Opening Author's Notes
Hello again, guys! Been a bit of a rougher time down here, but I know it's up to me to turn things around. Writing a bit again has helped me get myself moving again, so thanks to you guys for sticking with me. Keep your eyes out for a scene featuring Kurai_Sen that she wrote! Dedication for this chapter also goes to AlexStarAlvarez because of the amazing trailer she made for this story. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is:

https://youtu.be/iiIwsHMOs4A

Glossary (for those new to League or K-Pop)
Comeback stage – A Korean term for an artist or group performing a new song live for the first time after a break. (Most times, artists and groups take breaks in between musical projects.)

Solo queue – A popular mode of ranked play in many MOBAs, including League of Legends. (In League, duo queue and flex queues for parties of 3 or 5 are also enabled currently.) The lowest League rank is Bronze, with the following ranks being (in order from lowest to highest) Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Challenger (which is the highest, and Master and Challenger are not broken into five levels like the others).

Jessica was evidently thinking hard at CloudTemplar's question, and Hai was as well as Baekhyun, Seulgi, Heechul and Krystal all looked at Jessica. A smile, though, was playing around her face.

Jessica: We've thought about it, and we have agreed that none of us can fully replace any of the others, including any counterparts, because we're all talented in our own unique and special ways. But there are some of us who admire each other because they can look at someone and see themselves, and as that motivates them to grow, they have each other as an example, so there are C9 members who at least remind me a lot of SNSD members. Does that make sense?

DoA: Definitely. So who on C9 reminds you of who on SNSD?

Jessica: I'd definitely say Hai is reminiscent of Taeyeon. Both are great leaders – they command the respect and loyalty of their fellow members, and that even applies with Taeyeon and Cloud 9 and with Hai and Girls' Generation. They also like to support as well as carry, and they do have a similar dorky streak – but that's one of the things that draws me and others to them.

"Those are reasons why you love each other too, isn't it?" Wendy asked, looking at them.

"Nae..." Taeyeon replied, already beaming at her. Even as Wendy had finished speaking, Hai was already closing his eyes and lying his head on Taeyeon's shoulder with a peaceful smile.

"Aigoo, unnie...stop, you're going to make someone melt!" Yeri remarked, making us all smile.

Jessica: Carlo definitely reminds me of Tiffany because he's energetic, a bit loud, brave, and likes the chance to carry but focuses on being a positive influence for the team and for others. The three of us have talked about it and those are definitely reasons they admire each other and are good friends.

"One thing Jessi didn't mention there – and to be honest, not too many besides her and me have picked up on this – is that Carlo likes to eye smile for the camera too when he's really happy." Tiffany said, winking at me.

I went red at that but added sincerely, "I do, but then again, I might have the worst eye smile in our quartet. Joy and Sehun blow me away in that department, and I haven't even talked about Tiff noona. I'm, like, Bronze compared to their Challenger when it comes to eye smiles."

Jessica: Jensen reminds me of Seohyun both because both can and have been the strongest in our groups and because both have honed their skills and spirit with all of our eyes on them – Seo because she's SNSD's maknae and Jensen because he's the newest and because of his past. It definitely needs to be said again that when we went to New York and New Jersey, she went to see him and made sure he was good shape because she saw herself in him.

Baekhyun: You know, Sica noona, when Suho hyung was asking Xiumin, Chen and me what the three of us thought about Cloud 9, that was the first comparison we made – TTS with Hai, Jensen and Carlo. Both are trios where each is used to being a primary carry – three main vocals and three mid-laners – but they can play off each other well without getting in each other's way.

The six of us all had especially radiant smiles at those words.

"Are you kids thinking about going out anytime soon?" Suho asked.

"If we keep enjoying each other's company and when she's ready." Jensen replied. "But not a moment before, Suho hyung."

"I may not be Seobaby all the time, but I'll always save my best for the good boys." Seohyun told him with a warm grin, taking his hand.

"Oh, my goodness, that's so cool." Tiffany remarked. We all smiled at that.

Jessica: Balls definitely reminds me of Sunny because they're both short but have big presence onstage. They're also both stronger than they look – we saw what Sunny was doing on Invincible Youth and Balls...well, with Cloud 9 fans, it's no secret, but the man is ripped.

"Let it be said, Sunny – I think you've got a man and a half!" Kai proclaimed with a grin as we all laughed and smiled.

