#rkchwev

"alright, welcome to the interview! could you introduce yourself, please?"

tingyan was immensely grateful for a much friendlier interviewer than she'd been provided with last time, smiling in agreement as she began. "of course. my name is chong tingyan and i'm a university student and model from shanghai, china! i'm not a princess - but i'm this season's queen!" putting her hands in the form of a crown over her head, she can't help but laugh. the statement is a little silly and boastful at best, but it's her way of getting her name stuck in the judges' head.

"how did you feel when you received the news of the callback?"

"ah..." she doesn't want to mention the fact that she laughed, although being true it didn't sound good from an outside perspective. "i was in shock! there were...so many people at the first auditions? ah, it was crazy..." her eyes become faraway, returning to the hectic day she'd first came in to show her talents. it seemed like it was just a few hours ago - and now here she was, at the second round. even though there were still many contestants, more had been cut already, and it hadn't even passed the first interview. tingyan couldn't help but wonder what that meant for her, and how many of the people she'd grown to like would be leaving soon. if she would be leaving soon. but there was no time for such negativity. so she concludes with a "i'm so ecstatic to be here! i can't wait to show even more of myself to you all."

"how was it seeing the set for the first time?"

"it was so beautiful! really, i got excited before anything had even started," she confesses, covering her mouth as she lets out a laugh. did they expect anyone to say anything but good things? "really, i used to watch the show all the time when i lived in shanghai. i always was fangirling over the contestants - i was quite a big fan of season 2!" she figures bringing it back to her childhood sounds a little humbling, not so focused on her confidence now and more on the teen she once was. "when i walked on set, i felt like i was really a teenager again, living out my dream! i was so nervous, i could barely speak!"

"what did you think when the judges were revealed?"

i expected it? she almost says, the mga fanatic aware of the judge's appearance. however, her casual bluntness she's used to displaying won't work this time, so she decides to focus on the excitement she got from it. "i thought i was nervous before they walked in?" exhaling, she looks to the sky, hands pressed to her cheeks. "oh my gosh, it got so much more intense! i know everyone else felt it too. that's when it got really quiet, like we were all fighting for our lives." in a way they were, but instead of their lives, each was battling for the most screentime and a chance to win a contract. "i noticed hyun bin-ssi looked really handsome," she notes, immediately regretting the statement as her cheeks turn red and she covered her face. didn't everyone, though? the statement was a result of both her flirty tendencies and hope to get nova's attention, but it wasn't exactly supposed to say it out loud. falling over into a fit of giggles, the girl waves her hands, as if to ask the other to forget she said anything. "unnie...could we cut that part out, please?"

"how do you think you did?"

truthfully? she doesn't know. the audience seemed fairly please, but, as always the judges had kept their poker face up for the majority of the time there. it was hard to read them, especially when she was so reluctant to look them in their eyes, but one thing was for certain . "i had a lot of fun," she says truthfully, thinking back on the fun song shift. "i think i did very well! i tried my best to show my confidence, enthusiasm, and skill!" she lists each, counting them off with her hand. "it was different, and my goal was to gain their attention by switching things up. it worked well to me!" her subconscious tells her to die down the boasting, so she flips the script by lessening her praise on herself. "but of course, there were a lot of great competitors. i'm looking forward to seeing what the judges thought and how they can help me in the future!" she's sure to put the thought of her remaining in the competition at the front of her mind, knowing better than to seem pessimistic on camera. if she wanted something, she had to speak it into existence.

"did anyone stand out to you?"

"mm, of course! there was moonbok ( @moonbokrk​ ) ," she says, the name sticking with her. many others did as well, as she'd tried her very best to retain them in case an interview such as this was initiated. she wanted to be a queen, but not careless, after all. she's sure other mentioned him as well, if not for anything for his desirable hair. "i remember seeing him at the first auditions! i mean, of course his hair is beautiful - i want it so bad!" she laughed, twirling her own curled strands. "but aside from that, i didn't expect him to rap! it was really nice." she sits silent for a moment, thinking over other performers that she felt were nice. "to be so young, hohyeon ( @rkhyeon​ ) seemed very confident in himself and his skills. i think he'll have no trouble getting used to the competitive atmosphere."

"were there any performances you liked?"

"oh, a lot!" really, she hadn't been paying attention the first half due to crazy nerves, but she won't let that slip out. of course, being a very opinionated person, sharing her thoughts is in her veins, and it shows in the way she sits up with excitement. after all, they're asking a girl who used to have a mga opinions blog - what did they expect? "well....yoorim's ( @rkaisha​ ) performance was really good! or was her name aisha...? i think she goes by both. anyways, she was such a bada-" she stops herself before the curse can properly exit her mouth, her claim of a graceful queen ringing at the back of her mind. "she was very cool, i genuinely enjoyed watching her perfomance." tapping her fake nails on each other, she tries her best t think of the others she watched. a certain face popped in her head, the younger so eager to support everyone during performances she can't help but support him. "there was also youngjae ( @ericxrk )! he had a lot of enthusiasm, and i have to say, i was really surprised his performance was that good." it's not intentionally a diss, but for such a childish personality it was hard for her to take him seriously as a performer. he'd obviously proved her wrong.

"were there any performances you didn’t like?"

"ah....that's a little rude to answer, right?" scratching her ear, she feigns remorse, but on the inside she's living for this. there'd been a few performances which had been a little underwhelming and she was never afraid to say so....unless it may affect her results. so she spoke carefully, saying her opinion but gentler than she may have otherwise. "i think yewon ( @rkumji ) could have performed a little more confidently. of course, everyone makes mistakes but...what matters is recovering from them. i don't think she did that as well as she could have." to be fair, tingyan's skills weren't top tier, but the way the interviewer looks expectantly proves they were looking for more than a few words to spice up this seasons drama. alright, alright. whatever gets more screentime. "i'd also say vernon ( @rkchwev )?" she says hesitantly. "he was good, don't get me wrong, but the performance was lacking something...maybe fun?" it sounds bad, but it was really the only way she could put it. "i like fun, excitement, all that. it seemed to lack those, which sometimes can be more important than talent."

