Chapter 10: First Encounter (Support IU)

1, 2, 3... Holding the train ticket, Yoonjae and Soyeon looked for their seats, which were 30 and 31 in carriage 10.

"Wow, finally found it... I'm so tired!" Soyeon sat down by the window, while Yoonjae took the aisle seat and put down his backpack.

"Soyeon, can you not be so excited? You've been acting like you've been on a stimulant the whole way. Aren't you at all worried?" Yoonjae asked, full of concern. Since leaving home, his heart had been on edge.

Soyeon patted his stomach and said, "Relax, put your heart at ease, it's fine! It's only a two-hour journey, we'll be there soon. Once we get to Seoul, we can take a taxi to the audition venue!"

Yoonjae nodded blankly. While that was true, he felt that plans often didn't keep up with changes.

Choo-choo... The train's engine roared, followed by the continuous clacking sound as it slowly moved and gradually accelerated.

"Soyeon, are you hungry? I brought some snacks!" Yoonjae opened his backpack, which was full of snacks and drinks. Soyeon rubbed her stomach; she hadn't eaten breakfast and was a bit hungry. She took out a pack of cookies and started eating, while Yoonjae, as usual, had chocolate.

Not long after, the train stopped at the next station—Suwon Station. Suwon City was a city near Anyang, and it only took 40 minutes by train. After the train stopped, many people got off, and the once bustling carriage was left with only a few people. Then, more people got on. Yoonjae didn't pay attention to them and played with his game console, where blocks kept changing, like building blocks—Tetris.

"Hey, you're so clumsy... You should have rotated it to fit in, then you'd have space for the next one..." Soyeon, engrossed, couldn't help but comment.

"Shh... Don't disturb me..."

Just as the two were bickering, a girl about their age sat down opposite them. She wore a white T-shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, and had a braid. She had a bright smile, with a pair of bright eyes and rosy lips, looking like a lively little beauty.

Yoonjae had never seen such a spirited girl before, clear and ethereal, like a little fairy.

"Hey... What are you staring at... Look, you lost, you were about to break 10,000, couldn't you have held on a bit longer!" Soyeon raised her head, annoyed, to scold him, but seeing Yoonjae's dazed look, she followed his gaze and saw the girl sitting opposite. She suddenly understood.

Although Soyeon and Yoonjae often slept in the same bed and treated each other like the same gender, this didn't mean they didn't understand the relationship between men and women. Even in school, from fourth grade, they had early maturity education, understanding physiological structures, etc.

"Yoonjae, you're electrified!" Soyeon pushed Yoonjae, instantly snapping him out of his daze.

"What... What do you mean?!" Yoonjae asked, realizing belatedly.

Soyeon covered her mouth and giggled, "Yoonjae, the teacher said that if you feel an electric shock when you see a pretty person of the opposite sex, it means you have a crush on them. Didn't you feel an electric shock just now?"

"No... Soyeon, you're just making it up, I didn't feel any electric shock!" Yoonjae denied it strongly.

Soyeon giggled a few times and whispered, "Don't worry, Yoonjae! Leave it to me!" Soyeon smiled slyly, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Sister... Don't do anything crazy..." Yoonjae was really afraid. Soyeon's straightforward personality made him nervous. Besides, he had only been slightly dazed, far from feeling an electric shock.

Soyeon patted his hand, hinting that he shouldn't worry.

"Hello..."

The girl had been looking out the window at the passing scenery. Suddenly, she heard someone greet her and turned her head to look at Soyeon, her eyes showing surprise. She quickly replied, "Oh... Hello!" The girl's voice was very pleasant, clear and ringing like a wind chime.

"My name is Soyeon... What's yours?"

Yoonjae was speechless. Only Soyeon could be so direct. If it were him, the other person probably wouldn't even acknowledge him.

"My name is BoA (using her stage name), nice to meet you! You can call me BoA!"

"Oh... Soyeon said, her eyes twinkling with delight, "Are you traveling alone? Where are your parents?"

BoA's face showed some hesitation. After a few seconds, she said, "I came alone!"

"Wow, what a coincidence! Me too... Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Seoul!"

Soyeon immediately moved around the table and sat next to BoA, saying, "Me too... What are you going to Seoul for? Are you going on vacation?"

BoA shook her head, "No... I'm going to participate in S.M.'s audition!"

Upon hearing this, Yoonjae stared at her for a long time before turning to Soyeon, thinking to himself: Sister Soyeon... You might be out of luck!

"Really? That's great! I am too... I'm also going to the audition... What a coincidence!" Soyeon was overjoyed. She had just been thinking about helping Yoonjae gather information, but now it seemed she had forgotten all about it.

