CHAPTER 15 - The Audition Part 2

Haneul arrived at their dorm room, her heart heavy with betrayal and anger. As she walked through the door, she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom - Miseo was taking a shower. Haneul clenched her fists, fighting back tears as she thought about how Miseo had stabbed her in the back by securing an audition without telling her.

She glanced around their shared room, her eyes landing on Miseo's phone sitting on her desk. The screen lit up with notifications, and Haneul couldn't help but look closer. She swiped to unlock it, hoping to find some clues or information as to how she got the audition.

She scrolled through Miseo's Instagram DMs and among the messages from various people was one that made Haneul stop dead in her tracks - a conversation between Miseo and Seungwon, Haneul's childhood crush. As she read through their message history, her eyes widened with shock and disbelief.

It wasn’t just casual conversation; they were sexting with each other. The messages grew increasingly explicit as they went on, filled with dick pics, dirty talk and promises of what Seungwon wanted to do to Miseo's body. Haneul felt like she was going to be sick - not only had her best friend betrayed her by auditioning without her, but she was also taking away the boy that Haneul had always dreamed of being with.

Haneul quickly exited out of the conversation and locked Miseo's phone. She knew she couldn't face her right now - not after what she'd discovered. Without a word, Haneul grabbed her things and stormed out of the room.

As Haneul walked down the hallway, tears streaming down her face, she couldn't help but feel like everything was falling apart around her. She had put so much trust in Miseo, believing that they would always be there for each other through thick and thin. But now, it seemed like Miseo only cared about herself - about her own success at any cost.

She pulled out her phone, recalling Mr. Moon’s number from Miseo’s phone, and dialed it.

"Hello?" His voice was deep and authoritative on the other end of the line, instantly putting Haneul on edge.

"Mr. Moon, this is Haneul from the trainee program," she began, trying to keep her voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. "I understand that Miseo secured an audition for your new girl group -"

"Yes, that's correct," he interrupted before she could finish speaking. "She came by yesterday with some... impressive demonstrations of talent."

Haneul bristled at his innuendo-laced words but pressed on nonetheless. "I wanted to ask if there might be a chance for me to audition as well. Miseo and I are roommates, but she didn't mention anything about this opportunity to me beforehand."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Mr. Moon spoke again, his tone considering. "Well, I suppose we could arrange an audition slot for you later this evening. Would that work?"

"Yes," Haneul said quickly, not wanting to give him any reason to change his mind. "Thank you so much, Mr. Moon."

"No problem at all," he replied breezily before hanging up the phone.

Haneul took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She could feel her anger simmering just beneath the surface as she thought about how her best friend had stabbed her in the back. She went back into the room and randomly grabbed one of Miseo’s outfits, scurrying off before Miseo found out.

But as Haneul headed out to the audition, she also felt a renewed sense of determination coursing through her veins - if Miseo was willing to do whatever it took to get ahead, then so would she. She wouldn't let this betrayal hold her back from achieving her dreams.

As she wandered the streets of Seoul waiting for Mr. Moon to text her with details about the audition that evening, Haneul couldn't help but dwell on thoughts of Seungwon. The memory of their history in high school was still fresh in her mind.

She remembered how he had slept with every girl at their school except for her - it was a painful reminder of what she always suspected but never wanted to admit: that Seungwon simply didn't find her desirable enough to sleep with. This betrayal from Miseo felt especially cruel because Miseo knew that Seungwon was the one boy who had captured her heart.

Haneul wiped away a tear, feeling the sting of rejection all over again as she thought about how he could so easily have slept with her if he wanted to, but chose not to. It made Miseo's actions even more hurtful - knowing that Haneul's best friend had willingly chosen to respond to Seungwon’s advances, knowing full well the crush she still harbored for him.

Haneul composed herself and stepped into a public restroom to change and prepare for the audition. She vowed not to let this setback derail her dreams and she would prove that she deserved a spot in Starlight Entertainment's new girl group - even if it meant doing so without Miseo by her side.

Miseo stepped out of the shower and towel-dried her hair, a satisfied smile on her face after what had transpired between her and Mr. Moon last night. She hummed to herself as she got dressed, feeling confident about her chances for securing a spot in Starlight Entertainment's new girl group.

She was more surprised when she saw Haneul with Mr. Moon last night. She had been pondering all morning in the shower on how to explain the situation to her, and she finally found the right words.

But when Miseo emerged from the bathroom, she found their dorm room empty - Haneul was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, Miseo called out her best friend's name but received no response. She glanced around the room, noticing one of her favorite dresses was missing, in addition to a few of Haneul's things. It was as if she had left in a hurry.

Concerned, Miseo tried calling Haneul on her phone, but it went straight to voicemail without even ringing. It seemed Haneul had likely turned off her cell phone completely. A feeling of unease crept over Miseo as she wondered what could have happened to make Haneul leave like this.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and Miseo raced over to Haneul's desk, scanning the surface for any clues about where her friend might have gone. Her eyes landed on a small notebook tucked into one of the drawers - it was filled with notes in Haneul's neat handwriting.

As she flipped through the pages, Miseo's heart sank when she came across an entry from yesterday evening detailing the hotel and room number that Mr. Moon had given her for their private audition. It seemed like Haneul had discovered exactly what Miseo was up to - and decided to take matters into her own hands.

In a panic, Miseo grabbed her phone and dialed Mr. Moon's number, **** to reach him before he met with Haneul. But after several unanswered rings, she realized that he must have turned his phone on silent for the audition.

Frantic, Miseo made another call - this time to the CEO of Starlight Entertainment. She explained the situation urgently and begged him for Mr. Moon's secretary's number so that she could reach out directly. The CEO hesitated but ultimately agreed to provide her with the contact information.

Miseo's heart pounded in her chest as the secretary relayed the information about Mr. Moon's audition location that evening. It was indeed on the other side of town, at a hotel where he had secured rooms for private auditions with potential new trainees.

After thanking the secretary and hanging up, Miseo wasted no time in getting ready, quickly dolling herself up. As she applied makeup to enhance her natural beauty, her mind raced with thoughts of Haneul. She couldn't bear the thought of her best friend making such a rash decision out of anger or desperation - especially when she knew full well how inexperienced and naive Haneul was about the world of private K-pop auditions.

Miseo gathered up her things, including a change of clothes just in case she needed to "audition" once again for Mr. Moon herself if push came to shove. She called for a taxi to take her across town as quickly as possible - every minute counted now that Haneul had gotten there first.