October 16, 2005

It’s time to send another one.

Jaemi held the brown envelope tightly as she walked to the post office for the tenth time that year.

“Oh Jaemi-yah! You’re here again?” Jaemi nodded as the familiar smiling face behind the counter asked her. “I’m assuming it’s to the same address.”

“Neh, to SM Entertainment please,” Jaemi requested as she passed the envelope to the lady behind the counter. The lady gave a knowing smile as she took the envelope from her.

“You do this every month, I hope your determination pays off one day.”

Jaemi shrugged before she bowed, saying, “Neh, kamsahamnida.”

“Emi? What are you doing here?” she heard a voice call behind her. Jaemi turned at the sound of the familiar voice.

“Oh Umma!” Jaemi’s eyes widened as she saw her mother in front of her. “I thought you were supposed to be running an errand.”

“Yeah, my errand was to mail something to your aunty,” her mum stared at her suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, about that,” Jaemi said sheepishly, “We ran out of chocolates at home and I was thinking some ice-cream would go well with the garlic bread we have at home,” she babbled.

“At a post office?” Her mother crossed her arms. “Jaemi, you’re talking nonsense. What are you hiding that you have to be nervous about?”

“Umma, don’t you feel like eating some ice-cream right now?” Jaemi said as she hurried her mother out of the post office, desperately trying to change the subject. “I know a great ice-cream shop around here!”

Once out of the post office, her mother turned to face her.

“Ahn Jaemi, just what are you doing here?” Her voice was stern, and Jaemi knew that she was in trouble. She knew she wasn’t allowed to go out without permission. Her mother also rarely used her full name, usually just calling her ‘Emi’, so Jaemi knew she was serious this time.

Jaemi looked down at her feet, her mother still staring at her with her arms crossed.

“I… I wanted to send an application form to SM Entertainment.”

“For what?” Her mother asked, her voice rising a little.

“I just thought it would be good to try my luck…” Jaemi said.

“And for how long have you been doing this?” Her mother was starting to sound like an interrogation officer.

“A year,” Jaemi deadpanned, not looking at her mother.

“Since you want to do this so much, why not just go for a walk-in audition when we go to Seoul to visit your aunty next week?” Her mother said sharply before simply walking away, expecting Jaemi to follow her.

Jaemi just stood rooted to the ground and watched her mother walk away, not knowing if she was being serious or not.

January 11, 2008

“Noona, you have to audition again!” Soojin’s twin brother, Taejun, exclaimed. “You sing so well, and you love music, it’d be a waste if you didn’t audition! You’ll be accepted!” Soojin was in her room, and it had to be the tenth time her brother had tried persuading her that day. However, Soojin kept her eyes glued on the book she was currently reading, not paying attention to him.

"I auditioned before, remember? I didn't get through," Soojin said nonchalantly.

"There's no harm trying again," Taejun pointed out.

“Fine, I'll audition again.”

“Jinjja? When?” Taejun asked, excited.

“On February 30!” Soojin let out a hearty laugh. Taejun pouted, aware that he was being trolled again.

Taejun smirked as an idea began to form in his head. Naturally sitting on their sofa, he took out his phone and positioned it in such a way that looked like he was casually texting someone.

“Noona, sing for me,” he demanded.

“Why should I?”

"I'll keep pestering you to audition if you don't," Taejun threatened.

Soojin sighed and opened , slowly and softly singing the chorus of her current favourite song, IU's MIA.

"Ssodajineun bimureun nal hanchi apdomod bogehae, mora chinuen barameun, danhan geoleumdo modgagehae, byeorang ggeute, seoinneun deushi, nan museowo ddeolgo itjiman, jageun dusoneul moeun naegidonuen hana bboniya, dorawa~"

Unknown to her, her brother had hit the record the button as soon as she had started singing. Taejun gave a cheeky grin as he saved the video.

"Thanks Noona," he said as he stood up. "I'll keep my side of the bargain now." Taejun headed for the door, ruffling Soojin's hair on the way out. Soojin made a face and smacked his hand lightly.

As soon as he left the room, Taejun ran to his room and switched his computer on. If his sister wasn't going to send her audition video herself, he was going to do it for her.

He was almost done with the application form and the uploading of the video when Soojin came to his room.

"Taejun-ah, did you see my piano score book? My lesson starts in 30 minutes but-" Soojin caught sight of the screen. "Yah! What are you doing?" She frantically tried to grab the mouse to close the window but Taejun was faster. He finished typing his last word and was about to press 'send' when Soojin pulled his arm back. The two began fighting over the mouse and not long after, Soojin clicked on what she thought was 'delete'.

