“Ahh!” she screamed as she jolted from her bed. Her body was covered in a damp sweat and she her lamp. A trickle of sweat rolled down her face and Seomin sighed as she swung out of bed to wash her face in the bathroom. As she shuffled to the bathroom, she heard the familiar notes of someone scanning to open the door to her apartment. “Wh-who’s there?” she trembled, the effect of the nightmare still lingering in her mind. Seomin inched closer to her door, her body hunched so her head was right by the door knob when it flung open, hitting her square on her forehead. “Aww oh ow!” she moaned, laying on the floor with her hand on her head.

“Seomin, why’d you– why are you on the floor!?” Donghae asked as he crouched down to help her up. Her head throbbed and she pushed him away, muttering to herself as she crawled back into bed. “Are you okay?”

She glared at him. “I was going to be fine, but you happened to slam the door knob into my face.”

“Oh…” his voice trailed. An overwhelming silence shadowed the dimly lit room as he stood there rubbing the back of his neck. “I heard you scream and I thought…I thought you would need someone.”

Seomin’s face softened and she motioned for Donghae to sit across from her. She mentally smiled as she saw him eagerly climb up like a child listening to his mother’s story. “I keep having these nightmares. I thought they would go away, and they did, but I think they’ve come back.” She sniffed and blinked back the tears. Her therapist always told her that it was okay to cry, but at some point, to cry would be allowing the memories to take a stronghold on her emotional state. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t like to be alone, but every time I’m near people, I feel so uncomfortable being so close.”

“Trust yourself, trust others,” Donghae began, “Love yourself, love others. My mother often told me this when I felt afraid. You should trust yourself to be strong, but you should also trust others to be kind. Not everyone is out there to hurt you.” She nodded to tell him she was listening. “Loving yourself lets you open up yourself, body, mind and soul, to other people, which means you need to love them too. I know the company says that trainees and all new artists should not date, but love is a natural emotion. Don’t be afraid to let go of your heart and let it lead you to whoever that may be.”

“How… how do you know when it is safe to open up to others?”

Donghae poked her nose and pulled the covers over her, sitting on the edge of her bed. “My silly pretty girl wasn’t listening. Didn’t I say to let your heart lead when it comes to love? Then the same thing applies to the rest of your life.” She smiled and felt Donghae her hair. The rhythmic feeling against her head lulled her to sleep, as she dreamt of herself as a young child, her father doing the exact same motions when she had a nightmare.

----

The door closed behind Seomin as she sighed in relief. She had just had a meeting with Mr. Parker, who agreed to her plan. Her showcase was an example of how her powerful vocals could enhance the image of an independent, strong female. They talked about her album concept, her album cover, the songs, and who was going to help her. Mr. Parker suggested they create her first album here before going to Korea. The company she was transferring to, Seoulized Music, did not have time to fit her into this year’s schedule if they were to produce the album. She also asked, in which her request was accepted, that Melanie come with Donghae and herself to Korea to practice the choreography for the music shows. Mr. Parker called Melanie, who happily agreed to go with them