CHAPTER IV

TINK AND BELL

“I’m sorry I’m late,” A man walked into the office and pulled Tiffany back from her wandering thoughts.

She immediately smiled at the man who was now in front of her. “My name is Choi Ji-hu; I’m the head scout manager here.” He said as he stretched out his hand to Tiffany.

“Tiffany; nice to meet you.” She said as she stood up to shake his hand.

“Please, have a seat.” The tall man said.

“James was right; you are more beautiful in person.” He said as he pulled papers out from his desk’s drawer.

Tiffany smiled politely at the remark. “How was your flight here?” The clean-shaved man asked.

“It was fine, thank you.” She answered. “It was a pretty long flight.”

“I’m sure it was.” The manager chuckled and continued, “Well then, shall we start?”

Tiffany nodded. “James had sent us your contract a few days ago, and may I say that it is a pleasure of having you join us here at SM entertainment,” he said, smiling at Tiffany.

“The pleasure is all mine, um, Ji-hu ssi?” Tiffany was not sure what to call him; she was not used in using honorific.

“Ji-hu oppa,” he corrected as he laughed, “I’m not too big on formalities.”

She smiled and repeated after him, “Ji-hu oppa.”

The manager was caught by the young girl’s smile and cleared his throat, “So, um… You have a cu-I mean you have an accent.”

“Oh, yes.” Tiffany blushed, “I guess I’m not used in speaking Korean yet.”

“That’s okay; your Korean is great.” The man praised her.

“Thank you.” The black-haired girl smiled again and the manager quickly turned his gaze to the papers in front of him.

“I can’t use big words yet, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do so in no time.” She continued.

“That’s okay; you don’t need to rush.” The man replied.

“I’m sure that James had already explained the program you’ll be joining…” He said.

“I expect he has explained everything you need to know about the contract.”    

“Yes. He’s been very helpful.” Tiffany said. Especially since he met Michelle.

“Very good, then. Now here’s your itinerary; this contain all the information you need to know about your daily activities.”

“Itinera-I’m sorry?”

“Think of it as your time table.” Ji-hu smiled.

“Oh, okay.” Tiffany was slightly embarrassed. “Thank you.”

“Well, I guess that’s all for now.” He said as he stood up, “I’ll take you to your dormitory now. Come on.”

They both took the elevator down to the parking lot. “You know; you’re very brave to travel and move to Korea alone…” The head manager said in the elevator.

Tiffany just stared at the elevator panel in front of her, not knowing what to say.

“I know it’s very hard for a young girl like yourself to suddenly move far away from your family and start anew…” He continued, “… And I admire you for your courage.”

“Thank you…” She finally said.

The elevator stopped and they headed out. The car that picked up Tiffany from the airport was already waiting for them. A man stepped out from the black van and opened the side door for the girl.

“Thank you, Young-jin oppa.” Tiffany said to the man.

“Oh, I see you two are close already…” Ji-hu said as he opened the front passenger seat.

“Yes, we talked a bit during our ride from the airport.” The girl explained as she entered the van.

The younger man smiled and closed the door for her, before he went to the driver’s seat.

“This is a rare privilege, you know,” Ji-hu said as he sat and turned to look at Tiffany. “We don’t usually pick up trainees at the airport.”

“But seeing that you came here alone and this is the first time you’ve been to our city; we decided to give you a special treatment.” He smiled and winked at her.

“Oh… Thank you very much.” She said as she bowed to show him her appreciation.

“It’s okay,” He grinned widely.

“Hyung, are you already flirting with our new trainee?” Koo Young-jin teased. “You know we’re not allowed to have a relationship with our clients…”

The older man laughed at his younger colleague comments, “You should just concentrate on driving.”

Tiffany was blushing in her seat, they’re probably just joking around.

She felt lucky to have met the two nice managers. James had said that someone would pick her up when she get to Korea, but she felt bad for making them planned such arrangement.

I could’ve taken a taxi, she thought.

“But hyung; why did you have to come along? I could’ve taken her to the dorm by myself…” Young-jin said again.

“Shut it.” Ji-hu quickly said, “I was going to take a break anyway, so I decided to tag along.”

