...SME!

One of the best entertainment companies in South Korea, Star Museum Entertainment is famous for producing world-class artists such as BoA, TVXQ!, Super Junior, and many others. Rumour has it that being a trainee at S.M. Entertainment is a hard and grueling process, but the outcome always guarantees success and fame. You knew that you had the stength, both physically and mentally, to withstand whatever training they were to throw at you. You just knew it! You'll absorb it into your mind and body and as you...train as a...trainee...

Your excitement slowly boiled down to a simmer as you read the e-mail again, this time much more accurately. 

"Congratulations, Ms. __(l/n)__ __(f/n)__! 

After recieving your application and deliberating with our audition managers, you have been selected as a candidate to become a trainee at S.M. Entertainment. You have been invited to South Korea to participate in a face-to-face audition with our staff members. Should you decide to attend this audition, we will reimburse you for your round ticket to South Korea, and we will provide you with accomadations free of charge. Reply soon with your contact information and we will make the proper arrangements. Thank you." 

Your face met the wooden desk with a loud thump as your let out a groan, both in pain and disappointment. A "candidate to become a trainee" is what you had become, not a trainee. Your hopes had once again been dashed. 

"Oh you, up there in the heavens! Why do you tempt me so?!" you lamented dramatically, tilting your head up and throwing your arms up towards the ceiling. Sighing, you plopped your elbows onto the desk and laid your chin into your palms, staring at the computer screen to read the e-mail for a third time. Well, even if you weren't a trainee yet, you had still taken one more step, however tiny, towards your dream. You were getting there. A little slower than your liking, but you were definitely getting there. 

Suddenly, a thought crossed your mind. 'What if I go to Korea, do the audition, but don't become a trainee?' 

Frowning, you tried to keep your confidence, but your mind kept on thinking of your possible failure. If this opportunity didn't work out for you, you would have to start again from scratch. What if...what if you applied to another entertainment company in the meantime? There was YGE, home to artists such as Big Bang, 2NE1, and PSY, both major hits at home and abroad. There was also JYP, an entertainment company filled to the brim with star-studded idols such as the Wonder Girls, Miss A, 2PM and 2AM. There were also many, many other smaller companies to choose from, all who would undoubtedly try their hardest to lead you to success. Sighing, you pulled up the application you had written out for SME. Resting your hands on the keyboard, you...

CHOICES:  ...sent in your application to another company. (specify)  |  OR  |  ...deleted your application, deciding not to send it to any other company. 

Finishing your work on the computer, your turned off your laptop and closed it. You grabbed your duffle bag, wallet, keys, and a stale croissant, heading down the stairs and out the door to catch the bus. 

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You sat on the worn wooden floor with your legs out in front of you, leaning over with a groan as you stretched out your stiff muscles. The burn searing the back of your legs was a loud wake-up call for your body to get ready for another intense dance session. 

"Getting a little old, now are we, __(y/n)__?" You turned your head and shot the tall boy standing behind you a withering glare. Kevin simply chuckled at your reaction, reaching down to ruffle your already mused hair. 

"Be grateful that you're not as tall as me," Kevin added with a smirk. "Having shorter legs makes it less painful." You huffed at him as he continued ginning down at you, swinging your legs around in an attempt to bring the giant back to a normal person's height. Kevin was one of your closest friends at dance class, as well as the tallest person you knew in real life. The abnormal Chinese boy stood at 188cm, towering over absolutely everyone in the class. His height (in comparison to yours) was always a topic of friendly banter between the two of you. 

"I'd kick you in the ...but I can't kick that high," you muttered. Kevin stared at you for a total of 2 seconds before bursting out into hysterics, roaring with laughter while garnering strange looks from the rest of the dancers in the studio. 

"Oh god... __(y/n)__, that was a good one. Never heard that one before." As he wiped a tear away from his eye, you couldn't help but crack a small grin of your own. Kevin's laughter was as contagious to you as the common cold, one of the factors that made you such good friends; he always knew how to make you smile. 

'I wonder if I should tell Kevin about my e-mail from SME...' Like you, Kevin had also applied to SME. Both of you were heading down the same road, holding tight the same dream of becoming K-pop idols. Curiosity ebbed away at you as you wondered if Kevin had also gotten an offer to audition in Korea. What if he hadn't gotten an e-mail? Would he be angry that you did? Sad? 

However, before you could voice your questions and concerns towards Kevin, a loud slam reverberated across the room as the wooden door make contact with the wall for the umpteenth time. You, along with most everyone, flinched and cringed. Ms. Cho was here. 

'''kay, listen up you bunch of lazy kids!" The buzz of the class quieted down to hear what the intimidating woman had to say. 

"So...the director reminded me that the audition for the chroeography gropup is next week. He told me to tell you guys to be ready, not to embarass the company, so on, so forth. Just the usual. I know you guys'll whoop of everyone else there anyways." You turned to Kevin, extremely confused. What audtion? What choreography group? What the heck was she talking about?! It seemed that Kevin, as well as everyone else in the room, was just as perplexed as you. One of the girls on the other side of the room tentatively raised her arm. Ms. Cho raised her everybrow in response. 

"What, are we in a classrom? Just shout it out, Sarah!" Sarah's arm shot down quickly, blushing as she recieved a few snickers from around the room. 

"Uhm...Ms. Cho...? What audition are you talking about?" Your instructor blinked, looked around at the blank faces around the room, and blinked again. 

