Sang Hee's POV

I looked outside the classroom. The trees were at their full expansion in vibrant green; the sky was clear of any clouds, and the sun shone down its rays. Some birds chirped and fluttered around in the school yard in a carefree manner. The heat in the classroom made the air thick, and some students weren't listening to the teacher. They preferred to lie their head down on their desk. The teacher didn't care though; he was sweating and dying just by standing in front.

It was close to mid-July. It was close to the start of vacation. It was close to the mid-semester exams.

So free... yet not quite. I knew I had to study and it was depressing, in a way. My grades were average, but I had no confidence when it comes to exams. I always feared that my answer is wrong and, everytime I'm answering an exam sheet, I'm hesitant the whole time.

The bell rang. We had one more period before lunchtime. Some students got up and went into the hallway. Others stood up and joined their friends at their desk. And some would just sit and study, like me.

I felt someone poking me in the back. I didn't freeze in place like I would've 3 weeks ago; it was as if my fear of Dae Myung had slowly dissipated. He had been listening to me every lunch and had taken a surprisingly large place in my school life now.

At first, I didn't expect much from him, but he proved to be sincere until now. We don't say much when I play, but afterwards, he usually tries to initiate conversation. It's surprising though: he would talk about anything and everything, and I would find myself enjoying just sitting there, talking with him. He had charisma and the ability to attract attention with speech; maybe this was a few of the reasons of why he was so popular.

I turned around and looked at him. He was all slouched over his desk and was looking at me with indifferent eyes. He wasn't wearing any glasses, which I found odd. Without them, he seemed even more good-looking though, and I could see some girls trying to catch a glimpse of him from the door. At my sight, they started talking between them before leaving. I could feel sudden embarassment and uneasiness take ahold of me. I liked his presence, but I couldn't help but dislike the fact that girls were talking behind my back. No one dared tease me though, after what happened with Dae Myung's ex.

"Hey, want to study at lunch instead of playing piano?" he asked. "Exams are soon and honestly, I'm not really good in any subject."

He was right. I really should study as much as I can, too. "Yeah, that's a good idea," I said, still a bit uneasy about the idea that other girls were hating me.

"Anything wrong?" he said, raising his head a bit to see if I was okay.

"It's nothing," I assured him. "Anyways, can you even see without your glasses?" It was both a means to change the subject and to satisfy my curiosity.

He looked at me for a second then just... laughed. It wasn't one of those cruel laughs he used to laugh when he was teasing me; it was a light-hearted and kind laugh. "I spend 2 weeks with you, but you never noticed?" he sa, amused. "My glasses don't have any lenses. I just wear them because people say I look good with glasses."

At those words, I found myself laughing, surprisingly, at my own distraction. I felt a bit self-conscious, for acting like this. Was I acting normally? Or was I acting weird? I wasn't used to interacting so much with people, especially people my age. I hope he didn't mind my inexperience at socializing though.

During lunchtime, in the music room, I was now sitting in one of the front desks; Dae Myung was sitting against the wall. We were both studying Math, which was actually one of my best subjects. Soon enough, after a while of trying to resolve the problem, he asked me how to get to the answer of a problem. I got up, walked towards him then sat next to him, a bit shyly and awkwardly.

"Here, you just divide both sides by 6," I said, writing on his paper as I explained it to him. "Afterwards, you convert it into a logarithm to find out the value of x."

"I see. So most exercises are like this?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's not that hard actually." I said, smiling.

He looked at me for a while; his stare had something entrancing in it. The atmosphere suddenly felt a bit unsure, hesitant. He seemed more gentle than he did before; I found myself starting to appreciate his presence now. There was just something that was bugging me about him though, like there was something he was hiding. Or was I just being self-conscious?

"Hey, Sang Hee." he said simply.

"Yes?" I said, looking back at him, curious.

"What else do you do, except playing piano?" he asked, putting down his math papers on the floor. "I mean... as interests and all?"

He didn't seem to be joking at all. I was still a bit unsure of his intentions for asking this. It flattered me though, and I found myself to be happy that he was curious enough to ask about me. I wasn't so sure of what I could call an interest though. I didn't do much in life, except listening to music and playing piano.

