The practice officially began after the part allocation.
“Ah, here we need to make it a bit sharper, like this?”
As the leader, I took charge of the practice.
I think I can finally shed the youngest image.
I must shed it…
“Like this?”
“Yes, and just focus on the steps there, it should be good!”
All the team members synced their movements.
“Shall we move on to the next move?”
“Yeah, let’s just check the details later and keep going.”
“Okay~”
Once we finished learning one move, we watched the choreography video provided on the tablet by the production staff and learned the next move.
– “Maybe I like you~” –
“Here, we need to cross our arms with the person next to us and raise our hands…”
Progress was swift.
Since “It G” was a hit song from last year, most people were already familiar with the choreography, so everyone learned quickly.
And of course, Chae-rin Unni danced so incredibly well, it was evident she was the main dancer among the trainees.
Thanks to her, it really helped with nailing down the choreography.
Before we knew it, just a few hours had passed, and we completed learning all the choreography.
“I think I need to organize the formations now.”
The original artists of “It G,” 3M, is a four-member girl group.
During the process of changing the formation from four to six members, I had to fix the overlaps and formations in the choreography.
“Do you think you can do it alone?”
The Unnis looked worried with tense expressions.
“Yes, I’ve done it a lot.”
Although it’s a tough task for beginners, I’ve been doing position arrangements during group evaluations throughout my three and a half years as a trainee.
While the Unnis focused on the details of the choreography, I received paper and a pen from the production staff.
I repeatedly sketched out the six-person choreography formations and movements while watching the choreography video.
I completed the draft.
*
“Do-hee!”
“Yes?”
Our dance trainer, Ko Yoon-jeong, had the strictest image.
All my team members seemed to be tense under Yoon-jeong’s atmosphere.
Yoon-jeong smiled broadly as she saw us and said, “Is Do-hee the leader? It’s the first time I’ve seen the youngest being the leader!”
“Ah, I applied because I wanted to help the team.”
Especially for my image.
I really wish they would stop calling me that lousy nickname.
“Well, age isn’t the main thing. So, Do-hee, you led the practice and part allocation?”
“Yes! We all worked hard!”
“We all worked hard together!”
“Okay. Let’s take a look first.”
The accompaniment started playing, and we finished the choreography without any issues.
Yoon-jeong teacher crossed her legs and tapped her feet.
“Hmm… good job. From what I can see, I don’t think anyone here is falling behind in their dance.”
At Yoon-jeong teacher’s praise, the members smiled faintly.
But somehow, it felt like the teacher had more to say.
Yoon-jeong teacher lowered her head and stared at the document.
Then, after fiddling with her hair for a while, she clicked her tongue.
“Eun-seo.”
“Yes?”
The teacher glanced over us with her finger.
“You said you wanted to be the center, and you all agreed to it, right?”
“Yes…”
“Okay, I get it. Let’s try it again.”
The accompaniment flowed again, and while we were dancing, the teacher stopped the song at the main part where the center was.
“This part again.”
Already the fifth time for the same part.
Yoon-jeong teacher gripped the spinning pen tightly and said.
“Eun-seo, sorry, but you’re not showing up. I can’t see you.”
“It seems like your stage presence isn’t strong enough, and honestly, I’m not sure how much better it will get with more time.”
“If you want to show a better stage, Eun-seo either has to become the ace, or you need to switch the center.”
“Of course, it’s your decision. But the important thing is the team battle, right? Think carefully.”
“Yes…”
Ha…
We hadn’t even had a vocal check yet, and issues were arising in the choreography.
We also needed to care for the main vocalist…
And now the center was in crisis.
*
Eun-seo, after leaving the dance training room, looked like her mental state was in tatters.
But she was only 18.
She was still a young student.
That sister was being compared to the others around her and receiving harsh criticism, so it was no wonder her mind and spirit weren’t intact.
“I’m sorry… I should have done better…”
Eun-seo kept repeating her apologies until she finally burst into tears.
She seemed to feel a sense of guilt towards the team.
But there was no need for that.
I patted Eun-seo’s back, comforting her for a while.
However, we had to decide how to handle the center issue.
The center is the focal point on stage, directly influencing the outcome of the team battle.
Of course, it’s not that Eun-seo can’t do it, but with three members standing out visually, and Chae-rin excelling in dance…
Eun-seo would inevitably get overshadowed.
For now, we needed to head to the vocal training room and have our vocal lessons before making any decisions.
.
.
.
“Yeeun! That’s it!”
Sua teacher clapped her hands in delight.
They clapped and cheered.
Oh…?
“Yeah, just stretch it out like that!”
