#jacksxnrk

When she saw the final picks from Team Nova, she had been disappointed to see that not all her picks had been chosen. Though she may have had to refrain from laughing when she saw that Jackson, a good friend of hers, was among the contestants she was going to be coaching. 

Back then, she swore she wasn’t going to be as harsh as Ricky oppa; however, she found herself being stricter and having higher standards than ever. Wendy’s not going to lie. During the first run-through, she and Sunmi unni had actually exchanged horrified glances at how much practice the team needed. To make matters worse (in Wendy’s opinion), majority of their team needs to go through a singing boot camp. 

“Alright, listen!” Wendy says as she gets their attention when she drops by to check on Team Nova’s progress. “I noticed how you’re all just vocalizing as a vocal warm-up before you start practicing,” she says. “That’s great, but before you even think of making a sound, you also have to prepare the muscles that you’ll be using to make those sounds.” She does her best to sound cheerful as she looks each of them in the eye. 

“You want to start with moving your tongue around your mouth, as if you’re stretching it. Your tongue is a muscle too, so it needs the workout.” Wendy says as she gestures to her mouth area. She waits for them to follow her instructions before she continues talking. “While doing that, it’s also good if you massage around your vocal chords.” She demonstrates by massaging her own vocal chords. Something that she’s overlooked for herself suddenly occurs to her. “Ah right, it will hurt for some of you…” Her eyes dart among the five members of Team Nova until her eyes land on two people in particular. “Yewon! Changbin! Come here please.” As the two weaker vocalists of the team, Wendy decided to pay them extra attention. There’s no way they’ll be at par with Jackson and Seunghun in a week’s time, but she will make sure these two can stay on-pitch within a week. 

She tries controlling her laughter as she massages Changbin’s vocal chords. He’s looking at her as though she was murdering him. She almost feels bad, but she knows her vocal coaches went harder with her when she first arrived at Nova. “I’m not even applying a lot of pressure,” she says with a slight chuckle. “You need to relax. I’m not out here to murder you.” She genuinely feels bad, but someone has to do it. “If it hurts there, you’re probably very tense when you sing,” she says as she looks at him with some pity. The vocal chord massages do hurt, after all. After a little more time, Wendy decides to take pity on him and stop. “Keep massaging where I did it, okay?” 

Another issue Wendy had noticed was how unstable the team was when they sang and danced at the same time. With a song choice like theirs, they were going to go down if they didn’t do something about that fast. She decides to teach them another trick up her sleeve. 

“I noticed you guys could use some help with stability,” she says. She won’t name any names, but they probably already know who they are. “I know it’s not something many of you have naturally, so we’re going to fix that. See, breathing techniques for when you’re standing still are very different from when you sing and dance. Trust me, your future selves will thank me for this once Sunmi unni comes in.” She pauses as she looks at each of them straight in the eye. “Here’s what we’ll do. Go down on a planking position and sing ‘Run’ for two minutes.” When no one says anything, she continues talking. “It will demonstrate how your muscles are supposed to work while you sing.” 

In the middle of the week, Wendy decides to shake things up. “Run in laps around the training room as you sing,” she says without any emotion on her face. She’s aware of how bizarre that sounds, but it will have to do. “I’m not joking, you guys. This is to help you guys be able to get used to simultaneously moving and singing without going out of breath. Now, run!” She blows the whistle she brought with her to show that she really meant business. She also didn’t hesitate to call out anyone who was going off-key as they ran. “Sing it like you would on stage!” she shouts as they run past her. “Make yourselves get used to it.” 

There have been some improvements as the days passed, but apparently, there are some things that need a bit of fine-tuning. She goes over things with those who come for individual consulting after all three of them give their comments. She’s always willing to help anyone who asks. Seunghun, in particular, is someone she wants to help improve. She had believed in him and his potential. The fact he was willing to learn after she pointed out his mistakes improved her opinion of him even more. “You’re an amazing singer, Seunghun. There’s no doubting that,” she says after he asks her to clarify her point from rehearsals earlier. “That’s the reason I chose you for Nova. But the problem was that you were trying too hard to vocally stand out.” She looks at her notes before continuing, just to make sure she’s still on track. “You’re probably so used to singing solo, so you’re probably not sure how you’ll fit in with a team. And all the more, this is a survival competition, so I understand the pressure of needing to stand out all the time.” 

