“You should be studying!”

“Thanks for the support, best friend. Love you!” Daphne dashed out of the apartment quickly before Scarlett had time to lecture her once more.

Scarlett was very straightforward with people; if she thought something was a bad idea, she would flat out say it, so it was no surprise that she reminded Daphne everyday what a colossal mistake she was making. Daphne had to admit: Scarlett was right to worry. Daphne was in the process of her bachelor’s degree and now her pile of work exponentially increased with the daily dancing practices she was expected to attend.

Daphne was not entirely set on becoming a doctor, however. She always toyed with the idea because it was what her parents wanted her to do--not what she had decided for herself. She wanted to fulfill her parents’ wishes, but what about her happiness? What if she didn’t want to become a doctor? What if she went through medical school, realizing that it wasn’t for her? By that time, it would be already too late to flip flop between careers and she would be left with an unfulfilling career, which is why Daphne decided to pursue the dancing auditions. She had always loved to dance, but she found herself giving up that aspiration in order for school. She felt that she needed to do something with this skill and passion that she has instead of repressing such a talent. Daphne realized that she was living life too safely, so she took a risk and decided to reprise her life as a dancer.

It was a beautiful autumn day in Seoul. Red and orange leaves were elegantly scattered throughout the streets, giving off a warm feeling. Daphne breathed in the air excitedly, feeling the clean air in her lungs as she made her way to dance practice. Daphne had to admit: she was a bit tired, especially since she was going to practice after such a hectic day of school, but she didn’t want to let fatigue ruin her good mood, despite knowing that the day was going to be a long one.

She walked for what seemed to be seven blocks, her chest heaving with heavy pants, feeling her clothes sticking to her skin.

“I should get a driver’s license here...” she mumbled to herself as she forced herself to continue walking. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought all this crap.”

The backpack that Daphne was carrying was filled with textbooks, notebooks, and extra clothes. She figured that since practice ended so late, she might as well do homework there as well after practice.

Daphne turned a corner and at long last, she finally saw it: the Cube Entertainment building in all of its glory. With newfound motivation, she eagerly walked to the front door.

“Hi,” Daphne shyly approached the front desk at Cube Entertainment. “I’m one of the new back up dancers?”



“Welcome!” the secretary greeted Daphne warmly, sending her a smile. “The practice rooms are on the fourth floor to your right. There should be signs to guide you the way.”

“Thank you,” said Daphne, receiving a nod from the secretary.

As she approached the elevator, her enthusiasm began to erode away only to be replaced by apprehension and dread.

“What if the other dancers don’t like me? Oh, God, what if I ?” Daphne thought uneasily as she got into the elevator. “Oh, man, what did I get myself into? Is it too late to go back and quit?”

She quickly shook herself of these negative thoughts and tried to regain her composure as the elevator doors opened to the fourth floor. Daphne stepped out and decided that instead of creating all of this unnecessary tension and worry, she was going to get it over with.

She turned to her right and immediately saw the sign that said “Practice Room” near the door. Daphne noticed that there was a rectangular window on the door. Curious, she tiptoed and peeked through the window to discover what she was getting into.

The room looked like a typical but spacious practice with the full length mirrors and hardwood floors. Although practice did not start yet, there were a quite a few people in the room. They were all stretching and chatting amongst each other as if they were already familiar with one another, which only made Daphne feel even more uneasy.

Daphne took a deep breath and opened the door quietly. She just hoped that the other dancers would accept her.

“Hi,” Daphne said, trying to sound as kind as possible, “my name is Daphne Park. I’m new here.”

“Hi!” a tall and slender girl wearing loose sweats and a white v-neck walked towards her, giving her hand to Daphne to shake. “I’m Ji Hee.”

“Nice to meet you,” Daphne smiled. She couldn’t help but notice how tall Ji Hee was. She towered over Daphne, being almost a head taller than her. Ji Hee’s height was beautifully accented with her long, flowing, chestnut hair that fell at her waist elegantly. Feeling suddenly conscious, Daphne tried smoothing out the tangles in jet black hair that hung loosely in a ponytail around her shoulder.

“It’s always nice to have new people in the family!” Ji Hee exclaimed, bringing Daphne towards the crowd of dancers in the middle of the room. “Yah, you guys, settle down. This is Daphne Park, one of our new recruitments!”

“Hello,” everyone recited, making Daphne feel almost overwhelmed.

“Hi,” Daphne replied sheepishly. She was never good with meeting new people, especially in such a large crowd. “I’m Daphne Park.”

However, it seemed like Daphne was worried for no reason at all. Most of the dancers were extremely friendly, trying their best to make Daphne feel like part of the family. Daphne smiled broadly, feeling extremely comfortable with the people around her. Surprisingly, she was being more social than she thought could be to her relief. Everyone’s conversations were cut short, however, as Ji Hee called their attention.

“Okay, guys! Practice!”

Slumped in the corner of the room, Daphne was extremely exhausted, sweat dripping down her face, her tank top and shorts sticking to her body like glue. She downed her water bottle with fervor, feeling the need to quench .

“Take it easy, yeah?” Ji Hee grinned at Daphne, sitting beside her against the wall. “Good practice, Daphne. You’re a natural. Glad we found you.”

“Thanks,” replied Daphne. “I was so afraid I wasn’t going to keep up with you guys.”

“Oh please,” Ji Hee chuckled softly, amazed at Daphne’s modesty. “Hey, what are you doing afterwards? The group wants to go out and get to know our newbies a little bit more! What do you say?”


Daphne hesitated and frowned. It was very tempting to say yes in order to get her mind off of the stress, but she knew better. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can. I have so much homework to do after this. I don’t think I have enough energy to go out.”

“Well, that’s a bummer,” Ji Hee said. She looked around the floor and noticed a huge backpack. She picked it up and pointed. “This is yours?” Daphne nodded and Ji Hee continued, “Wow, what did you put in it?”

“It’s mostly books,” Daphne explained, letting out a chuckle. “I plan on staying here a while longer to practice a little bit more and I figure might as well do my homework here too.”

“Wow, do you plan on sleeping here too?”


“Do they mind if I do?”

Ji Hee laughed and patted Daphne on the back. “You can, but I don’t know if you should be doing it every night. Well, I’ll see you later. We’re gonna leave now.”

“Bye, Ji Hee.”

“Bye, Daphne! Good luck with school, but don’t kill yourself, kid.”

Daphne laughed and waved goodbye to the other dancers as they walked out of the room. Within a few minutes, Daphne was left alone.  Sighing loudly to herself, she took her towel and dabbed her still sweaty face as she placed her black rimmed glasses in place. She grabbed her backpack and laid out all her books on the floor.

“It’s going to be a long night,” Daphne thought, but she refused to give up.

A/N: Ahh, sorry this story is starting out so slow. TT. I meant to put Yoseob in this chapter, but I felt like the chapter would be too long so I split it up. I'll be updating again later to night to make it up. :* Thanks to everyone reading! I really appreciate it. ^^.