HYE RIM'S POV.

Its the first day of school for Min Jae.

Correction, for us both.

I gulped as I walked through the halls of stranger territory, wondering and looking so blur at all the conversations circulating around me and the sign that were of a familiar but still strange language. I gulped and clinged on to Min Jae like clinging on to dear life. She was the only one who seems a little familiar with the whole school.

Minho dropped us off by the school gates and left almost immediately. I wondered why when I turned and looked away from his car, only to gain stares from others who were, what I hated to see, were gossiping among themselves. Min Jae pulled me away and told me to ignore them as we entered the school gates.

"Here it is!" Min Jae shook me slightly out of my reverie, bringing me up to our lockers. I gave a slight sigh of relief, seeing our lockers were just side by side.

Right there, like all the lockers there, was my name in Korean, or what they would say, Hangul. I brushed my thumb over the tag, still fascinated by how I got here and how in the world I got through the school applications. I written all in English and forced to write down my perfoming arts history.

From the age of 7, my parents have been putting me into performing arts, particularly in dance. I started out with Ballet.

Then Hip hop, tap dancing, line dancing...

And I stopped at Jazz.

But everytime I listened to music, listen hard to their rhythm and beats, I could picture a perfect chereography in my head. I was and still am into dance but more of freestyle. Street freestyle, Min Jae would say and that adorable smile would plaster on her face whenever she says it.

Min Jae was more powerful with her vocals but she can dance as well. She told me I could sing but I doubt it.

Someone bumped into me and I nearly fell and slammed my face into the locker. I turned just as a piece of paper flew onto my stunned open hands and I looked at the paper. Before I could even read it, Min Jae stole it from me.

She read it aloud, trying to process what the whole paper was saying. She smiled and then translate it for me.

"There's an audition!" She exclaimed, grabbing both my shoulders and shook me gently, "Let's go!"

"What?" I lookd at her blankly, "When?"

"This afternoon! At the dance rooms on the 3rd level!" She beamed like she found a new found toy to play with, "Can we? Can we? Can we?"

She was jumping on her toes now, and everyone was staring at us with a weird look. I gulped and hid my face in my locker. I stopped her from jumping and stared at her.

"Stop it!" I hissed, "We'll go, alright?!"

She beamed and arms outstretched, she gave me a death hug. I groaned in pain and tried to struggle but with her death hugs, its impossible! I let her calm down and let me go, finally taking a sharp intake of air.

"Yay!" She beamed, and then grabbed my books along with hers, "Ka ja!"

I groaned again, as she lead me down the corridor to the classrooms.

* * * * *

There were many arts high schools in Korea.

So, I didn't think getting in was easy. And it turns out to be if you have a background of performing arts or visual arts.

But once you entered the school, you wouldn't believe the competition to become a star or even an internatitional pop sensation was higher than expected. Everyone is battling to be the best and get into agencies I have never heard off. I felt honestly lost and demoralise. Hearing that other students have more background in dance and other talents than I do, I was not surprise. But yes, the heat to be the top was starting.

And already, I got my first insult in the first lesson.

Some girl whose name I don't bother remembering, stared me down since the start of class until she came up to me in the middle of class where we were suppose to introduce ourselves to the whole class.

Being Singaporean, with my skin slightly tanned and huge eyes and everything, guess it was easy being shot down by the rest of the Koreans here. Min Jae herself doesn't look Singaporean. Earlier on, a group of guys came up to here and asked her, obviously in Korean, if she was Korean. She told them she wasn't, well in Korean of course and the guys seem impressed and were surrounding her like she was a new piece of jewel in class.

I was left all alone until the teacher entered the class.

"You can dance?" The girl tormented me, "Show us then...."

I heard snickers from around and looked at Min Jae for help. She gulped and urged me on, feeling sorry for me. I sighed and let the teacher or a random song. The beats were strong and powerful and the voices.... One of the voices sounded familiar but I was too focus on trying to impress them, I almost slipped and fell while dancing.

When I was on the ground, I heard the laughters that echoed the whole room. I almost didn't want to stand up but I did and walked stiffly away to my seat at the back of the class, ignoring the comments. I sinked down to my seat with a terrible ache in my stomach and hid my face in my arms .Min Jae put her arm around me and rubbed my back in comfort. I sighed and hid my face in my bag throughout the whole class, not daring to look at anyone.

By the time it was lunch and of course the end of school, everyone rushed out of the classes and crowded the third floor. I gulped and saw the lines and lines of students lining up for auditions. There were different auditions for different agencies and I managed to see the first few batches coming out of the rooms, some crying and others looking like they just rode through tsunami waves with green pale faces.

"Here!" Min Jae pushed me to a line that appeared out of nowhere. I looked down the line and saw how many more students wanted this audition than the rest of the auditions. I wondered why but got distracted when someone came up to us and took down our names and gave us number tags. I pasted mine just above the school badge and lined up quietly with Min Jae.

