"The tone is very good, but the transitions are a bit stiff and the breath is too floating." The teacher wrote on the record sheet, "The high range is a bit tight, and I will start practicing mixed voice with Class C next week."

The teacher drew a circle on the form and said, "Practice breathing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and go to the training room to get a belly band." Kim Min-ji was taking notes nearby when she heard the teacher suddenly ask, "Can you play music?"

"I'm proficient in drums, and I can play a little guitar, bass, cello, and piano." Ouyang Guang nodded and talked about these musical talents. He heard the pen tip scratching quickly on the paper: "Okay, follow the progress of Class C first, and then adjust after the retest next month." There was a trainee in the back row of the classroom who was practicing pharyngeal sounds in front of the mirror, and the sweat on his neck slid down his collarbone into his collar.

Finally, Mr. Park took out a notebook and wrote something: "You have a good foundation, good voice, and good musical sense, but you need to work on your Korean pronunciation. Otherwise, you will be at a disadvantage when singing Korean songs." He pointed to an empty seat in the back of the classroom, "Your seat is over there. Don't be late for the formal class tomorrow."

Then he handed over a piece of music score and said, "This is the Korean song we are going to learn next week. Today, mark the pronunciation of the first verse clearly." The sunlight shone through the blinds onto the music score paper. The tadpole-shaped notes reminded him of the oil droplets in the chicken soup he had not finished drinking that morning.

When leaving the vocal music classroom, Jin Minzhi patted him on the back and said, "Guangxi, I didn't expect you to be able to play so many kinds of music."

"The only thing I play well is the drum set." Ouyang Guang didn't say much.

"Haha, don't be so modest!"

"You have a good vocal foundation. Next, when you go to the dance department, you will be assigned to Class D on the first floor. That is the basic class, and all of them are trainees with little dance foundation. You will first lay a good foundation there."

The dance department was on the west side of the building. The door of Class D classroom on the first floor was not closed, and deafening music came from inside. The teacher was teaching wave movements, and the music was paused as soon as they came in.

Ouyang Guang followed Jin Minzhi in, and a smell of sweat and disinfectant hit her face. There were more than a dozen trainees in the classroom, most of them wearing sportswear, practicing basic movements in front of the mirror.

Kim Min-ji pushed Ouyang Guang forward: "Teacher Zheng, we are a new trainee and we don't have much basic knowledge." When Ouyang Guang bowed, he heard whispers behind him. He turned around and saw several girls quickly lowering their heads, their dance shoes making rustling sounds on the floor.

"This is Ouyang Guang, you will train with everyone in Class D from now on." Jin Minzhi introduced the female teacher standing in the middle of the classroom, "This is Teacher Zheng from Dance Class D."

Teacher Zheng was a very capable girl with a high ponytail and beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked Ouyang up and down and asked, "I heard that you learned a dance on the day of the interview?"

"Yeah." Ouyang Guang nodded.

"Okay, then you should follow everyone to practice the basic movements first, stretch your legs, kick your legs, and stretch your ligaments." Teacher Zheng pointed to the bar in the corner of the classroom, "There are mats over there, go get one yourself."

Jin Minzhi looked at her watch and said, "I'm going to go first. I'll pick you up after class at five o'clock and take you to the cafeteria to get familiar with it and have dinner. The fried rice cakes in the cafeteria are good. After dinner, you can go to the dormitory to rest. The formal training will start tomorrow. Come on, stay hydrated!"

Before leaving, she stuffed him a bottle of sports drink. The mirror in the classroom reflected her back as she ran away. When her pink T-shirt disappeared at the end of the corridor, Ouyang Guang suddenly thought of He Zilin from Shenzhen, who would stuff him iced cola during every physical education class.

"Thank you, Sister Minzhi." Ouyangguang watched her leave, then went to the corner to get a yoga mat and spread it next to the bar.

