Big Hit's New Girl Group: I'm a K-Pop Star

"Hm!" Iris bobbed her head fervently. "I had thought of them too besides K.A.R.D. But I don't want us to be so similar that it's obvious. And I don't think for our debut concept that we should inadvertently promote gambling, haha~ even though, we all 'gambled' with this music idol dream."

"Ahh~ but that could still be a part of our underlying meanings," murmured Jiyeon loudly. "Ooh~ I like where this brainstorming is going. Please continue."

"Yes, so how about going with a true 'kingdom, queendom' theme? It can be magical and sorta heroic too, like an alternate universe! And it matches with TXT's magical theme and even BTS too sorta! Maybe like going back in time, or fighting against something?"

Ahreum sucked air in a huge gasp. "That. Would. Be. Awesome!! And Jiyeon and Cindy-unnies can be sitting on thrones like a boss while Iris-unnie and I an be in front like protectors and heroines of the kingdom, so cool!" She clapped her hands onto her cheeks and cutely shrieked inwardly.

Iris pointed at Ahreum excitedly. "Exactly!! That's perfect!"

"And, and!" Ahreum was almost bouncing in place at this point. "We can have a knighting scene like in Dreamcatcher-sunbaenim's 'Deja vu' song!" Her eyes sparkled at the thought of a grand palace hall where Queen Cindy or King Jiyeon would tap her shoulder with a sword as she pledged loyalty to the throne.

"Oh? You're a fan of Dreamcatcher? Good taste, little Ahrie." Iris randomly complimented the other girl with a wink and thumbs up.

Cindy gazed at them seriously and suddenly stood stiffly straight. "Damn girls." She declared in a hushed, frenzied tone. "I'm freaking hyped now. This concept is going to knock 'em all out of the park—no, our universe!"

"Ack! I'm too excited now, let's all go sit down somewhere." Iris suggested while looking around. "All the passerby are staring at us like we're crazy or something haha, huddled together in the middle of the street!"

They all laughed and agreed with Iris, deciding they ought to move before someone made a complaint that they were blocking the path and being too loud.

Even though Iris was garbed in casual clothes with a baseball cap and no makeup, it was possible that some fan of IZ*ONE would notice her. In which case, that might ruin all of their plans for a surprise Big Hit girl group with Iris.

The fairly large expanse of grass out front was bounded by conveniently high stone walls that made a perfect, casual sitting area. Today was too nice to be stuck inside, so that's why the girls chose this spot for a quick bite after walking around Seoul.

While they were munching and slurping on the ramyun made more delectable by the good weather and company of friends, Iris received a text message from an IZ*ONE group mate.

"Oh? Chaeyeon-ah?" Iris read through her message and quickly typed a reply to the dancing queen and "father" of IZ*ONE.

"Hm? What's happening with Lee Chaeyeon?" Cindy resisted bending over to peer at her cousin's phone screen.

But Iris didn't mind and faced the screen towards Cindy and the others. "She's asking if I'm in Seoul and free to gather with some friends of hers. Apparently her sister, Chaeryeong of ITZY wanted to catch up now that both of them have some free time on the same day."

"Oh…" Ahreum felt a little deflated at the news. She wanted to be with Iris for the whole day, but she didn't want to stop her from meeting up with her old friends. And this sounded like a good opportunity to connect and network with other idols.

Especially for fans, they loved seeing their idols befriend idols of other groups. And this also made it easier for one group to collaborate with another, thus boosting both of their success as music artists.

Seeing the youngest girl's conflicted expression with her heart on her sleeve, Iris instantly understood Ahreum's dilemma. This was an important time for their Big Hit group to mesh, but there were few opportunities to socialize with other idols in the industry since most idols' free times didn't overlap due to their busy schedules.

"Hey now," started Iris with a comforting hand on Ahreum's back, "let me see if we can all go. I'm sure Chaeyeon-ah and the others wouldn't mind. Besides, one day you'll all be meeting on the stage as equals." She winked reassuringly.

