It was really happening. The contracts were signed. They're in. It all looked like a big joke and they were still waiting for someone to jump out of nowhere and yell "SURPRISE!" but nobody jumped out of anywhere and yelled in their faces. Their dreams were coming true and it was all thanks to their hard work. All the sweat, tears, blood, everything, paid off. Everyone was outside the CEO's office, still barely grasping onto reality. They would be moving in together today, their belongings already stashed away at the new house by the staff. Some of them cried, some of them laughed but all they were feeling was happiness. They deserved this and they knew it.

"It's really happening, isn't it?" Minae asked, her vision blurred with tears. She had made it this far. She was a trainee from SM Entertainment and eventually got transferred to H2 Media. When she first became a trainee, she couldn't find herself getting used to the rough training. Thankfully, she met a friend whom helped her get through the tough times.

"Jinjae ah, please stop crying," Yerin comforted the youngest boy who was covering his eyes with his fisted hands as he sobbed. She knew how hard being a trainee it was for Jinjae. The boy was only ten years old when he was confirmed to become a trainee at SM Entertainment. His abilities were doubted by the senior trainees and they even picked on him by making him carry out tasks for them. Jinjae didn't know at first because he thought that's what junior trainees should do. Eventually, the trainees who picked on him apologized for their ruthless behaviour and attempted to befriend him when he broke down right in front of them one day. Things worked out but Jinjae dropped out of SM in 2011, feeling unwelcomed at the company despite the friends he made. He auditioned for H2 Media and passed, trying to start anew. He trained hard and everyone knew he deserved this chance.

"It's okay, I'll attend to him. After all, this is pretty big news and I doubt you have any tears to shed yourself," Haram stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. Yerin grinned at him and went to find Mingxue who was no doubt spending quality time with her new friend and now group member, Shinhee. Yerin could have lived an easy trainee life but she made it hard for herself. She excelled in dancing but kept finding flaws in her dancing. She went to classes to correct those little flaws but over time, she stopped putting so much attention on dancing and focused on singing instead. Yerin found Mingxue and Shinhee in front of the vending machine, both wearing teary smiles. She recognized those tears to be joyful tears and not tears full of sorrow. Approaching them, she made her presence known by fishing out a couple of coins from her pocket and said she'll treat the two girls to some soda. They were having a good time talking to each other when they received text messages from Jongin. Yes, they had exchanged phone numbers right after signing the contract since they were all going to live together now.

"Jongin oppa wants us to meet up in the first dance studio to the right on the second floor," said Mingxue as she read her message. She wasn't originally a trainee at H2 Media. Instead, she was transferred from WM Entertainment. She thought that her trainee life was boring, everyday she practised and did nothing new. When she stepped foot into H2 Media, she realized that the rivalry here was not to be joked about so she put in extra effort and made friends. Finally, she was going to debut with extraordinary people and so she regretted nothing.

When they arrived at the dance studio, they were greeted by Sanggil. The man used to be an underground rapper and he was quite popular. When he landed in this company, other trainees were intidimated by him because he looked like he was going to kill them any time. He had come a far way, just like the others. Sanggil held the door open for them as they entered and gave them a small smile. Shinhee's eyes skimmed the place and she could see Chanhee in a corner, talking animatedly to Jongin. The both of them were laughing at something apparently funny and Shinhee smiled when she saw them leaning against each other, whispering into one another's ears. They got to know each other when the filming ended yesterday and it looked like they were going to be the best of friends.

"Unnie, what are you smiling about?" Mingxue asked, playing with her phone. Shinhee shook her head and hooked her arms around Mingxue's and Yerin's, saying she was glad to meet them.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Chanhee stopped talking when he saw Jongin eyeing the three girls. They were talking about their trainee lives, the training they endured, the obstacles they defeated. Chanhee had difficulty adapting at first but he soon got used to the training schedule, made a couple of friends and trainee life became more enjoyable. Jongin's life was a bit rough since his twin brother had debuted a year ago and was a success in the korean pop industry. People had expected him to be as flawless as Jongdae or better known as Chen from EXO-M when the younger twin appeared onscreen. They expected a lot from him but Chanhee knew Jongin didn't feel any hatred for his brother. He had heard how Jongin constantly praised his brother and knew that he was proud of Jongdae. Jongin was also a transferred trainee from SM Entertainment.

