"Hello, Arena? This is Park Hae"

Arena almost dropped her phone at the familiar voice. "Ms Park?"

Arena could basically see Ms Park smiling at the other side of the phone. It had been a week now since she met with the manager and had left the meeting with somewhat broken dreams. It had been her own decision not to go to Seoul with Monsta X and Ms Park. Too much was here in Colorado to go. Too many things left unfinished. Maybe someday she would.

Ms Park was saying something to Arena over the phone but Arena had been too deep in thought to notice the words spoken straight to her ear. Arena shook her head to clear her thoughts and focus on what Ms Park was telling her. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Of course, I wanted to tell you about something. I heard you dance."

"Yes, I've been doing it now for over 14 years. Why do you ask?"

Naha stifled a yawn next to Arena and rolled her neck. Arena looked at her friend with horror and cringed at the sound of Naha's neck cracking. Actually, who was Arena to judge...it was known to everyone that her favorite activity when bored was to roll her neck and crack every single bone in her body that was willing to crack and give into Arena's will.

"I was thinking about how our entertainment business barely has professional dancers, and since I know you and what you can do with makeup, which is very impressive by the way, I thought you would like to audition here for a dancer's position in an upcoming group."

"Really? Is this for real?"

Arena heard Ms Park chuckle at the other side of the phone, "Of course I am. I have talked to the management and CEO of the company about the idea to hold auditions for a dance team or something like that, and while your here, why not help with the makeup? If you'd like, of course."

"Oh my god, thank you. This means very much coming from you."

Arena had been dancing for 14 years, starting from the first grade of kindergarten. In eight grade she started taking dancing more and more seriously, joining several dance groups in various different styles. She has trained and danced almost every day of the week for 4 years. At first it had been hard to do many things at once and that had almost caused Arena to have a very serious nervous breakdown.

At the start of the current year, Arena had applied for the job at the cash station to support her continuous training. Many friends and family have said that Arena is crazy, but hey, if she's doing what she wants, then where's the problem?

The thing that got her into dancing wasn't even the thought and desire of dancing itself, it was the fact that when Arena was born, the muscles in her legs had somehow been damaged leading to Arena's parents making sure she could strengthen them with exercise - dancing.

"That's glad to hear. I just wanted to inform you about this because you left a very good expression on me when we met. The information about the audition will go up to Starship Ent. homepage and if you'd like, I already emailed you the details. I really hope you make this Arena, I see a bright future for you."

Arena's heart swelled. Even her own parents hadn't believed in her so much, they always thought that she would never make it as a dancer. Not because she didn't have talent, no, it was because finding a business that accepted you was the difficulty.

"I am speechless, this is more then kind of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm rooting for you to make it to the live audition here in Seoul. I'm sure you will. Take care, Arena"

Ms Park had asked Arena's email and contacts when they had met last week.

"Goodbye and thank you again."

Her phone beeped, signaling the end of the conversation. Arena was speechless. This could be it. This could be her chance to actually do something towards her dream. Her breathing was ragged from the shock and she took slow, deep breaths, actually accidentally dropping her phone onto the stone cold school floor.

"What happened?" Right. Naha hadn't heard everything Ms Park had said, she had no idea what was about to happen.

"This is going to change everything," muttered Arena under her breath and turned her eyes towards Naha sitting on her right and launched into the details and what the hell the sudden call had been about.

***

"So what now?"

Naha and Arena were packing things at the glorious end of a not-so-glorious chemistry lesson. Thank the gods above that it was the end of the school day. Arena couldn't take it anymore. Let's be honest...school was and STILL IS awful. Who in the world thought it was a good idea to put a thousand students together into one building for 8 hours and then expect the school to have a ''peaceful environment''? If Arena had to spend another minute in this rotting hell hole, she was going to scream.

She threw her things into the backpack with force and yanked the zipper shut so that the table the backpack was resting on, almost toppled over.

"Where are you hurrying too? You can't go to practice because of your rib, you know that. And you didn't answer my questio...WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WAIT FOR ME." Naha released a series of silent curses under her breath as she ran after Arena in to the school hallway, noticing that her friend had already disappeared into the huge crowd of people flooding out from every open classroom door.

Classes were over and people were everywhere. Like really, everywhere. In every. Possible. Corner. Some wanted to go this way, some that way, some just stood there looking like idiots, not knowing what to do next. If you wanted to have somewhat personal space then noT HAPPENING, instead you had a guy eating an apple right behind your head, a girl with a stack of books on your left, some middleschoolers nudging their way past and elementaryschoolers running and bumping into you, accidentally hitting their heads against your waist every now and then from every direction ever discovered. So that made...1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6 and 7 people in your personal space at once, including your own very self.

