24 Making of an Idol (6): Hangover

Cherry woke up the next day, dazed and confused. She opened her eyes and realized that she was not in her room.

"The hell-ow ow ow!" she exclaimed. Her head was exploding in pain as the hangover hit her. Rubbing her scalp, she scanned her surroundings.

It was a posh yet simple room. The glass wall overlooked the whole city from above. The sunlight was shining brightly through it. Unlike her apartment which was darker since her walls were painted red, this place was soothing and airy.

There were also bright paintings on the wall. Cherry was awed at the artist's ability to draw such realistic pictures.

The paintings were of everyday events. There was one of a little girl riding a cycle. Another one was an old lady selling vegetables on the street. Next to it was a portrait of a couple kissing in the rain.

There were portraits of mundane actions, but she was captured by the little details of the paintings. The artist drew each picture with a passion. Every stroke of brush seemed to hide a story awaiting to be told. She was so immersed into the paintings that she momentarily forgot to figure out about where she was. That was until her eyes fell on another painting.

It was of four men, standing on a stage. They were wearing white suits, each holding a mic. Cherry recognized them immediately. EXOTIC.

She gazed at Kwon Jiwon's face. He was the leader of the group before it disbanded. It felt as if she had seen him only yesterday. He was one of the people from her list. Like everyone else, she gave him a choice to change his fate. She had last seen him two years ago but since then, she has no idea what had happened to him. No one seemed to know where he was but Cherry genuinely hoped he managed to fulfill his destiny.

Her eyes then fell on Jinhyun. He was smiling brightly as his happiness shone through the picture. He enjoyed performing with his members. This picture portrayed a bittersweet feeling. Behind those smiles, a sadness lingered. As if the figures in the picture knew what was going to happen to them.

Cherry tore her eyes away from the painting. She no longer needed to guess where she was. It was Shin Jinhyun's house. The events of last night poured into her head. She remembered how she stumbled into him and he brought her here.

She wanted to curse her luck. Of all the people in the world, she had to run into him again.

"The past six months were so peaceful," she sighed. Since it was daytime, she would be in her old woman persona. She carefully peered out of the door. The house looked empty. Coming out of the bedroom, she walked towards the kitchen.

Jinhyun was nowhere in sight but there was a medicine bottle and porridge on the dining table. There was a note on it.

"Please take the medicine before your meal," she read out loud. "It'll cure your hangover."

Cherry winced at his words. She did not want to take any help from him but her head was splitting. Taking the bottle, she gulped it down in one go. She wanted to leave quickly but the sight of the sweet porridge was making her mouth water.

Her insides were in a turmoil as the sweet tooth in her fought against her temperamental side.

"I'll need energy to unite him with that girl!" she reasoned. "It's the least he should be doing for me!"

She scooped into the bowl and finished the whole porridge. Even if she hated the man, she had to admit the porridge was delicious.

"He must have ordered from outside," she scoffed. The Emperor she knew never ever stepped inside the kitchen at the royal household.

Once she was done, she reflected on the events of last night. Sung Yoona…

If Shuri reincarnated as Yoona, then it made sense why she was fated for him. After all, the Emperor had defied many people in order to marry Shuri in the past. Even though Cherry was the Queen Consort, Shuri controlled the Emperor.

There was no love in Cherry's heart for her husband but she held onto her position. Politically, she knew how important the position of the Queen Consort was. Even if Shuri coveted Cherry's title, she failed to replace her.

Until Cherry killed the Crown Prince.

….

Jinhyun was monitoring the trainees' dance moves. The twenty trainees were assigned a group song for evaluation. They had to create a completely new choreography and showcase their talent. A camera crew was also there, filming for next week's episode.

"Jung Yuri," he called out to a fourteen year old trainee. "Your moves are stiff. Loosen up your muscles more."

"Yes sir!" Yuri squealed nervously.

"Semin!" Jinhyun called. Semin stepped forward.

"Your dancing is too weak," he criticized. "Your moves are clumsy and you end up tumbling on others. You also run out of breath quickly. Practice more breathing exercises. Also, ask a dance instructor to aid you."

Semin lowered her eyes and merely nodded. No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not dance well. Her movements were weak and slow.

"You have to work harder!" Jinhyun scolded.

"Yes sir," she said quietly.

One by one, Jinhyun grilled the trainees and pointed out on their areas of improvements. Yoona, who was standing at the very back, observed his actions. Her focus was only on him. She did not even listen to what he was saying to the others. All she wanted, was for him to call her.

"Sung Yoona!"

Yoona straightened up. Even if he scolds her, she wanted to hear him talk. She wanted him to pay attention to her and talk to her. Yoona suppressed a smile when he called her.

"Tell the janitor to clean up this place," Jinhyun said as he gathered his things.

Yoona's smile was frozen on her face.

"Yes sir," she replied.

Jinhyun nodded and dismissed them. Yoona bowed at him as he exited the room. She followed the other trainees out. But instead of calling a janitor, she headed for the washroom.

She looked into the mirror. Her gentle features were stiff yet calm. Lowering her face to splash some water on it, she noticed a cockroach scrambling out of the drain. She kept on staring at it as the tiny creature successfully climbed out.

….

Yoona came out of the washroom only to run into Semin.

"Unnie!" she exclaimed. "You were excellent today!"

"Thanks Semin," Yoona smiled.

"Unnie, can I ask for a favor?" Semin asked sheepishly.

"Of course!"

"Can you help me with my dancing?" she pleaded. "I'm a terrible dancer! I really need help. I'd do anything in return!"

"Anything?" Yoona said in a serious tone. "Let's see…"

She thought hard for a while before saying, "Bring me your grandmom's delicious Ox Stew."

"Done!"

They giggled. "I'd love to help you," Yoona said. "Every morning. Sharp at eight o'clock. We'll practice for an hour."

"Okay!" Semin said excitedly. "Okay I really need to use the toilet!"

Yoona smiled as she bid her goodbye. Semin burst into the toilet to relieve herself. Coming out of the stall, she was washing her hand when she noticed something near her foot. Curious about it, she stooped down to check it out.

It was a cockroach torn into pieces.