"Noona........ you clicked 'send'."

January 23, 2008

“Myun Hong-ah! It’s your turn to sing now!” Her friends cheered as Myun Hong blushed. She knew her friends loved her voice and they would always request for her to sing.

“I don’t know what song to sing…” Myun Hong replied shyly as she and her usual group of friends made their way home like they did everyday. They had this habit of taking turns to sing on their way home everyday, and her friends always anticipated her turn.

“Sing what you’re best at then, IU unnie’s Good Day,” her friends suggested at once. Myun Hong smiled as she processed the lyrics of the song in her mind.

“Eojjeom ireoke haneureun deo paran geonji, oneoulttara wae, barameun tto wanbyeokhanji,” Myun Hong started singing softly but confidently. ”Geunyang moreuneun cheok hana, motdeureun cheok, jiwobeorin cheok ttan yaegil sijakhalkka, amu mal motage immatchulkka~” her voice was similar to IU’s, allowing her to pull off the song almost perfectly. She sang the whole song with her friends cheering her on, not aware that she had caught someone’s attention.

“Excuse me…” A man in his thirties abruptly interrupted Myun Hong as she was singing. Her friends jumped a little, worried that he was not a decent man. The man stared weirdly at her friends, as if he was wondering why they were acting that way, before continuing, “you sing really well. You remind me of SNSD’s Taeyeon, and your voice reminds me of IU.” He smiled, and Myun Hong subtly backed away, starting to be wary of him.

The man seemed to understand Myun Hong’s fear, and he quickly fished a name card out from his shirt pocket before hastily continuing, “I’m a representative from SM Entertainment.” Her friends made a few audible gasps, and Myun Hong quickly shushed them up.

She turned back to the man. “Isn’t SM Entertainment in Seoul? Why would a casting agent be here in Mokpo?” She daringly asked, still not believing his identity.

The agent chuckled. “Is a casting agent not allowed to return to his hometown to visit his family?” Myun Hong kept quiet, and the casting agent gave her his name card. “We hope to be able to see you at the audition next week. It will be held at the SM head building in Apkujeong, Seoul.”

Myun Hong looked at the card in her hand and nodded subconsciously. The casting agent smiled and said, “then I’ll make a move first.”

Once the agent was out of sight, Myun Hong’s friends erupted into cheers.

“Myun Hong-ah! You just got scouted!”

“You now can join Jun Hong in SM!”

“You’ll be accepted for sure!”

Myun Hong was still in a daze. “But Jun Hong made me audition last year and I wasn’t accepted. I can’t believe I got scouted.”

“Maybe this is fate, Myun Hong-ah. I heard they treat scouted trainees better than the ones who auditioned.”

November 19, 2008

Rain, one of the best things of mother nature. Hae Ra thought as she began her walk home, holding her umbrella as she made her way home. Yes, unlike most people, Choi Hae Ra loved the rain. One of the things Seattle had taught her - to love the rain. 

She had been walking home for the past five minutes in silence, nothing but the calming pitter-patter of the raindrops against her umbrella. On normal days, she'd listen to the raindrops, treating them as a friend to be with her on the way home. But today was different. She had a talent show in school today, and had gone up to stage to sing. When the song had ended, the whole student body applauded her, giving her much need self-esteem. 

Do I really sing that well? She thought. Maybe I should record myself sing, it'd be cool to hear how I sound like.

Haera looked around, wondering if anyone would judge her if she recorded herself singing so openly. When she had gathered her confidence, she softly started singing what seemed to be a ballad.

"Cause you were my sun, the moon, nae jeonbuyeotdeon neo nae bange itneun, modeun geotdeuri neol geuriwohanabwa, neol wihae chatda jichyeoseo neol jamsi ijeodo, sumgyeonoheun uriui chueogi, gadeug nama cause you're still in my room-"

"Excuse me, miss," a voice called. Extremely shocked, Hae Ra abruptly looked up to find a lady in her late thirties smiling warmly at her. She significantly backed away, afraid of what might happen. 

"You're really pretty," the woman praised her, and Haera raised an eyebrow. "You sing really well too," the woman hastily added. Still wary of the stranger, Haera bowed very slightly with a hesitant 'kamsahamnida'.

"You do know what song you were singing earlier on, don't you?" Haera stifled a laugh. Who wouldn't know what they themselves were singing? Well, it may be possible if they were humming, but I was singing the lyrics!

"Yeah, it's SHINee's In My Room."

The woman smiled at Haera again while stumbling in her bag, like she was looking for something. She finally pulled out her wallet and slid a pink card out of it. After that, she stuck her right hand out for a handshake as a form of a formal greeting.

