I brighten up even more. Not too long after I debuted, Leah joined DB Entertainment as a trainee. After only a few years of training, she debuted with her own girl group, SayGO. If Leah’s going to be there, then I’m sold. Bring on all the game-show contests!

Mr. Noh dismisses us, and the girls start exiting the room, already chatting about Singapore’s famous chili crab restaurant and the rooftop infinity pool at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, but I hang back. I just have to know.

“Um, Mr. Noh,” I say, clearing my throat. He looks up from his papers again, as if surprised to still see me standing there. “Did I hear Mr. Lim mention that Vogue is interested in working with us?”

Almost immediately his eyes narrow behind his mirror-tinted glasses as he shakes his head. “No,” he says curtly, going back to his papers. “There’s no opportunity at Vogue for the group.”

“Oh, but I thought I heard—”

“Rachel, you got your Paris trip. I advise you to be satisfied with that and leave the promotional opportunities to me,” he says coolly. Then he nods to Mr. Han, who gets up from the table and walks toward where I’m standing in the doorway. For a moment, I think I see the slightest hint of sympathy in Mr. Han’s eyes, but then the door is slammed in my face.

THREE

“Did you know these beaches are artificial?” Youngeun says, peering through her sunglasses at the pristine white sand. “The sand is imported.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Sumin asks.

“I read about it on the flight over.”

Sumin lets out a low whistle. “Not bad for a man-made beach.”

As soon as we arrived in Singapore, we were whisked off to Sentosa, an island off the southern coast. It may only be early February, but the climate in Singapore is basically endless summer. I’m praying that my skin comes across on camera as naturally dewy, not like I’m drowning in humidity.

As the camera crew gets set up, I scan the beach, taking in the blue-green water, dotted with cargo ships off in the distance. Farther down the sand, there’s a group of people playing beach volleyball, hurling the ball back and forth like pros. Then my eye lands on the best sight of all—

“Unni!”

Leah and her four SayGO groupmates are clustered under a sliver of shade from a nearby palm tree. I grab my own groupmates and rush over to Leah, giving her a big hug.

“Hi, everyone!” Leah says, giving us all a quick bow and friendly wave.

“Nice skirt,” I say, bumping hips with her, and she gives me a playful eye roll. Her mini neon daisy-print skirt, which she’s paired with a simple yellow baby tee, was looted from my closet last summer.