The Rhythm Of The Heart *Wonyoung x YN* *Danielle x YN*

Dreams

Fortunately for me, the entire year of 2020 was marked by the pandemic, and I didn't have to miss school for my surgery, although I did have to justify not turning on my camera during classes.

Once I had recovered and the quarantine was lifted, I started spending all my time after school at the agency. Not because of a contract, since the agency was still in its early stages and didn't have many formalities in place, but because I wanted to take advantage of the facilities and the experience of the choreographers and producers who were starting to work at the agency. It was better than staying at home.

My dad had always supported my dreams, but since his passing, I had to fight even with my own family. My mom sees this as a waste of time and says I should be spending my time on something more productive. She's always comparing me to Youngmi, my older sister. She was the school president and got into SNU, Seoul National University, the top university in the country, studying law. I, on the other hand, am just average in my grades and tend to excel more in arts or sports.

Now my mom is very unstable after my surgery, since even though I told her I was going to do it, she never agreed. She's always saying she doesn't recognize her daughter.

Curiously, now I look more like her.

Despite all this, 2021 was promising to be a good year for me. In-person classes were back, and I could face a new stage of my life with a new look.

I was still in the same school, but I felt like a new student. I had never gotten attention from my classmates before. Normally, I would go unnoticed. The only time people would look at me was when Wonyoung was still in school, and we would walk down the hallway together, but those looks were usually ones of disdain. Is this what Wonyoung felt like in school?

Even in my own class, people didn't recognize me, and they would only follow me with their eyes until I sat down in the same seat I had always had. In my school, it's usually the same group of people from middle school to high school graduation, so even though there was a quarantine last year, all my classmates were the same.

The teacher arrived to start the class and greeted us for the new year. Even though everyone was wearing masks, he noticed something different in his class, and his gaze stopped on me. His confused expression amused me, since he must have been told that there were no new students in his class, and seeing someone he didn't recognize didn't match up with that.

"The girl by the window," he said, and everyone turned to look at me. "Are you in the wrong class?" I shook my head. "I've always been in your class, Mr. Kang." The fact that I called him by his name confused him even more, so I decided it was time to reveal my identity. "I'm ____, Seol ____."

"WHAT?!" The collective scream from the entire class deafened my ears and startled me, making me jump.

"Why are you all so surprised? It's been over a year, it's normal that I've changed," I said, trying to downplay the situation. They seemed to be holding back their questions, not wanting to sound offensive. "Yes, for those who are wondering. Yes, I did get plastic surgery." I pulled down my mask for a second so they could see, and then put it back up.

I could feel some of my classmates judging me with their gaze, especially the girls. I preferred to keep the fact that I had joined an agency and was now a trainee to myself, since it would draw too much attention. Maybe I should have switched schools to avoid this kind of reaction. Although, in any case, my mom wouldn't have allowed it for a reason she considered "so vain."

She probably would have thought it was silly to switch schools just because of plastic surgery, especially since she was against the surgery in the first place. It seems that Mr. Kang noticed what was going on, since he called everyone's attention and started the class.

During lunchtime, everyone was still staring at me as I walked down the hallway. I didn't mind the attention, and when I was allowed to cut in line at the cafeteria, I knew I would get used to my new school life quickly.

My life was based on this now, going from school to the agency and back home late at night. It was a few months of the same routine, until one day I arrived at the agency and they gave me some big news: I would be participating in a survival show to form a new group. Girls Planet 999 would be my first time on the big screen, and I was ready to do whatever it took to make it into the final lineup. The show was starting in a month, and I had to prepare to give it my all.