Chapter 113: Midnight Girl

[Su Bin’s POV]

Hae Rin looked so different now. She looked successful, and much happier than she used to be. In the past, when we were trainees, there was this air of superiority about her that made everyone decide that she would always outdo them and make them look small and less talented beside her, which was why she never had a friend other than me. I loved music, I loved dancing, I loved the industry, but I wasn’t as ambitious as Hae Rin. It was short of a miracle that I got transferred to DSP and made it into Odun Cheonsa (Dark Angels).

“Su Bin!” my band mate Shin Hae motioned for me to join the band in another corner of the waiting room.

“I’ll talk to you later?” I said to Hae Rin.

“Ne,” she smiled and went back to meditating as I walked away.

“Wae?” I asked as I approached Shin Hae.

“Is that Hae Rin?” she asked me.

“Yep…”

“You know her?” Puri, my other band mate exclaimed, and I could detect a little awe in her voice.

“We used to train together at SM,” I explained.

“I think she mentioned it before,” Sylvia, our band leader said.

Sylvia was the quintessential dark angel. She’d spent years training with BROS ENT in the USA before DSP recruited her to form this band. Fluent in English, Spanish and Korean, she was the expert communicator among us, and also one of the best dancers and singers DSP has recruited so far. I could already see the different personalities that make up Dark Angels.

We were supposed to have a less cutesy image compared to SNSD, and we’re supposed to be sexy at the same time, and mysterious. Other than being all those, we had our own personalities. Sylvia we’d established, then we had Shin Hee the cute, ditzy one. Puri, as her name suggests, was a little fiery in terms of her temper, and she was also generally compulsive and sassy. I was the quiet, peaceful one, and Sylvia’s job was to tie all of us together and keep us in line.

We were here today for our debut performance, as the opening act for Hae Rin. Usually some new group from SM would open for another SM artiste, but our manager managed to get us this gig.

“Su Bin… I’m so nervous!” Shin Hee exclaimed as she clasped my hands. “What if they don’t like us?”

“Settle down,” Sylvia said. “They’ll like us. If they wouldn’t, we won’t be standing here in the first place.”

“Eoduun Cheonsa,” the PD called out. “You’re on.”

We walked out of the waiting room towards the wings of the stage. The studio was split into 2 sections. There was an area for the host and guests to chat, and there were armchairs and a coffee table placed there. Then on the other side was a medium sized stage which was cleared since we were going to dance on it. When rock bands came, there would be musical instruments there, like a drum set, keyboard and guitars.

The lights dimmed on our side of the stage and we walked on to get into position. The other stage was lit and the theme for the show played as the host walked onto the stage.

“Annyeong haseyo! Choi Na Yung-imnida! Welcome to Cho Sarang!” Choi Na Yung, the host announced.

Choi Na Yung was pretty new in the industry but she was quickly becoming popular because of she was friendly, articulate and easy on the eyes when on camera. She also hosted another music program with Park Kwon Je, another new host. Cho Sarang or First Love was mainly a talk show to introduce new artistes and also new works by current artistes, which was why we were here today; us for our debut performance, and Hae Rin probably to promote an upcoming single.

“Today we have a great band here to kick start the show, and true to the purpose of our show, I am certain that after this, you will be the first to love them. Please welcome the upcoming sensations, Eoduun Cheonsa!” she announced and the stage lit up as our music started with a bang.

Sylvia: Oh yea… we’re Eoduun Cheonsa
Puri: We’re winging it…
Sylvia: That’s right…
Su Bin: Eoduun Cheonsa… taking flight
Shin Hee: Come follow us…
Su Bin: Girls, hit it!

Eoduun Cheonsa: We’re angels of the night
Prepare to be mesmerized
We’re angels of the night
Don’t you put up a fight…

Sylvia: There was a time when all was pure and bright
And in this time perhaps your lives were alright
Puri: There was a time when your lives were just right
But we’re here to shake that up, to make it better

Su Bin: Open your eyes, your ears, your heart
Listen to our song, and get in the mood
Shin Hee: Free your mind, your heart, your soul
Give us a chance to make you feel good


Eoduun Cheonsa: We’re angels of the night
Prepare to be mesmerized
We’re angels of the night
Don’t you put up a fight…

We’re angels of the night
Ready to take flight
We’re angels of the night
Come fly with us tonight…

Su Bin: Now that you heard us, you’re gonna be in love
Like drugs we are, gonna get you addicted to our words
Sylvia: You won’t be able to live without us, trapped in our world
Come with us, we’ll take you on a journey to oblivion

Puri: Open your eyes, your ears, your heart
Visualize our images, imprint us in your minds
Shin Hee: Free your mind, your heart, your soul
Spread your wings, come fly with us

Eoduun Cheonsa: We’re angels of the night
Prepare to be mesmerized
We’re angels of the night
Don’t you put up a fight…

We’re angels of the night
Ready to take flight
We’re angels of the night
Come fly with us tonight…

We’re angels of the night
Prepare to be mesmerized
We’re angels of the night
Don’t you put up a fight…

We’re angels of the night
Ready to take flight
We’re angels of the night
Come fly with us tonight…

Applause rang through the studio as the music ended with us posing in our ending positions.