"Really?" This time, it was BoA's turn to be surprised. She couldn't believe the world was so small, or that they were so fated to meet.

"Of course! I ran away from home secretly and left a note for my parents!" Soyeon's face showed a hint of pride.

"Ha! Me too! My parents have always been against me participating in auditions. This time, I was determined to come, so I left them a note and sneaked out!" BoA said, delighted. She never thought she would meet someone with a similar situation on the way. They quickly became friends, sharing the same goals.

Soyeon was a talkative person, and BoA wasn't shy either. They chatted away, mostly about the audition, as if it were a topic they could never finish discussing.

Seeing the two chatting happily, Yoonjae shook his head and sighed, "Sister Soyeon... You're really unreliable!" Then he went back to playing his game console.

"Tickets, please! Tickets, please!"

About half an hour later, the conductor came to check tickets, and Soyeon and BoA were snapped out of their deep conversation. BoA, born in 1986, was now being called "Sister BoA" by Soyeon.

"Who... is he?"

Only then did BoA notice Yoonjae, who was sitting opposite, head down, playing his game console. Soyeon slapped her head, realizing she had forgotten the main thing. She quickly introduced him, "This is my brother—Yoonjae, he's here to accompany me to the audition! Yoonjae... don't you call Sister BoA!"

Yoonjae gave her a look that said, "You finally remembered me!" Soyeon glared back at him.

"Hello, Sister BoA... My name is Yoonjae, just call me Yoonjae. I'm the youngest here!"

"Aww, so cute..." BoA reached out and pinched Yoonjae's cheek. Yoonjae felt his face burning, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

"Soyeon often pinches my face, and I don't feel anything, but why does my face feel so hot when Sister BoA pinches it?" The naive Yoonjae wondered to himself.

"Soyeon, your brother is so cute, and he's blushing!" BoA praised, pinching Yoonjae's face again. His chubby cheeks, long bangs covering his eyes, and obedient demeanor made him even more adorable. She couldn't help but keep pinching his soft cheeks.

Hehe... Seeing Yoonjae's blushing face, Soyeon couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time she had seen him like this.

"Come, children, tickets please, show them to the auntie!" The conductor in uniform had already walked up to them. Yoonjae rummaged through his backpack and found two tickets to give her. BoA reached into her pocket and froze.

"Child, where is your ticket?" The conductor asked kindly.

BoA's face turned pale. She had put her ticket in her wallet, which she had placed in her right pocket. Now, her empty pocket had no wallet.

Seeing BoA's changing expression, Soyeon asked, "Sister BoA, what's wrong?"

BoA's voice trembled, "My wallet... seems to have been stolen!"

What... Soyeon and Yoonjae both exclaimed in shock. Before leaving, Yoonjae had heard that there were many pickpockets at the station, so he had put his wallet at the bottom of his backpack and carried it in front of him to ensure it was safe. He had forgotten about the "many pickpockets at the station" rumor, but now, seeing BoA's wallet stolen, he felt a sense of alert.

"Sister BoA, look for it again, maybe you just forgot where you put it?" Soyeon suggested.

Panicked, BoA searched all her pockets, but her wallet was indeed gone. Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.

"What can I do... The money in my wallet, I saved for half a year, is all gone..." BoA cried.

"Child... Are you sure your wallet is lost, and not just trying to avoid paying the fare?" The conductor said coldly. She had seen this before, with some fare evaders claiming their wallets were stolen, but usually, they were adults, not a little girl today. "After we get to the station, I'll call your family to pay the fare and come to pick you up!"

"No... No!" BoA cried out in panic. She had come secretly, not wanting her family to know. If the conductor did as she said, all her efforts would be in vain.

The conductor said coldly, "That won't work either, then show me your ticket!"

BoA was speechless. With her wallet gone, where was her ticket? More and more people were watching, but no one was willing to pay the fare for BoA. The warmth and coldness of human nature were evident at this moment.

"Hey, you, quickly take out your wallet and buy a ticket for Sister BoA!" Soyeon shouted at Yoonjae, who was rummaging through his backpack.

"I know, I know! I'm looking for my wallet... Ah, found it!" Yoonjae took out snacks one by one from his backpack, soon filling the table. He pulled out his wallet from the bottom, "I always keep it in such a hidden place, no thief would think to look there! Hehe..."

Yoonjae was proud of himself. He took out a 10,000 won bill and gave it to the conductor. The conductor took the bill, gave him the change and ticket, and continued checking tickets.