“A break, huh?” The younger grinned. “Speaking of breaks; Tiffany, you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“Oh, yeah…” The girl replied as she remembered she has not eaten anything since she stepped into Korean soil. Her stomach started to growl.

“Let’s eat first then.” He smiled as he looked at Tiffany from the rear-view mirror. “My treat; to officially welcome you to our company.”

“Oh… Thank you, oppa.” She flashed her eye smile as she looked at the mirror. She thought about declining the offer, but she didn’t want to disappoint her first acquaintances in the country.

“You’re welcome.” Young-jin smiled as he turned his gaze back to the road.

“Oh, you’re good…” Ji-hu said, and they both laughed as Tiffany sank her body into her seat, blushing for all the attention they gave her.

She looked through the window beside her and was astonished by the sight of the city of Seoul; it was already 7 pm now, and the sun has started to set. She stared as the lights from the shops and the buildings and the streets were starting to lit, and people walking on the side walk, busy with their own businesses. Everything felt new to her, and as she stared in awe at the streets of Seoul, she finally realized that she had made it; made it to Korea. And she already made two acquaintances, and perhaps they would become good friends in the future. God knows she needed to make friends fast to help her there.

You better not be lying, Bob…

After a while they reached a food market Young-jin suggested. Tiffany was again astonished by the view; it was like a food carnival back in Los Angeles. They had tables and chairs set up under tents. There were many vendors and too many choices of food that Tiffany found unique. She followed the two managers into one of the tents. Ji-hu suggested them to eat a traditional Korean dish, to welcome the young girl to Korea.

They ordered grilled meat that Tiffany found later was called Bulgogi. “Fire meat in English,” Ji-hu said as he grilled the meat for her. “If I’m not mistaken. My English is a bit rusty.”

“So is my Korean.” Tiffany smiled as she stared at the sizzling meat. “I think I’ve tried one of these back home.”

“Here, try the original.” The oldest of the three chuckled as he put a piece of well-cooked meat in Tiffany’s plate.

Tiffany smiled widely at the gesture and both men felt their hearts skipped a beat from her eye smile.

“This is really good.” She exclaimed, and both managers smiled their widest at the innocent girl.

“So, perhaps you can help me with my English...” Ji-hu said after collecting himself and started eating.

“Hyung, enough already!” Young-jin interrupted. “You have a fiancé for Christ’s sake!”

After they enjoyed the meal they headed straight for the dormitory. It was a pretty long drive, with how bad the traffic was at the time. Tiffany fell asleep in the backseat since she was very tired from the long trip, and her full stomach helped her get to sleep faster than she could count to one hundred. In the meantime both men kept chatting along the way to fight their drowsiness.

“I think our number one trainee will have a worthy rival now…” Young-jin said as he stopped for the red light.

“Yeah…” Ji-hu replied as he turned around to look at Tiffany, “… She got the looks, and her voice is beautiful too; although not yet at the same level as her.”

“With the right training she would be an invaluable asset for our company.” He turned to face the front again.

“Just an asset?” Young-jin teased his older friend again.

“I thought you told me to stop, since I have a fiancé and all.” He said as he playfully punched the younger man’s arm.

“Well, you better stop before she sues you for ual harassment.” Jinyoung rubbed his arm. “You know she’s underage, hyung…”

“Well that didn’t stopped you from acting the cool oppa and bought her dinner,” Ji-hu back. “You’ll be the one going to prison.”

“Hyung; we split the bill earlier, hyung. If I’m going to jail, I’m bringing you down with me.” He laughed.

“Damn it!” The older man cursed, “This is all your fault!”

“I was just trying to be nice, hyung…” The younger turned serious. “… She came here all the way from America; alone, for Christ’s sake…”

He stopped for a while before continuing, “… And I like a good head start.”

“Okay, stop this now before we get too far,” Ji-hu laughed. “I don’t want to go to prison over a stupid thing like this.”

They both laughed again for some time; before the younger manager was reminded of a situation that he found intriguing.

 “Why is she still a trainee after all these years, hyung?” Young-jin asked. “Jessica, I mean.”

