Gratefulness~ pt.4

I walk the stairs to the sixth floor where the CEO's office is. The stairs I'm using because my personal trainer told me to walk as much as I can. It feels like he can't wait at all to get to torture me. I can't wait either...
Jennie Kim walks past me but she just glances at me disrespectfully and doesn't even greet. I have seen her a couple of times and I don't feel urge to get to know her better. Somehow she seems to be haughty.

YG takes me into his office immediately and walks me to the conference room where a few producers and my personal singing teacher awaits. YG has hired the teacher only for me to have so that she could hammer all the important knowledge into my head in this short amout of time. Also, a thirty-ish old man dressed in black jeans, a grey jersey and sunglasses is sitting on his chair. I don't know him and he seems to want to stay in the background.
"Great. Here's our special girl, Minea," YG introduces me although I think they know me already, possibly very well. It feels like YG has been talking about me all over the building and I can even here comments from the cooks about how promising I am. The only bad thing is that many of the trainees have turned their backs on me when they have heard that I have just gotten in here and YG has already promised to put me in a group soon. They are jealous and I admit that I feel that I'm different in a bad way. I would love to work more and longer here before starting to work in a group and I would love to show others that I'm actually willing to work hard for my dream. Now everything is served me on a silver tray. Anyhow, I have trained a lot and there's plenty of more working hours to come.

Hyun Suk tells me and the others that it's time to do a regular check-up on me. Every week I have to prepare a song, or preferably more than just one, I then perform to them. In addition, I have to start writing my own lyrics, one per week. We will discuss the plans and ideas concerning my future and update my trainee schedule to maximize the progress.
Today the meeting time was scheduled for so late, it's already over 11 pm, so that we just get over with it quickly. I sing G.Soul's song and rap a part of Masta Wu's new hit.
"Great vocals and not bad at rapping either. Good," Teddy Park keeps nodding his head while smiling. I certainly know that he has heard a quite few other female's voices as well and that he's working with the YG artists.
"You have an interesting vibe," Lydia Paek praises me and puts her snapback on backwards. It feels crazy but good to listen to their opinions on me. I admit that I have stalked YG's workers more than enough before coming to Seoul. I really appreciate them.
"I said so," YG smiles smugly and claps his hands a few times.
I update my calendar and then I get to leave and the others get to go to their homes to sleep. Only YG goes back to his office to do some paper work.

"Yaaah! Minea!" Gyo Mi-Ok squeels as she jumps to me with her legs long and slim like a gazelle's. She squeezes me.
"Oh wow! Girls, you have done wonders here!" I say as I take a look around myself. All kinds of ribbons and decorations have been carried to the boring basement that is completely made of concrete. Jennie Kim with her girl friends have crafted glittery wreaths on the walls and I have to say that they look fancy when the spot lights are hitting them.
Narelle has asked her DJ cousin to play us proper up beat music and a buffee has been placed against a wall, half of it filled with different kinds of punches. And of course there's also more bottles of soju than we can even consume together. It's almost sad that many of the New Girl Group's trainees can't drink yet and in Korea the age for drinking is higher and stricter than in Finland where the most common way of spending the weekends among the teens or even among children is going out drinking with friends. And then we get to read about alcohol poisoning incidents on paper. At least it's almost like that. It might also be that they just are wiser here in Korea, not drinking alcohol although they want to. Fortunately the age system in the country is different so me with my friends are allowed to have some drinks. I myself end up choosing a pink drink because it reminds me of something, a good memory. I also snatch a cute polka dot straw to go with it.