We all know what she was talking about – the other Cloud 9 members had seen him with his arms bared, but it hadn't been until the photoshoot that the other SM All-Stars who didn't know found out, as Balls also substituted his jersey at times for a blue C9 tank top popular with our Counter Strike team plus Mango, and it had showed off his arms.

"Likewise. I've got a woman and a half because of Sunny noona." Balls replied with a big smile. Sunny beamed at that and hugged him from behind.

Jessica: Sneaky and Meteos definitely remind me of Yoona and Sooyoung respectively because they can so easily command the stage even if they aren't designated as primary carries and they're our groups' biggest jokesters by far.

Heechul: Oh, yeah. Yoona and Sneaky also have ways of carrying their teams that nobody else around them has – Yoona with her expressions and acting and Sneaky with his great AD play.

"Have you two kids been dating as well or are you about to?" Victoria asked Sneaky and Yoona, looking at them.

"We've talked about it, believe it or not." Yoona replied, taking Sneaky's shoulders supportively and then using his real name. "Zach had a girlfriend who he broke up with just before Worlds last year and he hasn't been sure if he's ready to enter another relationship, though he's definitely considering it."

"When Yoona noona says we talked, she's not lying..." Sneaky said sheepishly. "I had to do a little growing up and recognize there was no way I should have said that about Jena no matter what had happened."

"For those among us who don't know, Sneaky, what the hell did you say about Jena?" Meteos asked. He sounded like he wanted to make sure Sneaky told the whole story and was held accountable but didn't want to hold it against him."

"I called her an Urgot...on stream." Sneaky replied.

Chen and Xiumin shook their heads and tsk-ed at him. Yoona said, "That Sneaky isn't the Sneaky we came to know, though. Certainly not the one I count as a very good friend."

"Thanks, Yoona." Sneaky replied, blushing slightly.

(Author's Note – This is true. Jena also recently wed Sean Gares, a C9 CS:GO alumnus who was the in-game leader while he was with the team.)

"Man, that's still definitely something ahead of you guys being on Hello Counselor within a week!" Chanyeol told them.

"It definitely is. For some reason, I expect something cool and memetastic but yet not cringeworthy." I said, and the four of them grinned – especially Sneaky and Meteos.

Jessica: Aurora definitely takes after me and Hyoyeon because she's got this cool radiance onstage that makes me feel like I'm watching myself a little while she's such a good dancer.

Seulgi: I definitely think she does take after Hyoyeon unnie as well as you since she's got a   little bit of diva in her – in a good way, though – and is a great dancer like you mentioned. Joy was also telling us that you took Aurora to practice with Hyoyeon before the quarterfinal against SKT.

Jessica: Yeah. That was the time where one of the dances they worked on was Happiness.

Chobra: That leaves Yuri and LemonNation. Would you describe them as counterparts as well?

Jessica: I don't know if we have a counterpart to Yuri, but that's just because she's that unique. LemonNation is her closest friend in Cloud 9 besides me, but he takes more after me.

"I know what she means – that's not an issue." Yuri was saying.

"Yeah, I think it's going to be hard for any single pro gamer, let alone one of us, to be comparable to you, Yuri noona." Meteos replied.

"Thanks, Meteos," Yuri replied with a smile. "Hoping Lemon and Baekhyun finish their practice 2v2s with Aurora and Heechul so that Irene and I can give him his new dress uniform shirt." This was true – Aurora, Lemon, Heechul and Baekhyun weren't with us because they were playing 2v2s against each other on stream, and Jessica was watching them.

Irene, who had been just behind us ironing the shirt (Author's Note – Ironing is one of her actual cool talents, by the way), held up Lemon's new shirt and nodded. As a surprise that they'd thought of since he was coaching, they had also sewn pearl buttons onto another dress uniform shirt with his name on it.

She then informed us with a smile, "They're taking a break in between rounds, so you might just be able to get him. Thing is, you might need to still work on finding him because he's shaving his beard."

"It's been a while, but we've seen Lemon with no facial hair and you might not recognize him." Sneaky told Yuri, indicating himself and the other Cloud 9 original members, who all nodded.

CloudTemplar: If I may, let me ask one more question...how would you describe Cloud 9 League of Legends in terms of North American and Korean influence, especially with this new team being formed?

