1^st January 2020 marks the beginning of the new school year in SM International High School. SM Educational Institute is the only academic institute in South Korea that uses a different system in terms of admitting students into their schools. SM Educational Institute consists of SM Kindergarten, SM Primary School, SM Middle School, SM High School and then lastly SM University. From Kindergarten up to High School they are using an international curriculum and a lot of their teachers are foreigner with high reputation and degrees to match their reputation as well.

Their student admittance system is unique and more often than not causes controversies for parents who want to put their students into their schools. The only chance where parents, be it South Korean living in Seoul or any other part of South Korea or foreigner from overseas able to enroll their children to the school is only at Kindergarten and Primary School. Both SM International Middle and High School are only accepting students that graduate from SM Primary and Middle School. Of course students who graduate are free to enroll at some other place but they are unlikely to do so because of the high standard of education in the academic institutions provided by SM and almost all of their graduates have 90% rate of success in earning their dream job. This fact alone shows how SM Educational institute is held high in South Korea but at the same time, the public are in displeasure of their student admittance system.

The reason why SM uses this approach in enrolling their student is because they believe in continuity and they don’t think that students from school are able to cope with the curriculum that has been set since they are in Primary School. It might looks like they are arrogant but with the result of their graduates shows just how much this system is a success. Of course there are cases that gone unnoticed a few times with some people fabricating their school documentation to earn their way to the school, some got caught, some are not. The high school fees set by SM is sometimes burdening for some of the parents and there are a lot of cases where SM kick their students out because their parents are unable to fulfill their duty in paying the school fees.

In their long list controversies and success, something is about to change in SM Educational Institute and to be more specific with it, at the SM International High School. The current principal of the high school, Lee Soo Man is about to relinquish his position as the principal as he is about to take up a position in the university and his last act before he resign from his position is enroll a student that graduates from Middle School in Japan and revealed it to the public. Despite of course it meet with a lot of dissatisfaction and protests from other members of the staffs at the high school, there is a clause that can be exercised by any of the resigning principal that he is allowed to make changes to the high school and his decision can’t be contested or nullified.

So who is this person that Principal Lee Soo Man chooses? She is a South Korean Middle School graduates who is born in Jeonju but grows up in London and Tokyo. Her name is Kim Tae-yeon. The reason why Lee Soo Man decides to do this is because he wants to break the tradition and also because of the reputation that Taeyeon holds in Japan. She graduates as the student with the highest academic score in her 3 years spent as middle school student. She is a three times Tokyo regional singing competition champion and was the leader of her school’s choir and the leader of student committee as well. A model student who never dated and never misses school except when she is sick; people in her middle school really look up to her and thanks to her, the middle school’s reputation is increasing greatly.

She is persuaded to go back to South Korea because her parents are living in Korea currently and she has her childhood friend who is entering SM High School that goes by the name of Kwon Yuri. Her appearance in the high school will also change the life of one boy who always spends much of his time alone by himself. His name is Park Chan-yeol. Even though he is a member of a band during his middle school days, he never really spend a lot of time with anyone outside of his band members and Taeyeon’s appearance will not only change the high school’s system that is held high for years already but also it will change Chanyeol’s life in high school.

Yuri is looking forward to welcome her best friend into the high school but at the same time, Minho will be looking to get Yuri’s heart before he graduates from high school. Tiffany is watching over Chanyeol and still can’t get over the fact that she did something that caused him to be a loner and until this day, Chanyeol never even want to look and speak with her again despite she is attracted to him. Sulli is paying a close attention to Minho while Kyuhyun will set his sight on Taeyeon’s arrival at the high school.

Love, Hate, Friendship, Rivalry, Sadness, Happiness, Betrayal, Loyalty, Failure and Success all will happen in the SM International High School since Taeyeon’s arrival. So let’s begin the journey of the new students of a new academic year at SM International High School.