*

The next day.

Lee Hae-na, who was a training maniac, woke up at eight o 'clock. After ten minutes of stretching, the last sister finished washing up, so she took over the bathroom.

The month-end evaluation started at one o 'clock in the afternoon. At that time, the company's executives, teachers, and seniors would come to watch and evaluate.

Trainees who didn't meet expectations or didn't improve would be demoted if they were in good condition, and those who weren't would have to leave.

It was said that a new batch of trainees would join the company after the month-end evaluation, so a large number of people would be eliminated.

Lee Hae-na couldn't guarantee that her performance would be 100% satisfactory.

Her previous month-end evaluation ranking wasn't bad. She took first place many times in singing and was stable in the top three in dancing. However, this wasn't enough for her to relax and be proud. It also didn't mean that she had the qualifications to debut.

The seniors of EXO had only debuted for a little more than half a year. The company probably wouldn't release another girl group before 14 years.

However, Lee Hae-na wasn't in a hurry. Firstly, she was still young. Secondly, she had been training for so many years. Two more years wouldn't make a difference.

In addition to President Jin, Director Quan, and their teachers who were confirmed to attend the month-end evaluation, even her teachers, Yu Yongjin and Kim Hee-chul, had come.

Class A and B were separated. They looked at Class B first, then Class A, so Class A had some time to prepare.

Lee Hae-na put down her backpack and stretched her body. After warming up, she put on her headphones and practiced dancing.

It was winter. It was best to warm up the body first.

Domino, which she had practiced thousands of times, came out of her headphones. Lee Hae-na could almost make her body react automatically when she heard the music.

Halfway through her practice, the door of the practice room opened and Kim Hee-chul walked in.

Lee Hae-na saw him in the mirror. She took off her headphones in surprise and asked, "Oppa, didn't you want to see the evaluation of Class B?"

"I took the opportunity to sneak out. There's really nothing to see in Class B, it's much worse than what we used to be." Kim Hee-chul played with his hair smugly.

"What?" Lee Hae-na didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Many trainees in Class B have only been here for a year."

"Didn't you get promoted to Class A in just half a year? You're far worse than me."

Kim Hee-chul, S.M's number one fan, came online: "I just listened to the new song you wrote. It's not bad, it's almost half as good as your brother's."

Lee Hae-na couldn't be bothered with this narcissist. She put on her headphones and prepared to continue practicing.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not giving me any face!

Have you forgotten who taught you Korean when you couldn't speak it?

Have you forgotten who secretly bought you strawberry ice cream in the middle of summer?

Tsk tsk, how disappointing … "Kim Hee-chul brought up old scores again, and his expression was very pretentious and sad.

"Okay, brother, I admit defeat!

I was wrong! "Lee Hae-na knew that if she didn't cut off the topic now, Kim Hee-chul would talk until tomorrow.

"Good girl." Kim Hee-chul pinched Lee Hae-na's face and let go before she got angry.

"Actually, there's nothing else. Here, drink some of this, it'll moisten your throat." Kim Hee-chul took out a bottle of pear juice from his coat pocket and handed it to Lee Hae-na.

Lee Hae-na was touched in her heart.

She came to a foreign country to work alone when she was 11 years old. To be honest, it wasn't that she wasn't afraid of loneliness.

It was not that the company's trainees were deliberately isolating her or giving her the cold shoulder, but this was how society was. Who would be willing to be a good person to help a trainee who might not be able to hold on for a long time when they themselves were not practicing well?

Although Kim Hee-chul wasn't the first person to lend her a helping hand, he really was someone who gave her a lot of help and warmth when she was in trouble.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that without the help of Kim Hee-chul and the other sisters, there wouldn't be the Lee Hae-na today.

"Xi Che Oppa, thank you." Lee Hae-na was a person who was used to expressing her feelings. She went forward and hugged Kim Hee-chul.

Kim Hee-chul couldn't stand this kind of warm and mushy atmosphere, but he still gently touched Lee Hae-na's head, who only reached his chest: "Ah, 1.5 meters, you need to drink more milk, tsk tsk."

Lee Hae-na was angry: "One day, I'll be taller than you."

The touching atmosphere immediately disappeared without a trace. Kim Hee-chul couldn't stay out for too long, so he quickly went back to watch the trainees' performance.

Lee Hae-na continued to practice for more than ten minutes before stopping to rest, preparing to practice the song she was going to sing later.

