The Eighth Member

The fourteen-year-old girl sat in her seat, confusion clouding her mind, a haze compounded by lack of sleep and the lingering effects of a late-night horror game session. It was Monday, and just hours ago, she had been napping at her school desk before being whisked away to this 'urgent meeting'.

Now, facing a panel of company executives and her manager, Karina, she was being presented with a proposal that felt… unfair.

“So, what do you think, Haerin?” The question hung in the air.

Haerin folded her arms, staring directly at the woman who had spoken. "I think it's kind of unfair, considering that they went through all of that just to be part of the final debut lineup, and I'm just going to be added in by doing what? Nothing."

The woman explained the company's lack of other female trainees and the long wait for another group debut. "I think it'll be unfair on you if you spend another two years wasting your talent doing the same thing you've done every day since your twelve."

Haerin countered, raising an eyebrow, "How do you think the public reacts to a girl in a group of seven boys. It's most likely going to be very controversial, wouldn't it be?"