All too soon, the day of the auditions was here before Winter knew it. Winter stood in the familiar lobby of Fantagio building, her stomach making that queasy feeling as if it was tied into a knot. She placed a sticky hand on her stomach, fully regretting eating a full bowl of ginseng chicken that her mother made for her for lunch. The lobby that she was in was vastly different from the one she visited before. Previously, there was nobody present except for the receptionist, and the atmosphere had been cold and still, as if Winter had just stepped into a prison. Now, the room looked smaller as a large group of people were scattered about all four corners of the room. There was a long queue in front of her that stretched and bent at certain areas where the lobby was too small to accommodate so many people. Gingerly, Winter joined the back of the queue.

              After twenty minutes, Winter found herself in a waiting room a few storeys above the lobby. The moment the door opened, she was greeted with a wave of stillness and unfamiliarity. The room was neatly arranged with rows of chairs, and despite the room being completely filled with people, there was a certain hostile silence in the atmosphere that pricked at Winter’s senses. She hesitated at the door, unsure of how she should react in a room where everyone seemed to eye her with pure scrutiny. After a short moment, she felt her spine crack mutely as she bowed in greeting. She straightened up gingerly; some people had ignored her entirely while others were staring at her with befuddled expressions. What did I hope to achieve by bowing? Winter scolded herself inwardly, this a competition, not a friendly gathering! She took a seat uncomfortably on the nearest chair she could find and realised with a jolt the intensity of the competition that she was facing.

              Even though the participants were seated quietly without a word, and Winter had no idea where their skills and abilities lie, she could sense that some people had characteristics that made them befitting of idols. A girl seated two seats away from Winter had gorgeous black hair that ended in natural curls at her waist, and her nose bridge was tall enough for someone to walk on it. Another boy who turned around momentarily captured Winter’s attention due to his beautifully shaped lips and face shape that clearly resembled a “V”. It was clear that almost everyone in the room with her were teenagers, the youngest that Winter could find being a young girl that she guessed barely even reached her waist-height. Winter gulped unnecessarily, finally understanding the reason for the stillness in the room. Everyone who were prepared to audition to be idols had clear idol-like qualities or had outstanding talent in the area of dancing or singing. Winter, on the other hand, had none of these qualities. She possessed neither shocking visuals nor talent that could assist her in outperforming the other candidates. The only thing that brought her here, she realised belatedly, was partly due to her slight interest in dancing, and her mother’s blatant persistence to not lose this amazing opportunity. Feeling demoralised, Winter placed her head in her hands, not knowing what to expect.

           “Winter Lee,” a sharp voice caused Winter to jump in her seat. “Next candidate, Winter Lee. Kindly take your belongings and head through the front door.”

            Her feet moved before she set her mind to it and before long, she found herself standing behind the door, her hand placed on the cool metal of the doorknob. Even though she had her back to the room, the accumulation of many pairs of eyes staring at her back still sent a chill to her spine. She took a deep breath—this is it. You’re giving your best shot— and twisted the doorknob.

               The first thought that crossed her mind when she entered the other room was that it was unexpectedly small and dim, like they decided to use the dirtiest, oldest dance studio to hold their auditions. It was a basic dance studio, Winter thought, since one face of the wall was completely mirrored and the flooring was well-oiled, but definitely not one that Winter would choose to practic