“Yoona, please calm down,” the younger whispered, a hand resting on the other’s slim arm.

“She’s right on the other side of the wall, Juhyun! I can’t! What if I mess up? This is my only chance!”

“You’ll do great, no matter what happens. You always have a way of making mistakes look like part of the routine,” Juhyun reassured softly, squeezing her friend’s arm gently before dropping her hand back to her side. She brushed her long, dark hair over behind her shoulders, smiling lightly at her companion.

“Aww… Thanks, Juhyun,” Yoona mumbled, hugging her friend quickly. She gave a small smile in return as she let go, shaking out her limbs as she glanced around the room again in nervousness.

“Im Yoona!”

“That’s me! See you on the other side!” she grinned, heading inside to face her fate.

“Seo Juhyun?”

She answered with a polite bow and smile, standing in front of the panel of judges at last. “Yes.”

Taeyeon smiled, jotting something down quickly. “Okay, you can start whenever you’d like!”

Juhyun waited a few heartbeats then began her own rendition of her favorite song, voice strong although quiet.

“Thank you very much!”

“Did you see her? She’s just as pretty as she looks on TV!”

“I wish I was as pretty as her…”

“Have you heard her sing live? O.M.G!”

“I know! She sounds amazing!”

“Miyoung! She’s really here! Are you excited?” Sunny gushed, clapping her hands together. She flicked her long dark hair over her shoulder, grinning ear to ear.

“Sun, you look even more like a pixie when you do that,” Yuri teased, stretching her limbs beside them.

“Shut it, Black Bean!”

Stephanie laughed, running her thin fingers through her russet locks. She watched the growing mob surround them, sighing lightly as she moved closer to her friends. “How many people do you think are auditioning?”

“A lot,” the shortest answered, dark eyes glancing up at the other. “Don’t worry. If you sing like you do on a bad day, you’ll win.”

Miyoung flashed her a genuine smile, taking a calming breath as the doors opened slowly. With each passing minute her heart sped up, pounding loudly in her ears. The crowd started to thin after some time, people coming in and out with various squeals and cheers.

“Hwang Miyoung!”

“That’s you! Go!” her friends gave her a nudge, forcing her forward.

Stephanie swallowed the lump in , feet moving of their own free will. She entered the room, a little shocked at the figure at the center of the table. Long, flowy chocolate locks framed the young, fresh face, onyx eyes sparkling in the overabundance of light. Her pale flawless skin seemed to glow, shimmering in the bright stage lights. Stephanie’s eyes went wide for a moment in shock, but she quickly recovered, stepping before them. ‘O.M.G., she’s gorgeous…’

“Hwang Miyoung?” Even her voice made an impact on her, her heart pounding harder beneath her chest.

“Y-yes,” she answered softly, hands clasped in front of her.

“Okay. You can begin whenever you’d like.”

Stephanie nodded, taking a deep calming breath.

As the other sang, Taeyeon had to restrain from jumping out of her seat, controlling her giddiness.  ‘She’s amazing! She’ll definitely make it far… Not to mention she’s kind of cute… Long hair with a slight wave… Gorgeous eyes… Bright smile… Enough, Taeyeon! Focus!’ She smiled widely, putting a huge grinning face next to the girl’s name. “Thanks for trying out!”

Miyoung flashed a genuine smile, bowing respectfully before taking her leave.

‘Did you see that?!’ Taeyeon’s heart fluttered within her chest. ‘No. no crushing on the recruits… But…” She gave a soft sigh, switching files. “Lee Sunkyu, please?”

Two days later, all of the semi-finalists were taken into the company dormitories in Seoul, luggage in hand as they climbed the stairs.

“This will be your floor. If you make it into the finals, you may have to switch rooms, but it’s better than moving floors,” Taeyeon informed them as the large procession crowded around her. “Now, you’re assigned rooms with people that aren’t from your school. That way you can meet and interact with new people. Okay, now let’s see… Lee Sunkyu and Kim Hyoyeon-”

“Sunny, if you don’t mind,” one of the shorter girls muttered, stepping forward.

“Sunny it is, then. You have room 401. 402 is Seo Juhyun and Choi Sooyoung. 403, Kwon Yuri and Im Yoona. 404, Hwang Stephanie and Jung Jessica. 405, Jung Krystal and Kim Hyuna…” she continued rambling off roommates, handing each a set of keys. She smiled happily, excited for them all. “Oh, and if you have any problems, questions, or need someone to talk to, my door is always open. It’s number 202. Okay, well I’ll give you time to unpack and get acquainted. I’ll be back in two hours to take you to dinner. Have fun!” She waved as each pair disappeared into their rooms, grinning. ‘This is going to be so much fun!’

