While the 13 remaining contestants were busy practicing for the final stage,
outside, episode 11 aired, which included the additional center selection mission and the ranking announcement.
And Do-hee’s fans were reacting to the center selection mission in various ways.
– Huh… Do we really have to pick another center? Wasn’t it already decided that Do-hee would be the center for the title track?
└ For real, the title track has to have Do-hee as the center, no doubt about it.
└ I also fell for her after seeing the center pic for ‘Fell For You,’ so I thought for sure she’d be the center in the live broadcast too… (picture of ‘Fell For You’ center)
– But if she gets 10,000 votes in the additional mission, isn’t Do-hee actually likely to come in first?
└ That’s true, she made a legendary comeback this time and a lot of people came in, so I feel like it’s possible for her to get first if everything goes well.
└ No, no… Still seems tough. ㅠㅠ Since it’s Netflix voting, there’s a limit to votes, and the first place reward is way too big. ㅠㅠㅠ The last live broadcast will also have text voting… So I don’t think the third ranking announcement will be easy.
– But Sara and Do-hee seem really close…?
└ It looks like Sara really likes Do-hee, she sticks to her every time they’re in a shot together, lol.
└ Both are super pretty and cute, so they look great together in photos… lol
Do-hee and Sara’s fans had a rivalry based on the broadcast images accumulated from the first episode.
However, they didn’t undermine each other’s contestants.
Since multiple voting was possible until now, it was actually beneficial for fandoms to get along better for voting.
So most fandoms were friendly with each other.
But after the 11th episode ended, with the final vote changing to 1PICK,
the fandoms, now free of inhibitions, started tearing down all the other contestants to get their pick to debut.
Especially the rivalry between Do-hee and Sara’s fandoms intensified this phenomenon.
Amid all this, the friendly interactions between Sara and Do-hee made the fans awkward.
The embarrassing atmosphere only faded after Do-hee’s rank was announced in the final rankings.
Do-hee clinched 1st place in the additional mission, earning 10,000 votes.
A sense of hope built up.
– Is it 2nd place again? Are we really getting 2nd again?
– Oh come on, that’s overreacting.
– 2,000 vote difference, lol.
Do-hee’s fans just shrugged off the nicknames ‘2-hee’ and ‘Bean Do-hee.’
Rationalizing it as just bad luck worked for a second time.
But by the third time, the fans were filled with rage and began posting angry comments.
– Anyone can see that Do-hee was 1st place, yet she didn’t get the 1st place reward, lol.
– Ugh, humanity is lost, seriously.
– I’m already super annoyed by other fandoms tearing her down because of her voice, lol. I’m so mad.
Hours passed, and as the anger subsided,
– Well, being 2nd isn’t so bad.
– Where else can you find someone who’s always a candidate for 1st?
– The final live broadcast won’t have a 1st place reward and will open text voting, so if you combine it with the muggle picks, we can definitely get 1st!!!
As the calmer fans began to compromise and accept the situation, one post appeared.
[Still can’t get it together]
First round of eliminations.
It was still early on, and since Eun Se-ra had already built a significant presence while performing brilliantly on stage, that was understandable.
Second Round.
Do-hee led the arrangement ideas for the second competition, but Jeon Ha-rang, who got lucky, won the on-site evaluation with a singing rap, taking first place while Do-hee came in second.
Third Round.
Mei-rin trolled the start, making things tough right from the get-go, but with perseverance from staying up late to practice, they managed to recover.
But then, Gu Eun-hee, who hadn’t practiced, made a blunder on stage and had to be saved by some quick thinking.
She slayed the stage hard with visuals worthy of a legend, even scoring the top personal votes in the live polling.
But the team vote was lost, so once again, they ended up in second place, and this time by a 2000 vote gap.
It wasn’t a problem with the on-site evaluation.
They could have easily overcome it with online voting.
Let’s see how other fandoms do it.
They’re always going viral and personally promoting on the streets.
We just sit back comfortably watching as Do-hee generates buzz and does well, while we hold back.
But what if they end up in second place again in the end?
That second-place image would stick forever, right?
Aren’t they going to let Do-hee take first?
The calm atmosphere began to simmer again, ignited like fresh kindling, and Do-hee’s fans made up their minds.
With just one week left until the live broadcast, posters and ads for Do-hee littered the streets in busy areas.
*
“Let’s do the final slate!”
Two days before the live stage.
The last shoot began at the filming center where all the stage practices had taken place.
Feeling both relieved and wistful, it hit home that it was really coming to an end.
The conclusion for the contestants was, paradoxically, to appreciate our very first steps.
On the screen, moments from the contestants’ third audition were playing, showing them energetically dancing, singing, and showcasing their unique skills.
At times, they were just breaking into silly dances and terrible jokes.
Everyone was working hard to nail the auditions, huh?
Seeing their immature selves made them embarrassed, and they acted all flustered.
[Hello! I’m Do-hee Lee, a trainee from Topist Entertainment for 3 years and 6 months!]
“Hey~ Do-hee~ Visual~?”
Although the older sisters were discussing visuals, the angelic beauty had been a thing for days now.
What was important was the highlight of this video.
[I’m prepared to perform a piano piece.]
Excited murmurs filled the air as I spoke that line on screen.
During the filming period of over four months, I had purposely avoided playing classical music.
Because when you show off something you didn’t mean to flaunt, that’s when the real thrill happens.
Sitting at the piano, a chaotic and bizarre atmosphere filled the air as Skerzo No. 1 was performed with dazzling keystrokes.
