initially, seungcheol had been worried about this monthās evaluation. working with people he hasnāt had prior contact with is, in short, kind ofĀ terrifying. of course, itās worked out well in the past, and he does have to meet people through some kind of interaction, but thatās the problem. seungcheolās never been good at approaching people first; first impressions arenāt his strong point. stuttering his way through an introduction to someone who likely lost interest in what he had to say after he stretched his name out for a lengthy eight seconds more than it shouldĀ take to clearly pronounce, isnāt exactly the most confidence building experience. but what would happen if he couldnāt find enough courage to approach someone quickly after the announcement? everyone would already have partners and heād fail the evaluation before heād even begunā a shame, really, after he did so well proving himself last month (at what cost?) that heād fall to his knees at the thought of talking to people first.Ā
still, it seems someone spares him, and heās not sure how word got to baekhyun of who he is, but heās incredibly grateful. so much so is obvious in the smile stretching his lips as he enters the practice room, bowing in greeting.Ā āh-hi. s-s-sorry if I, uhā kept you w-waiting.āĀ
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š¼ love line ā hyorin, bumkey, jooyoung ā ft.Ā @tenrk & @jaehyunrk
as the month was drawing to a close, dawon tried not to think about the questions she still didnāt know the answers to. for what felt like the first time in her life, she had absolutely no idea of what to doāno idea of which way to go. she wishes that there were a way for her to glimpse into her own future, even if only to learn if sheād have any regrets that sheād hold down the road. she knows that itās impossible, and she knows that sheāll neverĀ have all the answersāso maybe itās for the best if she tries not to dwell on any of it.
pairing up with jaehyun and ten had proved to be a great choice. in dawonās opinion, not only were they both extremely talented, but easy to work with as well. sheād even go so far as to say that their song choice was close to perfect, as she thought it suited each of them rather well. she was still slightly nervous, however, and despite doing well in practice, she canāt help but worry over whether or not sheād make a mistake during the actual evaluation.
Oh~ (Hey) Say you are mine
(Yes you are) Iāll be on line
ģ§źø ė ė§ģģ ė§ķ“ģ¤
I never lie about my mind
ė£ź³ ģ¶ģ ź·ø ė§ģ ė§ķ“ģ¤
the fact that sheās starting the song makes her slightly nervous, but sheās determined not to let her teammates down. she tries to remember her street performance days earlier, when she was able to perform freely without the constant worry of being evaluatedāit had been so fun,Ā and she had enjoyed it with her entire being. if she could only get into that mindset, maybe, just maybe,Ā she could enjoy this performance just as much.
Baby, Iām on line
Get on my love line
ėė ģ§źø ģ“ė
ėź° ģ¢ ė§ķ“ė“
We got a love line
We got a love line
ė“ź° ė ė¶ė„¼ ė
ė ģ“ėØėź±°ģ¼
the others did a great job of harmonizing, in dawonās opinion, and it was more than enough to give her a temporary confidence boost. while they were only just beginning, they were off to a good startāif they could do this well for the rest of the performance, sheās certain that they could each walk away knowing that they had done a great job. while doing well in a single evaluation may be a small victory, dawon was willing to take it.
ė ėė§ģ radio
ė¤ģ“ģ¤ė ėģ stereo
ģ°ė¦¬ ėė§ģ story goes
ź·øė„ ė£ź³ ģģ“
ėė ¤ ė§ģ ķģ§ė§
ėź° ė£ėģ§ ė§ķ“ė“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
Our love line
for a moment, jaehyun looks to her and smiles, and it confirmed what she already knewāthey were doing a good job, and, most importantly, they were having fun while doing it. until recently, it had been so long since she had genuinely enjoyed a performance, and she can only hope that this is a sign of great things to come. they made a good team, she thinks, and their voices complimented each other well. she offers ten a smile of her own, hoping that her teammates felt as good about the performance as she did.
