"It's survival," Zhang Yixing corrected, his tone surprisingly serious, "After the JYJ incident, the company has been keeping a closer eye on us trainees, especially foreign trainees. Any small mistake could be magnified."

When talking about JYJ, Ouyangguang was silent. The incident last week shook the entire company and all the trainees were affected. Although he had only been in H country for a week, he had already felt the obvious change in the atmosphere.

"Forget it." Zhang Yixing suddenly changed the subject and reached out to ruffle Ouyang Guang's blonde hair. "I'll take you to a noodle shop. Let's go have breakfast first."

The two of them squeezed under an umbrella and walked into the rain in August. The rain formed a stream on the streets of Seoul, washing away the remaining heat from last night. Ouyang Guang tilted the umbrella towards Zhang Yixing, and his left shoulder was soon wet by the rain.

"Brother, you want me to bring an umbrella, but you didn't bring one yourself." Ouyang Guang curled his lips, and the rain dripped down his golden bangs and formed tiny water droplets on his eyelashes.

Zhang Yixing smiled and wiped his face with his sleeve: "The umbrella in my dormitory was borrowed last time, and it hasn't been returned yet." His Hunan accent sounded particularly soft in the sound of rain, "This rice noodle shop is opened by a fellow Hunanese, I come here often."

After turning two corners, a small shop with red lanterns appeared in front of him. The moment he opened the door, the spicy aroma hit him in the face, reminding him of the noodle shop in the alleys of Shenzhen.

"Xing, don't come!" The proprietress poked her head out from the back kitchen wearing an apron, and her eyes lit up when she saw Ou Yangguang, "Is this the new brother?"

"My friend, also from Hunan." Zhang Yixing found a seat by the window and took out two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick holder. "Same old rules, two bowls of beef noodles, not spicy."

When the hot rice noodles were served, Ouyang Guang found a fried egg in his bowl. The proprietress winked at him and said, "Children who come here for the first time all have fried eggs."

Zhang Yixing took half of the beef slices in his bowl and gave it to Ouyang Guang: "Eat more, Teacher Jin's dance class this afternoon will be tough for you." He paused, "By the way, the song for the end-of-month assessment for Class D this month has been decided, it's Sorry Sorry by SJ Seniors."

Ouyang Guang's chopsticks stopped in mid-air. Raindrops hit the window, winding small rivers on the glass. He remembered the gossip he heard in the locker room yesterday - "That kid from country Z got an A grade just by his face, he can't even dance, and his singing is just so-so..."

"Are you scared?" Zhang Yixing poked his forehead lightly with the end of his chopsticks.

Ouyangguang lowered his head and drank a mouthful of soup. The hot feeling burned from his throat to his stomach: "Whoever is afraid is a dog."

The old radio in the store suddenly played the prelude of "Sorry Sorry", and they both smiled at the same time. The rain was still falling, but the sun seemed to have penetrated the clouds and shone into this small rice noodle shop.

After breakfast, the two of them shared an umbrella and continued walking towards the company.

The umbrella was not big, so the two people had to get very close. Ouyang Guang could smell the scent coming from him - like freshly brewed milk mixed with the fragrance of citrus, with a hint of caramel sweetness.

"Be careful of the puddles." Zhang Yixing reminded.

"Brother Yixing, how come you have time to meet me today?" Ouyang Guang asked.

They don't usually have classes together and have different practice schedules.

"I'll practice with you." Zhang Yixing smiled, dimples appeared on his cheeks, "The dance for the end-of-month assessment for Class D is out, I'll practice with you."

Speaking of this, Ouyang Guang suddenly remembered the unexpected encounter last Tuesday.

It was not until these few days that he figured out that the company's practice room had to be booked in advance, and the training areas for male and female trainees were completely separate - meeting Bae Joo-hyun that day was even more rare than winning the lottery.

"I heard from Kim Seung-hyun that she just joined the company last month..." Ouyang Guang muttered softly.

This guy, who calls himself "SM Intelligence Bureau", has only been here for three months, but he knows all the gossip in the company. He even knows which department the cleaning lady's daughter is interning in, not to mention the new trainees.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella suddenly became more intense. Zhang Yixing leaned towards him again: "What are you daydreaming about? Watch your step."

Ouyangguang recalled the first time he met Zhang Yixing in the practice room. The figure dancing in front of the mirror was like a gust of free wind, and it was impossible to tell that he was not a professional dancer. To be able to reach such a level in just a short period of time, one can imagine the effort behind it.

"By the way," Zhang Yixing suddenly said, "When you bow to someone, bend your waist 40 degrees, look at the ground, hold for two seconds and then stand up. When you greet someone, you should say 안녕하세요, 선배님 (Hello, senior), and your voice should be clear..."

Ouyang Guang silently noted down these details. In the sound of rain, Zhang Yixing's voice was particularly clear, like a small lamp in the darkness.

The company building seemed particularly quiet in the rain. After swiping his card to enter, Ouyang Guang followed Zhang Yixing to the small practice room on the third floor. When he opened the door, there were already people practicing inside - a boy with slightly dark skin was practicing a complicated street dance move in front of the mirror.

"Jongin? You're here so early?" Zhang Yixing asked in surprise.

The boy, Kim Jong-in, stopped moving, and when he turned around, his hair on his forehead was wet with sweat. "Good morning, Yixing." He said in a low voice, and nodded slightly when he looked at Ouyang Guang.

"This is Ouyang Guang, a new trainee, from Dance Class D," Zhang Yixing introduced. "Xiaoguang, this is Jin Zhongren, born in 1994. He joined the company in 2007, and is from Dance Class B."

Ouyangguang bowed politely: "Hello, senior! I am Ouyangguang, born in 1995."

Kim Jong-in returned the greeting and waved his hand: "I am Jong-in, Yixing's friends are my friends." He paused, "But I still need to be polite in front of other people in the company."

After saying hello, Kim Jong-in continued his practice. His dance had a unique sense of fluidity, and every movement was as natural as flowing water, yet full of power. Ouyang Guang was so engrossed in watching that he almost forgot the time.

"Let's get started too." Zhang Yixing patted his shoulder, "Warm up first."

For the next hour, Zhang Yixing patiently corrected each of Ouyangguang's basic movements. Kim Jong-in occasionally interrupted, and although he didn't say much, every word hit the point. Ouyangguang imitated intently, and sweat soon soaked his T-shirt.

"You've made rapid progress." During the break, Zhang Yixing handed him a bottle of water, "You've been able to catch up with the basic courses in just one week."

Ouyang Guang shook his head and drank water in big gulps: "I'm still a long way from that." He looked at Jin Zhongren, who was practicing a difficult floor move, "When can I dance like that..."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Zhang Yixing smiled. "Jongren has been learning dancing since he was a child. You have only practiced for a week, and your progress is amazing."

Jin Zhongren stopped what he was doing and wiped his sweat. "Indeed. Your body coordination is very good, but you lack basic training."

This affirmation from the senior in Class B warmed Ouyang Guang's heart. Just as he was about to thank him, the door of the practice room was suddenly pushed open and a round-faced boy poked his head in.

"Ah, you're here!" The boy's eyes were small but bright, like two black beans, "Ouyang Guang, Teacher Li Zaiyuan is looking for you!"

Ouyangguang's heart sank. Li Zaiyuan was the teacher of the independent acting class. Last week, he assigned him extra line training and asked him to report his practice results every morning.

"I'll be there right away." He stood up and said goodbye to Zhang Yixing and Kim Jong-in, "Thank you for your guidance."