sohyun asked curiously. Hyuna started to mumble to herself, realizing that her mom purposely did that. She forgot one thing: she was lactose intolerant.

“Just a minute,” Hyuna said, running to the bathroom and closing the door.

“What happened?” Sohyun asked, going over to the door to check on her.

“It’s nothing, Sohyun, nothing at all!” Hyuna said.

“You sure?” Sohyun asked.

“Positive!” Hyuna replied. Sohyun looked at the time on the clock. 10:30 PM. She needed to be home by 11 PM, remembering what her dad told her.

“Listen, Hyuna, it was nice helping you and all but you should be fine for now I gotta head home,” Sohyun said, gathering her things.

“All right see you tomorrow!” Hyuna said, feeling really embarrassed that had to happen, especially in front of Sohyun! She hoped the next day turned out better, which surprisingly did.

“POP QUIZ!” Gina yelled out. The whole class groaned, except for Hyuna. Hyuna felt very prepared. She didn’t know why though. She looked over at Sohyun, who was one of the many that didn’t like the idea of a pop quiz.  If anything, Hyuna would thank Sohyun for helping her last night.

Gina passed out the quizzes and everyone got quiet. Only the sound of pencils moving filled the air. Hyuna concentrated hard, even though it’s only a quiz. It looked more like a test. Some students barely understood what was on the quiz. Some, like Minho, stared at the paper blankly having no idea what to put down. There were some, like Hyuna, Sohyun, and Ilhoon that blazed through the quiz as if it were nothing. Gina watched the clock, keeping track of time.

“Pencils down!” Gina said. Mostly everyone wasn’t finished with their quiz. Others, like Minho, had theirs blank because they had no idea. And because Gina had nothing else planned that day it was a chill class as she graded the quizzes.

“I think I failed,” Eunji mumbled to herself.

“Why would you say that?” Sohyun asked, looking over at her.

“Because Hayoung’s not here!” Eunji said.

“Does it make a difference?” Ilhoon asked.

“It does! She’s like my good luck charm,” Eunji said.

“I still don’t get it,” Ilhoon said.

“You’ll never understand,” Eunji said, scowling at him. Ilhoon backed away a bit, fearing her. Sohyun laughed at the two then looked back at Hyuna who fell asleep on her desk.

“Does she know yet?” Ilhoon curiously asked.

“I don’t know,” Sohyun said. She doesn’t know that Hyuna already knows. Hyuna wasn’t so sure what to say. She wanted to tell her but she was just scared. Hyuna’s thoughts were interrupted when the bell rang.

“I graded all the quizzes so come up to my desk so you can see your grade,” Gina said. One by one each student went up to her desk to see what grade they got on their quiz. Some were disappointed, some were ok with their grade. Eunji cautiously went up to see hers.

“You did well,” Gina said, showing her the quiz.

“A B+……A B PLUS?! I knew Hayoung should’ve been here!” Eunji said, stomping out of the room.

“I thought a B+ was a good thing,” Hyuna said.

“Her parents are the strict Asian type,” Ilhoon said, going up to Gina’s desk.

“I’m impressed,” Gina said, shows him the quiz.

“A…..Awesome,” Ilhoon said, walking out of the room. Sohyun was up next. She too was satisfied with her grade as she had gotten an A as well. Hyuna was up. She was a bit scared. She usually never does well on quizzes and tests. She slowly walked up to Gina’s desk where her quiz was waiting.

“Ah, Hyuna….I’m……astonished,” Gina said.

“Huh?” Hyuna asked confused.

“You’ve improved quite a lot, I was surprised,” Gina said, showing Hyuna the quiz. “Good job.”

Hyuna couldn’t believe her eyes. An A. The first A she has ever gotten. Hyuna smiled brightly and skipped out of the room, joining Sohyun, Ilhoon, and Eunji.

“Is she ok?” Eunji asked.

“Are you ok?” Sohyun asked, looking at Hyuna.

“Thank you,” Hyuna said to Sohyun.

“Thank you?” Sohyun asked curiously.

“For helping me, thanks to you I got an A on the quiz,” Hyuna said happily.

“You’re welcome,” Sohyun said.

“We practice after school?” Ilhoon said, getting inbetween both Sohyun and Hyuna. “For the showcase auditions coming up soon.”

“Sure,” Hyuna said.

“Sohyun you and I should practice too,” Eunji said.

“Sure why not,” Sohyun said. As they walked away, Hyuna started celebrating and jumping around not minding the people around her. Jia walked by and Hyuna accidentally knocked into her, causing her to fall over and bump into Minho, who in turn knocked into Kikwang. Hyuna turned and looked at the three, feeling very embarrassed.

“SORRY!” she said running off. Later Gina found Hyuna in the girls bathroom hiding in one of the stalls.

“I heard what happened,” Gina said. Before she could say anymore she started laughing.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!” Hyuna pouted.

“Awwwww don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what happened,” Gina said. Hyuna nodded and left, going to class. After school Hyuna and Ilhoon met up in a practice room. Eunji was in a practice room next door while Sohyun was just across the hall. Hyuna looked over the song Ilhoon had written especially for them.

“Rotten apple,” Hyuna said.

“Yep!” Ilhoon said.

“Why Rotten Apple?” Hyuna asked.

“It sounded like a good title at the time,” Ilhoon said.

“I like it,” Hyuna said, smiling. Ilhoon tried to not jump around like an idiot around her because he thinks she’ll think he’s weird. After reading over the song, both Hyuna and Ilhoon started practicing. At the same time Eunji began practicing as well. Hyuna stopped and listened for a moment.

