I took off my peach winter coat and hung it on the rack already filled with several others as I stepped in the tall building. I took a breath of warm and cozy air, reviving me from the cold morning wind blowing outside. I was finally here to fulfill my dreams.

            “Kim Hyejin?” a familiar voice called out. An older man walked out from the corner in a business suit and we bowed in greeting. It was Lee Jungyeop, the CEO for my new job.

             “Welcome to Woolim Entertainment,” he said with a warm smile. “Let’s go up and talk more in my office.”

            He led the way to the small elevator in the corner of the lobby. It was a simple setting with the typical potted plants in corners and polished walls. Even the elevator had its usual tight space inside. I was sure at most five people could ride in it at once.

            As the elevator doors closed on us and made its way up to the top floor, Infinite’s song Can U Smile? played on the tiny speakers. In response to the song, I couldn’t help but smile.

            I had always planned to audition for a kpop group. It was my dream to be a singer like Ailee for all my life. I had never thought so seriously about chasing my dreams to be a singer until I saw the group Infinite on an Inkigayo performance on TV. Their music and the members made me love music even more and inspired me to chase my dream… and here I am.

            We stepped out of the elevators and Jungyeop led me into his office. It was smaller than I expected but the walls were covered with different pictures of him and the groups he managed.

            “Hyejin,” he said as he sat down behind his desk. He motioned me to sit down as well. “Thank you once again for joining Woollim. You bring so much talent here.”

            “Thank you,” I said nervously. “I’m really glad that I was accepted.”

            “Well, I know we had already said this the last time we met, but today is your first day here as a trainee and we expect you to work hard along with everyone else. You have your schedule for training already, but you will start on that tomorrow. Today will be dedicated to learning the facilities and free practice.”

            “Thank you,” I said once again without much thought. I couldn’t take my overly excited mind off the fact that I was finally a trainee at Woollim Ent.

            I walked out of his office and made my way to one of the recording studios on a lower level of the building. Lovelyz’ Ah-Choo played in the elevator on the way down. They were a friendly and fun group of girls when I met them at auditions, but I became disappointed when I remembered they were promoting all this week and I wouldn’t be able to see them often.

            I slowed my pace as I found the long hall leading to the collection of recording rooms. I took in every sight and looked around for the recording room I would be using soon.

            I made it to the room I was assigned a little past half way down the hall. The name plate on the face of the door proudly displayed my name as an official member of the company.

            I reached out for the door handle to get my first glimpse of my room but before I could even touch it, the door swung open barely missing my face.

            A small gasp came loose from my mouth as I took a step back in surprise and fell to the ground. It all happened in slow motion as a very familiar guy came out from right behind the door with one arm shooting out to grab one of mine and the other barely holding on to the box of papers he was carrying. He missed my arm completely, grabbing the air while losing a few pieces of paper as he managed to regain his balance from the awkward momentum he had when he swung the door open.

            Time returned to normal once my had landed on the ground, softer than I had expected. I turned in time to see the guy bump into the opposite wall. A couple more papers fluttered down to the ground.

            “Are you okay?” he called out. He quickly walked over and held out his hand to help me up.

            “Yeah,” I quickly said. “I’m not hurt.”

            “Ah I’m sorry about that,” I said, scratching his head nervously. “I’ve left a few people needing ice packs in the past. It’s an unlucky door.” He grinned.

            “Uh, your papers,” I said, trying to distract myself and hide my face which was frozen in amazement and disbelief at who I happened to run into.

            Bending down, I gathered the papers that were strewn across the floor. He reached for the last page just before me, gently brushing my hand by accident as he picked it off the ground. The stack in my hand found its way into his as he returned them to his box.

            “Thank you,” he said as I straightened back up. “I was just moving out the last box of my things.”

            “Well, you don’t need to rush. I’m not in a hurry or anything. It’s my first day here anyways.”

            “Oh, you’re the new trainee?” He asked. “Ah, I’m sorry for causing so much trouble on your first day here. But hey, at least you can say you moved into Infinite’s very own Nam Woohyun’s recording room.”

            He put on a proud face for the both of us. “Anyways, I’ll see you around… Kim Hyejin,” he said as he looked on my nameplate. He gave a short wave and walked to the end of the hall and entered his new recording room.

            Once he closed the door behind him, I sighed and massaged the frozen expression on my face away. It was a miracle to meet Infinite’s Woohyun on my first day here. I was also able to get his old recording room. The thing was, he was my favorite artist of them all.

            I closed the door behind me as I walked into my room and sat in the chair in front of the plain desk with recording equipment sitting patiently to be used. The room was about the same size as the elevator, but a bit more cramped from the desk and equipment. The walls were covered in soundproof material and had an empty corner with just enough space to keep a few small instruments on hand.

            At that moment, I leaned back in my chair and I felt like an official kpop artist. I smiled and took out a few wrinkled sheets of sheet music I had drafted out earlier.

            This took me a year to work on. Ever since I had made my decision to pursue music, I spent hundreds of hours working and revising this song to form it into the perfection that was spread out on my new desk.

            Just as my finger hovered above the ‘On’ button of the computer, I heard a knock on my door.

            “Yah, Woohyun,” a familiar voice called out from behind the door. “I think I left my phone in your room.”

            I got up from my comfortable chair right when I thought I could finally get started with my masterpiece.

            Opening the door, I almost hit Sunggyu in the face.