Chapter 3
-Insomnia-
Siyeon blew a kiss at Bora as she turned around and walked back to her position. The dancer was whining outside the door making the students look up in shock. Siyeon just waved it off with a smile.
“ignore her. I do. Often.” Siyeon said as she heard Bora shout on the other side of the door. She knew that Siyeon was having way too much fun teasing her and leaned against the wall as she pulled out her phone in frustration.
BORA
Yah! I heard that! Just wait until you get home!
You will wish that putting a leash on you is all that I will do!
Siyeon slowly checked her messages with a smirk and sent a single message before flipping it over and ignoring it.
SIYEON
AWOOOOO!!! *bites*
Bora looked at the response and scoffed. Oh, it was on! If only she didn’t have to wait until after midnight… Bora groaned as she rested her head against the wall. She needed to head back to her class before her next group arrived and gave one last glance at Siyeon as she pouted.
Siyeon looked up and winked again as Bora groaned and stomped off towards her class. If she was going to be sexually frustrated all day, then others must suffer with her, Bora thought as she planned Minji’s first personal lesson for tonight.
Siyeon smiled as she watched Bora walk off and soon focused back on the class. She walked around and listened to the others and quickly helped instruct them on what to practice and improve on. Both Gahyeon and Yerim needed to practice their breathing and increase their lung strength. Minji, on the other hand, had gone through basic vocal training already, and it showed.
Siyeon loved the sound of Minji’s voice and agreed with Irene on the girl's talent. It just needed some slight work, and Minji would soon be ready for debut. At least on the vocals side. Siyeon had to admit that she was curious about what caught Irene’s attention initially.
She watched the trainees as they practiced and noticed groups starting to form. Some of the more advanced trainees grouped up together while less experienced ones seemed to stick together too. But then there were the outcasts. Minji Gahyeon and Yerim. The three were completely ignored by the others. At the moment, it just looked like harmless silent treatment, but Siyeon knew from experience that it would only get worse as time went on. It would only get worse as the others noticed Irene’s favorites. She needed to speak to Irene about this. Siyeon made a mental note to talk to the CEO while Bora was teaching Minji and quickly continued the lesson.
Soon the two hours were over, and they then moved to Dami’s class. Gahyeon was extremely excited as she, Minji, and Yerim walked towards class. Siyeon wasn’t the only one that noticed the silent treatment but both Gahyeon and Yerim had not. Minji didn’t want to crush their spirits. They would find out soon enough, after all.
They soon arrived at class, and Minji swore that Gahyeon was going to faint from nervousness, but she somehow managed to greet the teacher politely before sitting down beside Minji. This was the class Minji worried she would struggle with. She wasn’t a rapper, but she loved that it was also a lyrics class.
Minji loved the idea of writing a song to her fans one day if she ever debuted and became popular but needed to know how before that was possible. She was determined to learn and hoped that the others would do well too.
Dami stood at the front of the class and started explaining the basics while Minji listened intently. The girl looked much younger than Minji but was clearly quite skilled. Her ways of explaining things also made it easier to understand compared to some of the teachers from her old company.
The first hour was lyrics. The second hour was rap. Minji really struggled with this subject, but Gahyeon seemed to enjoy it, and it wasn’t just because of the teacher. Yerim was a bit in between. She wasn’t bad at it, but she wasn’t great at it either. But what Minji noticed was the way Dami hovered around Gahyeon.
It made Minji a bit uncomfortable. She couldn’t tell if Dami was just being protective or if there was an attraction to the younger girl. Gahyeon seemed to be enjoying it but wasn’t Dami older than Gahyeon? Minji was determined to figure this situation out. She didn’t like the idea of an older woman taking advantage of her young friend.
The class was soon over, and after a while, Jun met them to take them to lunch. Yerim quickly waved goodbye as she ran towards the company's cafeteria. Minji frowned. She knew that it might put Yerim in a bad situation if she was left to herself, but Jun was already escorting them away.
“I have a reservation at a restaurant nearby. We need to discuss the plans for tonight. I was told Bora offered to let you stay while Minji practices?” Jun asked as Gahyeon nodded happily.
“well, that works out for the best. This way, we can take you two home at the same time. And Minji, today, you will meet Joy. She’s our stylist that will be put in charge of you. We use the term stylist loosely. Joy likes doing a range of things, including teaching dance. So, between Bora and Joy, you should learn quite quickly.” Jun said as Minji nodded.