“I’m Stephanie, or Miyoung.”

“Jessica,” the other replied, bowing slightly as she dropped her bag onto one of the beds. She ran a hand through her ponytail, inspecting the room closely.

“I don’t mean to pry, but are you-”

“American? Yes.”

“Really? Me, too… I was born in California.”

“So was I.” The two began to chat quietly as they put their clothing away and got settled.

“I’m Yuri! Nice to meet you!”

“Yoona, and it’s nice to meet you, too,” the other answered, pulling her things free from its prison inside her bag.

“Are you a dancer?”

“How’d you guess?”

“Wardrobe,” she laughed, holding her own up. They both laughed, starting to talk as they quickly unpacked.

“Hello, my name is Juhyun,” the younger introduced quietly, bowing respectfully to her roommate.

“I’m Sooyoung… You don’t have to be so formal, you know. I’m sure we’ll be friends in no time.” The other gave a soft smile, making the taller grin lightly. “See? That’s a start. So, where are you from?”

“Hyoyeon.”

“Sunny.”

“So…”

“You’re a dancer?”

“Yep. You?”

“No. Singer.”

“Ah… How’d you guess I dance?”

“Are you kidding? Most people who just sing don’t have muscles and abs like yours!”

The blonde laughed, lightly resting a hand on the smaller’s shoulder. “We’re gonna get along just fine!”

It didn’t take long for friendships to form, the most obvious being Yuri and Yoona. They were pulling pranks on each other and on their friends, their childlike and mischievous behavior and attitudes bonding them together. The girls flitted between rooms, laughter and chatter filling the hall.

Taeyeon grinned, enjoying the positive atmosphere immensely. ‘I hope it stays like this…’ “Hey everyone! It’s time for dinner!” It took only a matter of moments for the girls to flood the corridor, locking their rooms behind them. The singer led them down to the dining hall, chatting about living there and giving advice. “I’m sorry, but I will have to leave you all now. I have a few things of my own to take care of before the end of the day. Enjoy your meal, and don’t forget that I’ll come up to get you at 6 AM for your first day of training!”

“I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Yuri gushed, flailing slightly in excitement.

Her roommate smiled, nodding in agreement. “Most definitely!”

“Hey, Yuri, who’s this?”

“Yoona, meet Sunny and Stephanie, my classmates and best friends.”

Yoona bowed, smiling. “Hi!”

The other two greeted her in return, taking a seat across from them.

“Yoona, may I join?”

“Of course, Juhyun! This is my best friend, Juhyun. Juhyun, this is Yuri, Sunny, and Stephanie.”

“Hello,” the younger said quietly, bowing in greeting. She, too, joined the growing group, listening to the others chat.

“Who’s your roommate again, Miyoung?” Sunny asked, taking a small bite of the food before her.

“Her name’s Jessica… It’s funny because we were born in the same hospital in California.”

“That’s kinda cool,” Yuri added, stretching.

“Is she the one over there scowling at the blonde two tables over?”

“Mhm…”

“Who are the other two?”

“One is my roomie Hyoyeon. She’s the blonde.”

“The other is Sooyoung, my roommate.”

“That Jessica doesn’t seem that nice…” Sunny frowned, watching the three others.

“She comes off cold at first, but she’s a lot nicer than what she seems,” Stephanie reassured her, glancing over, too.

“Should we ask them to join us?” Juhyun mumbled softly, a small frown appearing.

“Yeah! It never hurts to ask!” Yoona agreed.

“I’ll ask Jessica,” Miyoung volunteered, standing swiftly. She approached the other three respectfully, chatting with them softly. Eventually, they all nodded, the table now growing to hold eight. They all started to chat with each other, a bond slowly forming between them all as they laughed and swapped information.

“You know, I never thought I’d actually make some new friends,” Sunny muttered, smiling as she looked at each of the girls.

“Me either,” several agreed at once, making them giggle.

“No matter what happens, I hope everyone does well,” Miyoung whispered.

“I’ve got an idea!” Yoona suddenly declared, clapping her hands together. “We should make up a saying or something, just for our group.”

“So even if we’re competing-”

“We’re still friends and cheering each other on.”

“Yeah!”

“Well, what about…” They all fell silent, thinking for a moment before each suggested a few names and phrases.

“I like Miyoung’s ,” Hyoyeon mentioned, running a hand through her long blonde tresses.

“Me, too.”

“Are we all agreed?” They all nodded, hands moving to hover over the center of the table. “On 3. 1, 2, 3, fighting!”