The SM Entertainment building was just as grand and flashy as you expected it to be. Honestly, if it weren't for its height, the blue glass windows, and the small crowd huddled outside the building, you would've missed it. You thought the crowd outside was where you were supposed to wait in line for the auditions, but it turned out they were just fans waiting for their beloved idols to come out. You walked into the lobby and asked the lady behind the reception desk where you sign up for the auditions. She handed you an application to fill out. "Go ahead and sit over there in the waiting area. We'll be calling you shortly," the receptionist said pointing to a small area with a few couches. You thanked her and sat down. It turns out that you were the only one there auditioning. As you filled out the application, you noticed a whole bunch of huge photos lined up along the long, white wall. One of them in particular caught your eye, a photo of some boys you didn't really recognize. You looked closer at the picture; there was something oddly familiar about it. Before you could further inspect the picture, you heard a woman's voice fill the room. "Next!" she called. You wanted to figure out why it was so familiar or else it would bother you for the rest of the day, but the lady called for you again. "Miss! It's your turn to audition," the receptionist yelled. You sighed and entered the audition room. 

The room was small; it had hardwood floors with a backdrop that had "S.M. Entertainment" written all over it. You suddenly got nervous since you didn't know that they were going to film you. In front of the man who had the camera was an intimidating woman you assumed was the judge. She never smiled once. She asked you to state your name and age and to say if you were going to sing or dance or both. You did so, and she let you start whenever you were ready. You took  deep breath before singing. You sang "U" by Super Junior, but the judge stopped you after singing for less than 10 seconds. "Okay, let me see your dancing," she said monotonously. You started to freestyle to some random pop music the judge played on her laptop. Again, two seconds after you began to dance, the judge stopped you.

"Thank you. You may leave now," she said without even looking at you.

Your eyebrows raised up. She barely even gave you enough time to sing and dance. You took a deep breath. "Was I that bad?" you asked.

There was silence in the room for a moment. The cameraman cleared his throat, making the atmosphere even more awkward. The judge sighed. "Do you want the truth?" she finally asked looking up at you. You nodded your head.

"You were off key when you sang. And your dancing was...I don't even know what. Satisfied?" the judge said straightforwardly. She waved her hands in a shooing motion, gesturing for you to leave. So Jiwoo was right about my dancing...

You thanked the judge and walked out of the room full of disappointment. Just as you were about to leave, the guy who was recording your audition ran after you.

"Wait!" he yelled. You turned around to see what he was yelling about. "Miss, the judge wants to see you again."

"Really?" you asked with a glint of hope in your eyes. You thought you were being given another chance. The man led you back into the audition room and asked you to take a seat in front of the judge lady.

"Mei...Lin is your name, correct?" the judge asked looking at your application. You nodded your head.

"You've written here that you speak 5 languages fluently. Is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am," you replied.

"Can you introduce yourself in those languages? Just state your name and age like before." You obeyed her. And what surprised you was that she smiled for the first time. She seemed impressed.

"So did I pass the audition?" you asked with a big grin on your face.

"No," she said. Your smile vanished. "Have you ever heard of EXO?" she asked out of nowhere.

You shook your head slowly, wondering why she was asking you this. "It sounds familiar, but I don't think I know what an exo is..."

"Well, EXO is our brand new group that is about to debut. We need a translator for them and you'll be perfect for the job. You see, EXO will be split into two groups, EXO-K and EXO-M. EXO-K will be promoting in Korea, while EX