The next day, Taeyeon woke up from dizziness and with a massive cloud in her head. It took her seconds to register what had happened to her the night before, and she sat up immediately, holding her wrist. The pain had subsided now, but the patches of dried blood and scratches were still there, etched across her pale skin.

She could hear Sunny snoring in the bed below, and hastily brush her teeth and wore a comfortable long-sleeves and white shorts, and headed out, her sling back across her shoulders. She stopped infront of Tiffany's room and after a few seconds, she walked away, glancing at her wrist. She was half-hoping that Tiffany and Nichkhun would never bother her again after this. Maybe they'd let me go, she thought. 

She strolled toward the main school building, readying herself for the day's new challenges. Life has been simple back when she was at Korea. With her parents there to greet her every morning and at night, with her closest friends who'd protect her and have fun with her together and her Golden Retriever, Ginger, to make her days better... Life has been difference since she started school in America. She had no family around, no close friends and no Ginger. And she had made enemy with Nichkhun and Tiffany, and probably some other Americans who'd disliked her.

When she reached the building, she headed up toward the school auditorium, where the news of the academy would be announced there, by the principal or by the lecturers in charge.

She got herself a good seat at the back of the hall, as she hardly ever pays attention to the academy news. It was mostly about talent competitions for juniors and seniors and if not that, the news was about etiquette, good discipline and moral values. She wondered if the authorities knew about Tiffany and Nichkhun. 

After about half an hour of seeing students filed into the school hall, Taeyeon felt someone taking the seat beside her and looked up to find Baekhyun, smiling at her. Today, his hair was gelled up and he wore a grey Hard Rock sweater and a ripped jeans. She thought he looked like a cool kid with an appearance like that. Yesterday he'd wore simple clothes and his hair was kind of messy, so he looked like an ordinary college boy, wandering around. Today, he looked different.

"Hi," Taeyeon smiled.

"Hi. Mind if I sit here?" he asked shyly.

"Er... Sure. There's no one else who'll sit with me anyway." Taeyeon said as she rubbed her wrist absent-mindedly.

Baekhyun glanced at her wrist before exclaiming loudly, "Taeyeon-ssi! What happened to your hand?" He reached out to grab her wrist and Taeyeon allowed him to, blushing slightly.

"You must go to the infirmary to apply something!" Baekhyun continued, concern washing over his face. "Did you cut yourself or something?"

"Of course not!" Taeyeon answered, shocked. "I'd never hurt myself like that."

"Was it an accident then? Or did someone do this to you?" Baekhyun asked in an urgent voice.

Taeyeon couldn't help staring at him. She'd barely known him and he had saved her once, but she wasn't even sure if he was really a Korean. They knew nothing about each other at all but here he was, sitting beside her, fussing over some small scratches. She felt suddenly grateful to have him here.

"It's nothing, Baekhyun," she replied softly. "The lines will subside soon."

"Are... Are you sure?" Baekhyun gulped, lines forming on his forehead. "It's better to visit the infirmary. You might get an infection."

Taeyeon thought about the night before, how Tiffany had stepped on her wrist. She was sure there would not be an infection, and wanted to tell Baekhyun that, but she was worried he'd do something that will make Tiffany and Nichkhun angry. That was the last thing Taeyeon will ever want.

She smiled reassuringly at Baekhyun instead, and changed the subject. "You're Korean, aren't you?"

Baekhyun nodded proudly. "Yes, but my family moved here, to California, when I was ten. You just came here, didn't you?"

"Just a few weeks ago." Taeyeon nodded. "I'm from Jeonju originally, but my family moved to Seoul when I was very young." 

"Ah... I miss Seoul so much," Baekhyun answered dreamily. 

"Me too," Taeyeon answered, suddenly feeling very homesick. The hustle bustle of the streets... The delicious street foods... Kimchi ramen... tteokbokki... Tteokbokki. She shook Baekhyun's arms and whispered, "Do they have tteokbokki here, in America? Do they?" 

Baekhyun laughed. "Well, I'm not sure about tteokbokki but I know they have kimchi at Downtown."

"Oh..." Taeyeon answered, clearly disappointed. 

Just then, the principal, Ms. Sophia Van Hughes, a tall and stylish woman in her early thirties had took her place on the stage and was starting on a greeting and opening speech. Taeyeon yawned and started playing with her nails absent-mindedly. The academy news had always bore her.

"Did you apply to music school because you really wanted to, or did your parents wanted you to?" Baekhyun asked, out of the blue.

"I've always wanted to, it's my lifetime dream. To be a singer." Taeyeon answered softly, with deep passion in her eyes. 

"Me too," Baekhyun mumbled. "Music is my dream."

Taeyeon just beamed up at him and said nothing more. She started playing with her nails again when she caught a few words the principal had said... Talent... Audition... Interested students... Compete...

Taeyeon snapped her head up and focused on Van Hughes's news. She could feel everyone around her, including Baekhyun, had tensed. 

"This is the best opportunity for you to accomplish your dreams, students!" Van Hughes babbled, her voice silky and loud. "For those who are interested in this audition, you can seek for Mr. Charles Hennedy or Mrs. Shannon after the ceremony." She pointed toward the left side of the staffs' table at where Mr. Kennedy and Mrs. Shannon were sitting. 

