Winter closed the door behind her carefully, before making her way back the way she came from. There was a strange feeling in her heart that she could not quite grasp and that was somewhat unsettling. Mr Yoon had said that a fellow senior of hers got expelled because she was caught dating someone else in the company. This meant that the contract that she had signed was no joking matter. Once she crossed the line, she would be given a red card instead of a yellow one; it seemed that the company did not believe in giving second chances. Could this possibly mean that the rare opportunity of realising her dream could be taken away as easily as extinguishing a lighted match? Winter could not bear imagining such a situation happening to her. It had taken her a lot of will, courage, and tremendous luck to land herself in Fantagio Music and she was not going to lose it easily. She straightened her back in a determined posture, willing herself to be the best background dancer with the cleanest record in the company. However, a second voice—her voice— spoke truthfully and resentfully at the back of her head: But what was the point in achieving her dreams if she was always restricted by rules and regulations all the time? Surely even trainees were allowed to feel? Was it not too cruel for the company to restrict the blossoming of love and mutual feelings towards each other? Her spine curved and her shoulders hunched increasingly without her volition as she thought about the prison-like life she would have to endure for the next three months. That’s right Winter, you have no right to love for the next three months if you wish to stand on stage one day, she thought bitterly to herself.

            “Hey you! Get out of the way!” Winter jumped aside in surprise. A youthful teenager ran past her at the speed of lightning, disappearing into a corner. As he swept past her, Winter caught sight of an exuberant grin stretched across his pale face. Even though he passed her only for a second, it was enough for Winter to catch his details. He had jet black hair that ran into his eyes and he was dressed in a comfortable manner; with a simple white t-shirt and a black pair of jeans. While his dressing might seem a little too casual for the office, his extreme height gave away his identity and Winter knew he must be an idol.

            “Oi you!” it was another man, this time clearly a worker for the company. He looked around his mid-thirties, wearing rather shabby clothes and was grabbing his knees in an exhausted manner. It was obvious that he must have been running as well, seeing his hair plastered to his face with sweat. It took her another moment to realise that he was calling out for her. “Catch San Ha!” he shouted breathlessly, “catch him for me please! He is running away!”

            This time it required no time for Winter to register his request. She knew it was an urgent call for help because the man seemed like he could not continue to run any further, and she was the only one who could help this poor man out. Whatever the situation is, Winter thought, I better be rewarded for it, and she ran.

            She sprinted in the same direction as the teenager but was already too late. The few seconds of hesitation had given him the leeway to distance himself further from her and he was nowhere to be seen despite Winter’s attempts to find him. Think, Winter! she thought desperately, where would you go if you wanted to run away from the company? And then the answer hit her as soon as she thought it. Without another moment to waste, she took off again.

            By the time she reached the lobby, her back was plastered with sweat; because of the occupied lifts, Winter had no choice but to take the emergency stairs instead. Her skin tingled slightly in greeting to the icy cold air that filled the lobby, but she had no time to enjoy the cool. From the corner of her eye, she saw the sleeve of the white shirt disappear fleetingly around a corner. Gotcha! she thought triumphantly as she mastered the last burst of energy and sprinted towards him before flinging her body in his direction when she was close enough.

            The events that happened next seemed to stretch out in slow motion—at least for Winter. As she flew in mid-air, she heard a sudden intake of breath from behind her, then someone called out “Eun Woo!” sharply in a warning tone. The boy wearing the white t-shirt turned around in curiosity, then his eyes opened wide in surprise as he saw Winter flying towards him. Before he had time to stop it, however, both of them landed on the floor with a resounding ‘thump!’.

            Winter was aware of the sound of a quickened heartbeat pounding in her ears, but other