~EPISODE 2, PART 2~          

(July 28th, 2014. 12:02pm KST)

At YG Entertainment, loud music blasted in one of the practice rooms. Cameras ventured inside to see all 12 of the EQSOL members in there, huddled up and talking to everyone. Unlike the previous times, all of the girls were completely serious and focused, not a single goofy smile on their faces. Soon they broke out of their huddle and divided up into two teams, similar to when filming started only without the Butterfly members.

“Alright, guys. Let's start off with the “Unite” formation.” said Roza just as she pressed the play button on the player before running to her spot. As the beat kicked in the girls started to perform the routine from when the cameras first came to interview them minus the Butterfly portions which made it shorter. It was still as powerful as seeing it the first time leaving the camera workers in continued awe. When the track and routine ended, another song started. It had a soft and calming melody to it. The girls then transitioned into using more lyrical and jazz influenced motions, focusing on straight lines and fluid extensions. The choreo wasn’t as hard and complex as the previous number but it was nice to watch, having a very pretty and delicate femininity to it.

“What song is that?” Youngsook asked, not knowing where she heard it from.

“That is the instrumental for our debut song.” Jaylen answered with a smile.

“Oh, now that’s exciting!” exclaimed the reporter.

Roza nodded. “Yeah, it’s time to really buckle down and prepare for the big day.”

“Gigi-unnie choreographed the dance and I really like it.” Eunkyung explained. “It goes with the feel of the song and it’s much easier for us non-dancer line members to keep up with. Sometimes when it’s Sey-unnie or Serena, sometimes Roza, choreographing, I feel like they are plotting death.” she said.

Roza chuckled, slightly guilty. “I guess we do go a little overboard.” she admitted. “But it’s for a good cost. Our second routine is really complicated and uses every ounce of our dancer strength but it is really cool!”

“You’re already preparing another routine?” Youngsook asked, surprised.

“Our plan is to promote 3 singles, interchangeably, when we debut.” Seyoung announced and both Youngsook’s eyebrows lifted.

“Three singles at once? That’s really above and beyond.”

“Sajangnim wanted us to do something similar to our big sister group, 2NE1, where we promote different tracks simultaneously.” Seulhye explained. “Even though it’ll be a true challenge, the singles show a few of our different colors as a group. One track is soft with a lyrical melody, the next is sensual and y with a very mellowed sound, and the next is also y but upbeat with a kind of club vibe to it.”

“It’ll let our fans and viewers experience something different from us while we promote.” Cassie added.

“Wow, that sounds like a really good idea.” Youngsook nodded, impressed. “Fighting!” she said as the cameras panned back to the girls in the practice room.

(July 28th, 2014. 3:56pm KST)

After nearly 4 hours of dance practice, they switched over to vocal practice, only a few were messing around.

“The falling leaves drift down the window.” Yuna began to joke around singing the lyrics to “Autumn Leaves”, a hit song from the 1940s and popularized by Nat King Cole. “The autumn leaves of red and gold.”

“I see your lips, the summer kisses.” Eunkyung joined in with her superb English pronunciation, which impressed the new camera crew. “The sun-burned hands I used to hold.”

“Ah, so the jukebox twins strike again.” Jaylen smiled.

“Jukebox twins?” asked the reporter.

“Yuna and I were born on the same day, December 6th, 1994, so that’s the “twins” part.” Eunkyung started to explain. “The jukebox part comes from us singing and listening to a lot of old songs, decades before our time.” she said while laughing.

“My dad is a huge music lover and he is the reason I listen to vintage classics. We even have a collection of old vinyl records and a few record players back home. From Chuck Berry, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, the Ronettes, Dionne Warwick, Teresa Teng, Hibari Misora and so, so, so many more artists from back in the day, I grew up listening to them.” Yuna explained, pictures of the artist popping up as she named them. “Eunkyung is really curious in nature so she’s always interested in learning about new things. She even introduced me to the world of Korean trot music and Yoon Simdeok. Since then we randomly click on videos and listen to different songs.” she giggled.

“Okay, let’s go a little more modern.” Jaylen said, holding up an imaginary remote control. “Change~!”

“Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game.” Eunkyung sang, blessing the viewers with some Britney Spears from 2000. “Oh baby, baby!”

“Oops you think I’m in love. That I’m sent from above.” Yuna added.

“I’m not that innocent!” they sang together.