Mi-Ok, Narelle and I stay hanging around the table.
"So, how did it go?" Narelle asks about the check-up meeting. She's wearing a silver sequin mini with black heels and Mi-Ok is dressed up in a cat-themed leather skirt and purple top that has strings hanging from it. I have a white thight dress with black leather attachments and black zipper pockets that are made out of college fabric. On my feet I have ballerina-kind of high heels with the black velvety ribbons crossing around my calves. My hair is curled, just like Mi-Ok's. Narelle's bob haircut doesn't really need that much effort, it looks good just the way it is.
"I think it went well. Lydia liked me," I smile exited and Mi-Ok pats me on my shoulder.
"Wow! That's nice. I haven't met her yet personally but she has given us some great dancing lessons."
"How was your day?" I continue the conversation and see a weird-looking girl walking inside. The other girls turn to look at her too. The other side of her head is shaved bald and she has very strong features. Buffy lips and an arrogant gaze in her eyes. Just by those things, I could assume that she's a rapper. She could be a good one. On her she has interesting black pieces of clothing, full of text. A bandana has been tied around her head.
"Who is she? I think I haven't seen her before?" Narelle whispers. I squint my eyes and think. There's definitely something familiar about her.
"Hey," the girl glances at us quickly as she walks past us to the punch fountain.
"I bet she's a rapper," Mi-Ok thinks the same way as I do.
"Bu Bae Kwan?" I turn to the girl who's now putting the ladle back in the fountain and looking at me.
"Ne," she smiles slightly, but only slightly.
"Aah," I nod my head. "I met her a week ago when I was at the recording studio with Taeyang."
Young Bae was telling me more about how the studio works. The girls have started to get used to the idea of me being close with the members of Big Bang and they don't doubt our relationship anymore. Bu Bae Kwan nods.
"Aigoo! Bu Bae Kwan! You look so different," Mi-Ok looks at her astonished.
"It's the hair," Ba-bo, as she's often called, answers with her low voice and grabs her hair. I have sensed a strong aura around her, same kind as Lee Chae-rin has, very strong and influental. I believe that she's going to go far.
"Aah. Araso. And make-up," Mi-Ok smiles and Narelle smiles as well. Ba-bo has been a trainee at YG Entertainment for two years and according to her image she has worked fiercely to become the best. Her voice is unique and I truly think that she's one of the most interesting female rappers in South Korea that I've ever heard.
"You have changed too," she points at Gyo Mi-Ok's chest where a little black star tattoo has popped up.
"Ne. I think it's cute," Mi-Ok giggles.
"Come on, girls! To the dance floor!" Narelle's cousin shouts into the microphone behind his DJ table and waves his hands at us. Narelle laughs akwardly as we move to dance among the other trainees and start juming and swaying along the rythm.

I'm leaning against the sink and waiting for Narelle. She comes out of the stall and washes her hands and then we get back to the basement room. We look around, trying to find Gyo Mi-Ok but she seems to be nowhere to be seen. Ba-bo walks from the DJ to fill up her glass and I grab her arm without hesitation.
"Have you seen Gyo Mi-Ok?"
"I haven't seen her for a while now," she shakes her head. We look at each other worried with Narelle. We were supposed to leave together and there's still an hour left before the party ends. Where could she have gone, I wonder. Narelle takes her phone out.
"Aish! I don't have any battery," she shows me the black screen. I check my own phone and notice that Mi-Ok has tried to call me three times but I haven't heard it. I show the screen of my phone to Narelle instead and call Gyo Mi-Ok immediately. The line opens and I can hear some rattle.
"Gyo Mi-Ok?"
"Hey! Mineha!! It's an emergency!" she shouts and pants.
"It's Cecily! I think she's going to do something to herself!"
I get much more worried than what I was and Narelle can read it from my face. She grabs my arms and looks at me shocked.
"What is it?"
I shrug.
"What is happening?" I ask Mi-Ok.
"Come, please, to Banpo Bridge! His boyfriend left him! I think she's going to jump!"
I yell as loudly as I ever can:
"No! No way! That can not happen!!!" I end the phone call and take Narelle's hand.

I explain her on the go.
We are running with our dresses along the streets of Seoul and heading for the Banpo bridge, not caring about blisters or our messy hairs. The wind blows into my eyes and tears ruin my makeup.
"Cecily, please don't do anything stupid," I keep repeating silently by myself and hoping that she would hear me.
"Don't do it. Wait for me. Please..."

Notes