#be:ngs2p5

there's some tension on her team for the finale. she feels like that's an understatement, too. for one, ren hates two members of the team. he's managed to keep it together, but nayoung knows him and knows he's barely holding it together. siwoo and jay also seem to be good friends whose powers combined may lead to disaster if not handled properly. she's pretty sure luciel and siwoo still have some sort of beef, too. all in all, it's a mess, and it shows in their performance. it's a total lack of synergy, and nayoung has little patience for it all. so she does what she usually does: tries to solve the problem as soon as possible.

nayoung knows it won't be easy, and doesn't expect her idea to fix everything. she just hopes it helps. she knows there's a possibility that it'll backfire, but nayoung is also aware that sometimes confrontation is necessary to work through any negative feelings toward one another. if this activity ends up starting a fight, it's probably a fight that needs to happen to clear the air and let the group as a whole move on and focus more effectively.

naturally, not everyone was happy about the exercise, but they ended up relenting and agreeing to participate. she had them draw pieces of paper numbered 1-7 to determine the order they sit in in the circle.

fate would have it be that some of the team members with the biggest problems with each other are seated together. luciel is seated on her left, and siwoo next to him, followed by inho. next is jay, then ren, and seira rounds out their circle, seated on nayoung's right.

"okay, let's go left in the circle. say something nice about the person to your left, and share something you're proud of yourself for related to next gen," she reminds everyone. "i'll start."

"i'm proud that i was able to help two teams take first place this season," she says, and she hopes it doesn't sound like she's bragging, or taking all the credit for it. "and of the team members, of course," she adds for good measure.

next, she has to say something nice about luciel - or jihyun, as she should probably call him. "i like that jihyun is good at handling criticism and applying it quickly, even if it's hard to hear." she's talking about her calling him forgettable. he certainly took what she said to heart, and earned praise from the judges last episode.

"okay, your turn," she smiles at him, and it might actually be uncharacteristically warm.

congrats on surviving episode four of next gen! updated rankings can be found here.

for appearing in the fourth episode of NEXT GEN, all wannabes who submitted their participation may collect points as outlined on this spreadsheet. points were awarded based on the writing requirements submitted and the optional extra threads. no verification is required; you may link back to this post on your spreadsheets.

for the final episode of NEXT GEN, participants were once gain split into three teams to perform original songs in wannabe canon. just like last year, members were voted into each team by the audience in-character. the finale will be a live event broadcasted on television in real time while a live audience enjoys the performances at a small to medium-sized concert hall.

the live audience will vote on their favorite performances once the final group has finished. a combination of the judges’ evaluation and the audience votes will determine the final winners of the competition. the top three finalists will be offered a ‘universal’ contract and the option to sign to any of the three companies that they desire. runner-ups will be offered contracts from one company, depending on the judges’ discretion and if there are contestants that they feel will suit their company’s training program and future plans well.

once again, coaches are not to inform the creative process but to leave those decisions up to the contestants they’re advising. instead, they should act as mentors and answer questions and provide guidance in shaping the contestants’ visions. coaches will NOT be performing alongside the contestants.

the teams and performances for episode five are as follows:

thank you to all the trainees who signed-up as mentors and participated throughout the duration of NEXT GEN!

for being active coaches throughout all of NEXT GEN, the following muses will receive two days off for this month. they can use them at anytime between now and june 30th, so long as it doesn't impact major events in their respective companies (for example, the day of their performances for the acting camp):

@renxbe

@bedohyun

@bechaerin

@beseojun

@sarangbe

@benayoung

the muses listed above will also receive +8 leadership points for their contribution and their aid in helping the NEXT GEN contestants. no verification is required; you may link back to this post on your spreadsheets.

if you have not yet read the episode, please wait to read this post as it contains spoilers for the results.

seojun expected a lot when it came to being a trainee coach but he didn’t think he’d be learning so much. maybe he didn’t give himself enough credit but that was typical of him when it came to something different he never tried before. he just hopes his time here was enjoyed by everyone who got to be here and show their skills for the many who eagerly watched each episode. he goes into the familiar room once he’s called back and lets himself settled in. it feel different and a bit bittersweet. sure he’s not performing at all but he’s enjoyed getting to know everyone and watch them grow. he can only wonder how it will all end. he knows he’s excited to see who will be getting a contract with lime. he’s all for seeing more faces around and to train with others.

how do you feel about this season wrapping up already?