“Also, don’t be surprised if Irene comes in and observes your practices from time to time. She likes to know how her trainees are progressing. Especially when they are one of her special projects.” Jun said as Minji gulped nervously.
Why did she still feel nervous every time Irene looked at her? It was like her heart was going to jump out of her chest even right now she felt nervous just at the mention of the CEOs name. she remembered her eyes locked onto Minji’s, and suddenly a chill ran down the redhead's spine, but she couldn’t tell if it was a shiver of pleasure or fear.
“so how was your first couple of lessons?” Jun asked as the two girls smiled happily. They seemed to be enjoying themselves even though it was very tiring.
“amazing so far. Only there was one thing that bothered me…” Minji said softly as she watched Gahyeon eating happily. The younger girl was clearly distracted with her food.
“what is it?” Jun asked curiously.
“Dami… she seems to be hovering around Gahyeon…” Minji said as Jun laughed.
“im not surprised. When Gahyeon went to apply for the audition, there were some creeps that tried to corner her. Dami was the one who helped her. I guess she must trigger her protective side.” Jun said with a shrug.
“someone tried to corner her?” Minji asked as Jun nodded again.
“yes. Dami quickly reported it to our security team, and now we have been monitoring the area more closely. We don’t want our trainees or artists to be put in danger. I was worried something would happen to Dami.” Jun said as Minji slowly processed what he was saying.
“Gahyeon is not that much younger than Dami, so she must feel the need to protect her,” Jun said as he took a bite of food while Minji looked at him in shock.
“She's not that much older than Gahyeon?” Minji asked as Jun nodded.
“she was one of the youngest to win several underground rap battles, but someone found out about her actual age and tried to blackmail and control her. So, Irene intervened and signed her as a trainee.” Jun said as Minji sat there in shock.
“so, she’s technically a trainee?” Minji asked as Jun nodded.
“yes. She is teaching while Irene waits for the perfect time to debut her. she already has the training needed. We just need the right timing.” Jun said as Minji nodded.
“wait, why are you telling me this? Isn’t it supposed to be a secret?” Minji asked as Jun laughed.
“if you are going to be spending so much time with the trainers, then you will learn about it sooner or later. It's better for you to know now. Though don’t think that because Dami is young that you shouldn’t listen to her…” Jun joked as Minji smiled. She liked her new dorky manager with his over the top reactions.
“Gahyeon? Are you full?” Minji asked as the younger girl jumped and looked up. Clearly, she had been in her own little world while eating.
“huh?” Gahyeon asked as Minji smiled and patted the cute girl's head.
“nothing. You done?” Minji asked as the pink-haired girl nodded.
“well, back to school we go!” Jun joked as both Gahyeon and Minji shook their heads at the happy man.
Minji and Gahyeon walked into the building and found Yerim waiting for them. Clearly, something had happened while they were gone. The younger girl's eyes were puffy and still had a hint of pink to them.
“Yerim, is everything alright?” Minji asked as the younger girl looked to the floor. Minji walked over and placed a finger under the younger girl's chin as she slowly tilted her head up and sighed at the fresh tears on the younger girl's face.
Minji didn’t ask questions and quickly hugged the crying girl as she tried to ease her tears. It helped when Gahyeon hugged the two, and slowly Yerim looked up with a nervous look.
“um, I think I will just eat lunch somewhere else from now on…” Yerim said as Minji frowned.
“tomorrow, you will eat lunch with us,” Minji said firmly. She didn’t like seeing the girl upset but what she didn’t know was that Irene was watching the redhead’s protective side with an interested look. She quickly said something to her temporary assistant and walked off with images of Minji’s protective side running through her head.
Minji walked the two to the next class and greeted Yoohyeon and Handong. It was interesting. Both Yoohyeon and Handong were good teachers, even if they did get sidetracked a lot. The first two hours was Yoohyeon, while the other two was Handong. However, both would walk around helping the others.
Minji was struggling with English, but she liked how both tried to help her. They worked well together, and Minji could now see why instead of separating them, they let the two teach the classes together because the two worked together so well.
Both of them helped the students that were struggling, and Minji had to admit there was something she liked about the goofy English teacher and the Chinese teacher that looked like some heiress from a drama. They really looked adorable together.
By the end of their lessons, the three girls felt like their brains were fried. It was now time for them to practice what they learned today. Minji quickly led the two to an empty practice room. She feared that if they were late, they wouldn’t have a place to practice, and soon she went over the lessons of the day.
“ok, have either of you practiced on your own before?” Minji asked as the two younger girls looked at her nervously. Minji sighed. She knew that she would have to work hard to help them improve, but she knew it would be worth it in the end.
