The practice room echoed with the sound of synchronized footsteps.
"Again from the chorus!"
The choreographer clapped once.
"No hesitation."
Music filled the room for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
Sweat dripped from their foreheads as they repeated the choreography again and again.
Joanne counted under her breath.
Susu adjusted her breathing between vocal lines.
Bella stretched her shoulders while trying to hide how tired she was.
Mili silently corrected a formation after watching herself in the mirror.
Leah, as always, studied every tiny detail.
The angle of her arms.
The timing of each turn.
The spacing between members.
Nothing escaped her attention.
---
After nearly four hours, the music finally stopped.
"Ten-minute break," the choreographer announced.
The five members almost collapsed onto the wooden floor.
Bella lay flat on her back.
"I've forgotten what sitting comfortably feels like."
"You'll remember after promotions," Joanne replied.
"So... next year?"
The room erupted into tired laughter.
---
The studio door suddenly opened.
Their manager stepped inside.
"The CEO wants to see all of you."
The smiles disappeared instantly.
Bella sat up.
"...Are we in trouble?"
"I didn't do anything," Mili said quickly.
Joanne looked toward the manager.
"Did something happen?"
He simply smiled.
"Come with me."
---
The Meeting
The conference room felt unusually formal.
The company's CEO sat at the head of the table alongside several executives and members of the management team.
No one spoke as the girls entered.
Bella quietly leaned toward Susu.
"This feels scary."
Susu nodded almost imperceptibly.
"It does."
Even Leah couldn't read the room.
---
The CEO looked around the table before smiling.
"You've worked hard."
The members bowed politely.
"Thank you."
He folded his hands.
"When we planned your debut, we hoped people would notice you."
He paused.
"They noticed."
A projector turned on behind him.
Articles.
Charts.
Social media statistics.
Music Bank clips.
International fan pages.
YouTube milestones.
Instagram follower growth.
The numbers were increasing far faster than anyone had predicted.
"You've become one of the fastest-growing rookie groups this season."
The members exchanged stunned glances.
Then the CEO said the words none of them expected.
"This morning..."
"...we received an invitation from Mnet."
Silence.
The CEO smiled wider.
"They've invited ROSIES to perform at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards."
No one moved.
Bella blinked.
"...The... MAMA?"
"Yes."
"The MAMA?"
"Yes, Bella."
"The real one?"
The executives laughed softly.
"The real one."
Bella covered her mouth with both hands.
Mili stared blankly at the table.
Susu looked as though she had forgotten how to breathe.
Joanne's calm expression cracked into a smile she couldn't hide.
Leah simply sat still, trying to process what she'd heard.
The Mnet Asian Music Awards.
The ceremony they had watched for years.
The stage where legends had performed.
And now...
They had been invited.
---
"We've accepted the invitation," the CEO continued.
"You'll perform as part of the rookie showcase with a special stage prepared exclusively for the ceremony."
The room erupted into excited voices.
"We're really going?"
"When do rehearsals start?"
"How many songs?"
"Will there be senior artists backstage?"
The CEO chuckled.
"One question at a time."
---
A New Level of Pressure
The excitement lasted exactly one hour.
Then rehearsals began.
Their choreographer stood before them with folded arms.
"Forget your debut stage."
The members looked up.
"This performance has to be better."
He walked toward the center of the room.
"Every artist in this industry will be watching."
"Senior idols."
"Producers."
"Directors."
"Journalists."
"Fans from all over Asia."
"This isn't just another music show."
"This is MAMA."
The room fell silent.
---
For the next several days, rehearsals became even more demanding.
Every movement was refined.
Every transition adjusted.
Their dance break was redesigned to look larger on a massive stage.
Their live vocals were rehearsed until they became second nature.
Mistakes were no longer acceptable.
---
Late one evening, Bella dropped onto the practice room floor.
"My legs belong to the company now."
"They probably do," Joanne replied, taking a sip of water.
Mili laughed quietly.
"I didn't know a stage could have this much preparation."
Leah looked at the performance monitor.
"The audience won't see the rehearsals."
"They'll only see the final result."
Everyone nodded.
She was right.
---
Reality Begins to Sink In
Back at the dorm, the atmosphere was completely different.
Dinner had become a planning session.
Between bites of food, they talked about MAMA.
"I wonder which senior groups we'll see," Bella said, eyes shining.
"I've watched that award show since I was little."
Susu smiled.
"I used to imagine standing on that stage."
Joanne looked thoughtful.
"I never imagined it would happen this quickly."
Mili rested her chin on her hand.
"...Do you think people will watch us?"
Leah looked up from her bowl.
"They will."
Everyone looked at her.
She continued quietly.
"Not because we're famous."
"Because we're new."
"People will be curious."
Her words settled over the table.
She wasn't trying to comfort them.
She was simply stating the truth.
---
Calls Home
That night, the dorm became unusually quiet.
One by one, the members called home.
Joanne spoke with her parents in Japan, laughing as her younger cousins shouted congratulations in the background.
Susu smiled throughout her call, her parents proudly telling relatives in China that their daughter would be performing at one of Asia's biggest award shows.
Bella's parents could barely contain their excitement.
Her mother kept reminding her to eat well.
Her father joked that he would cheer so loudly from home that everyone in Korea would hear him.
Mili's family promised they would all gather together to watch the broadcast.
Her younger cousins argued over who had become her biggest fan first.
Their laughter echoed through the phone.
---
In the room she shared with Mili, Leah sat by the window with her phone pressed to her ear.
Her grandmother answered first.
"I heard the news."
Leah smiled.
"...That was fast."
"You forget I watch entertainment news now."
Leah laughed softly.
"I still can't believe it."
"You should."
Her grandmother's voice was gentle.
"You've earned it."
There was a brief silence before she added,
"When you walk onto that stage..."
"...don't look at how many people are watching."
"Look at the stage."
"That's where you belong."
Leah closed her eyes.
"...I'll remember."
A few minutes later, another call came through.
"Dad."
"There she is!" his cheerful voice boomed.
"I've already told everyone at work my daughter is performing at MAMA."
"Dad..."
"What? I'm proud."
Behind him, Liam laughed.
"He won't stop talking about it."
Luther leaned into the camera.
"We're placing bets."
Leah narrowed her eyes.
"...Bets?"
"How many times Dad cries during your performance."
"I am not crying," their father protested.
"You cried during her debut."
"I had something in my eye."
"The same thing was in both eyes?" Liam teased.
The room burst into laughter.
Then Leah's mother appeared beside her father, smiling warmly.
"We're all very proud of you."
"You've worked so hard."
Leah's smile softened.
"I'll do my best."
"We know you will," her mother replied.
---
After every call had ended, the dorm became quiet once more.
The five members slowly gathered in the living room without saying much.
No cameras.
No staff.
Just them.
Five girls whose lives had changed completely in less than a month.
---
Arrival
Three days later, their van slowly pulled into the venue.
Outside, enormous banners covered the building.
Spotlights swept across the evening sky.
Staff hurried in every direction wearing headsets.
Artists' vans lined the entrance one after another.
Bella stared through the window in complete amazement.
"...We're really here."
No one answered.
Because no one had words.
Leah looked up at the massive gold letters hanging above the entrance.
2018 MNET ASIAN MUSIC AWARDS.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Tomorrow...
They wouldn't simply be performing for fans.
They would be performing in front of the entire K-pop industry.
And for the first time since debuting...
ROSIES truly understood just how much their lives had changed.