"I guess... listening to music?" I answered, hesitant.

"What kind of music?" he asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Well... Don't laugh, but I love SHINee." I said, embarassed and a bit scared of his reaction.

As soon as he heard that, he smiled slyly. "SHINee, huh? So you're one of those obsessive fans. I see."

I felt a bit insulted by his reaction. "I'm not obsessive! I can love any group I want, right?"

"True, true. But let me guess. You must love one of those members... What's his name again? Jong Suk?"

"His name's Jonghyun!" I say, irritated.

Noticing my frustration, he looked at me with a surprised stare. "Whoa. Why're you getting all worked up? You probably never met him, so what's the point?"

I smirked at him. "For your information, I did meet him. And he was gentle and kind. Kinder than you used to be at least..." I said those last words in a whisper.

He now had an amused look in his eyes; a smirk took ahold of his lips as well. "What? It's his job to be nice with you. He's an idol. What do you expect?"

I got up on my knees and stared at him with an angry look. "He didn't seem fake! How can someone fake a personality all day?"

 "Well, idols can do that. Trust me."

"What do you know? You never met him!"

At those words, his smirk disappeared. He heightened himself, so that our eyes would be on the same level. He looked straight into my eyes. "And you think you know him just by meeting him a few times? Can't you see you're just believing an illusion?"

I couldn't find what else to say. What could I reply? Somewhere inside me, I wanted to believe that what happened with Jonghyun wasn't fake. Jonghyun couldn't have faked everything we went through, right? But Dae Myung had a point. And it was all so frustrating that I couldn't prove him wrong, that I had no proof either.

Jonghyun, you didn't fake anything, right...?

Dae Myung's POV

She didn't say anything back, but I saw the frustration in her eyes. It was a bit cute of her to react so strongly for an idol.

But just a bit.

I grinned at her and poked her forehead. "Hey, don't let it get to you. We have more important things to worry about." I tapped my pencil against my math sheet.

She seemed to snap out of a daze and started smiling shyly again. "Yeah, you're right. So... where were we? Oh right, logarithms."

And so we went back to studying math, as if we never had that conversation. But, to be honest, I had a hard time concentrating with her around. My eyes kept on wavering back to her, as if I actually liked staring at her. I shrugged off that feeling; I'm probably just too bored or something.

Sang Hee was amazing in math. She got all her problems perfectly, and she explained really well. I wonder why she never got good grades in math exams though. Knowing her though, it's probably because she was just too nervous or something.

Which I found kind of sad, to not be able to show off your potential.

As lunch was almost over, we had to go back to class. As I looked at her in front of me, I recalled the surprising reaction she had when I had made fun of SHINee. Even though I had been accompanying her everyday to the music room, she didn't hesitate to defend them so fiercely against me.

What's up with that?

I'd never have expected her to have so much love for them, out of all people.

She shouldn't rely so much on idols. They're only faking everything. They're idols, can't she get it? It's not good for her to get so caught up in their deceiving act...

...

Wait a second, why am I getting so worked up over this? It's not like it was my business, right?

...

Gah, what's wrong with me...

As Chung Hee, Kang Dae and I were watching 1 대 100 on tv in the living room, I hear the door click open. It was probably Umma. "I'm home!" she said in her happy-go-lucky tone.

Both Chung Hee and Kang Dae got up and ran towards her, calling her, as she walked into the living room. She picked both of them up and kissed both of them on the forehead. I got up and walked over to them. She saw me then smiled.

It had been a while since I had seen her come back home so early. She'd usually come back home late at night when we're sleeping. I'd find her sleeping in her room in the morning most of the time.

"They missed you alot." I said simply.

"Yeah, I know," she answered, looking tenderly at the two. "Did you miss me too?"

I smiled at her. "Of course I did, Umma."

The twins then looked at me and stretched their arms out for a hug. I felt myself soften up at their sight.

"Aw, alright." I said as I gave all 3 of them a big hug.

