Kim Taeyeon stared out the window of the expensive rented limo, watching the buildings and people flash by as the vehicle traveled through the city. The sixteen year old ran her fingers through her chestnut tresses, bright onyx  irises twinkling. She smiled to herself, her child-like behavior becoming more apparent as her excitement grew. Taeyeon was a teen sensation, winning the famed SM Entertainment Singing Competition the previous year. She was known all through Korea, with her fame spreading into parts of Japan due to the company's promotions.

In fact, this event, well, contest, was another promotion for her. However, Taeyeon wasn't doing to for them. She wanted to be a judge for the contest, to find talent, and to find a few friends along the way. She was supposed to visit several schools and communities, finding the best singers and dancers. The top ten dancers and ten singers from each school would be trained for a week, then judged again. The top ten overall dancers and singers would be trained for a month, after which they would compete again for the chance to perform in a concert with her and other hit groups.

She didn't care much for the publicity stunts and recruiting, but she had to do it. She was looking forward to meeting new people and making friends. All she wanted was one true friend to sing with, to dance with... Yes, the fantastic Kim Taeyeon had other friends, well... acquaintances. She didn't really have anyone to talk to...

She sighed, her hand falling to her lap. She chewed on her lip slightly as the car neared the first destination. She took a breath and released it slowly, calming the butterflies in her stomach.

"Are you ready, Ms. Kim?"

"Always," she replied, smiling slightly as the driver pulled up to the old brick building and surrounding crowd held back by ropes and security. She smoothed her hair one final time as the door beside her opened. She flashed her widest smile, stepping out of the limo and waving as she made her way into the school. She ran her hands down the borrowed skirt, forcing the wrinkles out. She was led into a large auditorium, where several people waited for her. She shook each hand and bowed before she took a seat, smiling.

"Thank you so much for coming, Ms. Kim. It is a great honor to have you here."

"Thank you for having me! I'm really excited to be here. And please, call me Taeyeon." She continued chatting with the helpers, glancing through the stack of applications and pictures. There were so many,..

"Ms. K- I mean Taeyeon. Are you ready?"

"Always," she answered excitedly, straightening her jacket as most of the volunteers left, leaving her with two other judges. The two were chereographers and dancers themselves, there to help her with the dancing aspect of the competition. She greeted them cordially, pulling out a pen as the side door opened. She brushed her hair behind her shoulders, her heart fluttering as the first student entered. "Hi, you're Jung Jessica, correct? It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the girl responded, barely smiling in return. The icy and cool demeanor radiating from her was evident, but the pop star wasn't fazed at all. The girl took a step forward and took a breath, waiting a few seconds before she began to sing.

After the first few notes, Taeyeon had to repress a huge grin, jotting down a few notes. This was why she wanted to help with this: to discover new talent. "Thank you very much for coming!"

Jessica nodded, bowing respectfully before she left the stage.

Oh, this was going to be so much fun indeed...

"Sica, how did it go?"

"What's Taeyeon like?"

"Is she nice?"

"You'll find out soon enough," the girl retorted icily, moving the crowd outside the door. She took a seat on a bench down the hall, waiting for her younger sister and friends to finish. She rolled her eyes warily as she listened to the gaggle of girls fawn over the star. 'She wasn't that spectacular. She's cute, sure, but besides the voice and cuteness, Taeyeon's just like them.' She shook her head gently, leaning back to rest her head against the wall. 'I will never understand what they see in her...' Her eyes drifted shut slowly, her body tuning out the sounds of chatter and shuffling. 

"Sica? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Krystal. How was your audition?"

"Okay. Yours?"

"The same."

The younger girl took a seat beside her sister, sighing lightly. She pulled out a book, jotting down things in her notebook while the two waited in silence.

"Sica, Sica, Sica!! I'm positive I'm moving on! Taeyeon couldn't stop smiling!"

"That's great, Hyoyeon, but could you keep your voice down?"

"Don't tell me you were sleeping again! You sleep 26/7.."

"That's not even possible, Hyoyeon... Anyway, I'm sure you'll be going since you're the best dancer here."

The blonde grinned, plopping down beside the sisters. "Let's hope so!"

Jessica cringed, repressing the urge to rub her ear.

"Guys, guys, guys! I rocked it!" the long-legged girl sprinted over, short dark hair flying about her head. "I have to be going on!"

"Awesome, Sooyoung! You know what? I guarantee you one of us will win this thing."

"You know it!" Hyoyeon gave the other dancer a high-five, climbing up from her comfortable seat. "Let's get out of here. We can come back at the end to hear the results. I can't sit and listen to all of them..." she gestured to the growing mob, grimacing at the noise it created.

Jessica nodded in agreeance, rising and stretching as she rubbed her ears. They left as a group, heading to the Jung home for lunch and relaxation.

"Well, we've given our advice. The rest is up to you, Taeyeon. You have a couple of hours left to decide yourself."

"Thank you both so much! I'll do my best," Taeyeon promised, sliding out from behind the table as she took the stack of folders and papers off the desk. She took up a residence on the stage, scattering the applications across the floor. She started to sort through them thoughtfully, chewing slightly on her lip. There were several that stuck out for sure, and she promptly made a pile of those. After a a couple of hours of debating, she wrote the lists of the semi-finalists out, setting it on the table. She grinned, bouncing up from the old worn wooden floor. She repressed a happy giggle as she stretched, extremely happy with her choices. She made her way out of the auditorium through a back door, making her way to the cafeteria to eat with some of the volunteers.

"Hi, everyone! My name is Kim Taeyeon, and it has been an honor to come here to judge all of the talent here. I've chosen the people I think will do the best based on their voices, dance moves, and a few other factors. Now, before we get to the semi-finalists, I'll tell you what these people will be going through after this. They will be taken to the training facility in Seoul, where they will all practice together. Each will be given a song and routine to learn, and they will have a week with mentors and trainers to help them. They will perform again, and based on that performance, the top five from each category will be trained for the remainder of the month. The finalists will perform several songs and dances both solo and in groups. After this, the winners will be chosen by the country! So, without further ado, here we go! Good luck to everyone! The semi-finalists are: Jung Krystal, Jung Jessica, Kim Hyoyeon, Choi Sooyoung, Kim Hyuna..."

"Oh my god, we all made it!" Hyoyeon cheered, her and Sooyoung doing an impromptu victory dance amid the crowd.

Jessica rolled her eyes, smiling softly. She watched the two with an amused expression, running a hand through her hair.

"Congrats to everyone that made it, and thank you all for participating. I hope to see you all next year!" Taeyeon bowed, waving as she walked off the stage.

"We should go, Sica. We have to pack for Seoul! I hear it should be nice for the upcoming week!" Hyoyeon shrieked happily, pulling the icy teen away from the mob. "Our time is coming, and we have to be ready!"