I changed the last section of the last chapter, so if you want to check it out then you can :) While I was writing this, I was listening to i11evn's 괜찮은데, it's so good! 

- - - - - - - - - - -            

            “Your rapping isn’t so good,” Mr. Choi, Rhine’s rap instructor, noted.

            The day had passed by in a flash. It was already eleven during the night and her last lesson of the day came to an end.  Rhine was awfully tired, but was upset about the criticisms she received throughout the day. Her instrument lessons instructor told her she needed practice, her acting lessons instructor told her she was below average, and then her vocal lessons went horrible. And now, Mr. Choi was telling her that she wasn’t so good at rapping. Rhine had thought that her rap would outstand all of the other things she lacked, but Mr. Choi proved her wrong. There was nothing she could do but to nod her head and hide her misery. Her first day had proved to her that being a trainee wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

            “Your pronunciation needs work. You’re taking a Korean class, right?”

            Rhine nodded her head and Mr. Choi looked at the documents in front of him. He was oblivious about how upset Rhine was. She shifted in her seat as she looked at him, bracing herself for his next words. Unlike Mr. Lee, Mr. Choi was harsher and more critical. He was patient, but strict.

            “Since it’s still just your first day, it’s okay to lack here and there. There’s still time for you to improve. I feel like your rapping isn’t making an impact at all,” Mr. Choi said and all Rhine could do was nod. “Even though your rapping isn’t the best, it’s still good for a trainee. You have a lot of potential, I’m sure you’ll be a great rapper in the future.”

            Rhine bowed her head, “Thank you.”

            Mr. Choi nodded and flipped through some papers. They were sitting in the corner of the recording studio with a table in between them. He had brought along some files of Rhine’s and thought they could use some time to discuss what she needed to improve on.

            “I saw some of your audition clips and thought you were exceptionally good. For some reason, your clips have more impact than you do just now. Do you compose your own lyrics?”

            “I do.”

            “Maybe that’s why your clips have more impact because you’re rapping about experiences whereas earlier you were rapping to somebody else’s lyrics…,” he stated as he looked at Rhine. “Have you thought of something to do for the evaluation?”

            “Not yet, the members and I are going to plan tonight.”

            Mr. Choi nodded, “Perhaps you should compose your own rap for the evaluation. I think it’d have more impact.”

            “Okay.”

            He clasped his hands in front of him and looked at Rhine. “I want you to work on your pronunciation. Your rap could also use some work, but right now you’re lacking most in your pronunciation. You have a lot of talent, Miss Leventis, but in order for your strength to show through, you must work hard. I must say I really admire your style of rapping. It’s really unique and it’s something that I’ve never seen before. If you continue to work hard, I’m sure you’ll be successful.”

            Rhine smiled, “Thank you.”

            He nodded but didn’t smile back, “Do you have any questions?”

            “No.”

            “If you don’t then the lesson ends here. See you tomorrow, Miss Leventis.”

            Mr. Choi turned his attention back to the papers and Rhine stood up. She bowed ninety degrees and thanked him. After that, she headed out the door. Rhine sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her first day as an YG trainee had finally ended. It wasn’t what she had expected. The classes weren’t hard, but they definitely weren’t easy either. Rhine knew she had to work hard in order to survive. If she’s lucky, maybe she’ll get to debut next year.

            “Ready to go home?” Hei questioned when Rhine met them in the lobby.

            She told the girls they didn’t have to wait for her because she wasn’t sure when her discussion with Mr. Choi would end, but the girls had refused and insisted that they would all head back together. They were standing in the middle of the empty lobby, all looking as exhausted as Rhine. Some of them had their ear bugs plugged in whereas some were looking at their phones in boredom. In a corner, Iseul was talking on her phone with her back to them.

            “I know I’m ready!” Eiseu exclaimed as she shifted her bag on her shoulder.

            Jae glanced at Rhine with a weak smile and Rhine noticed that her eyes were red. Hei rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. Iseul turned off her phone and turned around as Rhine realized Iseul had been crying. The training must’ve been torture because the excitement from the girls had vanished. None of them seemed to be enjoying themselves.

            “Let’s go then,” Iseul said and her voice was a little broken. Rhine wondered why she was crying, but didn’t dare ask. She knew it wasn’t her place to budge into other people’s business.

            They walked out of the building and the cold air hit Rhine like a slap across the face. She tightened her sweater around her, but still felt cold. They walked side by side, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Rhine wondered how everyone’s day was as she glanced at each of the members. Jae walked in a daze as her eyes lingered on the dark sky. Iseul was looking at the ground, trying to hide her sadness. Hei was constantly yawning and rubbing her eyes as she stumbled from time to time. Eiseu was bobbing her head to her music as she lip synced to the lyrics.

            Nobody seemed to be in the mood to talk that night as each one had their own problems to think about. Rhine realized that they were still people who had their own problems to worry about. They were just like Rhine; afraid of what their future holds. Even though they didn’t say anything, the silence made Rhine understand her members more than anything. She knew how each of the girls felt just by watching their actions. Nobody talked, but for the first time with all the members, she felt like she belonged.

*

            It was exactly 3:15 in the morning when Rhine walked to the entertainment. It was the day of the evaluation and she was nervous. Her classes that day were cancelled due to the evaluation, all except her Korean class. For the past week, Rhine worked as hard as she could and received good feedback from her instructors. Mr. Lee had told her that her Korean was improving and Mr. Choi also told her that her rap was beginning to get better. The past week had been torture. Since the evaluation was approaching quickly, the girls trained a lot and they didn’t get back to the dorm until two in the morning, leaving only an hour of sleep for Rhine.