“Ah… Thank you…”
Even after receiving compliments, Ye-eun Unni seemed a bit dazed, rolling her eyes.
After getting some scolding from Trainer Sua, Ye-eun Unni finally managed to deliver the chorus flawlessly with a clear and pure tone after several attempts.
If she sings like just now, there’s really nothing to worry about…
She’ll also get a lot of votes.
“Overall, everyone is stable, and the rap is clean.”
Trainer Sua looked satisfied, giving advice while pointing at each member.
“I don’t know what you did, Do-hee, but I can already feel your tone improving a lot.”
“Thank you!”
Since she was conscious of her vocalization even when speaking, it seemed her improvement was faster than expected.
Usually, when I heard my voice go up by about 6 keys, Seo-yoon Unni would joke, “Do-hee, did you eat something weird? Or are you maybe manic?” but whatever.
It’s good news.
Anyway, thanks to the daily repetition, now I can freely sing one or two lines with a clear tone, as long as it’s not the high parts.
Of course, if I try to string together several lines, it gets rough again.
“If you all can sing like this while dancing, there won’t be any problems. Ye-eun, make sure to remember that feeling from just now!”
“Yes~”
“Okay, let’s try it again.”
Fortunately, there seemed to be hope for the main vocal.
*
After the vocal training, I went to the restroom alone with Eun-seo Unni.
“Unni, what do you think we should do about the center position? Let’s talk openly before we speak in front of the camera. Feel free.”
Since I had received relatively positive feedback during vocal training, I was a bit more composed, but there was still a shadow on Unni’s face.
Honestly, I feel that if I or Chae-rin Unni took the center, there wouldn’t be any problem.
But this is a survival program broadcasted on public media.
Since people tend to empathize with the participants, they’re more likely to expect a story where a center who lacked skill grows rather than one where the center simply gets replaced due to insufficient skill.
Of course, some viewers might not care as long as their favorite member is the center, but that probably isn’t the majority view.
I can’t help but think perhaps we should’ve chosen the center more carefully at the beginning.
Currently, the most talked-about participants online are me, who became the title center, and Sara Unni, the top candidate and well-known JS trainee.
Because of that, as a popular trainee, I didn’t have to worry about the first ranking announcement, and I decided to give the center position to Eun-seo Unni, who needed the opportunity more than I did.
It was about yielding the center position.
Since Chae-rin Unni is also part of Zy, she probably had no worries with a solid fanbase backing her up.
But in the end, I overlooked the fact that losing in the team battle would mean a higher chance of elimination for those less popular team members.
Excessive yielding could cause team members to fall behind.
Of course, snatching the opportunity to become a popular participant is good, but receiving the next chance is also important.
Breaking the silence, Eun-seo Unni opened her mouth.
“I… just hope either you or Chae-rin takes it…”
It seemed like her heart had already faltered.
“Why?”
Eun-seo Unni looked momentarily vexed at my question but soon seemed resigned as she muttered.
“Well, honestly, both you and Chae-rin are better and more popular than me…”
She must be pretty down after hearing some harsh feedback.
“You have confidence in your skills too, right?”
“…”
“You do, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Unni, don’t worry about the team members. Just tell me what you want to do.”
“Honestly, I want to keep going…”
“Then that’s it. I also prefer those who want to keep going.”
I had to comfort Eun-seo Unni, who burst into tears again.
*
After a discussion, we decided to maintain the center position.
After all, everyone had agreed upon it when we initially chose the center, and changing parts would also change the choreography and song parts for the two participants, which would be chaotic.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere in our group became comfortable again.
Of course, Eun-seo Unni cried with gratitude, hugging everyone, but that mushy vibe was a hard pass.
The problem was that it erupted again from the main vocal side.
What is this, a wounded merry-go-round?
– I’m the charming one like the It girl
– Hold me tight~↗oh↘ –
During live practice, Ye-eun Unni frequently hit sour notes.
Of course, live practice continued, but whenever the song ended and I looked at Ye-eun Unni, she shyly fidgeted her fingers, embarrassed yet apologetic.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay. We can try again.”
Sigh…
Those sour notes kept happening.
After the tenth time, Ye-eun Unni was on the verge of tears.
What is the problem…?
I recalled when she had hit a clean note.
What did Sua, our vocal trainer teacher, say…?
– Ye-eun, are you joking? Stretch out more!
– More! More stretch!
– More! Park Ye-eun! –
Hmm…
“Ye-eun Unni.”
“Yes…?”
“Follow me to the restroom.”
“Huh…?”
From what I saw, she seemed to thrive when challenged.
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