Leah woke up before her alarm.
For a moment, she stared at the ceiling without moving.
Then she remembered.
November 28, 2018.
Release day.
Not debut stage day.
Not performance day.
Just—
the day the world would finally see them.
Outside, Seoul was cold.
The kind of cold that fogged windows and made the city lights look softer at night.
Inside the dorm—
Bella was already screaming.
Phones Returned
"Oh my GOD."
Bella burst out of the room clutching her phone dramatically.
"I missed technology."
Joanne didn't even look up from tying her hair.
"It's been one week."
"A traumatic week."
Susu laughed softly from the couch while scrolling through notifications.
Mili looked overwhelmed already.
"There are too many messages…"
Leah unlocked hers quietly.
Messages flooded instantly.
Her grandmother.
Her parents.
Her brothers.
Former classmates from Germany.
Even old dance instructors.
One message from her grandmother sat at the top:
You worked hard. Eat properly today.
Leah smiled slightly.
Small.
But real.
8:00 P.M.
The five of them sat together in the dorm living room.
No one pretending to be calm anymore.
The company television was connected to the official release countdown.
Their manager stood nearby checking his watch every few seconds.
Bella bounced her leg uncontrollably.
Mili held a pillow tightly against her chest.
Susu kept rereading comments already flooding under teaser posts.
Joanne looked composed—
but she hadn't sat still for more than five seconds.
Leah sat quietly in the middle of them.
Watching the countdown.
Bella suddenly grabbed Susu's arm.
"I can't breathe."
"Yes you can," Joanne replied immediately.
Mili whispered softly:
"Oh my god…"
ROSIES — "Roseblood" Official MV Released
Silence.
Then—
the video started.
Watching Themselves
No one spoke during the first minute.
Not even Bella.
The opening shot—
Leah standing under dim crimson lighting, black hair framing her face, one eye slightly lighter than the other under the camera flash—
felt unreal.
Mili covered her mouth slightly.
"…that looks insane."
Then Susu's vocals came in.
Soft at first.
Then fuller.
Clear.
Emotional.
Bella immediately pointed at the screen.
"YOU SOUND SO GOOD."
Susu nearly hid behind a pillow.
Joanne's verse followed smoothly.
Sharp delivery.
Controlled expression.
Then Bella's part—
bright energy cutting perfectly through the darker atmosphere of the MV.
And finally—
the dance break.
The room went quiet again.
Five silhouettes under flashing white lights.
Sharp synchronization.
Leah at center during the turn sequence.
Bella's pink hair moving with every beat.
Joanne's precision.
Susu's fluidity.
Mili unexpectedly fierce in the close-up shot.
Even their manager looked impressed.
"…good."
High praise.
Then The Reactions Started
Notifications exploded almost instantly.
Bella screamed first.
"PEOPLE ARE CALLING ME ICONIC."
Joanne grabbed the phone.
"Give me that before it inflates your ego further."
Mili stared at the comments in disbelief.
"They like the choreography…"
Not just like.
People were clipping the dance break already.
Posting slowed edits.
Zooming into formations.
Talking about synchronization.
One comment kept appearing repeatedly:
"Who's the tall girl in the center?"
Bella immediately looked toward Leah.
"You're going viral."
Leah blinked once.
"…what does that even mean this fast?"
Susu laughed softly.
"Your eyes."
Another comment:
"The girl with pink hair caught my attention immediately."
Bella looked emotional again.
"I was born for fame."
Then—
"ROSIES has no visual holes."
Mili stared quietly at the screen.
"…they think we're pretty."
Joanne looked at her.
"We are."
More Than Visuals
But it wasn't only visuals.
People praised:
their vocals
their live-sounding delivery
their synchronization
the emotional atmosphere of the song
One comment said:
"You can tell they trained hard."
That one stayed with them the most.
Especially Leah.
Because people didn't know:
the bruises
the late nights
the pressure
the arguments
the exhaustion
the fear
But somehow—
they could still see the effort.
Bella's Anxiety Returns
Hours later, after the excitement calmed slightly—
Bella got quieter again.
Leah noticed first.
Of course she did.
Bella stared at her phone too long.
Scrolling too much.
Reading everything.
Good and bad.
Then—
"…someone said I overdance."
The room quieted slightly.
Joanne sighed immediately.
"Stop reading every comment."
"I'm trying."
Susu moved closer beside her.
"You stood out because your energy matched the song."
"But what if it's too much?"
Leah looked at her calmly.
"If they noticed you, then you did your job."
Bella looked at her.
Still uncertain.
Leah continued:
"People criticize what they remember."
Silence.
Mili nodded slowly.
"…that sounds like something your grandmother would say."
Leah blinked.
Then laughed quietly.
"…it does, actually."
Back To Work
The next morning—
practice resumed immediately.
Because the release was only the beginning.
Music show stages were coming next.
Live vocals.
Live choreography.
No edits.
No retakes.
The practice room felt sharper now.
More serious.
"Again from the bridge!"
Music blasted through the speakers.
Their bodies already ached from the previous weeks.
But now there was something else too.
Excitement.
Pressure.
Adrenaline.
During vocal training, the coach replayed sections from the MV audio.
"Stability matters now," he warned.
"People expect you to sound like the recording."
Susu practiced harmonies repeatedly.
Joanne corrected breathing timing.
Bella focused harder than usual.
Mili quietly repeated difficult sections under her breath.
And Leah—
kept practicing until everyone else stopped.
Again.
And again.
And again.
End
That night, the views kept rising.
So did the comments.
Fan edits appeared.
Reaction videos.
Debates.
Favorite members.
ROSIES had officially entered the world.
And somewhere across Seoul—
someone replayed "Roseblood" for the second time.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Without realizing—
they were already becoming fans.