“alright. Let's get started. Remember what we went over in Bora’s class?” Minji asked as she walked the two through what they learned that morning. They practiced it for an hour straight before Minji made them take a break. They were not used to practicing so hard.
“here. You need to drink and keep yourselves hydrated. Breaks are also important, but you have to balance them properly. Too many breaks and you lose the motivation to continue. Or at least I do.” Minji said as Gahyeon and Yerim flopped onto the ground while they downed their water bottles.
They were grateful that the practice rooms had a refrigerator full of water for their trainees. The nice chilled water helped the three cool down as Minji went over what she needed to help them with next.
The entire time she was unaware that she had an audience. Irene had happened by the practice rooms when she heard a familiar voice counting out the steps and paused as she looked in the tiny window. She smiled as she watched Minji working hard to teach the two girls.
“Irene! I’m back! Did you miss me?” a voice called behind her as she felt her friend and secretary wrap an arm around her shoulder.
“Wendy? What are you doing back so soon? You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, right?” Irene asked without taking her eyes off Minji. Though the lighting in the practice room was dim, she could see the sweat glistening on Minji’s skin in the dim light and gulped nervously.
“is that who I think that is? Irene… what did you do while I was away?” Wendy asked as she looked at her friend with a mock angry expression.
“n, nothing. Let's go…” Irene said as she straightened and walked away quickly. Wendy shook her head as she followed her friend towards her office as she smirked. She couldn’t wait to find out what she had missed.
Minji looked to the door as she saw someone walk past but didn’t pay much attention. She was too focused on trying to catch Gahyeon and Yerim up with the others. She looked at the two and could tell that they couldn’t dance anymore and decided to help them work on their singing next.
Minji rotated between practicing singing, dancing, and rapping for several hours. The last couple, she planned on resting while going over writing lyrics and both English and Chinese. It went by relatively fast. There was so much to learn, and soon the two younger girls wished that they had more time to practice.
“ugh… I feel like I’m so behind… I don’t know what we would do without Minji…” Gahyeon said with a sigh as Yerim nodded in agreement. The two looked completely exhausted, and she couldn’t blame them.
Minji was used to the few hours of sleep and intense practice sessions, but these two weren’t. At least not yet. There was a large number of trainees that quit within the first couple of months. It becomes too much for them, and they can't handle it. But these two looked determined even if they looked utterly exhausted.
All Minji had to do is help them a bit, and she was sure that they could easily show their value to Irene and the others. She also had to admit she was having fun teaching them. It was nice teaching someone who wanted to learn.
Once practice time was over, Minji said goodbye to Yerim as she and Gahyeon made their way over to Bora’s practice room. The small dancer was waiting for her with a tall woman who looked absolutely gorgeous.
“ah, Minji! This is Joy!” Bora shouted as Joy looked at Minji and smiled. She and Bora would have a lot of fun today with Irene. They both knew that the CEO couldn’t resist watching the first day of her private classes and soon schemed a way to fluster their boss and friend.
“Nice to meet you! I have heard so much about you!” Joy said with a smirk as Minji smiled politely. She had thought Joy was talking about Bora, not about how much Irene had talked about the redhead.
“and who is this cutie?” Joy asked with a smile as she looked at Gahyeon.
“sorry! I will be over there and won't get in your way!” Gahyeon said as she scurried away from the beautiful woman. Clearly, Gahyeon had a weak spot for pretty girls. Both Minji and Joy smirked and continued talking.
“so I watched your audition tape, and I have to say I’m quite impressed! Why did you choose Stellar?” Joy asked as she watched Minji carefully.
“I would always see their performances. When I would be a backup dancer for one of my company's groups, I would usually see them. You could tell that it wasn’t a concept that they liked, but they always gave their all, and I liked that. I wanted to show that I was serious. I knew that everyone would try to apply with a cute concept, and I wanted to show that I would go out of my comfort zone.” Minji said as Joy smiled. She liked Minji already.
“now you know what accepting a sexual concept means, right? You have to get used to wearing clothes that you will most likely feel uncomfortable wearing and hear men shout all kinds of disgusting comments. There's another issue with men coming up trying to pay for your services. It happened to Irene on multiple occasions.” Joy said as Minji looked at her in shock.
“really?” Minji asked as Joy nodded.
“yes. Guys see a sexy concept and automatically assume that they will do anything for money. Irene once got cornered by one of those guys. It would have been a bad situation if your manager Jun didn’t get involved. He was a teen at the time and stood up for her. he's basically the one man she still trusts.” Joy said as Minji let that information sink in.
