Mei’s  POV

Remember when I complained about how the previous year was the toughest year of my life? Well, I was dead wrong. The past few months have been ten times harder than that. My typical day consists of attending classes from 8:00 am to Noon. Then I get a short break for lunch before going to the library to do at least 6 hours of intense studying which includes class work but also Korean language learning. After that, I usually have a pretty nice long break for dinner in which I’m allowed to watch an episode of a Korean drama of my choice to help with learning Korean (ahh, the most relaxing part of my day).  From 8:00 pm to about 10:00pm, I attend a dance class at the local dance studio. Then from 10:00 to Midnight, I do a combination of singing and practicing more dancing alone. I figure SM really doesn’t need another talented singer in Exo (seriously, they already have Baekhyun, Chen, D.O., Suho, and Lu Han). Their goal is to make the dance configuration more pleasing anyways, so I’m choosing to focus more on just dancing. So I basically get back to my dorm at around 12:30 am. After a shower, I’m usually in bed by 1:00 am, which is pretty reasonable. My roommate even sleeps later than I do. She’s constantly either out partying or studying for an exam at the last minute due to procrastination.

At least I have Min Young who has been calling me every day with encouraging words and updates about Lu Han and Exo.

“How was practice? I bet you are improving so much!! It’s going to be so awesome seeing you become an amazing dancer! Hwaiting!!!” Min Young said through the phone. I was always more interested in what she had to say about how all the Exo members were doing, but her encouragement was also quite nice.

“Yeah, dancing is actually a lot of fun. I guess I’ve always secretly wanted to learn how to dance, so it’s kind of cool now that I’ve gotten that chance. So how’s everyone doing?” I ask.

“All of the members are fine, tired as always, but having a blast being at the top of their careers.” Min Young answers. “They’re actually pretty excited to meet the new member. They can’t stop talking about it. They’re already trying to decide who the “new member” a.k.a “you” are going to room with. Haha”

“Min Young, don’t get too ahead of yourself. I haven’t passed the audition yet. But man, I totally forgot I would have to live with them in their dorm. At least they’ll know it’s me.”  I say.

“Oh, no, no, no. MEI! They can’t know it’s you!!!” Min Young shouts making me jump from my chair. “This has to be a secret. If anyone finds out, SM could probably sue you or something and the fans will eat you alive!!”

“What?!!? But can’t we just tell the Exo members to keep it a secret? They’ll be more than willing to.” I reply as calmly as I could.

“Well, I thought that would work, but then I realized that not everyone is skilled at keeping secrets. Someone from Exo is bound to reveal it accidentally even if they don’t mean to. I mean, Exo does occasionally drink during celebrations and holidays and who knows what could happen when the members are drunk? And I’m pretty sure it’ll be harder for them to treat to you the same if they knew you were you. It’s bound to be more awkward that way, so please, please, please remember to keep it a secret” Min Young says.

“Ugh, you’re right. But how am I supposed to not get caught?” I ask. “I’ll be living with 12 guys for crying out loud!”

“Calm down, I’ll be there too, and I’ll be doing my best to cover for you when needed” Min Young assures. “And make sure you cut your hair and dye it brown, also you’ll need to change your name to…uh…how about, Myung Soo?

“Ok, the hair part sounds simple enough.  Myung Soo? Is that a common Korean name for a guy?” I reply taking a deep breath.

“Nah, I just thought of it randomly. But trust me, it’s a good name.” Min Young adds.  

“Ok, then” I say.

A Few Months later…

It’s been a few days since the SM Global Auditions in L.A. I was sooooo nervous to open the letter I received from SM with the results. I prayed that I would be chosen, and what do you know? I was!!! Yay, yay, yay!!! ^_^ I knew it was going to be really tough, but I got extremely lucky. The people I auditioned against had practiced for years, but I was the only one who could speak 3 languages. My Korean has gotten pretty impressive, but I basically had to work my off. I probably still have a little accent, but Korean dramas have definitely helped a whole bunch. SM’s currently working on getting my visa prepared which won’t take long at all. They already bought me plane tickets to Korea! This is super exciting, but I’m also really anxious about seeing Exo. I really hope they don’t recognize me. At least I look really different. My hair is short and brown brushed to the side. My face is thin and v-shaped compared to my previous chubby cheeks. I guess my busy schedule caused me to lose more weight than I expected, and I wear many layers of baggy clothes to hide my female body. I have to admit, Min Young was right about me looking attractive as a guy…who knew? Haha

…

I received my visa the day before my plane was scheduled to leave. I arrived at LAX at about 4:00am, and it was still dark outside. The early morning air was a bit chilly, but I was fine in all of my layers of baggy clothing. Min Young told me she and Se Hun would pick me up at Incheon International Airport when I arrived in Korea. That was definitely worth looking forward to.

2 hours later, I finally boarded the plane. South Korea, here I come!!!