"Are you guys serious? I told you about this last week! How could you forget?" Ms. Cho shook her head at the group. "I even photocopied and handed out the forms. Seems like I just wasted my time with you lot." 

You furrowed your eyebrows and frowned. Ms. Cho never held a high opinion in your books, but she was taking this a little too far. "Ms. Cho, none of us forgot anything. You didn't tell us about whatever audtion you're talking about." 

Ms. Cho turned towards you and scowled. "We'll discuss this after class. We're already 10 minutes behind schedule. Get into your positions everyone!" 

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Your breath came out raspy and ragged, your hand coming up to wipe away the sweat trickling down your neck. Slumped on the floor next to you was Kevin, his chest rising and falling as fast as yours in an attempt to calm his own heartrate. Strict teacher or not, a good work-out was always a wonderful way of clearing your thoughts. Your eyes trailed after Ms. Cho as she grabbed her her things and walked out of the studio, towards the staff room no doubt. Soon, one of the dance studio's more gentle and friendly instructors walked into the humid room, giving the class an apologetic smile as she made her way in front of the mirrored wall. 

"Sorry about that guys, Ms. Cho's been having a rough week. The audition this class has yet to be informed of is being offered by a local dance company. They're holding auditions at various studios across the city, searching for dancers to join their newest choreography group." Murmur erupted from the class and you gave Kevin a nudge on the leg while turning towards him.  He raised an eyebrow at you and titled his head, obvously just as interested as everyone else. The teacher standing at the front shushed the room and continued. 

"This dance company is hoping to use this new choreography group to break into the music industry. They're hoping to present their choreography to celebrities around the world and increase their esteem as a well-renowned company. The studio director wanted the auditions to be held here because he has faith in your skill as dancers." She smile and started handing out the forms. 

"I'm sorry for the late notice, but the deadline for applications is tomorrow. Be sure to hand them in before the studio closes for the day!" After distributing the last of the sheets, she ambled her way out the door, leaving you and the rest of your class in an excited, rowdy commotion. 

Kevin scooted over to you and poked you in the side. Jumping away in shock, you rubbed your side and glared at him. This jerk! He knew you were ticklish beyond belief... Ignoring the rays of imminent death directed at him, Kevin tapped the paper with the tip of his finger. 

"It says here that these applications were issued 2 months ago. Man is Ms. Cho a slow teacher." He got to his feet, crouching at your level before unfolding himself upwards to stretch out his tired body. Offering a hand to you, you scrunched up your face and pouted up at him, slapping away his hand and getting up by yourself. Kevin raised his eyebrows at you and scoffed lightly, smirking at your childish act. 

"Well... I for one am not interested. I've got stuff to do that day anyways." A yawn was muffled by his large hand as he started towards the building's exit. You followed him while glancing over the application once more. Thinking it through, you realized that this would be a safe alternative to auditioning for S.M. Entertainment. It was a fall back in case of failure. Failure... You frowned, your uncertainties manifesting once again now that your mind wasn't focused on dancing. Kevin noticed your frown and gave you a curious look. 

"What's wrong __(y/n)__? You usually would have cracked a sarcastic remark at me by now. Usually something about either my height or my mother." 

"It's nothing... Don't worry about it Kevin." He shrugged and headed towards the street crossing. 

"Well, see you soon short stuff. Don't get run over by any vehicles on your way home. They might not be able to see you over their dashboards as you're crossing the road." You growled at him and smacked him on the arm. 

"I'm not that short!" Kevin laughed and placed his hand on top of your head. 

"Just get home safely, okay?" You rolled your eyes at him but smiled anyways. 

"Yeah, yeah grandpa. I'll get home in one piece." He feigned a moment of shock and clutched at his chest, pulling a laugh from you at his antics. 

"Now that...that one hurt, __(y/n)__. You're getting way too good at this." Grinning at him, you turned him around and gave him a little push. 

"I only learn from the best! Hurry up and go home, Kevin. Your mother misses you." Chuckling, he waved at you as he crossed the intersection and headed towards the bus stop at the end of the street. 

Waiting for the signal to turn so you could head down the perpendicular street, you held the application form up and looked at it again. 

'Auditions at iDance Studios will be held on June 13th at 3pm.'

'I'm supposed to go shopping with Christine on that day...' You gnawed at your lip as you deliberated. You and Christine, a smart-mouthed and outspoken girl at your school, had a...love-hate relationship. Your friendship with her went through phases, and right now it was calm and peaceful between you two. You really didn't want to start fighting with her again so soon after making up. But then again, this audition...

CHOICES:  "I'll go. She'll understand, right?"  |  OR  |  "I made a promise with her already. I can't break it."

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Just a reminder for you guys that your choices not only affect your chances of becoming an idol, but also what happens AFTER you become one (if that's the path we are lead to). I'll give you a hint to work the gears in your mind:

Most K-pop idols are uncomfortable with seeing pictures and videos of themselves from before their debut. Sometimes, these pictures and videos cause controversies and/or hurt their image.

Also keep in mind what kind of personality you will want to portray to the public. If I feel that you guys are stuck or need a little boost, I'll help you and give you more hints. However, I'm really interested in what kind of conspiracy theories you guys'll concoct, so work your brains and come up with some hypothetical situations. Discuss and comment! You never know, you might even think of something that completely slipped my mind. :3