"I'm a casting agent from SM Entertainment, and it's very nice to meet you," the casting agent said, handing the card to a confused Haera at the same time. "SHINee is under SM Entertainment, and we believe that we can use talents like you."

Haera nodded, still not quite understanding what was going on.

"Do you mind giving us your name, age and telephone number so we can call you down for a private audition?"

"....audition?" Haera asked, wide-eyed, the whole situation dawning on her.

"Yes, my dear, I....am scouting you," the casting agent said in a puzzled tone. "I thought you got that the first time."

Haera failed to hide her grin as she gave her particulars to the casting agent without second thoughts. The casting agent looked over her with a motherly smile and shook her head as Haera gave her her particulars.

"Thank you, we'll call you soon," the casting agent promised. Haera nodded as she happily waved the casting agent goodbye. She turned and looked at the card she was handed earlier on and kissed it out of happiness.

Jin Hyesha

Casting Agent, SM Entertainment

After so long of trying to get into the industry, Haera had finally gotten her big break. Right now, at least she knew her singing was good enough to earn her a place as a trainee of SM Entertainment.

April 17, 2009

Ding dong.

Angela smiled as soon as she saw the boy in shades standing at her doorstep.

"Oh look, our big superstar is here," Angela teased. Minho grinned and invited himself into the house, while Angela stuck her head out to see if any fans had followed her cousin to their house.

"Oh Minho, you're here," Angela's mother came out from the kitchen.

“Neh Imo, annyeonghasaeyo,” Minho bowed politely.

“Make yourself at home, the food will be ready soon.”

“I always do, don’t I?” Minho joked. Angela’s mother chuckled and went back into the kitchen. Angela led Minho to her father’s study.

“Samcheon, annyeonghasaeyo,” Minho greeted his uncle.

“Oh Minho, you’re here again! Did your concert here last night go well?” Angela’s father asked without getting up from his chair.

“Yes, it did,” Minho smiled. Looking around, he asked Angela, “Where’s your brother?”

Angela shrugged. “Probably out acting again. By the way, I’m still amazed by how you manage to come over for a visit every time you’re here in Singapore without your fans finding out,” she said while closing the door and walking to the living room.

“Well, Andrew’s fans don’t come knocking on your door either,” Minho pointed out.

“He doesn’t exactly have millions of fans like you do,” Angela shot back.

“Idols are probably trained to be ninjas,” Minho struck a pose under his chin. “Yah, you have relatives who are celebrities, are you not planning to be one to?”

Angela made a face. “It’s not my type of thing.”

A smirk escaped Minho’s lips. “Don’t lie, your brother told me you’ve gone into modeling,” he stuck his hand out. “Where are the photos?”

Angela frowned. “Do you act like this on camera too?” She asked the older boy while she took her recent photos from her cupboard. “I can’t believe Andrew Oppa told you about this,” she said as she handed Minho the photos.

Minho didn’t reply her, but just examined the set of photos closely.

“You’re quite good at this,” he finally remarked, looking at Angela. “Can I have a copy of these photos?”

“Why?”

“I intend to recommend you to my company,” Minho said casually, going through the photos again. “That’s why I asked Andrew if you had any experience in the entertainment industry.”

“What?! You want me to go into the K-Pop industry?” Angela looked at Minho, shocked. “I don’t even ask you about your band-mates, and you’re my cousin! I think that goes to show how little I’m interested in this.”

“The food is ready!” Angela’s mother called from the kitchen, and Minho stood up from the sofa.

“Trust me, I’m quite certain that you were made for this, Gel. Wait for a call from SM Entertainment.”

October 14, 2010

Ji Eun stopped in front of beige-coloured building and sighed, looking up at it longingly. Her friends stood next to her and looked up at the building too.

“Ji Eun-ah, this is your dream company, isn’t it?” Her friends asked her earnestly.

Ji Eun shrugged. “It’s a dream, that’s for sure. I’m just not sure if I can make it.”

Her friend tugged on her arm. “Ji Eun-ah, look!” She pointed in the direction of a mini stage. “Maybe it’s your chance!”

Ji Eun squinted her eyes. “What is that?”

As if on cue, the emcee of the event picked his microphone up and screamed into it, “ARE YOU READY FOR SM ENTERTAINMENT’S SURPRISE GUERILLA AUDITION?”

Ji Eun’s friends cheered and gave one another high-5s, while Ji Eun felt like her biggest wish had just came true. She burst out into a big smile and started getting excited with her friends, but there was another problem.

