Of course, as expected.
Our group, decided on the ‘cute theme,’ is just perfect.
“Wow, but how can you be cute, Unni? I just don’t get it.”
Kim Seo-yoon being cute?
I really can’t understand it.
“What are you talking about? I’m totally cute! I’m basically the embodiment of cuteness!”
The chilly atmosphere was confusing from the start.
We broke the ice with some jokes.
Naturally, Hwang Yeon-ha, at 25, the eldest, took on the leader role.
Unni Yeon-ha started to assign positions.
“How about we pick a center? Anyone want to be the center?”
The first to raise her hand was Gu Eun-hee.
“Me!”
Isn’t she the one who said she was quitting idol life?
Now she suddenly has hope of debuting since she made it into the top 24.
Eun-hee’s suddenly itching for the center position.
“Only one? No one else?”
Then, Mei-rin raised her hand timidly.
Mei-rin had made mistakes in the last round but survived just on her visuals in the second rankings.
Seo-yoon Unni lightly poked my thigh.
No matter who takes the center between Gu Eun-hee and Mei-rin, the team’s future seemed obvious.
She was urging me to apply for the center.
Sigh… I want to stop being cute now.
But what could I do?
First, I have to win.
“I also want to be the center.”
Gu Eun-hee frowned at me.
She must really want to be the center.
“We’ve got three now including Do-hee? What do we do… The competition for the center has intensified.”
After a moment’s thought, Unni Yeon-ha pointed to the lyrics, “surrounding us tightly,” and said,
“Then let’s act as if here is the center part, and let’s each have a turn. Who wants to go first?”
Two of them hesitated when it was time to perform.
I couldn’t help but sigh but swallowed it down.
“Alright, I’ll go first.”
“Okay, Do-hee will start?”
Following Unni Yeon-ha’s count, I began to sing.
“Surrounding us tightly~”
Even I could hear how much cleaner my voice had become.
And I struck the pose as if hugging myself with my arms crossed and put on the sweetest expression I could muster.
“So cute, so cute!”
Unni Yeon-ha’s reaction.
“Well done, good job.”
Even Kim Seo-yoon, who usually teased me, showered me with compliments this time since the situation was what it was.
“Yeah, so cute!”
However, Ye-eun Unni seemed oblivious to the fact that every time she said something like that, she’d end up getting teased herself.
However, it seemed like Kim Ye-eun Unni still didn’t realize that she was getting roasted every time she said something like that.
After my turn, it was Gu Eun-hee’s turn at the center.
“We’re definitely surrounded by each other~”
A somewhat unnatural expression.
An awkward action.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the first-place prize, I thought she would have definitely been eliminated.
“Haha, okay, that was good.”
Yeon-hee Unni smiled, but she knew deep down.
That she didn’t do well.
And finally, it was Mei-rin’s turn.
As expected, she looked better than Gu Eun-hee, but it still didn’t resonate.
“Okay, we’re going to vote now.”
While the three of us, including me who applied for the center, closed our eyes, the other three discussed and voted to decide the center.
“Our center is Do-hee!”
Younger Unni clapped enthusiastically to lift the gloomy atmosphere.
“Thank you, I’ll do my best!”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Do-hee, fighting!”
I thought it would end on a warm note, but the uncomfortable atmosphere began with Mei-rin, who was facing the wall with her back to the camera.
Sure enough, Mei-rin began to sob.
“Irin, why are you crying~”
Younger Unni hurriedly hugged Mei-rin to comfort her.
But the more she tried to soothe her, the louder Mei-rin’s tears became.
“…I’m sorry. I really wanted to be center, but if I can’t show it again this time, I think I’ll get eliminated…”
Mei-rin’s ranking in the first round announcement was 8th.
However, in the second round announcement, it dropped to 22nd.
Of course, she fell in rank due to her own mistake in the second elimination, so it was understandable that she felt anxious.
Moreover, the 20,000 votes given as a team reward for winning the third round didn’t guarantee survival either.
Still, it was better than Gu Eun-hee.
Crying like that meant she felt that desperate.
That was 100 times better than not trying at all.
“Can I do it just once more…?”
Before Mei-rin shed tears like chicken droppings and said that.
*
The third round, theme evaluation.
Instead of covering existing songs, it was about new songs.
In other words, it was a competition evaluating participants’ original songs.
Because of that, they had to meet with songwriters, conduct recording sessions, and the schedule was tighter than usual, so mid-evaluations started earlier than usual too.
“Why did you want to be center?”
In front of me, Trainer Moon Jin-woo sighed heavily and spoke in a stunned tone.
It wasn’t just Trainer Moon Jin-woo.
All the trainers and judges were critical.
– Not in tune, not in rhythm~ It’s a sight to see, really a sight.
It’s hilarious, really hilarious.
