“Do-hee, it’s better to have an older sister, right…? You look like you’re having so much fun…?”
Woo-ah Unni was hugging me tightly, expressing her cute jealousy.
The reason? The rerun of episode 8 airing right in front of us.
[Snacks for anyone~]
[Endless snack bag from Hana Kwon trainee!?]
Countless snack goodies were coming out of Hana Unni’s carry-on.
[Awesome~ I want to eat that!]
[Me…! I want to eat!]
And just like large dogs catching a whiff of snacks, the two dashed forward recklessly.
[Stop eating so much. You’ll get fat.]
The only one not eating was me.
Back then, I was quite sensitive from all the adorable gaslighting.
I was desperately trying to lose my baby fat.
But now, I think having a bit of baby fat is cuter, so I just eat.
[It’s okay, we can lose it with practice~ Right, guys?]
Hana Unni was trying to feed us while also making us practice.
[…I just don’t want to eat…]
[Me too…]
Hearing that, the expressions of the two froze, hesitating to eat.
Along with the announcement of episode 8’s rankings, behind-the-scenes footage of the contestants’ dorm life was shown.
[The behind-the-scenes of the Femme Fatale team’s noisy dorm life was unfolding.]
Looking back, dorm life was actually quite fun.
Everyone practiced hard and joked around a lot.
But the reason I was smiling on screen was purely from disbelief.
“Does that look fun to you?”
“Yeah, totally.”
Woo-ah Unni embraced me as if she was determined not to let me go.
And next to us, Chiyo Unni was pitifully sprawled on the floor.
“Do-hee… you’ve abandoned us… sniff sniff. We are the main characters of a tragic story…”
She was pretending to cry.
“That must be a tragic tale.”
“The youngest lacks sensitivity… Just empathize!!!”
Sigh…
I don’t know if it’s from learning in school or online or YouTube, but by now, it seems like Chiyo Unni is the trendiest among us.
I wonder if it’s even right to call this trendy…
At first, I thought she was so eager to learn Korean.
But by now, it just seems like she’s having a blast.
Regardless, the reason we gathered at the dorm today was to watch the soon-to-air episode 9 together.
I wanted to comfortably lie down and watch at home, but my claim was always rejected by the Unnis.
-Beep beep
With the sound of the door lock opening, Seo-yoon Unni and Na-eun Unni returned from getting food.
I was starving.
Cheerfully, I exclaimed with anticipation.
“What did you bring~?”
“Youngest’s favorite is spicy hot pot~”
Kim Seo-yoon cheerfully spoke in tune with me.
“Ah.”
More hot pot again…?
“Doesn’t it look delicious? Come on, everyone, sit down~”
Na-eun Unni, completely oblivious to my feelings, laughed and spread the food across the table.
“Ha! Chiyo’s here~”
“Let’s eat~”
Everyone loved spicy hot pot, but I had been holding back my thoughts about it until now; I had no idea what they enjoyed about it.
It felt strangely greasy and the aroma wasn’t great.
While everyone sat at the table enjoying their meal, I ended up on an unintended diet alone.
“Do-hee, aren’t you eating?”
Woo-ah Unni asked as she looked at me.
“I should eat, it looks tasty…~”
I scooped up a bit of vegetables and meat, then put down my chopsticks.
As the spicy hot pot neared the bottom, the re-broadcast of episode 8 ended and episode 9 began.
Another thrilling episode of “Shocking 3” starting with the preview.
[Opportunity to release a new song! 24 trainees participating in theme evaluations!]
After the second ranking announcement.
The scene of the 24 surviving trainees bowing at a 90-degree angle to the front.
[Who will be the trainee to receive the 50,000 vote reward for first place!?]
As subtitles rolled, the real show began.
The team formation process for the third round, the theme evaluation.
[The 24 trainees will be divided into 4 themes for their performance!]
“Do-hee would be the cutie!”
Woo-ah Unni, pretending to not know even though I had already told her, pinched my cheek for confirmation.
“Isn’t it funny that Seo-yoon Unni is the cutie?”
I targeted Kim Seo-yoon to change the subject.
“Seo-yoon is cute?”
Unfazed, Kim Seo-yoon puffed her cheeks and spoke in the third person.
This was a confusing situation.
“Chiyo is even cuter~”
“Woo-ah is cute too… Hehe.”
What is wrong with everyone?
“Then Na-eun too…?”
“””…”””
“Why is no one responding to me?”
We turned our eyes away from Na-eun Unni and focused back on the screen.
“Why is it only me!!!”
All the team members had been decided and the scene of each team entering their practice rooms to check their song played.
<(My) practice room's 'theme evaluation' song is!?>
When Yeon-ha Unni peeled off the poster paper, “Subtle” appeared.