"Wow! Yoonjae, your piggy bank is so rich!" Seeing the stack of bills in Yoonjae's wallet, Soyeon's eyes turned into two "$" symbols. Yoonjae put his wallet back at the bottom of his backpack, stuffed the snacks back in, and said to Soyeon, "Sister Soyeon... This is all the New Year's money my parents have given me over the years, my piggy bank. Don't even think about it!"

"Hmph... Miser!" Soyeon pouted and glared at him.

Yoonjae ignored Soyeon's fierce gaze, handed the ticket to BoA, and said, "Sister BoA... After we get off the train, follow us... Now you have no money for a taxi or food!"

BoA stared at Yoonjae for a long time before taking the ticket, feeling a warm surge of gratitude.

Yoonjae chuckled and took out a handful of chocolates from his pocket, offering them to BoA, "Here, this chocolate is really good!" He also handed her a tissue.

Soyeon exclaimed, "Hey, Yoonjae... When did you have so much chocolate!" The limited edition chocolate from Park Sang-hae was only five pieces a day, but Yoonjae had at least ten.

"Oh, I grabbed a handful before leaving, didn't count! Anyway, I'm going to get scolded, so it doesn't matter!" Yoonjae chuckled. Soyeon immediately reached into Yoonjae's pockets and took all his chocolates.

"Hey, Sister Soyeon, that's not fair... That's outright robbery!" Yoonjae pouted.

"Hmph! Everyone gets a share!"

Soyeon gave him a "contemptuous" look and started eating. BoA, seeing the amusing interaction between the siblings, felt less sad about her stolen wallet. She peeled a piece of chocolate, put it in her mouth, and savored the smooth, sweet sensation on her taste buds.

The train rumbled on, and two hours later, they arrived at Seoul Station. Yoonjae wasn't very familiar with Seoul, but he knew Gangnam District well. His original school was in Apgujeong, Gangnam, and S.M. Company was just a few streets away.

When they got on the train, there were only two of them, but now, after getting off, the group had grown to three. The station was crowded, and the three held hands to avoid being separated by the crowd. Without pagers or cell phones, getting separated would mean being lost in the sea of people.

Stepping out of the station, Yoonjae breathed in the air of Seoul after a year, a city both familiar and strange.

"Sister Soyeon... Do you know where the audition is?" Yoonjae asked.

BoA spoke up, "This time, the audition has many participants, so it's not at S.M. Company but at a place called A Square!"

"Oh, I know that place... Let's go!" Yoonjae hailed a taxi, and the three got in, heading straight for their destination.

A Square was a small square in Apgujeong, rented by S.M. Company for the first round of screening. When the taxi was about 100 meters from A Square, it couldn't go any further due to the crowd.

"Sorry, you'll have to walk from here. It's too crowded, the car can't get in!" the driver apologized.

Yoonjae paid the fare, and the three got out, walking toward A Square. Park Sang-hae, wearing a baseball cap, followed them from behind.

"Wow, so many people!"

It was 10 a.m., and A Square was packed. S.M. staff divided the square into several areas to screen the participants. Yoonjae, carrying his backpack, pushed his way through the crowd, making a path for the two girls behind him. He got two registration forms and handed them to Soyeon and BoA.

After registering, the first round of screening began. Hundreds of staff lined up the participants in a long queue, eliminating those with poor looks, short stature, and bad figures. By 4 p.m., the original 10,000 participants were reduced to about 500, fortunately including BoA and Soyeon.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, so strict! They eliminated those with poor looks, short stature, and bad figures, leaving only a few... It seems the CEO of S.M. Company is a member of the appearance association!" Yoonjae tsked, sighing.

"Don't say that. S.M. Company's audition is to select the best to become company trainees and create a superstar representing Asia. Without good looks and a good figure, who would like them? Would anyone like a fat person? A very ugly female star?" BoA countered.

Yoonjae nodded, thinking BoA had a point. The stars on TV, especially the female stars, were all dazzlingly beautiful, and the male stars were so handsome that they were beyond reproach.

Looking at his watch, Yoonjae's face turned grim, "Sister Soyeon, you're really unreliable! The whole day has passed, and only the first round of screening is done. There are still the second and third rounds tomorrow... We have to stay in Gangnam tonight! Shouldn't you call home?"

Soyeon had been immersed in the joy of being selected for the first round, but now she realized she had a problem...

(PS: The audition is written simply... It's been too long, and I can't find any information online. But back then, the internet wasn't even widespread, so it was probably done by human screening... That's it!)

Support IU, one more chapter! I didn't expect this to happen today, but the main character of this book is IU... Let's go!

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