Chapter 24

“Is it really? Hmm…maybe it is. It’s really impressive, I almost didn’t recognize her.”

“Whatever. Anyways, I don’t like her. She keeps showing off her body.”

“It’s not like you’re any different.”

“Excuse me!” C-Night shouted and Jinwoo quickly apologized. That ended their conversation about me and soon, Jinwoo was facing us again.

“Okay, then let’s start with the first pair. They are…Rhinzi and Liang Liang!”

Rhinzi and Liang Liang walked onto the middle of the stage.

***

Rhinzi and Liang Liang both danced. Rhinzi performed an intense hardcore piece, while Liang Liang performed an upbeat choreograph. It was no surprise that Jinwoo chose in favor of Rhinzi. Rhinzi is always full of confidence and it’s what helps her pull off her performance so well. On the other hand, Liang Liang tripped twice during her dance, causing her to lose her place. Hence, in the end, she didn’t get Jinwoo’s vote. They’re both really good, but in terms of experience and ability to cope with pressure, Rhinzi was definitely in a better place.

The second pair were Yoo-young and Jihyun, and this time, Jihyun won. Apparently, Jinwoo had a hard time paying attention to the song Yoo-young was singing. He said the song didn’t suit Yoo-young at all, but I didn’t get it. I thought she did just fine.

Third were Ara(21), Hainan(18), and Sena (21). Sena won in the end. Her original dance which mixed in yoga elements really impressed Jinwoo.

Fourth were Areum (19) and Yoojin (20), and of course, Yoojin won. Her sexy dance was something else. Jinwoo’s jaw practically dropped when she performed it. C-Night did speak in favor of Areum, but there was no special reason behind that. Just that she decided she didn’t like Yoojin. Claiming that since Yoojin didn’t even have curves, she had no business dancing like that. Except the way I saw it, their chest sizes were pretty similar. Wait, no…maybe C-Night’s were bigger? It was kind of hard to tell at the moment…

Fifth round was Jimin(18) and Eunmi(19), and Jimin won. They both rapped and pulled it off well, but Jimin’s tone pulled Jinwoo in her favor. Her tone was pretty good. It’s strong and stable, almost like a recording itself.

Next were Jia(21) and Minji(21). To be honest, they didn’t really match in terms of style or anything. I wondered if it was simply because they were the only two left. Anyways, Minji performed a fast and intense rap, and Jinwoo liked her flawless delivery of the lyrics. Jia, of course, performed a cute, bubbly number complete with her own rap full of cutesy gestures. Jinwoo seemed to like that too, if his mouth opening was anything to go by. In the end, Jia won, because the dance and song she performed suited her well. Jia Lee, the party girl. It was easy to see why people were attracted to her so much. That’s why she’s in the Top 3. Or maybe she had someone powerful backing her up? Honestly, she was a bit too good to be true.

Well, anyways, the first thirteen members finished with their performances. Jumi and I were the last two to go.

“They’re doing so well,” Jinwoo said as he took a sip of his water.

“Yeah, right. They still need help. A lot of it.”

C-Night grumbled. I could feel her jealousy from across the room.

“Now it’s just Sian and Jumi that are left, right?”

“Sian? Sian Lee? She hasn’t gone yet? Hurry up. She’s the one who made me go on that fucking errand. I swear, if she messes up…”

C-Night glared at me with narrowed eyes, so I stared back. I’ve gone through worse things, so I had no problem meeting her eyes. I wonder if she could sense my defiance. I bet it wouldn’t be long before she had to look away.

“Is she trying to stare me down?” C-Night muttered to herself. I nodded. At that, C-Night tilted her head and continued to glare at me. I almost gave her the finger then.

“Okay, let’s go. Sian and Jumi. Come out, please.”

At those words, I stepped onto the stage with Jumi doing the same on the other side. I was in a beautiful costume for my sword performance, while Jumi was wearing a short dress and red heels. Has her face always been that white? The heels made her look really slender as well. The men watching the show would definitely like her. I guess Jinwoo was thinking the same thing, because he said,

“Wow, Jumi. You didn’t hold you back, did you?”

“No, Mr. Park,” Jumi said with a bright smile. Her lips were very red too. She really was stunning today.

“It looks like you’re singing a ballad again. Isn’t there anything else you can do?”

“It’s not that I can’t, but I want to do what I’m best at. And that’s ballads.”

“I see,” Jinwoo replied with a nod. But his expression seemed a little…bored. Then again, it was the same thing last week, too. Jinwoo was probably tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.

“If it’s too much like the one last week, it will be hard for you to get a good score.” C-Night suddenly spoke up. Jumi’s face hardened and the tension became more palpable. C-Night continued.

“We’ve already heard you sing and know you’re good at it. But is that really it? If you keep doing the same thing again and again, it will be hard for us to learn anything about you. How are we supposed to see if you can do anything else? You think we want to see the same thing over and over again? How many times do you think we’ll cry over some ballad you sing? If you’re just going to waste our time then why are you even here?”

C-Night was holding nothing back, and it sounded really harsh. I don’t think anyone has ever acted this way while filming a show. It was almost abusive.

And her words were definitely getting to Jumi. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to hold the microphone. It was obvious that she was struggling to hold herself together. C-Night can be scary when she wants to be and clearly, Jumi wasn’t ready to handle her.

“Jumi, its okay.” I hurried over to her and tried to comfort her. I stroked her hair, hoping that in some way, I could channel some reassurance to her. Jia did calm down a little and she took a deep breath.

“Thanks, Sian.”

I gave her an assuring nod. But suddenly, C-Night’s words cut through the moment.

“And you, Sian.”

***

I turned to look at Sian, who smirked at me.

“Aren’t you a vocalist?”

“Yes, I am,” I replied with another nod, this one firm.

“So what’s with the sword? You think it suits you?” C-Night asked, clearly obvious. She definitely has something out for me.

“Yes, I do.”

“Pfft.”

C-Night snorted and said.

“Didn’t you step on a scale or something for Week 2? And now you’re going to do something with a sword? Can you even sing? Do you even want to be in a girl group? You think this is a joke? Just something to pass the time?”

C-Night spat out those words the same way she did to Jia, but this time, Jinwoo spoke up.

“C-Night, why don’t you cut it out? We’re filming right now..”

“So what? I can’t speak my mind? Besides, you can just edit it.”

“Hey!”

At that, C-Night did shut her mouth. But this time, it was Jinwoo who spoke to me.

“Sian, what C-Night said was harsh, but she’s not wrong. You’re supposed to be a vocalist and as far as I know, you couldn’t do anything else. This sword thing you’re going to do. You said you learned it when you were young? I’m having a hard time taking you seriously.”

But then Jinwoo shook his head.

“Actually, never mind. I shouldn’t do this right before you’re about to perform. Sorry, go ahead.”

So he thinks he can just apologize and be done with it? Is he kidding me? But still, I had an image to maintain so I simply smiled.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“Let’s start with Sian then,” Jinwoo said. The lights went off. It was time for me to begin.