May 8, 2007

I rushed through the crowd on the crosswalk, clutching my bag close to my side.

"Excuse me, excuse me," I muttered as I pushed people aside. If I didn't hurry, I was going to be late for class.

I wasn't going to school; I had just gotten out of that. After school I had training sessions for SM Entertainment. I hoped I would be able to debut soon! Barely on time, I made it through the doors into the trainee practice room.

The paintings of clouds covering the windows were beginning to feel so familiar that if I did not see them every day, it felt like my day was incomplete. There were posters of SM's popular groups H.O.T., Super Junior, and TVXQ! all over the walls. The most important feature, however, was our dance teacher in the middle of the room.

"Did all of you work on your solo assignments?" she asked, "It doesn't matter if you didn't; you'll just make a fool of yourself - but that's not my problem. If you truly want to debut, you would have done it. Any volunteers to go first?"

Several people raised their hands. Needless to say, I was not among them. Dance was not my specialty. I was okay, but obviously not the best.

"Kim Kibum!" she called out. A teenage boy with spikey black hair and a hip-hop style stood up and walked to the middle of the floor. I remembered watching his audition video. He was an amazing dancer and he could speak English! His solo was to N'SYNC's "Pop." (Author's Note: He actually did a dance to this pre-debut. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!)

As more and more people went up, I began to zone out. Suddenly, I snapped back into reality when my favorite song, "We Are The Future" by H.O.T., started playing. There was a boy not much older than with black hair - long for a boy's cut - dancing. He was doing a type of dance called popping. I had seen several of my friends attempt it before, but he seemed to already be an expert. I was mesmerized. I couldn't move my eyes away from him. It was over far too soon.

With my luck, I was called up directly after him. I had used my limited knowledge to choreograph a dance to Shinhwa's "Once In A Lifetime." It was a slower song, but I really only payed attention in my lyrical class, which I had three times a week.

It felt like forever until the song was over. it was weird to have everyone staring at me - well, almost everyone. There was one girl - I thought her name was Yuri - who was playing with her hair. Finally, I was able to sit down.

After everyone had finished, we were given a short break. I opened my bag and pulled out my Power Puff Girls water bottle. The boy who performed before me walked up to me.

"Hi," he said and bowed slightly. I greeted him in return.

"I'm soryy, it's just, well, in your dance - it was really good, but I couldn't help noticing one part in the chorus," he stammered out.

"What is it?" I asked, brushing my shoulder-length, straight hair out of my face.

"Every part of it, but mostly the spins," he confessed, his turning red.

"What was wrong with it?" I asked. Normally, I would have gotten mad, but I didn't actually work that hard to choreograph my dance because of my school's testing.

"You blurred every move together instead of each individual move acting on its own. After each turn, it looked like you were about to fall down," he told me. I noticed he had a habit of blinking a lot when he talked.

"Okay, I'll work on it." Maybe, I added silently, "anyway, what's your name?"

"Taemin," Taemin replied almost immediately.

"Is that your real name? It's really pretty!" I burst out. He nodded.

"What's yours?" he asked.

"I'm Kylie, Kim Kylie." I smiled. I hadn't been able to make any friends besides Emilie yet, so I was happy we were already talking comfortably.

"So, Kylie, how old are you?" Taemin inquired.

"I'll be thirteen in August," I said.

"Really? Then that makes me your oppa!" he grinned broadly and laughed. He was actually kind of cute, I thought to myself. I crossed my arms.

"What? How old are you?" I whined slightly as I asked.

"I'll be fourteen in July!" Taemin giggled again, "So let's hear it - call me Taemin oppa!"

I stuck out my tongue, but said it anyway.

"Taemin oppa," I sighed. He smiled at me and patted my head.

"Good Kylie," he praised me.

I saw him a few other times, but we didn't talk much again until that September.

We were given a time to go and practice by ourselves for our audition to perform in the SM showcase. I was still nervous about singing in front of other people, although I did want to try. I decided to go up to the roof to practice. The roof was an open area for us, with a small garden and bench, but hardly anyone ever went up there.

A few minutes later I was looking over my sheet music for "Eternal Snow" by Changing My Life while sitting on the bench. Up there on the roof, I could sing loudly without anyone hearing me.

"Saranghae," I sang. Most of the song was in Japanese, which I was studying in school. I was glad that it was a slower song, a ballad.

"Hold me tight," I closed my eyes and moved my fingers over an invisible piano. The notes sounded clear to me even through the wind.

I didn't hear the door open, but I did hear someone clap as my song ended. I turned to see Taemin and four other boys I recognized from practices, including the dancer, Kim Kibum. I felt my face burn in a deep blush of embarrassment.

"Taemin oppa!" I squeaked, "Ah - I'm - I'm sorry, I'm leaving now!" I quickly stood up, but in my haste I dropped all of m papers. I bent down to gather them together. Taemin kneeled beside me to help.

"You sounded really good! You don't have to leave yet," he said. If it was possible, I thought my cheeks became even more red. I stood up with my music. Our faces had been so close!

"Thank you!" I somehow managed to say. Remembering that all four of the other trainees were older than I was, I turned to them and bowed.

"Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Kylie," I introduced myself. They bowed back. I found out that their names were Kibum, Jinki, Minho, and Jonghyun.

"Kylie, guess what!" Taemin ordered me excitedly. Unconsciously, he had pulled out his adorable, innocent expression. It killed me every time.

"I was chosen to be in a group to debut next year! We," at this time he waved his hand around to the others, " are all going to be members!"

"Really?" I threw my arms around his neck, "Oppa! That's amazing! I want to debut too!" Taemin laughed and pulled at my hair.

"You know, I just noticed how short your hair is," he observed, pulling away. I the ends of my short cut.

"It's always been like this," I said.

Kibum studied me for a moment. I felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Your hair would look much better long, and maybe wear more colors than just black and grey," he suggested finally.

"I'm thirteen! I'm in school all day!" I rolled my eyes. Kibum rolled his eyes back at me.

"And I'm sixteen! Age doesn't matter!" he said in an everyone-knows-that-but-you kind of voice.

"She looks fine!" Minho argued with him. Kibum shot Minho a death glare, and Minho froze. "Your ideas would make a big improvement though!" he added quickly.

"It would look cute," Taemin said thoughtfully. I decided to grow my hair out suddenly.

"Ok," I agreed. Kibum ruffled my hair.

"That's right!" he said.

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Haha you thought you would find out what was going to happen to Taemin and Kylie, didn't you? But it is a flashback chapter!!!!!! While writing this chapter I thought of many things.

1. SHINee's cover of  "We Are The Future." You know, the one where Taemin rips off is shirt. (Juliette era, just like my name ^^)

2. Key's pre-debut dance to N'SYNC's "Pop," and the fact that the song was also in the Jimmy Neutron movie. I used to love that show.

3.f(x) FINALLY had a comeback with "Electric Shock!" I LOVE it!!!!!

4. I really really really really want to write a NU'EST fanfic, but I can't really come up with any ideas. I keep picturing Ren oppa with cat ears for some reason, so I thought, NU'EST Mew Mews!!!!!!! (Like Tokyo Mew Mew (Japanese anime) / Berry Berry Mew Mew (Korean dub). I'm still trying to picture it. I think it would be like this:

Aron - lion

JR - grey wolf

Minhyun - mouse

Baekho - rabbit

Ren - some type of cat (black cat or Tiger maybe?)

My imagination is weird isn't it?

Anyway, thank you for reading this far into the story!

Have a wonderful day!

From your evil author,

Juliette