“Okay, okay, I want some 90s hits now!” exclaimed Roza holding up the remote. “Change~!”

“I’ve got the stuff that you want! I’ve got the things that you need!” Eunkyung sang the lyrics to Queen of the Night, Whitney Houston’s 1992 Bodyguard hit. Roza started clapping her hands, happy with the Whitney choice. “I’ve got more than enough to make you drop to your knees!”

“‘Cause I’m the queen of the night!” Yuna sang.

“Queen of the night!”

“Queen of the night!” Yuna repeated, this time pointing her microphone at her sisters.

“Queen of the night!”

“Oh yeah, Oh yeah. Oh yeah~!” the two main vocals sang, showing the power of the “YuKyung” vocal runs.

“Okay, let’s stick to the 90s glory, I’m feelin’ it.” Serena smiled before “clicking” the remote. “Change~!” She expected some Mariah Carey or TLC, not what happened next.

“!!!” Yuna sang in her best operatic tone while singing in German, probably with the worst pronunciation to ever exist but it was still German. She was still the Queen of the Night as well as she, to the best of her ability, sang the iconic Mozart aria from “The Magic Flute”. Eunkyung just tilted her head with an amused smile, unable to piggyback for the moment since this was German. Serena threw her head back, hands covering her face. Seulhye proceeded to die of laughter as she laid in Serena’s lap.

“The beauty of it all is that it is the 90s...1790s but still the 90s.” Yueqin laughed before slow clapping. “Ah, troll supreme.”

“I hate her so much.” Serena said in pure disappointment, Yuna going slightly off key as she tried not to laugh.

“Okay this is nice and all but I can only take so much opera.” Jaylen said ready to “change” the station but Seyoung held her hand down.

“Wait, we have to see if she’s strong enough to do the part.” said the elegant co-leader as she looked towards her Crystal member, who had her eyes closed and hands on her hips while walking around trying to keep up the notes. She then started to do the difficult, acrobatic vocal sprints and the girls clapped trying to be supportive. She sounded good, you would think that she’s had a few opera lessons but the way that her fair skin flushed a bright red and sweat prickled her forehead, showed her true struggle of not being an opera protege. Yuna couldn’t even finish the song as she leaned over trying to catch her breath, Eunkyung patting her back.

“It’s gonna take me a few years to recover from that.” the emotional main vocal said breathlessly, a tad bit dramatic in her statement. “You try, Kyungie.” Yuna suggested to her fellow jukebox twin as she went to grab a water bottle that Gigi offered to her. Eunkyung inhaled and began singing the aria in the loveliest gibberish (queue howls of laughter from the others) while staying on key. She was able to stick with the pacing of the song but after the first half she started coughing, Yuna patting her shoulder with a smile, offering her some water, as the others snickered.

“Okay, guys. Before we lose all of our main vocals, let's get to practicing.” Seyoung said before sitting up from the bench, the other members following her lead without further question as they began to practice their upcoming songs.

(July 28th, 2014. 10:53pm KST)

It’s now late into the evening and the practice room is pretty empty aside from a lone figure dancing in the room. With long extensions, straight lines, fluid motions, and graceful posture, Gigi glided across the room to the classical track in the background.

The track finished and Gigi hunched over while breathing heavy, she then straightened up, placing one hand on her stomach with the other on her hip. Her hair and face drenched in sweat added on to the fact that she was makeup-less but there was a certain endearance to it that you couldn’t put into words but it was there.

“Gigi-ssi, you are such a beautiful dancer. I get such chills watching everyone dance but especially you.” Youngsook complimented and Gigi became a little shy at her words, not really one for taking compliments well.

“Thank you. The members say I’m the number one ballerina in EQSOL but I feel I can always improve.” Gigi answered.

“You’re so humble.” Youngsook smiled. “When I see you dance I feel so enthralled and inspired by you. I can just tell how much you love to dance.”

“I really do love to dance and I try my best, not only for me but for my members and...my family.”

“Your family must encourage you alot, huh?”

“Yes they do, especially my older sister.”

(Back in the practice room with Gigi...a few moments before)

Gigi was in the middle of doing pirouettes when her tablet started to beep. She walked over to her bag and rummaged through it, pulling out the device she needed. Seeing that it was a FaceTime request, she answered it and came face to face with her older sister, Lee Hyerim.

“Unnie! How are you?” Gigi answered excitedly as she sat on the bench, clear excitement on her face from speaking to her older sister.