ķė¤ė¦¬ģ§ė§ (no never)
ėė§ ė°ė¼ė“ (ė¤ė¦¬ė ė“ ė§ģ)
as he sings, dawon realizes that sheās a big fan of jaehyunās vocalsāsheās slightly disappointed that they hadnāt collaborated sooner (though that could easily be attributed to the fact that they hadnāt known each other for very long). maybe the three of them could cover something again in the future, or maybe it was just wishful thinkingāonly time would tell, but she hopes that theyāll collaborate again someday. ten and jaehyun both seemed very talented, and it was an honor to work with them just this once.
Baby, Iām on line (On line~)
Get on my love line (Love line~)
ėė ģ§źø ģ“ė (Oh baby)
ėź° ģ¢ ė§ķ“ė“ (ė“ź² ģ¢ ė§ķ“ė“)
We got a love line
We got a love line
ė“ź° ė ė¶ė„¼ ė (ė¶ė„¼ ė)
ė ģ“ėØėź±°ģ¼
sheās relieved that she was able to focus on practicing for this performance in peace. the month of august had been rather complicated, and her thoughts never remained focused on one subject for long (much to her discontent). she absolutely despised having so many life-changing decisions looming over her, and her constant struggle of coping with jiaeās departure only made things that much more confusing. arranging the performance had proved to be a much-needed distraction when she needed it most, and sheās more than pleased with the people she was able to work alongside.
ź·øė„ ė£ź³ ģģ“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
Our love line
sheās nodding, a genuine smile present on her lips as she continued to get into the music. itās somewhat sad knowing that itād be over soon, though she canāt bring herself to feel too much disappointment; at least they were enjoying it while it lasted (she was, at least). besides, at least she wouldnāt have to worry about potentially making a mistake once it was over and done with.
Baby, Iām on line (Oh~)
Get on my love line
ėė ģ§źø ģ“ė (ģ“ė)
ėź° ģ¢ ė§ķ“ė“ (Baby tell me)
We got a love line
We got a love line (Oh we got a love~)
ė“ź° ė ė¶ė„¼ ė
ė ģ“ėØėź±°ģ¼ (Ma babe)
why couldnāt things always be this way? she had so much to think about, so much to doāyet, for whatever reason, she was able to temporarily forget her problems as she was able to do what she loved, singing. maybe itās the positive energy she receives from her teammates, or maybe itās her newfound confidence that things will work out for the betterāshe honestly isnāt sure, but she can only hope that the confidence will last.
ė ėė§ģ radio
ė¤ģ“ģ¤ė ėģ stereo
ģ°ė¦¬ ėė§ģ story goes
ź·øė„ ė£ź³ ģģ“
ėė ¤ ė§ģ ķģ§ė§
ėź° ė£ėģ§ ė§ķ“ė“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
Our love line
as the song finally approaches its end, dawon finds herself smiling. sheās pleased with their performance, and she can only hope that her jaehyun and ten felt the same way. it was the small victory that she had sought after, and, although several stressful events lied in the near future, she allows herself to enjoy this moment for as long as it lasted.
professional networking is a skill that comes with age, gets better with age -- like fine wine, aged cheese. heās no stranger to it, definitely. what with his familyās dealings in both medicine and law, networking and communication was and still is key. thereās no doubt in his mind that he could have been successful had he gone that route, pursued being a surgeon or something.
but being an idol. hell, even being a traineeĀ is something else entirely.
constant contact and small talk with others, constant surveillance under watchful eyes to make sure that everythingās clean -- professional.
he sighs -- but smiles right as the music starts, right as the part decided for him comes crashing into reality.
what do i do? i canāt acknowledge this
how you easily forgot me and are so happy
itās too cruel, youāre a cruel woman
i never knew this till now, iāve been deceived
itās a price to pay to give away some of his personal freedoms. but he would do it and give it up twice more to achieve his dream. while others might think that signing the dotted line on a binding contract might be so suffocating, taeyong thinks that signing is just a formality when heās been so committed to making his dreams happen already for as long as he can remember.
it makes no difference to him. now heās official. at heās not worrying about the next opportunity heāll get to put himself forward. at least, not for the same reason as before.