She makes sure he’s still with her before talking again. “But this is also a team performance, so balance is very important. You don’t have to go so hard at every line you sing. There are some parts where you just have to take it easy. You have to know which parts call for being the entree and when to be the side dish.” 

Wendy allows him to take it all in. It is a lot for someone who hasn’t been through any idol training, but Wendy just wants each of them to learn as much as they can from the experience. 

“I know you’ll figure it out. I believe in you, Seunghun.” She then holds up the lyric sheet. “Want me to sing with you? Just to figure it out?” 

As the rest of the days go, Wendy watches the team improve with help from Sunmi unni, Sungyeol oppa, and herself. Every day after each coaching session ends, she’s excited to go back to the dorm and gossip about the MGA contestants with the rest of the AND*ROMA girls. She would have loved to go tell Hugo, but he’s out of the country doing God knows what. Wendy hopes that the people representing Team Nova learned as much as they can from Sunmi unni, Sungyeol oppa, and herself. After all, it’s not every day that they get to share their knowledge and experience. All three of them have done what they could — technique training, motivation, torture, encouragement… You name it, all three of them have probably done it. All that remains is that the contestants are able to do well on stage.

and to think that around the same time last week, jinyoung almost expected to hear his name called for the top 3 singing performances. while it’s a competition and a lot of people have already gone home, making the prospect of winning seem more difficult than anticipated... does he really deserve to be eliminated this early? if he didn’t think he was talented enough to win, jinyoung wouldn’t have bothered applying. it doesn’t mean he believes himself to be better than everyone else, but he believes in himself and honestly, he thinks they’re wrong. no matter how he looks at it, no matter how he looks back at his performance with jeonghan and thinks of their flaws... there were duos worse than theirs. but of course, that’s only his truth. he gets no say in it, and did not hear the judges’ comments prior to taking their decision.

to be called mediocre of all things. on a show that clearly isn’t searching for the best talent, it seems a bit insulting. he waits to be given the reason why so jisub thinks that, but it never comes. jinyoung meets his fate with pursed lips and a nod, wrapping an arm around jeonghan’s shoulder for support. neither of them should be sent home right now, but here they are, after working their butts off all week. it’s everyone’s case, probably. but taking a look around him, he can’t help but feel as though the winners have already been selected, and the rest of them were just props meant to fill in some airtime since the beginning. he understands that he’s nobody. he’s no ex-idol, no ex-contestant, he doesn’t have a whole band of friends with him. he’s exactly how he felt the second week: invisible. everyone in this country knows how much these types of shows are scripted, but now that he’s experiencing it first hand, it’s worse than he’d imagined.  mnet has its picks, some that are in the top contestants right now, some who just benefit from a lot of screentime. there are others who jinyoung believe made their own path, like sihyeon who more than anyone here deserves the praises she’s been given so far. he thinks of heejin too, who is no doubt a favorite, but a girl with that much talent and star quality will always hog the spotlight. no one can blame her.

he clenches his fist. for the first time since coming here, there’s a rage growing inside him. he shouldn’t be standing here. if they want to see his true colors, he’ll throw it at them. he feels the urge to decline the second chance at performing, but it would be seen as giving up. he won’t give them that satisfaction, considering they barely notice his existence to begin with. it’s up to him to show them what they’ve been missing, and he’s greatly satisfied to learn he’ll be doing it with jackson.

this week is all about redemption. if so far he’s been a nobody to them, he can only hope to turn things around and let everyone know he’s not someone to mess with. but this could go both ways. he could be beaten down twice in a row. they could still hate it, and belittle their efforts. there’s no pity in this industry, he’s learned that a while ago. but just because they’re big shot ceos doesn’t mean they’re always right. how many times have they rejected talented people who went on to become superstars? so clearly, they aren’t all-knowing. they make mistakes just like everyone else. his talent will be recognized elsewhere if not with them. hyunbin wanted him twice. they will too.

jackson and him spend no time complaining about their situation. there’s no time for self-pity, and jinyoung honestly isn’t the type to just confide in anyone. they’re friends, but they’re not extremely close either. he shares how he’s feeling with his girlfriend, and for him that’s enough. he doesn’t avoid yugyeom at home either, and he congratulates him for moving on to the next round, but he doesn’t really... want to talk to him about what’s going on. he lets the younger enjoy himself and focuses on his own performance instead.