            Due to her schedule, she hadn’t seen any of the guy trainees since her walk with Hanbin and Bobby. Remembering that the guy trainees lived in the same hall with them, Rhine asked the girls if they knew about it, but none of the girls knew where the guys lived. Rhine concluded that the guys probably got switched there in secret.

            Rhine was dressed for the humid morning; a pair of ripped dark blue denim short short, her favorite pair of six inch brown and black Timberland boots and a white Buddha graphic muscle tee. The morning was quiet like every other morning, but that morning felt different than the others. Rhine brushed it off as nothing because she was probably just anxious. Streetlights shone down at her and shop lights were out except for a few that opened twenty four hours.

            Rhine hadn’t brought her backpack along with her because she didn’t need anything from her bag. The day would consist of her Korean class and then the evaluation and that’s basically it. Mr. Yang told the girls beforehand that they would get the day off. The girls planned to go out that day and just have some fun because they deserved it after all of those intense practices. She was grateful for the day off and hoped she could call her father after the evaluation.

            Just then, the sky rumbled and rain started to pour. In a panic, she covered her head, but it was pouring so hard that she would be soaked in less than a minute. She needed shelter fast. She finally realized that the morning felt different because it was going to rain and she mentally cursed herself. She should’ve known to not get fooled by Korea’s humidity. Rhine frantically glanced around her, but the nearest shops were closed and the entertainment was still far ahead.

            “Come here!” a voice broke through the thundering of the rain.

            The person had a tight hold on her arm as he ran and she followed him. Rhine couldn’t see who he was because of the hair that fell into her vision, but she could make out a snapback and a black leather jacket. He led her under a wide tree and they were sheltered from the storm. He let go of her arms and she brushed her hair back. She was starting to get cold as she wrapped her arms around herself.

            “You should know better than to dress like that in this kind of weather.”

            Rhine turned her attention to the guy and came face to face with Bobby. He was wearing a pair of black square rimmed glasses with a few droplets of rain on his face. Her body felt warm when she realized that she missed seeing Bobby. Even though they only talked a few times, his optimistic personality made her happy. The past week had been dull because she didn’t get to see his laughing face.

            “I didn’t know it was going to rain.”

            Rhine was soaked from head to toes and her hair stuck to her body. The humidity wasn’t helping either, it made her even stickier. Bobby looked better compared to her. His jeans were a bit wet, but his upper half was protected because of the leather jacket and the snapback prevented his face from getting wet.

            “Maybe you should watch the news forecast every morning to prepare for the weather,” he insisted.

            “Do you watch it?”

            Bobby shook his head in disbelief, “Of course not!”

            She laughed, “Then why do I have to watch it?”

            For the first time, Bobby looked serious, “It’s for your own good.”

            She smiled and turned her attention to the rain that didn’t seem to decrease even a little bit. The rain made loud pelting noises that were relaxing, but sad at the same time. Around them, it began to smell like cement because of the rain. The bright green leaves drooped with droplets of rain, but they were standing by the tree trunk, causing the leaves and branches to shelter them from the droplets of rain.

            “It should stop soon,” Bobby informed.

            Rhine hoped it was true. She wouldn’t want to be late for Korean class nor did she want to go to her lessons soaking wet. The morning was raging and the rain danced all around them. Rhine remembered her days back at home. Back at Laguna Niguel, it hardly ever rained, but when it did, it was troublesome. The rain didn’t last long, but it poured like there was no tomorrow. The memories made her homesick.

            “I watched your audition clips,” Bobby suddenly said out of nowhere.

            Rhine looked at him. If anyone else said those words to her, she would instantly be self conscious, but that moment she didn’t feel self conscious or humiliated at all. Instead, she was amused and another emotion that she couldn’t put her finger on. Maybe it was the way he acted that caused Rhine to not care about him seeing her audition clips. Even though she didn’t know much about the guy, she knew he wouldn’t judge her.

            “They were amazing,” he looked at her with sincerity, but there was also a hint of playfulness in his eyes. “Now that I know how you sound like, we should definitely do a rap duo!”

            Rhine smiled and thought he was joking, but when she looked into his eyes, there wasn’t a trace of playfulness in them. He looked serious. Rhine contemplated the idea. A rap duo with Bobby? Rhine had never rapped with someone else before, it was always her alone. A rap duo sounded fun especially with Bobby, but Rhine wasn’t sure. She’s always so busy and he’s going to debut soon which would make it hard. Their schedules would hold them back.

            “Sure, why not?”

            Bobby grinned widely at her, “It would be amazing… There’s something about your audition clips though…”

            Bobby’s hesitation made her look at him in wonder. Why did he sound so hesitant and down? She’s never seen that side of him before as she turned to face him. He pulled the hem of his snapback down so she couldn’t see his eyes.

            “Who made you like this?”

            His question made her look at him with uncertainty. Her arms hung loose at her sides as he shifted in his spot. His voice had dropped an octave. The pounding of the rain suddenly sounded distant as all she could focus on was him. Bobby glanced at the mushy ground before looking at her. There was an emotion in his eyes that caught her off guard.

            “What do you mean?” Rhine heard herself say even though she figured out what he meant. She wanted to hear him say it.

            “When you rap, there’s so much pain and emotion in your voice. It’s as if you’re the only one fighting this world… Behind every rapper, there’s something that broke them… What broke you?”

            His eyes found hers and Rhine looked away. Her chest constricted as she shifted her position. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. His words seemed as if he knew her more than anyone else did. Rhine was stunned as she fell silent. She could feel his eyes on her and she wanted to disappear that instant.

            He continued when she didn’t respond, “He damaged you, didn’t he.”

            Her pulse raced and she bit her bottom lip to restrain herself from breaking down. Rhine didn’t dare walk down that path again, but when Bobby said those words, it was as if her world had came tumbling down. Nobody aside from her family knew about Travis; the guy that made her who she was.