And then there were two

Years and years of rigorous training couldn’t have prepared them for the sheer euphoria of after-show bliss. The girls, celebrating their year anniversary as K-pop’s newest sensation, sprinted down the stage, now littered with confetti, flowers and deflated balloons. Ji-hye, the eldest of the group, halted while the others continued to run. She took a deep breath in at the sight. Around an hour ago, this place was booming with passion and love from the fans who waited patiently to see their favorite girl group.

The helium from the balloons was still prominent, so when she sighed, it sounded akin to a chipmunk. She heard her unusually high pitched self and giggled at the sound. 

“Oi!” Asa hollered with an electric, playful grin, “You’re sounding like a kid!” 

“It’s the balloons! Don’t you remember going to SNSD concerts when we were young? We’d also be so squeaky!”

Asa smiled fondly, reminiscing on when they were little girls, looking up in awe at the idols performing their hearts out on stage. They wished they could be like them someday, with all the glitz, glamor and wealth fame brought along. Hard to believe that those two geeky fangirls made it, were living their dream together alongside two other trainees. 

They met like all idols do, a plethora of young kids with a passion for music and dance entering a company who’d teach them how to succeed. Asa and Ji-hye went in together and promised to debut together. There were others like them, best friends upon entering but they were the exception. Jealousy and steep competition created nasty rivalries, even amongst the closest friends. Asa and Ji-hye stood out for how strong their bond was. That seemingly nothing this cutthroat and intense industry threw at them could break its power.

“Come sit with us!” Kia called from the end of the stage. Beside her was their youngest member, Dal-rae who was absentmindedly toying with one of the many plushies thrown on stage. Ji-hye and Asa sauntered their way over and took a seat next to their new friends. They were lucky to get along so well in temporary units for monthly evaluations that the producers were happy to keep them together. Ji-hye looked fondly at her group, being the senior, she was the de facto leader who often guided and helped the others during difficult times. This whole concert was a stressful mess given that their venue was in limbo, an older and more respected group amongst the public trying to obtain the stadium. Luckily, a mix of international and national support online propelled them, the shinier and younger obsession of the public into the massive venue. 

“Can you believe we nearly sold this out?” Kia said with wonder. She undid the tight high pigtails she wore for the whole show, finding it wonderful to feel her baby pink hair against her back again.

“Nearly.” Dal-rae said with a soft voice, “Next time we can do better!”

“Hey, a rookie group nearly selling out a stadium is crazy in itself!” Asa defended, “We should be proud of this!”

“We should be but you’re right, Dal-rae” Ji-hye said, “If we can do something like this, this early on, who knows what numbers we’ll be pulling come year five.”

“Talk about year seven.” Kia said with a tight voice, “Our peak is the first three to four years. If we pull big numbers after five, we might make it past seven.”

The seven year curse was common, almost expected amongst groups. Once the contract was nearing its end, there were other younger, hotter and hipper versions of you on stage so you and your group were no longer needed. 

“Our company is not like that. Look at our seniors in year twelve or thirteen and they’re happy. So long as we make enough money I’m sure we’ll be fine!” Dal-rae said with hope.

“Eh.” Kia shrugged, “It all seems peachy right now. People change, industries change and therefore our company's mindset might. I hope we’re not the unlucky ones.”

“We can start producing our own music.” 

Ji-hye’s suggestion was met with laughter. Only really promising songwriters get opportunities, otherwise it's the company’s tried and tested producers making everything for you, whether you like it or not.

“I’m serious!” Asa, you know the bass in and out. Kia, you’re a beautiful guitarist and mixer, who says we can’t make our own things?”

“Yeah nothing guitar wasn’t the reason I’m sitting here today” Kia said, “I’m young, energetic and can sing and dance well. When did our trainers ever care about our instruments?”

“Yeah and I don’t know anything.” Dal-rae piqued in.

“That’s okay. We can learn, truly be a different, self made group who’ll stand the test of time. We’ll shatter expectations and stay together forever!”

Asa let out a full bodied laugh, “Hah! We’ll be grandmas coming on stage with canes and still singing? If that happens we sure do have some loyal fucking fans!”

“I think it's the helium and post concert high making her crazy.” Kia said, “Our leader needs to have some good sleep and calm down.”

“Oh what? Because I want success for the group I’m crazy? I just at least have a plan for how we’ll continue on.”

“We’re only a year old and the producers' plan has so far worked. Let’s just hope it stays that way.”

“I have faith in the future after this conversation.” Ji-hye said, “At least we’re all on the same page of staying together forever whether or not we have different ideas to how we’ll do that.”

“Together forever…” Kia scoffed, “Sounds like hell to me forever stuck with your sleep walking ass.”

“Oi!” Ji-hye playfully slapped her arm. They all had a quirk in the dorm like sleepwalking, clumsiness, one always forgetting the keys and a condition unexpectedly worse than sleepwalking, sleep talking But Ji-hye knew all she said was in good fun, that they all were thinking the same beautiful dream to share. A future of confidence, wealth and stardom seldom reached. It sounded insane, surely but after tonight's concert, Ji-hye and the girls felt on top of the world, like they could do anything.

“Y’know, our fans really don’t know how to clean up their stuff.” Dal-rae said bluntly as she watched the venue staff gather piles of plastic cups and plates discarded on the floor.

“At least they know how to support us. And I think they will so long as we support each other.” Asa said with tears brewing in her eyes, but she wiped it away quickly with the sleeve of her black hoodie. 