“She already has everything she needs to debut…”

“I don’t know…” The older one said, thinking about his colleague’s question. “… Maybe the higher-ups are planning something big for her.”

“We have quite a few good trainees that I personally think should already debut as well…”

“Yeah…” Young-jin said and shifted the gear as the light turned green. “It’s nothing our pretty little heads need to be worrying about…”

They finally arrived at the dormitory and Tiffany groggily stepped out of the car. She looked up to the tall building in front of her and took a deep breath. My new home…

Young-jin took the little girl’s luggage out from the car and carried them. Tiffany was surprised and quickly tried to take her luggage back from the young man’s hand. “Oppa, I should carry my own luggage.” She said.

“It’s fine. Let me take them for you.” He smiled.

The black haired girl was about to voice her concerns, but both men were already walking towards the entrance. She quickly followed them while trying to reach for her suitcases again. “It’s okay, let him carry them. You must be tired, right?” Ji-hu laughed.

“But, oppa…” Tiffany was really uncomfortable with the situation, but she could not do anything since both men insisted. Do they act like this with the other trainees? She thought as they entered the elevator.

“Oh, you will be sharing a room in the apartment with two fellow trainees,” Young-jin said as the elevator moved up. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh. Okay.” Tiffany said; she seemed somewhat surprised by the fact that she was going to have to share a room with two other people she didn’t even know.

“There are other trainees that live here,” Ji-hu explained; as if he understood her thoughts. “And they all have to share rooms. It’s not an uncommon arrangement…”

“Think of it as a way to deepen your bond with the other trainees.” Young-jin added.

“And even SM wouldn’t be able to afford to give all of you single rooms.” Ji-hu chuckled.

“Of course.” Tiffany was embarrassed by her thoughts, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Young-jin added. “We completely understand you.”

“But we hope this won’t cause you any inconvenience.”

“No.” Tiffany quickly said, “Of course not.” She already felt lucky to have joined a company that appreciated her talents and gave her a place to stay; so she thought she had no right to complain about little things like this room arrangements.

“I’m glad you say that.” Ji-hu said as the elevator stopped and the door opened. “This way.”

Room 703; Tiffany read the room plate in her mind. Young-jin pressed the doorbell and waited. Soon the door swung open; revealing a short girl with slanted eyes who greeted them excitedly. “Ah, oppa. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Yeah, sorry we’re late.” Young-jin replied. “We got held up.”

The three of them stepped inside the apartment. “Kim Tae-yeon, meet your new roommate; Stephanie Hwang.” Ji-hu said as they reached the living room.

“Ah, welcome.” The short girl smiled at Tiffany and offered the slightly taller girl her hands. “Young-jin oppa told me you were coming.”

Tiffany flashed her famous eye smile, hoping to impress her soon to be roommate, and shook her hands. “Call me Tiffany, please.” She said as she stared at the girl in front of her; she has a cute little smile, she thought. It looked slightly mischievous.

“Where’s Ri-in?” Young-jin looked around the small apartment. “… And the other girls?”

“Ri-in is taking a bath, oppa…” Tae-yeon replied. “… Ji-hye and Yu-jin went to eat.”

“Oh, well; make sure you girls get along with each other, okay?” Young-jin smiled and looked at the short girl.

“Okay now, Tae-yeon; please take good care of her.” Ji-hu said. “It’s getting pretty late and we have to get going now.”

“Of course, oppa.” The short girl turned to the oldest. “I’ll help her in any way I can.”

“Tiffany…” Young-jin said. “… It’s time for us to leave. I’ll see you first thing in the morning, okay?”

Tiffany nodded and smiled. “Okay, oppa.”

Both managers said goodbyes and left the room. “Now let’s get you settled in, shall we?” The short girl smiled.

“Okay, Tae-yeon ssi.”

“No, no. Just call me Tae-yeon.” She smiled as she helped carry Tiffany’s luggage.

“Okay, Tae-yeon…” The slightly taller girl was grateful to have a friendly roommate.

“You can have that bed,” Tae-yeon pointed at the bed closest to the door. “Ri-in sleeps in the middle, and I’m the furthest there.”

