"Yah, why is it always so hot in here?" Moon Dambi plopped down in front of a small fan and let the lukewarm
wind dry her sweat.

"Is it hot in here or is it just you?" An older girl with darker hair sat down beside her. Dambi glared at her,
obviously not enjoying the lame pickup line. The older girl stared back with one eyebrow raised, her long hair
blowing slightly in the breeze from the fan. The two girls held each others' gazes for a moment before bursting
into laughter.

"You're so lame, Leeri." Dambi stuck out her tongue at her unnie and Haeri sent her an exaggerated wink in
response. The two best friends spent the next few minutes enjoying a comfortable silence and the fan's breeze. Then, Dambi pushed herself off the floor and began crawling towards the fan. Haeri, currently taking a sip from her water bottle, began to choke on the liquid when she saw what her friend was really doing.

"What? Don't I look... y?" Dambi was staring into the fan with a seductive gaze, her long auburn hair fluttering around her like she was in a music video. She paused in her crawl and did a hair flip, enjoying the way the breeze lifted her hair and made her feel like a goddess.

"What are you doing?" Another trainee had wandered up to the two friends and was watching Dambi with amusement in his eyes.

"She's practicing." Haeri answered, her voice raspy after choking on water.

"Practicing for what?"

"For our debut." Haeri answered him gently, as if speaking to a much younger child.

The trainee opened his mouth to speak again, but Dambi interrupted him, "Why are you talking to this loser, unnie?"

"It isn't polite to just ignore people, honey."

"Did you just call her honey? What the hell? Are you two a... couple?" The boy looked surprised if not a little disgusted.

"I don't think that's any of your business... Is it, unnie?" By now, Dambi had risen to her feet and was gathering her stuff together.

"Of course it isn't... baby." Haeri made sure to stress the last word. The two girls exchanged amused glances at the male trainee's face: eyes and mouth wide open in shock.

Before he could say anything, Dambi spoke, "We're leaving now. Don't forget to close your mouth." Giggling, the girls exited the dance studio and made their way through the many hallways of SM Entertainment. As they neared their destination, Dambi said, "Unnie, I think the sky is crying."

Haeri paused in the middle of the hallway and listened, even tucking her hair behind her ear as if that would help. "I think you're right." Without warning, she began sprinting towards the glass door at the end of the hall. Dambi raced after her and they burst into the cool air at the same time.

Raindrops were falling from the sky in delicate spirals, filling the air with a refreshing scent and calming sound. The girls set their stuff down where it wouldn't get wet and then walked out into the rain. Neither said a word, they didn't need to, as they danced amongst the raindrops. The cool water felt like heaven after their intensive dance practice and both girls had always loved this weather.

"Hello! Are you two trainees here?" An unfamiliar voice sounded to their left. Haeri squeaked in surprise while Dambi backed away from the stranger and closer to her friend.

"Who are you?" Haeri asked, her voice hard with suspicion. Judging from the stranger's appearance, she wasn't a ert, but she could easily be a sasaeng fan or reporter. Dambi unconciously raised a hand to and began nibbling on her fingernails, while her other hand grasped Haeri's.

Lee Jaemi grinned, trying to calm the girls' tension with her charming smile. She could tell that both of them were regretting leaving the building. Everyone knew that SM told their trainees to remain inside unless they were heading home, for their own safety. "Don't worry, I'm not here to attack you... I'm here to recruit you!"

The two trainees exchanged bewildered glances before Dambi asked, "What do you mean?"

"How would you like to debut?" Instead of getting an enthusiastic answer in response, she merely got silence. Jaemi cleared and continued, "You both know of BoA, right? You were from the same company, after all. Well, anyways, I'm sure you've heard that she is starting her own company." She paused again and the trainees nodded, looking less nervous and more interested. Jaemi took a few steps closer and handed each of the girls a contract. "Boa would like you two to join her company and debut in BOAE's first girl group!"

