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Ten years can change even rivers and mountains.

This saying means that nothing remains unchanged over the flow of time.

Therefore, considering that it has been an astonishing 12 years and 2 months since Haeun began doing something for herself on her 6th birthday,

it was inevitable that many things, including Haeun’s body, would have changed.

“Hm….”

What Haeun currently looks at is not a small hand mirror, but a long full-length mirror.

The reflection that meets her gaze is not that of a cute and baby-faced girl, but of a beautiful young woman.

Of course, she knows it’s a bit strange to describe herself as beautiful.

But she also recognizes that evaluating her appearance as ordinary is not modesty, but deception.

Long, voluminous hair.

Eyes that are slim and slightly sharp, like a cat’s.

And, slightly more pronounced than average, a chest beneath.

As she shifts her gaze a little lower, she is greeted by a firm lower abdomen and shapely legs free of excess fat.

It seems that the reverse transformation Haeun worried about in her childhood has not occurred.

Thanks to years of consistent exercise, her overall figure is well-balanced.

Because of this, she has been complimented on her self-management by her manager, Joo Jung-yoon, and even by CEO Jo Kyung-cheol, whom she encountered by chance.

While Cha Da-yeon, who has been eager to devour Haeun for eleven years, commented that she resembles a delinquent sister, even Da-yeon couldn’t say Haeun is ugly, even as a joke.

In other words, it means she has enough confidence in her appearance.

Thus, today as well, to maintain her desirable appearance more healthily,

she exited her white soundproof booth and changed into training attire, heading toward the usual empty lot, only to be met with:

<Under Construction>

<We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience>

“Uh…?”

Unfamiliar signs, construction materials, and bright yellow heavy machinery blocked her path.

The empty lot, which had always been solely hers, was now packed with burly construction workers.

To top it off, the soft grass of the empty lot was being torn up by the violent construction equipment.

– Thud.

As soon as she realized that the empty lot was no longer hers, her legs gave way.

Simultaneously, middle-aged men shouting toward her with concern.

“Are you… able to get up, miss? Is it okay if we don’t call 119?”

“Ah, yes… I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

And thus, dragging her feet.

Haeun left behind what had become a construction site, appearing almost dazed.

Lee Haeun.

Eighteen years old.

Experiencing a sense of loss that felt like the world was crumbling due to a change she never wanted.

*

“Um, Manager Joo. What’s wrong with Haeun?”

“I don’t know either… She was fine just yesterday.”

This was shortly after Lee Geon-yeol and Joo Jung-yoon glanced at Haeun, who was curled up in a corner of the studio.

However, not even a few seconds passed before the gloomy atmosphere, too strikingly vivid, forced them to turn away.

Eventually, Lee Geon-yeol and Joo Jung-yoon began to formulate various hypotheses based on what they knew.

For example, perhaps she was abruptly rejected by someone she liked.

“Hm, I’ve seen the guys who confess to Haeun, but I’ve never seen the opposite scenario.”

“Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Haeun falling in love. It’s like she’s a nun when it comes to guys.”

Or maybe she was unwell.

“…Is she the health obsession type?”

“Seems like she’s not sick after all.”

Or perhaps she had a huge fight with Da-yeon.

“I heard Da-yeon is busy filming a new drama and can hardly come to school.”

“Hm….”

Even after that, various hypotheses such as academic stress, late blooming puberty, and unstable friendships flowed from Lee Geon-yeol and Joo Jung-yoon’s mouths.

However, none of the hypotheses were particularly convincing, nor could they clearly explain why Haeun was feeling down.

The tense atmosphere remained until Lee Joon returned with packaged sushi.

Of course, since Joon found the scene in the studio puzzling,

“Wasn’t the application date for that singer audition yesterday? Did she forget to apply?”

Another possibility that Geon-yeol and Jung-yoon couldn’t voice was eventually spoken by Joon.

Almost simultaneously, Haeun silently got up and approached the wrapped sushi.

“…I applied for the audition just fine.”

“Really? Thank goodness…”

Her voice, which was almost ghostly, sent shivers down everyone else’s spines, except for Haeun.

Yet disregarding that, she swiftly snapped a pair of chopsticks and picked up the shrimp sushi positioned at the forefront.