Tiffany nodded as she noticed how the three beds were pushed together due to the small space of the room. “You can put your clothes in the closet there, and your things on the shelves.” The slant-eyes girl continued. “We already made some room for you.”

“Thank you.” Tiffany smiled as she started to unpack her luggage.

“Do you want some help?” Tae-yeon asked.

“No, it’s quite alright.”

“So, you’re from America, huh?” She asked again as the new trainee put some of her clothes into the closet.

“Yes, I’m from Los Angeles…”

“Yeah, Young-jin oppa told me a little about you.” She said as she kept watching, “I didn’t believe him at first when he told us we’re getting a pretty new roommate…”

“… But now I see he’s telling the truth.”

“Oh…” Tiffany stopped and blushed, “… Thank you.”

“You’re cute…” She winked.

“Well, I’m going to watch the TV. Call me if you need anything.” She laughed as she walked towards the door. “Oh, and Tiffany…”

“Yes?” Tiffany turned and their eyes met.

“I hope we can be good friends.” The short girl smiled.

“Yes, me too.” She said and smiled back.

Tiffany went back to her luggage and continued unpacking. Somehow that Tae-yeon girl reminded her of Elizabeth.

Liz… I wonder if the building has a wifi…

She was thinking about her American best friend that she didn’t hear someone opened the bedroom door. “Oh, hello…” The voice said.

Tiffany was a little surprised when she turned her head and saw someone was standing there; staring at her. “Oh, hi there…” She smiled.

The girl was wearing an oversize shirt and a pair of shorts. Her wet hair was still wrapped in her towel and Tiffany could see that she had just stepped out from the bathroom.

They both stared in confusion before the stranger suddenly realized something, “Ah, you must be Stephanie; the girl from America.”

“Oh,yes. I am.” She bowed and offered the girl her hand.

“Hello, I’m Jang Ri-in. Nice to finally meet you, Stephanie.” She said as she shook Tiffany’s hand.

“Please, call me Tiffany.” She smiled.

“Oh, okay.” The tall girl smiled back, “Welcome to our humble apartment.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you come here with Young-jin oppa?” The girl asked, “Has he left already?”

“Yes,” Tiffany nodded and returned to her task. “He left a while ago…”

“Oh, well…” She could hear a disappointment in her new roommate voice.

“Do you need any help with that?” She asked.

“Oh, it’s okay. I can manage.”

“Have you meet Tae-yeon? She’s our other roommate.”

“Yes, I already met her.” She smiled.

“So, you’re from America, huh?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.” Tiffany smiled again as she felt she needed to get used to people asking that question.

“Well, if you’re feeling homesick or anything; talk to me, okay?” Ri-in said, “I’m from China myself so I know how we can get homesick sometime…”

“Oh, you are?” Tiffany turned to face her. “I couldn’t tell. Your Korean is very good.”

“Yeah, well; I actually still have my Chinese accent…” She smiled. “… It’s difficult for us to get used to a different accent…” She said as she sat on her bed; noticing Tiffany’s unique accent.

“Yeah, I think so…”

Both of them chat for a while as Tiffany continued unpacking her luggage. It was mainly small talks as they still felt a little bit awkward with each other. When Tiffany finally finished unpacking, they headed out and joined Tae-yeon in the living room.

Soon after they could hear the sound of the front door being opened and two giggling girls entering the room. “I know, right? He’s such a klutz…” The short-haired girl said.

“Well, I don’t mind him being a klutz...” The curly haired girl replied, “… He’s hot.”

They laughed as they went to the living room and saw a stranger on the couch.

“Oh, who is this?” The curly haired girl asked.

“Oh, Yu-jin, Ji-hye; meet our lovely new trainee, Tiffany.” Kim Tae-yeon introduced her. “Be nice.”

“Oh; hello. I’m Kim Ji-hye.” The short-haired girl said. “I thought your name was supposed to be Stephanie?”

“Hello, Ji-hye ssi…” Tiffany replied with a smile, “… Yes, my name is Stephanie; but I prefer Tiffany…”

“Oh, okay…” Ji-hye smiled back, “… And just call me Ji-hye.”

