*****Liu SiSi's POV*****
Who said dreams don't come true?
"And the winner of this year's Daesang Award is WildRose", the host sounded. My group stood up excitedly amidst cheers. It was a dream come true. We walked up to the stage like the queens we were and went up to receive the award. We were five in number: Hae ra, Seul gi, Ga Eul, Ji soo and, of course, me, Liu SiSi. I was the leader of this amazing number 1 girl group. I took the award and gave a speech in honor of the award.
"First of all, I would like to sincerely thank all of you for this great honor to receive the AAA's (Asian Artists Awards) main award. I am grateful that all our efforts have finally once again reached the limelight. It wasn't an easy journey and we are happy that all our efforts didn't go down the drain. Also, I would like to say this is a very special award because it's the one we got right before our hiatus. I would like to thank all our fans for making it very special for us. We couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you, our stars. We love you", I rounded up amidst cheers. We hugged before leaving the stage.
******
"Finally, we are getting a break", Seul gi cheered as she walked to the balcony with a bottle of red wine in hand. Hae ra accompanied her with a tray of five glasses which she set on the table. "What's with the wine?" Ji soo asked as Seul gi opened the wine. "Well, I thought there would be nothing better than a good wine to celebrate the beginning of our three month hiatus", she answered. "You finally did something smart", Ga Eul said high fiving her. She poured the wine into the glasses and we stood up and clinked. "Cheers to hiatus", Seul gi said. "Cheers", we responded and drank. We sat down back. "So, how are you guys planning on spending your break?" I asked. "Well, I'm planning on learning a new skill", Ga Eul said. "Like cooking?" Hae ra joked and we all laughed. She was a bad cook. "Yeah, I guess", she laughed. "I'm planning on focusing on my career", Seul gi said. "Isn't idol your career?" "Yes, it is but I'm talking about the one I spent four years studying in the university" "Oh, photography", I realized. "Yeah. Now is a prominent time for business. After the AAA, many industries are starting to work on new productions. I can finally focus on working on that", Seul gi explained. "That is a good idea. Many industries especially LW Entertainment is working on new movies recently", I said. "That's true. Speaking of movies, are you planning on working on another cdrama?" "Oh...…no. I'm planning on spending time with my family and enjoy being spoiled like the last child I am. Then, if I want to, create new machine designs or so", I was an engineer and had an engineering company, "but....my main focus is relaxation during this hiatus". "Sounds like your plan is free life. Amazing", Hae ra said clinking glasses with me. "I can't agree more. So, what are your plans?" "Likewise", she responded, "but also planning on working on my fashion designs and perhaps, help Ji Soo with her upcoming novel". "You mean the novel she's been working on since our trainee days", I asked and everyone burst into laughter. "Seriously?" Ji soo frowned. "Come on, you know it's true", I defended myself. "You asked me to help you with major plot points to be able to begin. I did and yet we are still in the seventh chapter since seven years". "Well, I'm going to be serious with the novel now and spend the next three months working on it. And I'm sure I'll be able to finish before our hiatus concludes", Ji soo said with a serious look. "Hmm", I sighed deeply in thought, "I don't know why but I feel this conversation sounds familiar. But where?"
[Flashback: 7 years earlier] [Training room]
"Okay, we're done for the day. See you guys tomorrow", performance coach sounded before leaving the training room. "I can't believe we actually nailed the assessment. I feel so proud of myself", Seul gi said hugging me excitedly. "It's all because we worked together as a team", I said. "Oh, that was tiring. I need some water", Hae ra said as she opened her water bottle and gulped some of its content. "What are you doing?" Ga Eul asked on noticing Ji soo who was sitting at a corner with a book and pen and walked up to her. "Oh, I'm just working on a novel", Ji soo said. "Sounds like fun" "It's rather tiring" "Keep going", Ga Eul hyped before going to drink water. I sat next to Ji soo. "You write?" I asked looking at the two lines she had written so far. "Just started. I got some inspiration but I have difficulty in putting the plot together and creating my dream scenario", she said looking a bit tired and already frustrated. "Well….." I wanted to say but she interrupted abruptly, "you are a writer too, right? I've read so many of your novels. Most were even adapted to movies" "True" "Could you maybe help me?" "How?" "If I tell you how I want the story to be, could you help write major plot points and a few starter lines then I work on them to create the story" "Umm….sure. What are friends for?" I smiled. "Thank you so much. With your help, I'm sure I'll be able to finish the story just before we debut", she said.
[End of Flashback]
"If I remember correctly, we debuted six months later and you only managed to write six lines despite all the already made plot points and it has been six years after we debuted and you have written just seven paragraphs since then", I said. "Aside from our busy schedule and rare breaks, I admit I have been a bit unserious but I'm serious now plus I have Hae ra's help. You know how she is with stories", Ji soo said. "Of course, I do. Once she starts reading your story, she pressurizes you until you finish it. She won't stop bugging you unless she reads all of it", I responded making Hae ra chuckle. "If I write a chapter, I'll post it on our group. Then, you can correct errors and you guys can all give me ideas". "Sounds like a plan", Seul gi said.
Two Weeks Later
I lay on my bed scrolling through my phone. "It's been two weeks. Why hasn't Ji soo posted anything yet", I wondered. A notification popped on my phone screen. It read:
'Hey, guys. I've finished a chapter. Kindly read and rate it'
Finally! I quickly tapped the message to read the story. "SiSi, time for breakfast!" I heard my mum's voice. Right, breakfast. Wait? Breakfast!!! I hadn't even showered yet. I rushed to the bathroom with my phone. I'd just read the story in the tub.
After preparing the water, I undressed and entered the tub to bathe. Bubbles filled the tub. I reached for my phone and started reading:
"In the vast land of Danxia, the Veiled Code stood out as the sovereign of all, invincible and unparalled. Even the emperor, Tang mingye, was no match and was only a ruler by name. The real ruler of the martial world was the invincible and formidable, Xiao Zhan, the one and only leader of the Veiled Code...…"
The lights in the bathroom suddenly went off and I panicked making my phone fall in the water. "Mum, what happened?" I asked as I looked for my phone in the tub. The light turned on. "The power misbehaved for a second", was my mum's reply. I finally found my phone but it was all wet and had gone blank. I was frustrated, "just when I was getting intrigued", I sighed and tried shaking it to perhaps remove the water that must have entered the phone. All of a sudden, the phone screen shone brightly and the lights in the room went off again. My surroundings changed and I became confused. "Mum?" I called but the light shone so brightly in my eyes and I had to close my eyes before I became blind.
After a few seconds, I opened my eyes to see a very very strange place...….