they soon decide on a song they’d like to attempt. it’s a nice ballad, with meaningful lyrics that don’t necessarily relate to their present situation, but tell a story they’d like to help come to life. about loneliness, something jinyoung has kept inside him for the longest time, and love. about being happy about what they have all while questioning why, in that case, they still feel so empty. but rather than only performing a simple cover, they decide to add harmonies to it that would be more fitting for a real duo. not just two people singing side by side, each having their own parts. they want to come together as one, and let their own vocal colors shine through.

they add high notes and other adlibs to the song, thinking this could set them apart and also show the judges the extent of their abilities. jinyoung is very good at emoting, so is jackson, but they also possess a technique they might not have focused on enough so far. for the past three weeks jinyoung has mostly tried to get out of his comfort zone and prove to himself and others that he can do many things and be good at it. but it’s time to go back to his roots, and belt out a powerful, emotional ballad. those are his true colors.

the set feels very empty without everyone sitting in the chairs on each side. there’s so few of them, and he looks at the other duos with a new found compassion. more than ever before, they’re all on the same boat. they both suffered a setback last week, but only two of them will be allowed to return. jinyoung doesn’t speak much, but he silently wishes them the best. the rest of the time he spends with jackson, reviewing the performance in his head. they both know what they have to do, but it’s just two minutes, and that’s very little time to impress a panel of five judges.

minhyun and jeonghan go first, and jinyoung watches his previous partner with frustration. jeonghan should not be here on this stage, he should be arriving later with the others, and so should he. there’s something so powerless about knowing just how much they’re talented but being unable to do anything about it.

once their turn comes, jackson and jinyoung make their way on stage, with their only prop being the microphone they’re each holding. there’s nothing else to focus on. no flashy outfits, no chairs, no glitter. just them and their voices. after briefly announcing their song choice and greeting the judges, they get ready, since they jump right into the song as soon as the music starts. jinyoung closes his eyes, and opens them again so they lock with jackson’s. he smiles. they can do this. they can wow them.

A life like this really seems nice I’m living a good life

it starts off sweetly, their voices resonating in harmony, and right after jackson belts out the first high note with brilliance. jinyoung feels hopeful as they go into the chorus, voices powerful but with a tenderness that shows just how much they feel what they’re singing. they don’t verse into melodrama, but if anyone in this room has ever felt lonely, they won’t be able to remain insensitive.

I’m so lonely, tears come into my eyes Loneliness comes and asks me Are you really happy at this moment?

jinyoung sings the last line alone, eyes closed as he climbs the notes one by one until reaching the final one. this song is vocally challenging for sure, more than any one he’s done up until now, but he’s a musical actor. it’s nothing he hasn’t done before. singing duets that tell a story, and not getting lost in the other’s voice. jackson is a wonderful partner in that aspect.

I answer (lonely) I’m so lonely (tears start to come) What is the reason for my existence? What is love? (what is love?) I’m so curious I am in love but I’m still lonely

the first part of this verse is jackson singing the main lyrics, while jinyoung does the adlibs. the ‘tears start to come’ is very high, and about as high as he can go without straining his voice. he’s usually comfortable in the middle range, as are most people with his tone of voice, but he can also reach unexpected high notes. and that is due to years of singing experience. he can now reach levels he couldn’t five years ago. they switch roles for the third line, with jinyoung singing the main lyrics, and they both finish together, gently, voices fading off as they let the music play.

after the very intense build up that just happened, there’s a long pause during which neither of them sings. they just let the track speak for itself, and let everyone and themselves catch their breath and return to a softer, quieter mood for the finale.

What is life? Why is it so lonely?

for a brief moment when jinyoung starts to sing, the music is silent, but it slowly picks up, guiding him through the last few notes, and jackon’s voice can be heard in the background, although very faint so it doesn’t outshine jinyoung’s. and right after it’s jinyoung’s turn to do his partner the same favor, harmonizing as jackson sings the last words.

for the first time since the beginning of this competition, jinyoung walks on stage with a bright, assumed smile as he bows to everyone applauding him and jackson. the other two teams did very well, and he doesn't doubt it was a close call. minhyun and jeonghan did, after all, perform a similar type of vocal-heavy song. as usual, it's hard to say what made the judges lean in their direction but jinyoung will satisfy himself with the bare minimum of knowing they did better. he knows this will create two very different reactions. those who believe they were unjustifiably eliminated and very happy to see them come back, and those who would rather have seen one of the other contestants step on that stage. jinyoung knows the idea of it isn't exactly fair, not only to the two duos going home today but all of the others who didn't even have a chance to redeem themselves.