She understood that it could lead to bad situations, but the only thing that she could think of is how worried she felt for Irene when she heard that. It must have been so scary. Minji was glad that Jun got involved and finally understood why Jun was put in charge of her. he was trusted, and Irene thought he could protect her.
“now I decided a song for us to practice. You will have a lot of male backup dancers, but for now, you will dance with Joy and I until you are comfortable with that before we pull in any men. Sound ok?” Bora asked as Minji nodded.
“so, what dance did you decide on?” Minji asked as both Bora and Joy smirked.
“we will stick to stellar for today. We chose the song insomnia.” Bora said as Minji gulped nervously. She knew the dance and understood why they chose it. It was a dance where she would have to hold onto a backup dancer, and the dancer would also have to touch her. If she was to do a sexy concept, she would have to be able to do this. Was this a test?
Gahyeon listened intently as she covered herself up with her jacket, but soon she was starting to feel sleepy. She slowly started to fall asleep as the music started playing.
“alright. Bora and I have practiced the dance. Let's see how quickly you can learn it!” Joy said as they started. The song wasn’t that difficult, and Minji was able to keep up with the dance relatively easily.
“notice this part? This bounce is an important move for the song. It is where the song goes from a normal choreo to sexy choreo.” Joy said as Minji watched carefully. The chest bounce was an important turning point in the dance. Already she was attempting to do the move as she watched, and Bora couldn’t help but smirk.
Though Bora knew that Minji was a bit nervous and possibly uncomfortable, she quickly pushed it to the side and handled it professionally. These lessons would go by very easy if their student wasn’t going to fight them on every little thing, so she was glad that of all the trainees, Irene chose Minji.
They had been practicing for almost an hour when Irene came in. but she wasn’t prepared for what she was about to see. Her eyes immediately locked on Joy's hand, resting possessively on Minji’s hip as she rolled it to the music.
Irene instantly felt her jealousy rise as she locked eyes with Joy. The tall dancer and stylist smirked as she leaned slightly closer to Minji as she held the redheads hip, causing Irene to glare.
Joy smirked as the phrase ‘if looks could kill’ popped into her head. Irene’s eyes said it all as she glared at Joy's hand. She wanted it to be gone. She wanted it to be her hand there and not Joys. Luckily Minji was too focused on the choreography to notice Irene’s entrance, or she would have surely panicked.
“Irene! I was wondering when you would come by!” Bora shouted as both Minji and the sleepy Gahyeon startled at their CEO's name.
Minji looked up in surprise as she locked eyes with Irene. The CEO finally had her expressions under control as she stared into Minji’s eyes. The younger girl felt a shiver run up her body as she looked at her boss.
Irene was in a black suit that had to have been made for her. It fit so well that Minji’s eyes lingered on it. What was it about a girl in a suit that drove her crazy? She quickly tried to avert her eyes, but it was too late. Irene had noticed and smirked slightly as she walked into the room.
“Irene! Why don’t you help us with this? Joy was needing a break anyway! Let's see if you can still dance!” Bora dared as Irene glared at her friend. She would naturally refuse, but as she looked at Joy and Minji, she noticed Joy's hand still resting casually on Minji’s hip as the stylist gave her a wicked smirk.
“fine… what do you need help with?” Irene said as both Minji and Gahyeon watched on in shock.
“take my place. The backup dancer's role is small. So, I can probably show you once, and you will have it.” Joy said as she patted Minji’s hip, signaling her to get into position. Irene growled lowly as she watched Joy smirk and blow her a kiss before she got into position.
Gahyeon had been resting with her thick jacket that her parents had given her draped over her so that all you could see was her closed eyes, but when the door opened, she opened her eyes to spot the powerful yet tiny CEO walking into the room.
Irene’s stare-off with Joy did not go unnoticed on the younger girl or the way Irene glared at Joy's hand. Was there something between Minji and Irene? No. she had to be dreaming this, right?
When Bora shouted Irene’s name, though, Gahyeon jumped in shock. This wasn’t a dream, and from the way Irene looked at her new friend, there was definitely an attraction there. But did Minji feel the same? Gahyeon was suddenly curious about her friend's feelings.
Gahyeon silently watched as she peeked out of her jacket as Joy showed Irene what to do, and then the stylist slowly walked over to flop down beside the younger girl.
“ah, you are awake now, huh?” Joy asked as Gahyeon nodded and slowly shifted the jacket so that she could see better.