As Haeun took a bite of the glistening sushi, chewing away,

everyone who was sneakily glancing at her also reached for their own sushi at that moment.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. Could you lend me the rooftop of your building?”

A perplexing question whose meaning was unclear came from Haeun.

As a result, a huge question mark appeared in the eyes of both Joon and Geon-yeol.

“Um, Haeun, what do you want to do on the rooftop?”

“To exercise.”

“So then, why do you want to exercise on our studio rooftop?”

“Because the place I always worked out at became a construction site. And if I exercise at home, someone living below might come up.”

A voice cautiously mentioned that the floor right beneath the rooftop was empty.

However, they still couldn’t understand why Haeun was so insistently asking for the rooftop.

“…Can’t you just go to the gym?”

It was the kind of question posed out of genuine confusion that slipped from Geon-yeol’s mouth.

But Haeun’s response upon hearing that was equally straightforward.

“I’m not going to be a bodybuilder.”

“?”

It was riddled with too many oddities to grasp at once.

No one could figure out where to begin correcting Haeun’s misconceptions.

Still, one thing was clear.

It was certain that Haeun had been feeling gloomy because of the empty lot that had turned into a construction site.

“Well then, how about you join us for judo practice?”

Instead of correcting her misunderstanding about the gym, Geon-yeol and Joon suggested that Haeun attend the judo academy they casually went to.

Since by the time she became a high school student, it would be beneficial to learn at least one self-defense martial art.

“Hm… I’ll think about it.”

It was after Haeun had cleaned her plate of sushi that she stood up.

Soon, as Haeun entered the recording room of the studio, she began practicing an idol song that she had been a bit too devoted to lately.

Haeun was aware that this was a practice for her long-awaited singer audition.

Above all, her vocal prowess was so outstanding that she no longer needed vocal training.

No matter what song she sang, it sounded pleasant.

However, given that she possessed a level of singing ability that even Joon and Geon-yeol acknowledged,

they couldn’t quite understand Haeun’s choice to audition with an idol song.

She was definitely capable of handling much more challenging pieces.

If she was going to audition, they believed a song with a bit more impact and emotional appeal would have been better than an idol song.

“Hey, Haeun. Wouldn’t a more serious song suit you better than that refreshing vibe? Like a drama OST.”

So, straightforwardly, he asked Haeun across the studio if she had considered other songs.

“Drama OST? Which one?”

“’Turning Back Time’ from Haesumdul, or ‘My Destiny’ from Byeolon-dang would be good too.”

“Hm… Those songs don’t have dances, do they?”

For that reason, she was turned down.

At that moment, the nature of the secret audition Haeun wished to attend fell deeper into confusion.

“Well then, let’s keep practicing the song you’ve been working on, while we prepare one that’ll showcase your vocal talent alone.”

The last suggestion from Geon-yeol, who regretted Haeun’s extraordinary singing skills, was offered.

After all, she would surely pass relying solely on pure singing ability without any choreography.

“If they eliminate Haeun, it means they have no ear for music in the first place.”

“Thanks for saying that, even if it’s just words.”

“When have we ever lied about singing? Haeun, you really sing well.”

Until that point, Haeun thought Joon and Geon-yeol were merely boosting her confidence for no reason.

Of course, she didn’t entirely lack confidence in her singing talent.

But no matter what, she thought it wasn’t to the extent that someone like Double Lee would excessively praise her.

However, not long after that,

more precisely, at the moment she stopped singing and was sipping lukewarm water.

– Tap.

“What?”

A few sheets of white sheet music that Joon had brought were spread out in front of Haeun.

When she asked in confusion what those sheets were,

“It’s for the new album we’re releasing. We’re unsure about the female featuring part. Can you sing it just once for us?”

She received an answer that these sheets were from none other than Double Lee’s new song.

She was also told to just treat it as a guide recording and sing comfortably.

The issue was that Joon’s expression seemed a bit awkward.

Thus, while casting a slight suspicious glance at Joon,

「──────♪」

Haeun did her absolute best to sing the female featuring part Joon requested.

She remained oblivious to the fact that Geon-yeol had thick headphones over his ears.