“Gigi-gigi-gi~! I’m fine.” said Hyerim. “Are you doing okay? My senses tell me that you aren’t resting up in the dorm.” she said. Gigi was 1000% sure her sister was psychic…

“I’m not actually at the dorms. I’m still practicing my technique.”

Hyerim sighed. “Oh, Gigi. Have you, at the very least, eaten anything? Are you drinking enough water? Did you tape your feet correctly?” she asked.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that you were mom.” Gigi responded. Her worrisome mother called her atleast twice a day to see if she ate or what not. Hyerim really took after her. “I’m taped up correctly and I just drank some water? I am kind of hungry though but it’s no big deal.”

“Gigi, dancers aren’t meant to not eat. You need the fuel.” Hyerim chastised. “Go down to the nearest convenience store and get you some bibimbap and rice cakes. Now.”

“How did I get stuck with two mothers…” Gigi said offhandedly.

“Ha. Ha...Ha.” Hyerim laughed sarcastically. “I’m serious though, little sister. Don’t push yourself over the edge.”

“I won’t. I promise you, I’ll go eat right after I’m done talking to you.” Gigi assured. “I just wanted to perfect my solo choreo.”

“Can I see it?” Hyerim asked her suddenly. “Maybe I can help you and spot the things you miss.” she asked and Gigi nodded.

“Okay.” said the lyrical lead as she propped the tablet up against the wall and grabbed the remote for the music player. Clicking the device on and playing the track, Gigi got into her starting pose but not even a second after Hyerim criticized.

“Point your toes more. Also make sure to hold the proper posture but don’t stiffen your stances, it’ll make you look uncomfortable. Also relax your face, I don't want you to look constipated.”

Gigi laughed. “Already?! Geez!” she smiled, Hyerim and the camera crew chuckling as well. The lyrical lead then replayed the track and got into her stance, a little loosened up thanks to Hyerim’s advice. As the song “Stars” by Grace Porter filled the room, Gigi began to glide across the room like a feather in the wind. It was truly amazing how she flipped from being EQSOL’s goofy, random 4D “lieutenant cucumber” to such a beautifully graceful dancer. With the perfection of every leap, every turn, and every bit of spectacular footwork alongside her raw emotion, you couldn't but to love the girl’s choreography. Soon her routine came to an end and after finishing, she gave a big smile. “My leaps still aren't as good as yours but I’ve…” Gigi suddenly paused and looked at her sister who was crying. “Unnie! Why are your eyes are leaking?” she asked, speeding over to crouch down in front of the tablet.

“It's nothing. Really it's not!” Hyerim assured as she wiped her eyes, smiling to her sister softly. “I've never really noticed how great you are. I'm so proud of you.” she complimented and it literally meant the world to Gigi hearing her sister say such. “You’ve really worked hard, huh? It really shows, more than I could've imagined.”

“I'm carrying the spirit of two.” Gigi smiled.

“The spirit of two? What does that mean?” asked the reporter.

“My big sister was a dedicated ballerina and she was absolutely amazing.” Gigi began, a slight somberness in her tone but it wasn't completely noticeable. “Unfortunately years ago, right before I started high school, Hyerim-unnie was in an accident that caused her to lose the ability to walk. She's now wheelchair bound.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Youngsook responded, not expecting to hear something so sad come from the girl.

“It was sad to see it happen because she's my sister and because the world lost one of the most talented dancers I've ever seen.” Gigi stated honestly. “But it also made me want to get better at dancing so my sister can see me dance and feel at...peace. So that's why I practice even harder than necessary because, and it might sound silly, I carry the heart of 2 dancers.”

“You always say that like a dork.” Hyerim laughed with a slight sniffle. “I don't want to keep bothering you and keeping you from your practice so I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay.” Gigi grinned before waving to the screen. “Bye, unnie~!”

“Bye. Make sure you eat!” Hyerim said in parting.

“Okie dokie!” Gigi chuckled before disconnecting the line. She placed the tablet back into her bag before standing back up. The lyrical lead stretched her limbs, feeling newly invigorated after speaking to her sister and ready to truly perfect her piece. Gigi walked onto the dance floor poised to turn on the music player when the door suddenly opened.

(Who could that be?)

“Gigi, Gigi-unnie, unnie, unnie~!” sang Yuna followed by Serena and Yueqin, all dressed in dark sweat gear. “The cool people crew has arrived and we come with food.”

