Josephine Swan never imagined that her stay in South Korea would lead her into K-Pop's glittering and challenging world. Each day, she encounters new hurdles and adventures that fate has in store for her and her four team members. Between gruelling...
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The floor beneath my feet was darkly tiled and shone cleanly under the light as we entered.
"You can put your shoes on the shelves with ours," Rosè said, pointing to the dark wooden cupboards on our sides that took up much of the entrance area. I nodded and placed my black high-heeled loafers on the bottom shelf next to me before slipping into the slippers the girls had provided. Finally, I dragged my two suitcases over the threshold and placed them on the side of the entryway.
As soon as the obstacle disappeared, the flat door instantly closed behind me.
"I don't think I need to introduce you to each other by now..." smiled Lim Myung-ok at us and her brown eyes swept over us. We exchanged a few glances with each other briefly and smiled at each other. My manager nodded in satisfaction and took another glance at the papers in her hand.
"I contacted your manager Lee Sang-won yesterday to clarify the formalities. I also discussed the most important things concerning the training with Josie on the way here, so there shouldn't be any difficulties, at least soon, and you can take advantage of the short time to settle in," she explained, earning understanding nods from the five girls.
"She also informed me that Josie will be sharing a room with one of the members during her stay in your dorm." she read from her notes and looked up as Lisa raised her hand beside me. Lim Myung-ok nodded and looked back down at her papers as I gave Lisa a grateful smile. The Thai woman returned it broadly and the rest of the nervousness around us gradually disappeared.
My manager handed me the stapled papers before shouldering her handbag.
"In the papers, you will find your new training plan, as well as contact details for your new teachers, as well as diet plans and other instructions that the entertainment deems important. In case of any questions...I have again left my details and numbers in case of emergency..." she continued to explain and a smile spread across her lips, her eyes once again roaming over the six of us girls.
"Alright...it looks like that's all for now." she finally said. Lisa and I stepped aside as the dark-haired Korean turned towards the door. With one last friendly smile in our direction, she opened the door.
"Annyeonghi kyeseyo," she said, waving us goodbye. I returned her smile with thin lips as the excitement within my body began to rise again and my waving hand began to tremble.
"Annyeonghi kaseyo," we said several times in confusion and fell into bows one after the other until the door closed behind my manager.
Slowly, I lowered my hand and turned to the five girls who were to be my new members from now on. Although we were no strangers to each other and had even laughed and fooled around together, the mood was similar to my first meeting with Su-a, Jinny and Hannah seven months ago.
It was filled with awkward silence.
Of course, I enjoyed our time together very much, but the circumstances were very different.
They were the girls of the debut group, some of whose hard work had already brought them to the public eye. Their first official appearance, as YG Entertainment's second girl group was ready to become a reality in the next two years and was eagerly awaited.
A goal each of the five girls had been working towards.
And now, unplanned, I became a part of that group.
My memories of Yang Hyun-suk's announcement were still clear, anchored like water in my mind, yet they blurred at the reaction of the other girls. I was too lost in my thoughts to realise their emotions.
Shock?
Bewilderment?
Incomprehension?
Anger?
At the thought of the endless possibilities, my stomach began to protest and I took more deep breaths in and out to escape the feeling of rising nausea. My grey eyes darted to each of the five girls.
"I...I...I'm sorry..." the words finally slipped out of my mouth, breaking the silence.
"What are you apologising for, Josie?" asked Rosè with a furrowed brow and the others also looked in my direction, puzzled. I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks and head and just shook my head.
"To be honest...I don't know what to say at the moment, nor how to sensibly deal with this whole situation. She has so far, turned out to be quite outlandish...and not just to me..." I explained slowly.
"I mean...you probably didn't expect another member in your group...at least not me...this whole situation is probably as bizarre as it is for you, as well as for me," I spoke my thoughts of the last 24 hours.
Again there was silence.
By now the uncomfortably awkward atmosphere had dissipated and slight tension filled the air around us as each pursued her thoughts.
"Each of us has been in your position at least once during our training, Josie. In those days, the groups and their members changed monthly until the matches were what the producers and CEO wanted and wanted. Decisions about the members of a group were not up to us, even in this group." Choi surprisingly broke the silence and released her body from the wall she had been leaning against earlier.
"Your presence in this group needs no apology on your part. In fact...the opposite is true...it is a sign of hard work, regardless of nationality or appearance," she said, her dark eyes glittering. The others around her nodded in agreement and gave me encouraging looks.
With a few steps, the black-haired Korean woman stood in front of me.
"Welcome to our group." she said, her lips sharing the same smile as the others' before she held out her hand to me. My heart beat fast in my chest as I carefully placed my hand, still trembling with adrenaline, in hers.
The pressure inside me slowly released and the anxiety around her supposed reactions to the situation disappeared.
