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All day, my heart used to feel restless But it was all for this Emotions that were pressed into a corner of my heart Have awakened from a deep sleep

The clear vocals of the song suited Luda well, or so she was told by a friend. The singing alone wasn’t as much of a problem, but as she wanted to present both skills right at the beginning, she had to choose a song with a good (meaning difficult) choreo (after all, who knew how far whoever was judging these would watch? She had to show them what she got right from the first second!). So the manageable vocal parts instantly became a lot more difficult. And, because that wasn’t yet enough, she wanted her choice to portray the pure concept as well.

Maybe the dances weren’t as hard, but a lot of idols—she found, while researching songs—overacted. Tried to be too coy, too deer-eyed, resulting in them giving an unbelievable image. Others obviously looked uncomfortable with something so cute. Maybe it was still easier than other genres, but people didn’t give it enough credit.

Makes me shake and shake… Windy day windy day Windy day windy day Windy day windy day

The first part of the dance had been a bit easier, but after the little skip, her problem part followed. Whether the moves by themselves were all that difficult, was a different matter. But all the jumping, throwing her arms around and singing at the same time, made her happy that she’d decided to record everything on different days and ask a friend to help her putting everything together. The 30 seconds were over soon, and her old, white, frilly dress changed to a more elegant one that she borrowed from a friend.

And while she had problems with concepts like girl crush (though depending on the song) and especially with anything remotely sexy, this was very much her. Was it enough to debut? She couldn’t tell, honestly she wasn’t sure whether she was ready.

Much better now to let these dreams take flight! Please don’t make me love you Please don’t make me need you Simplify my life just by setting me free!

Originally, Luda hadn’t been sure whether to include this song or not. It wasn’t very pure, but it was indeed challenging, vocal-wise. Many high notes and all, so she decided to go for it. To show her singing skills.

5 years of training, even 10 weren’t unheard of. She was becoming worried, for whether she had a chance at all. Her contract would be over soon and aside from the worry of debuting, she couldn’t help but feel nervous at the thought of not being re-signed.

Promise me you’ll do this Only you can do this Please don’t make me love you Unless you love me

She’s never been in love, nor did she care much for it, her dream didn’t include that possibility until she’d be older. Except she did care deep down, with 22, almost 23, she’d never really been in love, never felt more than a crush and never been in a relationship. But pain she’d felt and that’s what she concentrated on, singing the song, putting her everything into it, until the last notes faded in almost a whisper.

Some of those she was on the mgas with already debuted and she was sure some more would soon follow. There was no guarantee for anything, which she’d known from the beginning, but living it was a bit different, still.

Hey, yeah! I can hear it from anywhere If I open my ears When I open my ears To the trust you have in me Like your eyes that twinkle I’ll tell you a precious story

This time her dress changed into a cute white and blue outfit, part of which she’d recently bought for spring. If this didn’t scream pure, she didn’t know what would. This song, she’d luckily practised for an eval before, so she knew what she was in for. Like Windy Day it wasn’t exactly the easiest, but she still remembered much. At first she’d only wanted to show the dancing, then added the vocals of the 2nd half, but felt it looked awkward to only do half, so she ended up singing everything.

And yet, if Minhee hadn’t convinced her, she wouldn’t be here now, so maybe… she was the one holding herself back without realising it? Worried that if she got the chance, she’d mess up? It would be very much like her, she couldn’t deny.

Open your ears Our unforgettable voices and stories Are filled with my heart for you That fluttered like a dream

On another note though, performing was still as wonderful as her first live stage on the mgas. The feeling of everything coming together as she practised more and more, all her efforts finally paying off as she flew over the stage, singing her heart out.

After working with a friend last week, she was back to working with strangers. Though that didn't have to be bad, not at all, as long as they'd get along and work well. The worst possible scenarios were getting along so well, they'd get distracted more than practise, or not getting along at all and not getting anywhere either.

Luckily, there didn't seem to be any problems in her team – the girl seemed to pick a weird mood between two or three of the two teams up though. She wasn't sure if her intuition was right there, but then she didn't care too much about what was going on, as long as it didn't involve her and the team would work well and not be distracted every ten seconds.

Choosing a song somehow seemed to get more and more difficult with each round. They'd have to find and agree on something all three of them were both comfortable with and had the skills for. Finding out however, that they were all dancers, made Chaeryeong relax. At least they could finally put a focus on that.