but it's part of the game jinyoung has agreed to play and until the end, he will keep his head held high and refuse to let anybody dictate whether or not he deserves to be here. after losing everything and returning triumphant, he thinks he doesn't have anything more to lose. so he'll work hard, and prove them they were right in giving him a second chance. jinyoung hugs jackson out of pure excitement and emotion. he could not have asked for a better partner to pull this off, both complementing each other perfectly. jinyoung notices yugyeom's happy reaction, too, as well as sia's. they both seem ecstatic by his comeback and the singer goes to them as soon as he is allowed to, pulling his roommate into a warm embrace. he rarely lets his emotions show like this but today is a special occasion. he congratulates sia for her deserved first place, curious to see if she will maintain this top spot for episodes to come. it's always difficult to know what goes through the judges' mind. hopefully neither of them disappoint them later on. but if they did, it wouldn't be for a lack of skill.

the idea of trios is a bit underwhelming. this season promised a ton of surprises, never seen before events and so far, it feels a bit repetitive. but having a third person can also spice things up, challenge them, and allow and even more diversity of talents to shine on stage at the same time. it's easy to stand out in a duo, but the more people join the party, the more some will fade into the background. three is still a rather small number, not to mention they have three minutes this time to make sure everyone gets enough spotlight.

exchanging information with daniel and yeji goes relatively well. there's something about daniel's expression that leaves jinyoung puzzled, not sure if he's acting like this out of sheer awkwardness or because he's unhappy about the pairings. either way, they have no choice but to work together. he doesn't think more of it until the next day when they all come to nova for their first practice. jinyoung has mixed feelings about coming back here. the halls are familiar, but he's an outsider now, no longer part of this family. all of the trainees he trained with, save for a few, are preparing for debut. so if he were to come back, which he doesn't wish, it wouldn't be the same at all.

he enters with yeji who got here same time he did, and they settle into the practice room together. he thinks he knows where he recognizes her from, but does not see the importance of pointing it out. it won't help their performance in any way, and it's not like their meeting had meaning in the first place. she seems a lot more focused and determined than he would have imagined, too. maybe he had that preconception because of her younger age, but it is soon thrown out the window. clearly she is here to fight for first place, same as him. jinyoung greets the members of the other team as they arrive, too, but doesn't go out of his way to meddle with them. they're not enemies, of course, but they are rivals, and he doesn't know any of them personally. it's almost a blessing to him. as much as he likes his friends, they could potentially be a distraction.

they start looking up songs together. jinyoung doesn't have a set idea on what he wishes to do this week, as it's better to discuss these things as a team. they all have ideas, and he doesn't claim his to be better or more deserving. he won't however, go along with everything they suggest, and won't be scared to speak up if he disagrees. if they all have the same open-mindedness and involvment, no one should be left bitter or unsatisfied.

daniel finally joins them, and they exchange a small greeting, but the atmosphere is just as gloomy as it was yesterday during filming. it's quite obvious that something is off with daniel. jinyoung hasn't had the chance to spend time with him in pretty much forever, the last time when they were both children in busan, but from what he's seen, daniel is a friendly guy. not today, though. it's hard to really describe how uncomfortable the situation is, but he knows yeji feels it too. he decides not to pay too much attention to it right away. maybe daniel will put himself together and leave whatever negative feelings he has behind so they can do what they're here to do.

it doesn't go that way, however.

“daniel? are you listening? we need your opinion on this.” jinyoung says. he's not irritated (yet) but doesn't want to waste time coddling anyone here. he's the big brother often enough in his every day life without the need to be one here. at least not during practice. they can vent however they want outside of this building, but as soon as they step inside they should all put their game faces on.

daniel is caught off guard, confirming that he indeed wasn't paying any attention to whatever jinyoung and yeji were saying, and that reaction alone is bad enough, but what comes out of his mouth next... "i just don't have any ideas yet."  daniel responds quietly. now if jinyoung was not annoyed because, he definitely is now. "you don't have a single idea?" yeji retorts. "we need your input on this, oppa." the girl is right. jinyoung, looking at her, nods approvingly before turning to daniel. "for now you don't even need ideas, we just want to know what you think of these songs." jinyoung sounds like he's losing patience, though still very poised in appearance. "it's really not that hard." is this a hint of annoyance finally peeking through? either way, it's enough for daniel to apologize a few times, but it doesn't convince jinyoung. he doesn't care about an apology if the younger's behavior doesn't change.

