Blessing in Disguise

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Yunjin

1/7/2021

The chill of winter still lingered over campus, a thin veil of frost coating the bare branches and dusting the edges of the sidewalks. The days were shorter, and as dusk settled early over the familiar landscape of her Niskayuna high school, Yunjin couldn't help but feel the weight of her final semester as a senior. Snow was piled along the sides of the road from a recent storm, and the icy air felt like a steady reminder of everything she had planned—college, a fresh start, a life shaped by dreams she and Y/N had built together.

Yunjin sat by her desk near the window, gazing out at the frosted trees and trying to focus on her assignments. Her acceptance letter to Cornell was pinned to the corkboard beside her, a little beacon of reassurance amid the heavy, gray skies. She twirled a pen absentmindedly, her mind drifting from her textbook to the future awaiting her.

Then her phone vibrated against the wooden surface, breaking the quiet, and she glanced down, her heart skipping a beat at the name that glowed on the screen: Source Entertainment.

Confusion and a flicker of nerves twisted inside her as memories came flooding back—long training days, that sense of drive and purpose that she'd once embraced but had left behind. Why would they be calling her now?

She answered, her voice steady. "Hello?"

"Yunjin, hi. It's Minji from Source Entertainment," a familiar, warm voice responded. "How have you been?"

"Hi, Minji. I've been... well, thank you. How about you?" Yunjin replied, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her phone.

After a brief exchange of small talk, Minji's tone grew serious. "I'll get straight to the point. The management team at Source would like to have an online meeting with you. There's an opportunity we'd like to discuss. Of course, there's no obligation, and you can decline if you wish, but I think this is a meeting you'd want to take."

Yunjin's mind raced. An opportunity? After all this time? "I see. When would they like to meet?"

"As soon as you're available. Does tonight work for you?"

A feeling of curiosity mixed with cautious excitement rose within her. It was a possibility she hadn't expected, something that might bring back a part of her she thought she'd left behind. "Tonight is fine."

"Perfect. I'll send you the meeting details shortly."

That evening, Yunjin prepared herself for the meeting, bracing for the unknown. She set up her laptop at her desk, the glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dim room. Snow began to lightly fall outside her window, adding to the surreal, quiet atmosphere. At 8:00 PM sharp, the meeting connected, and several familiar faces from Source Entertainment's management team appeared on the screen.

"Good evening, Yunjin," the CEO greeted with a warm smile. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us."

"Of course," she replied, her voice calm though her heart fluttered with anticipation.

The CEO leaned forward, looking at her intently. "I'll get right to it. We've been developing a new girl group project with a concept that centers around fearlessness, self-empowerment, and challenging societal norms. The group's name is LE SSERAFIM—an anagram for 'I'm Fearless.' We believe this concept not only resonates with global conversations around identity and empowerment but also aligns with your personal journey."

Yunjin felt a spark inside her, an excitement she hadn't felt in a while. There was something about the concept that resonated deeply with her, that idea of standing against expectations and daring to live fully.