Page 24 of XOXO

Well, these next few months are going to be awkward. I’m not usually intimidated by people, but she could freeze fire.

I spend the rest of the morning unpacking, careful not to disturb her, though she doesn’t glance up once from her computer. At noon, she gets up and changes into workout clothes. I’m tempted to ask if she wants a running partner, but her earbuds are still in.

When she leaves the room, I let out a huge sigh. Damn. I’ve heard of tense roommate situations from Bomi who’s already on her second year at UCLA, but this seems a little extreme.

Since Halmeoni didn’t have a dryer at her apartment, I held off doing laundry. I decide to do a quick load now, grabbing my hamper and taking the elevator down to the dorm’s laundry room. After starting the rinse cycle, I set a timer for thirty minutes on my phone and head outside in search of food.

Luckily, there’s a convenience store across the quad in the student center. I purchase a few triangle gimbap—rice wrapped in dried seaweed and shaped like a triangle—and eat heartily, washing them down with bottled water. Then, because I still have fifteen minutes before my laundry is finished, I head over to where a couple of students have gathered around a series of monitors. They’re all broadcasting the same program,Music Net LIVE, which I’d seen a re-run of when staying at Halmeoni’s. It’s a show that features popular and new artists who perform live on a stage in front of a studio audience.

On the screen, two MCs introduce the next performers. “Making their Music Net comeback with ‘Don’t Look Back,’ XOXO!”

The camera angles an establishing shot of Sun, Jaewoo, Nathaniel, and Youngmin in formation on the stage, surrounded by backup dancers.

“Is this happening right now?” I ask one of the students.

“Yeah,” the student—a boy—responds. “Every Sunday on EBC.”

The camera zooms in on each individual member when it’s their turn to stand at the front of the formation, whether to sing or rap their lines.

Jaewoo begins his verse, his voice clear and strong, even while dancing.

“They go to our school, you know,” the boy says.

“All of them?” I don’t know if I sound hopeful or full of dread.

The boy apparently doesn’t either because he raises an eyebrow. “Three of them do.” Jaewoo finishes his lines, and the oldest member of the group begins to rap. The boy nods at the screen. “Sun graduated last year.”

So I will see Jaewoo. Tomorrow, since apparently he’s performing live on a nationwide television program today.

I wrap my arms around my body, feeling the nerves I felt last night. I just don’t know what to expect, having neverbeenthis situation before, meeting again the boy who basically rejected me over text. Oh, and he’s a K-pop idol.

“A lot of trainees go here,” the boy continues, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “From Joah and the other entertainment companies.”

“I’m a trainee at Neptune Entertainment,” a girl pipes up. “My label enrolled me at SAA since I’m still underage.” She’s a few inches shorter than me, with rosy cheeks and a sweet demeanor. “My name’s Angela Kwang. I’m from Taiwan. I moved to Seoul about three months ago.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say. “My name’s Jenny Go. I’m... American.”

The boy nods at both of us. “Hong Gi Taek. I’m not a trainee, but I’m planning to audition for Joah soon. I’d say halfthe student body here is either a trainee or trying to become one.”

“Joah is XOXO’s label, right?” Angela asks. “I can’t believe I’ll actually be able to go to school with them, though I’m sure they never come to classes. They’re probably so busy.”

“They’re here more than you would think. Joah Entertainment is practically down the street, and the CEO of the company is on the board of directors for the school.”

Oh, wow. I knew SAA was a performing arts school, but I didn’t know it had such a significant tie to the entertainment industry. But it makes sense why idols and trainees attend this academy. If it’s anything like LACHSA, the school is probably flexible when it comes to excused absences and regular core classes, prioritizing the performing arts.

“What about you, Jenny?” Angela asks.

For a second, I think she’s asking me if I’m excited to see XOXO, then I realize she means what am I studying at SAA.

“I’m a cello major.”

“That’s so cool!” Angela exclaims. “I’ve always wanted to play an instrument. But I just never had any talent. I mean, not that I have any talent in singing and dancing either.” She giggles, and I smile, appreciating that she can laugh at herself. “But it’s my dream to debut.”

“Debut?” I ask. In my deep dive into XOXO’s timeline, I’d learned they “debuted” only a year ago, though I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.

Gi Taek sighs, clearly disappointed that I’m lacking the basicknowledge of idol culture.

“Ooh,” Angela says, eager to share hers. “It’s pretty simple. After undergoing training with your company, which for me means learning choreography, taking voice lessons and language classes in Korean, Japanese, and English, as well as public speaking classes, a company will form a group based on a whole slew of factors—like branding and specific talents and voices. Then, they release the members’ profiles and photos online in order to build up excitement for the group. Finally, they’ll put out a single or an album. Once the group holds a showcase and starts promoting, they’ve officially debuted!”

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