and then they get a small explanation. daniel mentions his friends, and that he's not at his best right now. it doesn't take a genius to connect the dots. so that's what it's all about. his friends being eliminated? jinyoung feels his body tense up. the annoyance turns into anger. the audacity the boy has to come in here with a pitiful face on, whining about his friends after jinyoung himself had to fight to come back in this darned competition. not to mention they all, so far, lost someone they cared about. are empty enigma members some superior friends that losing them means the world ended or something? he glares at daniel, not a single of trace of compassion visible on his face. "if you give up now you realize you’re proving everyone right? that you were here just for your band and that without them you can’t cope?” he knows he sounds harsh but honestly, he doesn't care. if that's what it takes to snap daniel out of this pity party he's throwing himself, jinyoung will gladly take the blame.

yeji, to his surprise, takes his side. since they're cousins he thought maybe she would think he went too far, but he really is starting to respect her drive. she adds that he will feel better if he knows he did his best to help, to which jinyoung agrees. now, whether they managed to pull daniel out of his daze, he's not sure yet but they at least succeed in having him participate more actively. they finally decide on exo as an artist, hesitating between love shot and another song. now, jinyoung isn't exactly a fan of this group but it's a team effort, and it can't always be about his own music taste. it also fits the kind of concept they were aiming for. something charismatic and groovy, which love shot is perfect for especially if they rearrange it to a slower pace.

daniel finally votes for love shot, not before being an indecisive burden - much to jinyoung's despair - and it's time to advance to the next stage. they now need to decide if they will just perform the song as it is, or if they will make appropriate changes where need be in order to highlight each of their strengths. daniel quickly mentions that he's not a good dancer, a detail already known by both jinyoung and yeji, but the older points out that while a singing and rapping performance would not be a bother to him, it might come as a slight disadvantage to yeji. not because she cannot do anything else, but as a team they should at least show that they can dance what jinyoung sees as a simple choreography. the chorus especially is not very hard to master from what he's seen earlier.

yeji takes a small break to get water now that they've decided on a song, leaving a very awkward daniel and jinyoung alone together. or, almost alone if they take into account the other team going about their business on the other side of the room. jinyoung wonders if there's tension among them too, but so far no one has raised their voice. lucky.

"you're still quiet," jinyoung points out. granted, he's being quiet too right now, but so far daniel hasn't been participating a lot. it should be give and take, not just taking. daniel assures him that it's because he was thinking of the performance, to which the singer gives him the benefit of the doubt. he's not here to insult daniel. he doesn't want to fight him, but he doesn't have any desire to be nice when the other looks like he wants to be anywhere else but here. that alone is, frankly, more insulting than anything jinyoung has said so far. "so, what were you thinking then?" he pushes daniel to talk, hoping it will finally work, hoping they'll finally get some meat around the dry bone he's been since the beginning.

he does share he feels as if dancing would only highlight his weakness instead of his strengths, which jinyoung can understand. but there's always a way to include dancing somehow. he doesn't think they can avoid it, at least not for the entire performance. when daniel mentions that it would eliminate him, jinyoung almost points out it seems like it's exactly what he wants. with the way he's been acting, it's clear that daniel's heart and mind are with his departed friends instead of with them. instead, he just replies "then what would your rather show?" and although a little dry, it's a valid question. if he doesn't want to dance, what does he want to do? it's up to him to convince them, not the opposite.

but instead of a substantial answer, all jinyoung gets is yet another 'i'm a poor, pitiful, untalented boy who can't do anything so it doesn't matter if we lose i'll just go home to my little band.' or well, that's exactly how he hears it despite not being daniel's own words. he says he doesn't have anything to show, that it'll be exactly what eric said. and honestly, jinyoung barely has any idea what he's referring to. probably a comment sohn youngjae made in his interview, or to him personally. but jinyoung did hear bribes about some people questioning empty enigma's motives to be in the competition. which he paid no attention to until... today.

his busan dialect comes out when he speaks up, clear evidence of his growing anger. whenever he gets too upset, he drops the seoul speech unconsciously. “and you think the little kid has something better to show? take what he said and use it. fight, don’t just stand there and let him and all the others decide who you are. because i’m honestly starting to believe them,” he wishes he didn't have to be this hard on him, but jinyoung has had enough of the moping around and self-loathing. they have a job to do and he will be damned if they end up in bottom five and are sent home because daniel spent the entire week crying his friends. unless they die, he better pull himself together and stop looking so defeated.

