Charm is a member of the idol girl group, Cherry, managed by the Japanese company, Make It Entertainment (MINT). A chance encounter with her co-member, Lily, opens a Pandora's box that reveals what happens behind the camera, off the stage and beyond...
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A typical day in the dorm on our rest day looked like girls hanging out in the living room, sitting on the couch and bean bags on the floor, jamming their favorite songs while vlogging. Some were busy doing Tiktok and tinkering on their phones in the corner of the living room while others were seated in the dining area across the living room, having meals together with their mouths stuffed with food and stories.
"Do we have something sweet for dessert? I want doughnuts!" said Lily
"Me too! I miss eating chocolate, doughnuts, ice cream, cake, pizza, and burgers! Huhuhu..." Zoie concurred with her sparkly eyes and pouty lips as if daydreaming about these cravings.
"I wish I were as slim and petite as both of you. No matter what you eat, you don't gain weight. My BMI increased at the last weigh-in and now I'm over 20. Coach will scold me again." said Miel. The rejection from the previous audition caused her to lose motivation and to gain weight - a double whammy every idol would not want to experience. Those whose BMI reached beyond the standard 20 were under a strict diet and they were usually called to the headquarters for a meeting reprimanding them to maintain the idol standard weight or else they would receive a sanction, as if the body shame comments and ridicule they received from the public and even inside the headquarters were not punitive enough.
"Welcome to the club! I know how you feel. It's very hard to lose weight because of my PCOS. The pills are making me hungry all the time! If I could just donate these fats to both of you!" added Jea pointing to the underweight girls, Lily and Zoie. Jea was one of the "Over-20's" as she called it - members with above 20 BMI. She was a very talented girl who excelled in music and was also a great dancer. She was the friendliest and most tactful girl in the group, making us vote for her as our team leader. She was the clown of the group making us laugh with her comedic antics but she had this strong sense of leadership that commanded respect. However, no matter how great her aptitude and attitude were, it could not deny the fact that her BMI was over 20. Thus, taking away some opportunities that could advance her in her idol journey.
After I finished my meal, I left the girls in the dining area with their endless stories and cravings. I went up to our room to have some quiet time. Our dorm had two units - one for the members and one for the house staff. Unit A, the members' unit, had ten rooms - eight rooms for the members, one vacant room for trainees who would need to stay in the dorm for rehearsals or ad hoc activities, and one as a stock room. Each room had two members. Initially, the girls in each room were based on the first single ranking but after the first single, the dorm mother assigned girls in the rooms based on her own criteria.