“You came all the way from the dorm for me?” Gigi asked feeling touched. “You didn’t have to.”

Serena shook her head. “It’s no big deal, we had some late night cravings ourselves and thought of you. We know that you get so in the zone when dancing that you forget to eat.” she explained as Yuna walked up to the taller girl with a wrap and drink in hand. “We got chicken avocado wraps for you and brought you a vitamin water since we know you don’t want to eat anything too heavy while dancing. We bought three in case you needed more.” Yuna placed it up to the girl’s mouth and Gigi happily took a bite out of it before grabbing it and the water bottle.

“Thank you.” the eldest thanked the trio as she began to eat. Yuna and Serena went to sit on the bench and pulled out a tub of ice cream and some chips as they laid against each other. Gigi tilted her head to the side. “Is that really what you’re going to eat? And at such a late hour as well?”

“Hey, hey, no!” Serena said while holding up a finger. “Our happiness is junk food okay? Don’t question our happiness!” she defended, Yuna feeding her a spoonful of ice cream causing her face to show pure bliss which made Gigi smile.

“Unnie, can we work on our routine?” Yueqin asked, suddenly.

“Sure!” Gigi responded eagerly. “We haven’t worked on it in a while.” she finished eating her sandwich and took a swig of her water before sitting it down by the mirror. Yueqin did a few light stretches and changed into the right shoes before walking over to Gigi. “Are you ready?”

“Yep!” the pink haired girl nodded before Gigi played the track. Soon drums filled the dance area, the instrumental giving of a dark and slow, hip hop vibe. Gigi did multiple graceful extensions and turns around Yueqin while the younger did very delicate spins. Right down to the somewhat evil facial expressions, Gigi gave off a very powerful performance compared Yueqin as if she was taunting her.

“You guys are so creative. What do you call this piece?” asked Youngsook.

“It’s called Push & Pull.” Yueqin answered with a smile. “It’s about being in a situation where you pulled in different directions and not sure of what to do about it.”

“Oh, what inspired you two to make this routine?”

“Some of us have been in situations where we had to make tough decisions that weren’t agreed upon by everyone we’re close to.” Yueqin stated. For me, I’ve always had a different outlook on the world when I was growing that made me kind of clash with my parents. It wasn’t me trying to be disrespectful but it was just that I wanted to experiment and be different. The first step was me dying my hair pink a few years ago which didn’t go well with my parents but they became...okay with it, I guess. But when I told them that I wanted to be an entertainer, they were completely against it, especially my mother. I know a lot of bad things were said between us but I chose to follow my dream and came to Korea. I haven’t talked to my parents since then.”

“I honestly understand what Yueqin in going through.” Yuna said. “I didn’t really have the blessing from my parents, especially my mother. My mom is a surgeon and my dad is an accountant who owns his own firm, they thrive off of and believe in have a “normal” career over one in cut throat entertainment industry. My brothers are in the entertainment industry in Asia, one being an actor and the other a music producer, and went through the same problems with my parents but it was even worse for me. Since I did really well in school and even got into ivy leagues back in America, my parents wanted me to get a degree and have a normal job with a certain future. But my passion is singing.” she explained, honestly. “Eventually, I was able to convince them to let me train in Asia, with the condition of me going to college, but now they accept my choice and support me wholeheartedly. I wished that, maybe some point in the future, there will be some sort of understanding and support from Yueqin’s family because family is important and it...I don’t know, feels like a relief to have that support.”

“Even though I don’t have the support of my parents, I do have my grandparents support.” Yueqin said with a soft smile. “That’s enough for me right now.”

Yueqin soon danced with a graceful power, rivaling Gigi’s own dancing. It was like she stood up to the force holding her back from all the the forces that tried to bring her down. Gigi and Yueqin did a bunch of fast paced motions around each other, their small audience glued to their forms until the very end where they had their backs faced to one another, postures both strong and graceful. Being the supportive middle members, Serena and Yuna applauded the display mouths partially stuffed with their snacks.

“Even better than last time!” Serena said. “Even though I’m not really a ballet expert, the only critique I have is that Yueqin your posture is...slouched? I think that’s the right term, right?”

“Rena’s right.” Gigi nodded. “I noticed out of the corner of my eye that you’re back wasn’t straight and shoulders were slouched.” she told the younger.

“Ah, okay.” Yueqin nodded, immediately trying to get her posture to be flawless.

