JooHyun, Seulgi, Wendy, and Katie pulled a cliché and went to the restroom in a small herd, together to ‘freshen up.’ After the performance, they actually needed it. They were perspiring enough that the raccoon makeup made them look like they had been crying, not ughing like loons. Their gasping for breath did nothing to help the image that they were accidentally fostering. Several people had incorrectly thought that they had all been bawling their eyes out. A couple of girls actually started forward to try and comfort them until they heard the giggles and figured out what had happened.

  One of these kind people rolled her eyes, said “Jeeze” and went back to get a booth to sing some more. This room was tacky in an entirely different color scheme than Seulgi’s menagerie. Pinks, oranges, and yellows do not belong together in any reasonable color scheme. Only an inveterate misanthrope who hated everyone that would ever see this carpet color scheme as anything other than an ocur torture. Which, to be honest, was the entire reason for it. The truly amazing thing was they managed to bamboozle someone into actually buying it.

  It’s not often you get to go full out and sing your heart out with lifelong friends that you have just met. Wendy and Katie had known each other for a while, but could not actually be called friends – yet - like Seulgi and Nayeon could be. JooHyun was a total dark horse. Everyone had a pretty good idea about each other, except for JooHyun. That being said, everyone knew – including JooHyun herself – that she belonged to the group. Or perhaps they belonged to her, depending on your point of view. Either way, they belonged together.

  In the restroom, the over-bright lighting showed every fw that needed to be repaired. The restroom was more tastefully decorated in every way as well from the singing booths. Nicer carpet, better paint and color schemes, and even fancy faucets in the sinks were nicer. While repairing their war paint, everyone also did touchups on each other just to make sure everyone was presenting their best faces. They also traded numbers so they could all remain in contact. Especially for the next time when they went singing.

  As they were heading back to the room, everyone abruptly stopped in a messy gaggle when JooHyun said that she knew a girl that she wanted to bring the next time they went singing. They all stopped, firstly, to make sure they could hear the tiny voice. The ambient noise did make it hard to hear and understand her when she actually did have something to say. Then they could not reengage their thoughts or re-start walking without picking up their jaws off the floor from hearing her say that they were collectively cking. The final bomb was in that she had an ear to fix a problem that none of the rest thought that they had. Everyone that heard them, with the exception of JooHyun, already thought that they were at a peak of what they could accomplish. They had harmonies that were bound to become legends. Even the manager there, whose livelihood revolved around singing, thought that they were wasted there and they should be on a much rger stage than his dive bar karaoke. When they learned that JooHyun could make their sound complete, the excitement ratcheted up another three points.

  JooHyun was normally uncomfortable being the center of these fantastic girls’ attention. But she re-straightened her long bck hair once more and had a mix of a tiny Mona Lisa smile and a Cheshire grin. The other four got a tiny shiver in dread and anticipation with this smile of hers. They would soon learn to fear that smile more than any outburst that anyone else would ever have. Even Katie, the youngest and most exuberant, learned to equally respect and fear that smile.

  Nobody was paying attention, but the collective had a nearly Pavlovian response to JooHyun pulling her hair straight. Everyone else straightened and neatened their hair as well. Except for Wendy as she had boyishly short hair for some reason. This led to a domino effect as once everyone else was done pying with their hair, it caused JooHyun to do it again, starting it all over. By the third iteration, they returned to the room and everyone stopped. The part that was most funny was none of them noticed what they were doing.

  The others had an ominous feeling from JooHyun's smile but were still looking forward to the results. From the smile earlier, they had the feeling that things were about to get Very Interesting when this fifth as of yet unknown person shows up. If they had any idea how prophetic their inclinations were, they would not believe it.

  Nayeon had a cold breath roll up her spine. As the nearest person who knew anything about the metaphysical world in the group, she felt a disturbance in their very near future but had no idea why she just had it. She shrugged it off as she was used to the strange and unusual happening around her. But, she was not ready for what would happen in a month’s time or so. To be honest, none of them were. Not even the principal pyers in this drama.

  JooHyun already knew that she ought to bring these three to meet their imminent fifth to meet up. And then to practice, if they fit together, to make sure they blew everyone away. Practice makes perfect, after all. JooHyun wanted to make sure when they presented themselves to the group (because there was no way in Hell that she would stay away from this semi-intimidating and overly gregarious group.)