Chapter 7 – Spiteful Retaliation

The Laboum Music Show was quickly approaching and everyone was feeling a mix of nervousness, excitement, and eagerness. Currently the Petit Macaron, Pitter Pat, and Red Velvet cabins are all gathered at the stage that was set up specifically for the event.

The girls and their counselors were taking turns getting familiar with the equipment and deciding what they would want for their stage performance like hand mics or headsets, colored lights or plain lights, and plenty more other decisions that needed to be made. The cabins have already chosen their set song and dance that they will be performing and now the only thing left is to practice all the way until the day of the show.

The Petit Macaron cabin was the first to finish their final choices on their performances and were now waiting for the other two cabins to finish. Solbin sat in front of Yulhee and Haein as the other two tried to help her put on her headset, the stupid thing kept slipping and Solbin wasn't even sure if she was putting it on correctly.

"Why is this thing not staying still? Where's the adjustment for this thing and the long cord is annoying," mumbled Yulhee as the headset fell off again anytime Solbin would move her head.

Haein who was holding back Solbin's hair, looked at her struggling girlfriend with a sigh, "I'm telling you we can just use tape since it just keeps slipping."

Yulhee pouts, "But I don't have any tape. Solbin, do you know if counselor Yujeong has any?"

At the mention of her crush's name she feels a jolt run through her for a brief second. She's not used to feeling this way and it surprises her how just the mention of Yujeong's name can have this effect on her but Solbin looks up and her eyes immediately pick out Yujeong from the other side of the stage, Yujeong was talking, more like arguing, with Soyeon about some matter concerning the lights or curtains, "I think she's busy right now…"

"Oh maybe we can-"

A roll of tape was suddenly presented right before Yulhee's face, stopping her from talking. Solbin tensed up as she turned around to see what caused Yulhee to cut off. It was Jinye, holding the roll of tape in front of Yulhee.

Solbin, Haein, and Yulhee sat there startled as they stared at the roll of tape in Jinye's hand.

Quickly becoming annoyed at the three blankly staring girls, Jinye snapped, "Didn't you say you wanted tape? Are you going to take it or what?"

Solbin, Haein, and Yulhee blinked.

The trio couldn't believe what they were seeing or hearing. Was this for real or is this some sort of trap?

Jinye rolled her eyes, "Whatever, if you three want to be weird that's not my problem," Leaving the tape on the ground, Jinye walked away to rejoin her cabin.

When Haein was sure that Jinye was out of hearing range, she picked up the tape, "What was that about?"

"She actually helped us?" questioned Yulhee in disbelief, "I wasn't even sure she even knew the meaning behind that word."

Haein nodded in agreement, "That's what I thought too but maybe she got over her bitterness? I mean she hasn't picked a fight or yelled at anyone for a while already, the camp probation probably scared her and now she has to be civil to everyone."

"Hmmm, yeah that probably explains it," replies Yulhee before she takes the tape out of Haein's hand and breaks off a piece to tape Solbin's headset cord down on the back of her shirt, "At least Jinye won't be bullying Solbin anymore. Now we can focus on better things don't you think Solbin?"

"Yeah…" Solbin glances over at the Pitter Pat cabin where she spots Jinye surprisingly sitting quietly among her cabin mates who are still trying to decide if they want their stage lights to be colored or plain, but for some odd reason Solbin can't shake the feeling that there's more to Jinye's behavior. Jinye isn't someone who will be scared off because of possible punishments, she loves attention whether it's good or bad - she wants all eyes on her. She's confident in herself but Solbin will give her the benefit of the doubt since after all people can change right? Maybe the unsettling feelings are just from being scared of Jinye for so long…

Jinye is quietly half listening to her other Pitter Pat members as she puts most of her attention to something much more pressing. She's looking at the top of the stage where the large spotlights are connected into the metal bars that hold them up, her eyes follow the wires that come out of the spotlights and wind over the metal bars until it drapes down to the side right next to the cord for the curtain. The two look very similar to each other, no one could possibly tell the difference between the two cords… A closer look to both show that there was a small paper taped to the cords to tell them apart but those can both be easily taken off. An idea pops into Jinye's mind and she smirks, 'This is going to be so easy, I guess Solbin will get what's coming to her much sooner than I originally thought.'

As the Laboum Music Show practice continues, Jinye further develops her plan while Petit Macaron finish up their last practice for the day. The girls in Petit Macaron sit back stage to take a break as they exchange places with Pitter Pat who is up next to practice, Red Velvet is last to practice since their group is the smallest and are currently setting up the chairs for the audience with their counselor.

Jinye decides this is her perfect opportunity to play out her plan as she lags a little behind her group, when she's sure that there isn't anyone noticing her, she rips the two labels for the curtain and the lights off and switches them. 'Phase one finished now on to phase two. If I injure Yujeong, Solbin will have no one she can hide behind and she'll be too devastated to even get on stage, I can even get rid of her two annoying friends next. Then when Petit Macaron sees that Solbin is a nuisance she can just suffer in her own self hate.'

Jinye quickly catches up to the rest of her group as they begin to set up for their performance practice, she sees their counselor Sojin at the controls to set up the lighting. 'Perfect, everything just seems to be working in my favor today.'

"Counselor Sojin! I think we need to close the curtains so it can be more like a real performance," announced Jinye as she points towards the two cords on the side of the stage.

The others in Pitter Pat are surprised at the sudden announcement but don't mind it.

Sojin looks up and nods her head, "Okay!