The boys laughed and joked around the whole meal, succeeding in making Sunhwa feel at least a little more comfortable.

“That looks good!” Jonghyun said, attacking a dish with his chopsticks.

“This chicken is the best!” Onew agreed.

“…it’s really good,” Minho almost admitted.

“He talks?” Sunhwa said sarcastically.

Minho shot her a grin. “Arraso arraso. I just don’t spout off as much as the others do…”

“Yah! What do you mean by ‘spouting off’, hyung?” Taemin accused.

The only one who didn’t talk to her at all was Key. She saw him chattering with s often – and he seemed quite talkative, too, but he refused to say anything in her presence, and sometimes she caught him staring at her with a strange expression of almost hate on his face. She didn’t know what his problem was, and frankly, didn’t care.

That emotion died abruptly when Key caught her staring at him. He smirked unpleasantly. “What are you looking at, ugly?” He shook his empty cup. “Go get me some more tea.”

Sunhwa forced herself not to roll her eyes and took it.

“Yah! Are you stupid as well as ugly? Why is it so cold? Make it warmer!”

“It’s too warm now! Do you want to burn my beautiful hands?”

“I changed my mind. This tea . Go get me some Coke.”

“Where is the ice in my Coke?!? Stupid peasant.”

-

“We’ll see you soon, Sunhwa,” Jonghyun said, winking at her. She only rolled her eyes in response, thoroughly worn out from Key’s diva demands.

“Kamsahamnida, Sunhwa yah,” Onew said, bowing. “We had a lot of fun.”

“Neh!” Taemin chirped by his side.

“Annyeong!” SHINee waved goodbye as they left.

-

Those boys were crazy, Sunhwa thought as she wiped down a table. Her thoughts drifted to what Jonghyun had said as they left. “We’ll see you soon”. What did he mean by “soon”? It wasn’t like she would ever have a chance to see them again…unless they came to the restaurant. Or maybe…did it mean…they had accepted her into SM? Would she see them soon as in during rehearsal soon?

Sunhwa decided that it was probably accidental as another rich heiress yelled at her to get more soy sauce.

-

That night Sunhwa lay in bed, and was startled her phone vibrated.

She picked it up cautiously. “Yaboseyo?”

“SUNHWA!” Hyun Jin’s voice screamed out of the speaker. Sunhwa winced and held it farther away from her ear. Why did Hyun Jin have to scream every time she saw her? Well, technically…they weren’t seeing each other right then…but that isn’t the point.

“Neh?” Sunhwa said carefully.

“DID YOU GET THE E-MAIL?”

“What e-mail?” she replied, logging onto her laptop as quickly as she could even as she said the words.

“FROM SM!” Sunhwa gave up and put the phone on her desk. She would be able to hear Hyun Jin anyway.

“I don’t see it…” Sunhwa said as she scanned her inbox.

“WHY NOT? IT SHOULD BE THERE!”

Sunhwa refreshed the page and saw a new e-mail sitting at the top of the list. It was from President Lee, titled “SM Back-Up Dancer Audition”. Sunhwa gulped and moved her mouse over, but didn’t click on it. Maybe remaining in ignorance of the results of her audition was better.

“DID YOU FIND IT?”

Sunhwa was unable to respond.

“SUNHWA?”

“SUNHWA YAH?”

“PARK SUNHWA, ARE YOU THERE?”

“I’m here,” she managed to whisper.

“Good! Did you get it?” Hyun Jin’s voice miraculously returned to a somewhat normal volume.

“Neh.”

“…Well?”

“…What if I don’t want to open it?”

“Park Sunhwa.” Hyun Jin said sternly, and Sunhwa felt like she was being grabbed and shaken back and forth by the latter through the airwaves from the phone. “You are a fantastic dancer. SM will definitely accept you. Now open that e-mail!”

Sunhwa gulped and clicked. She felt like her entire life was riding on that one moment, that one muscle twitch of her index finger.

*cackles evilly* A cliffy! Heh. Don't worry guys, I won't leave you hanging for too long. Now I must prepare myself for school tomorrow...sigh...

- tigress