*

2014.05.10

When Lee Hae-na came out of the dark studio, she was still not used to the sunlight outside. She squinted her eyes.

It was already morning.

Lee Hae-na yawned tiredly, stretched, and walked back to the room to take a shower.

She lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her agent sister in Los Angeles. She slept in one room with her agent, and the other room was a recording and songwriting studio.

Seeing her come out of the studio, the agent sister gave her a cup of warm milk so that she could drink it after the shower.

The warm water of the appropriate temperature poured on Lee Hae-na's body. The relaxation of her stiff muscles made her so comfortable that she closed her eyes. The warm water flowed down from her collarbone, past her flat belly, and to her delicate ankles.

Unknowingly, she had spent half a year in Los Angeles. Although the sun in California was strong, it was not a threat to Lee Hae-na, who did not go out all year round. She was even two degrees lighter, almost the same color as the white wall.

Probably because she had finally reached the growth stage, Lee Hae-na had also grown in height in the past half a year. She had grown from 1.61 meters to 1.65 meters. Her legs were long and slender, slim and graceful.

The training courses in the United States were sufficient, but the intensity was still not as good as in Korea. Lee Hae-na felt that she had slacked off a lot in the past half a year. She was a little afraid that she could not keep up with the progress when she went back.

After all, she mainly received composition, arrangement, and vocal training in the United States. Dancing had indeed fallen behind.

The only thing that comforted her was that her singing skills had improved significantly in the past half a year. She also learned a lot of advanced composition and arrangement skills, and wrote a lot of songs that satisfied the teachers.

At the end of this month, she would return to Korea to see her dear friends. In the past half a year, they had only contacted each other through text messages and phone calls. Lee Hae-na missed them a little.

After taking a shower, Lee Hae-na looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling window. Her mood improved little by little.

She just did not expect the bad news to come so quickly.

2014.05.15

The exo Chinese member, Kris, announced his withdrawal from the team.

Once this news was released, it could be said that a large bomb had been thrown into the Korean entertainment circle and even the Asian entertainment circle, causing everyone's minds to explode.

2014 EXO was no longer a nameless newcomer. After two hit songs, "Roar" and "Overdose", they had become an A-list boy band. It was a huge blow to have a member leave the team on the eve of reaching the top.

Lee Hae-na didn't want to judge who was right or wrong. Kris was a brother she had known since she was a trainee, and he took good care of her. Even after her debut, he didn't distance himself from her.

She knew that her brother's trainee had led a difficult life and been treated unfairly after his debut, so she couldn't bear to criticize him.

After all, people were biased.

But what worried Lee Hae-na was not Kris' withdrawal, but the company's attitude towards the remaining Chinese trainees.

A week after the withdrawal, Lee Hae-na received a call from Park Soo-young. She sounded like she was about to cry. "Some of the Chinese trainees in the company have been terminated. Even the Chinese management personnel have been demoted … Hae-na … what should we do …"

What should she do?

She didn't know either.

Lee Hae-na comforted Park Soo-young for a while and hung up.

The floor-to-ceiling window in the room was covered by thick blackout curtains, and not a single ray of light could enter from outside.

The lights in the room were not turned on, and it was as dark as night.

Lee Hae-na leaned against the bed and sat on the floor. Her eyes were empty, and the air was filled with dust. It was so quiet that only the ticking of the clock could be heard.

As for what she was thinking about, she wasn't actually thinking about anything.

Her thoughts went back to when she had just arrived in Korea as a trainee. Then, it drifted to the days when she received her first month-end evaluation. Then, it reminded her of the countless dreams she had of standing on the stage.

Her phone played every song she had written after learning how to compose. Those songs added up to more than 60 gigabytes of memory.

She clearly remembered that she didn't often write sad songs. Was it because of her mood?

Why did every song sound like a sigh?

For the first time, Lee Hae-na felt that the road ahead was uncertain.

It was different from the tiredness caused by endless practice in the past. This time, she really felt that she might not be able to debut.

If she couldn't debut …

What should she do?

Just as Lee Hae-na was letting her imagination run wild, her manager sister came back from outside and informed Lee Hae-na that she had to start packing her luggage. She would be returning to Korea in two days.

Lee Hae-na nodded slowly.

The manager sister thought that Lee Hae-na was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the progress. She stroked her hair, comforted her, and went to do her work.

Lee Hae-na sighed and packed her luggage with mixed feelings.

*

After returning to Korea, the manager sister told her to go back to the dormitory to put down her luggage before going to the company.

Lee Hae-na obediently went back to the dormitory. When she opened the door, she found that her bed, which was supposed to be covered with dust, had been wiped clean and covered with a soft mattress. She even changed her favorite strawberry bedsheet.

There was a post-it note on the bedside. The careless handwriting was obviously Park Soo-young's.

"Shengwan sister and I prepared the bed for you in advance. Aren't we sweet and cute?

Welcome home, little Hae-na. "

Lee Hae-na looked at the post-it note and couldn't help but complain, "This sister really needs to practice her handwriting. It doesn't match her looks at all."

Strangely, after reading it, the anxiety and worry in her heart for the past few days suddenly turned into a sense of security, like a bird returning home in a storm.

Her nose suddenly became sour, and her vision was blurred by tears without warning. Lee Hae-na lay on the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and silently sobbed.

