the five girls sat in a circle, breaths heavy after their fifth run of Fire, the song stuck in all of their heads for the ninth day in a row.
"if i hear that song one more time today i will not hesitate to quit."
as soon as the words left TaeHee's lips, the practice room's door opened— only to reveal the company's dance instructor.
the five all stood in unison, lining up with Misaki in the front, as per usual. "hello," they greeted, SungDeuk returning the gesture.
"you've all been practicing together, correct? could i see the progress you've all made?"
their eyes trailed towards the youngest, unspoken apologies flooding through the room as she internally screamed, hoping it'd be only one run.
much to her surprise, it was only one run. the usually calm male sat happily throughout the song's duration, his eyes bouncing off of each girl as their feet hit the ground at the same time, giving him a clear answer to his earlier question.
the staff members had sat in the conference room, the same concern on their minds— were the girls ready to debut?
of course, they'd debut as a team. the five constantly found themselves together, working as if they were a confirmed lineup. the staff found no reason to split them up, seeing as they all got along as a team of best friends did.
after Mia's entry into the company, it took a few seventeen months for the others to join. the other four naturally gravitated towards her, all finding a sort of comfort in the Ono girl.
Misaki was the third oldest, sitting right in the middle of the others. Choi Yeo Jin was the eldest, having been born in 1999. she was playful, and caring as an 언니 should be for her younger members.
next was Choi Soo Jin, the tallest of the girls. she stood at a fair 5 feet, 9 inches, towering over the others.
after Misaki came her best friend in the group, Choi Bom I. they were quick to figure out the besties had been born a mere day apart, only bringing them closer.
finally, came their beloved maknae. born in 2002, Kang Tae Hee. her big doe eyes were sure to capture your heart, as they had the girls'.
that was them. they spent every minute of every day together, practicing if not napping with eachother. the managers and instructors surrounding them became happy at the sight of their interactions, knowing they were safe with eachother.
especially Misaki, their only foreign member. the middle child naturally took on the role of leading the other four, despite needing help communicating with them. and the girls followed— knowing the Ono girl had spent the longest amount of time in the company, aware of the correct paths they had to take in order to succeed.
there had been another person in their group, Hwang Eun Bi. she was two years older than YeoJin, perfectly molding in with the younger members. before Bom I and Misaki's friendship truly blossomed, that was them. the Hwang girl was the younger's role model, her guide through life.
up until the earlier year, she'd been added to a group closer to her own age, debuting way earlier than they'd all anticipated. Misaki felt sad, knowing she wouldn't get to experience the joys of new experiences alongside her dear 언니, however felt delight knowing she'd get to see the older finally live out her dream.
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the next day
"did we all get called to PD's office?" SooJin asked as the five walked together, Misaki in front.
"i think so.." the girl's quiet words sounded through the hallway, stopping once she'd arrived in front of the door, sucking in a small breath before knocking.
they entered once granted permission from their boss, all walking in while bowing to the five people inside. "sit down, girls," Bang said, finishing writing something.
the five sat with rapid heartbeats, not knowing what would come from this sudden meeting.
Bang looked up from his stack of papers, softly smiling at the lineup of trainees. "you can breathe, there's no reason to be so nervous," he joked, the girls following his directions while softly chuckling.
his eyes trailed towards the Japanese girl, noticing her semi-confused expression. "Misaki," he said, catching her attention. "sir?"
"do you understand me when i speak?" he asked, tone genuinely concerned. she looked down, softly smiling. "to an extent, yes.. i'm improving every day," she spoke as slowly as she usually did.
"then you'll understand me when i ask if you'd be the leader of this lineup of members?"
her world seemed to stop for a moment, the words somehow processing in her mind. "could you.." she trailed off, pausing after a moment.
Bang softly chuckled, leaning towards the girl. "you five," he said, signalling to her and the others, "make a great lineup. you've heard we're planning to debut a new girl group next year, haven't you?"
Misaki was quick to nod, eyes slowly widening as she listened to the male's words. "we've monitored and discussed it.. and we think you five are what we're looking for," he said, referring to the other four staff members in the room.
Misaki fell back into her seat, eyes trailing towards the girl's beside her— all looking the same as she. "so.."
"would you like to be the leader of this group?"
Misaki's head whipped towards the male once again, mouth dropped slightly opened. "me?"
Bang nodded, "yes, you,"
Misaki's eyes yet again fell downward, quick to return towards the girls sat beside her. they all looked at their mimi with expectant eyes, all having understood what was said despite not being the most fluent English speakers.
she sucked a quick breath in, slowly returning her eyes towards the male. the corners of her mouth turned upward, softly nodding.
"yes, sir. thank you, i'll work hard," she said, repeatedly bowing her head.
Bang smiled in delight, bowing his head in return. his eyes scanned over the five, smiling girls— contended as ever.