Min Jae already had a song fixated in her mind and is trying out her voice. I looked at her, feeling more low in my life and frowned.

They went in 10 persons at a time, just to get enough time. I looked around and saw how much passion and drive the other students got just to get through. I wondered why until...

"We're next!" Min Jae jumped in front of my view, rocking excitedly on the heels of her feet. I looked at her and felt more hopeless.

"Next 10!" The person came out just as the rush of the previous 10 people came out.

The girl who teased me and tormented me, was in tears. I felt sorry for her but my feelings were frozen the moment we were lead into the room.

In the room, there was a line on the wooden flooring and the guy lead us to stand behind it. We stood comfortably away from each other, as the judges, two guys in front of us by like a 100m away, was writing down on the pieces of paper in their language. I was suddenly nervous, anxious as to what might happen next.

Slowly, the audition started. I noted that we only had at least less than a minute or more like 40 seconds to show off our talents. I gulped and waited, watched as the other few went up and gave their all. I turned to look at Min Jae but she was nervous too, shuffling her feet uncomfortably and biting her lower lip in anxiety. I looked away just as I watched her stepped out of the line and stood in the middle of the X marked on the floor.

I closed my eyes and watched as she gave her all, singing her heart out into the song. She can do it but there was a lack in emotion in her singing. She needs help and terribly need a professional help in that area. I couldn't help her much, with her protesting a lot and all. I gulped and heard her reached her peak, slightly going off tune but te judges stopped her and told her to step back.

Unfortunately, it was my turn to showcase what I've got.

I the music and just let the music flow through me. The cheoreograph that was in my head was all out in action as I danced it off. I didn't want to stop but I know I had too. After a moment, the judges stopped me and that was it.

"Thank you," The judges said, and then the oldest among the two spoke, "Results will be announced at the end of the month,"

All of us bowed and turned.

Just as I was about to head out, Min Jae gasped.

I turned to look at her, wondering what was wrong but she was staring at something on the wall, something I didn't notice on the wall then, because of my nerves. I shook her slightly, just as she made me turned and looked at the posters on the wall.

There were posters of different idols. I couldn't read fast but there were posters of 9 beautiful girls that looked like angels. There was a poster of a solo artist, a lady with charismtic and strong look. There were even a poster of 13 guys, all posing with colourful costumes on them. There was another with 2 good looking men. There was another with 5 girls, looking as young as us.

But it was the one poster that made me look hard and gasped in disbelief.

Minho was on it, along with Onew, Jonghyun and Key. And....and Taemin...

I gulped and read the name of the group.

SHINee?!

"Excuse me," The guy who lead us in, caught our attention, "Please step out,"

"Cheongsul hamnida...." Min Jae apologised, tugging on my sleeve and pulling me out.

The only thing I could feel now was shocked. Flabbergasted. I couldn't even move my feet and Min Jae had to help me move along the way down. As we walked home, she talked to me but I was too distracted. She ranted something about them being idols and how surprising it is and all and how she suspected they were because of their skin which was well taken care off and all.

I remembered the conversation I had with Minho, asking him if he was still schooling. He hesistated and then said he was.

He hesistated.

"Unnie?" Min Jae pulled me out of my reverie, "Kencanah?"

I nodded and then sudden anger bubbled in me.

"That bastard...." I muttered and stared at my hand, rolling in to a fist. I needed to punch something real badly.

"What?" Min Jae frowned, "Whats wrong?"

"Everything!" I said, "Everything is wrong,"

"Unnie.... is this because of the ... what we saw just now?!"

I nodded, "Could have just told me earlier! Rather than keeping it like that right?!"

I was yelling now, gaining stares from others. I didn't want to lower down my volume, the shouting was making me feel better. I couldn't bear to lower my volume, too confused to even try. I need to get it out of my system,

"Unnie!" Min Jae ran after me, "Don't confront them yet! What if they-"

"What if they WHAT, Min Jae?!" I turned and snapped at her, "I can't bear to even think I was living on a lie all along! Like my family back home, THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT! AND TO EVEN THINK I EVEN CONFESSED MY FEELINGS FOR TAEMIN WHO...WHO'S A FREAKING IDOL?!" 

Min Jae frowned and caught up with me, not talking. She let me stormed back to the residence.

Just as I opened the gates to the residence, I saw all 5 of them from far, sitting on the porch, looking like they just did a massive workout. They were all gulping down huge gulps of water from water bottles that were piled on the table. Taemin was dangling his feet off te stairs, Minho standing behind him and laughing at something Jonghyun said to Key. Onew was gazing off into another direction, water in his cheeks.

"DAMN YOU GUYS!" I blurted out, feeling the tears streaming down, "LIARS! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, REALLY?! SHINEE?!"

They all turned the moment they heard my anger burst out at them and widen more in shock when they heard me screamed their group name. I could simply walked out right there, the gate behind me still wide open. But Min Jae was watching me, tugging on my sleeve.

The only distance I wanted was the distance between us right now.