[2001. Seoul, South Korea.]

~ Sungmin’s POV ~

The music can be heard loudly as I stood nervously at the backstage. The current contestant will soon finish his dance and then it will be my turn.

I tried to calm myself so that I won’t forget the lyrics of the song that I will be singing. It’s my first time to enter a competition like this and it is so nerve-wrecking.

Although I came from a middle class family I choose to try and find my own path through my passion for singing. My mother supported me and when an opportunity came, I bravely entered this SM Youth Contest.

Who knows where I would be ten years from now if I got lucky.

One staff called my attention, “Next one please be ready.” Okay, this is it. I stepped out to the stage.

…

After rounds of showing off our talents and skills, the time for announcing the winners came.  The participants were called and we all gathered on the stage.

I didn’t have the confidence to win when I saw the other participants. Some of them have the looks and I’ve heard that there were pretty interesting talents from them. I’m just a simple junior high school student and I didn’t show any special characteristics that will make them notice me.

Awards were given to the others for specific skills while my name wasn’t called even for once. Until it can to the last award to be given, I was losing my chance. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried in the first place. Maybe I should have rehearsed more and trained more before I joined.

My thoughts were busy and I wasn’t paying attention to the MCs. “And for this year’s SM Best Youth Contest Award for the Best Outward Appearance….it goes to two people,” they announced.

Of course there will be two, the competition is fierce and everyone has the potential and they might had the difficulty in judging.

“The winners are … Lee Sungmin and Lee Donghae! Congratulations!”

Someone took my hand and dragged me to the front and I was given an award. It was all a blur and all I can remember was that the people onstage were congratulating me. It took me minutes to realize that I have won.

I can’t clearly express how happy I am that I won. I just took this chance and now I found myself at the door of chances for my career.

‘It is the start’, I grinned to myself.

As I was still trying to realize that it wasn’t a dream, I notice someone beside me. He is the other one that won with me.

I turned to him and bowed my head in greeting before saying, “Congratulations” with a smile. He also returned the gesture and by just smiling and looking at each other I felt that we will see each other more in the future.

*             *             *

~ Yesung’s POV ~

I stared the papers on my hands before looking disbelievingly at my mother. I read the paper thrice to make sure that it is an application paper  – no, I rephrase that. It is my own application letter. Mine. My application letter made by my mother. She signed me up for an aud