“I’m Lee Yu-jin; nice to meet you.” The curly haired girl smiled, “No honorifics please; since we’re all about the same age, anyway…”

“Okay; Ji-hye and Yu-jin. Nice to meet you too…”

The two girls then sat at the carpet near the couch. They looked excited to welcome their new friend.

“You’re cute.” The tanned girl Yu-jin said to Tiffany.

“Yeah, no wonder Young-jin oppa was so excited these couple of days…” Ji-hye added.

“I am not…” Tiffany blushed, and the girls giggled.

“Wow… What are you going to do, Ri-in?” Ji-hye teased. “She’s going to be Young-jin’s oppa new favorite.”

“Stop it!” Ri-in shouted in embarrassment, and the room was filled with laughter.

“Our poor Ri-in…” Tae-yeon joined the fun. “… She’s going to get dumped…”

“Are you and Young-jin oppa…” Tiffany asked hesitantly, “… You know…?”

“No!” Ri-in quickly shouted. “We’re not dating or anything! I’m too young for him!”

“Not to mention we are forbidden to date our managers…” Yu-jin stated the obvious.

“I was going to ask of if the two of you were close; not if you guys were dating…” Tiffany teased; as she already felt comfortable with her new friends. “I guess you like him, then?”

Ri-in’s face was redder than a hot sauce; “I don’t like him!”

The girls laughed at their blushing Chinese friend.

“Oh, what a lie…” Tae-yeon giggled.

They spent a while getting to know each other; mostly they were asking Tiffany to share her story, as they already knew each other and Tiffany was the newest addition to the group.

Tiffany learned that Yu-jin was the longest trainee in the room, since she has been with SM for almost three years now. Ji-hye and Ri-in joined the company last year, and Tae-yeon had just signed her contract a few months ago. She also learned that they were all born at the same year of 1989, making them same-age friends. And in Korea that means that they would not have to show much formalities with each other.

After chatting for a while Yu-jin and Ji-hye went to their rooms, saying that they were tired and had school early in the morning. Ri-in and Tae-yeon agreed and decided that it was time for them to rest. Tiffany was a little disappointed as she wanted to chat a little bit more, but she noticed that her new friends were already sleepy.

“We’ll chat more tomorrow,” Tae-yeon said as the three of them went to their room. “Good night, you guys.”

“Good night Tae-yeon, Tiffany…” Ri-in said as she turned off the lights.

“Good night, Tae-yeon, Ri-in…” She replied.

Tiffany lied on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to tell Elizabeth how her first day in Seoul went, but she was too tired from all the excitement of meeting and making new friends. So far she had met two kind managers and made four friendly and nice new friends. She hoped that her luck would continue the next day, as she knew that her training life would probably start tomorrow.

She just noticed that she felt a little light-headed as she moved around in her bed trying to make herself comfortable. Tired and dizzy, she put her hand on top of her head and sighed. So this is what they call jetlag…

She didn’t want to disturb her new friends by her constantly moving around in her bed; so she lied on her back and closed her eyes as she tried to force herself to sleep.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day; I have to get plenty of rest now…

Go to sleep, Tiffany…

Go to sleep…

Go to… Oh, God. I can’t sleep!

The house was empty. She searched the rooms but found no one, so she decided to sit on the couch in the living room and the TV. She browsed through the channels lazily as she could not find anything that interests her. She looked around left and right, hoping to see someone.

Where is everybody?

“What are you doing here?” A voice was coming from behind her and she felt happy to hear that familiar voice.

“I’m watching TV.” She said playfully.

The blonde girl sat on the couch next to her. He face was still covered with that light which Tiffany found a little annoying now.

“Where have you been?” She asked the girl, noticing that she wore a different outfit now; a simple white T-shirt and light blue denim shorts.

“I’ve always been here, silly.” She replied. “This is my house.”

“Really?” Tiffany was a little confused since she was sure that it was her house.

Two green canaries suddenly flew into the room and circled around above their heads. Their wings sprinkled golden glittery dust as they flew around.

“Wow…” Tiffany was awed as one of the birds landed on the blonde’s shoulder. “… They’re beautiful…”

The girl giggled, “Yes, they are…”

“Would you like to name them?” She asked.