daniel retorts that jinyoung doesn't know who he is. alright, fine, maybe he doesn't. the memories he kept of daniel happened more than ten years ago. the man standing before him is not the little boy he used to know. the little boy who gave jinyoung no chance to know who he is, because he left without leaving an address. and quite honestly, jinyoung had not thought about him in a very, very long time until he saw him perform on stage a couple weeks back. and the humiliation he felt when it took daniel this long to recognize him what not one of a rational adult. it was the betrayed child inside of him coming back to hate daniel for what he did, despite it not being his fault.

they're not friends anymore, he thinks. they just remember being friends, and that means nothing. certainly not to daniel who is too busy thinking of his band members to see what's in front of him: his very own cousin, and his childhood friend who wanted nothing more than to work alongside him and win this round. so no, he has no idea who daniel is. because so far all daniel has shown is how weak-willed he is. and that's not something jinyoung wants in a friend.

“if you want to show you’re your own person, it’s time to prove it. you’re creative and good-looking; put these assets to work. show us who you are.” he insists on the last few words. he has nothing personal against daniel. the adult jinyoung does not resent him for leaving back then. he understands. but he will not accept any more of this circus show. and yeji's voice can be heard in unison with his own, pushing daniel into a corner. now he has a choice. he's with them, or against them.

"did you improve since last year at all?" now hopefully this will set daniel off. jinyoung doesn't mind if he upsets him. at least it will make daniel feel something, react, interact, instead of just stand there and wait for the sky to fall on them so he can run home. yeji, done with their banter, wonders out loud if they're each to diss each other or practice. her reasoning, while valid, doesn't take jinyoung's motivation into account. he doesn't want to diss daniel for the sake of dissing him. he wants to break this never-ending cycle of self-pity. daniel will want to defend himself, at least he hopes, and by doing so will list the things he's good at. and if it doesn't serve as a reminder that he did, in fact, improve and has the potential to go even further if he allows himself to... jinyoung will believe he's a lost cause.

“did you already perfect the entire dance choreo oppa? is that why you are acting like this? AT LEAST SPEAK KOREAN IF YOU ARE GONNA FIGHT.” the first half of yeji's intervention makes perfect sense, though a little harsh (jinyoung obviously can't say anything about that), but the second half leaves him confused. what in the world is she talking about? "we are speaking korean!" the boys reply in unison. was it yeji's masterplan to have them finally agree on something? but it does serve to ease the growing tension a little bit.

“you can do this, and prove everyone wrong, but to be able to, you need to believe in yourself, and you need to participate,”  jinyoung has calmed down, and so has daniel. he holds the younger's shoulders, shaking him up a little. daniel finally agrees, and soon enough jinyoung asks for a hug so they can settle this argument once and for all. he really wishes daniel won't resent him for all of this, but if it serves as fuel to get him through this week it will be worth it. jinyoung doesn't mind being disliked if they can put on a great show in the end.

they finally gather in a circle, giving the songs a few listens and each of them giving opinions on how they could arrange it. they all agree that daniel has a musician's mind, and therefore would be able to work on the instrumental. jinyoung, who's trained in singing, can make sure the harmonies and line distribution suits all of their vocal tones and match well together. finally, yeji can work on the choreography. they decide that each of them will get a small highlighted solo that will focus on their main strength. daniel will get a guitar solo in the beginning and yeji will have a dance break during the first chorus, and jinyoung will sing the bridge acapella, to transition into the original song for the final chorus where they'll dance.

every practice until sunday is mostly dedicated to making all of these rearrangements, and each of them focus on their task at hand. jinyoung is quite happy to see daniel put so much effort. he still feels... distant, but they're on friendly speaking terms for the most part. they do practice a bit here and there, mostly for each of them to confirm if it's working out or not, for example jinyoung has yeji sing some of the lines to make sure her vocals match them. she did ask not to underestimate her, and while it's not his goal to do so, he wants to make sure it sounds the best it can.

starting from monday, they go into very intensive practice. the whole performance is pieced together and there's no time left for any argument. yeji is a very strict teacher, which jinyoung appreciates. he has no trouble following the simplified choreography, but daniel does encounter some issues. he's stiff, unsynchronized, and prone to apologizing profusely every time he messes up even if it disrupts the practice. yeji sets things straight and, starting from then, things go rather smoothly. it's funny, however, being in the same room as the other team at all times. they're both quite aware of what the others are up to, and the heavy breathing from the other team has jinyoung crack up his very first joke of the week. "is it the other team or just daniel dying?" it's not very funny. jinyoung is a serious person, but it does make daniel laugh at least - as well as kenta from the other side of the room. - and the younger says "both", refererring to his own exhaustion.