"What?" "What?!" Haeri and Dambi responded at the same time; Haeri's voice soft with shock and Dambi's voice amplified with excitement. They glanced at each other again and then Haeri stepped forward. "Are you sure you have the right girls?"

"Yeah, Boa never even spoke to me, why would she choose me?" Dambi added, her voice laced with suspicion.

Jaemi hesitated, suddenly feeling a bit uncertain herself, "You two are Lee Haeri and Moon Dambi, right?" She got her answer from the trainees' wide eyes and slight nods. "Well, then, we have a lot to discuss. Shall we go somewhere... less wet?" She asked with another friendly smile.

Haeri and Dambi exchanged glances and they could tell from each others' eyes that they were in agreement. "I know this great little cafe nearby." Haeri spoke, already moving to pick up their dance bags.

"The one that sells ice cream?" Dambi asked, her voice suddenly energetic. When Haeri nodded, Dambi bounded over to her in excitement and linked their arms. "Thank you so much for buying me ice cream, unnie."

"Hey! I haven't even bought you any, yet."

Jaemi followed behind them, smiling in aumsement.
 

Kwon Elly stared herself down in the mirror, shaking off her usual smile and planting herself in the middle of the dance floor. Jeon Suim envied the younger girl's confidence as she stood in the back row, practically hiding behind another trainee. It was a fluke that she had even been accepted into the elite dance class and she had regretted it everyday. All 19 of the other trainees in this room right now where on a whole different level than her. Suim wasn't usually a self-concious person, but when it came to this class, she always felt ashamed.

Elly noticed the look on the older girl's face and wondered whether she should approach her. They had never spoken before, but Elly had noticed the way she looked nervous every class. Just as Elly was about to go tell Suim not to be nervous and that she was a fantastic dancer, the music began. The first several measures of the song were yet to be choreographed, but the girls were expected to remain silent anyways.

Moon Haena stood front and center, as always, letting the music fill her up and give her the energy she so passionately loved. She waited out the beginning of the song with her usual confidence and watched herself in the mirror, making sure her posture was perfect. When she heard the dance instructor began counting, she couldn't help but smile. Then, moving as one with the music, Haena began to dance. Although she knew the other trainees were just as skilled, she could feel their eyes on her as they watched her from behind. She had been chosen as the class leader for two years now and she knew the other girls looked to her if they forgot the choreography.

The next two hours passed quickly for some and slowly for others. For Jeon Suim it was a grueling practice and she was exhausted by the time it ended. She stumbled over to her water bottle and immeaditely began chugging the refreshing water. She then proceeded to spill said water all over herself when a voice spoke up directly behind her.

"You did really well today, Jeon Suim." When Suim turned around, water dripping down her chin, she saw that the voice belonged to Moon Haena. She was too shocked to say anything; she had never expected to receive a compliment from the class leader.

"Yeah, you were great, Suim-ssi!" Another voice sounded as Kwon Elly walked over to join them. She smiled brightly at the older girl and handed her some tissues to dry herself off with.

"T-thanks..." She mumbled and then added, in a firmer voice, "Thank you, both." She smiled at them despite her embarrassment and began drying herself.

Just then, the door to the dance studio opened and a girl stuck her head in. Every trainee in the room turned to stare at her as she edged her way further into the room. The dance instructor approached her and they had a hushed conversation. After a couple minutes, their instructor nodded and turned around to gaze at her students. When she pointed at Suim, Haena, and Elly, the three girls instinctively huddled closer together.

"Everyone! Let's practice some more, hm?" The dance instructor ignored her students' groans as she sauntered over to the stereo system. When Haena moved to take up her place at the front, the instructor added, "Everyone except for Moon Haena, Kwon Elly, and Jeon Suim."