The black haired girl was still staring at the little bird that was circling above her head; showering her with golden glitters.

“I’d name them…” She said after a while, “… Tink and Bell…”

The blonde giggled and nodded, “I love them! Tink and Bell…”

Tiffany smiled and turned her gaze to the girl. Somehow the light on her face was not as blinding as before, still bright but Tiffany’s eyes could now stare at her without squinting her eyes.

“I’m not going to tell you my name, Tiffany.” She said as she watched the canary flew away from her shoulder.

“You’re a meanie…”

The girl giggled again. “Don’t worry; we’ll see each other soon.”

Tiffany pouted and stared at the television which was now playing a cartoon show. “I made some friends today…”

“Oh, really?” The girl’s voice sounded a little surprised.

“Yeah, they’re very nice to me.” Tiffany said, “I like them a lot.”

The blonde suddenly stood up from the couch and went upstairs.

“Where are you going?” Tiffany asked as she quickly followed the girl.

She found that the girl entered a room at the end of the hall. Somehow she knew that the girl went to her room. Tiffany peeked inside and saw the girl sitting on her bed. “Are you jealous?” She teased.

“I’m not.” The blonde said as she hugged a big lion doll in her chest and hid her face behind it.

“I’m glad you made new friends…”

Tiffany giggled and said, “Don’t worry; you’re still my best friend.”

The girl kept quiet for a while and Tiffany decided to sit on the carpet beside the bed.

“What’s their name?” The blonde finally said.

“Jack and Jill…” Tiffany answered as she turned her head to the girl and rested her head on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll introduce you next time.”

The girl peeked from behind the doll, “You should be going now.”

“Why?” Tiffany was sad, “You don’t want to hang out with me anymore?”

“No.” The girl said, “But the doctor is calling for you…”

“What doctor?”

Tiffany… A voice could be heard filling the room. Tiffany…

“The dentist…”

“But I want to stay here with yo—“

“--Tiffany…”

She opened her eyes and found Jang Ri-in stood in front of her, shaking the blanket. “Wake up; you need to get breakfast now.”

Tiffany rubbed her eyes. Her head was still dizzy. “Oh. Good morning…”

The taller girl giggled, “Yes. Good morning to you too, Tiffany.”

“Now get up and come with me for breakfast.”

“Hmm. Why?” She said half asleep.

“Young-jin oppa will come pick you up soon, and I have some class.” Her Chinese friend said.

Tiffany stared at her new friend and was confused for a while. She was feeling a little awkward; seeing a face she barely knew waking her up in the morning. She looked around and noticed that her other friend was already missing from her bed.

“What time is it? Where’s Tae-yeon?”

“It’s 5.30.” She said as she fixed her tie. “Tae-yeon had already gone to school.”

“This early?” She scratched her head.

“Yeah. Tae-yeon’ school is quite far from here. It’s in her hometown.” She explained.

“Come on,” She said. “Do you have your meal tickets?”

“Oh, um…” Tiffany stood up and reached for her itinerary. “I think I saw them somewhere…”

“Here they are.” She smiled in relief as she found them.

“Good.” Ri-in then pulled her hand. “Now, let’s go. I’m starving.”

“Wait! Let me put on something first.” Tiffany said as she didn’t want to go outside with just her pajamas.

“Hurry up!” Her friend giggled.

Both of them sat at one of the cafeteria table. Ri-in was eating her omelet happily, while Tiffany just stared at her meal. She was still sleepy and dizzy that the omelet in front of her looked very unappetizing.

“Aren’t you going to school?” She said, turning her attention to her friend.

“Oh, no.” Ri-in said. “I have classes, though.”

“Oh?” Tiffany wondered.

“Yeah; it’s a long story…” She explained as she finished her meal. “… So basically I can’t attend schools here and have to get lessons from learning centers.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Ri-in stood up from her chair.

“I have to go now,” She said as Tiffany followed her. “You should wait for Young-jin oppa in our room.”

“You don’t want to wait with me?” Tiffany grinned. “I thought you would want to see him too…”

Ri-in blushed at her new friend’s comment. “Stop that, you bully!” and she stuck her tongue out to Tiffany as she walked away.

