"You guys rocked." Sunshine whispered as we took seats behind them.

"Not as much as you guys." I whispered back.

"That was your first recital performance Yuri!" Amu insisted, "My first performance...heh, nowhere as good!"

"Don't say that..." I begin.

"Shh, watch and learn." Anna interrupted.

And so we did, witnessing charm and the lack of, sucessful risks and unsuccessful ones. Blood, sweat and tears is a phrase not to be taken lightly on this stage where the stakes are high.

The final group of trainees sang their lungs out and danced their hardest to the beat, all the while keeping a smile on their faces.

They bow and finish, and it finally dawns on me that it's all over. The first performance, the most crucial performance for determining how long I'll need to train for, was done and dusted.

"And that brings us to a close everybody! Thank you to all trainees and staff for the hard work put into tonight's recital, and the lovely audience for all the support." Chae announced.

"We hope you've all enjoyed the evening and we wish you a good night. Thank you once again for coming to tonight's S.M. mid-year Trainee recital." Mika added.

It's really all over.

*Message from OnT* 

Good job.

And with that, I went to sleep a restless, blanket-tossing night.

I take a seat in the quiet corner of the library and empty out the contents of my backpack.

Notebook. Tuner. Pens. Wallet. Chocolate. Mail.

I reach for the stack of mail that I picked up at the Admin office this morning. After only being in Korea for a little over a month, the only mail I get is the occasional letter from school and junk mail. So I was surprised to receive such a thick stack today.

Junk mail. Junk mail. School. Junk mail. Letter from home. Letter from...S.M.?

Dear Trainee,

Thank you for your performance at the mid-year recital, it was very enjoyable.

On behalf of S.M. Entertainment, I would like to notify that you have been chosen.

Congratulations on becoming an official trainee.

Congratulations on becoming an official trainee.