The three girls didn't have time to feel confused or embarrassed before another voice spoke, quieter and closer to them. "Hello, I am Lee Jaeyoung... Are you girls interested in debuting?" The three trainees swiveled around in perfect unison, astonishment on their faces, and Jaeyoung added, "Whoa, you three are really in sync... Are you close friends?"

"No, we're not." Haena replied at the same time that Suim said, "They've never even spoken to me before today."

There was a moment of awkward silence after Suim's slightly bitter statement before Elly broke it by saying, "Of course we want to debut! Why do you ask?"

Jaeyoung was extremely relieved that she didn't have to deal with any awkward arguements and beamed at Elly. "Kwon BoA is forming her own entertainment company and wants you to be in her first girl group."

"No way! The BoA?!"

"Is this for real?"

"Wait." Suim interrupted the other girls' excitement. "How do we know this is legit?"

Jaeyoung raised an eyebrow and handed the 20 year old three contracts. "There's one for each of you... I think you'll find them satisfactory." She watched as Suim passed out the contracts and smirked when she saw their looks of joy as it sunk in. "I know you will have a lot of questions, but I actually have to go now." She ignored the girls' protests and added, "I have other trainees to recruit." In the surprised silence that followed, Jaeyoung handed each girl a slip of paper. "That's my phone number. Text me or call me with your questions anytime after today." She checked her watch while the girls stared at her, obviously speechless. "Well, I have to go now..."

"Oh, okay. I'll text you." Haena said.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity! I can't wait to discuss this with you some more." Suim beamed at her future manager.

"Goodbye, unnie!" Elly was too happy to resist being affectionate. "Wait, you are my unnie right?"

"Yes, I am." Jaeyoung laughed and then made her way out of the dance studio, waving over her shoulder to the three girls still clumped together in the corner.
 

"No way... It can't be!" Jaemi actually leaned forward to see better. Her next two recruits were sitting side by side on the train she was just about to board. "It must be my lucky day!" Jaemi exclaimed, clasping her hands together and beaming with her good fortune. She was exhausted from searching all over the city for her recruits and had eventually decided to call it a day. It was getting late and Jaemi had decided to take the train home because she couldn't afford a taxi. Little did she know, the very same people she had been looking for would be on her usual train.

Jaemi hurried onto the train and rushed down the aisle, hoping to snag a seat across from her targets. Lady Luck was on her side once again; she managed to slide into the seat just before a preteen male snatched her golden opportunity away from her. The boy glared at her, but moved on to find a different seat without commenting. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jaemi looked up at the girls across from her.

Baek Sujin was looking at her with a look of friendly surprise while Park Kumori was trying not to laugh. Her efforts were pointless because the loud giggle escaped within seconds and she couldn't resist asking, "Did you really want to sit by me that badly?"

Jaemi straightened up and smoothed her hair, smiling at the tomboy and replying, "Actually, I wanted to sit by both of you."

Baek Sujin took the bait and asked, "Why's that?"

"I'm here to be your fairy grandmother-" Jaemi began, but she was interrupted by Kumori.

"I think you meant fairy godmother... You're way too hot to be a grandma." Sujin giggled a little at her seat neighbor's insistent flirting.

"You two want to debut, right?" Jaemi asked, tilting her head to one side playfully.

"How did you know that?" Kumori asked while Sujin said, "Hell yes!"

Jaemi stifled a laugh and replied, "I work for BOAE, a new entertainment company formed by the one and only BoA. She has selected both of you to debut as part of our first girl group."

"Both of us?" Sujin asked, before turning to Kumori and adding, "No offense, I just think it's a crazy coincidence that the person I sat down next to is going to be my future group mate."

"So, you're going to join?" Kumori asked, surprised at how easily her seat neighbor had agreed to join.

"What are talking about? I haven't said anything about whether I'm joining or not."

"Yes, you did. Just now you said that I'm going to be your future group mate!"

"Oh." Sujin paused and a thoughtful look crept onto her face. She turned back to Jaemi who had been silently observing this little interaction and asked, "If I do agree to join, what's in it for me? And what would I need to do? And when would we debut?"