As Jessica and Hai told us, CloudTemplar had somewhat correctly predicted that there would be some who were understandably making the joke that Korea had pulled a fast one and made us part Korean and part North American, taking away half of a team from NA and giving it to Korea.

Jessica: Well, the Korean influence was definitely undeniable even before SM picked up Cloud 9, but we are definitely still a North American team especially since I'm still the lone C9 League member who can claim to be Korean. But I think that we definitely try to balance working hard with having fun, and one area where I have been able to help the others is that I've had to do that in a high-pressure environment in Korea for a long time.

Hai: One interesting thing that Jessi noona suggested for the bootcamp is that we don't do something for too long. Ever so often, we break, we get some air, we interact with fans or we just chat with each other and our new teammates.

Baekhyun: I think that's a great idea and it is definitely something that all of us have been considering – at the very worst.

Hai: Going back to that question, we also know that we've gained a lot of fans in Korea, especially after last year, and that we need to make them proud of us. They won't settle for anything less than our best and we know a lot of them won't settle for anything short of another title, but that's a challenge that we welcome. We know it won't be easy, but you bet we're ready for a fight.

Heechul: We need to make sure we point this out...with the entire Korean Exodus where we have lost players to China, North America, Europe, Taiwan and elsewhere, Cloud 9 is the first case where we in Korea have seen fit to reverse that and import North American talent.

Baekhyun: Sica noona and Hai were also telling me – and this might fall under Korean influence – is that they were also glad that EXO, F(x) and Red Velvet are part of this not just because we're talented groups, but because we haven't lifted the Summoner's Cup like C9 and SNSD have. I definitely might sound crazy, but I think this has already done a great job of bringing out our competitive sides.

Meanwhile, an amusing Twitter exchange was taking place involving a batch of us plus two casters who had been watching from the Riot office in Berlin – Quickshot and especially Deficio, the Dane who had been Ninjas in Pajamas' support during his playing days. Even Taeyeon, who had taken to Twitter to connect with an increasing Western fanbase, got in on the act.

Author's Note – Times listed here are Korean local time, so 1 AM in Seoul would be 6 PM in Berlin. Also, while these tweets and Aurora's, Wendy's, Krystal's, Amber's and Taeyeon's accounts are fictional, Hai's, Meteos's, Deficio's and Quickshot's accounts are real.

Author's Note – The following scene is the one that Kurai_Sen wrote – all I did was add a little extra text to it. I offered her the chance to publish it on her account, but she kindly allowed me to share it here instead. Make sure to check her stuff out! Keep your eyes out for a little mention of Mikki110797 that she put in.

We also found out from Taeyeon how she and Hai had contacted Kurai to come up with the "When Two Families Become One" graphic.

She had been continuing to talk to Kurai since KCON, and before we'd gone to shoot the trailer and the accompanying photos, she had kept an  eye on the local time in India and called Kurai on Skype when she surmised that she might be home. Her intuition was correct, as Kurai  quickly and excitedly accepted.

"That sounds amazing and awesome!" Kurai  nearly yelled after Taeyeon and Hai had taken turns explaining the SM  All-Stars. "Oh, I wish I could go with you!"

Taeyeon chuckled and asked, "Why don't you? You did make it to KCON and the  Summer  Finals in New York and New Jersey, didn't you?"

Kurai sighed and shook her head. "Not this time, unnie..." She said, sounding down and then finishing wholeheartedly, "God, I wish I could be there."

"It's still not too late for us to send you a ticket." Hai suggested.

Kurai shook her head, but this time reassuringly, as she told him, "It's all right. Besides, I think Mikki will be there, so you'll still have a fan around."

At the time, she had no idea how right she was. Taeyeon nodded at that and said, "It'll be a shame, but you could always help out from your end."

Kurai sat up quickly. "Help out?" She asked. "How?"

"We need a poster for the event, and someone needs to put it together."  Hai said. His and  Taeyeon's smiles only grew as he finished,  "The first person we thought of was you."

Kurai's eyes widened in excitement and shock as she stuttered, "M-me? M-make you a graphic?"

Taeyeon nodded encouragingly and responded, "We'll get you the shots you need, so tell us what you want."

Kurai's eyes were still wide, and she was still visibly stunned. Seeing this, Hai laughed and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah,  I guess,"  Kurai said, finding her voice. Then she said, "It's  just...The stuff I make is just for pure fun, and I haven't also been doing it long. Why me, and why not an actual professional who knows what they're doing?"