“does Irene like Minji?” Gahyeon asked automatically, but quickly she panicked as she covered her mouth and looked at Joy apologetically.
The stylist laughed as she looked at the tiny girl. She liked her. The younger girl was more observant than she had initially given her credit for.
“yes. You have a good eye. Irene has had her eye on Minji for years. Your friend started out at a young age, and Irene spotted her talent, but her company wouldn’t let her take Minji from them. they saw her potential too.” Joy said as Gahyeon watched the two dancing.
“once Minji became older, Irene’s feelings started to develop. She would always talk to us about this amazing dancer that had the cutest smile, but as soon as the music started, she could look like a feral animal. She still doesn’t want to acknowledge her feelings for your friend, though.” Joy said as Gahyeon looked up at her.
“why?” the pink-haired girl asked as Joy laughed and shrugged.
“I have no idea. They both are adults and watch how they react to each other. They clearly are both flustered with this dance. Every time Irene touches Minji, you can watch her breath catch. They are obviously both attracted to each other, but maybe they are too dense to realize it?” Joy joked as Gahyeon smiled.
“I want to help…” Gahyeon said with an evil smirk as Joy laughed. Oh, she REALLY liked this girl. If Gahyeon helped, then their plan might go even smoother.
“welcome abord the Minrene ship!” Joy said jokingly as she shook Gahyeon’s hand, causing the younger girl to laugh. But soon, their eyes were back on Minji and Irene as they watched the two.
-Minji-
Minji’s heart would skip a beat every time Irene was close, and this choreography was going to be the death of her, she swore. But she was slowly starting to realize that maybe it wasn’t just fear or nervousness that made Minji’s body react this way.
When Irene’s hand first rested on Minji’s hip, her touch was gentle and light. She didn’t want to make her more uncomfortable, but the more they practiced, the more her hand lingered on her hip possessively. Minji could feel the heat radiating from her hand and felt a shiver of excitement run up her body at every touch. She soon realized that she wanted to feel more of those warm hands.
Was this something different? Before, she had thought that Irene had made her nervous because of her talent and powerful position, but the way their eyes locked in the mirror as Irene rested her hand on Minji’s hip, she felt waves of excitement. The CEOs look made one word ring in her head. ‘mine,’ and for some reason, that excited the redhead.
As Irene’s grip tightened slightly, Minji let out a soft groan that was just loud enough for the two to hear. Irene was startled at first but soon smirked as she continued the choreography. Not once did either of the two pause at Minji’s slip up.
But Irene couldn’t help but smile as she watched the girl's face flush the same shade of red as her hair. She was now too nervous to look at Irene. Was she laughing at her? did she disgust her? she couldn’t dare to look at her.
But Irene didn’t like it that the younger girl suddenly started avoiding eye contact. Once it was time for Irene to rest her hand on Minji’s hip once more, she grasped it firmer than she had before as she leaned closer to Minji’s ear.
“Minji. Look at me.” Irene whispered. It wasn’t asking, it was demanding, and automatically she looked up in surprise, locking eyes in the mirror as Irene smiled.
“good girl…” she whispered as Minji felt heat rising to her face once more. Why did those words affect her so much?
But Irene's gaze was hypnotizing as the two continued to stare into each other's eyes as they finished the choreography. They finished it perfectly, but neither Bora, Joy, or Gahyeon noticed. Instead, they watched like three fangirls as the song slowly came to an end.
Irene slowly stepped back. Her hands wanted to linger on Minji, but she knew that she shouldn’t. Minji also felt the residual heat from her hands. It was like phantom touches, and she wanted them to be real once more.
“very nice!” Bora shouted as Minji went to speak to the older girl. Irene waited to hear what the redhead was going to say, but she lost the courage with Bora’s interruption. Irene glared at her friend as the dancer shrugged and continued speaking.
“now that you have practiced, we need Joy to measure you for your stage outfits. This will happen regularly if your weight fluctuates, but it's just part of idol life…” Bora said as Irene quickly looked to Joy, who looked way too happy as she walked over to Minji.
“now, don’t mind me… I have to be a bit touchy. It's part of the job…” Joy said as she slowly wrapped the cord around Minji’s breasts. Her hands purposely brushed Minji’s chest. Irene was sure of it and found herself growling in frustration as Bora smirked. The possessive look was all over the CEO. Bora was glad that she wasn’t the only one sexually frustrated right now. She knew Irene wished that she was the one touching Minji instead, but this was only the beginning of Bora’s plan.