Crystal’s POV

After the studio we all returned to our dorms to wash up. I was still freaking out a bit, but not as much as Suzi. She was being bi-polar by pacing all around the small living room. At one moment she was all, "I can do this. It's easy. Just pretend you're acting. Be natural though.." and then that lead back to, "Ahg! But those are complete opposites. Kind of.. sort of.. Gah! I'm going to get nervous and my voice will be all obnoxious from nerves, and I'll sound stuck up and then-" blah blah blah.

"Eomma!!" Hana and I shouted, getting her attention. Our shoulders fell with some relief to her silence.

"You'll do fine. Just please will you shut up," Hana sighed. "I understand. But seriously, it's ok. You'll be awesome," she finished a bit aggravated as she left with a "Goodnight" and went into her room.

Su's face had that really apologetic, but mad that she got talked to like that, kind of expression.

"It'll be fine. I mean if anyone can screw it up, it'll be me. And you'll have to save me," I said in a much more hush tone. We walked down the hall to the room that we shared once again.

"Aigoo~, but you're so good at talking to cameras whether you believe me or not. It's true," she sighed. At least she had finally calmed down.

“But you’re beautiful so no one will care,” I half-joked.

“Ah, sush. Asian boys love you, Hana has European and Russian boys covered, and I usually get a lot of Hispanic and American country boys. If anyone will be loved here, it’s you eonnie,” she smiled. I would have argued back, but I was too lazy. We both fell asleep soon, some excited and some worried feelings in reference to the next sunrise.

Flashback***

Just as we took a break, Hana, Suzi, and I all went to check our phones. They all read “2 New Messages : 40404” or something similar.

Our mouths dropped and then turned into a huge smile. We looked at each other. "Allkpop and Mnet?" Suzi asked, verifying we were all on the same page. We nodded.

At that point, we spazzed for a few seconds before growing curious. "Yah, it said the interview would be held alongside U-Kiss. Did you guys know about this?" Hana asked, turning towards the group of curious guys.

"Neh, we thought you knew though," Kiseop replied.

"Aniyo, we had no idea," I said a bit dumbstruck at the moment.

"Hell, we didn't even know people knew we were here," Suzi said, growing a bit excited and then worried.

"I guess they do now, huh?" Eli shrugged. "Well, in all honesty, after the interview, you girls might want to stay on the down low. I'm not saying you're going to get anti-s-"

"-but you might get anti-s," Dongho said bluntly. Suzi and Hana visibly shuddered, and I got a nice long chill down my spine.

"I take it you girls had fears of that?" Kevin asked, concerned from our reactions.

"Psh~ no~, I'd love to be ripped apart via cyberspace," Hana sarcastically stated making Soohyun laugh a bit. Those two got along well already. He and Su had found out they might as well be the awkward siblings after making it known that their awkward levels were about the same. Believe me when I say you should worry if those two ever sat in the same room for more than an hour with you.

"It does wonders for my ego," Suzi added blankly.

"In that case maybe you need some anti-s," Hana smirked, being then playfully hit on the shoulder by a more light-hearted Su. I and the others smiled at the two's bickering before deciding to cross that bridge when we came to it.

Fastforward***

Narrator's POV

The boys and girls all were sat down in chairs for hair and make-up. They still looked natural, but with that beautiful glow and graceful texture added. Hana started to get a little nervous but Suzi, who had by now convinced herself she was ready, was giving her some confidence boosters. Crystal was getting the same kind of talk from Kevin, whom anyone could tell she loved to be around. They hadn't stopped talking and laughing all morning.

"Crystal~ You're phone just buzzed off the table," Suzi stated, her and Hana simply staring at the phone for a bit. "Oh! It said Minnie called~" she teased, seeing the screen's message.

"How close did you and Taemin get, huh?" Hana snickered playfully.

"SHINee sunbaes?" AJ asked. "Cool, did you all practice with them?"

Hana shook her head. "I was with BEAST and Su was with Block B."

"Gee, don't hand me my phone or anything," Crys said with a crooked smile as she picked it up. 'Aish~, should I call back? Maybe he's busy now though... hng~ but it's only been a few seconds. But we're going for the interview soon-'

"Are you going to have a staring contest with your phone or call him back?" Hana asked.

"And yes, you must choose between those two choices but make it fast," Su smiled. She waved as she made her way back into the lobby-styled room for the interview. It would start in a few minutes and she wanted to get used to her surroundings. Hana felt the same way and followed.

Taemin’s POV

“Yeoboseyo, Crysal-ah~” I answered happily. Key was sitting next to me while Minho was getting his makeup redone for the next batch of photos that were coming up soon. Jonghyun and Onew were… actually I’m not sure where they were, but it probably included food.

“Yeoboseyo,” she replied. Keke. I could tell she was smiling behind the phone. She was adorable.

“You miss me right?” I asked as my eyebrows rose with hope.

“Duh, babo. And the others too.”

“But you miss me the most right?” I smiled slyly.