Taeyeon smiled and stated, "You do know what you're doing. Remember, we've been checking your stuff out, even if it wasn't SNSD- or  C9-related. You've gotten good, Kurai. Really good."

Hai hummed in agreement. "She's right, Kurai. We could think of no one else who'd be able to bring out our best sides."

Kurai flushed and responded. "W-well, if you say so."

"So, are you in?" Hai asked.

Kurai nodded and said fervently, "Definitely. So, is there something specific you guys are looking for?"

"Specific? As in...?" Taeyeon asked.

"Like...what kind of feel are you going for? Is there something you want to show the fans?" Kurai clarified.

"Wouldn't it be better if we have you the power to do whatever needed to be done?" Hai inquired in response.

Kurai shook her head,  smiling. "Absolutely not. Don't believe that myth. It's actually easier once you have something to go on rather than just a  blank slate."

"Alright," Hai said. He thought about it for a minute, and then asked, "Could we by any chance show our fun sides?"

"Fun?" Taeyeon asked in response, looking at him.

"Yeah, like a more light-hearted feel," Hai said. "But could it be similar to the billboards you find or the group photo shoots that these idols do?"

The wheels began to spin behind Kurai's eyes. "So something typical,  like a group photoshoot, but a lighter feel..." She muttered. Her gaze  moved  from  the camera upwards and they could hear her mouse clicking away, as it seemed she was already looking up resources and examples  online. Finally, she suggested, "I think we could go for a serious pose but fun facial expressions."

Taeyeon nodded. "What else do you suggest?"

Kurai thought for a moment. "Caption," she said. "Do you guys have any ideas for a tagline?"

Hai paused, holding his chin but then shaking his head. "Nope, I got nothing."

"I may have an idea," Kurai said after minutes of silence only broken by the sound of her clicking mouse. "How about 'When Two Families Become   One'?"

Taeyeon clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "That's perfect! It's absolutely wonderful."

Hai grinned as well and said, "Well, never thought it could describe us to that extent, but it's awesome."

Kurai beamed and said, "Thank you, guys!"

"So what do you want us to do for the photoshoot?" Taeyeon asked.

"I'd say...talk to the photographer about my idea and let him take the reins. I'll handle the rest from here." Kurai answered.

Hai nodded and gave her the thumbs-up. "You got it, kid!" Beside him, Taeyeon beamed proudly at her.

------------

A few days later, we were getting ready to round out the SM All-Star soundtrack. Before that day, we had added the following songs:

–Genie (Tell Me Your Wish) – Girls' Generation
–About Time (2015 LoL Worlds North America Theme) – Girls' Generation-JeTi & Cloud 9
–La Cha Ta – F(x)
–Nu ABO – F(x)
–Call Me Baby – EXO
–Peter Pan – EXO
–I Wish – M&D
–Mr. Simple – Super Junior

We were adding two more since Red Velvet had just released their new single and mini-album and were scheduled for their comeback stage on M! Countdown later that night.

–Dumb Dumb – Red Velvet
–Don't U Wait No More – Red Velvet

We were also discussing what was going on, since not all of us knew just how a Korean music show like M Countdown worked.

"So let me get this straight. Just 10% is determined on scoring of the live performance?" Lemon asked Taeyeon, who was helping brief us.

"Yes. At least officially, anyway. The thing is, it can bleed over into SMS votes (text, another 10%), global fan votes (10%), and social media points including official MV views on YouTube (15%)."

"And then the last 55% is sales?" Hai asked.

"Exactly. 40% for the digital single and 15% for the album."

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Aurora asked.

"Oh, yeah. We make sure we buy these and bump the new music today on stream." Balls said with a big smile. Knowing the audience we were bound to have, it would only help.

"One quick stipulation – if we're doing multiple streams, make sure we start with different songs so that they don't hear the same song if they switch over just in case. That'll give them a little more power of choice." I said, raising my hand.

"I like that." Hai agreed. "All right, fam, let's make sure we hit our goals before we go!"

The five Cloud 9 members who had Red Velvet members as part of our quartets and had thus been planning to go – Hai, LemonNation, Jensen, Aurora and me – had been targeting at least Diamond 1 by the time we had been scheduled to attend that night in order to make sure we stayed focused.

