Soonyoung took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. It was now or never. His dream could have a chance, or it could die on the doorstep. His mind made up itself. He pulled the door open, and walked to the front desk of Pledis Entertainment. “Hello. I’m here for the auditions.” Soonyoung was pointed to a hallway on the left. Walking that way, he found a big room, filled with boys and girls his age. Like him, they were here for Pledis’ Audition Day. 

    Soonyoung rolled his shoulders back and headed over to check in with one of the noonas. He was confident; he was sure his talent could power him through the competition. Taking out his phone, he texted Eomma. Ok, I’m in. Wish me luck! <3 Unfortunately, looking down, he wasn’t aware of who was in front of him. He ran into someone suddenly. Jerking his head up to apologize, he found himself staring into a pair of dark orbs. “S-s-sorry. Sorry…” He hurried away, mentally kicking himself for stuttering. The raven-haired boy found a nice little shelter a safe distance away, and proceeded to study the person he had bumped into. 

    It was a boy, slightly taller than Soonyoung. He had fluffy brownish hair and a happy face. He was talking to two other boys. One was a giant, with black hair, bangs swept across his forehead. The other was in the middle height-wise, with dark eyes and a serious air about him. He was very handsome, if somewhat emo. 

    Soonyoung shook his head. He couldn’t pay much attention to those around him right now; he needed to focus on doing well. He suddenly felt the urge to go to the washroom, splash some water on his face, and give himself a pep talk. He hurried out, got lost almost immediately, then was directed to it by a nice stylist-hyung. Soonyoung stared at himself in the mirror. He scrunched his nose and shook his head at himself. The boy who looked back him looked tired and fragile. This wasn’t the Soonyoung he knew. He patted his cheeks and tried for a smile. Sighing, Soonyoung pulled at his cheeks, decided against it, and rested his forehead on the glass, growling in frustration under his breath. “You know you look crazy, right? Do you feel okay?” Soonyoung jerked around at the voice, turning to find himself face-to-face with the boy from earlier.

    Soonyoung’s muddled feelings must have showed on his face, for the boy gave him a wide, gummy smile. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do great. You look like a determinator to me.”

    Soonyoung leaned back against the sink, rubbing his forehead with one hand. “I don’t know. I’m exhausted from staying up late every night practicing. I’m not that great with this sort of thing - performing in front of people and being judged. What if I make a mistake? What if I forget my dance in the middle of it? What if I embarrass myself horribly?” Soonyoung swallowed hard, imagining everything that could possibly go wrong. He was pulled from his visions by a gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder. Blinking, he found Gummy Boy standing in front of him, gazing into his eyes, very serious.

    “Look at me. I don’t know you, but I believe in you. Don’t pull yourself down with all the ‘what ifs’, you will only make more likely to happen. If you tell yourself you can do it, if you tell yourself you’ll impress the judges, you can and you will. Believe in yourself. You fighting!” 

    Soonyoung gaped at him. Not even his mother, his biggest fan, had come up with anything like that. The boy grinned at him, “Oh! I’m Lee Seokmin, by the way. I’m 15 years old! What’s your name?”

    Soonyoung cleared his throat, “Soonyoung. Kwon Soonyoung. I’m 16.” This boy was quite lively, happily shaking his hand harder than was necessary. 

    “Hey, it’s almost time for you to audition. Good luck! I hope we can be good friends after we both make it!”

    Soonyoung nodded and smiled. He liked this kid, Lee Seokmin. Soonyoung rushed back to audition room, praying he wasn’t late, while Seokmin remained in the washroom.

    In the end, both boys made it, and begged to be placed in the same group. They swore to be best friends forever, and began a life-long game, one-upping each other, always encouraging the other to do his best.