- January 2013 -

It was a big day for Soon Hwa. For the past two weeks, she has been diligently preparing for the big photoshoot and interview they will host for Girls' Generation. Within that time frame, she realized that the four glittery creatures she met at the coffee shop would end up to be the same people who would help her advance her career.

There was a moment of agony when it dawned on her and she can only hope and pray that those glittery creatures would soon forget her existence and they can start anew.

'I can't believe I even gave that girl Hyoyeon, an attitude,' she mumbled as she walked the hallways towards the studio, oblivious of her surroundings and falling deaf to any other sound except for her own thoughts. 'How do they even expect me to connect the dots back then. She looked so different from Oh! era compared to now...' she sighed.

It was approximately 25 minutes until the designated call time but already, the studio was buzzing with people. Apparently, all nine girls have already arrived and was now preparing for the shoot and interview. Shocked and unprepared, she turned around, making way for her escape when somebody shouted for her.

'Unnie! Unnie!'

As the only other person there (apart from their very own manager and a number of personal stylist), she was expected to acknowledge the group. Reluctantly, she went and greeted their guests.

'Good morning. On behalf of our team, we would like to thank you for accepting our invitation for you to participate in our anniversary magazine release. Thank you and have a great day.'

Before she can completely exit the room and delay the meeting, Hyoyeon grabbed her arm and grinned at the older lady. 'Unnie! You don't remember me?!' she asked excitedly as she waved at Sooyoung and YoonA to join her.

The struggle was real. Soon Hwa could only nod her head as she tried to pull away from Hyoyeon's grip. Unsuccessfully, she found herself surrounded by the other girls and now she felt like dying.

'I... I apologize for the last time...'

Sooyoung nudged Soon Hwa's shoulder playfully. 'Nah... It's cool! Weird as it may seem, it was a great experience in a way.'

'Hyoyeon unnie kept on talking about it since the encounter. You don't know how ecstatic she was when she found out earlier that you were involved in this project,' Yoona supplemented, smiling.

'You didn't see me at the hallway?' the blonde asked curiously.

Honestly, Soon Hwa was too preoccupied that she lost track of her surroundings. The stress from her relatives, her work and now from these glittery creatures have numbed her. Again, Soon Hwa can only manage to shake her head.

'Okay, let's set up!' the lead photographer shouted to her relief. Good luck was still on her side.

'Alright, time for work. We'll catch you later!'

It was the part that she was dreading the most. Since she'll be assisting in writing the article for this photoshoot as a test ground to make her the new copy editor, she was obliged to be around the girls. Asking them questions and interacting with them as if it was the most amazing experience ever.

Of course it wasn't.

Not after the mishap that happened between them. And judging by the way they looked, they were clearly the type of people she can never really associate with at all.

Despite that, she was surprised how all nine girls worked professionally. They listened to the instructions very well and executed everything that was asked from them perfectly. They have their own opinion and suggested different points that could be improved in the photoshoot.

Soon Hwa found herself immersed. Even slipping a few heaps of laughter as the girls joked around in between. She also noted that they have a great sense of fashion but above that, they know how to relate with people. They weren't stuck up as what she had expected initially. Before she knows it, she was charmed.

It was about 2 hours when the photoshoot ended. There were a lot of amazing group pictures as well as solo shots. She was suddenly saddened how almost 95% of the shots taken wouldn't even make it in the 10 page cover feature for the girls. But it's not her job to stress over it when the next thing they have to do after a short break was the interview.

Earlier, Soon Hwa didn't mean to stay longer than a few minutes during the photoshoot. She just wanted to gather enough material to write later but since she was already too caught up, it became harder for her to leave the room now and stay hidden.

'Unnie!' Sooyoung and Hyoyeon shouted as they ran towards her from across the room. Behind them were Jessica and Sunny. Well, if her memory serves her right since they looked different especially with their new hairstyles.

Sunny has a pink hair. Come on.
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