The pillow smelled warm from the sun.

It was a reassuring smell.

After crying, Lee Hae-na's mood improved a lot.

Probably because she figured out some things, she felt very relaxed when she stood in front of the president's office. There was no trace of the anxiety and anxiety she had a few days ago.

She took out a small mirror to check her appearance, took a deep breath, and knocked on the office door.

Lee Soo-man was actually here.

Lee Hae-na was a little surprised, but she immediately bowed to greet him.

"Come and sit down."

Lee Soo-man showed a kind smile, waved to Lee Hae-na, and motioned her to sit on the sofa next to him.

Lee Hae-na sat down respectfully.

"The environment in the United States and South Korea is very different."

Lee Soo-man and President Kim Young-min would regularly receive Lee Hae-na's learning feedback and performance of her composition, so there was no need to ask about her recent situation in the United States. It was just a non-serious topic to start with.

"Well, I wasn't used to it in the first two days, but I quickly adjusted.

In the United States, I can be exposed to the most traditional and latest music trends, and I learned a lot. I'm very grateful to teacher and president for giving me this opportunity! "Lee Hae-na didn't dare to neglect or be too fake.

"That's good."

Lee Soo-man nodded and changed the topic: "You should be very curious about why the company sent you to the United States."

"To be honest, I was a little surprised." Lee Hae-na used two fingers to show a small distance.

"Because teacher Yu Yongjin and I saw a possibility in you." Li Xiu looked at her with an illusory gaze, as if she was looking at something else through her.

"It's also a kind of gamble." Lee Soo-man looked at Lee Hae-na's puzzled gaze and suddenly laughed.

"You should have guessed that I called you here today to talk about something else." President Kim Young-min took a sip of tea and crossed her legs: "It's about your debut."

Lee Hae-na was a little nervous, but she didn't interrupt. She quietly waited for Kim Young-min's next words.

"I know you are very talented.

But compared to talent, we need obedient children more.

Do you understand? "Kim Young-min looked at Lee Hae-na. Although her face was smiling, it wasn't a real smile.

"I know."

Lee Hae-na nodded and said in the most sincere tone in her life: "If the company is willing to give me a chance, I will definitely do my best."

"There are many obedient and capable children. Why should we give you that precious chance?

And you are even Chinese. "Kim Young-min's face was the typical calculation and indifference of a businessman:" Give me a reason. "

Lee Hae-na knew that this was her only and last chance.

Li Xiuman, who was beside her, was also looking at her.

Lee Hae-na calmly thought for a moment and smiled: "There are three reasons."

Lee Soo-man and Kim Young-min looked at Lee Hae-na's confident expression and looked at each other with a little interest on their faces.

"First, I am the most capable among the beautiful trainees."

"Second, I can write songs."

"Third, I am Chinese."

The three points that Lee Hae-na said were exactly the three points that Kim Young-min thought were Lee Hae-na's shortcomings. Kim Young-min didn't react at first, but then she laughed.

This girl was smarter and sharper than she thought.

The first point showed that she had the qualifications to debut and could even save the company the cost of plastic surgery.

The second point showed that she had added value and could generate income for the company.

The third point pointed out her market potential and made it easier to conquer the China market that the company had been eyeing covetously.

"You go back first and have a good rest."

Lee Soo-man was different from Kim Young-min. Although he was also a businessman, he still cherished Lee Hae-na's talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on sending her to the United States to study.

Lee Hae-na didn't insist. She wasn't sure that President Kim Young-min and Lee Soo-man would be moved by her, but from their expressions, she could tell that her words were listened to.

Lee Hae-na bowed and left.

After leaving the office, Lee Hae-na didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed. She only felt that her stomach was empty, so she planned to go to the cafeteria to eat something.

Recently, her body had been shrinking and her appetite had increased a lot. She was no longer full after drinking yogurt and eating a banana like before. She finally experienced the pain of Xu Yiyang's weight management.

Just as Lee Hae-na was walking forward, someone suddenly pounced on her from behind. The strong impact almost knocked her to the ground.

"Hey, Yigu, our Shorty Na has grown a lot taller!" Kim Hee-chul's despicable voice came from behind her, followed by a forceful rub of her hair.

Lee Hae-na didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she pushed Kim Hee-chul's hand away and smoothed her hair. "Oppa, why are you at the company at this time?"

"I heard that you came back today, so I came to catch you and ask you to treat me to a meal." Kim Hee-chul put his arm around Lee Hae-na's shoulder and walked forward.

The first half of what he said was true, but he came because he was worried that Lee Hae-na would be unhappy. He was afraid that she would hide and cry alone.

After all, that incident happened.

"Are you kidding me?

A famous artist is exploiting a poor trainee! "Lee Hae-na understood Kim Hee-chul's painstaking efforts and was touched and grateful.

"Come on, poor!

Don't you know how well December's Miracle is selling? "Kim Hee-chul rolled his eyes and pinched Lee Hae-na's face.

Lee Hae-na knew what he was going to do when she saw him raise his hand. She dodged to the side and nimbly avoided him.

Kim Hee-chul saw that he missed, so he clicked his tongue and stopped messing with Lee Hae-na. "Let's go. Big brother will take you to eat Korean beef!

It'll add to your growing weight. "

Lee Hae-na, "…"