"What did you say?" Your mother turns around and looks at you. She takes off her apron and washes her hands before grabbing you and giving you a big hug. "I said that I made it, mom", you nearly sob with tearful eyes. It feels so unreal... standing there with your mom... knowing that you were accepted and that you soon in 3 months will be in Seoul, standing in front of the judges and BigBang... competing against the other winners to become a trainee for YG Entertainment... You hug your mother, knowing that she won't be there anymore to support and protect you. You are on your own now.

*

"Really? Oh, I am so happy for you!". You are sitting next to Habaek on the floor in your bedroom. He is smiling and you can see that he is really happy for you, but at the same time you spot some kind of sadness in his eyes. "What is it, Hab?" you ask him. You had been calling him Hab ever since the day you met. The kids at school had bullied him because he had a "weird" name so he prefered that people called him Hab. You used to tell him that his name was beautiful and that he should be proud of both his name and his background, but it only made him mad and you didn't want to ruin his day or make him hurt because of you. "It's just that... I auditioned for JYP entertainment, when I was in Korea last summer", he says with a gloomy voice. "What? Why didn't you tell me that?", you exclaim surprised. "I didn't tell you since I didn't want to disappoint you if I didn't make it through... which I didn't." 

You are about to tell him that you aren't disappointed and that he should continue pursuing his dreams and not be sad, but he interrupts you. "Maybe I should audition for SM entertainment instead?" You look at him. You don't normally pay much attention to his looks, but now that you are studying his apperance, you notice that he is actually really good-looking. He has a v-shaped face, big, dark eyes, plump lips and his skin is golden brown. His hair is colored light brown and he has a short haircut with bangs. He is also quite tall, about one-two heads taller than you and you have no problem imagining him in an idol group like Super Junior or SHINee. You also know that he is quite talented. He has a wonderful voice and he plays drums, violin, bass, guitar, trumpet and saxophone, that's twice as many instruments as you play. He is also a very talented dancer. You always ask him to teach you some dance moves, but you are never able to catch up with him. He is too good and you are... hopeless... to say it nicely.

"I think that's a good idea" you conclude and send him an engaging smile. Finally he looks at you with a facial expression filled with hope and encouragement and asks: "So where and when will the next audition round take place?" You look at the roof, trying to remember the exact date. "I think it's going to be on February 3rd, in the YG-building in Seoul". He brightened. "I can go with you! The SM auditions are taking place in Seoul the 1st week of February!" The thought of not having to be completely alone in a foreign country and city, make you feel happy and a bit relieved. "I will feel much more secure when you are there too, Hab".

*

Even though your father had become very mad when he heard the news and told you that it was a "waste of time" and that you should focus on your school work instead of running around playing "pop star", you didn't intend to change your mind. You had come too far to just give up now. He wouldn't give you any money for the plane tickets to South Korea, but your mother did and together with your and Hab's savings, you bought the tickets and were on your way to Seoul. The hotel room was already paid for on your behalf, and Hab told you that his mother had reserved a room for him at the same hotel. You were sleeping through most of the trip both on the plane and the different airports when you had to change flights. When you finally arrived at Incheon Airport in Seoul, you were both exhausted after travelling for 24 hours. The two of you grabbed a taxi and you struggled to keep your eyes open on the 1-hour trip to Seoul city. You were almost asleep when the taxi stopped in front of your hotel and Hab paid him the money, making sure not to tip him, since that wasn't common in Korea.

Finally you are inside your hotel room. Hab comes in with your baggage and puts the bags down next to your bed. "Thank you so much for carrying my stuff for me", you say with an exhausted voice. "They are so heavy, you shouldn't carry them yourself", he says and sits down on one of the green, old fashioned chairs in the room. "You may get a backache in advance for your audition, and I can't let that happen", he says and winks to you. You laugh and say: "I am not planning to dance, I should have carried them". "No, you would only have made fun of me that way", he replies. "A young lady shouldn't carry all her bags herself when there is a strong and handsome young fellow next to her". He says it with such a silly and playful accent that you can't  help it, but burst out laughing. He starts to laugh too, and there you are... laughing, playing with each other and being childish, unaware of the obstacles that both of you will have to face in the nearest future.