"How are you my child? You are very famous on the internet today. Do you know how trending you are here in the Philippines? Every news outlets have you. Even my mga kumares¹ come to my house learning about you." Lola Nanay² laughed so loud, feeling proud of the child she looks after. They are currently in a video call. Lola Nanay has been Llana's caretaker since she was a baby, and their treatment of one another is like that of a mother and child. Right now her Nanay is on vacation in her province, Tarlac.
"Eh, really?" Llana got surprised hearing that.
"Yeah, your teaser got 1M views and many comments praising your song and voice."
Oh the teaser where she sang " Go the Distance ( Disney: Hercules)"
_____
( Playing the teaser)
"I have often dreamed
Of a far-off place..."
Hello everyone, I'm Llana Ezhel Kim.
Half Korean, a quarter American, and Filipino— from the Philippines.
I'm very demure, very beautiful, and very talented…
And yes, I think I'm berry too. Haha.
I'll let my actions speak for me—please watch my performance.
____
"Wow… I never imagined getting 1M views!" Llana exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hahaha! How could you not? You're amazing, child. I just hope Dolores grows up to be like you," Lola Nanay said proudly.
"Stop comparing me to Dolores! She might come complaining again, saying you're treating her like she's not yours," Llana laughed, already picturing Dolores grumbling.
"Hmp! That pig! That girl only knows how to eat, sleep, and play PC. She makes my blood boil!"
"Hahaha, calm down, Nanay." Llana grinned nervously, worried her Nanay might have a blood pressure episode. She quickly switched topics.
"So… when are you coming back? I already miss your sisig," she whined, pretending to pout.
"Oh, child… I still have to stay here for at least two months. Your Uncle Mario is getting married this month, and your Kuya Mike graduates next month. Nanay can't miss either," Lola Nanay said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"But don't worry, Nanay will support you. I'll ask everyone I know to vote for you and watch your show. Fighting~!"
"Okay… tell my congratulations to Uncle Mario and Bro Mike for me, Nanay. Thank you for always supporting me. Love you!"
"I love you more, child. Take care of yourself, alright?"
Llana ended the call and immediately checked the internet.
The first episode has already been posted and has become a hot topic on the internet. The show has just released but already gained 34 thousand views and 8 thousand comments in just an hour.
"First episode finally released, I've been waiting for ages! "
"I thought JYP was debuting 17 members in a group...."
"The difference in treatment for Majors and Minors is so heartbreaking"
"The heck, there's a poop at their dorm!"
"I came for Nayeon"
" Who came here because of Llana?"
" Llana, supporting from the Philippines 🇵🇭"
"same I came here for her. Can't wait for the next episode. I want to see my goddess!"
" I stan her the moment I saw her teaser."
"I've been looking forward to this new girl group. It's been years since JYP debuted, knowing his standard. This group would be pure talent."
"I can't stop myself from laughing, Llana is so straightforward talking to JYP"
"lol, even the others are surprised at her. She is so adorable."
"Llana you are Berry Beautiful!"
"It's so unfair, why is Jihyo, who trained for 10 years in the Minor?"
- "I agreed on the guy at the top. Something's fishy here. Why is Llana at the major group when she is just starting as a trainee like wth"
"Yeah, she must have used the backdoor."
- "Stop making assumptions! Llana is so talented, even JYP said so"
-
-" Yeah! Didn't you watch her performance? Losers."
"Does anyone notice in Llana's teaser it says "songwriter: Llana, Singer: Llana, Choreographed: Llana? She is a monster!"
-"I noticed it too. I searched on the internet that song does not existing"
"Hope they upload the full song later. I'm disappointed they only give a tease for her songs"
---
Inside the Majors' House
"This place is amazing; I really like it," Jihyo said as everyone mingled in the living area.
"It's so clean and spacious! Everything here is just perfect," Sana added with a happy smile. She was clearly thrilled, especially compared to the Minors' House, which was small and messy, as if someone had just vacated it, leaving chaos behind.
"I like it here too. I've been waiting a week for this," Somi nodded, though she kept the last part to herself, 'to finally be here.'
"There's salad in the fridge!" Dahyun said with a childlike excitement.
"What else is there?" Somi asked, curious.
"You know the sink? If you press down with your foot, the water turns on!" Dahyun continued animatedly, miming the action with wide eyes, which made Llana giggle.
"We're not from the countryside, you know!" Jihyo shouted.
Llana couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. "Dahyun-unnie, stop embarrassing yourself! Everyone knows that," she teased, playfully covering Dahyun's mouth, which sent the group into another round of laughter.
"Now that we're all Majors, let's do our best until the end," Jihyo clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Shouldn't we come up with a cheer or something?" Chaeryeong suggested.
"We are in Major, we don't need that," Dahyun said smugly.
"Yeah!"
"Yeah, we really don't,"
Chaeyoung and Llana chimed in, causing the rest to look at the three in disbelief.
~silence~
"Yah! The three of you are just showing off because you've been here the whole time," Jihyo pretended to be mad.
"Is it because of your Bba-Sae dance?" Somi teased, pointing at Dahyun, who had performed the Bba-Sae dance earlier.
"Kidding aside, I think everyone deserves a cheer for making it to Majors. Let's celebrate and eat Salad!" Llana suddenly stood up and excitedly said. She is really hungry, so after saying, she goes to the kitchen and takes some salad.
"Yah, Llana, wait for us, we want salad too." Chaeyoung and the rest shout and run to the kitchen.
__
Llana lay on her side, propped up by her left arm, as she watched Jihyo unpack and hang her clothes in the closet.
"Jihyo-unnie, would you mind sharing what it was like in the Minors' house? I'm curious, especially seeing how happy everyone was to finally get here," Llana asked, her tone light but inquisitive.
Jihyo paused for a moment, then sighed. "It was pretty rough there. The house was nothing like this one. Can you believe there was a pile of poop in one of the rooms when we arrived?"
Llana's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's disgusting!"
"Yeah," Jihyo continued with a chuckle. "The place was filthy, like someone had just lived there and left all their mess behind. Jeongyeon-unnie went into full cleaning mode, like a maniac. It was kind of funny in a way."
Llana laughed. "I think I'd go into cleaning overdrive, too, if I had to live in that mess. I never realized the difference between the Minor and Major houses was that extreme. It just seems so unfair."
Jihyo nodded, a bit more serious now. "It really is. Being in the Majors feels like a reward after that, but it's hard to forget how rough it was. It makes you appreciate this place even more."
"Yeah, let's do our best to stay at this place." Llana said making Jihyo nod, "Let's do that"
______
1. Kumare – A close female friend, often the godmother of your child; sometimes used to refer to a co-parenting or godparent relationship. Informally, it can also mean a best friend or " buddy."
2. Lola Nanay:
Lola – Grandmother
Nanay – Mother
"Lola Nanay" an affectionate way to refer to one's grandmother, combining respect and maternal warmth.
3. Tito: Uncle (usually the father's or mother's brother, or a respectful term for older men in the family's circle).
4. Kuya – Older brother; also used as a respectful way to address an older male relative or acquaintance.