A/N: AFF finally let me log back in!  Although my first draft was deleted, I tried my best to rewrite as fast as possible.  I'm going to try to update at least once a week from now on.  Sorry for taking so long!  [I lost a couple of subscribers T_T]

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A week later, Jaehwa breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.  She put her pencil to the side and surveyed the results of her work.  When the door suddenly opened, she instinctively hid the notebook behind her.  Gikwang’s head appeared.  “Jaehwa, annyeong!  What’s up?” he greeted cheerfully.

“Oh, nothing much,” the girl answered nonchalantly, concealing the book underneath the chair cushion before standing up.

“Hmm, okay.  By the way, the cafeteria is serving lunch now.  Are you coming down?” he informed her, staring suspiciously at the chair, his sharp eyes not missing Jaehwa’s fast movements.

She nodded and walked out the door, her stomach growling from lack of breakfast.  She called over her shoulder, “Oppa, let’s go!”

“You go first.  I’ll meet up with you.”

Jaehwa shrugged nonchalantly and left for the cafeteria.

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A couple of weeks later, Jaehwa was dancing alone in the practice room.  ‘내꺼하자 (Be Mine)’ was on, and she was trying to mimic Infinite’s smooth and crisp dance moves.

A knock came from the open door.  She looked up into the mirror to see the reflection of the company CEO, Hong Seung Sung.  The girl whirled around in surprise.  “Annyeonghaseyo, sajangnim!” she exclaimed and bowed deeply in respect.

He gestured for her to have a seat before saying, “Jaehwa-ssi, something has come to my attention about your performance lately.”

The dancer fidgeted in her chair, clasping and unclasping her fingers anxiously.  Is he going to fire me?  Is this the end of my career? she thought nervously.

He continued, “We’re thinking of having you debut as a solo artist.”

“Ne?!” Jaehwa asked incredulously, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

“Gikwang-ssi showed me the lyrics that you wrote.  They are very impressive for someone who hasn’t had any professional guidance.”

 Gikwang?  He must’ve found my notebook, Jaehwa thought, making a mental note to thank him later.

“I’ve also reviewed your past performances as backup dancer.  And I understand you’ve had vocal training before.  You’ve sung for guide songs and demos, am I correct?”

The girl nodded.  “Do you want me to audition, sajangnim?” she asked, still slightly confused and overwhelmed.

“No need.  You’ve proved yourself enough already.  I want you in the recording room first thing tomorrow morning.”

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By late afternoon the next day, Jaehwa was on the opposite side of the soundproof glass, headphones over her ears.  She had spent morning and noon working with some composers to create the instrumental for her debut song.

Jaehwa lifted a thumbs-up to signal that she was ready.  Then, she took a deep breath and willed all of her emotions into the lyrics.

A bitter day

It will all be forgotten, one day it will all be

That day, I will be smiling but right now, I can’t help it

I can’t do anything right now, ‘cause I think about you again

Even if it’s sad, even if it’s going to be really hard, I’ll keep trying to forget you…

When she finished, there was silence on the other side of the room.  No response came over the headphones for a while.  And then, “Jaehwa-ssi, that was amazing.”

The girl smiled and bowed as everyone clapped.  After a couple more runs, they began recording the background vocals.  By early morning the next day, the song was done.

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A month later, Jaehwa sighed and collapsed onto her bed.  was sore from singing so much, and her limbs hurt from practicing the dance over and over again.  But she didn’t feel any pain or fatigue.

She was going to accomplish her dream.  She was going to be an idol.  She was going to prove to her parents that she was capable of making it to the very top.  Somehow, the fact hadn’t really dawned on her until now.

Cube had announced the debut of a new female singer, but hadn’t told the media her name yet.  However, the single was being released within the next hour, and Jaehwa was going to perform on stage as a solo artist for the first time tomorrow.

In addition, none of her labelmates had any clue who the new idol was.  Sajangnim had told her to stay low and not tell anyone.  To be honest, Jaehwa had been so busy that she hadn’t had the time to see any of the Beast members since the first recording.  She thought Gikwang knew something, but if he did, he didn’t show it.

As time passed, Jaehwa sat patiently on her bed with her laptop resting in front of her.  A countdown clock on the Cube website had started up about an hour ago.  As the minutes flew by, the girl started feeling more and more anxious about her debut.

What if listeners don’t like me?

What if the netizens criticize me?

What if I can’t be successful?

What will everyone’s reaction be?

The seconds ticked by until only one minute was left.  Jaehwa knew for a fact that many of her labelmates were staring intently at the screen, curious to know which one of the trainees was debuting.  They were in for a surprise.  Jaehwa shut her eyes nervously and prayed as the timer sped down.

5…4…3…2…1…