Monday morning.

Shin Woo hobbled discreetly to the president's office. He met Manager Ma along the way, and asked if the president was still inside his office. The idiotic manager replied that the person was still inside, so Shin Woo struggled to go to the office.

****

He was sitting inside the office with the president, when President Ahn told him what Tae Kyung had said.

"He felt sorry for you," President Ahn said. "He saw the desire in your eyes, the desire to be able to perform still."

"I admit I still love performing, but for me, it is best done when I am standing," Shin Woo replied.

"Do you want to go back to AN Jell?" the president asked.

Shin Woo smiled his charming smile. "That would be most appreciated, but I am happy being a composer now."

The president nodded. "Well, Tae Kyung did not say this to you, but he said he will stop teaching you."

Shin Woo showed a slight surprise. "Waeyo?"

President Ahn sat straight. "To  be honest with you, Tae Kyung found you to be a fast learner. He hated admitting it, but he said it seems your musical compositions are better than his. And for a short span of less than two years, Mars was almost able to compete with AN Jell in the charts. Not that it is a bad thing. It is actually good. A competition, a healthy one."

"Well, I must thank Tae Kyung for thinking of me that way," Shin Woo humbly said.

"Well, Tae Kyung was thinking if you could be given a second chance to perform on stage, even if you are sitting down," the president said. "I could give you three options. First, go back to being an AN Jell member, be the fourth member of Mars, or audition for an upcoming project."

"Audition?" Shin Woo asked.

"Ye. We are planning to launch a duo, with the likes of Sandy and Junior, M2M, Isak and Jiyeon, or WaT," the president said. "We already have bands, but I want this one to be acoustic duo. Plain and simple, and easy to the ears. And oh, for a change, we are having plans of launching them to other countries later on, so we want that the members need to be fluent in English. So it means that if you want to audition, you need to sing in English."

Without further thinking, Shin Woo said he'll go for the audition. He was told that the audition will be tomorrow at ten in the morning.

"I presume that the band will practice on their own," the president said.

He nodded.

"Shin Woo, if for example you get to be in the duo, you will work full time with your partner, but then, no one will compose songs for Mars anymore," President Ahn said.

"Gwaenchanhseumnida," Shin Woo said. "The guys are also good in composing songs. One of those even topped in the charts."

"Ah, ye, I remember, Min Hyuk ang Jung Shin's 'Love Is Not Forever'...such a good song," the president commented.

Shin Woo thanked the president and left.

*****

Audition day.

Shin Woo cradled his guitar, which he missed so much. He was gonna show everybody that he, the former AN Jell Kang Shin Woo, will not have it easy and will audition just like everybody else. Those who auditioned were called one by one.

Finally, the number 25 was called. He glanced by chance and was surprised to see Mi Nyu getting inside the audition hall.

"What the? What is she doing here?" he asked.

He got near the door and witnessed her audition. The judges, meanwhile, looked at her resume, and fired her questions.

"Well, what instrument do you want to use?" the first judge asked.

"I'd like to use the baby grand piano, please," Mi Nyu said, pointing at the piano beside her.

The judges nodded and allowed her to start. When she started to sing, Shin Woo got inside the door silently, the judges not noticing him.

I try to smile so the hurt won't show
Tell everybody I was glad to see you go
But the tears just won't go away
Loneliness found me, looks like it's here to stay
I know that I ought to find someone new
But all I find is myself always thinking of you

And as long as the stars shine down
From the heavens
Long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you getting over me

No matter what I do
Each night's a lifetime to live through
I can't go on like this
I need your touch
You're the only one I'll ever love

And as long as the stars shine down
From the heaves
Long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you getting over me
I'll never get over you getting over me
Never get over you getting over
I'll never get over you getting over me

The judges were silent for a moment before clapping.

"Superb, superb," the third judge said. "Seems like you are singing from experience!"

The grand judge told her that she will know the result the next Monday. Mi Nyu thanked them and went her way out of the door.

"Number 26," the other judge said.

"Ne," Shin Woo said from behind the whiteboard where he was hiding. Mi Nyu turned her back when she heard his voice.

"He's next after me?" she thought.

He did not know that she did not exit the door. He told the judges that he will be playing the guitar after they checked his background.

"Hmm...former AN Jell guitarist, Mars composer and producer...nice record. But we will not go easy on you, Kang Shin Woo-ssi," the judge said.

He nodded, then sat down. The judges told him to start, and he plucked his guitar to sing a song by The Everly Brothers.

I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurtin' me
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All my sorrow and pain
I'll do my cryin' in the rain

If I wait for cloudy skies
You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes
You'll never know that I still love you so
Though the heartaches remain
I'll do my cryin' in the rain

As he sang these lines, he remembered the day when he told Mi Nyu he did not need her, the day when he walked limping to the car, and got wet in the rain.

Rain drops fallin' from heaven
Could never wash away my misery
But since we're not together
I look for stormy weather
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see

Some day when my cryin's done
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I may be a fool but till then darling you'll
Never see me complain
I'll do my cryin' in the rain

Like in Mi Nyu's performance, the judges took time to react. They finally clapped, and he bowed gratefully to them. He was able to get a glimpse at Mi Nyu, who cupped her hand to . Her shoulders were shaking, and she walked out.

"Hmm....interesting song," the other judges said.

"My boy, we will let you know next Monday," the grand judge told him.

****

He walked back to the studio when Mi Nyu met him. Her eyes were puffy and red.

"Chukhahaeyo, Shin Woo-hyung," Mi Nyu said.

"For what?" was his calm reply.

Mi Nyu tried hard to fight back her tears. "For the good performance. I am sure you will get the part."

Shin Woo congratulated her diplomatically, and went his way. She looked at him limping back to the studio and shed her tears.

"Why are you like that, Shin Woo-hyung? Did you just let me know how you are feeling all along? Or are you just singing it for the audition. Mother Superior, what should I do?"

For her, his song was as unclear as murky waters.

***************

Monday noon.

Mi Nyu got a call from Mi Nam, stating her to come to the president's office.

"You passed the audition!" Mi Nam exclaimed.

Mi Nyu breathed happily and felt dizzy while hearing the good news. She did not expect this to happen, and she found it hard to digest the information.

"Ne, Oppa, I will be there," she said before hanging up.

As she changed into nice clothes, she could not help but dress in her best attire. This was the second time she was going to meet the president as a talent--though the president did not know it.

*****

Mi Nyu was standing with the door behind the back when her partner for the duo came in and bowed.

"Meet your partner, Mi Nyu," the president said.

And she turned around.