[A playful synth sound cute dance pop genre of (Subtle)!]
Then my interview came on.
[Q: Trainee Do-hee said she expected a girl crush genre, right?]
“What did you say you would do?”
A scene crosses with subtitles.
– What theme do you think Do-hee Lee was chosen for?
– Girl Crush.
[Do-hee: “I thought I would get to show a cool side in ‘FATAL’… (pouting as if disappointed)”]
Interviews with team members.
[Kim Seo-yoon: Honestly, as soon as I teamed up with Do-hee, everyone noticed~ It’s definitely going to be cute.]
[Hwang Yeon-ha: I’m 25 years old… and there’s a 10-year gap with the youngest, Do-hee… Cute… Haha (awkward)]
“Yeon-ha, older sister, is cute.”
“I agree.”
“That means you’re not cute, older sister.”
“Whatever.”
So, cheerfully tracking the live broadcast, the narratives of each team came out.
And our team’s narrative.
Our team’s center selection.
[Why are you crying, I-rin?]
It was a situation where I was determined through votes, and Mei-rin, with tears, gave up her position as center.
It was a strangely dual situation that could be praised for being tenacious or criticized for being selfish.
[Do-hee: I believe Mei-rin has enough qualifications to be a center, and rather than ruining the team atmosphere, I think it’s more important for us to work hard together and win.]
In some ways, I was the same.
It can be seen as a great appearance of yielding for the team, but it could also be seen as a weak attitude that easily gives up on challenges.
Of course, many would see it the former way, but there would surely be those who saw it the latter way as well.
And right after the center selection.
A cold background score played, and a mid-evaluation cut scene appeared.
– Guys, what were you thinking while practicing? We don’t have time right now.
Overall, the performance was a mess during the mid-evaluation.
[Why did you even want to be the center? Mei-rin, listen closely. The center is the image of the team. It’s not just about being pretty! Have you thought about what the trainee can show as a center? At least you should have had the intention to show at least one thing properly, like expressions or choreography, before saying you would be the center!]
The criticism mainly broadcasted was directed towards Mei-rin.
Tears flowing during Mei-rin’s interview.
[Mei-rin: I just feel so sorry for Do-hee… I was given the position, but I keep not knowing what to do…]
Even if she did well after yielding the center, it was a situation where she would still be criticized.
Moreover, having received harsh criticism from the trainers, it was obvious that public opinion would be in an uproar.
“What will I do with I-rin…”
“What are we going to do about I-rin…?”
“Exactly…”
All the participants we’ve grown attached to over the last four months.
There’s no way Mei-rin wanted to be hated.
We also understood Mei-rin’s feelings, especially since, unlike me who was in a stable position, she must have felt even more desperate.
However, Mei-rin’s mistake was competing too fiercely.
Ironically, even in a survival program where competition is the very theme, she just didn’t realize that excessive competition would only create more rivals.
Moreover, there was absolutely no reason for the PD to cut this scene in the edit.
The PD would likely have welcomed this moment and edited it accordingly.
Sensational materials like drama and scapegoats are great for raking in ratings, after all.
To prove this, our team’s final edit point was filled with the PD’s malicious intent.
The process of meeting with the composer and recording the song.
Our team recorded according to the composer’s guidance.
[Oh! That was so good!]
Among them, the last scene was where I sang the center part and received praise from the composer.
So, the scene where the center changes back to me would be pushed to next week’s Episode 10, meaning that there seemed to be no leeway for Mei-rin to be considered this time.
If it were after Episode 10, where it’s revealed that I was once again chosen as the center and our team came in second in the battle, public sentiment might settle down, but at least until that happens, it seems Mei-rin would be in hot water.
“…”
Silence falls in the dorm.
The mood is not quite pleasant; in fact, the atmosphere after Episode 9, which wasn’t very cheerful, felt rather uncomfortable.
“Ha-ah… Damn it. This is why I wanted to watch Episode 9 alone at home.”
It was definitely an edit favorable to me, but I wasn’t enjoying it at all.
I was confident enough in my own abilities.
-Growl
My stomach growling broke the icy silence.
“Do-hee, are you hungry? Didn’t you eat enough?” Woo-ah Unni said, patting my belly.
“Yeah, looks like the portions were too small.”
Na-eun Unni opened the delivery app.
Though their words came from concern for me…
I think I know what the Unnis want to order…
“Yeah… I’m hungry… Should we order mala tang again?”
“Great, let’s try a different flavor this time.”
I didn’t know what the difference was, but we ordered a new mala tang with a different soup base.
I managed to snag a few pieces of meat as well.
But it was enough that everyone ate something delicious and we returned to a lively atmosphere in the dorm.
I can’t stand being down.
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