i havenāt forgotten you yet
whatever i do, your smile wonāt get erased
thereās no way, this doesnāt make sense
i wanna believe that they saw wrong
he realizes that he hasnāt rapped in so long, that his voice has been getting used to vocal warmups instead of the ache he gets in his head trying to get rhythms and flows in his head.
itās refreshing, reminds him of himself in the near past. he remembers how enthusiastic he was, how absolutely set he was on being a rapper. the thought is sad, somewhat.
but he knows that now, heās getting serious about his career. now, heās thinking of the future ahead of him while still fondly looking back into the past. now, heās training to be something big, someone that is just radiating with talent to fill.
heās still a triple threat in his own book, in his own right.
itās all a lie, iāve never done that
even though I try so hard
i canāt forget these feelings
to leave my phone background
as an old photo of us
itās a waste of real love
heās learned from the once strangers that he met during the course of the evaluation that realism and goals need to be achievable -- that sometimes you need to age and mature like fine wine, like aged cheese. being both the youngest in age and youngest in status as a trainee gave him a bit more excitement, a bit more swing in his step.
and of course, thereās nothing wrong with that. itās lucky that he still has, heāll still treasure being excited for monthly evaluations, for training, for dancing until his sides hurt, for getting vocal warmups stuck in his head after hours of practice.
heāll treasure that. and heāll treasure the wealth of knowledge from more established trainees.
he feels like heās going to need them in the near future.
okay guys! especially trainees! iām trying to make a list of what trainees need a partner for august evals, to make it a bit easier than looking through the whole dash to find someone, or not knowing someone will do another or someone being missed, if we have a list, i thought it might be easier. so first! let me know if your trainee needs someone, iāll put them on the list and second, if your muse has one already, but could do another, we can put you on the list as well.
the only information i need is, trainee name, company and any notes you want to add, like if they have one but will do another, or if they have a group idea.
ā AUGUST EVALUATIONS
place: the seoul zoo
outfit: red on red
members: @jaehyunrk & @rkdawon
               ⦠performing LOVE LINE by HYORIN, JOOYOUNG & BUMKEY
to say ten was nervous would be a massive understatement. of course, having his best friend there with him on stage helped a little bit, but at the same time, it was jaehyun, and ten knew that jaehyun had an amazing voice. from hearing dawon during the times theyād gone over the song together he knew she was insanely talented as well, leaving him as the weakest link.Ā
unlike before he was signed to trc, tenās got some faith in his own voice, having been complimented on his tone and control by the vocal coach during his vocal training. that isnāt to say that heās confident - if anything itās the opposite still. he doesnāt think he has an amazing voice, at least not yet, which he worries will let jaehyun and dawon down slightly.
he knows the lyrics, and he thinks heās got a good ear for harmonising, but itās purely the fact that he doesnāt think his voice is really strong enough to hold up beside two incredible vocalists. so over the past month heās practised harder than heās ever practised before - something in him still feels a tightness at the thought of letting jaehyun down, and he canāt help but hate that part of him.
ten likes the song, and he likes his lines, yet as the day of the evaluation approaches his nerves tighten and tighten until they feel as though theyāre strangling him. it takes a full hour to get himself to a calmer state on the day of the evaluation, and he feels like cursing at himself for getting to worried about it. itās not a particularly difficult song; no hard high notes or incredible strength needed in his voice, yet heās more nervous than heās been before for an evaluation.
not because he thinks heāll mess up, but because he doesnāt want to let jaehyun down. he doesnāt want to be so clearly the worst singer among them - he wants to stand out in his own way, but it seems so impossible when seated beside two of the best trainee singers he knows.
once on the stage ten introduces himself last, bowing low to the audience and throwing out a bright smile and simply giving himself a second to take in the feeling of being on stage again.
it does the trick.
seating himself beside jaehyun and dawon he holds the mic firmly in his hands, looking between them and smiling reassuringly before the music starts, and their performance is underway.Ā
it starts with his softer adlibs and harmonisation, complementing dawonās voice.Ā
āhey... yes you are... ė§ķ“ģ¤ ...Ā I never lie about my mind,ā
then the chorus starts and ten finds himself excited for how the audience will react to all three of their voices harmonising.