“Wa…” Choi Na Yung said as she walked towards us. “Eoduun Cheonsa!” she announced again. “Please give them another round of applause!”

“Komapseumnida,” each of us said as we bowed.

“This is your first live performance today?” Choi Na Yung asked us.

“Ye,” we answered.

“You looked like pros… didn’t they?” she asked the audience and we received more applause in response to her question.

“Kamsahamnida…” we laughed nervously.

“So… can you please introduce yourselves, since this is your first time?”

“Ye…” Sylvia started. “Sylvia-imnida.”

“Su Bin-imnida,” I followed.

“Puri-imnida,” Puri said.

“Shin Hee-imnida,” Shin Hee said as she gave a cute pose.

“Urineun, Eoduun Cheonsa,” we rounded off, and we received another round of applause from the audience.

“So… a big thank you to Eoduun Cheonsa for opening the show for us today. Please have a seat over there,” she said as she motioned towards the couches on the other stage.

“Ne,” we replied as we walked towards it and sat down.

“Next, let us welcome our other guest, the one that I see many fans are waiting for today, judging from the banners and balloons” Choi Na Yung said, and the fans screamed.

[Hae Rin’s POV]

Eoduun Cheonsa had just finished performing, and I’ll have to admit that they were pretty good, from what I saw from the television set they had hooked up in the waiting room. I’m now at the wings of the stage, waiting for my cue to walk onto the set.

“Hae Rin!” I heard the host, Choi Na Yung, announce as I walked out, and the set is filled with deafening applause.

I waved at the crowd as I walked towards her and she motioned for me to sit in the couch next to hers. Before that, I greeted all of the members of Eoduun Cheonsa with handshakes.

“How are you, Hae Rin?” she greeted me.

“Not bad,” I smiled.

“Does that mean you’re good?” she asked.

“Could be…” I laughed.

“Sorry, I’ve not introduced you. This is Sylvia, Su Bin, Puri and Shin Hee of Eoduun Cheonsa. Have you met Eoduun Cheonsa before this?” she asked.

“Nope, but I do know Su Bin here,” I said.

“Oh… you were friends?”

“Ne,” Su Bin and I replied.

“This is interesting. Did you come from the same hometown?”

“No,” I replied. “We used to train together at SM,” I said.

“Really? So why didn’t you debut with SM, Su Bin?”

“There was the opportunity to debut with Eoduun Cheonsa, and I thought that my youth is fast fading,” she laughed, “so I’d better debut quickly.”

“So how long did Eoduun Cheonsa train for this debut?”

“I trained for 3 years with SM and a year with DSP,” Su Bin said.

“I trained 3 years with DSP,” Puri said.

“I trained for 3 years too, with DSP,” Shin Hee said.

“I was with Bros Entertainment in USA for 4 years, and I trained 1 year with DSP for this debut,” Sylvia said.

“Wow… that makes you the senior in your band, Sylvia,” Choi Na Yung said.

“That’s why she’s the leader,” Shin Hee said.

“How many years did you train, Hae Rin?” Choi Na Yung asked me.

“5 years,” I said.

“And you were scouted or did you join a competition?” she continued asking.

“A friend recommended me to attend an audition, and I was accepted,” I said.

“Which friend, is it alright to reveal?”

“Erm… I’d rather not, but the friend is also an artiste with SM.”

“Okay,” she smiled. “So you’re here today to talk about your upcoming single?”

“Ne, and perhaps a little about my life, if anyone is interested?” I laughed.

“We’re always interested,” she said. “Aren’t we?” she asked the audience and there was a chorus of ‘Yes’.

“Thank you for caring,” I said.

“So what is going on in your life right now, Hae Rin?”

“Well, I’d just completed the works for my next single, and it will be released sometime next week. All that’s left now is to complete the MV, for which I will be dancing in.”

“And you made your debut focusing on ballads,” she commented.

“Yes, but the company felt that it’s for me to diversify, and to make use of everything I’ve learnt with SM.”

“Does this mean you could be the next BoA?”

“BoA will always be BoA, and she is of no comparison. I am Hae Rin, and I will eventually find my niche, be it ballads or pop music.”

“I actually find that we shouldn’t really compare an artiste with another artiste or a band with another band. It makes the newcomer feel the need to be individual, even if they are already obvious individuals,” Puri said.

“It’s like when Battle first debut, people kept calling them the ‘new Shinhwa’,” Shin Hee said. “It was pretty hard on them because they desperately wanted to be known as Battle, and not the ‘new Shinhwa’.”

“When I first debut, people were asking if I was the new Jang Ri In,” I said, “and because of this, I couldn’t even take the time to explore my abilities in ballads. This is one of the reasons for this quick switch to pop-R&B.”

“But you were already singing R&B when you did the duet with Sierra from S-Cube,” Choi Na Yung said.

“Yes. One reason was because Sierra’s niche was R&B and it was also an opportunity for me to try the genre,” I explained.

“And it was successful,” she added.

“Ne, and I have everyone of my fans here to thank for it,” I said. “Kamsahamnida,” I said as I stood up and bowed to the audience, and they clapped.