“So long as we support each other…”

Ji-hye repeated that sentence all night like a mantra in her head.

4 Years Later

It was the same venue, same beautiful and popular stadium only the most well-known played at. The confetti littered the ground along with the same cheap plastic cups and plates. The balloons this time were different, a deep lilac much less cheerful then the rainbow ones they used before. Ji-hye walked solemnly across the stage, her feet aching in her tight white heels. She’d been made to wear them all night though it just about killed her feet and made her dancing more timid. Apparently, she was gaining weight and the stylist thought runners made her legs look stumpy, therefore the heels came in for the first time. 

Dal-rae strolled behind with a limp. Her ankle was sprained but since the injury happened a day before their concert, the company told her to walk it off. It hurt and there was an obvious swell on her ankle but with enough contouring from their makeup artist, the bruising and swelling was minimized. 

They’re jet black shorts were uncomfortable, too tight to move around in. The whole concert, Ji-hye and Dal-rae felt unable to perform the dances they used to, but to no surprise, the crowd still screamed like crazy during everything. They recognized a few faces in the front row seats, long-time dedicated fans. But there was a new trend occurring, a lot more men in the audience hollering whenever their choreography required a hair flip, hip sway or a drop. In the heels and tiny shorts, it was the same moves as before but with much more skin showing. Maybe it's because their venture into self-produced deeper music wasn’t well received by many. Money was lost, fights ensued and the company didn’t want to completely abandon a successful project, they just needed to change them a little.

“Dal-rae’ Ji-hye spoke in a somber tone, “Stop walking, I can hear you wincing. Go take a seat.”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Her voice was deepend over the years. Turning her singing into a mature and husky tone, “About them.”

“Them?” Ji-hye almost choked, “What’s more to talk about?”

“She called me. Asa.” Dal-rae said, “She congratulated us on finally selling out the venue. She said she wished it was us all but, you know why that couldn’t happen.”

“Because she was a cowardly lying bitch yeah I know.” Ji-hye spat.

“What the hell? I just told you she’s proud of us and that’s all you have to say?”

“She abandoned us when we needed her most. After Kia started bringing that stupid man into the studio and running the show. I was the only one who stood up to him, to protect our group and image. He wanted to turn us into a bunch of harlots with Kia in the center!”

“Well look where that led us. The company’s doing the same after your little self-produced folk group idea nearly made us broke. At least what he and Kia suggested was modern.”

“It wasn’t modern or smart. It was a way to sell out, using just our bodies to keep being famous against the newer and younger girls debuting. Nothing involving our talent or input. And yet what did my best friend since I was nine do? When I was alone and needed support?”

“It’s your fault she left!” Dal-rae’s scream echoed in the venue, all the staff stopping their cleaning to look at the remaining two members of a once powerhouse girl group fighting. 

“You turned this group into your family and any change just about killed you. Ji-hye, I know it hasn’t been easy with your parents gone but you treated this group like your lifeline. If Asa, Kia or maybe even me leave to do other things, we’re not evil, we just want to lead our own lives.”

“Oh yeah? What happened to staying together forever? Sticking up for one another. This industry is brutal, throws you away once you reach thirty cause you aren’t that new fresh meat of a eighteen year old who just debuted. I thought we were going to be different, stick together and make real music no matter what others think.”

Dal-rae sighed, “You know that’s not how it works. We did that for two years and while we had our praises, we lost so much money and ourselves in the process. Too many creative differences, too much fighting. It was almost better when the producer did everything for us. Our only job was to show up.”

“If that’s your attitude then you’re just another idol, not an artist.”

“Stop being so stuck up. I can be both. I just know reality and how I can keep our careers afloat.”

Ji-hye didn’t want to crack but deep down, her soul was long dead and her body was drained. Her heart couldn’t take another member leaving, leaving her once again more alone with only her broken self to maintain herself. The recent diagnosis of anxiety disorder and depression only made her fear loneliness even more, doubting if she could make it on her own. 

Dal-rae sensed her inner turmoil, saw her body shake trying to hold back the waterfall of tears threatening to spew. Dal-rae gulped, throat dry and started to feel tears trickle down her soft cheek. Ji-hye was once such a strong motivator, a charming and wise woman to lift anyone’s spirits up and challenge them to do better. Even when all seemed impossible, Ji-hye kept the bands reputation steady while Kia went on every news site to claim what an awful person Ji-hye was. Kia called her a controlling freak obsessed with being different, but secretly a lonely and insecure wannabe artist with barely a cent to her name.

Dal-rae felt nauseous recalling those horrid interviews. Kia even went as far to make up lies about Dal-rae, citing her only reason of doubts in the new music she and her boyfriend suggested was jealousy. Called her on national television a jealous bitch, trying to steal her boyfriend when it was completely false.

Scandal after scandal, Ji-hye still tried her hardest to keep the group okay. When Asa left, she thankfully didn’t lie to the news but went completely m.i.a, unable to cope with the pain of what her group had become. But even after all that, there were still the two of them, fighting with what little energy they had left to keep their passion and careers alive. 

Ji-hye shifted her eyes to the lights atop the stage, still on as the venue’s staff were too preoccupied in their intimate conversation. Tears finally streamed down her face yet she stayed deathly silent. 

Ji-hye took a deep breath in, refusing to look at Dal-rae, the innocent and happy girl ruined by her failure to keep the group together. 

“That’s how our story goes doesn’t it?” Ji-hye asked, “What happens after? After and then there were two?”