“honestly, it feels like it came by so fast. i didn’t expect it to be the end already but i enjoyed every minute of it.” he admitted honestly, a smile on his face. “seeing everyone here and watching who stayed was definitely nerve wracking but it was nice working with everyone i could. i loved seeing each of them grow.” it reminded him of when he was here and got to blossom himself. sure he was surprised with where he landed but he was glad he got to make his dreams come true.

what was the hardest thing about being a coach?

he thought carefully before he answered. this could have many different answers but one stuck out in his mind. “probably just me thinking i couldn’t give good enough guidance for this. i was battling myself more but i gotta say that i’ve learned so much doing this and i’m glad i got the chance to do so.” he smiles brightly, glad his negative thoughts were pushed more to the background then left to fester and get the better of him.

is there any final words you’d like to share?

“all of the contestants should be proud of themselves. you’ve all come so far and it’s been so great seeing all of you growing throughout this whole season. even if i didn’t get to work with all of you at least once, i can tell that you’ve all been working so hard. good luck and i know this last performance for each of you is going to be something to watch.” he lets his honest feeling spill out as the smile he had before never left. 

the curtains are finally coming to a close.

a few months ago, if you asked luciel about what he thought about performing as an idol, he would have said something along the lines of: me, a star? i’ll entertain that thought. i’ll like doing them as a hobby… but doing it professionally is a different thing. i can’t become a star.

then he joined nextgen.

he didn’t tell anyone about it. it was purely out of impulse. it was curiosity. in his entire life, as long as he worked hard and poured efforts in, he could do anything, even if he didn’t had passion for them. he’d continue life, as if nothing particularly special happened to him.

in nextgen, efforts wasn’t enough. for the first two performances (that weren’t his audition), he just didn’t shine. he wasn’t bad, but there was nothing special to him.

luciel knew that. he just found it a tiny bit hilarious that they managed to capture who he is as a person; dreamless and blank. a canvas is supposed to be colourful and beautiful, but luciel’s canvas was achromatic. there is nothing special about him.

he’s never special in the eyes of anyone, even his own adoptive parents.

somehow in his third performance, he shone. even for a brief moment, he became a star. his best friend was on puzzle team, and he also had this weird conflict thing going on with siwoo (that animosity eventually faded, and now they’re strangely closer. they even began to text each other out of practice). he started bonding with people. luciel also started to digest the weight of having other people’s dreams on his shoulder, even more so with the finale team that initially came with many conflicts.

most of all, they were performing an original song. luciel can’t put the original composer and choreographer to shame, can he? he would have carried that shame for the rest of his life.

luciel remembers the feeling of burning like a star, and takes it with him to the finale. it can’t just burn brightly, it has to burn even more intensely than his previous stage.

is this what passion is supposed to feel like?

it feels like his heart is on fire. is this what chasing a dream feels like? if he gets signed, could he continue chasing after that burn?

oh luciel, you’re selfish.

PERFORMANCE DAY

his steps to the stage felt heavier. the scene wasn’t an unfamiliar sight, but this time it was more different. this performance was being broadcasted to the world, and there is a larger audience before them. they were people supporting the contestants of nextgens, maybe even their families and friends too.

luciel wonders, briefly, if his parents were watching this.

would his brother watch him?

no way.

it’ll be fine. he doesn’t lets it get to him. he would never.

intead, for another day, could he be selfish and become a star? even for three minutes?

the opening goes to luciel. it’s an important part of the song, to open the performance impactfully. he gets into position and raises his arm to cover his eyes. as he moves it downwards and starts to sing, he flashes a confident gaze into his audience and dances. right before his second line of ‘la la la la la la la la’, he grins while he tilts his head to the side, tongue peeking out ever so slightly.

his body is moving exactly like he wants to, more than before. it oozes confidence. it wasn’t just the confidence he had from puzzle, it’s the confidence of someone who doesn’t cares about the world and allowed his wings to spread wide. he’s free, and he can do whatever he wants. it’s aggressive and powerful, but even with that intensity he still matches well with the rest of the team. the team building exercise wasn’t for nothing after all, alongside the practices they had with the rest of the team. it’s not something he doesn’t knows, but he also realises that whenever he and siwoo were beside each other in some way, they looked really good.

everyone pays attention, to the way I look special. for those eyes, it’s a waste to use my time.

it was funny that luciel understood this part of the lyrics. so he embodied that. the way everyone paid attention to the way he looked special — his wealth, his talents, looks, and even personality — even though he was never born special. why should he care about those eyes? hah, wasn’t it a waste of his time? why should he care about trash like them? so luciel’s lips curled up, complete with conceited eyes with his head tilted up.

it’s my time~

it also had been difficult for luciel to sing this part. he knew how to modulate intensities vocally, yet he struggled because it was a higher pitch than the usual low ones he’s comfortable with singing. thanks to practicing with inho though, he managed to pull it off seamlessly. shifting the note up and down. when he realises he pulled it off, unknowingly, his confidence grew stronger.