My focused figure at the piano appeared on the screen.
Even I thought… it was insane.
The older sisters immersed in my piano performance.
The sound of gulping was heard.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Did you just swallow?”
“Anyway, while everyone was captivated by the performance, my body just couldn’t stay still and kept twisting around.”
“My heart was tingling and buzzing. Is this love?”
“Just then, there was an outlet near me to relieve this feeling.”
“Sitting next to me, Seo-yoon Unni was engrossed in my performance video.”
“Ah~ What’s this~?”
“When I poked her playfully.”
“What are you doing?”
“Seo-yoon Unni shot me a serious look.”
“I mean, you act like you’re not interested, but you care about me a lot. I know~”
“Ah, what are you saying?”
“Do you really like me that much?”
“Kim Seo-yoon had a face like she just bit into a lemon.”
“While I fiddled with her shoulder, she spoke in an annoyed tone.”
“Don’t poke me.”
“Ah~”
“Ouch, that hurts!”
“Kim Seo-yoon was super shy and embarrassed.”
*
“Final stage.”
“A gymnasium where the live broadcast will take place.”
“Participants, all done with coordination and makeup.”
“The last live show stage is tomorrow.”
“It was a full rehearsal like practice.”
“I wish Eun-seo would spread her legs a bit more.”
“Some can touch the floor with their arms, and some can only stretch halfway; let’s unify that.”
“And after each rehearsal stage, participants were monitoring through the screen and providing direct feedback.”
“Looking at the grand, beautifully decorated stage in the monitoring screen and the rehearsal that felt just like the real deal, it hit me.”
“Tomorrow is really live.”
“Finally, a moment of realization.”
“I heard there will be 3,000 audience members tomorrow.”
“The roar of that number.”
“Just imagining it makes me feel like it’ll be the most exciting and nerve-racking moment of my life.”
…
…
…
“After finishing the first rehearsal, it was a brief break.”
“Perched alone on the stage, I placed my hand on my chest, trying to calm my still-thumping heart.”
“Even though it’s a rehearsal, why is my heart racing like this?”
“Na-eun Unni sat next to me, looking worried as she gently rubbed my back.”
“Are you okay? Did what you ate earlier upset your stomach?”
“I guess she misread my grip on my rib cage.”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Or is it still that hurtful feeling like before?”
“Hurtful chest? Oh.”
“Almost three years ago, during my second growth spurt.”
“I felt a lump and pain in my chest.”
“Back then, whenever I danced, my chest felt heavy and stirred, making it common for me to clutch my chest.”
“It’s not that; it’s just that my heart keeps racing like crazy.”
“Na-eun Unni smiled warmly and pulled my cheek.”
“Do you really like it that much?”
“It was uncomfortable to speak with my cheek being pulled, so I just nodded.”
“I really like it too, but I’m a bit worried.”
“While Na-eun Unni smiled, she called over Seo-yoon Unni, who was chatting away with Ha-rang Unni and Chae-rin Unni.”
I called Kim Seo-yoon, who was busy chatting with Chae-rin Unni.
“Seo-yoon! Come here!”
Despite everything, Kim Seo-yoon listens well to Na-eun Unni.
Seo-yoon approached Na-eun Unni and sat on the stage beside her.
“Why? What’s up?”
Holding our hands, Na-eun Unni said, “I hope all three of us can debut together. Right?”
Of course.
“Yeah.” “I hope so too.”
Na-eun Unni said with a sentimental look on her face.
“While watching the audition video yesterday, I remembered when our five-member debut team got separated for the first time. Chiyo got eliminated in the first round, and Woo-ah in the third. But thinking back, Chiyo smiled and told us to definitely debut, while Woo-ah seemed so sorry that she burst into tears after trying to hold them back. It suddenly hit me that both of them must have had it harder than us, yet they thought of us first.”
Na-eun Unni’s hand gripped ours tightly.
“So what I want to say is that if tomorrow we all don’t debut together, let’s not feel sorry for the ones who got eliminated, and let’s not feel sorry for the ones who passed either. After all, we’ve decided to debut together eventually, got it?”
With her eyes red, Kim Seo-yoon scolded Na-eun Unni.
“We have to debut together tomorrow!”
Seo-yoon is such a crybaby.
“That would be even better! Especially you, Do-hee. No crying, okay?”
…Me?
“When have I ever cried?”
“You cried while watching your center video.”
…Okay, maybe I felt a bit emotional when ‘Fell For You’ premiered. I couldn’t help it— I was stunning.
“…You can cry when you’re happy.”
“Right, just cry when we debut. Got it?”
“I’m not crying!”
“Sure, sure.”
Just then, a camera came up to interrupt our conversation.
Behind-the-scenes filming for YouTube.
“The three Topists gathered here, what were you guys talking about?”
The camera director asked us.
Na-eun Unni composed her expression and answered the director’s question.
“We were just saying we should definitely debut together tomorrow, but can you not film us? I’m barefaced… I’m so tired I didn’t get to the salon today, and being here with Do-hee is too much. She’s just too pretty.”
“Na-eun Unni, what about me?”
“Seo-yoon is super pretty too!”
Ugh, the spotlight is definitely on Do-hee.
“Fawning over me feels so good,” Kim Seo-yoon said as she jumped up to hit me, so I ran away.
Meanwhile, the camera director and Kim Na-eun remained behind.
A familiar interview question aired in episode one.
“It seems like trainee Kim Na-eun has been through a lot.”
“Yeah… The kids are really playful. Really. A lot.”
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