āon line⦠love line... ģ“ė⦠love line⦠love line⦠ė¶ė„¼ ė,ā
ten taps his knee and sways slightly to the beat as jaehyun and dawonās voices blend beautifully, and itās hard not to get distracted just listening to them - they really do sound great together. but soon itās his turn to sing with dawon and he wonders whether their voices sound as nice together as jaehyunās and dawonās do.
ėė ¤ ė§ģ ķģ§ė§
ėź° ė£ėģ§ ė§ķ“ė“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
our love line
( donāt beat around the bush
just tell me, who will hear?
what do you want to do with me
our love line ) Ā
the focus falls onto jaehyun alone, his voice standing out so beautifully it reminds ten of the reasons he once felt more for him that simply friendship - it still stings to think about, but not as badly as it used to, heās moved past that part of his life, and he can appreciate jaehyunās voice without it bringing back painful memories.
but then itās right back to ten fitting in his voice around dawonās, making sure he stand out, but not so much that he drowns out the other voices.Ā
then the chorus once more with jaehyunās voice standing out prettily beside tenās and dawonās.Ā
the bridge comes in once more and ten takes that moment to glance out over the audience and smile a small smile before he fits right back into the song alongside dawonās powerful vocals.
ėė ¤ ė§ģ ķģ§ė§
ėź° ė£ėģ§ ė§ķ“ė“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
our love line
( donāt beat around the bush
just tell me, who will hear?
what do you want to do with me
our love line )
then itās tenās favourite part, where he harmonises with jaehyunās voice, the differences clear, but ten thinks it makes both voices stand out, tenās soft, while jaehyunās is stronger, almost hard, but not quite.
( no matter where you are (you are)
wherever you are (ma baby)
although I canāt touch you (yeah)
still Iām here with you
i can feel you (anytime)
(tell me) Tell me again
in the voice that tickled my heart )
his voice, though soft, he thinks, maybe compliments the song and itās groovy vibe. itās something almost unexpected, yet not jarring in itās unusual aspect. his voice is fit for backing others up, yet heās not quite sure how well heād do singing alone yet, which is why having jaehyun and dawon alongside him helps boost his confidence, the worry of disappointing them fading fast as the song nears its end.
ėė ¤ ė§ģ ķģ§ė§
ėź° ė£ėģ§ ė§ķ“ė“
ėė ė ķź³ ģ¶ģ“
our love line
( donāt beat around the bush
just tell me, who will hear?
what do you want to do with me
our love line )
on last time through the bridge and the song comes to and end, leaving ten grinning brightly, the thrill of performing now settled in his bones and leaving him perfectly content. it went well, he thinks, looking out over the audience, his eyes shining with glee.
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the month was long but it wasnāt unpleasant. she made three new friends by the end of the month. it was nice to get to know her group better. everyone was gentle, encouraging out of her shell that sheās regressed into in the recent months.
if sohee had to guess, sheād say this evaluation was a lesson on working with others. she always supposed it would be easier to ātradeā trainees when all five majors companies are under the same larger company. she could only imagine that it meant that they might be swapped across companies for debuts. it was a way to force people to be more open to those theyāre not used to. the newfound flexibility was nice. sohee and her group didnāt really have trouble getting along.
it makes her wonder if others had any difficulties. although she doesnāt think anyone really would ā other people were able to choose who they were working with. regardless, sohee doesnāt regret her group mates. in fact, she feels rather close to them.
the division of parts was easy. their strengths were clear from the get-go. they played off each other the best they could to fill the gaps in performance capabilities to make up for it. extra dance practises, more vocal practises and a lot of attention to coordination. the dance was a good co-ed song but it took quite some practise. they werenāt who sohee was used to ā she was less likely to be as outspoken as she would be with anyone from trc.
to say the very least, getting dressed that day for the performance was exciting. being with people she wouldnāt normally perform with made this feel a bit realer in a sense. they looks cohesive like a unit dressed in a similar theme. of course they werenāt perfect (how could they be with only a month of practise?) but sohee wasnāt unashamed of their skill level.