A few choices were thrown around – some of which she really liked but were already taken – and they eventually settled on one of her suggestions. Fire Truck was energetic and loud. A good choice for a flashy stage to get attention, but also an obnoxious option when sharing a practise room. The other team's choice wasn't exactly quiet either though and she could only hope there would be no petty taking turns in turning the music louder than the other group. She had neither time nor nerve for childish stuff like that.

Eventually they managed to divide lines and all that, so they could properly get to practising. The dance was easily burned into her brain, she just needed to make her movements precise, to perfect every little detail. And of course she had to manage her rap well, which would prove much more difficult.

In an interesting “turn” of events, she started spending a good chunk of the time she wasn't practising with Suwoong from the other team. The both of them seemed to be a bit more chatty than the others and she thought they clicked well. It was nice to get a good distraction from the worries the show brought with it and he was fun to talk to. So fun that she felt like she knew his whole life story at the end of the week and she'd even talked quite a bit about herself. It made her realise even more than during the previous week that she needed to be around people and socialise more. So the trio teams and shared practise rooms were pretty much perfect for her.

She also enjoyed the time spent with her team, though she felt like it took a bit longer to properly connect with them. But the time they went shopping and had lunch was nice, and she felt closer to them.

Overall—even though she came early and stayed late almost every day—she had a good time preparing for this performance. Sure it was tough and took a lot out of her, plus she's never trained this much for anything before, but her years of experience were surely coming in handy. She knew her limits, how much she could push them without fainting or anything of the sort and knew when she should take a break. She also made a point of not sleeping over at the practise room, but going home every night, so she could properly rest and recharge at home.

She even forgot about the cameras a lot, only making sure to wave and bow every morning and night. Sometimes during beaks, she would position herself in front of one and went through expressions for the performance, featuring both serious and comedic attempts. Another time she talked to it (though that had felt a little weird, so she didn't repeat that), asking whether they were watching the team's practise well and if they saw the good progress they made.

The girl could hardly wait for their group to be called. She sat still, her eyes scanning the many groups before them, observing their every move and studying their expressions. They were all good, really good. On one hand that was bad – it would be easier to win this, if her opponents were weaker, but on the other hand that would be boring. She wanted a challenge.

One of the performances that really stood out to her was the group performing “Love Shot”. It was one of the options her group had considered as well, but the song was already taken. Yeji stood out to her the most. The dance was different from the original and she thought the other might have choreographed it herself. It was something she hadn't much skill in herself.

As the team before them stopped, she knew it was their turn every second now and it felt like electricity shot through her, all the way down to the tips of her fingers and toes. A smile tugged at her lips, but the girl did her best to suppress it. While strings seemed attached to her trying to pull her up to the stage, she wouldn't let herself feel too excited before the performance was over and until she knew for sure that they'd done well.

Get it lifted

They shouted together right at the beginning and she felt the excitement buzz through her veins again, a crooked smile finally pushing through. And she was glad to be starting first. She didn't want to wait any longer.

Fire truck What’re you looking at Mr. fireman on the floor Make a fire, I’ll cool the heat I’ll make this unhappy place even hotter When I hear the sirens, I feel

Chaeryeong moved smoothly, like she's never done anything else in her life. Her moves were exact, obviously practised again and again and again. Her rap, too, was being executed well. Her pronunciation precise, but not so that it was taking away from the flow. She'd often seen performers start off weakly from not being quite into the song yet, or whatever, hence Chaeryeong had practised the beginning extra hard. After all it carried much weight–if she messed up now, interest in the rest of the performance could be lowered, attention not undivided. If they couldn't keep interest up until the end, they shouldn't even consider being one of the top 3 performances and in the girls eyes, they should at least manage that. At the very, very least be in the top 5.

The performance passed, her dancing continuously exact and her rap, while definitely not perfect and much more difficult than the last, still surprising even herself. Her lower voice was surely a good asset in this case and she's learned a lot about rapping from the past weeks. She wasn't lucky that the progress showed, after all she'd worked hard for it, practising endless hours. It was earned.