Naha clenched her fists at her side, her long manicured nails piercing the flesh of her palms. She sighed and flung her bag over her left shoulder, ready to do whatever it takes to find that headless, arrogant, ignorant, sour and injured person she called her best friend.

This was going to be painful.

She shouldered past a herd of 14 year olds in front of lockers giggling, Naha had to hold back with extreme might not to roll her eyes, a couple making out against the bathroom wall and overall just people standing in the way of her and Arena. She was about to give the hell up because it would be impossible to find her in this setting, hadn't she glimpsed a piece of an ombre bun hovering a few feet away from her, heading toward the front doors.

Naha followed. Well actually ''moved forward with the crowd'' would be a better explanation but whatever. She was almost about to step out of the front doors, so close to them that her nose could almost touch the heavy, cold material the doors were made of, when suddenly a delicate hand with long and beautiful but somewhat crooked fingers grabbed her right wrist and pulled her so hard, Naha thought she might find the stone school floor under her right hip in a minute.

Arena pulled Naha out of the crowd of people still buzzing out of the big double doors and gripped her friend tightly to not lose her again.

"I thought you were already out," breathed Naha, her breathing disturbed and heavy.

Arena shook her head and guided her friend into a less crowded space next to the janitor's closet's blue door. "No, I stopped at the front and swaggered to the side, waiting for you."

"Thanks."

Arena gave her friend a dashing smile and then exhaled loudly, crouching and wrapping her arms around her middle. "Oooohhh you have no idea how many people elbowed me on the way," exclaimed Arena and groaned.

Naha pat her shoulder and flicked her gorgeous kohl lined eyes toward the never-ending sum of people.

"I really thought this was a school not a freaking pandemonium."

***

"Wait, read that again." Naha blinked and smiled a shining, teeth baring smile.

Arena gave her a long look, which included rolled eyes and once again read over Ms Park's long email, this time more loudly so Naha could actually hear something with those small ears of hers, because no way was Arena going to read this to her three times in a row:

"Dear Arena,

I am aware that when we last talked face to face, you made it clear that there was no way you could join our Ent., but I have discussed with the head management and CEO of the company, which lead to the idea of putting together a dance group. I know that this is not what we talked about last time, but I have had information reach me, that you are quite the passionate dancer. There is going to be chances to audition and I would be exctatic if you auditioned, here are the tips that won't be included about the audition on the Starship Entertainment official website, since they are my own personal tips and tricks for a better auditiontape :

1. You have a 50% chance of getting called to the second round of auditions here in Seoul, if the choreography is actually made and composed by you yourself.

2. It will immensely increase your chances if you can sing (you don't have to, just that it would really help).

3. The more professional the place you film your audition tape, the better.

4. If there is talk and a chance of becoming an actual trainee, then I suggest you start working on your VISA and gathering up everything else, just in case (Because I believe in you and you will make it for sure).

5. Speaking fluent Korean is never a bad thing.

This is everything I can tell you right now that might help, although I know you are smart enough to figure these out on your own, rest of the formal details and requirements are up on the website.

Please, if this isn't for you, then audition for me. You have so much potential and could do great things. We need someone with good values like you in the industry.

Take care and don't be afraid to make your first step, remember that I believe in you.

All the best,

Park Hae, Starship Entertainment."

Arena looked away from her laptop, staring into the eyes of Naha lounging on her bed and bit her lip. Naha's eyes were wide open and seemed like they'll pop out any moment now.

"She actually sent you that? Really seriously? Do you realize what this means? You actually HAVE A PERSON ON THE INSIDE who ROOTS FOR YOU. This is incredible." Naha flopped down on her back and gazed at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck with double sided tape onto Arena's ceiling above her bed.

Arena looked back at the computer to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "You're right."

"What happened when you two met?" Naha had been there herself, observing it from a few tables away, but not near enough to actually hear the full conversation.

Arena turned in her seat and set her arm on the back of the chair, looking at Naha who was still entranced by the pattern of stars on the ceiling.

"I don't know. She just.. told me that I remind her of herself when she was young. I never thought that this actually might mean an opportunity like this."

Naha sighed very loudly and finally turned her eyes from the stars above to meet Arena's, "Then you must be really, really, reALLY CLULESS."