The American girl laughed and walked towards the elevator.

After taking a bath and got dressed, Tiffany sat on the couch in the small living room. She took the time to look around the apartment where she would be spending her future in. The apartment was a small one; with two small bedrooms, a small bathroom, and a small living room with a small kitchen right across from it. They had one couch and a TV in the living room, while the kitchen was so small that two persons wouldn’t be able to fit there. And I have to share this with five people, she sighed.

The doorbell rang and Tiffany quickly stood up. She put on her shoes and opened the door.

“Are you ready?” Young-jin smiled.

“I’m ready.” Tiffany smiled back and closed the door behind her. “Good morning, oppa.”

“Good morning.” He said as they both walked towards the elevator.

“What’s on today’s menu?” She asked.

“We’re going to SM One,” He said as they entered the elevator. “I’m just going to show you around the building and have your fingerprints scanned, for your access.”

“This is only your first day and you probably still jetlagged; so we’re just going to take it easy.”

“Okay. Thank you, oppa.” She was relieved that Young-jin was kind enough to notice that she was probably not in a good condition to start training on that very day.

“It’s alright,” He smiled as they exited the elevator. “It’s just common sense…”

As they drove to their destination Tiffany learned that SM had a few buildings scattered all over the city of Seoul; one headquarter; the place she visited yesterday, one for training and lessons; where trainees spent most of their days after school, four dormitories; two for trainees and two for their idols, boys and girls were separated in each building, and one building for their idols performances.

They spent quite some time touring the headquarters; introducing the new girl to some of the staff and other managers. After lunch Tiffany had her fingerprints scanned, and as they were waiting for the computer to finish registering the new trainee, Young-jin took Tiffany to his small cubicle.

“Now, we need to get your measurements for your school’s uniform.” He said as he sat down across from Tiffany.

“Oh; right.” She said.

“You’ll be continuing your education at Kent International Foreign School,” He took out a brochure. “It’s a prestigious school, and it’s the best place for foreigners like you to get your education.”

“Are there any SM trainees studying there?” She asked as she read the school’s brochure.

“You’re in luck.” He smiled widely. “As a matter of fact; there is one of our trainees studying there,” He smiled widely.”

Tiffany smiled and looked at the young manager excitedly. “She’s in the same year as you, in fact.”

“Really?” Her eyes were filled with stars and suddenly her headache disappeared.

“Yes; and she came from America too.” The well-dressed man chuckled, “I bet you guys are going to be good friends.”

“Really? From America too?” Tiffany was overjoyed to hear that. “What’s she like?”

Young-jin smiled at the excited girl, “Well; she’s been our trainee for quite some time now. She joined us back in 2000.”

Tiffany nodded and patiently waited for him to share the girl’s other details. “She’s very talented. Great voice. Really beautiful…” He continued.

“But she’s quite shy.” Young-jin sat back. “She doesn’t talk much… She usually just smile and nod when people are trying to talk to her.”

A young woman entered the cubicle and bowed to the man. “Ah, you’re here.”

“This is Tiffany Hwang, the new trainee.” He said to her, “Could you take her measurements?”

The young woman nodded and turned to the girl. “Follow me please, Tiffany ssi…”

“Just Tiffany, please…” She said as she stood up from her chair.

After getting her sizes measured, Young-jin decided to take Tiffany back to the dormitory.

“I think this is enough for the day.” He said as they drove back.

“So, what’s her name, oppa?” The black haired girl asked. “The trainee girl…”

“Hmm? Oh; it’s Jessica.” Young-jin answered.

“So, any other details you care to share about her?”

The man chuckled and said, “I think you should ask her yourself. It would not be fair for her if you already knew so much about her before you two even met, don’t you think?”

“I guess so…” Tiffany smiled, “Ri-in was asking about you, oppa…”

Young-jin suddenly stepped on the brake in surprise. “Wh-what did she say?”

The girl laughed and Young-jin covered his mouth with his hand. “Oh, you… Don’t tease an old man…”

“I see Tae-yeon has already influence you…” He joined and laughed.