Gigi smiled. “Should we try it again?”

Yueqin nodded, determined. “Yeah.” and so they did, practicing for a few more hours, all the way until the early morning hours.

(July 30th, 2014. 1:13pm KST)

(We return to YG Entertainment and enter one of the recording studios with one of the groups.)

Jaylen, Gigi, Eunkyung, and Seulhye gathered in the room for a recording session. The leader really taking control and sitting behind the controls as each entered the recording booth.

“Alright let's take it from the top with your parts, Gigi.” Jaylen said through the microphone to communicate with the lead dancer in the booth.

“Okay!”

“Now is this song for the EQSOL album? Did the other members finish their part?” Youngsook asked curiously.

Eunkyung shook her head. “No this is for our debut album as our smaller, original group Blossom.”

“Before YG and Hiro decided on doing the EQSOL project, we all trained to debut in smaller groups - Yilin, Roza and Chariya make up Spark, Serena and Cassie are in Dusk, and Sey, Yuna, and Yueqin make up Crystal. We were in these groups for close to 2 years before we trained as twelve so EQSOL is actually our large subunit to us even though it’ll be seen as the opposite to others.”

Gigi finished her portion of that song and Jaylen paused the music. “How was that?” the lead dancer asked.

“That was your best take and I think it sounded good.” Jaylen responded, Gigi nodding as she took off her headphones. When Jaylen instructed Gigi to leave the booth the door to their studio opened. The girls turned and see who it could be.

(The mystery guest was…or should they say “guests”...)

In walked Dong Youngbae and Lee Seunghyun, more commonly known as Big Bang’s Taeyang and Seungri, ⅖ of their most prominent sunbaes. The girls stood immediately in the presence of their seniors.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” the four greeted in unison, bowing respectfully. They were being good dongsaeng but what threw the crew off was the shocked expressions from the two males.

“You guys are never this respectful. It’s scary.” said Seungri, teasingly. The Blossom members put embarrassed hands in front of their faces as a way to hide their smiles. “Especially Jaehwa-yah, she’s always like “wassup, bro or mate” around us. This isn’t like her at all.” added the Big Bang maknae, fully enjoying embarrassing the EQSOL leader.

“Mianhaeyo, I’ll be more mellow.” Jaylen assured as she cleared . “‘Sup?” she asked, simply and informally, and the others chuckled at her change.

“Are you working on the last track of the Blossom album?” asked Youngbae as he walked over to the control board. Jaylen then sat down back in her seat behind the controls.

“Yeah, we’re on the last track.” she assured. “Seulhye’s up now.”

“Okay!” said the youngest while walking into the booth, putting her headphones on. Jaylen played the track and Seulhye started to cutely dance to it.

“Ahh, kyeopta~!” Seungri gushed, even more so when she started to sing while being true to her “cute” lead vocal position.

“She’s everything but that.” said Eunkyung and Seungri turned to her.

“What do you mean?! Maknaes are always the cutest.” he defended being a maknae himself. Youngbae rolled his eyes knowing how the member of his group was full of crap. Jaylen stopped the track and the mic to talk to her lead vocal.

“Your vocals are a little off, Seulhye.” Jaylen told her, seriously. “You have to be more stable.”

“Remember to take small breaths while you’re singing, it’ll make your breath sound more even.” Youngbae interjected.

“Yeah, what oppa said.” Jaylen chimed in and the group chuckled. “From the top!”

“Okay!” Seulhye ready to finish the rest of her part in the song.

“Do you get a lot of help from your sunbaes?” Youngsook asked from seeing the interaction.

“Yes, we do get a lot of help from them!” Jaylen nodded.

“We have so much respect for all of our YG sunbaes, and we especially look up to 2NE1 and Big Bang. They started off as being not the most popular but became one of the most iconic artist in Kpop who have achieved a lot globally and we can learn a lot from them. When they offer to help us out with producing our own music, we feel really grateful for it.”

“YG has always told us to gain a sense of control over our craft, to polish and perfect it.” Youngbae explained. “It really helps, especially when I look at my own group, in the long run.”

(We move on to a different recording studio with a different group, one that was slightly smaller.)

Seyoung, Yuna, and Yueqin were holding guitars in their laps, tuning them while sitting in a makeshift huddle with Seyoung sitting in across from the two youngest.

“Okay, I think we’re all set.” Seyoung said, before looking towards Yueqin. “You remember the cords right?”