"You'll find the answers to your many questions in your contract." Jaemi answered, with a smile.

"Um, what contracts?" Kumori asked, laughter in her voice.

Jaemi realized she hadn't given them their contracts yet and she blushed. "Oops, I'll get those now." Digging around in her cluttered bag, she finally pulled out two wrinkled pieces of paper. Passing them to the girls', she apologized, "I'm sorry about the paper... I should have been more careful with them."

Sujin laughed in a friendly manner and replied, "As long as I can read it, it's fine with me."

"Aren't you a hot mess." Kumori teased Jaemi.

"Seriously? You're hitting on someone you met minutes ago?" Sujin asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Would you prefer I hit on you? We've known each other for about half an hour." Kumori smirked at her seat neighbor. Sujin didn't answer that and instead turned her attention to her contract. Kumori didn't want to read hers right now, she would wait until later for that. Right now, she more interested in talking about this future group. "So, how many girls will be in this group?"

Jaemi replied, "Nine." Sujin looked up sharply at the number and Kumori's mouth dropped open. Jaemi quickly added, "I know that's a lot of members, but I promise it will be worth it. Think of it like having eight beautiful and talented sisters."

Sujin was still looking shocked, but Kumori had begun to smile. "I think it would be really fun." She said, obviously imagining what it would be like to live with eight goddesses.

The next fifteen minutes of the train ride were far from boring. Sujin would ask questions occasionally when she wasn't reading her contract, Kumori would ask a thousand questions while flirting a little more, and Jaemi would answer all questions honestly with a bright smile.

"Do you ever stop smiling?" Sujin asked eventually, her tone curious rather than rude.

"No." Jaemi replied, with an even bigger smile.

"I think it's adorable." Kumori added, winking at her future manager. Sujin made a faint noise of annoyance at her seat neighbor's incessant flirting.

When the train finally reached it's stop, Jaemi bid farewell to the girls, feeling almost sad to be parting from them. She walked a few meters away and then glanced back out of curiousity. What she saw warmed her heart: Sujin and Kumori were exchanging phones numbers and they were about to part when Sujin pulled the tomboy into a hug. Jaemi didn't need to see anything more, she was content. She could already see a bright future for this group and their bond as friends would help them to succeed.
 

Three days after being assigned her first task as a manager, Jaeyoung still hadn't been able to locate her last recruit. "Kwon Andy... where are you?" She murmured to herself. While wandering around Seoul was pleasant and all, especially with the unexepectedly nice weather, Jaeyoung couldn't help but feel frustrated. She had been hanging around the JYP building for days and had yet to run into Andy. Thinking back to her first three recruits, Jaeyoung wished getting access in JYP Entertainment was as easy getting into Pledis.

Her twin sister, Jaemi, had come home last night bragging about having found her last two recruits. Jaeyoung had laid awake all night worrying about whether or not she would be able to find her last recruit and convince her to join before the deadline. This morning, she had arrived at the JYP building around 5:00 o' clock, hoping to catch Andy before she entered the building for her classes. Either Andy was ditching her lessons or Jaeyoung was just the unluckiest person in Korea.

Jaeyoung was woken from her bitter thoughts by her stomach grumbling. Checking her cell phone, she realized that it was already 1:00 in the afternoon. With a heavy sigh, the young woman picked herself up off the bench she'd been resting on and headed towards a nearby park. There were several great vendors at the park and Jaeyoung didn't want to waste time eating at a restaurant. There was an infectiously positive and calming attitude about the park and when Jaeyoung arrived she immeaditely began to feel better.

After purchasing some food from a friendly vendor, the soon-to-be manager made her into the center of the park to enjoy her small meal. As she was walking past a row of benches, she thought she saw a familiar face. There was a girl sitting on one of the benches, reading a book, that looked almost exactly like Kwon Andy. She had long brown hair that glimmered with a reddish tint when she moved her head into the sunlight. She was completely immersed in her book, open slightly and her eyes wide as if she was at a suspenseful part.