As added motivation, every single SM All-Star had either their Korean solo queue rank, number of normal match wins since August 31st or both listed on a scoreboard in the gaming practice room so that everyone knew where each of us stood. By the time we were set to go, I took a look at that scoreboard and whooped.

"Attaboy, guys!" I was cheering. Every single one of us was at least Diamond 1, with Aurora – the biggest Red Velvet supporter out of any of us because of Wendy – fittingly in the lead as she had cracked Master.

"I have to say it wasn't just because of Wendy – I knew I had a little less time since I'd agreed to help them warm up since the Dumb Dumb routine is not easy!" Aurora said with a smile and a laugh.

"I know what you mean." Jessica replied, knowing what she was talking about as we had watched them practice. "Let's make sure they're ready!"

------------

The CJ E&M Center Studio in Mapo-gu had seldom, if ever, seen anything like it when a large and fired-up group of fans supporting Red Velvet arrived before the show with us in the lead.

Taeyeon was telling our fans, "All right, everyone, ground rules. Make sure you respect everyone else performing even though we're here for Red Velvet."

Heechul, Amber and Suho had also come along. The five C9 members who were there, plus Taeyeon, were sporting the Girls' Generation / Cloud 9 dual team jerseys that we'd worn upon landing, which had now been updated to include the SM All-Star logo as a badge, while the others sported an F(x), EXO or Super Junior variant.

"You don't need to tell us twice, Taengoo unnie!" One girl shouted amidst the cheers of approval.

"Hey, Hai, can I tell you something?" Jensen asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Hai asked in response.

"It's my first time seeing them perform and even though I've seen them practice, I can't help but get f**king nervous. Make sure that you guys or Seohyun noona reminds me that I find it harder to watch than to perform, just in case. " Jensen replied.

"You got it." Hai agreed.

------------

[All] Maneking inhyeongcheoreom
Hanabuteo yeolkkaji da eosaekhaji (Ha-ha-ha)
Pyeongsogati hamyeon doeneunde
Tto neoman bomyeon sijakdoeneun babo gateun chum

[Irene] Nun ko ip pyojeongdo
Pal dari georeumdo
Nae mareul deutji anhjyo
[All] Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb
[Yeri] Simjangui tteollimdo
Nalttwineun gibundo
Mamdaero doejil anhjyo
[All] Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb

English
[All] Like a mannequin
Everything is so awkward (Ha-ha-ha)
I should just act like I do normally
But whenever I see you, I act so stupid

[Irene] My eyes, nose, lips,
Even my face, arms, legs, my walk,
They won't listen to me
[All] Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb
[Yeri] The trembling of my heart,
My jumping moods,
I can't control it
[All] Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb

Author's Note – This is the actual comeback stage performance:

https://youtu.be/wr7UtYDG7Jo

The whole crowd was loving the performance, but the Red Velvet / SM All-Star section was going berserk. Taeyeon, Heechul, Amber and Suho were all visibly anxious and smiling, pleased with how it was going but willing them to finish strong. Lemon was fitting in with them well, but Hai, Aurora, Jensen and I were unable to contain the hype and were watching like we were seeing Red Velvet play in the LCK.

"Nice!" Hai yelled. "Keep killing it, Seulgi!"

"Remember that move you worked on – make sure you hit it! Do it now!" Aurora was shouting.

"You got this! Just feel it!" I shouted.

"Focus, Yeri, focus! Nice work!" Jensen yelled.

Once they finished off a killer performance, you'd have thought we had seen them blow up an opposing Nexus, because we were cheering our heads off. Jensen was almost roaring, "Good s**t! Let's f**king go!"

When the final results were announced, we were all holding our breath as well since we knew they'd done great, but we knew there would be more factors at play. However, that just meant we were holding our arms aloft and hugging each other while applauding and shouting when Red Velvet were announced as the winners.

"Attagirl!" I shouted.

"One down, many more to go, but we have the people to do it!" Taeyeon said, almost crowing.

"Oh, yes we do." Suho agreed. He then cupped his hands around his mouth and almost bellowed, "ReVel fighting!"

Red Velvet was alight with excitement onstage, and it was fantastic to watch because we knew how hard they had worked and how seriously they had taken the challenge to both have a successful comeback and to make the team that would go to Europe.