“Yep!” the youngest nodded confidently.

“Okay, let’s go!” Yuna exclaimed. She then began to play a familiar tune, Eyes, Nose, Lips by their sunbae Taeyang, before her other two members followed. “Mianhae, mianhae, hajima. Naega chorahaeji janha. Ppalgan yeppeun ipsullo eoseo nareul jugigo ga. Naneun gwenchanha.”

“Majimageuro nareul barabwa jwo, ameurochi anheun deut useojwo. Nega bogo sipeun ttae, giokhal su itge. Naui meori soge ne eolgul geuroul su itge.” Seyoung sang while strumming.

“Neol baneul su omneun naui yokshimi, jibchatgi dweeo neol gadwotgo. Hoksi ireon na ttaeme himdeoreotni amu daebap eomneun neo.” Yueqin sang but stopped playing briefly, forgetting the next chords which made the two older girls chuckle. “Ah!” she exclaimed cutely before she continued to strum. “Babocheoreom wae neoreul jiuji mothae. Neon tteonabeoryeotneunde~!”

The three then harmonized beautifully for the chorus while playing the guitars. They gave off a feel of being an acoustic band which was very impressive.

“You guys know how to play instruments?” Youngsook asked.

“Seyoung-unnie and Yuna know how to play multiple. I'm still learning but I'm getting better.” Yueqin nodded. “I’m learning to play the guitar and piano, I'm better at the guitar though.”

“Maybe we'll have a band concept one day, who knows?” Seyoung shrugged. “I think it would be cool since I was in a band back in the day so I’d be up for it.”

“Ooh, a band would be cool!” Yuna gasped. “We do really well with a whole acoustic set up, despite our concept leaning more towards electronic.”

“I guess your listeners can anticipate an experimental Crystal then!” Youngsook smiled. The trio finished playing the song and Yuna immediately clapped for the youngest.

“You did really well! That’s your second song you made it through.” said the main vocal. “I’m proud of my pink meimei.”

“Yeah, only one hiccup this go round. I’m impressed.” Seyoung added.

Yueqin smiled. “Thanks. I’m starting to feel a little more confident in my playing.”

Seyoung then propped the guitar back onto her knee. “Alright for the next-”

(Knock, knock, knock)

“We’re busy.” Seyoung told the person at the door. “We don’t want any.” she deadpanned, making the younger members laugh.

“So mean.” Yueqin said with a shake of her head. Soon, the door cracked open and...Kwon Jiyong poked his head in, the one and only G-Dragon, followed by his fellow members Choi Seunghyun and Daesung.

“Seyoung-ah...you’re so cold.” Jiyong sighed and the elegant leader just blinked at him nonchalantly.

“Well, you shouldn’t be interrupting our practice schedule. We don’t ruin yours with stupid unexpected visits.” Seyoung mumbled and the three Big Bang members put hands to their chests, staring at her in shock.

Yuna snickered shoving her leader’s shoulder slightly, ready to do damage control since they’re being filmed. “Big Bang-sunbaenim, annyeonghaseyo! Excuse my unnie, she’s cranky and stressed. We’re all stressed. I mean, we debut in a few weeks. You guys understand, right?”

“I guess we understand. Most people would be a little less scary but...we’ll let it slide.” Jiyong sighed out. “What are you guys working on?”

“We’re just doing some guitar lessons with maknae!” Yuna told them. “Not sure when we’ll actually use these talents since someone is writing, composing, directing, and creating everything for us but you know...life.” she added on with a bright smile towards Jiyong and he could feel the sarcasm and annoyance laced behind it.

“Geez, I’m really getting hammered today.” Jiyong chuckled nervously. “I told you to do it my way then we'll go from there.”

“And I'm just respectfully telling you, Jiyongie-oppa, that when your sound doesn't do so hot, we'll be here ready to rebrand and rebuild.” Yuna told him and her group members smiled.

“What did you mean when you said that?” Youngsook questioned.

“Well Crystal was formed because Gdragon-sunbaenim wanted to form his own girl group.”

“He wants us to be like the Japanese trio, Perfume, who have a strong electronic sound and are very dance oriented.” Sey explained. “Upfront, there will be a lot of lip syncing from us to come in the future since we'll have a robotic sound.”

