Falling for the stars

Chapter 3

Hope’s POV

Sweat was dripping from my face as I continued to practice the dance move that I wanted to present.

I pressed the stop button on my playlist and grabbed my water bottle. I looked out the window of the dance studio near my school.

Since 5 a.m., I had been here practicing my dance moves, and it was already D-7 before the audition. Before going back to practice, I opened my laptop to check flights to Korea.

While looking for the best flights and also checking hotels to stay at, I realized I still needed to inform my parents about my departure.

At the same time, I needed to provide a good reason why I was going. Even if they didn’t care about me anyway… or maybe I just shouldn’t tell them anything. They probably wouldn’t even notice if I was gone or not home.

Maybe I should ask Juliet if she would like to come with me to Korea—at least I would have a friend with me there.

I sent a quick message to Juliet asking if she could visit me at home so we could have dinner together before going back to practice.

*****AT HOPE’S HOUSE*****

“Hope, why did you ask me to have dinner with you?” Juliet said while eating her ice cream.

“Well… I was hoping you would join me in going to Korea on the 17th of March.”

After I told her that, she just looked at me like I was from a different planet or something.

“So, what do you think?” I asked her again.

She let out a loud laugh, which gave me a chance to raise my eyebrow.

“So that’s the reason why you asked me for dinner?”

I just shook my head as a sign of yes, which made her smile even more.

“Hope, you are my best friend. Whatever happens, I will support you. If you need me there, I would love to.”

Her response made me smile. When it comes to this kind of request, Juliet will always come to your aid—and I’m always thankful for her friendship.

I stood up and walked toward her side of the table to give her a side hug. After that, we went back to talking and eating more.

“Hope, show me the audition dance you will be doing on the 17th.”

I put some music on and showed her parts of my audition dance.

“So… what do you think?” I looked at her, waiting for her feedback.

“It’s perfect!” she screamed and gave me a big hug.

“They would be so stupid not to choose you,” Juliet told me.

I gave a small laugh. I knew Juliet meant well. However, I also knew how tough the competition is in the Korean industry.

Juliet and I ended the day sharing lots of stories and watching videos about the possible audition.

To be honest, it was nice to have someone with me—someone I could share this kind of adventure with.

*****THE NEXT DAY*****

“Let’s go, Juliet!” I called as I saw her stop at one of the stores.

“Wait, Hope! I want to buy something—we still have time anyway.” I let out a big sigh because of this.

“We can come back here. Let’s first find our gate before shopping,” I explained.

She looked at me, ignored what I said, and went back to shopping.

After all the craziness with Juliet in duty-free, we finally reached the gate for our flight to Korea.

A few minutes later, we started boarding our flight. When Juliet and I found our seats, I was sitting by the window.

While waiting for the flight to depart, I fell asleep, making sure to relax myself before everything in Korea.