At that moment, I felt like I had to protect them, like they were the only things precious to me. Umma, who was working so much without complaining. The twins, who still managed to stay their usual happy selves despite our situation. I didn't want this to change, the four of us, loving each other.

Umma really could use a break though.

Kang Dae yawned, followed by Chung Hee. Umma and I laughed.

"Time to get you two to sleep." Umma said with care.

"No! Wanna stay with chu!" Kang Dae protested cutely.

"It wouldn't hurt to let them watch TV with us then, right?" I said. "You're so rarely home, Umma..."

She looked at me, then at the twins. She sighed in false exasperation. "Alright, alright. Let's watch TV all the four of us."

The twins rejoiced, and I couldn't help but give the two of them one kiss on the forehead. We then went into our small living room and sat on the modest couch. The contestant was now against 36 people, but soon after we had sat, it was time for the commercials. There was soon one about Nana B.B. cream, which was pretty popular with girls.

I wonder if Sang Hee uses that cream? Her skin looks pretty smooth after all...

Whoa, what?

Nevermind that...

Soon after, there was a surprising commercial. Actually, it wasn't even a commercial. It was an announcement for the SM Entertainment auditions this summer. And it just so happened to be SHINee who were introducing it. All 5 of them were... pretty good-looking, I'll admit it. But idols are all supposed to be, right?

I spotted that guy Sang Hee supposedly said she had met. What was his name again? Jonghyun? He seemed like one of those flirty and outgoing guys. Definitely not Sang Hee's type. The only reason she could be remotely attracted to him was by his appearance. I could see her liking that feminine and soft-hearted looking guy though.

They were going on about where the auditions would be held. There were still about 2 weeks to prepare for those who wanted to enter. I knew a few people at school who would want to try out.

As they finished announcing it and said their goodbyes, an idea struck me. If Sang Hee tried out for these auditions, she'll realize it's not a world for her. I know she played piano well, but I don't think she can sing or dance. And then she would realize Jonghyun was just playing with her, since he'll probably pretend he never knew her.

And then she'll be able to move on and find someone else...

But I'm only thinking this because I know she's a kind girl, right...? Right. She deserves better than an idol love.

It's not like I personally care or anything.

The math exam sheet is lying in front of me. I look over the first problems and, surprisingly, I knew exactly how to solve it. I glimpse in front of me, at Sang Hee's back. I should thank her after, for helping out. I hope she's not too nervous. She should get these problems right, though.

Hm... Now that I think about it, how will I tell her about the auditions? After the exams, we have nothing else, so everyone usually goes home. I guess I'll have to walk with her home. I wonder if she'll actually participate in the auditions.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be finishing this test...Focus, Dae Myung, focus...

Mood Song: Ice Cream - MC Mong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DolRkHKyXPU

Sang Hee's POV

As I took my bag and got up to leave, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. I turn around and see Dae Myung, his bag on his shoulders. I looked at him with a questioning stare; I didn't feel embarassed anymore around him.

"Hey, wanna walk home together?" he asked, a slight smile on his lips.

I was a bit surprised by his request, but I trusted him now. Maybe he was trying to be friends? Unless we already are? Well, it can't hurt to try, right?

"Sure." I replied, smiling back a bit.

We made our way out of the classroom, out towards the school gates. We made small talk, which I found surprisingly natural. It was a not-too-hot-yet-sunny day. Dae Myung stopped and looked at me.

"Hey, where do you live?" he asked.

"Over ... there." I said, pointing to my left.

He started laughing kindly. "No, like around which neighborhood?"

"Around the Jung District." I answered, a bit embarassed.

"Oh, really?!" he said, surprised. "I live close, in the Jungnang District."

The Jung District and the Jungnang District were right next to each other. To think we lived this close and we never even knew about it...

"Guess this means we can just walk home together everyday then?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, but... don't you usually walk with other people?" I inquired hesitantly.

"Nah, I don't let them usually," he answered. "I prefer to walk home alone."

I looked at him, slightly leaning my head to the side. "Why? If I could, I'd walk with my friends."

"Well, aren't you my friend?"