“Guys, I’ve never been trained in singing or dancing at all…”

“You have your high notes! Go try your luck, Ji Eun!” Her friends encouraged her, but she still wasn’t confident about it. Ji Eun tried to resist the pushes, but her friends still managed to get her close to the stage area. There was no one on stage yet, and the emcee seemed to be looking for a suitable candidate among the crowd. His eyes were scanning the audience, and they lit up when he saw Ji Eun.

“How about you, the pretty girl in her uniform?” Ji Eun widened her eyes while her friends shouted, “YES!” and pushed her up the stage.

A dumbfounded Ji Eun stood on the stage with a microphone in her hand, not knowing what to do, while everyone stared at her expectantly.

It’s an audition, she thought. I can’t afford to mess this up.

Consciously, she turned to the emcee and hesitated, before asking, “am I allowed to sing some scales?” The emcee nodded but some of the audience giggled, and Ji Eun mentally slapped herself, thinking that it was probably a stupid thing to do. She looked at her friends and they started shouting words of encouragement, so Ji Eun closed her eyes and took a deep breath before carefully singing the C Major scale, as high as she could go. By the time she reached the maximum of her vocal range, she received a standing ovation.

“Wow!” The emcee praised her, and Ji Eun gave him and the audience a shy smile. The emcee scanned her from head to toe, before asking, “Can you dance?”

With a bit more confidence this time, Ji Eun replied, “I can try dancing to SNSD’s Girls’ Generation, expressions included.” The emcee laughed, amused by her answer.

“Let’s see it then!”

The song started, and Ji Eun danced to the best of her ability, starting to enjoy her time on stage. She herself wouldn’t call it amazing, but cheers and laughter erupted when she gave the exact same face expression as the SNSD members at the appropriate time. When Ji Eun was done, many people applauded her, but the emcee hastily dismissed her from the stage, leaving Ji Eun with disappointment.

Once at the bottom of the stage, a man in his late twenties approached her.

“Excuse me, I’m one of SM’s casting agents,” the man handed Ji Eun a name card. ”Would you like to come in for a private interview and another round of auditions? SM would like to cast you.”

November 16, 2010

"Wah! SHINee's Hello album is sold here!" Lee Xian exclaimed as she walked past a shop specialised in selling kpop items. Her sister, Min Xian, rolled her eyes.

"You don't say. It's called a kpop shop for a reason. Now can we get back to what we're supposed to do? Before they end the auditions?" Min Xian retorted.

"Fine. But you're speaking," Lee Xian replied. Her family was currently in Beijing, the capital of China. Why? For many reasons. One was for their long awaited family holiday, and the other was for Lee Xian to audition. Since SHINee's debut, Lee Xian has been following them closely, especially their maknae and dancing machine, Taemin. Being naturally talented in the area of dance, her mother had sent her to a dance school, hoping for her to be a dancer in the future. But her dreams had changed when she got into the world of kpop. Now her dream was to be on stage, just like the Oppas and Unnies in kpop.

"Excuse me? May I know where the SM Entertainment building is?" Min Xian asked a passer-by in fluent mandarin. Being born and raised in Singapore, they were taught Mandarin and could speak it almost perfectly. 

"Oh, over there," the man gestured. They turned their heads. It was a large building, with a long queue, as long as the Great Wall of China, outside. Girls and boys with various ages nervously waiting their turns at the auditions. Lee Xian's jaw dropped. 

"The queue is THAT long?!" She gasped.

"No, that's just an illusion. There's no queue," Lee Xian's brother, Zhi Ern, replied sarcastically. 

Sighing heavily, Lee Xian trudged to the long queue, patiently waiting her turn. 

"Hey, we're not gonna be here with you, you know that right?" Zhi Ern smirked. "We'll be shopping!" 

"What?! Why?!" To say Lee Xian was shocked was an understatement. She had expected her family members to be there to support her when she went for the auditions.

"Because we're not auditioning...? Besides, Min Xian's gonna be here with you. You two are twins after all..." Zhi Ern replied, as their mother dragged him away to the various shops littered around the area. 

Lee Xian huffed and turned to Min Xian, "At least you're here, and you're not mean like *kor..."

Half an hour later

It was finally Lee Xian's turn. Min Xian was prepared to follow her inside when a security guard stopped her.

"Sorry, only people that are auditioning are allowed. Please wait outside," he said strictly. 

Min Xian turned to her twin, "Fighting!" Hearing her twin's encouragement, Lee Xian took a deep breath, walking into the audition room.

*kor = cantonese for older brother (usually used in Singapore)

Hope3698: For the date for Lee Xian's part, I couldn't find the actual dates of SM's Global Audition in Beijing in 2010, so I just randomly chose a date :p