"Nothing, now where were we?" Jongin smiled as he lied down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. Chanhee straightened his legs and positioned Jongin's head in his lap as he resumed sharing his experience. Next to them were Haram and Jinjae, the latter with his back against the older's chest. Jinjae was sitting in between Haram's legs and Haram's hands were threading through his hair. They were conversing in English, Jinjae listening attentively as Haram told him about his first year being a trainee. It was tough considering Haram was unable to speak the native language well but things worked out for him when his Korean skills improved. He put in a lot of effort into his training and even if he wasn't the best, he was good enough to debut. James joined them and since the three of them were fluent in English, they had no problem communicating. James was glad that he had met these people because he couldn't talk to anyone when he first got to South Korea, he didn't understand the language that well.

"Unnie, I'm so happy for us. We deserve this. We worked hard for this day. I think I'm going to cry when we have our debut stage," Hinata knew she was a better person today than she was before. She had faced a few bullies here but she didn't give up and persevered. She had this mindset that she was a terrible dancer at first and had two left feet but became a better dancer when she went through the trainings lead by a professional choreographer.

"I can't wait to see them faint in shock," Daeseol smirked as she thought about the people who looked down on her because of her father. They would mock her and tell her to 'run back home to daddy' because her father was famous. She practised harder and it wasn't surprising they she'd debut before her bullies. Yes, she was proud of herself.

Everyone stayed in the dance studio, getting to know each other better until someone came in and told them to get ready for the big move. They got up and went downstairs, seeing a mini bus waiting for them in front of the building. Filing into the bus in order, they were ecstatic to move in. They arrived at the house and saw the camera crew from yesterday along with Im PD. Getting out of the bus, Im PD said today would be the last filming session for now but he'd come back for them when they start filming their own reality show. Hearing this got them even more thrilled. Opening the front door to the house, everyone was awed at how spacious it was.

"Sanggil-ssi, Chanhee-ssi, James-ssi, Yerin-ssi, please pick your rooms. You were the winners for yesterday's final game."

Chanhee and Yerin took off at once, running into the living room. Chanhee took a right turn at the first corridor and Yerin took a left turn into the corridor before the dining room. Sanggil casually walked around, checking each of the rooms before making his decision. He finally concluded that he'd like to have the bedroom across Chanhee's choice of bedroom.

"Hyuuung, why wouldn't you stay in a room with me?" Chanhee pouted.

"Because you're hyper and you'll keep me up at night," Sanggil replied bluntly. Those who were following them around laughed at this and Chanhee just called him a 'meanie' and said he wouldn't want to be room mates with Sanggil either. Yerin had chosen the furthest bedroom that was located across a bathroom. She had squealed when she saw how perfect it would be for her. James opted to stay in the room next to Sanggil's. Since Jongin's team came in second, they were the next to choose.

"This one! This one! This one! I call dibs on the top bunk!" Jinjae yelled as he ran into the room next to Chanhee's. He ran back out again and pulled Jongin inside, repeating that he wanted Jongin to be his room mate and that he'd never let him go until he agreed. Jongin nodded and sat down on the bottom bunk bed, patting the pillows. Daeseol picked the room with the huge windows and claimed the bottom bunk. Minae had chosen her own bedroom that she didn't have to share with anyone and it was located right next to Yerin's.

"Unnie, I'm your neighbour!" Yerin saluted Minae when she went into the latter's room to find her sitting on her bed. Haram's team came in last place so they were the last to choose. Haram decided to be Chanhee's room mate and the nineteen year-old had welcomed him with a bear hug. Mingxue smiled when Daeseol asked her to be her room mate so that left Hinata and Shinhee to live in the same bedroom not that they minded. When everyone finally settled in and moved their belongings into their rooms, they played another round of game to end the filming and bowed politely when Im PD called it a day. They thanked the camera crew for their hard work and chuckled nervously when Im PD joked he'd be back with more lemons.

"I hope he was joking," commented Jinjae lightly soon after they left. Everyone was in the living room and the couch was wide enough to fit them all. They were sitting in this order.

"I have my fingers crossed," nodded Mingxue, resting her head on Yerin's shoulder.

"I have my toes crossed in case that's not enough," Hinata shuddered as she had a flashback. Shinhee laughed and bumped her head with Hinata's, waggling her eyebrows.

"Huh," said Chanhee as he got up to answer the ringing doorbell. He unlocked the front door and saw a man standing out on the porch, sporting a gray tee with black jeans.

"Is everyone here?" He asked, bouncing slightly.

"I guess so..." Chanhee trailed off. He invited the man inside and followed him into the living room. Everyone stood up and bowed at the sight of another being's presence.