"what did you think of kyulkyung's performance?"

"jieqiong ( @rkkyul )?" she asks, the second name being the one she remembered in her mind. "it was...good?" she asks, confusion etching her features as she wonders why they'd center the attention on her. she wonders if it's because of their shared hometown, both hailing from shanghai. "she was good! that performance was totally something i'd do," she says, wondering if they were trying to start some sort of rivalry. if anything, foreign muses needed to stick together, so she decided against slandering her. "when she took of the pointe shoes? ah, i was really shocked! i'd be excited to see what she has prepared in the future."

"is there anyone you are certain will move onto the next phase of the mgas?"

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RESULTS LAST WEEK?

Ryujin is tired of sitting still already and shifts in her seat, also partly due to the fact that she is not entirely happy with the results last week. Having made it through to the next phase there’s some people that she think have been sent home, who shouldn’t have been. “I was sad to see SHIN YUNA going home, maybe I’m biased since she is my friend but as her friend I know she has a lot to offer. I hope that she will get other chances to shine.” In her opinion there are other contestants who should have been let go but she decide against speaking her mind about that. 

HOW WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH SAKURA?

Moving onto the next question Ryujin suddenly beams again, her collaboration with Sakura for this week’s recording has been such an amazing time and she can’t wait to tell about it. “It was honestly the best thing that has happened to me in this show so far! I enjoyed my time with her the whole time and whether we were practicing, out shopping for our outfits or making our cute boxes I had a pleasant time.” She nods enthusiastically, smiling broadly. “I think we worked well together, as you probably understand already,” she chuckles, “there were absolutely no issues.”

HOW DO YOU THINK YOU DID?

Pouting slightly as she sometimes does whilst in thought, Ryujin think back not only on her own performance but everyone elses. “I think that Sakura and I did quite good, our dynamic felt very sincere and the way she complimented me, and I her, felt satisfying and smooth. I want to say it might be one of my more favourable stages so far, I had so much fun.” 

WERE THERE ANY PERFORMANCES YOU LIKED?

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

Being amongst the last people to perform there wasn’t a long waiting time in between the end of the performances and the interview he almost thought mandatory by now. Wouldn’t it get kind of boring quick if they didn’t switch things up a bit soon? Eric believed there was only so much content creatable from the same people talking about each other, and in the end the same names were going to get repeated over and over again as Mnet favoured people. He himself had sort of experienced that last week when his words about Kyungsoo had been twisted into something positive. Certainly he didn’t mind the guy at all, but it upset him that they were trying to create a sense of admiration that wasn’t there anymore. Thus he had very determinedly decided not to comment on his performance today. Perhaps he was being bratty, but that was fine by him.

It was time to start, and Eric found himself comfortable before the camera as the first question was asked.

How do you think you did today?

Honestly he had some feelings on that matter and he cocked his head and gave a smile. “Personally I think we did really well,” he began, and it was a genuine sentiment. “Olivia noona mentioned that she had a lot more parts than me, but I don’t see the problem. If anything they might agree with her and think that I should have sung more, but I don’t really think so!” Placing his hands in between his legs on the chair, he swung his feet back and forth. “I mean, I’m not here for my vocals you know. I’m a dancer so if they say that I should have sung more that kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?”

You were paired with Son Hyejoo. How was it to work together?

A big smile appeared on his face at the question. “It was brilliant!” he immediately beamed. “Noona is a really cool person don’t you think? I think girls who rap are totally awesome!” Excitement aside, he bit his bottom lip a slight bit in contemplation. “Honestly I was a bit worried though. Neither of us are really big front runners in this so it’s not like we have an assured chance for victory. If you ask people they probably wouldn’t even know who we are so if anything... I guess I just want to be remembered.” He had been a nobody for too long and desperately wanted to change that fact. Eric was a person with a very huge ego, and the fact that reality didn’t match up to it wasn’t something he enjoyed.

“I was also worried about having to work together with someone I don’t really know. I mean what if we really couldn’t get along? What if we made no progress at all? Stuff like that. So I was really relieved at how easily things went!” A hand fell upon his chest as he drew a breath. And I’m glad I got someone who’s like around my own age. I mean I have nothing against working together with someone who’s old but it’s just easier to talk to someone like Olivia noona you know?”

What did you think of the performances this week?

Giving a nod in acknowledgement of the question, he thought back for a bit. “I think Sia noona and Hansol hyung had a really really pretty performance. I don’t really know what exactly it was that drew me in, but I just? Liked it I guess? I know that’s not a very good reasoning, but I think they did a very good job together!” As for performances he wasn’t too keen on he also had some, but as he wasn’t a professional it felt a bit unfair to call someone else’s work ‘messy’, especially when they were probably trying their best. There was one thing though he had to mention, not because he thought it was a bad thing necessarily, but because it had struck his mind.

“If I remember right, Daniel hyung was involved in a band remix last year as well... I think he got a lot of success with it last time, but doesn’t it feel kind of like a repeat? Honestly I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing in a competition like this. Him and the rest of his band guys as well. I mean are they trying to become idols or do they just want to promote themselves? I can’t figure it out.” A complicated expression of thought appeared on his face. “I think that something like getting scouted would probably split up their band right?” He knew from his brother’s schedule that it wasn’t a kind one allowing for a lot of free time so there probably wouldn’t be time to keep up any such activities. “If they’re just here to promote their band... I think they should have let people who actually want to be here have a chance instead.”