The pear juice was warmed by Kim Hee-chul's hand. Drinking the sweet and refreshing juice, Lee Hae-na's throat, which was a little tired from the frequent practice over the past few days, felt a little better.

Class A's end-of-month evaluation began.

The trainees sat on both sides of the wall. The teacher sat in the front, and behind them was a camera to record the performance so that it could be replayed.

The trainees went forward to perform according to the order called by the teacher.

Lee Hae-na couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Bae Chu-min sat next to her and held her hand. Both of their palms were slightly sweaty.

Soon, it was Kang Sung-ki's turn to go forward.

Kang Sung-ki was the best dancer among them, and she didn't disappoint this time. She displayed the internal strength of five years as a trainee vividly. After a dance, she received a good evaluation from President Kim Young-min.

This was rare among the trainees.

Kang Sung-ki, who was always calm, couldn't help but show a happy smile.

She was singing Senior Boa's song. Although her technique wasn't mature enough, it was already a good standard among the trainees.

After the teachers commented on the shortcomings and recorded something in their notebooks, it was the next trainee's turn.

Lee Hae-na was the second to last. She was the last to perform, so the pressure was great.

She kept taking deep breaths to adjust her state and breath, calming herself down.

Kim Hee-chul quietly gave her a thumbs up. Looking at Kim Hee-chul's trusting expression, she felt a lot more relaxed.

This time, she completed the choreography with the help of Kang Sung-ki. It was quite difficult. Although she practiced countless times, Lee Hae-na was still a little worried about whether she could complete the dance without any mistakes.

After the adaptation, Domino didn't care about Lee Hae-na's nervousness and started playing without warning.

As soon as the music started, Lee Hae-na quickly got into the mood. She put aside her complicated thoughts and focused on the stage, trying to show 100% of the success of her hard work.

After the dance, it was the singing part's evaluation.

Lee Hae-na prepared the song that was previously given to teacher Yu Yongjin and praised. She was still a little conceited about her singing ability.

She sat in front of the piano and took deep breaths to relax. Then she turned her head to the camera and showed a smile that she had practiced thousands of times. She began to play and sing.

"Title: A Girl's Letter

Hey, hello

You don't know that I like you, right?

Ah

In the end

How can I start without surprising you?

I drank a few cups of coffee.

Paper balls were all over the floor.

The tip of the pen still couldn't finish the words in my heart.

So,

I thought about it again and again.

Decided to start with my preferences.

In this world, I like three things.

The sun, the moon, and you.

sun

for

day

moon

for

night

and

you

for

ever.

Ah

What should I do?

Just hearing your name makes my heart beat faster.

Like drinking coffee with too much sugar.

Tossing and turning in the middle of the night.

Ah

What should I do?

Just writing the first word makes me blush.

Like a balloon that is about to be filled.

About to explode in my heart.

Dear John,

If you are the same as me.

Can you give me a lemon-flavored candy?

Dear John,

There are thousands of girls who like you.

But they are all different from me.

I can't say too many words of love.

But I will write a song for you.

I don't have an outstanding appearance.

But I will always be by your side.

Dear John,

There is something you must know.

I really like you. "

This song was written after she watched a movie. It was different from the more mature and popular songs she usually wrote. It was a rare sweet love song for her age.

When she first handed it to Yu Yongjin -sensei, he was shocked. He thought that Lee Hae-na was in love for the first time and secretly fell in love.

Lee Hae-na still couldn't forget the first sentence Yu Yongjin -sensei asked her with a strange and emotional expression. "Is that kid very popular?"

Li Haina finished the song with plenty of room to spare.

Originally, she thought that such a sweet song wouldn't suit Lee Hae-na's voice, but when she sang it, she felt that it was very suitable. There was a unique freshness and youthful sensibility that belonged to Lee Hae-na, making people's mood unconsciously better.

The teachers all showed expressions of admiration.

She secretly sighed in relief.

The first to comment was President Kim Young-min, whom she hadn't had much contact with.

To be honest, in the three years that she had been in S.M Company, the number of times that she had seen President Kim Young-min could be counted on one hand.

"You're Lee Hae-na, the one who learned to compose with Teacher Yu, right?

The song was well written and the singing was okay. Keep up the good work. "President Kim Young-min, who looked serious on the surface, said a lot more gently than she looked.

