I had talked in his office for a good three hours, going over the contract, the details of my debut, living arrangements, pay, and other activities. I would attend all of the practices with Super Junior, move in with them immediately, but not appear anywhere until the music video was released. My entrance to the group was to be announced officially a few days before the debut in order to avoid as much controversy with fans as possible. He had recommended that I hired a lawyer for this step in the process, although I was sure that I wasn't going to need one. I knew I would sign the contract. I had been given three days to contemplate my decision.

When I returned to the practice room, I found it deserted. I guessed practice was over. I considered leaving right away to finally get a good night's sleep with the assurance that I would debut, but then I changed my mind and decided to practice. I was definitely the worst dancer today, and who knows how much everyone else improved in the last two hours?

I tried to go through the choreography, but I found that it wasn't easy; they didn't leave behind music tracks or video replays, so I was not sure if I was even practicing the right choreography. After about an hour, I stopped wasting my time and headed home.

I hired a lawyer like was recommended and I signed the contract the next day, which resulted in me missing school for half the day. When I returned to school for the first time since my debut offer, class had already started. I walked in through the back door, and the teacher looked at me.

"Nice of you to join us," he said.

I bowed a little, then sat down in my seat. Then I just realized what I did. If this had happened two days ago, I wouldn't have done what I just did; I would have stood at the door and apologized many times, probably expecting a lecture before actually getting in the seat. Had I already become arrogant over my debut? Realizing what I did, I stood up halfway in my seat, bowed, and said, "Sorry."

"See me after class," said the teacher. I bowed again in agreement, but I wasn't scared this time, even with the nervous glances of my friends. I found it difficult to focus on school. I really didn't need school anymore - Super Junior was already successful enough for me to have guaranteed myself a successful music career. I was distracted, thinking about the debut for the entire class to the point that the teacher noticed how spaced out I was. I was then asked to repeat the last sentence that the teacher said, but I couldn't. The teacher gave me an exasperated look, but I didn't get into further trouble, to the general surprise of the other students.

When the bell signaling the end of class rang, I stayed in my seat while the others left the classroom, only to watch through the windows. The teacher came towards me. "Why were you late today?"

"Sir - I... I'm going to debut," I said. "It's still under wraps, but I got the offer yesterday, and I was just signing the contract this morning."

He was silent for a second, then sat on the desk in front of mine. "Do you remember what I said about academia and music the last time?"

"Yes, sir."

"So have you chosen music?" he said.

"Well..." I said. "I've got a chance to make it in music." Even as I heard myself say this, I couldn't help but notice how conceited I sounded. I lowered my head a little to dissipate this feeling.

"So you've chosen it?" he asked.

"I..." I fumbled with my words. "I still want to continue with my education, but I don't think the same amount of dedication that I gave to it can be possible with the activities I'm going to have now."

"I see," he said. "So what's the point in continuing with your education if you're not going to dedicate any time to it?"

I had no reply.

"You know your grades are good enough to get you to graduate no matter what," he said. "Why aren't you saying you're going to stop coming?"

I remained silent. I still didn't know what to say. There was a long silence.

"When is your debut?" he asked.

"They think in about a month," I said. "Sir - I'm not sure what you would like me to do. Are you telling me to pass up this opportunity to continue my education instead?"

"No, Kyuhyun. I know how important this is for you," he said. "But I'm saying that I don't want you in here if you're not going to try your best at academia, the same way you were doing until just yesterday."

"I thought you wanted me to choose one or the other, sir," I said in frustration. To my surprise, he smiled.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to at that point, and I thought it would stimulate you to work harder," he said. His smile disappeared, and his expression became serious again. "But I'm not sure about now."

I ran my fingers around my mouth in nervousness. "I... I do want to still attend university." I wasn't saying this for the sake of pleasing the teacher; I meant it. The want to go to university was ingrained into my head for so long that I couldn't imagine not even trying.

"Then do it. And I'll do my best to help you get there. But I need your word that you will try your hardest," he said. I hesitated. I had so many fantasies about what I would be doing once I debuted. All of my free time was going to be spent enjoying myself and relaxing, not reading books and doing practice tests. I would actually get 8 hours of sleep a night, and not skip meals. But then... I only had a few more months until college entrance exams. If I could just tough it out for a few months, I knew I wouldn't regret it.

"Where do you think I can go?" I asked.

 "What university?" he clarified. I nodded my head. "Assuming that you're working at least as much as you are now, I think you could have a crack at top 10 at least," he said. Surprised, I looked up.

"I'm not sure about -"

"Kyuhyun, I've been doing this for 28 years. Give me a bit of credit."

I hung my head. If it was a shot at top 10, then it was worth a shot. "Okay," I said finally. "I promise."

He nodded too. "Good. Just what I wanted to hear," he said. "I'm assuming that you'll have to miss a lot of school still, especially when your activities begin." I nodded in agreement. He continued. "Then I'm going to send you a written version of everything I will teach in class. You review that on your own time."

"Sure," I said.

"But I am also giving you the homework and the study material that you should be going through and set deadlines. I expect you to have finished everything every time," he said. "If you do everything I'm asking you to, then you shouldn't have too many problems with the entrance exams."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"I'll have a week's worth of work ready for you by tomorrow. Check in with me whenever you can," he said. I nodded my agreement. "You can go," he said, and I got up from my chair and slung my bag over my shoulders. I bowed as I was leaving.

"Kyuhyun - congratulations. I'm proud of you," said the teacher. This being the first congratulations I heard about the debut, I smiled widely.

"Thank you," I said, and I left the room.

Everyone who was watching through the window were still outside, and I was instantly mobbed by a group of friends who were wondering why I wasn't in trouble. Assuring them that they would find out soon, I hurried to the subway station. I was heading to SM where I was going to drop off the contract, but I was also moving into the new dorm later tonight, which I was very excited for. If I wanted to get everything done and still have time to study tonight, I had to hurry.