Once Upon A Star: Chapter 1

"Shirley! You have receive a letter!" Shirley's mum called her down from the living room.

While Shirley was busy blasting songs in her bedroom.
"Break it Down, down, down, down~" Uh?

Is that mum?

"Shirley! You have receive a letter!"

"Oh, yes mum! Coming," She opened her door and the sound spread her whole house.

What letter could it be? From my friend? From the college?

"Shirley! Hurry up! You're bus is coming in 10 minutes." Her mother told her to be quick or she'll miss the bus to her college.

"Here's your Milo and the letter. Where is it from? The Beijing University? Your uncle from Indonesia? Vouchers from Jusco? National University of Singapore? Or the job you interview for?" Her mother asked eagerly.

"Wait a bit. Where's my watch? I'll read it in the bus later. I'm going to be so late!" Shirley drank the cup of Milo and took a packet of biscuits before she left the house.

"This child..." her mother smiled, looking at her grownup daughter.

"Morning!" Shirley greeted the bus driver. She then sat beside her friend and classmate, Hallie.

"You comb you're hair for more than 10 minutes, rite?" Hallie asked as soon as she saw Shirley holding biscuits and her watch.

Shirley smiled, meaning "Yeap, that's what I do every morning."

After she finish eating her biscuits, Shirley opened the letter, wondering what does S.Ent means.

It was a letter from Star Entertainment.

Only then, Shirley remembered about an audition she went to a few months ago.

Star Entertainment was looking for fresh faces and talents so they held their competition in Malaysia. Shirley auditioned but she didn't get to the finals.

"Hey, what's that?" Hallie asked as she saw Shirley's stunned face.

"I... I've... I've been chosen to be a trainee..." Shirley couldn't digest what the letter showed her.

"Hmm? Wait... you mean the competition last time?" Hallie was the one that signed her up for it.

"Yeap... They want an answer from me within 2 weeks." Shirley read through the letter.

"So... what's your answer?" Hallie was excited now and kept patting Shirley's shoulder.

"Of course I'm going!" Shirley was confident about it.

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"No, you are not going anywhere unless you finish your college." Her mother said coldly.

"Seriously, this is what I want to do, I know I have the talent. You said it too. Besides, the company will give me training and they'll provide allowance and a place to stay. They have dorms at the company. They also provide language lessons." Shirley persuaded her mother.

"You've seen the news, the industry is so messy... the people are complicated, there's also depression and suicidal cases! Dad, please tell your daughter!" her mother dragged her father in.

"Shirley, just listen to your mother." her dad said and went to read his newspaper, mumbling, "this is going to be a long long debate..."

"Old guy not helping..." Shirley's mother nagged, "You need to finish your college to get into a university!"

"I can finish college there. I've asked the college about their new system, I can study online and graduate just like the others. I've called the company too and they agreed." Shirley had planned everything after receiving the letter.

She knew she had to let her mother trust her and did everything before hand.

Her mother sighed, knowing that she may have to step aside for her daughter.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You know artist have more than a hard life to live..."

Shirley nodded.

"Alright, I'll give you my permission. With conditions." Her mother said, looking stern.

"Yes? What conditions?" Shirley was all ears.

"You will be serious about this training and give your all. You will also make sure you won't be a failure and quit on yourself. You will call me at least every fortnight and talk to me and your father. And, you will also give us your debut album, with signature."

"I'll do all of them. In fact, I'll call you everyday if I can." with that, she hugged her mother as her father smiled "It all worked out in the end..."

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"In Korea at last!!!" Shirley screamed in her head.

She was finally in Korea, inside Incheon Airport. She took a huge breath, taking in the excitement, remembering the feeling.

"There!! There!! There!!" She heard a few girls shouting. Before she could turn to see who was it, she was knocked down by a mob of girls with colorful banners in their hands.

"Sheesh... what is going on here... " She stood up but there was another group of screaming girls incoming and she was shoved along with them.

Soon, she was surrounded by teenage girls screaming and shouting their lungs out.

"There!!! Ahhhhh He's so charming!!!"

"Ahhh!!! He's so handsome!"

"Kim Hyun Joong-sshi!!!"

"Oppa!"

"Marry me!!!"

"I can't breathe!!!"

"So beautiful!"

After listening to what people were shouting, Shirley understood a few Korean phrases and found out that these girls were trying to take a look at the K-pop idol, Kim Hyun Joong.

She was a fan too and she started wishing she could see him as the mob of girls led her near the gateway where he'll show up.

There were pushing and tugging. Shirley nearly fell down several times and she had to make sure her handbag and luggage wasn't taken away.

"I see him!!" The moment Shirley heard that, she looked up, searching for the celebrity. She struggled and tiptoed until her toes were soring.

She gave up after awhile because the mob was going crazy.

She turned around and squeezed herself out of the mob.

After a sigh of disappointment, she took her luggage and walked away from the mob.

"Wait... where is this place?" she couldn't see any exit signs or doors. Dumbfounded and tired, she sat down on the floor beside her luggage.

She looked up, like a child looking for their parents. There were a few floors and people in neat uniforms were walking about, doing their stuff.

Suddenly, she spotted a small bunch of people at the third floor.

They looked like travellers, luggage's in hands and tired faces. She observed them, one by one.

A familiar shadow was in the group.

Wondering who was it, she looked closer and saw Hyun Joong himself.

"I must be dreaming..." She gasped and kept her eyes fixed on him, her perfect image of a man of her dreams. It was merely 30 seconds, he disappeared from her sight and went into one of the doors.

Her heart fluttered and her mind screamed, she had thought that she'll never see him, and just a few seconds ago, the impossible became possible leaving her awed.

"Was it destiny? Fate? Dumb clumsy luck?" She didn't cared, she just saw him!

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After sitting at the airport for about 15 minutes, she was helped by one of the security guards at the airport and was in a taxi, on the way to

Star Entertainment.