Those words surprisingly warmed my heart. "I am?"

"Hey, if you're going to start doubting that, I'm going without you." he said, smiling slyly, as he started walking, leaving me behind.

"Hey, wait for me...!" I said loudly as I walked after him, smiling.

As we were walking on the streets, some cars and strangers passed by us, quickly. He'd find topics to talk about and I joined in naturally; I surprised myself. To think I'd be walking home with someone, with a friend I made at school. The most surprising was that it just so happened to be Dae Myung, who used to be my bully. But I had forgiven him. And I trusted him. The only thing bothering me though was that it felt like I didn't know much about him.

After a while of walking and talking, he gave me news of something I never thought he'd pay attention to.

"Hey, yesterday, I was watching TV and guess who appeared?" he said, smirking.

"Huh? Who?" I inquired, curious.

"Your dear SHINee." he said, laughing.

"Oh! I read about that on the official fansite."

"You even go on their official fansite?! Creep."

"HEY, you're mean!"

"I'm joking~."

"It's about the SM Entertainment auditions this summer."

"Geez, what is up with fans and their sources?"

"We have our means," I said, sticking out my tongue. I then looked at him inquiringly. "Why're you telling me this though?"

"Well, can't you see?" he said, as if it was obvious. "You can go see SHINee again, if you become a trainee. And, if that guy... What's his name again...?"

"Jonghyun!" I told him, frustrated that he couldn't remember Jonghyun's name.

"Yeah, Jonghyun. If he wasn't faking it, he'd talk to you like he did last time you two met, right?"

So he's asking me to go try out for the auditions so I can meet SHINee again...?

"But... you know I can't sing or dance, right?"

"Pfft. Who said you had to sing or dance?"

"Well, that's mainly what idols at SM Entertainment do..."

"Dancing, you can basically practice and I'm sure that, in no time, you'll be fine at it. As for singing, I'm sure you can't sing that badly."

"But they'll only pick the best..."

"Use the best talent you have."

"Huh? Piano?"

"Yup. Play piano and sing as an audition."

"Are you crazy? They won't have a piano there!"

Seeing that it was an obstacle, he stopped talking for a moment, deep in thought. It seemed just so crazy for me to even envision myself participating in the auditions. I couldn't understand the logic behind him trying to persuade me, an average looking girl, to participate in the auditions for one of the most successful idol entertaiments.

Dae Myung's expression brightened up soon after. "Hey, your piano at home. Is it portable?"

"I have an electronic one..."

"Perfect. I'll come with you to set the piano up."

"But they won't let you in if you're not auditioning."

Yet again, he didn't say anything and seemed to be thinking again. We walked silently, as he thought. The cars passed by us, but the sound they made seemed far away. Soon after, he sighed and looked at me with a reluctant smile.

"Guess I'll have to audition too for it to work, huh." he said, with a guess-it-can't-be-helped look.

"You don't need to, Dae Myung!" I said, surprised he'd go that far. "Why do you want me to audition so badly?"

"Hey, I thought you were dedicated to SHINee," he said, shrugging. "I'm only helping you."

"Not enough to audition and humiliate myself..."

"Okay, look. If you audition and fail, at least you tried, right? Won't you regret it if you let this chance pass? Don't you want to try out that chance to see SHINee?"

I stopped walking, and so did he. I didn't want to admit it out loud, but I did want to see them again. I believed in Jonghyun. I believed that connection I had felt between us was mutual. It was tempting, but the thought of getting humiliated scared me. I knew I couldn't dance nor sing. The only talent I had was playing piano. What could I really do with it though?

"I do want to see them again. But I can't be a trainee, Dae Myung," I told him in a mix of sadness and abandon. "I can only play piano, that's all I'm good at."

He stared at me for a while. I still had a hard time figuring out what was going on in his mind. Even after 3 weeks, he still surprised me with many things, including this. Maybe with more time, I'll be able to understand him more and to get a grip of his personality.

He soon smiled slyly and sighed again. "I guess I'll have to audition for you instead. If I get chosen, you can come with me to visit."

Huh??!!