being on the spot with people youāre not used to is a bit awkward to moving around with. spacial awareness is always a bit off. they were no longer awkward together, at the very least. they werenāt exactly in unison. they werenāt the image of perfection. but they improved a lot.
there was some nervousness with singing live ā there always was, really. itās not that she feared that she would bomb the performance; it was more so that she was nervous to always fall subpar. she wasnāt sure how the judging went with a lot of these evaluations. not a lot of feedback was given (and she swore the only people ever allowed to spectate evaluations were the most emotionally void people ever).
did they care? maybe not. but sohee always tried her best.
it wasnāt a difficult song on the sole definition of vocal range. it was pretty standard. but combining it was a little bit difficult. she wonāt shy away from admitting some breathy lyrics on her end. in all, she wasnāt disappointed with herself or her temporary group.
summer months are traditionally lazy but have this year been defined by tension. long july nights fumbling with choreography. jinriās broken wrist. a night in the emergency room. false brightness buzzing through the phone lines to soothe his parents. facing his failures and re-enrolling in classes. jinri and luna in constant turmoil, jinwook helpless to ease their decisions. above all else, there isĀ restlessness.
seolhyun is auditioning too, and jegal seoyoung, and who knows elseĀ from all of the faces heās grown accustomed to greeting in the hallways every afternoon. the first new girl group in years, from any of the five companies under samsung. so much change on the horizon.
we start everything all over again
jihyun is a blessing, and at the same time brings a sense of finality to this bubble ready to burst. itās her last evaluation before the royal survival show begins ā why do they always meet at the endings?Ā since the mgas last year, theyāve hardly interacted at all ā not nearly enoughĀ compared to how fondly jinwook still remembers his half-week stint under royal entertainment and coach jihyunās guidance.
regret that canāt be taken back, letās get it together
he regrets not reaching out sooner, and more often. sheās just as lovely to work with as he recalls. laughter often fills their practice times as they pass the rap lines between themselves, before their unanimous decision to cut the part entirely. in retrospect, it feels an honor to spend this precious time with her.
the weight of the guitar in his lap, jinwook on a stool in front of a panel of familiar instructors, he looks to meet jihyunās eyes. her perch mirrors his, and he smiles as he taps a count against his guitar. the song is fitting, not only by arrangement ā two singers and two guitarists, jihyunās vocals stronger than his, jinwook picking up the trickier instrumental riffs ā but in sentiment as well. something melancholic, regretful. something purposeful and resolute.
is jinwook happy here? itās something he asks himself regularly, and maybe that is a telling sign in itself. at the least, heās become comfortable and perhaps complacent as a trainee. with so many lives shifting around him, it feels inĀ his best interestĀ hold steady, be consistent. itās what heās best at. but heās beginning to think 'progressingāĀ is a better descriptor: everyone progressing around him and jinwook static, stuck in old habits and old paths of thought.
heās never been sure how to go about fixing this, but he senses change on his horizon, a bubble about to burst. it starts like this ā they take one step forward:
jieqiong finally, finally had the honor of working with none other than the eunae. and she must say, she likes her way more than her mother - but that wasnāt exactly much to say.
the group she had fit into wasnāt hard to work with, a rather diverse and talent group of individuals jieqiongās sad to say sheās just now had the pleasure of meeting. the girl was glad she didnāt end up getting stuck with anyone else - this monthās evaluations couldāve gone a lot worse. but sheās glad to say it was going pretty well despite them not being too familiar with one another.
they all had agreed to focus more on the dancing of brave girlās hushĀ rather than the singing. there was no rap, which could be difficult for the ones who based more in that category. but they had decided to split up the lines evenly and help each other out. wasnāt that what a team was for?
when it came down to the day of their performance, jieqiong was absolutely bouncing in excitement.
the white sheets completed the choreography ( she was always a sucker for props ) and the heels gave that extra push to make the whole performance that much better. talented dancers in heels? now thatās a show.
the group got into their positions for the start of the song, jieqiong rocking back and forth on the edge of her heels as she felt both nerves and excitement coarse through her. she took a deep breath, adjusting her mic before whispering words of luck to the others - quieting just as the music began.