It was May of 2005. 

Saturday. Taeyeon went out with her high school friends to Seoul for the first time. It was a secret.  She told her parents she was going out with her classmates for an English project. She ditched her music club as well. It took two buses for them to reach the terminal. Both were expensive fares. Being afraid to merely walk in an unfamilair city, they took a taxi ride as well.

"Kim Taeyeon, do you think we have a chance at this audition?" her friend whispered in her ear as they walk inside the building, trying to lock her arm with Taeyeon's.

"Weren't you the one who told me that we should try this out?"  Taeyeon answered, trying to remove herself from her friend's grip. Two more friends walked behind them. "We can do it!" she assured them cheerfully.

701. 

Taeyeon sticked the paper on her stomach as they fell in line. Many thoughts came to her during the long wait.

What if she actually passed the audition? What would she tell her parents? 

What about the life she would leave behind? Her brother and her younger sister, who was still nine. 

She was running for vice president in her music club. Well, she didn't really study hard, but she wasn't bad of a student either. 

Taeyeon wasn't naive. She knew that the moment she passes the audition, her life would change. She would need to give up the time she could spend with her family and friends, she would have to give up her freedom. 

But she couldn't see herself doing anything else. 

"Hello, my name is Kim Taeyeon. I want to audition for a singing position."

It was almost dusk when they got out of the building. Taeyeon's friends' cheering overpowered the hallway of the entertainment building, completely forgetting that such noise may not be what Seoul was about. 

She passed. Her friends didn't. But they didn't care that they failed, because Taeyeon got accepted for a second audition.

Taeyeon cared that they didn't pass, but only for a moment because when she heard her name among those who passed, she completely forgot everything, except that name. 

She felt her phone vibrate inside her shoulder bag. Her blank expression disappeared, as she search for her phone. It was her mom.

"Mom, I-.." she answered. 

"Where are you?" 

"I'm.. the project.." 

"What?"

"I'm in Seoul, mom," she said, pursing her lips and closing eyes tightly. 

"...Seoul?" her mom asked calmly. 

"Yes." 

"Why?"

"I.."

"Do you have a place to stay? It's dangerous to even go home at this hour?"

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?"

"Even if I know why, I wouldn't be able to stay still knowing you might be out in the city streets at night!" 

"Well, Jayoung has an aunt who lives near this place, and she already informed her beforehand just in case.."

"Okay."

It was a fifteen minute explanation with Taeyeon's mom. They were walking in the silent streets, searching for her friend's aunt's house. The conversation consisted of Taeyeon passing the audition, her mom rejoicing ( and telling her dad about it), her dad scolding her for lying about going to Seoul (asking her what she would do about school, telling her that she really loves singing so he has no choice but to let her), Taeyeon thanking her father for supporting her ever since she was younger, and her younger sister asking for a souvenir from Seoul. 

Soon, they reached a coffee shop with a grand rooftop area. It was basically a coffee shop with a porch in the front. They entered the coffee shop, and a few people were sitting around, drinking coffee. 

"It's true what they say about Seoul.. They really just mind their own business," one of her friends muttered among them as they walked nervously, looking for the aunt. One of the baristas seemed to recognize their friend, and he gestured them towards the door behind the counters. It lead them to a small but lengthy open area where wind can freely blow, a narrow metal staircase on one side ("This must be leading to the rooftop building," Taeyeon thought), and another door on the left. They went for the door. 

It was officially evening, and more people came to the coffee shop - even the aunt who refused to let the girls help, had to work. Taeyeon and her friends settled in one room where they talked about the future: Taeyeon being super famous, her friends starting up a fanclub as early as that day, and Taeyeon meeting DBSK. Taeyeon laughed at their ideas, but also expressed her disappointment that she passed and they didn't. They started changing into night clothes. Taeyeon had no spare clothes, but the friend's girl cousin let her borrow her old pyjamas which the cousin pointed out was too short for her. Taeyeon's friend inside the room for wearing it, because it looked too long for her legs. 

After dinner, Taeyeon remembered the rooftop area that she saw before entering the coffee shop. And the staircase that probably led to it. For some reason, Taeyeon silently stood from the dining table as her three friends continue to talk and wash the dishes. She wanted to see what's upstairs, and she treated that 'escape' as her own Seoul adventure. 

She was out the door, and it was the metal staircase.

With the cousin's big puppy slippers, Taeyeon stepped on the first staircase step and it creaked. She took another step. 

Another step.

Another one.

Another one.

She felt the colder breeze. 

Then she was upstairs. 

It was not much of a view. There was what looked like a wooden bedframe, some plants, a blue cooler and what seemed like a broken ottoman. There wasn't much light aside from a candle lamp on the middle of the wooden bedframe, and light coming from a small circular window.

A house. 

There was a house in the rooftop, or maybe a studio, and a guy came out the door. He seemed to press some switch on the wall beside the window, and two wall lights shined on the whole rooftop. He was about to enter the house again, but he saw Taeyeon. 

Taeyeon saw him clearer with the lights on. 

"안녕. (Hello.)" Taeyeon said, not knowing what to say to a stranger.

In Seoul.

But she managed to give him a friendly smile.