I went to bed so late that night after practice; I was only able to sleep for two hours. When the alarm woke me, my whole body was aching and my hips were still stinging. I could barely open my eyes for being so tired.

5:00am. School started at 8:30am so if I hurried, I could go to SM for morning practice before running to school. With that drive in mind, I dragged my tired and sore body away from my bed and started getting dressed.

When I reached SM an hour later, it was early and empty enough that I didn't run into anyone in the hallway, for which I was grateful. Being a new trainee had made me extremely careful about my behavior around others, and I was always cautious about my actions. The seniors calling me to the deserted basement or rooftop to scold me was not something I was unfamiliar with, and were experiences that I didn't want to repeat. I entered the practice room that I had used last night, and started practicing the choreography again.

I was so immersed in practice that I didn't even notice that the door opened. It was not until it closed that I noticed someone come in. I turned my head to look at the door in surprise, and standing there was Super Junior's Ryeowook. I was genuinely glad to see him and I smiled widely as I bowed to him. "Sunbaenim, what brings you here?" I said. Ryeowook was one of those people who cared for others more than himself; this was difficult to see in the industry. Consequently, Ryeowook was one of my favorite seniors in SM.

"Just walking by," he said with a bright smile. "I see you're working hard."

I smiled and bowed my head a bit again.

"I was watching, and you seem not to be finishing your moves before going into the next. Make sure there is a clear end to each move, and don't try to rush ahead," said Ryeowook. For this I was truly appreciative - it was not often that we got advice from a fellow artist or even trainee in SM due to the competition. I guess Ryeowook really had nothing to fear because he had the hugely popular Super Junior going for him. He was free to give advice to the trainees. "Try again."

I smiled and I started the dance again, this time taking care to complete each move before moving onto the next. When I finished, Ryeowook smiled and patted me on the back. "That's already better," he said. "Is this what you're performing for the progress check tomorrow?"

"Yes," I said. "I just hope it's enough."

"You're already very good," said Ryeowook. "You've improved faster than anyone else I know."

This was the first real compliment that I've heard since I had started training here. I bowed my head in appreciation, and although I tried not to show it, I was deeply pleased.

"By the way, there are apparently new trainees here, and the other trainees are planning on the so-called orientation in the basement tonight. I thought you should be there," said Ryeowook.

"Does that mean I'm finally not the last in the pecking order?" I said with a smile. Ryeowook laughed.

"I suppose," said Ryeowook. "Anyway, I think only the trainees are planning on this orientation. I won't be there."

My face hardened. Ryeowook was the only senior I knew - he was the only one to take care of me when I came here. My only other friends here had been the ones that had entered the company at the same time as me.

"But I won't know anyone. And I certainly don't want to bully the new trainees," I said.

"It's up to you, but it's a good way to start making friends with your seniors," said Ryeowook. "You know the way people get closer in this business, unfortunately, is by bullying someone together. And you know it's only for a few months until they join you. Everyone goes through this, and it's about time you got off the ground."

I looked at him in the eyes. "Thank you so much, Ryeowook."

Ryeowook smiled. "I have to go and start practice with the others. Good luck at the progress check tomorrow."

"Thank you, take care!" I said with a bow and a smile. When he left, I glanced at the clock. I only had time to go through this routine once more before I had to leave for school. With Ryeowook's advice in mind, I practiced again.

I came to school two minutes after class had begun because I missed the subway I needed by half a step, but the school guards at the gates were not forgiving in taking down my name for being late. I hurried to my classroom, where the lesson had already started. I took a deep breath with my hand on the back door. It was already humiliating that I had to go to school after what happened yesterday, but I had to walk in among everyone. I closed my eyes, braced myself, and walked inside. I bowed to the teacher silently from the door and paused there for a second, sure that he would say something. Instead, he continued on with the lesson without even acknowledging me. In relief that I wasn't going to be yelled at, I took my seat. Everyone else seemed to be surprised about the fact that I wasn't in trouble as well. As silently as possible, I took out my books and immersed myself in the lesson. Within a few hours, I realized that this was more difficult than I thought. The lack of sleep and the training I had done at the office was bearing down on my eyelids and within an hour, my head was bobbing up and down. I knew I had to focus if I wanted to save time studying later, but I was so tired. I'll put my head on my desk for five seconds, I thought. And when I lifted my head five seconds later, I realized that twenty minutes of real time had passed; I had somehow fallen asleep and not noticed. I heard a few giggles behind me. Blushing, I shook my head and focused as hard as I could for the rest of the lesson.

When everyone filed out of the classroom, I tried to join my friends to the cafeteria. I hadn't seen them since yesterday when they undoubtedly watched me through the window. We started moving towards each other, then - "Cho Kyuhyun, come here."

My friends and I exchanged glances, then they all moved on into the hallway. This time, no one lingered around the windows; lunchtime was too precious for them to spend watching someone else. Perplexed, I went to the teacher's desk where he was sitting, and bowed half-heartedly again.

"So I guess you have chosen?" he said. I looked at him with surprised eyes.

"Sorry? No, I - "

"I know you wouldn't be late just because, and I know you wouldn't fall asleep just because. This tells me that you've chosen your singing career. You were practicing this morning, weren't you?" he said. I couldn't say no.

"I did practice this morning, but that doesn't mean I've chosen my singing career over my academic one. I still care about my education," I said with all of the courage I had.

"Is that so?" he said, feigning surprise. "In that case, you should still be subject to all of the consequences that your peers go through should I see any of this behavior again."

I nodded in agreement. "I understand."

"Until you express to me that you have chosen singing, my standards for you are still just as high as they were at the beginning of the year. If I don't see your grades improving, I won't be hesitant to punish you again."

I nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed," he said with a wave of his hand. I bowed and I turned around to leave the classroom.

Fortunately, I was able to focus in the lessons after lunch much better than at the beginning of the day. After class had ended, I was finally not required to stay behind. I had my final dance practice with the choreographer before the progress check at the office in a few minutes, and I wasn't about to miss this. Declining my friends' request to go out with them, I made my way towards SM.

I danced for the choreographer, and he tilted his head. "You're doing all the choreography right. There's something incomplete about everything you do though. I don't think dancing is your forte."

I hung my head for a while. I knew I wasn't the best at dancing, but I was still annoyed at this negative feedback after hours and hours of work. I then realized that I had forgotten Ryeowook's advice from this morning. "Can I do it again?" I begged with this realization. The choreographer looked at his watch.

"My session with you is done in five minutes," he said.

"My dance is two," I said. "I know I can do better this time."

He nodded. "Fine, let's see it again."

This time, I made sure I completed each move, almost pausing after each choreographical idea. I made everything as crisp and clean as I possibly could. After I finished, he gave a big smile and was clearly surprised. "Good work, Kyuhyun. You'll do very well tomorrow. Go through this dance a few more times tonight, and make sure you get enough rest."

Ecstatic, I bowed happily as he left the practice room. I smiled to myself in the mirror, then glanced at my watch. When I finished my dance practice after sweating through three t-shirts, it was 9 o'clock.