"I have another great news here," the principal went on. "Twenty students from The California School of Music has been chosen to participate in a school trip to Paris, France." The students cheered excitedly. "The annual Music Festival is held at Paris this year and therefore, we urged those twenty students to participate as this will be a good learning experience. We have also chosen twenty students for the school trip last year to Moscow, and they have learned a great deal. Now it is your turn to rise quickly to the top and to do so, you'll have to gain sufficient experience. The twenty students are..."

Everyone held their breath, even Baekhyun, Taeyeon noticed, but she wasn't hopeful for a trip to Paris. The school must have chosen the top brightest students, like Baekhyun and Sunny, and there would be absolutely no reason for herself to be chosen so she went back to rubbing her wrist and looking at the students' anxious expressions.

Van Hughes smiled. "The students are Lucy Lindstorm, Joyce Wasson, John Engel Amos, Kim Coates Branwell, Ming Liu, Raymond Caine Junior, Clavo Cruz, Tiffany Hwang..." The catcalls and whoops made by the students were so loud that the principal had to stop speaking. Taeyeon was baffled. Tiffany was chosen? Why? She couldn't imagine Tiffany singing.

"Max Mason Silver,  Sunny Lee Sun-kyu, Eddie MacMillan, Toby Shawn, Jayden Chang and his twin Jason Chang, Glen Xavier, Maxine Winston, James Dubb, Eric Adams, Eugene Lovane and Kim Taeyeon." Kim Taeyeon. Kim Taeyeon. Kim Taeyeon. Her name seemed to be echoing around the hall and felt every eye turned to her. She could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating for a few seconds. She slowly looked up to face Baekhyun, and he was surprised too. She closed hastily; she didn't know she was gaping.

The murmurs around the room was loud and full of protestion. Van Hughes flashed her y smile again and said, "To those who are not chosen, don't be disappointed. You'll have your..." Taeyeon couldn't bear to hear the rest. She turned to Baekhyun, who was still staring at her open-mouthed, and shook him. "Baekhyun! I can't do this. You know I can't!"

Baekhyun seemed to have woken from his daze and grabbed both of her hands. "You're so lucky, Taeyeon-ssi! You're so lucky!" He marveled.

Taeyeon was shaking her head. "I won't do this, Baekhyun, you know I won't. With that Tiffany..." She shruddered.

"You mustn't care about Tiffany anymore. This is... This is my dream, to attend a Music Festival only the royalties can afford." Baekhyun's eyes shone. "You must go, Taeyeon. Promise me you will. Please!"

Taeyeon didn't know what to say. She opened to protest but Baekhyun was already hugging her, shaking her and cheering for her. "Lucky Taeyeon! I've been longing to attend this but I've never had the chance. You are the luckiest person I've ever known, Taeyeon!" 

"I..." Taeyeon began, Baekhyun was shaking her so hard that her teeth rattled. "Baekhyun, stop..."

Baekhyun let go and beamed happily. "I'm sorry, but I'm too happy! You... Are... So... Lucky!" 

Taeyeon sighed and asked, "When this this trip? I didn't hear it right just now."

"This weekend, Taeyeon-ssi. This weekend!" Baekhyun was grinning joyfully.

"Th-this weekend?" Taeyeon asked, horrified. When Baekhyun nodded, she placed her hands on Baekhyun's shoulders and said, "Baekhyun, why don't you take my place and go for the trip? I don't want to go, anyway."

Baekhyun was shaking his head. "I'd love to, Taeyeon-ssi, but I can't. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You must understand this!"

Taeyeon swung her arms free and sighed. "Do you not think that I'd love to go too? But... But Tiffany is going. I don't want to be anywhere near her and the fact that I'm traveling  with her to a foreign country is too horrible to bear. Especially going to a beautiful city like Paris." She looked troubled and sighed again.

This time, Baekhyun took both of her hands in his. She felt a jolt somewhere in her body, but she ignored it. "Taeyeon," he said quietly. "I know that this will be difficult for you, but you must understand that, this is your dream. To be a musician. No matter what you're interested in; singing, instruments, dancing... These are all music, and they're your dreams." He paused, and when she was silent, he continued. "I've seen the passion in your eyes when you have told me about your lifetime dream, about music. And this  is your dream we're talking about. Your future, your passion, your happiness. So, please do not let anyone ruin it. Especially not someone like Tiffany. Do you understand?"

Speechless, Taeyeon could only nod. She felt a sudden rush of gratitude toward Baekhyun. She had only just known him for a while but he had saved her life, made friends with her, advised her and made her see sense. She looked up slowly at Baekhyun's youthful, innocent face and nodded. "I'll do it," she whispered. "I'll go. You're right, Baekhyun. Music is my dream, and Tiffany is certainly not  going to ruin it for me."

With that, Baekhyun's face lit up as he smiled brightly. "You promise you'll go? No matter what?"

Taeyeon patted him on the head and made a face at him. "Why are you so serious, Baekhyun? Of course I'll go!" 

He grinned at her and as the students of California School of Music filed out of the huge hall, he led Taeyeon out toward the corridor, still grinning crazily.