*Ok. Take deep breaths. It will go good, don’t worry.* You reassured yourself for the fiftieth time the last hour.

“Kim Jin Ae.” One of the SM staff workers came up and called, holding a clipboard and glancing up from it.

The girl beside you stood and took a deep breath then went into the room. Your heart beat sped up once more. It was almost your turn.

*I can do this* You told yourself.

You had been practicing for hours and hours each day to get the spot on the new girl group being made by SM Entertainment.

You have been a trainee at the grand company for almost five years, and your hope that you would debut was diminishing. But you refused to give up fully. Which is exactly why you had worked the hardest you have ever worked this time around, wanting to make sure you could debut.

You heard the music start up in the evaluating room and you shut your eyes, tapping your foot to the beat of the other girl’s song in an attempt to calm your raging nerves.

Your phone suddenly buzzed in your back pocket and your eyes flew open. You slipped out your phone and a smile graced your lips as you saw it was one of your closest friends who had texted you: the one and only, EXO-M’s face, Lu Han

You two had met years ago as you had attended the same school and, together, you shared your dreams in wanting to become idols. But when Lu han debuted before you, you weren’t jealous, never. You were truly happy for him and just kept working hard so you could do as good as him.

You slid your finger across the screen and opened the message:

‘Good luck ^^ you will do great~ fighting :)’

You let out a breath you had unknowingly been holding and nodded your head slightly. Lu han was right. You will do great this time around, you deserved it.

“______” The lady came out and called your name as the previous girl exited the room, looking nervous.

You stood and shakily placed your phone into your bag and followed her into the room.

A table was set in the room, across from the mirror covered wall. A row of staff members were sitting there, including the famous Lee Soo Man.

You walked up and handed them your papers, showing your identification as an SM trainee. You, then, walked up to the stereos and put in the CD for the song you would be singing too.

The song you were planning on doing was I Love You by SNSD’s, very own lead singer, Taeyeon.

The first few notes for the song came on and you took a deep breath, ready to start singing.

You began the song with perfection, not a single note out of place.

You were overjoyed on the inside, happy at how well you were doing.

You hadn’t noticed your eyes flutter shut, as it did often when you started singing, until then. You slowly opened them, while continuing.

Your fingers twitched, abruptly, and you clasped your hands together tightly.

The judges... they didn’t look happy. Why? You didn’t know. Two of them were frowning deeply.

*Did I do something wrong?*

You took a shaky breath in between one of the notes but it proved to be too short of a breath and the next note, you couldn’t hold out.

Just like that, your perfection was ruined.

With that one mistake, you became even more careful. A little too careful, and you messed up again.

You weren’t doing good now, not at all.

You tried to concentrate on the singing but you were thinking too hard. The lyrics abruptly left your mind and you stuttered on the words, forgetting what to sing next.

But by the time you discovered what to sing, it was too late and when you tried to catch up, you were off tune.

The judges looked full out disappointed now and you felt your throat choke with sobs, desperately wanting to escape.

Your voice came out rasped and the ending lines of the song came, luckily, and you finished. You tried to swallow but your throat seemed too stuffed up as you tried not to let the tears come to your eyes.

It was silent in the room for a few seconds.

You couldn’t take it.

“I-I”, You started speaking, wanting to apologize, wanting another chance.

“I’m sorry.” One of the staff members cut you off. “I don’t think you are ready to debut.”

A few others nodded their heads.

You took in a breath. That was it. Their decision, it was final. Your eyes stayed on Lee Soo Man. He looked deep in thought, frowning as if he didn’t know what to do.

You were waiting. Pleading on the inside that he would say to give you another chance.

You had worked too hard for this and you couldn’t believe you screwed it up.

“Next.” The staff member said and you felt the tears threatening your eyes dangerously.

It wasn’t going to happen. You weren’t going to debut. As the lady let you out you let the tears fall, broken.

You didn’t know what to think anymore. You had worked so hard for this... and now. Now it was gone. Just a faraway dream that you would never reach, just like before.