ERA's Queen of Swag ft. EXO's Duizhang

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(Same day, China)

▬"And... we're done for today!" The producer motioned to his assistant to get him a drink. Getting up from his chair, he entered the studio where Stephanie was still vocalising.

"Good job." He said, giving her a thumbs up. Stephanie also gave him a thumbs up. She did it. She actually got a compliment from that grouchy producer.

"Whatever happens Fifi," Stephanie cringed at the nickname the producer kept calling her. 'Seriously, Fifi?' "you gotta know that you're good. Really good."

As she left the studio to pack up her things, she noticed someone else was in the room. Looking up, she saw Zhang Liyin leaning against the door frame of the room. Her eyes were looking at a little folder in her hand. At first, both of them didn't move.

"Stephanie." Liyin suddenly said. Surprised, Stephanie dropped her bag and walked to her mentor. Over the months, she learned to fear the Chinese BoA and to obey her rules. It was for her own good, she thought.

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'She's so young...' Liyin thought, looking over at Stephanie coming closer. She knew she had been harsh on her, but she wanted her to be ready for the real world.

'Well, I did my best in training her.'

For that fleeting moment, she let herself smile.

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'Did.. I just see.. Liyin-laoshi smile?' Stephanie rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. When she opened her eyes again, she was faced with the usual poker face of her mentor.

'Wow... I must be really tired. Must take a nap after this.'

Shuffling her feet, Stephanie looked at the folder her mentor was holding. It looked like a passport and an airlines ticket. She felt her heart stop. Could it be...

"Laoshi, is that..." She was excited and at the same time afraid. She didn't want to hope for anything. She knew the pain when the people around you butcher your dreams. She didn't want to go through that at all. Not anymore.

'I did everything I could to get here. I didn't contact him anymore. I even changed my number. I made sure that he won't help me. No one knows about my relationship with him, except for Liyin-laoshi and the higher-ups. I did it, ALONE.'

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"Hm, I don't know. What do you think it is?" Liyin asked, amused on how nervous the young girl was getting. She was sweating bullets already and she wasn't even onstage yet. 'She's so different from him...'

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"Liyin-laoshi..."

"Yes?"

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"Let's play 20 questions."

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"Huh?" Zhang Liyin was confused. Here they were, about to face the biggest change in her life and she wants to play?

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"You don't know what 20 questions is? It's a game where we have to-" At that point, she had to stop talking because her mentor covered with her hand. Looking at , then at her mentor, she tilted her head sideways to show to her mentor that she didn't know what's happening.

"I know what 20 questions is. I'm not stupid." Stephanie winced at her mentor's harsh words. She didn't mean it that way.

"What I don't understand is why you want to play? Don't you realize this could either be your ticket to your future as a star or your ticket to go back home?"

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Lifting her hand to remove Liyin's hands from , she looked at her mentor straight in the eyes.

"I know that. I just..." She could feel it. That feeling in your chest when you're hurt. That pain in your heart that makes people go numb. She hadn't felt this strongly for something in a long time, and the fact that she might not get it is suffocating her. She hadn't realized the fact that it could be her ticket back to her home. If that was the case, all her tears, sweat and blood would have been for nothing.

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She looked down, trying to stop the tears from falling. Liyin saw this and placed her hand on the trainee's shoulder, the other on her chin. Making her look up, she smiled at Stephanie and removed her hand from her chin. She proceeded to Stephanie's hair, stopping once in a while to calm her down.

"All right. If that's what you want, we'll do it."

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Sitting down on the chairs adjacent to each other with a table in the middle, they played Rock-Papers-Scissors to determine the first player. The folder lying down harmlessly on the table.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Both shot scissors.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Both shot rock.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Both shot paper.

Stephanie inwardly cursed. This was getting tense, for her. She felt her forehead beading up with sweat already, while Liyin looked calm. Who knew rock-paper-scissors could be this terrifying?

"Rock, paper, scissors! Yes, I won!" She flew from her chair and did her happy dance, which meant jumping up and down while swinging her arms like Miley Cyrus.

"I put my hands up, they're playin' my song

The butterflies fly away

I'm noddin' my head like 'Yeah!'

Movin' my hips li-" 

"Stephanie."

"Oopsie, sorry." Stephanie apologized sheepishly, scolding herself. Sitting back down, but still bouncing on her chair, she began the game.

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