May 31^st 2011

“Are you sure about this?” The leader asked the girl who was standing in front of her. Her hands were crossed in front of her chest as she stood together with six other girls behind her. Being the eldest one of the whole group, Cho Rong knew everything about her fellow members—their personalities, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their problems, everything. That was why she doubted the decision made by the girl standing in front of her. She knew the girl too much to let her go just like that.

“Well?” The voice echoed in that quiet room. Cho Rong demanded in a very serious tone while six other members stood silently, waiting for their friend to answer. The girl did not answer her immediately. Instead, she stood in silence for a while, looking down at her feet as if she was trying to rethink her decision. Her members could see her struggling for an answer. Her face was unsure and she looked as if she was in a verge of crying. She bit her lip and clutched her hands tightly together. Then, she shot her head up and nodded.

“Why?” Questions suddenly filled the room as the other girls started to speak up. Everyone was confused and sad after hearing that their friend had made her decision. They were worried, seeing her being at that state. She had lost a lot of weight and they knew why. Bo Mi and Na Eun looked at their best friend with concerned eyes. They hated seeing her at that state, but they didn’t know what to do to make her feel better. Everyone tried their best to make her happy but most of them didn’t last for long.

“Jae Mi-ah… just think over it again. You can’t do this to us. Don’t do this to yourself, not when our dreams are just coming true. Come on!” Eun Ji spoke up. “Yeah… she’s right!” the younger ones pitched in, agreeing with their Main Vocalist. Everyone was trying to pitch in and stop her from going.

The girl gave a slight smile and the rest of the members could see the change in her. Though Jae Mi was only eighteen years old, she looked much older at that very moment, even older than Cho Rong. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were sad. Her once cheerful, beautiful face looked vulnerable. It was as though she was about to break any moment soon, like a fragile artifact that everyone is afraid to touch. Her hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail, hanging wildly on a ribbon. There were dark circles under the girl’s eyes as they looked up at her pale face. She looked… tired.

Jae Mi sighed deeply and threw her hands open, gesturing for a hug. “I’ll be fine.” She looked at each and every one of them. “It’s not like we won’t see each other again.” She assured her friends. “We’ll see each other, just not every day.” “But…” The youngest one, Ha Young opposed but was cut off when Jae Mi came for a hug. “Don’t waste your precious time worrying about me. I’ll be okay.” Jae Mi said when she stopped in front of Na Eun and Bo Mi. She threw her hands open at her best friends and hugged them both tightly.

“Come on! You should be worrying about your upcoming performance, not me!” Jae Mi exclaimed. She was trying to brighten up the mood after seeing all their worried and sad faces. “I’ll be fine! I promise I will.” She smiled and assured her friends. “If you really want to help me, promise me that you’ll all do your best during your performances, okay?”

The girls all nodded in agreement, their faces filled with sorrow as they looked at their friend. Everyone was heartbroken after hearing the news she announced.

“Jae Mi-ah, please don’t go. Don’t leave us. What will we do without you?” Bo Mi and Na Eun ran towards her with tears in their eyes and gave her one last hug. Jae Mi gave patted their little heads and hugged them back. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. You’ll do fine without me. Just remember that you guys are the best.” She told them as she held both her thumbs up and smiled. The girls all nodded and accepted her decision. They knew that there is no way that their friend would change her mind once she had decided to go along with it.

“I have to get going.” Jae Mi spoke as she looked at her watch on her wrist. “I’ll see you guys around, okay? Don’t forget to call me.” She looked at the rest of them, trying to act carefree and happy. The maknaes nodded their heads as they tried hard not to cry.

Jae Mi bid farewell to her manager and gave a sincere bow as gratitude for taking care of her all those times she was in the company and told him to take care of everyone for her. With one last glance at her beloved members and her manager, Jae Mi blew them a kiss before grabbing her bags and exited their studio.

Cho Rong closed the door behind her as she walked Jae Mi out of the building hand in hand. “Unnie…” Cho Rong heard her name being called and looked back at the petite girl who was walking behind her. They stopped walking. “Take care of them for me, okay?” Jae Mi said, giving a faint smile. The leader could see tears in the girl’s eyes. She, too, was fighting her own tears as well, trying hard not to let them out. 

Cho Rong softened and gave Jae Mi one last hug. “Take care of yourself. Don’t stress over things too much, you hear me?” She patted the girl’s head. “Remember, there’s always a spot for you here. You’re amazing and someday, you’ll realize that you don’t need to care about what other people think. Remember to always be yourself.” Jae Mi nodded and smiled. Cho Rong had always been a great friend who gave her encouraging words and heartwarming advices.

Bidding goodbye to her leader, Jae Mi walked out of the building with mixed emotions. She was feeling sad and scared, yet happy at the same time. She looked up at the tall silver modern looking building in front of her. The cool wind blew gently around her as she tried hard to in her tears. Her eyes began to tear up as she thought of the times she spent in the company. Jae Mi brushed her hair to the side of her face and sighed. Though there were times when she struggled to keep up with the other, she still had a lot of good memories there. She met new people and learned a lot of things. She had learned how hard it was to be a trainee, she had learned that being a performer in the entertainment world was tough, she learned a lot about friendship about teamwork and lastly, she had learned about love.

Goodbye APink, she repeated the name inside her head as she closed her eyes. She pictured the faces of her fellow members singing on the shining stage on the day they debuted. She remembered their smiling faces as they stood on stage for the first time and sang to their song ‘I don’t know’, wearing baby pink dresses and dancing in a V formation. Jae Mi couldn’t help but smile as she recalled that day. They were all so nervous when they walked onto stage, but they did their best. They were going to achieve their dream and she wasn’t going to be there to stop them from their voyage to stardom this time. She was glad that’s she had made the right choice, for their sake. They’ll do fine without her, she knew they will. She just hoped that they’ll keep their promise they had made to her. The girls of APink are the best and she hoped that they will be able to achieve their dream in no time.

“Goodbye girls.” She murmured. “Goodbye Cube. I’ll miss you…”