“N-n-neh,” she responded a bit quietly. ‘Victory~~’ I sang in my mind. Muahaha~

“Good! Because I miss you too. I have to go to hairstylist noona soon, but what have you been up to?”

“Well, actually, I’m going into an interview soon. But… Agh! I don’t know if I can do this. I mean I have so much Onew sangtae. You remember.”

“Hahaha~ Aw, you’ll be fine. Onew might have a serious case of the fail but he’s also one of the top idol MCs out there!”

“…oh yeah..True~” she said. I could tell she was getting her confidence back. “Oh! I have to go now! Bye-bye Minnie-I mean Taemin-ssi,” she said and quickly hung up. My jaw dropped a little before I started to laugh a bit.

“So what did she say? You were pretty smooth with the call. Eomma is proud,” Key smiled kindly but arrogantly.

“I think she just called me by a ‘pet-name’,” I giggled feeling warmth in my heart, as well as my cheeks. Girls are cute when they panic. “She called me Minnie.”

Narrator’s POV

Crystal sat down in the middle of the couch still trying to get herself together. ‘Why did I just do that? Gaahhhh! Crap! Idiot! Babo!’ she thought, giving herself a mental beating before sighing and focusing on the four cameras in front of her. ‘Here goes my reputation,’ she thought blandly.

It was a smaller sized couch so only the three girls sat on it while UKISS stood behind them in their semi-usual order. The girls sat Hana first on the couch’s right, then Crys, then Suzi. After a minute of the camera and interview crews getting their act together, they nodded to the interviewees. “In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1-” a man began and with a motion of his hand they all bowed from their waists. “Annyeonghaseyo~!” they chorused with bright smiles.

“We are-,” Soohyun began and the group quickly followed with their signature greeting, “U-KISS! Annyeonghaseyo~, UKISS-imnida!”

Mnet’s staff member went first, asking the girls in Korean, a few questions. A translator stood nearby in case help was needed.

Mnet--

Q: “Introduce your name and age, in Korea, for both us and Allkpop.”

Cr: “Neh, annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Crystal-imnida. Suzi and I are both 18,” she answered calmly and professionally.

Su: “Neh, jeoneun Suzi-imnida,” she stated, although unfortunately a little more nasally than she wished. But her warm eyes and smile balanced things.

Ha: “And jeoneun Hana-imnida. My birthday is soon, but I’m 17 right now,” she smiled with her usual eye-smile. It was strange. She was of German background and had a perfect eye-smile. The interviewers caught this and she explained that she wasn’t sure how she got it but found it to be a good quality.

Q: “Your Korean seems to be very well intact. How long did you have to learn the language?”

Su: “We all studied for 3 years. Crystal-eonnie seemed to work hardest at it though. She’s better with it than Hana-ah and I,” she replied carefully. Suzi’s Korean was still a bit slow, but her pronunciation was admirable. Allkpop’s interviewer was writing down a few notes, using the translator once in a while for help. She apparently was a bit new as she seemed to be just as nervous as the girls.

Q: “How long have you been dancing professionally?”

Suzi looked a little confused, not understanding the word ‘professionally’ in Korean.

Cr: “Professionally?” she asked in English towards the translator who in turn, nodded. “Ah, we’ve been with Touch of Rhythm Studios for only a year.” The boys looked surprised. There was no way they’ve only had a year of pro training.

Ha: “But we first got into dancing seriously when Suzi pulled us aside 3 years ago with choreography for us to do,” she laughed. “None of us ever really went to a dance class before.”

‘Wow, self-taught. That’s awesome~,’ a few of the guys smiled.

Q: “Why Kpop?”

Su: She smiled confidently before taking the lead on this one. “I think it has a quality that no other music has. There’s an amazing beat that can both relax and make your soul jump. Sometimes the lyrics in comparison to some American music for example, have a deeper feel to them and give you goose-bumps. Even when I was first into Kpop but didn’t understand Korean, I think I speak for my friends here and other Kpop fans, when I say that even if you can’t understand the language you can understand it through the sound of the song and the voice’s emotional quality.”

Eli nudged Hoon who was staring at the long haired brunette girl with a star in his eye and a goofy smile on his face. The younger broke out of his trance and looked from Eli to the ground, and finally to the attention of the cameras and whoever was speaking.

Ha: “Neh, to be able to understand the language, you merely have to feel the meaning of the words. Music helps us do that," she summed up. Hana tended to be a more direct speaker.

Q: “Is UKISS the only group you’ve worked with?”

Ha: “Aniyo. I worked previously with BEAST sunbaes while Crystal-eonnie was with SHINee sunbaes, and Suzi was with Block B sunbaes.”

Cr: “Before that we all worked with Big Bang sunbaenims.”

Q: “Wow! So many amazing teachers for you girls! Do you know anything about Daesung’s condition since the accident?”

The trio stayed hesitant as UKISS grew curious eyes that traveled from the interviewer to the prudent girls’ expressions. They all exchanged looks before giving Crystal control of the topic.

