My sister's laughter was still ringing in my ears. I put my eyes-mask on after the plane took off.
After my graduation , things moved faster. I got in touch with Manager Soo-jin, she was kind enough to help me with the paper process as well as the housing. Even though technically she wasn't my manager anymore she was determined to act like it. Surprisingly I felt grateful and happy that she still cared about me all along.
I threw a mini goodbye party with friends and family, except for Da eun , whose pregnancy was too advanced to allow her to take the plane. We used technology instead. We all promised to call each others as much as we could. When my friends left the house , my sisters , my mom and I just stayed in the living room. We refused to sleep and let ourselves talking nonsense and laughing for hours because we all knew we would have to learn to live apart from each others again.
I peeked under my mask and looked at people sleeping on their seats. Envious of their peacefulness,  I ended up getting pills because I couldn't stop my brain from thinking.
When I opened my eyes , I could see the sun reflecting on the clouds. As it was rising , I took a minute to simply enjoy the view. One more hour before landing.
I looked at my phone, wondering if not saying anything to Suho was a good idea. I really wanted to surprise him.

"Unnie?? I'm waiting for my suitcase so don't worry!!" I yelled through my phone while I was trying to avoid bumping into people.
"Weren't you supposed to be at gate B ..?" manager Soo jin asked. I could heard her frantically going through her papers.
"Hmm, just wait outside , it's crowded in here, it'll be easier for me to find you! ...
oh I can see it!!" I hanged up and grabbed the purple suitcase.
After customs control , I rushed outside. Soo jin was leaning on the concrete wall.

"Unnie!!!!!" I screamed.
"Aishhh! Don't startle me like that!!.. You kids these days, too energetic!"
"I'm actually very tired" I laughed.
"Put your bags down" She ordered.
"What do-" I couldn't finish my question. She grabbed my arm and hugged me tightly.
"You're so big !!"
"Unnie, if you keep hugging me like that I'm going to cry" I said , feeling teary already.
"I don't care you can cry. 4 years! You're a woman now!!"
"Tchhh I was a woman back then too" I mumbled.
" No no you were a little girl" She released me , looked at me and hugged me again. "You should have sent me pictures of you, so I would have been less shocked!"
I laughed again.
"Did I change that much?.. Aside from the obvious of course!"
By obvious I meant my hair. I used to have really long black hair back in my trainee days.
During my therapy, my psy suggested that I should have fun with it, that It would be a way to have some closure. My long hair was a symbol of my life in Korea. That's why as soon as I started college I cut it short, right below my jawline. I also decided to dye it pale peachy pink for a complete change . My friend bleached it in our dorm bedroom and it stinked out for two days. It was still a very fun night.
"Mhmm. Besides that. You look different." She smiled.
"Ahah I hope so!" I said grinning and rubbing my chin. "Unnie? I'm starving!!" My stomach was fiercly growling.
"Yahh! Don't you want to go to your appartment first?"

The place was tucked in the old downton namsan area. It was spacious and bright which was the opposite of my first flat. Since I used it mainly for sleeping , I didn't ask the company for something luxurious, not that they would have gave me one anyway.
"Do you like it?" asked Soo jin from the bathroom.
"It's nice. It's really nice!" I replied, exploring the rooms. I jumped behind her. "Ahh You shouldn't have.." I shook her slightly . She shrugged .
" Yah.. you would have slept in some hotels or where god knows"
"Ehhh?? Please have more faith in me" I laughed.
"Ye , that's what america does to youngsters" she said, putting my suitcase on the bed.
"Unnie you need to see the world more" I teased . She chased the idea with her hand " No, no I'm fine where I am thanks".
She looked at me pitifully "Your stomach makes too much noises, let's go eat"
I clapped my hands .
We stopped by myeongdong to get some mandu and tteokbokki . I devoured everything by the time we got back to the car.
"Oh my, were you on diet?? Why are you eating so fast"
"Four sisters plus in laws, if you don't eat fast enough, you don't eat" I replied as I gobbled up my last pieces of rice cakes.
She rolled her eyes and unlocked her phone.
"Is it time for me to go?" I asked as I wiped my mouth with the red napkin. She nodded.
Today I was supposed  to learn a bit more about the rookies. The company asked me if I was okay to meet the boys on my first day back and I said yes. I didn't plan to do something special aside from sleeping so I wasn't bothered by having schedule already.
"Do you have plans for tonight?" Soo jin asked.
"I have a date with my bed" I replied.
"Okay good. but what about dinner? Are you going to eat alone?" . I looked at her suspiciously.
"Did my mom call you or..?"
"Yah, no she didn't, I just didn't want you to be stuck by yourself". I drank a sip of my tea.
"Pfft I'll be fine!" I laughed and added with a five years old voice "unnieeee I will make lots of new friends I promise!" She hit my shoulder .
"Laugh laugh kid! Okay it's time to drop you off"

I thought standing in front of SM building would make me feel uneasy but it didn't. It was like coming back to school after a very long summer.
"I have a meeting too so I'll let you go on your own" I gave her a military thanks with my hand.
"Oh and one last thing.. You should stop by the second floor's dancing room!". My eyes widened. "Really??? Oh?? They're practicing today??"
"Ye , they have a series of performances for tv scheduled this month" She casually added . "They've been on a winning roll lately"
I put my bangs back in place.
"Okay I'll go then!" . I tried not to sound too excited, but she knew I was very happy about the news. I couldn't believe I got to see them all this soon.
The meeting was shorter than I expected but mostly because the trainees weren't done with their singing lesson so I got to catch up with how things were for them right now and also got to watch some of their dancing tapes. It was helpful to know what were their level and skills.
They were four boys aged from 17 to 20 , one half from seoul the other half from London. They were scouted 3 years ago, which was a rather short time for training but their hard work and talent brought their debut date forward. SM settled on M4gic as their group name. To be fair, I really didn't think it was the greatest one out of the rest of the list but it wasn't my business.

I insisted for still meeting them even if they were late. Their manager said he would text me as soon as they would be done, which gave me some more hours to kill.
I hoped into the elevator and pushed the button leading to the second's floor. It stopped when I reached the fourth floor. A man quickly bowed, two drinks in his hands and walked into the elevator. He turned his back towards me and waited for the doors to close.
He didn't really pay much attention but I did. I cleared my throat .
"Ahh man. I'd kill for some GIMBAP." as I pushed behind his knee with my foot. He quickly turned around , dropping one of the drinks on the floor.
"What the..Are you kidding me.!???. SUNNY?? "
"Yo sugramps, long time no see!"

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I apologize for the short update -also wow IM SO SLOW AT UPLOADING IM GOMEN- I hope I'll have time to write another one by the end of this week!