"What!? Don't audition just for me! It's fine, Dae Myung!" I said in a panic. Why was he going so far for me?!

"Nah, I want to. I'm pretty good-looking too, so I have some good chances of being chosen." he said, arranging his hair with a smirk.

"Can you even sing or dance?!"

He faked offense at that phrase. "What?! For your information, I can dance and sing pretty well."

"I never heard or saw you."

"Well, you're going to have to. I'm going to make you play piano at my audition."

"Huh? Why?!"

"Because you play well, obviously. And then they'll notice your talent too. You're free during summer, right?"

"Uhhh... Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I'll come over and practice."

"Why?"

"Stop it with your Why's! It's an audition, what do you expect? I need to practice!"

"But..."

He took out his cellphone from his bag. "No protests! Give me your phone number, I'll text you during summer."

I looked at him defiantly, then sighed. I told him my phone number, which he saved in his contacts. I tried to hide the smile that was widening on my lips.

To be honest, I was kind of happy Dae Myung was so into the auditions: it gave me a chance to meet SHINee again, and the idea of spending time with a friend during summer seemed fun. But at the same time, it felt like I was forcing him to. Why did he want me to participate so badly? That stayed a big mystery to me.

One thing's for sure though: Dae Myung's awesome!

Jonghyun's POV

I was walking in the corridors of the 6th floor, where most of the staff for the auditions were. I saw some of the judges standing casually next to the lounge. They seemed to be talking about the organisation of the whole event in 2 weeks. I recognized one of the old judges who was there for my first audition. He seemed to recognize me too, as he smiled as I approached.

"Annyeonghaseyo." I greeted politely.

He held out his hand, which I shook. "Good to see you again, Jonghyun."

"Likewise. How are the preparations for this summer's auditions?"

"Good. We're expecting alot, since this is held during the summer, when the kids are on vacation."

"I bet they'll be outstanding."

"Haha, I remember when I first heard you. You were quite outstanding yourself."

"Thank you, although it's thanks to the training I received here that I am what I am today."

"Well, our job is to pick out the ones who have the most potential."

"You've done a great job during all these years."

"Thank you. We have to continue our discussion, so good luck with the upcoming preparations."

"Kamsahamnida."

The judge returned to chattering with the others, who were staring at us talk. I smiled at them politely then walked away.

I wondered what kind of hopeful people will try out for the auditions.

I could still remember the anticipation and nervousness I had felt the day of my own audition. I wasn't even sure I would be chosen, but somehow, I had given it my all that day. And they had seen I was passionate about singing. I was still grateful to them for choosing me, out of the hundreds of people there was. It still seemed so incredible that I had forged my future by auditioning for SM Entertainment that day. I could never have expected I'd end up being one of those idols I used to look up to.

Who knows, maybe that same thing will happen to some people during this year's auditions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you guys, but this is getting interesting! <3 Dae Myung's interest in Sang Hee is slowly developing, although he doesn't want to admit it! I personally think their relationship is cute and funny in a way. xD

The song Ice Cream is so cute and seemed to fit the new teasing form of Sang Hee and Dae Myung's relationship! So I hope you guys had fun listening to it while reading. <3

For this chapter's picture, I used a picture of one of the ulzzang Park Tae Jun's selcas~. It just had that "Hey, I know I'm good-looking" vibe to it that was typical to Dae Myung~.

1 대 100 means 1 vs 100, and it's a quiz show shown on KBS where 1 contestant has to answer to questions right. There are 100 people against the contestant and they also answer the questions. If they get it wrong, they're eliminated. So the contestant basically has to answer as much as possible and, by doing so, eliminate the most people in the 100 part. The prize money is divided by the number of people still standing, so the less people in the 100 left standing, the more money the contestant will get. I hope that wasn't a too complicated explanation...! xD

The Jung and Jungnang Districts are pretty much in the middle of Seoul. The Jung District is right next to the Han river~. The sight must be pretty... I'm envious.

Thank you for reading guys! Comments and subscriptions are always appreciated~! <3

Ah... Jonghyun~, please come back to Sang Hee soon...!