Cr: “Daesung is taking it very hard. The other members of Big Bang as well as YG-nim are going through the next several days with care. My friends and I, on behalf of YG, Big Bang, and especially Daesung, ask for everyone to be calm and pray for things to come out as best as possible for the family of the deceased as well as Daesung. Also I hope that the company and those under it won’t be run over by people asking questions. It would make things go much smoother. Please keep in mind the feelings of others.” She ended and everyone gave light applause in agreement with her well put and kind words.

Mnet’s interviewer bowed and thanked the girls before moving onto UKISS with a few more questions as to their Japanese promotions and how practices had gone. Up next was Allkpop. The interview went entirely in English, which took the girls a bit to get used to again. They were a bit nervous and switching from their cautious Korean to English was a bit difficult. Engrish became a problem for them, especially Suzi. Their introduction and American age came first with the most difficulty. The rest of the answering went smoother.

AKP--

Q: “What languages total do you speak?”

Ha: “English, Korean, some French, and some Chinese. I pick up a lot of Japanese from Suzi-eonnie though.”

Cr: “English, Korean, and some Spanish.”

Su: “English, Korean, some French, and some Japanese. I really want to pick up a few Thai phrases soon.”

Q: “Impressive! You came here with a passion for Kpop. What is one of your favorite boy and girl groups? Aside from UKISS, just to make them jealous,” she added with sly humor.

Ha: She laughed a little with the others before answering. “Infinite and 4Minute.”

Cr: “SHINee and 2NE1 for sure,” she said with a matter-of-fact nod.

Su: She chuckled softly at Crys’ response before sighing. “Um… Block B and 2PM are high up on my favorites, and I love F(x),” she smiled brightly.

Q: “Do you have biases as well?”

The three girls nodded and laughed a little.

Su: “Definitely. Just don’t ask us to list them all,” she chuckled.

Q: “To give UKISS a bit of slack, who is your favorite member among them?”

AJ: “They all love me,” he said bluntly, stepping forward a bit with a pointed finger to his chest. The room waved with giggles.

Cr: “This is kind of awkward, but I guess if you really want to know… My biases in UKISS are Kiseop, Kevin and Dongho,” she said a bit quieter.

Kevin: He gasped with a bright smile, “Really? Aw~~ Thank you~.”

Dongho: “But I’m better,” he pouted before giving Crystal a cute eye smile. “Thank you~.”

Ha: She tilted her head back to see AJ pointing to himself, mouthing “Me! Me!” Turning back to the female interviewer she giggled. “Well AJ will be happy to know I bias him, as well as Soohyun,” she smiled, trying to not blush from mentioning his name. “Kibum is also my bias,” Hana added proudly. In turn her biases high-fived each other and thanked her with smiles.

Su: “Neh, Alexander is my bias still. I’d love to meet him someday. Other than him though, Eli and Hoon are my biases of UKISS,” she said. Thank God for the professional makeup. It covered a blushing cheek better than her personal foundation.

Eli: After he whispered to Hoon was exactly she said he smiled confidently down at her and thanked her. “The pigeon and all?”

Su: She laughed and then did a strangely good impersonation of his classic pigeon impression before smiling back. “Pigeon and all.” Everyone laughed and then Hoon thanked her sweetly in English, making her heart do a slight gymnastic performance inside her chest.

More interview questions were thrown out to UKISS while the girls sat back and relaxed, sometimes translating for when AJ, Kevin, and Eli were spacing out. Mnet and the translator had left after the girls’ questions and answers with AKP.

It took a few more minutes before the groups were allowed to return back to their activities. UKISS had to go into a meeting with the company manager, so the girls were left to do whatever they wished. “Let’s go to see BEAST,” Hana smiled excitedly.

“Sounds good to me! But you might want to call them first,” Suzi suggested.

“Well no ,” Hana smiled and picked up her phone. “Yeoboseyo~ Gikwang.. Neh babo, Hana-imnida… Neh! We were just calling to see if we could all get together… Where the hell is that?... Well then gee, that would be why I wouldn’t know… Ok, sounds good. Oh, and are you guys watching or something?... hahahaha, oh ok. Suuure they are. Bye-bye~” She stuck her phone back in her pocket and looked up to find her eonnies giving her dropped jawed smiles and curious eyed looks. “What?”

“Where the hell is what and why are they watching …again…?” Su asked.

“He told me to go to some place only famous people know because it’s all shady and hush-hush. Then I heard awkward screams in the back. But he said that Doojoon and Dongwoon were abusing Yoseop, and Hyunseung was being attacked by a tickle-happy Junhyung.”

“I love them Hana. I really do,” Crystal began. “But… I have to question them at times.” The girls giggled and then followed Hana outside the building and started to walk down the street. It had rained a bit last night so the air was comfortably cool with a light breeze. Gikwang said to just walk down the sidewalk and they’d pull over and pick them up in the van.

“Oh goody! I can’t wait to be kidnapped!” Suzi exclaimed with the cheesiest gesture and smile she could muster.

“That word is too harsh. It’s more like surprise adoption,” Hana smiled proudly.

“….I still question you two as well,” Crys said.