**** Yejin is Sai's korean/stage name
Yejin = Sai ****

Sai was alone in the dance studio. The lights were off, and the door was shut. She had no conception of time in there, and it was one of her favourite times of the week. She also dreaded it.

It was early morning, and it was her quiet time.

But, more importantly, it was the time she got to call her parents. It was hard, despite the similar time zones, to talk to them. She hoped, once she debuted, she'd have more money to send them, and they could talk more.

She leaned against the mirror, pulling her knees up to her chest and pressing the phone to her ear, as if it would help her feel her parents closer to her.

"Mom, dad?"

"Oh, my darling Sai. How are you doing?"

Sai smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "I'm alright. Debut is really close momma. I'm almost there."

"I'm so proud of you, darling. I know it's been really hard for you, being there alone."

"I have aunt Akiko, momma. It's okay, really."

"I just wish I could have done more, sent you there earlier - "

"Momma, you've done everything for me. I'm going to make you proud, okay? I'm gonna buy you a new house, I'm gonna get you property here so you can visit whenever you like. I'm going to come home more often. I'll come back to Japan more often."

Sai could hear muffled cries before her dad took the phone, and her heart clenched at the painful sound.

"Sai, you have to know, we're already so proud of you. We're here for you, every step of the way. We love you more than anything in the world."

"I know dad, I know. I love you so much. I have to go back to training, but we'll talk in a few weeks, right?"

"Of course. Work hard, my beloved child."

It was a lie; Sai still had some time before she had to train. She just couldn't bear to hear her parents voice anymore, so far away.

These talks helped her, but they also made her sad. She missed her parents dearly, and she wished she could see them. She hadn't been to visit in years, not since she started training. It was hard on all of them.

It was times like these that she began to doubt her decision to become an idol. It would've been so much easier for her parents if she had just stayed in Japan, tried music there, or gotten a normal job. She would be doing something, succeeding in something by now.

But it also gave her the drive she needed to work hard to debut, so she could make them proud, and prove that those years without them weren't wasted.