Yeah be anywhere, everywhere Just call me Look at Look at how, just like playing with fire Bling, I’ll appear, Just Blink for me I’ll cool down your anger

With the gaze of someone who knows what they want and who's completely aware of their own skills, the girl flows through her second longer part, sliding over the floor confidently, oozing charisma. She'd practised this so often, sought out the best ways to appeal to judges and tv-audience. The girl knew what she was doing. Her body precisely placed for every step, while her rap could be improved, but her expression seemed to say “So what? I'll improve with every step I take, never stopping. You'll see.”

The big moves and slight cockiness were quite the opposite of her usual calm and collected behaviour, and as she rapped the part, she fittingly winked at the judges.

(Ey yea yea yea yea) Hands up if you feeling the vibe now (Ey yea yea yea yea) One step two steps go

She skipped left and right, light as a feather, making it look like the moves were almost spontaneous, even when she was leaving nothing to chance that she didn't have to.

After her rebellious child-years, she'd grown to control herself as she grew older, into her teen years, she learned how to behave in a way that would get her what she wanted without being obvious about it. She learned to study diligently, to put time and effort into what she had to, pushing through without letting herself falter. Now she was glad about it more than ever.

For the remainder of the song, she continued having a few solo lines here and there and many shared ones with the two others. She always knew where they were, even if they weren't directly in her vision. She found that important, to make sure they looked like a team. So they were dancing together, rather than each doing their own thing. And the girl kept in mind that during every part she wasn't centre, she had to keep her expression up and still give it her all, or else she'd be overlooked easily.

“Are you all wearing comfortable clothes?” she waited a moment as to let the viewers answer. “Then hurry and get changed! Or stay in whatever you're wearing, as long as you're comfortable.” The other trainee finishes. The small girl claps her hands together, then interlacing her fingers. She steps to the side, explaining, while the other shows the moves.

“For this part, first of all, you want to take a step forward with your left foot and point your left index finger forward as well. Set your right foot next to the other and make a little bounce, nodding your head to the side, like so. Right after this, you'll want to make this gesture with your right hand,” she shows the camera, deciding it would be a good idea to walk a few steps closer to the camera, so there would be a focus on her hand. It wasn't in the script, and a rather spontaneous decision.

Cutely, she quickly walked backwards to her supposed spot. “While doing that gesture, bend your left knee and have your right leg stretch to the side.” she pauses, “Let us repeat that from the beginning, so you can see it smoothly!”

She continues on with her usual chipper behaviour, while the other trainee is a little more strict. She can't remember having talked to the other a lot, but found that they made a good pair for this, even if she would've preferred doing this with a friend.

“And right after that, you have to throw your arms up in circular motions like this. Then move your body sideways and point forward with your left index finger again!” The other trainee now explains as Luda is dancing. “Now let us repeat what we've got to now, from the beginning. I know it's no fun to repeat the same steps over and over, but repetition is key to learning choreographies.”

And so they went on and on until they had a good part of the choreography done. Of course they wouldn't do most of it as that would require much too long filming and at the end of it, Luda was honestly a bit sad. It had been fun, especially as she wasn't doing this alone.

“See, if you give it a few times, you'll have it down before you know it!” she says.

Did practising in the company’s practice room make a difference? Chaeryeong couldn't help but chuckle. “Of course! Quite a lot at that. It's easier to get into the right head-space there and of course the rooms were build to be practised in, which made things easier. At the same time, as we were two different teams, it wasn't all peachy. We both had two obnoxiously loud songs, so that could be a little distracting while going through choreography and lines, but I think we arranged ourselves well, overall,” she said, smiling prettily. “It was also nice to socialise a bit more,” the girl added a few seconds after. She hoped (and expected) the group rounds to continue for a bit.

Is there anyone you had higher expectations for compared to other teams? “The team we shared the practise room with. After all I could watch them a little during breaks, so I saw their progress. They also have an exciting song, so that promised an interesting performance,” she honestly wouldn't mind performing it herself one day. She'd seen “Jackpot” performed by a female group in another survival show, since then its mood had intrigued her. At the same time she simply didn't usually have many expectations for other teams, only for herself and the team he was in.

However this week would be different. Chae was paired with Yuri and they were high school friends, so finally she could work with a friend. She'd been distant before – it was a competition after all. She didn't want to get close to anyone she didn't already know, so if chance would have only one continue on in a round, she wouldn't have to feel as guilty.