– How did you survive until the third round? Don’t you feel sorry for those who got eliminated?
– Your faces look stiff. Do you guys even realize that?
– What were you thinking while practicing, everyone? We don’t have time right now.
– You’re not cute… You’re not thrilling… Plus, Eun-hee messed up the choreography completely; it’s a total disaster.
Even the special trainer, the choreographer from ‘Sneaky’, gave some harsh criticism.
– The images I had in mind while choreographing aren’t coming through at all in your performance. Is it just this move~ or that move~? Is just stretching your arms all you got?
It had only been two days since practice began, so everyone still had a lot of room for improvement.
But even taking that into account, the criticism was excessive.
In short, our team’s synergy was in serious trouble.
A ticking time bomb that was unsettling right from the start.
And now, it finally blew up.
“Now’s not the time to cry. Do you want us to ask why you picked the center?”
Moon Jin-woo, the trainer, snapped back, while Mei-rin was standing next to him, tearfully.
– Can I please try it just once more…?
With Mei-rin’s words, my options evaporated.
Because of the camera.
If only there hadn’t been a camera, I would have calmed her down and then suggested we win the first-place reward together by working hard.
But in front of the camera, saying it wouldn’t work would look weird.
So, should we vote for the center again?
It was only natural that the team atmosphere would break from that moment on.
In the end, all that was left was to compromise nicely.
Of course, I wouldn’t lose anything in terms of my image.
It would probably improve my image.
But could I really take first place this time?
I had no idea.
“Mei-rin trainee, listen carefully. The center is the team’s image. It’s not just about being pretty! Have you thought about what a trainee can show as a center? You should have been ready to show at least one thing right, whether it’s your expressions or choreography.”
Even if it’s been ages since the last generation of idols, they should be managing their image, yet Trainer Moon Jin-woo was on fire, completely disregarding that.
After a round of harsh criticism, practice time began again.
This time, the instructor responsible for the choreo came in to start intensive training.
Thanks to that, we were gradually adjusting the movements, lines, and tempo, but still couldn’t escape the harsh criticism.
“Are you messing up from the front?”
“Guys, what if you still can’t do it?”
“Come on, learn it fast. We don’t have time!”
“One, two, three, four, stop looking to the side right now!”
“Eun-hee, what were you doing while the others were learning? Are you the only one struggling?”
It was a complete mess for our team.
Eun-hee wasn’t even practicing properly.
Mei-rin, who can’t handle the center role.
Ye-eun Unni, who shrinks back in the atmosphere.
Yeon-ha Unni, who’s flustered trying to care for the team members as the leader.
Kim Seo-yoon, whose mental state has gone downhill because of Gu Eun-hee.
And then there’s me, enlightened.
It was a combination that left me clueless about where to even start.
*
Inside the recording booth.
The composer’s voice comes through the talkback mic.
– “Do-hee, let’s try singing the chorus all the way through.”
The MR flows through the headsets.
After the pre-chorus rhythm, it’s now the chorus part.
“My heart is like a little bug,”
“I’m running lightly,”
“Secret tremors, small desires”
“Wrap around us tightly.”
– “In the last part, can you sing ‘꼭’ instead of ‘말고’?”
– “That was good, but this time let’s try singing softly without bending.”
– “Okay, let’s go for it one more time.”
We adjusted our singing to match the mood according to the composer’s requests multiple times.
– “Oh, that was really good! Let’s take a break for now.”
The composer gave the OK sign.
After listening to all the trainees’ voices, the composer looked cautious as he began to speak.
“I’ve heard everyone’s voices a bit… and when I created this song, I focused on the center part.”
“Since it’s a cute concept, if this center part doesn’t give off a lively and fresh vibe… the overall mood of the song tends to get sluggish.”
“That means the center part can greatly influence the overall vibe of the song.”
“Um… yeah. To be honest, for the sake of the song’s quality, I think we can’t avoid this. I’m sorry, Mei-rin, but I’d prefer it if Do-hee takes the center role.”
Upon hearing the composer’s words, Mei-rin’s eyes filled with tears again.
“Okay…”
Sigh…
The conclusion was simple.
After going in circles, I was assigned the center role again.
Now we have around 5 days left.
Since it’s the third round with the shortest practice period, the future already looked bleak.
I had practiced as a sub-vocal for 4 days, but now I’m suddenly the center.
The changed movements and new parts.
The thought of having to adjust without sleep makes me want to throw up.
“I’m sorry, Do-hee…”
Realizing her mistake, Mei-rin hugged me tightly and broke into tears.
Yeah, well.
I could do it if I didn’t sleep and just pushed through.
I’m confident in that.
But Mei-rin…
Will Mei-rin be able to adjust to the new part?
Ugh, I just want to smash everything.
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