"Thank you so much, everyone!" Wendy told the cheering crowd. "For our encore, we would like to do something a little different, because this is a great win, but we need to keep going and we have a team that has made sure we remember that. Girls?"

The others nodded at that, and each of them pulled her shirt off to reveal the Red Velvet variation of the SM All-Star jersey underneath. The Red Velvet logo was to the upper left of the Vegas gold strip, with the charcoal gray peeled away on one diagonal strip to reveal the deep red, while the lower right was a shot of each member's eyes, with the charcoal gray peeled away in the middle to give the eyes and the middle of each face color.

What stood out to me even more than how proud they were to wear the jersey and be part of the team was how excited our fans were to see that, because they went ballistic when they did.

"Oh, my goodness! That is just amazing!" One of the female fans shouted behind us.

"I said it once before with Cloud 9 Generation and I'm going to say it again with the All-Stars – this is a team!" One boy next to her yelled.

"I'm so proud of each and every one of them. Best in the world!" Another girl cheered.

This was not lost on the nine of us in the front for a moment.

"Yo, listen to these people!" I told the others.

"I hear them, all right. We're going to fight for each and every one of them!" Taeyeon responded.

"We're glad to have the support of not only our fans but also our colleagues and seniors at SM, including our teammates with the SM All-Stars." Wendy said, also seeing this. "We couldn't have done it without them. Come on up, guys!"

We needed no further urging, hurrying out of the front row and joining Red Velvet onstage.

"Are you guys ready to see a little something?" Aurora asked. "This isn't on the album as such, but the girls put something together, brought us in and decided to do it as their encore if they won tonight. They thought it would be fitting given that we're all aiming for Worlds."

"Oh, yes. For the first time live, this is Don't U Wait No More. Hit it!" Irene proclaimed. It started out with no accompaniment before the beat hit:

[Seulgi] Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
[Seulgi / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Irene] Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
[Irene / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Wendy] Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
[Wendy / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Yeri] Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
[Yeri / Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
[Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't

English
[Seulgi] Why are you hesitating again?
[Seulgi / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Irene] Why are you hesitating again?
[Irene / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Wendy] Why are you hesitating again?
[Wendy / Joy] Don't you wait no more
[Yeri] Why are you hesitating again?
[Yeri / Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
[Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't

They then parted, and to the surprised but enthusiastic cheers of the crowd and especially the SM All-Star section – which evidently included a few Petals – Amber stepped forward and started adding a rap that wasn't on the original song, with Hai backing her up.

Rap
[Amber] Yo, there's a battle coming, so we won't wait no more
Ice Cream Cake was sweet, but they heard you beg for more
Happiness was good, but now watch ReVel soar
And don't miss the game 'cause we all know how to score
[Hai] We've got their back because they're here to win
Now they want to ask you, "Are you all in?"
[Amber] Don't you stay on that sideline, 'cause we won't
[Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't

Red Velvet then came front and center again and started taking turns to include the rest of us in the performance as well, such as offering some cool interactions like Heechul and Taeyeon dancing with them.

[Wendy] Deo gakkai ollae? Jeonbu malhaejwo da
[Joy] (Ne ip moyangman gyesok barabwa)
[Wendy] Saljjak oda meomchit woneul geurin ne pal
[Joy] (Ttto gijigaeman pineun ne eokkae)
[Seulgi] Du nunbichi tto, tto majuchineun neowa na
Uri du saram i damen eotteokhaeya hae?
[Joy] (Na gunggeumhaeseo jamdo mot jasseo)

English
[Wendy] Wanna come closer? Tell me everything
[Joy] (I keep looking at the shape of your mouth)
[Wendy] You come but then you stop and make a circle with your arms
[Joy] (Your shoulders are stretching)
[Seulgi] Our eyes have met again
What should we do next?
[Joy] (I'm so curious, I couldn't even sleep)

If we weren't busy with them, we were helping toss SM All-Star merchandise such as jerseys, scarves and posters into the crowd, and we were laughing and smiling as we were seeing people jump to catch them.

[Yeri] Jakku meomutdaeneun neoreul wihae
Yeonghwa boda jami deun cheok
Saljjak gidae nuneul gameulkka?
[Wendy] (Yeah)
[Irene / Seulgi] Anim byeolgeo anin yaegiro
Ne gwitgae sokdaksokdak ganjireopge
Soksagyeobolkka?
[All] Deureo bwabwa

English
[Yeri] For you, who keeps hesitating
Should I pretend to fall asleep while watching a movie?
Should I close my eyes and lean on you?
[Wendy] (Yeah)
[Irene / Seulgi] Or should I just whisper
Things in your ear?
Tickle your ear?
[All] Listen...

