"... Kim JaeEun, Cho MinJae, Lee HyeSun, and Chen RuiXian," HyeJin announced, making sure not to place too much emphasis on the importance of the ranking. "for the preliminary review." She knew that the trainees understood the significance of the popularity votes, but she was also aware that it wasn't the most pertinent factor to focus on rght now. The news was met with rousing applause as the quartet stood astonished, through nonetheless blithe. HyeSun pinkened as a blush crept its way into her cheeks. Amongst congratulations and pats on the back, she bowed and smiled in reply while JaeEun thanked the others profusely, brushing her fringe behind her ear humbly as she bowed. MinJae's eyes crinkled even more as her smile widened. Beside her, RuiXian's eyes flashed before she broke into a cheeky grin, leaving her initial reaction unnoticed by her fellow trainees. A disappointed smile graced HyeMi's lips as she nodded at the dispatch. She was sure that she wouldn't be running for the most popular, for now, anyway, but still, she couldn't ignore the wave of disappointment that washed over her.  MinHee, YoonKi, EunMi, JinRa, and HaRu clapped politely as an unreadable expression crossed MinAh's face. KyunJi pouted. The trainees all had different emotions plastered on their faces. HyeJin motioned for the trainees to settle down in a circle. As they did so, SooJin promptly weaved through the crowd and sat herself down beside JaeEun. "Chukkahaeyo unnie!" She whispered as the elder clasped her hand in gratitude. 

"As you all know as well," HyeJin reached for another page in her clipboard. "we have to decide on the visuals within the group and subsequently, the face(s)," she met the exuberant gazes of the trainees. "which will be decided by the offers that you will be getting from producers and directors along the way. SME has also allowed for you all to accept offers for radio broadcasts, both reality as well as variety shows, emcees, dramas and even movies, although they are really hard to come by." The trainees nodded their understanding, visibly excited. "so well, we do have our list of visuals here, appointed by the general public as well." HyeJin gestured for them to stand up as she called their names. "Kim SooJin," SooJin hopped up gleefully as JaeEun gave her a congratulatory thwack on her back. "Kim JaeEun," JaeEun's eyes widened in surprise as SooJin pulled on her arm. "Na?" She pointed at herself as the others nodded, a few with envious lours. "Jang EunMi," A full-blown grin materialized on her face as the timorous girl battled to keep her emotions under wraps. HaRu gave an excited clap as she held up a thumbs-up. EunMi's eyes crinkled in joy. "and Min JinRa." A slender girl fluidly rose to her feet. She looked straight ahead as the rest cheered. "It's not fair! JaeEun-unnie obviously has the upper hand!" SooJin jokingingly pointed out, resting her head on the elder's shoulders as she did so. Peels of laughter flooded the room as the trainees agreed with her. 

"Alright~" The ruckus dissipated as HyeJin called for their attention once again. "We're going to the dorms now, so why don't you all go grab your stuff and meet me outside?" The squeals can be heard from two corridors away as other confused trainees and staff alike exchanged glimpses as they contemplated alerting management. HyeJin escaped the room and gave an apologetic smile before sending the clueless trainees on their way. In no time at all, caSTARs rookie had gathered in the corridor, positively glowing with excitement. "Gaja!" HyeJin led the way as the others trailed along beside her. An overhead camera followed them as they passed baffled bystanders on their way to class. None of them could suppress their euphoric spirits; even YooMi broke into a smile. 

It wasn't long before they stepped foot into the adjoining building for the first time. "Shinayo! [How exciting!]" MinJae gasped as they bundled into the lift. "It's so surreal..." HyeJin chortled at the SME encyclopedia's commentary. It took a lot to amaze that girl; she practically knew everything about SME. HyeJin herself felt a pang of disappointment as she alighted from the elevator. She had many a time imagined herself in this same situation, just not as a manager. A cheery voice roused her from her muse. "Are we all going to be living in the same dorm?" KyunJi queried, bright-eyed. Beside her, HyeMi's eyes widened in alarm. "Ya. How can eighteen of us squeeze into one dorm!" Her apparent distress and absurdity of the situation triggered a chorus of laughter. KyunJi scratched her head sheepishly. "Don't worry, we have that all settled." HyeJin continued leading the way. "You get two dorms, one on this floor, and another one floor above. Both of them are exactly the same." She finished. "And we're here." They had reached the end of the corridor where a heavy-set khaki door posited. HyeJin retrieved a card from her bag as she proceeded to explain. "This is an electronically-configured key card which all of you will receive in a moment. It is to be kept with you at all times." The door buzzed as she placed the card on the panel. 

HyeJin held the door open as she motioned for the trainees to enter. "There's the shared shoe-rack on the left, and the kichen on the right." She gestured briefly towards the counter-top. "There is definitely not enough space for all of you to be in the kitchen at the same time, but of course, we can always expect the younger ones to spend more time in the kitchen, can we not?" The trainees nodded their heads unquestionably, while a puzzled "Why?" echoed in the background. Hesitating, but ultimately moving on, HyeJin allowed the question to go unanswered. "This is the dining room, which is abit of a squeeze for nine people, but manageable." The trainees allowed themselves to soak in the view of the living room. It consisted of the usual - a television, coffee table, a couch, a few armchairs, and even a carpet laid down over the wooden floorboards. MinAh bounded over to the balcony. "Look! You can see the SM building from here!" The other trainees came running after her as the peered off the ledge. "Of course we can see the SM building; it's only a block away!" RuiXian quipped, staring at the sunbae incredulously. MinAh started to retort, but RuiXian had turned heel and left, leaving an irate MinAh fuming by herself. "Here we have the household shelter, which can be used for a storage room," HyeJin introduced, moving along. "and here are the bedrooms - four in total, all with two beds except for the master bedroom which holds three single beds." She pointed them out individually and motioned to the common bathroom. "There's a communal bathroom here and an ensuite for the master bedroom. I know two bathrooms are hardly enough for nine people, but we have to make do for now." The trainees dispersed throughout the rooms, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the cosy set-up.