February 14. It was one of the most widely anticipated days of the year. A day for couples to express their love for each other. A day for girls to confess to their crushes, in hopes that they would be loved by the boys of their dreams. A day for petty promises to be made that lasted until the flowers were dead and the chocolates were eaten.

However, that wasn't why she was anticipating this day. After many debates with herself and Ryeowook's constant urging, she had sent in the form to audition for the school's dance team. Her audition was to be held on February 14 in the auditorium after school.

Ryeowook had generously pulled strings as the dance team captain in order to allow her access to one of their smaller practice rooms. He knew this audition was to be one of the defining moments of her life, especially after all of the chaos that had wrecked havoc into her life in the past.

--

She stood in front of her auditorium door, waiting for her number to be called. Ryeowook massaged her back and murmured encouraging words to her. "Thanks for being here for me."

Ryeowook flashed a smile and answered, "What kind of cousin would I be if I didn't support you on your big audition day? You'd better make me proud or else I'm going to have to tell them you forged my signature!"

She turned around and protested indignantly, "You signed it though!"

"Chill. I'm just messing with you." He ruffled her hair and turned her around so he could resume massaging her.

A short, plump woman who was wearing a gray blazer, a black pencil skirt, and black high heels opened the door. Her hair was tied up in a French knot and she carried a clipboard. "Number 18."

"Here."

"Follow me."

Ryeowook gave her a little push and whispered, "Good luck! I'll be waiting."

She nodded and walked into the large, daunting auditorium. The room was dimly lit and the only bright lights were pointing to the center of the stage. A table of three judges sat before the stage and she nervously walked up the short staircase without making eye contact with anyone. Her sneakers squeaked loudly on the slippery, linoleum floor. After taking a deep breath, she slowly turned to face the judges.

"Number 18?"

"Yes."

"Now, before you begin dancing, I'd like to ask you a question. Why are you auditioning?"

Why are you auditioning? Why are you auditioning? Why are you auditioning? The words sounded like a clanging bell in her head as she lost herself in the memory.

Flashback Start

"Mom, Dad, I'm going to transfer to Seoul Arts Academy." She stood in front of them nervously. Her father expected her to take over his company when he retired. Her parents had donated millions of dollars to her previous school in order to upgrade it to a world-class learning center, so that she would be ready to fill in her father's place when the time came.

She had wanted to enter the school ever since Ryeowook had been accepted three years ago. However, her parents had other plans for her. She had cried for nights, but her parents never comforted her even once. Instead, her father had focused on merging their company with two smaller ones that were about to become bankrupt in order to increase their assets. As a result, she wanted nothing to do with the company.

However, Jiyeon and Taemin had reached out to her. They'd shown her that life could be fun, even while living within boundaries. She'd given up on the possibility of attending S.A.A., and willingly stayed with her best friend and boyfriend.

After the betrayal, Taemin, that darned soul, had ironically refueled her desire to go to S.A.A. and stand up to her parents. She had no reason to stay behind with the back-stabbers and suffer more lies. She hoped her parents would understand and let her fulfill her dreams.

But it didn't seem like it by the way things were going.

"What?! Seoul Arts Academy?! What's wrong with Seoul Elite Institute?!" Mrs. Kim screeched, her eyes narrowing into slits and her face turning red.

Mr. Kim slammed his fist on the small, oval table in front of him and angrily shouted, "Do you know how much money I've wasted on you so you could take over the company?! Your fool of a cousin pressured you into this, didn't he? Well, as long as you're living under my roof, eating my food, and using my money, you can just forget about that worthless school!"

"But Dad, I'm already taking classes equivalent to those of senior, even though I'm only a sophomore. I talked to the counselor and she said I shouldn't waste the next two years here," she argued back. But in her heart, she knew the battle was lost. Instead of thinking of ways to fight back and defend herself, she began formulating a way to escape as her parents continued shouting and screaming at her.

I'll need to call Ryeowook and ask him if I can camp out with him. I'll need money too. I'll go to the bank tonight and— Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a searing pain in her right cheek.

Her father was panting heavily, having shouted so much, as he stood with his left hand hanging limply by his side. "Listen to me," he growled menacingly, pausing in between each word as he caught his breath. "If you even think about going to that worthless school, then you will never receive your inheritance and you will starve on the streets without our money."

She slowly turned her head up to make eye con