"Oh, that's right…" Ahreum immediately perked up. She hadn't thought of that. It was true. Even if they hadn't debuted yet, Big Hit groups were a big contender in the industry. So it was good for both sides if they knew each other before debuting. The fans would gobble up that tasty relationship when they discovered it.

Also, Cindy and Jiyeon included, were personally interested to meet other idols. They had all been training nonstop, cooped up in their dorms and practice rooms that they hadn't had time to network and socialize with others.

Now that Iris was back with her many industry connections from being on Produce 48 and promoting in a popular group for over a year, the trio realized that they inadvertently held a big advantage.

"Look!" Iris faced the screen toward them after receiving a reply from her question. "See? I told ya she'll be fine with it. Chaeyeon-ah is super sweet. And we'll be meeting people from JYP, so it'll be great."

"JYP?" murmured Jiyeon reflectively. "We met Yugyeom and BamBam-sunbaenims back at the idol cafe one time…"

"Idol cafe?" parroted Iris curiously.

"Yeah, that cafe that idols frequent."

"Oh, you mean that one! Haha!" Iris was initially confused by the phrasing of "idol cafe," but now she understood Jiyeon. That cafe was popular with idols because not only were the foods and drinks offered delicious, but it was spacious yet quaint enough for them to relax without having to worry about paparazzi.

The cafe building and interior was built in such a way that people couldn't see all of the inside from the outside completely. But it gave the cafe employees full view of everyone so as to ensure privacy and proper decorum toward celebrities visiting.

"I've been there a couple times with some IZ*ONE members. I guess it's well known knowledge among idols." She chuckled.

"Whoa, I feel like I'm a real idol now," joked Cindy. "I'm now in the loop about these things."

Jiyeon smirked and elbow jabbed Cindy. "Don't get ahead of yourself, hun. We still got a year before debut. You never know what could happen before then."

"True~" Cindy laughed as she went to throw away her finished ramyun bowl. When she got back, she commented, "I could go for another, but then I'll become sluggish for practice. If only I could eat as much as I wanted like Iris."

"Huh?" Iris looked up from her second ramyun bowl with two eggs. Instead of buying one bowl like the others, she had gotten two with double eggs. Since being on Produce 48 and in IZ*ONE she had taken great care of her health and diet, so she had looked forward to splurging on this break.

"Exactly." Cindy giggled and waved her hand dramatically.

"Jeez girl, what's your metabolism made of anyway?" laughed Jiyeon, pinching Iris's non-existent fat on her sides.

Iris spluttered on her noodles and protested, "Hey! It's the one thing I was blessed with in this life okay?! Actually… it's a curse. Please, I want to have a body like TWICE Jihyo. I can't stand this flatness."

They all burst out in laughter. Such was the life of an asian girl idol trainee. Only few were blessed with curvy bodies like Jihyo of TWICE and Hwasa of MAMAMOO.

"Speaking of which, I bet Nako-chan would kill to meet Jihyo. She'll pounce on Chaeyeon when she hears about this meet up! Although, I don't know if we'll actually meet TWICE." Iris fondly reminisced about Japanese member Nako's cute chatter about her love for her idol Jihyo. At this memory, Iris realized how much of an impact IZ*ONE had on her life.

But while she did miss their company, it was good to stretch her wings in a new environment. Iris was more than ready to hold a stronger rein on her musical artistry and idol life. While CJ ENM didn't directly manage their group, being an MNET produced group meant the members didn't have much sway in their activities.

Also, by debuting herself, she could prove that no matter if the Produce series was rigged, she could be successful on her own accord. Iris sometimes wondered if she would've ever made the lineup if it wasn't for vote manipulation.

However, which trainees placements into the debut group were rigged was never told to IZ*ONE. So, regardless of the truth, Iris and the other eleven members had to do their best and put this shadow behind them.

Dusting herself off after finishing her second bowl, Iris stood up and glanced at her label mates. "All right, ready to go?"

"Honey, we've been waiting for you for ten minutes." Jiyeon blithely teased.