"I'm going to be your manager. My name is Park Hyungjae but you can call me hyung or oppa. I'm 23 year-old this year so that makes me only a few years older than some of you. Let me explain something to you, okay? Your dreams are coming true and you're on cloud nine right now but don't forget about the past. You started out as stones and now you're diamonds, ready to shine onstage.  Life as an idol isn't easy. Yes, there's the fame and the popularity but remember, there will be people who dislike you. You can't please everyone. You'll also be facing pressure from the media and you may lose your privacy but try to keep it together. You'll be role models to many so put on your best behaviour when you're in public. Before your debut, I want you guys to train extra hard and make an unforgettable debut. Those who are still in school will keep on attending your classes. Remember, your studies come first! Nobody likes a dense idol who doesn't know anything. Take care of each other and try to keep the fighting down to a minimum," Minjae told the members. Everyone was nodding and murmuring, not really prepared for the even tougher training that was soon to start. They were handed pieces of paper each and their schedules were written on there. Minjae went over the basics with them and when they got the hang of it, he excused himself and went out.

"I'm hungry," Jinjae whined as he watched the tv upside down. His feet were dangling on the back of the couch and he was idly flipping through the channels, feeling bored. His iPhone was in his room, getting charged after a flat battery. James came along and sat down next to him, raising an eyebrow when Jinjae kept flipping through the channels non-stop.

"What are you doing?" James asked in English.

"Nothing," Jinjae replied in the same language.

"Why don't you watch something?"

"Nothing's on," Jinjae replied sulkily. He sat up straight and buried himself into James' side. The man froze at first but relaxed when Jinjae placed the remote in his lap, telling him to choose a channel. When James saw the blu-ray DVD player, an idea came into mind and he ran into his bedroom. He came back with a disc in hand and put it into the player.

"What's that?" Jinjae asked curiously.

"The Avengers, wanna watch it with me?"

"Sure thing."

Jinjae was glad when the movie was dubbed and there were English subtitles. Yerin had dropped by but went away when she couldn't understand anything the guy in green was saying. Mingxue joined them for a while until Yerin called her into her room for some fun. Shinhee and Hinata were in their room, the door was locked so they assumed the two were doing something private. Jongin was in the kitchen, preparing lunch with some help from Minae who was baking cookies for dessert. They were grateful to find food already stocked in the cupboards. Daeseol and Chanhee helped cut the vegetables and meat while Sanggil stood aside, watching them cook. He occasionally gave a hand such as grabbing eggs from the fridge. As the movie progressed, Jinjae began to doze off and James allowed the boy to use his shoulder as a support for his head. Lunch was finally ready when Loki revealed he wasn't fond of what followed lightning. James prodded Jinjae and the boy aroused from his sleep.

"Lunch is ready! Also a note to not blame me if the soup is too spicy. Somebody wanted to experiment with the black pepper," Jongin glared at Chanhee and he smiled sheepishly in return. They took their seats with Minae and James sitting at both ends of the table, five girls on one side and the five boys on the other. Sanggil and Daeseol sat next to James while Chanhee and Shinhee sat next to Minae. Haram, Jongin and Jinjae were in between Chanhee and Sanggil. Hinata, Yerin and Mingxue were in between Shinhee and Daeseol. The seating arrangement was like this.

"Hyung, did you cook this?" Jinjae asked, stuffing his mouth with rice. Most of them were using chopsticks but Jinjae insisted that he wanted to use the fork and the spoon. Yerin had about not knowing how to use chopsticks but Jinjae said he found it difficult to eat with two thin sticks.

"Not good enough?" Jongin eyed the vegetables, full of worry.

"Too good," said Jinjae as he his lips. Jongin noticed that he didn't touch his soup though.

"You need to eat more," James said quietly as he put some meat into Sanggil's bowl, "too skinny."

Sanggil said a meek 'thanks' and James did the same for Daeseol only his reason was that she should eat more of the delicious food Jongin prepared. Huh. Chanhee was eating almost everything minus the seafood and the soup. He didn't dare to drink his soup so he pushed it towards Yerin. Since Yerin was still in her room when Jongin warned them, she drank the soup without doubt. Minae watched in horror as Yerin downed the soup spoonful by spoonful. When Yerin didn't react, Minae was relieved and she kicked Chanhee under the table.

"Ow!" The nineteen year-old yelped, dropping his chopsticks.

"Don't play," Shinhee frowned disapprovingly at Chanhee who was sitting across her. The latter spluttered but composed himself when Haram whispered something into his ear. He kept eating like nothing happened.

"Unnie, eat this," said Hinata as she placed a piece of broccoli into Shinhee's bowl.

"Don't you want it?" Shinhee asked but munched into the green anyway and Hinata shook her head. When everyone's bowls were clean and all the dishes were finished, they took their time washing up the dirty plates and bowls before Minae and Daeseol went into the kitchen and brought out the cookies. Jinjae and James put some on a plate and went into the living room to enjoy the baked goods while watching The Avengers. All the girls remained in the dining room and talked about stuff, happily eating their share of cookies. Jongin and Haram were in Haram's room, having some quiet time to read. Sanggil was taking a bath and Chanhee was in Sanggil's room, waiting for his hyung. They were going to spend their day doing things they enjoyed. Their schedules would be hectic starting tomorrow until their debut so they wanted to have fun first.