Jaeyoung could hardly believe her eyes and approached the girl cautiously, almost afraid of scaring her off. "Excuse me... Are you Kwon Andy?"

The girl looked up from her book and narrowed her eyes in interest. "Yes, I am. Who's asking?"

Jaeyoung nearly dropped her food in excitement as she rushed over to the bench and sat beside Andy. "My name is Lee Jaeyoung and I will be your future manager!"

"O...kay?" Andy asked, inching away from Jaeyoung ever so slightly, obviously uncomfortable.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I can't even imagine how weird that must have sounded. Can I start over, please?" Jaeyoung wasn't usually this awkward, but she was tired and the long day had made her a little sensitive. When Andy gave a small smile and nodded, she continued, "My name is Lee Jaeyoung and I work for Kwon BoA. Perhaps you've heard of her? She is starting her own entertainment company and wants you to be in her first girl group. I have your contract here," She paused and pulled a carefully folded paper out of her pocket. "Please read over it, sign it, and turn it at BOAE headquaters within the next few days."

Speechless, all Andy could do was take the contract, unfold it, and pretend to read it while she recovered from her shock. As the recuit began actually reading it, Jaeyoung began to eat her long-awaited lunch. They sat in silence for awhile, but it wasn't an awkward silence. When Andy finally finished reading over her contract, she cleared to get Jaeyoung's attention. The manager swallowed her mouthful of food and turned to her recruit. "Well?" She asked, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"I'm in!" Andy spoke right away, shooting Jaeyoung a huge smile.

"Really?!" Jaeyoung's was high-pitched with joy.

"Really." Andy answered. "I'm one of the older trainees at JYP and I have been hoping to debut for over a year now. I've been praying every night for the last month that God would give me the chance to prove myself and now he has... You're the answer to my prayers!" Jaeyoung couldn't help but blush at that and she stared at the ground, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I can't wait to meet the other members... When will we all meet?"

"Probably sometime next week. BoA wants you all move into the dorms as soon as possible, so it shouldn't be too long."

"Ooh, we're going to have a dorm! That makes this feel even more real... All the girl groups have dorms." The trainee was clearly thrilled about the prospect of being in a group. Jaeyoung wished she could share the girl's optimism, but she knew that there were some members who wouldn't be pleased with the idea of a nine member group. Sudden curiousity gripped her as she wondered if BoA had succeeded in recruiting the final member.
 

Ah, the club... One of Hwang Myunyoung's favorite places to be. After a long day of training, the club was exactly where she wanted to go. Beyond ready to blow off some steam and get some well-deserved attention, Myunyoung impatiently asked the taxi driver how soon they would arrive. Gazing at her reflection in the dark window beside her, the 21 year old admired her appearance and felt her desire to party grow even stronger. Perhaps Jiyong would even be there... It had been awhile since they had been together last and Myunyoung had a lot of pent-up ual energy.

Suddenly, the door opposite her opened and another passenger slid into the cab. The stranger, wearing a muffler, sunglasses, and a hat, ignored Myunyoung's protests and told the taxi driver to continue driving. He hesitated until she passed him a wad of cash, removed her sunglasses, and took off her muffler.

"BoA?!" Myunyoung exclaimed, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the infamous soloist. BoA merely responded with a wry smile and the taxi driver took that as confirmation that a celebrity was in his cab. He refused to accept her money, instead asking for an autograph. After BoA had obliged, he began driving once more, still heading in the direction of Myunyoung's favorite club.

"Hello, Myunyoung. I'm here to speak with you about your career." BoA turned to the younger girl, speaking very seriously.

"Uh, what?" Myunyoung was still trying to accept the fact that BoA was sitting next to her, so she didn't really hear what BoA was saying.