he doesn't not interact with the other team a lot. kenta is a bit weird, always doing something random whenever jinyoung looks his way, to the point where he wonders if it's on purpose to annoy him. jungeun seems to have quite the spunky personality, a bit like yeji, and hansol, well... all he really notices about him is that yeji seems to like him. now whether they know each other or not, he can't really tell, but there's an unspoken tension he can't quite figure out the nature of.

every time he can afford to go home, his girlfriend is there waiting for him, listening to his long, tired rants about how the week has been going. she is the best support he could hope for: giving him massages, encouraging him, even joining on the complaints he has about daniel's past behavior. they're both happy that he turned himself around though, and things are much better now. jinyoung feels like the performance is really coming together into something good, that they'll be able to present proudly comes thursday.

he finds himself sitting next to daniel once they get to the set the day of the recording. funny, how they started out this round ready to jump at each other's throat and now they have nothing but support for each other. they're a team after all, and jinyoung has to admit daniel did work hard once he snapped out of his sadness. it's not to say they've been the best friends, but they found that maybe they still have things in common despite years apart, and there's a potential to reconnect after the show is over. unless jinyoung goes home this week.

they watch the first teams, and jinyoung can't help but notice that the quality of the performances is ever growing. he doesn't fear for his own. they worked hard, and they put together something very creative that will set them apart. now the only thing left is to find out if the same few people will find their way to the top again, or fall down to make place for others.

he gives daniel's thigh occasional pats of encouragement, hoping to ease the other's nervousness should there be any. he doubts there isn't. despite his efforts, daniel still has some issues with dancing, and it won't magically go away. but he has enough charisma to make the audience forget about his flaws, if he uses it to his advantage and doesn't overthink. "you got this, alright?" he tells him right as the team before them step off stage. he leans over to look at yeji, too. "we all got this." they're a perfect combination of skills, and all they need to do is convince the judges.

they get in position in the center of the stage, jinyoung standing on the left (from a judge's perspective), then daniel and yeji respectively. after signaling each other with a glance, they all exclaim "we are the love shot!" at once, jinyoung immediately continuing with the syllable of his name "jin-" as the other two says theirs to form "jinielji!" and they end it with a gun pose, yeji and jinyoung turning their backs on daniel. he's never cringed more in his life, but it's part of what he needs to do as a team. sacrificing his dignity being one of them, fighting daniel the other.

daniel starts it off with his guitar solo, and leaves it behind once he's done as he's decided earlier this week after a change of heart. jinyoung was quite happy with that decision, treating it as daniel's way of wanting to prove everyone wrong. he's capable of more than just hide behind a prop. the instrumental kicks in to accompany their voices, and jinyoung readies himself.

Aiming at each other, to the point it's freezing hearing your voice, sounding so sharp I'm only filled with thoughts that leave me breathless Oh oh oh oh oh Aye Aye 

it’s the type of melody that instead of having people on their feet dancing, has them groove their head to the beat instead, and really pay attention to the vocals and lyrics instead of just the flashy aspect. jinyoung was actually surprised at how meaningful the lyrics were once he really heard them instead of being distracted by the choreography. of course, they want to end it with a bang, so the sensual dancing will come... later on. it’s definitely different from what he did with jackson. while emotional, it was all about power and soul. this week is about soul, also, but they’re going for a different vibe.

It's the love shot

jinyoung smirks, and aims the gun formed by his hand at the camera. the focus soon switches to yeji, who takes center stage while the boys move farther apart so she has all the space she needs to dance. looking at her, he’s proud. not a big brother’s pride, but a teammate’s pride. she worked hard, often overshadowed by jinyoung and daniel’s bickering, and clearly came out victorious. 

It’s the love shot

It's getting twisted, love and hate Our beautiful memories Are dyed in white Fading bit by bit

jinyoung can’t help but look briefly at daniel while singing. he didn’t really think of it during practice, but remembering everything that went on between them, including their childhood, it seems weirdly appropriate of his current feelings towards him. they clearly care for each other, but the sense of unfamiliarity after years apart makes it hard to really connect again, or remember why they even were friends in the first place. they both changed into different people, for one, jinyoung being a lot more serious than he used to be as a child. 

