Present Day:

You set the picture back down on the desk. You are about to go sit down when another picture catches your eye. You reach for it, picking it up in your hands. It's from years ago. You can't believe that he even has this picture. It pulls on a soft string in your heart as you gaze at the image of a time long, long gone...

"You have this picture?" you ask your father.

"Of course I do," your father replies. "You think I want to forget the day my daughter outright disobeyed me to pursue her dream?" You can hear the bitterness in his voice. You know that he is still upset over the way you both parted.

You look down at the picture. "Maybe my memory is wrong, but I seem to recall you being proud of me at some point during that day."

"Hmph! I was, up until you put all that work to waste," he says bitterly. "Tell me, Jaehwa, did you fulfill your dream in America? Are you a pop star? An international sensation?"

You know that he is trying to get on your nerves. He is still mad that you chose mom instead of him. You just calmly look at him.

"Tell me, Jaehwa," he begins, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How wonderful your life is and how all your dreams have come true!" His voice raises. You know that those in the adjacent room have ceased speaking and are now listening as your father continues on, louder than before. "Well, Jaehwa?!"

You calmly sit down, putting the picture back in place. "You're just mad that I chose to live with mom and you are upset over the way we parted ways. I apologize for my actions that I made, what? eight years ago, father. I shouldn't have said those things, but I was upset. My life, as I knew it, was falling apart. My parents were getting a divorce and I had to give up a dream that I had worked so hard to obtain." You look down at the picture in front of you of the girl who still had her whole life ahead of her and could see her dream as clearly as day.

****

2004.04.14 (April 14, 2004)

You take a deep breath to steady your pounding nerves. You start pacing back and forth. Heechul groans. "Will you stop already? You're making me nervous, and I'm not even auditioning!"

"Sorry, Heechul," you say. "But I'm nervous, so shut up!"

Yunho [from DBSK/TVXQ] hands you a water bottle. "Here, you could use this," he says.

"Thanks," you reply, chugging down the water as fast as you can.

"Whoa! Hold up there," cries Donghae, trying to snatch the water bottle from your hand. "What are you a camel? You're going to have to pee on stage."

"No I won't," you reply. "I'm just going to sweat it all out."

"That's lovely," says Heechul sarcastically. "It's a good thing your concept is neither pretty, cute, or y, because you wouldn't be able to pull off any of those."

"Yah!" you cry, punching him in the arm. "That's not fair. Just because I'm a tomboy doesn't mean-- Ugh! Never mind! I've got more important things to worry about." You head off to await your audition elsewhere, where you can focus.

****

Present Day:

You heave a sigh, looking up at your father. "You are right, though," you say. "I never did obtain that dream."

"So is that why you're here?" he asks, looking smug.

You sigh. "No. I'm here because of umma. I--"

He cuts you off. "How is she? Is she still mad at me?" his voice is still dripping with sarcasm. "We haven't spoken in years. Does she want money or something? What could she possible want?" He raises his voice again.

You rub your forehead with your hands. You feel a headache coming on. "Please, don't make this harder than it already is," you say, your voice starting to crack. You bite your lip to try to remain calm.

"Well, then. What does she want? Because years ago, I wanted to see my only daugther, but did I? No. So, what does she want? Why are you here?!?!" he yells. Emotions that he kept bottled up for so many years finally pour out like a bottle of soda that has been shaken for so long that it finally explodes, destroying the cap.

You can't take this any more. You stand up, bursting out, "I'm here to throw Umma's ashes in the Han River! And finally see my father and apologize!" You grit your teeth in anger.

Your father heaves back in his chair, too stunned to speak.

"Look," you continue, taking a deep breath to calm down. "I'm sorry I've disturbed you so late with this and taken you away from your clients. I'll set up an appointment later in the week so that we can talk. Have a good night, Mr. Jang." You give him a bow then open the door to the adjacent room, where the other three men are still at the table, pretending to be busy discussing business. You bow to them. "Excuse me gentlemen for keeping Mr. Jang. I apologize for any inconvience this may have caused you." You bow again and head for the door.

You hear your father's voice. "Sorry about that. It took longer than expected."

You turn around, gaping in anger and shock at your father. He doesn't notice, because his back is toward you as he sits in his seat.

One of the guys around your age gives you a look of sympathy. The other glares at your father, obviously ticked off.

You shake your head at your father and exit the room. You close the door behind you with a sigh. This is not how things were supposed to go.

****

2004.03.14 (April 14, 2004)

You look at the panel of managers and talent scouts in front of you. Uh, no! This is not how things are supposed to be! Your father leans back in his chair, looking at you sternly. He wasn't supposed to be watching the auditions today! You try to keep your composure. You have to prove to him that you have what it takes to make it in this industry.

"Please state your name and age," you hear a female voice say from one of the people in the seats.

"Jang Jaehwa. Seventeen years." [sixteen not in Korean]

The others on the panel look at your father with a questioning gaze. He ignores them, his face impassive, devoid of emotion.

"Well, Miss Jang," continues the woman. "Can you sing?"

"Yes."

"Dance?"

"Yes."

"What type of dance?"

"Hip-hop, breakdancing, and pop and locking."

"Can you act?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. You seem a little too confident," the woman continues. "How about you show us what you can do?"

You politely bow your head. "Thank you."

You take a step back. You feel strangely calm as you wait for the music to begin...

****

Present Day:

"Oh, c'mon!" you cry out, giving the vending machine a good kick. Nothing. "Crap!" You hit the vending machine with your fist. You lean your head against its hard surface. "This is just not my day," you mutter.

"Need a hand?"

You turn around to see one of the guys that was in your father's office, standing a few feet away. You can't help but notice how tall he is... six feet at least. He walks over to the side of the vending machine. He looks carefully at the side until he finds the spot he's looking for. He gives it a good, solid hit. The machine makes a gurgling noise then drops your water from the slot.

"Thank you," you give the guy a bow before bending down to get your water.

"You're very welcome," he says with a grin. You take a sip of water. "The machine's been doing that for awhile now." Suddenly, he seems to remember something. "Where are my manners? Please forgive me. My name is Zhou Mi," he says with a bow.

"I'm Jaehwa." You give him a bow then hold out your hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Zhou Mi." He accepts your hand, shaking it.

At that moment, the other guy that was in your father's office, bursts into the lounge. "Hey Zhou Mi, I--" He stops when he sees you. "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt," he says, bowing his head. He walks over to you. "Henry Lau," he says, holding out his hand.

"Jaehwa," you reply, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you," he says.

"Nice to meet you too," you respond.

He smiles. "So, you're Mr. Jang's daughter?" he asks.

"Yes," you respond.

"I'm sorry that you had such a rude welcome back to Korea," he says.

"That's ok. Not your fault," you respond.

He notices your large, rolling suitcase in your hand. "Why didn't yo