“And we really like and admire Perfume and we like synthpop as dancers but...as a vocal group, it's not the sound we wanted, honestly.” Yueqin explained. “ Plus we thrive off of creative freedom and we don't want to end up like Perfume where they can't write their own songs despite begging to do so.”

“Like we’d would definitely try different genres but Seyoung-unnie has a very bluesy, gritty rock sound to her and likes grunge and metal music, Yueqin loves pop and jazz, and my roots lie in R&B, soul, and acoustic folk music.” Yuna continued to explain. “As Crystal, we want the Perfume longevity and legacy but with our own sound.”

“Wow that seems like a tough spot to be in.” Youngsook stated honestly.

“Yeah but we'll push forward. If this doesn't work we'll change things up but if it does work, we'll try to come to a happy medium. That's the deal we made.”

“You seem so sure that this concept won't work.” Jiyong sighed.

“I feel it won’t. In general, Japan doesn’t like or buy techno music. It took years before Perfume got any recognition. The type of music that is favored between us is soft, pop rock which Sey likes, folk and acoustic which I like, and sweet, poppy songs like what Yueqin likes, and ballads, ballads, ballads.” Yuna listed off.

“The only people who can put out different experimental things are the established groups with huge, loyal fan bases, which is what we don’t have...especially not in Japan.” Yueqin further explained.

“You’re setting us up for failure.” Sey deadpanned and Jiyong gasped.

“I am not!”

Youngsook chuckled a bit. “They’re very honest with you, GDragon-ssi.”

“A little too honest.” Jiyong sighed. “They even criticize my fashion choices but that’s our relationship. I’m both their creative director and oppa so we’re close in more ways than one. They’re an extension of me and I’m the one they look up to.”

“So how do you feel knowing that they aren’t the biggest fans of this concept they’re going to debut with?”

“We’re just going to play it by ear and see what happens.” Jiyong nodded. “They’re really talented and pull it off well so we’ll see the results. But I’ll definitely think of a way to please everyone involved in the future, we just need to give this a chance for now.”

“So you’re doing guitar practice right now? What comes after that?” Jiyong asked.

“Nothing. We could just go home for the day.” Seyoung told them.

“Wow, lucky.” Daesung sighed and the girl chuckled. “We have to go to our recording session in an hour.”

“Fighting~!” Yueqin told him.

“I can’t wait to hear the album in 4 years.” Yuna joked but ended up having her cheek pinched by Seunghyun. She held her cheek and stared at him in shock. “Yah!”

“That’s not nice.”

“But it’s the truth. That really hurt.” the main vocal responded, reaching to pinch him on his side but he ran away. Yuna chased after him even after he ran out of the studio.

Seyoung sighed. “Really?”

“It’s nice seeing how close you guys are to your sunbae.” Youngsook smiled.

“Yeah, we really do have a nice relationship with each other. With groups, WINNER is our brother group and the 2NE1 members are always looking out for us, same with the Big Bang members. Out of the Big Bang members, I’m really close to Seunghyun-oppa and Daesung-oppa. Our personalities mesh really well.” Yuna smiled. “They act like my older brothers which can be annoying, honestly.”

“I'm really close to Dara-unnie. She's just so easy to talk to, like a close friend instead of my senior.” Yueqin added.

“Despite the strong auras they give, they're really down to earth.” Seyoung said easily. “Even with hoobae-sunbae relationship, there wasn't really a time where I felt I couldn't talk to them.”

“So how long before catches him so we can go?” Yueqin asked the group as she packed up the guitars.

“Ahhh~!” came a deep raspy cry that belonged to Seunghyun.

“Well, not long at all it seems.” Seyoung inquired as the others chuckled.

(August 1st, 2014. 9:08am KST)

(We now arrive at Gimpo Airport...but where are the other girls?)

After a few moments, a van pulls up. The door opens and the first to step out is Jaylen, followed by the rest of the members. The blonde leader was immediately aware of the cameras, her eyebrows raising slightly.

“Wow, you guys are fast.” she told them. “For some reason I didn’t think you guys would follow us to the airport.” she said with a slight chuckle.

“It’s a documentary, though.” Seyoung blinked to her co-leader. Jaylen just rubbed her neck while awkwardly smiling.

“Jay-unnie isn’t completely awake yet.” Eunkyung chimed in which made the crew snicker a little.

“Where are you all off to?” asked one of the producers.

“We’re going to Tokyo for a bit!” Roza answered. “We have schedules with our other parent management to complete.”