"You may have heard that I left SM Entertainment?" She waited until she received a stunned nod before continuing, "I am also opening my own company, BOAE. We will be debuting our first girl group within the next twelve months." She paused watching as Myunyoung's eyes begin to light up with realization. "I would like you to be in that group."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Myunyoung said, the sentence coming out louder than she meant it to. She was just too excited to remember about volume control right now.

"I am not. However, before you become too excited, there are several things I need to address before we can take the next step."

Myunyoung nodded enthusiastically and replied, "Sure, what are they?"

"If you are to join this girl group, you will need to get your act together." BoA warned. "You are a talented rapper and a true beauty, but I cannot have a girl in my group that I can't trust to follow my orders. As an idol, you will have an image to protect, and as a member of a girl group, you must also protect the images of all eight other members." BoA didn't even stop to acknowledge Myunyoung's gasp of shock when she heard how many members there would be. "While there is nothing wrong with going to the club or drinking or even being interested in other girls-" She ignored Myunyoung's second gasp. "You must promise me not to go overboard. Out of all the members, you are the one who must have the least scandals. You will already have the image of the wild, party idol, but if we add a bunch of scandals to that, then your career and the group's career could be ruined. Are we clear?"

The silence that followed that question was louder than anything Myunyoung had ever heard before. She knew that BoA wasn't asking her too much and that this was possibly the best opportunity of her life, but Myunyoung was all about being herself. If she agreed to this, she would have to hide at least a little bit of herself and that felt wrong. Still, the prospect of being in a professional girl group with actual fans and everything was just too much to resist.

"We're clear. Now, where's my contract?"

BoA smiled, really smiled, for the first time since she'd slipped into the car. She handed Myunyoung a perfectly smooth piece of paper. "All nine of you will be moving into your dorm next week, so it may be a good idea to start packing soon."

Myunyoung scanned the contract before slipping it into her purse. She could see the club up ahead, but she had two more questions for her future director. "What will the group be called?"

"Mirage." BoA didn't feel the need to use a lot of extra words when it was a very simple question.

"One more question: I am allowed to go to clubs still, right?" It was clear that she speaking especially about tonight when the taxi driver announced their arrival. BoA gazed at the younger girl in silence for awhile, letting the tension build. She knew that even if she said no, Myunyoung would continue into the club.

BoA finally replied with, "I suppose so."

Myunyoung's lips curved up into a beautiful smile and she stepped out into the chilly night air without another word. As she approached the club and her celebrity boyfriend awaiting her, she found herself thinking only of Mirage and its members, her members.
 

Author's Note:
Hurray! I finally finished the actual first chapter :D Sorry that it took so long and that it isn't the best quality... I was really tired by the time I wrote the last half of this >.< To Dambi's creator: I hope you enjoyed reading the best friend scene because I sure enjoyed writing it ^.^ To Elly, Haena, and Suim's creators: I hope this scene was acceptable for you girls, because I personally really liked this scene (especially their awkward first meeting). To Kumori and Sujin's creators: I hope that I didn't change your character's too much, but I really liked the idea of Rio flirting too much and Sujin trying to get her to stop xD To Myunyoung's creator: your character was the special one that had to be handled by BoA because of her rebellious attitude and party animal lifestyle xD To everyone: When it comes to writing an applyfic, the characters will never be exactly the same as the applications you send in to me. I hope you enjoyed the way I portrayed your girls' and I hope you will continue to anticipate more chapters ^.^ Please comment below, I love hearing feedback :D Also, to those of you who don't have characters in this storry, but are still reading it anyways... I love you all and appreciate your support ^.^ Please subscribe, upvote, and/or comment... I promise I'll love you forever if you do xD Sorry for any typos.... Again, I'm really exhausted right now and I will fix any mistakes tomorrow :) I'll probably also make this chapter look better tomorrow, too, but for now, I hope you enjoy the words alone xD