But they would be judged as a duo, meaning she could simply give it her all and have fun while at it. Being in a team with Yuri also meant she could simply be herself. During filming there were cameras everywhere and she had to constantly watch her behaviour: someone did something stupid? She couldn't roll her eyes, it'd surely be caught on camera and be aired – just rolling her eyes at all could be taken out of context and make her look bad.

And while training with someone she didn't know... well who knew if she could trust that person? Anyone could let their smartphone record whatever. It may sound paranoid, but she wouldn't be brought down by that. If her skills weren't enough then fine – she'd train more, get better, show her improved skill once an opportunity would arise – but she wouldn't give evil editing more fodder than necessary.

So all in all she was happy with the current situation, additionally as they easily chose a song to perform and how to split it. The girl preferred to not have any vocal lines at all, after all she had no skills in singing whatsoever, which worked well with their choice. She was a little sad not to be able to show off her dancing skills again, but it was an overall fun performance, so it didn't really matter all that much.

The choreography was easy to remember and perfect, the rap didn't come together quite as fast, but she never worried about mastering it in the end. Working with Yuri was more calming than she'd ever expected – really it took an edge off her that she hadn't really noticed before and it made her realise how lonely she'd felt, not that she'd ever admit that.

Time passed by quickly, even more so because of the added fun that week. The two girls arrived and sat together. Even now Yuri's presence was assuring. She knew how well the other sang and she'd done the choreo well during practises, too, so Chaeryeong wasn't worried – of course she was always confident in her own skills.

The girl startled a little as their names are called, but was nonetheless confident that they'd do well. They worked together perfectly in her opinion and she gave the other an excited smile, happy to finally be able to perform after waiting for what felt like eternity.

Chaeryeong started with her arms crossed, a confident, one-sided smile on her lips. Her arms moved forward, above the crossed ones of the other girl and they moved to the side. Her lips parted in a proper, excited smile, fitting the giddy feeling in her stomach as the song started.

A few seconds of dancing passed, her first lines approaching fast as she sat down on a chair and crossed her legs.

It’s become a social norm, though No one seems to have said anything, blah blah Because I care about what people think of me Scars remain

The song's lyrics are serious, but it still emitted a positive vibe. It was chill and gave a positive mood – one of her favourite kinds of songs. And it just so happened to fit the summery weather.

She jumped up from the chair and walked forward, rapping confidently. This style definitely suited her better than last week's. It was a much more comfortable song to rap – though she enjoyed last week's as well – and she felt less worry about it, showing in her more relaxed rap-performance. Nonetheless the girl still felt in control of every muscle in her body, she couldn't have it otherwise, couldn't leave anything she could possibly control to chance.

I used to worry over the pressure to choose the same menu item, But let me choose this time, I’m handing over my card, yah yah, Complicated thoughts, no way Sure, it’s fun to do it my way

As the song changed to Yuri's first lines, she had a chance to smile at the other, showing that they were performing together, not just with or besides each other. Her hands moved in s-lines I front of her torso as she smiled the pretty, carefree smile she'd practised for the song, which seemed to suit it so well. The original rapper had made many funny expressions, but those simply weren't for her.

Yet, as she stood sideways, jumping on one leg, while bringing the other leg and her arms forward in sync to the jump, her expression changed to one she'd often seen parents to with children – a surprised “Oh!” that quickly turned into a wide smile, as she felt a little amused at herself. But she didn't worry much, even though it broke her prepared chain of expressions. It fit the mood and it still wasn't too similar to the original, she thought.

Inside a small aquarium, fish fish, yeah Only saying things that are nice to hear Let me jump over the words trapped in borders Let me reject compliments you don’t mean (No more stress)

Let me go home now, it’s time to leave work Stop telling me to lose weight Interfering for me? No thanks Don’t make your veins pop out for no reason

Yuri's pretty voice eventually disappeared as Chae's next lines came on. The moves came easily to her and she didn't feel much exhaustion yet, after all she'd worked up stamina after years and years of dancing and doing other sports. Her voice suited the lower one of the original rapper and her diction was clear just as last week. Still she couldn't deny that there were other, much better rappers on the show. The lack of dancing made her concerned to be judged more for her rapping than dancing, but she was sure that for most possible future girl groups, she was going down a good path. Sure she needed more practise in this, but they were looking for trainees, not anyone already debut-ready, right? And dancing was still her main skill and in that she was sure to excel.

Her last lines were gone way too fast, making her sad not to be able to rap any further, but she still gave the rest of the performance her all.