“As soon as we get there we have to attend a meeting.” Yilin chimed in as the girls walked into the building, the leaders going up to get the tickets for the whole group.

“Do you know what the meeting is about?” they continued to ask.

“It probably has something to do with some promotional activities we have in store before we make our Japanese debut.” Seyoung explained.

EQSOL is set to make their debut in Japan sometime next year. They will be the first girl group project to come from underneath LDH since the not so successful launch of their girl group, Love, back in 2001.

“Hiro said he's got a different promotion tactic in store for us.” Serena said as the girl walked to the waiting area so they could be ready to board their flight. “I guess we'll see what happens.” The girls then sat around doing various things to keep them busy, some playing on their phones some talking and others napping so they can get in some extra sleep time. One of the camera crew went over to Jaylen, who had Chariya and Seulhye sleeping on her while she scrolled with her phone.

“Annyeonghaseyo.” she greeted softly.

“You seem like the mother hen.”

Jaylen snickered. “No, I’m the “dad” of this group.” she clarified. “Seyoungie is more of a mom, a stern one but still a mom.” she added and said co leader looked up from her own device. “Hi, Seyoungie~!” she greeted cheerfully. Seyoung blinked at her before she returned to what she was doing. “Yah!”

Yuna, who was sitting next to the cold leader, took Seyoung’s hand and moved her fingers so it would create a finger heart to send to Jaylen. The lead vocal stared at the younger but Yuna paid no mind, simply smiling and patting the older girl's cheek before going back to her phone like nothing happened. Jaylen and the camera crew chuckled slightly at their antics.

“Now boarding for Tokyo, class B.” came a female voice through the intercom.

“That's us.” Yilin announced. The other girls gathered their belongings and headed to the gates so they could board their flight. The camera filming then transitioned to self-cam recording.

(Now we’ll hear from some of the girls)

“Annyeonghaseyo~!” Yuna greeted from the middle, yawning slightly as she pushed strands of her hair out of her face. Serena and Yueqin sat on both sides of her, leaning to be in the camera’s view. “Cool people line reporting for duty.” she introduced and they all held up peace signs.

“I’m a cool person, too!” said Cassie, peeking at them from in between the seats.

“No.” Yueqin deadpanned. She then felt a hard kick to her seat. “Hey!”

“We’re on our way to a meeting with Hiro.” Yuna began talking, ignoring the ‘95liner bickering going on. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen but we’re really curious.”

“So far we think it has something to do with the concerts for Exile.”

“Right, right.” Yuna nodded. “Or it could be some other preparations for when we debut in Japan.” she added on.

“Whatever it is, I’m kind of excited.” Yueqin said jumping into the conversation. “This has been a big year for Exile. Hiro officially stepped down as a performer of the group and he added on 5 younger members from our brother groups.” she explained. “He might be going out with a bang.”

“That could be.” Serena added. “He might want us to throw a party for the group.”

“Oh, that would be so fun.” Yuna said before chuckling. “But the Exile members might be too old to hang with a group of teenagers and young adults.” she said and the other two snorted.

“You’re probably right.” Serena said. They soon heard a ding from the plane and the voice of the head stewardess speak.

“The flight from Seoul, South Korea to Tokyo, Japan will be leaving shortly. Please make sure to fasten your seat belts.” the woman said as she went through the various safety precautions.

“Well that’s our queue.” Serena stated, laying on Yuna’s shoulder as the main vocal rested her cheek against her head.

“See, you guys in Tokyo~!” Yueqin smiled before waving, the older girls following suit. Cassie’s finger also poked out from in between to the seats to wave goodbye, making the cool people line snort before shutting off the self cam recording.

The next part of this journey is underway. See you all in Japan~!

~~~
 

[SPECIAL RELEASE]

We’re getting closer to the long awaited debut of EQSOL so we will now release a special video...a tap performance video titled “Let’s Step Up”!

Author's Note
Long time no see, guys! What can I say, the life of a Psychology/Biology major is so busy...on top of being a senior and that I have to do a year long research project 😩. But I'm back, well atleast for a a little while lol. I have to get these updates I've been working on out and update the beloved blog~!

But I have a question...After the debut album is released, what do you want to happen next? 😅 Do you want more day-to-day chapters? Should I do variety show chapters? Should I do vlog chapters since I was thinking of giving the members vlog chapters (and eventually V-Live updates)? What should I do first????? Let me know in the comment!