La la La la la La la la. did you see? i will find my way (ooh ooh oohh~) put everything down feel me up (feel me upp~) shout myself to the world rock the world (rock - the worldd~)

at first, luciel didn’t felt so bad about losing out on the high note. it made perfect sense. yet as they continued practicing together, he couldn’t help but to feel a sense of loss. oh, was he being selfish back then? maybe. because then he decided that he’ll make the adlibs his, and raise the quality of the performance. make it pleasant for his audience to listen to, let them be in awe as they became unable to turn their eyes away from the performance. he sings passionately, showing the world-

oh.

at the corner of his eyes, he sees someone familiar in the front row, holding a signboard that cheesily wrote: “jihyun ganbatte!” in japanese. he looks exactly like how luciel last saw him, but healthier alongside those gentle eyes and a warm smile he could never hope imitate.

he couldn’t shame his brother now, right?

even if he noticed him when the performance was ending, he gave his all. he showed the world what he can do.

ryeo jihyun, otherwise also known as luciel, felt himself shining the brightest that day.

he also smiled without putting on an act.

here we go again. another interview, but now—for the last time.

your last interview! how does that make you feel?

jay flashes the camera a grin, shrugging. "should i say i'm a bit sad i don't get to talk to you anymore?" he lets out a laugh though, keeping it playful. "the end of the line, huh? but it's not really the end, this is just the beginning. oh, that's a killer line." as corny as it is, but there's a grain of truth in that statement. even after next gen, there's still more to do, more to accomplish.

getting along with your teammates?

at that, jay rolls his eyes. it's obviously a pointed question, considering his track record throughout the show. "listen, i like my teammates. they're all talented people, and they also fit the song, for the most part. i've seen them working hard with my own eyes too, none of them are slackers." yes, even the one that no one has faith in.

maybe he should prove his point? "despite my failing memory, i pay attention, you know! inho's been working on his choreography, and he practiced really hard for his high note. jihyun's also doing his best, we practiced his runs together. seira's working on a lot of things, i see her having one-on-one sessions with nayoung. siwoo... people find this hard to believe, but he is taking this seriously. he'd been rehearsing his rap over and over, until his throat is sore." it's nice, actually—seeing siwoo break a sweat, wanting something so badly. but he's not going to say that for the cameras.

what about your mentors?

he hums, ultimately he decides to stick with honest. "nayoung made some points, i don't hold a grudge against her or anything. and ren, too. he said that i was good, that no one can pretend i wasn't. that's a pretty high compliment coming from him, right? even though we started off on the wrong foot." he smiles at that, maybe it comes off a bit smug. he does know there's something going on between ren and siwoo; ren's outburst felt too personal, too close to home. but as close as he is to siwoo, that isn't jay's place to comment.

anyone you're hoping to get signed with?

now that's an easy question. "i don't really think we'd be picked up by the same company even if we do get signed, because we're kinda different. but, siwoo. he might not be everyone's choice, but i want to see him signed. not just because he's my friend... but because, contrary to popular belief, he has been working hard." jay laughs a bit, recalling siwoo's pure annoyance and rage at the fact that he was grilled for being talentless. jay doesn't think he is, but it's up to siwoo to prove himself. "besides, i love an underdog story. someone you don't expect to win, winning. things like that."

any last words?

he feels somewhat strange, knowing that this will be the last time he faces a camera like this, speaking to it like he's addressing an audience. knowing this, yuwol smiles. and for once, he can feel it reach his eyes—perhaps he'd be feeling a little sentimental about it, after all.

your last time on camera, huh?

"it is," yuwol nods, confirming that fact—not that they needed it. "it's been a while, hasn't it? although it feels like time flies, it also feels like a lot has happened. a long journey." that's one way to put it, for sure.

how do you feel about the idol life now?

yuwol almost laughs, having not expecting such a straightforward question. "i think it's nice. it was obvious, wasn't it? how little i knew about this side. but it's fun, performing like this was fun. i didn't realize i'd find myself captivated by this life, but i was. and honestly? dancing is starting to become a hobby of mine. i hope to pick it back up, even if i don't get signed through this show." he still has to give himself a reality check, after all. even though he still wants this; bad.

do you think you've made significant improvement throughout the show?

"i think so, yes." it's not in yuwol's character to be optimistic usually, but he had put in a lot of hard work and polished a lot of skills he never thought he would before. "you already know i was new to dancing, and then i ended up dabbling in rapping too. it's a lot, especially in such a short amount of time. obviously i'm still not perfect, far from it, but... i'm happy with the improvements i've made." and it's been a while since he felt that.

any last words?