“She’s got a beautiful voice,” Hyuna said.

“She does, you should’ve seen her audition, she sang Good Day,” Ilhoon said.

“What was Sohyun’s audition like?” Hyuna asked curiously.

“Well she-“ Ilhoon began before being cut off by loud music. Hyuna looked across the hall and saw Sohyun dancing. Hyuna was beyond amazed. Even though she was a dancer herself, she thought Sohyun was a better dancer. Ilhoon also looked over at Sohyun practicing.

“Yeah that’s exactly what she did but she danced to Daft Punk last time,” Ilhoon said.

“She’s really good,” Hyuna said. “Better than me.”

“You dance too?” Ilhoon asked.

“I do, but not as well as Sohyun,” Hyuna said. She was fascinated by her younger sister’s moves. Her style was different from that of Hyuna’s. Hyuna was more of a y style whereas Sohyun was hip hop. Just like their parents. Hyuna’s mom was a modern dancer while Sohyun’s dad was a b-boy. Hyuna was just as interested in dancing like her mother before that’s why she’s here at Kirin.

A few weeks later came the showcase auditions. Everyone was nervous. Hyuna looked out at the audience. She saw her mom sitting somewhere in the front row. She was expecting a lot.

“Nervous?” Ilhoon asked.

“A little,” Hyuna replied. She wasn’t as nervous as everyone else but she was scared to mess up in front of her mom.

“We’re after Eunji,” Ilhoon said. Hyuna nodded and watched the other performances. Some left the stage crying, others were relived that they get to go on. Hyuna watched people come and go on and off stage.

“Jung Eunji,” one of the judges called out. Eunji froze in fear. She was that nervous.

“Yah, they called you,” Hayoung said, nudging her. Eunji calmed down and took a deep breath, going on stage. She began singing Seohyun’s It’s Ok Even If It Hurts. After she finished singing, the judges determined her fate.

“….Pass,” one judge said. “You’re in.”

“YES!” Eunji said running off stage and hugging Hayoung. “I MADE IT!”

“Congrats!” Hayoung said, hugging her back.

“Kim Hyuna and Jung Ilhoon,” the other judge called out.

“Here goes nothing,” Ilhoon said walking out on stage. Hyuna followed and looked out into the crowd. Her eyes laid on one person: her mother.

“Don’t mess up,” she mumbled to herself. She began singing and dancing to Rotten Apple. The judges watched her carefully. Ilhoon started rapping when it was his time to rap. Once they were done performing it was time for the judges to decide.

“All right, Kim Hyuna and Jung Ilhoon,” one judge said. “We have decided.”

The auditorium got very quiet as the judge looked down at his paper. Hyuna and Ilhoon were getting scared. Will they be in the showcase? Or will their dreams be crushed?

“….Pass,” the judge said.

“We did it!” Hyuna said, hugging Ilhoon. Ilhoon turned red and hugged Hyuna back. The audience, including Hyuna’s mom, clapped as the two went off stage. Eunji and Sohyun were laughing at Ilhoon backstage. They stopped laughing as Hyuna and Ilhoon came back.

“Nice job,” Eunji said, trying to not laugh at Ilhoon.

“Thanks,” Ilhoon and Hyuna said.

“Kwon Sohyun,” The judge called out. Hyuna, Ilhoon, and Eunji turned to Sohyun, who did not look nervous or scared at all.

“Good luck,” Hyuna said, patting Sohyun’s back.

“Thanks,” Sohyun said, getting on stage as the music started. The audience got hyped up and started cheering for her. Hyuna watched and got a little jealous. The audience stood up and clapped for her. Even the judges stood up and clapped. All the students spazzed over Sohyun’s amazing performance.

“I have one question for you, miss Sohyun,” one of the judges said.

“What would that be?” Sohyun asked.

“Are you related to…Kwon Jungsoo, the famous hip-hop dancer?” the judge asked. Hyuna thought the name sounded familiar. Sohyun just smiled.

“Yes, he’s my father,” Sohyun replied. Hyuna’s eyes widened. She never knew her father was a famous hip hop dancer.

“He must be very proud of you,” the judge said. “We will see you at showcase, all right?”

“Yes, sir,” Sohyun said, bowing before leaving the stage. Hyuna’s jaw dropped. How come she didn’t know any of this?! As the judges began to leave, a group of girls went over to one judge. Hyuna recognized them as Gyuri, Seungyeon, Hara, Nicole, and Jiyoung.

“Excuse me, we were wondering if we could be a group for showcase,” Gyuri asked.

“Yeah we want to be called KARA,” Jiyoung said. The other three just smiled. The judge looked at the girls then shook his head.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for you girls to be a group,” he said. All five girls pouted, hoping it would work. It didn’t. Sohyun and Hyuna walked behind them and the judge looked at the two. He had an idea.

“Sohyun,” the judge said. Sohyun stopped and looked over at him. “How would you and your friend like to be a group?”

“Huh?” Hyuna asked, going over.

“A group?” Sohyun asked, looking at Hyuna.

“Yes you and your friend….and…” the judge said, pausing for a bit. The group just needed one more person. Just then Jia came walking in, hugging Sohyun from behind.

“That was amazing! You need to teach me to dance like that,” Jia said in Chinese.

“One day I will, then you’ll be just as amazing as me,” Sohyun replied in Chinese.

“Perfect!” the judge said. Jia, Sohyun, and Hyuna looked at him confused. “You three will be a group for the showcase!” the judge said.

“What did he say?” Jia asked in Chinese.

“A group for showcase,” Sohyun said in Chinese. Then it hit her. “Wait what?”