The moment the door was closed, music suddenly sounded, a fast-paced Korean song. Ouyang Guang followed the others to bend over and stretch his legs, and the pain from his torn ligaments made him gasp. The trainee next to him secretly glanced at him, then quickly turned his head away - there was a faded Band-Aid on his knee.

Most of the trainees in the classroom were practicing their own exercises. Only a few of them looked at him curiously, then quickly turned to practice in front of the mirror. Ouyang Guang put his schoolbag next to the mat, walked to the bar, and tried to press his legs. The ligaments were a little tight, and he frowned slightly in pain.

While stretching his legs, he heard a boy in the front row whisper, "I heard he was parachuted in, and he couldn't even dance during the interview." Another voice sneered, "Director Jin gave him a special interview, maybe he has some connections."

"Keep your knees straight," Teacher Zheng put his hand on his back, "Don't be lazy, Class D is not short of hard-working people." Ouyang Guang gritted his teeth and pressed his body down, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the floor, spreading a small dark patch. The mirror reflected his tense profile, the ends of his hair were soaked by sweat and stuck to his forehead.

A boy in a black sportswear next to him saw him and came over: "You are the new trainee from Country Z, right? My name is Kim Seung-hyun, and I'm also from Class D." He smiled with his eyes curved, revealing two small canine teeth, "It's like this when you first start stretching your legs. It hurts for a few days but you get used to it."

"Hello, my name is Ouyangguang." Ouyangguang shook hands with him, and his fingers touched the calluses on his palms.

"You speak Korean very well. You can communicate as soon as you arrive?" Kim Seung-hyun was a little surprised.

"I just learned some basics." Ouyangguang didn't say much and continued stretching his legs.

The music was still playing, and Teacher Zheng was walking around the classroom, correcting the trainees' movements. "Straighten your knees!" "Open your hips!" "Don't let your waist sag!" Her voice was loud and unquestionable.

Ouyang Guang raised his hands and took steps to the rhythm, but he was always half a beat slower than others, with beads of sweat hanging on the velvet on the back of his hands.

He followed everyone else's movements, trying to do each one as well as he could. He could feel his muscles slowly tightening, and sweat dripping down his forehead, onto the mat, leaving a small dark mark.

He remembered that when he was in Shenzhen, at this moment he should be playing basketball with Chen Zheng and the others on the court, or playing games at home, not like now, sitting in a practice room full of the smell of sweat, repeating boring basic movements.

He didn't feel tired or wronged. From the moment he decided to stay in Korea as a trainee, he knew what this path would be like.

He just concentrated on doing each movement, listening to Teacher Zheng's instructions, and occasionally glancing at himself in the mirror out of the corner of his eye.

The young man in the mirror had hair soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead, but his eyes were still calm, but with a little more determination than when he first came.

Half an hour before the end of get out of class, Teacher Zheng allows students to practice freely.

"Wear a pair of soft-soled dance shoes every day, don't wear sneakers." Teacher Zheng threw him a towel.

"Hello! Teacher!"

Ouyangguang hid in the corner and practiced the movements that he had not followed just now in front of the mirror.

Kim Seung-hyun came over: "Let me teach you, this wave should start from the shoulder." Just as his hand touched Ouyang Guang's back, the door was suddenly pushed open, and three boys in black practice clothes came in. The leader glanced at Ouyang Guang: "Are you the new blond boy? The level of Class D is just like this."

Ouyang Guang didn't say anything, he just repeated the action. Sweat dripped down his forehead into his eyes, making him squint. The leading boy sneered and walked to the speakers to change to a fast-paced song. The powerful drum beats shook the floor.

Kim Seung-hyun tugged at his sleeve, but he suddenly took two steps forward and saw his reflection in the mirror—water dripping from the ends of his hair, his dark brown training suit stuck tightly to his back, and his eyes like a piece of iced glass.

When the electronic clock on the wall hit 4:50, his T-shirt was already sticking to his back with sweat. Teacher Zheng finished playing the last piece of music: "You will start formally following the class tomorrow. Today, finish practicing the basic skills first."