During the chorus, I was visibly nodding my head as the rest of us got our turn interacting with Red Velvet. We'd had some fun jamming out to their music on stream earlier, but the energy of a live performance is always something else.

[RV] Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
Don't you wait no more
Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
Don't you wait no more (Naege wajwo)
Tto wae, neo mangseorini?
Don't you wait no more
Tto wae? (Naege wajwo)
Don't you wait no more (Naege wajwo)

[Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
Don't you wait no more, don't (Naege wajwo)
[Yeri] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
Don't you wait no more, don't (Naege wajwo)

English
Why are you hesitating again?
Don't you wait no more
Why are you hesitating again?
Don't you wait no more (Come to me)
Why are you hesitating again?
Don't you wait no more
Why? (Come to me)
Don't you wait no more (Come to me)

[Joy] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
Don't you wait no more, don't (Come to me)
[Yeri] Don't you wait no more, don't you wait no more
Don't you wait no more, don't (Come to me)

"Get 'em, Jensen!" I yelled.

Jensen came to the center and preceded with a rap of his own. Yeri had asked if he could add something to help settle him further by showing that they trusted him, and he had quickly agreed. What followed was something very cool because not only did he do a great job, but Red Velvet was so ready to back him up.

Rap
[Jensen] Learned from my mistakes and did my time
And did the work – now it's our time to shine
Top of the world, but there's still a climb
But like ReVel, I'm just hitting my prime
Better keep your eyes on your door
[RV] (Oh whoa)
[Jensen] 'Cause we all make jaws hit the floor
[RV] (Oh whoa)
[Jensen] It's time to go ham, so what'cha waiting for?
[Joy] Tto wae, neo mangseorini? Don't you wait no more

------------

We all were in very high and animated spirits as we headed back to headquarters, but Red Velvet said something on the way back that inspired a new commercial / trailer that we put out just two days later.

It began with a shot of SM headquarters and Red Velvet leading the nine of us who'd attended M! Countdown to support them back into the building to loud cheers.

They drunk in the praise from the rest of us, but then Wendy said once we quieted down, "Thanks a lot, guys – we couldn't have done it without you. Now let's make sure we keep working hard and moving forward, because we've all established that the prize is Worlds and Europe."

We all clapped and cheered at that. Unbeknownst to others outside the team, those had been Wendy's exact words on the way back.

It then showed the outside of SM headquarters again with a title.

30 minutes later

Author's Note – I imagined the remainder of the trailer while listening to EXO's Monster.

A voiceover that began to rotate during the trailer then started:

Hai: People know what we can do when all eyes are on us.

Hai had changed into working year, including a pair of knee-length shorts and a C9 tank top, and was heading out of the building to go for a run with Sooyoung, Lay and Kai – all also in workout gear – in tow.

Chen: We've remembered that it's about what we do when the lights aren't on.

Krystal and Chen were going over some VODs on a smart board with Jessica and Lemon, who was standing up and drawing on it to highlight what he had been seeing.

Victoria: We're proud of what we've done so far because we've worked hard for it, and we love to have fun.

This showed Amber and especially Victoria stretching – and Sneaky was clearly and understandably unsettled by Victoria's unbelievable flexibility.

"Jesus, Vic noona, are you sure you're not going to accidentally break in half?" He asked as he helped Victoria bring her foot overhead.

"Don't worry, Sneaky," Victoria replied with a smile. "You might not have seen it much, but I've done this many times before."

Author's Note – For those who have never seen Victoria display her flexibility, I'd like to introduce you to it via her friendly showdown against an audience member on Star King in May 2010. And yes, the thumbnail is Vic!

https://youtu.be/cL4PhAyvF1s

Taeyeon: But we also know that we need to reach even higher.

This showed Taeyeon, Jessica, Tiffany, Seohyun, Wendy, Luna and Suho, among others, in the middle of vocal practice in a booth, each taking turns to sing by himself or herself or harmonize with others.

Yuri: We know we are good enough for our teams.

It then showed a cool dance practice session, including Hyoyeon, Yuri, Seulgi, Aurora and Chanyeol taking turns to share and demonstrate ideas about a high-tempo bit, including some parts out of Growl.