"I can see that you put in a lot of effort into the dance. You have to guard against arrogance and impatience. Keep up the good work."

The second to comment was Director Quan Bao 'er. She also had a rare gentle smile, which made Lee Hae-na feel a little flattered.

After that, several teachers pointed out some small flaws in Lee Hae-na's performance. Overall, her performance this time was very good.

Lee Hae-na bowed to thank the teachers. She suppressed her excitement and returned to her seat.

Kim Hee-chul gave her a thumbs up from afar. Lee Hae-na didn't dare to move. She could only blink.

The end of the month evaluation smoothly ended.

The results would be announced in three days, which was the day after Christmas.

The trainees still had to continue practicing before the evaluation results came out.

Lee Hae-na, Bae Chu-min, and Kang Sung-ki all gave each other a big hug after the evaluation.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

*

Although there was no vacation after the end of the month evaluation, the company allowed the trainees to relax in the afternoon after the end of the month evaluation.

After the evaluation, Kang Sung-ki asked a few good friends to go out and play. Even the otaku Bae Chu-min had activities. Lee Hae-na pulled Xu Yiyang to go shopping with her.

Xu Yiyang also felt that the end of the month evaluation was good, so the two of them were in a good mood.

Lee Hae-na planned to fulfill her promise and pick out two boxes of greenhouse strawberries for Kim Tae-hyung as a small reward. Xu Yiyang wanted to replenish her snack box.

Lee Hae-na changed into a long white down jacket and a red scarf. She even hid half of her face and wore wool boots. She looked like a person who lived in the North Pole. It was extremely exaggerated.

Compared to Xu Yiyang, who only wore a woolen jacket and a thin sweater, it was a stark contrast.

Xu Yiyang was speechless.

Lee Hae-na pushed the shopping cart and wandered in the sea of snacks. She was unmoved.

Xu Yiyang, who had difficulty choosing, didn't know where to start. The two of them shopped for half an hour, but there were still only two boxes of greenhouse strawberries in the cart. Later, Lee Hae-na felt that shopping aimlessly was too inefficient. She quickly pulled Xu Yiyang to a corner and started making a list.

With a list, shopping became much easier.

If she didn't write it down, she wouldn't have known that Lee Hae-na had a lot of things to buy.

Two boxes of strawberry milk, a box of skim milk with high calcium, some low-calorie fiber biscuits, and a few boxes of organic green tea. Just these alone were enough to make her choke.

Xu Yiyang, the little rich lady, didn't need to be mentioned. She piled up a cart of snacks. Under Lee Hae-na's cold gaze, she reluctantly put down the box of ice cream in her hands.

"Good baby. Mommy will pick you up next time." Xu Yiyang's face was filled with sadness.

"Let's go, Best Actress." Lee Hae-na didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Xu Yiyang's exaggerated acting skills. She pushed the cart towards the cashier.

As soon as she pushed the cart away from the ice cream counter, Lee Hae-na collided with an uncontrolled shopping cart that was speeding forward.

Of course, nothing bad would happen if they bumped into each other like this, but it would only make them feel bad.

Lee Hae-na was just about to find the culprit when she saw a small boy wearing a baseball cap run in front of her.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I accidentally fell and pushed the cart out. I didn't have time to stop it. Are you hurt?" The boy apologized and explained in rapid succession. His voice was very unique and childish.

Lee Hae-na wasn't an unforgiving person. The other party's attitude was so sincere that the little bit of depression in her heart had long disappeared. "It's not …" Before she could finish the word "not", she was interrupted by the boy in shock.

"You look so familiar … Ah!

Aren't you the girl who fainted in the park that day?!

What a coincidence!

Are you okay? "When the boy smiled, his eyes curved into a line, giving people a sense of friendliness.

Lee Hae-na was a little confused. She did faint in the park, but she had never seen this boy with squinty eyes before.

How did he know her?

"I'm okay?

Uh, I don't think I saw you that day.

Could you have mistaken me for someone else? "

"Mistaken you for someone else?

That's impossible. It's rare to see a girl as beautiful as you. "

The boy waved his hand and explained the situation to Lee Hae-na. "When I arrived, you had already fainted. Tae-hyung helped you to a stone chair. After that, it was Tae-hyung who sent you to the hospital. I went back to the dorm, so it's normal that you didn't see me.

I only recognized you after looking at you for a while, haha. "