"I'm already familiar with most of you here," said Yerin as she dusted the crumbs off her lap.

"I know you because we danced together," she said as she pointed at Mingxue, "and you because we had to rap as a duo for the training sessions," she winked at Hinata.

"I became familiar with Hinata when we were grouped together for the vocal lessons," Shinhee smiled warmly at said girl.

"And I know you because of everything crazy that went on yesterday," Mingxue giggled and gave Shinhee a nudge with her elbow. Yerin laughed and patted the younger girl's head.

"I don't really know you all but I've seen some of you before," Minae spoke, her hands folded together on the table. She's seen Daeseol and Hinata once or twice but didn't have the chance to get to know them.

"Then let's all get closer and cuddly now!" The girls smiled at one another and introduced themselves formally which was kind of funny to watch. They joked about going against the boys and that was when the pranksters came up with a lot of wacky ideas for pranks. They agreed to pull the pranks as the days passed. In the living room, Jinjae and James were joined by Haram when Jongin went back to his own room to get some sleep. Haram was positioned next to James with a lap full of Jinjae, the older two's shoulders brushing often. They were watching the movie attentively, eyes glued to the screen.

"Look at those three," Chanhee chortled, poking his head out of Sanggil's room and seeing the English trio.

"Hey hey hey. Get back here. We're not done yet," Sanggil pulled Chanhee back into his room by his collar and shut the door, Chanhee whining all the way. They'd been listening to Leessang since forever and all Chanhee wanted was a short break.

"Hyung, we've been doing this for ages! Can I take a nap?" Chanhee pleaded as he lied down on Sanggil's bed.

"No," said Sanggil as he clicked on the links. He turned around in his chair and opened his mouth to speak when he saw Chanhee already fast asleep. The boy looked peaceful so Sanggil didn't bother waking him up. He just tucked Chanhee in and walked out of his room, closing the door behind him. As he stepped outside, Sanggil was confused as to why he behaved that way.

"Somebody stab me. I have a soft spot for the kid," he grumbled. He walked into the living room and sat down next to James, keeping a minimum distance between them. He watched with mild interest as the citizens of New York panicked as unidentified yet dangerous things flew in the air, putting their lifes at stake.

"Stop it," Jinjae mumbled sleepily as he tilted slightly to the right. Haram stopped jiggling his legs and whispered a soft apology into the boy's ear. Sanggil found it amusing. The girls came into the living room and Mingxue sat down next to Haram, resting her head against Haram's shoulder. Yerin sat on the floor, running her fingers through her hair as Hinata sat behind her, a comb in her hand. Shinhee had a glass of mango juice and she shared it with Minae. To be honest, what they were doing made Sanggil feel like he belonged. He knew things wouldn't be this harmonious all the time and they'd have their fights but they'd be able to overcome anything. He could sense it in his bones.

▬ ♛ corner of despair;

i'm so glad this chapter is done. dun dun dun this story is progressing well. c: things wouldn't be this pretty 24/7 though! perhaps they'll have a fight and someone sides with someone and things get messy and muahahaha i'm evil. i'm going to write about some of your suggestions (yes, they were that good) because they fit the plotline. i'm sorry if your character didn't get enough lines, still working on balancing it out. eue;;

guys, is your character still studying? i forgot to add this section into the form otl. those who are in high school, i'm thinking of throwing everyone into seoul performing arts high school xD jinjae would be the only one still in middle school for now. those who are 19 and 19 above, i'd prefer if your character has a university or something to attend at. i read on wikipedia that south koreans graduate from high school at age 18 or 19 sooo... i'll just set this: age 15 and below, gimme a middle school. age 16 to age 18, gimme a high school. age 19 and above, gimme a university and what you're majoring in. sounds good? i'm confused myself. otl

DerpLikeABuffalo: ehehehe i'm so sweet i give people diabetes. c': /slapped. i ship jongjae too you know. their personalities fit each other sooo well. then i ship jongseol too. blame the creators, not me! cx i'm magical but so are you! you gave me daeseol. c; peccati: or you can come to my house. xD free internet for yooou! ItsNuneo: sure, i'll write about that. cx it's fun to know my readers are actually friends too that's so cool.

i'm thinking of creating another story for the news, twitter updates etc so it won't get messy. i'm not really comfortable with the story chapters and random stuff mixed together. what do you think? c:

enjoy a gif of kwangsoo, my lovelies. <3