People come and people go You and I standing still in this world Slowly growing used to our dulled feeling

right before the bridge, the music slowly fades out, briefly pauses, and jinyoung’s voice resonates in the studio, smooth and clear. 

clearly, the song is about romantic love, but jinyoung is very happily in a relationship right now, and therefore does not relate to the love and hate aspect when he thinks of mina. instead he thinks of his lost friendship with daniel, and how yeji was caught in-between, and also forced to be harsher than she intended to. he wonders how they feel about the whole thing. but the more he means the words and the better his singing will be, so their faces don’t leave jinyoung’s mind until the very end of the bridge. yeji and daniel share the next part, as the original instrumental of the song starts playing, but they’re not dancing yet.

It's the love shot

over the course of the next few days, sungyeol ended up helping sunmi and wendy (more so  concerned about the poor children! being trained to death by evil coaches.) he had dubbed himself the fairy godmother, here to save the suffering children from clutches of death with snacks and love. he showered the whole team with love and snacks, making sure that they rested or even being shocked when they were just on the floor. (most common question in the practice room over that week was: “sunmi! wendy! what have you done to the children?”) 

however, sungyeol also held his own strength. he worked with each of them individually and taught them how to use the untapped charisma pools to create memorable poses and moments. With each example, he wanted to make sure that each of them could stand out from the group but also be cohesive enough that they looked like a single unit.   (”The ending fairy.” ) (“if the camera zooms on you, you make eye contact and you hold it, before looking away as it zooms away.” ) (”Make the cameras want you even more.”) 

Of course, most often, he ended up as the hype man for them all, sitting in the middle of the practice room while wendy made them run laps while singing run, cheering on all of them. (”go,go! you can do it!”) 

And more commonly, coming with snacks and fruits and water and gatorade to replenish energies and have a well deserved break. sungyeol made sure that they rested so that they had the energy to keep training so that they could be the very best. the last day, the perfomance day came and sungyeol was rather proud. 

Is there anyone in particular that you were hoping wouldn’t end up with you but did? 

She raises an eyebrow at the PD asking. Was he trying to bait her into saying something odd? She almost dismisses the question until she decides she might as well come clean. She lets out a snort before answering. “As much as I’m satisfied with who I got for Team Nova, I have to admit that I was not expecting Jackson to join the team,” she says with a small smile. “I have nothing against him! I swear! He’s actually my friend so I avoided choosing him on purpose.” 

She turns pensive before she continues. “I had thought that he would flourish better under another company’s guidance. But now he’s here, I will do my best to help him shine. I say this both as his friend and now as his coach.” Wendy bursts out laughing. “This is weird!”

She calms herself from laughing before continuing. “Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on him,” she admits. “In fact, I’ll probably be harsher with him because I know what he’s capable of doing.” 

What were your impressions of the team when you first met the team? 

“I honestly think a lot of them have potential,” Wendy says with a smile. “Although some of them are lacking in their vocal technique. I might have to arrange to drop by a little bit every day just to check on them. Maybe give them a slight taste of the vocal training we actually go through here at Nova.” She giggles at her own idea. Besides, they’re going up some very talented contestants and coaches as well. There’s no way Team Nova’s going to be left behind. 

She pauses as she thinks of how to best convey this sense of responsibility she feels. It’s a bit of a burden to be a coach, especially when you know your advice can make or break someone’s career. “I feel responsible for them in a way,” Wendy says with a sigh. “I want to guide them toward the right direction, you know? Be able to give them tips and tricks that they can use not only for the last two rounds, but for the rest of their careers.” 

How do you expect the final performance to turn out? 

“They actually chose a good song. It will be a bit of a challenge, but I know they can pull it off,” Wendy says. “I’m expecting a powerful performance that is executed cleanly. After all, that’s what Nova is known for, isn’t it?” 

She pauses before she decides to discuss the performance in a little bit more detail. “The song itself fits Nova’s image, and I personally think it’s a good choice. Admittedly, it’s a song that’s on the ambitious side of the scale. It’s not the easiest of songs to pull off. I’m not going to lie, I’m scared. Especially after what they showed us today.” She shakes her head and sighs. “To be fair, today is only the first day of practice, so I’m trusting that they can get better. In order to do that, Sunmi unni, Sungyeol oppa, and I will have to give them all the help they need.” 

Any last words you want to say to the team?