Balls: But we are out to prove just why we were selected.

It now showed Balls, Xiumin and DO in a gym going through a workout, and Balls was helping motivate Xiumin, who was on the treadmill.

"There you go. Push it, push it!" He exhorted. Xiumin was clearly breathing hard but nodded.

Then it showed Xiumin and the others egging on Balls as he worked on the chest fly / pectoral fly with a big amount of weight that many would have a problem with.

"Come on, come on, you can do it!" Xiumin was saying.

Balls' face bore an expression of effort and concentration, and he was almost audibly straining, but he completed the reps strong all the same.

Author's Note – If you want to know what that might look like, check this out – it's a still from an Instagram post that Balls shared between Seasons 5 and 6.

Jensen: We are out to prove that we are good enough for this team.

It then cut to the gaming practice room, where Meteos, Jensen, Sunny and Yuri were working side by side and had just finished off a win.

An alarm then sounded, and Meteos said, "That's the live practice alarm. Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah." The others answered quickly.

They quickly hurried out of the room, and Jensen was shown picking up what turned out to be Veigar's scepter.

Baekhyun was then shown battling some monsters in a street while wearing Ezreal's armlet and using Mystic Shot, Essence Flux and Arcane Shift to dispatch them with some trademark Ezreal flurry combos. Heechul then appeared out of thin air wearing Vayne's wrist-mounted  bolt gun and a crossbow on his back after he'd used Final Hour. He then whipped out the crossbow to use Condemn and yelled, "Duck!"

Baekhyun quickly did so and Heechul used the crossbow to pin a monster on Baekhyun's other side to a nearby wall. Sneaky then showed up with Draven's throwing axes, taking out two with them as they rebounded like boomerangs, before using Whirling Death to throw them towards one more monster at long range and cut it down.

Another fight scene then showed a pack of large shadowy werewolves facing Jessica with Ahri's orb, me with Sejuani's flail and Tiffany and Aurora with Lux's and Aurora's staffs  respectively. Jessica was darting around, dealing damage and picking them off one by one, while I was protecting the others and slowing our enemies down. Meanwhile, Aurora was focusing on keeping us in fighting shape while Tiffany added damage, lockdown and shielding. Finally, only the biggest was left.

"Won't be easy, but just remember to chain! I'll go first!" Jessica told us.

"We've got your back, Jessi!" Tiffany replied.

Jessica landed her Charm, and we did the rest with the combo that followed – first, Aurora with Equinox, then me with Glacial Prison and finally Tiffany with Final Spark.

"One enemy left down there." Jessica said, motioning down the street to a large stone golem. She then got on her headset and asked, "Hai, can we chase it down?"

"We certainly can!" Hai's voice replied. "Amber, can you catch it and knock it back towards us?"

"I see it and I'm on it. Get ready, guys!" Amber replied.

The camera had shifted to her as she charged down a side street, and she threw out what was clearly Lee Sin's Sonic Wave and landed it on the golem. She then used Resonating Strike to dash in close and finally used Dragon Rage to kick the golem back towards what turned out to be Hai and Taeyeon.

Taeyeon, who had Leona's sword and shield but in a smaller size that she preferred, landed Solar Flare just as the golem was able to stop  itself to keep it incapacitated. With it stunned, Hai was now shown to be wearing one of Zed's claws, and he promptly dispatched it using the Death Mark followed by Living Shadow to create a clone, followed by Razor Shurikens and Shadow Slashes, while Taeyeon added further lockup  and damage with the Zenith Blade and Shield of Daybreak.

They caught their breath as Amber approached them, and both nodded at her as Hai managed a "Nice." Amber responded with a smile.

"How'd we do?" Aurora asked as the rest of us came into view.

"Beat our record!" Hai cheered.

As we whooped, we saw the sun start to rise, and Taeyeon smiled at us  and finished, "Let's get some rest and be ready to do it all again."

We all nodded or cheered that and set off back towards SM headquarters and the dorms.

Jessica: How will you make the team?

The SM All-Star logo was then shown again with the hashtags #SMAllStars and #MakeTheTeam below it.

Closing Author's Notes
I actually ended it on that note because I wanted to make sure you the reader have a chance to answer that. How would you #MakeTheTeam? Reply via inline comment so that the responses get sorted that way.