#rkyuri

The streamer sits in her room, bag packed for the weekend and waiting for Aron to pick her up when the news reach her. She would have loved to go to Empty Enigma’s final show but to get away from a weekend with her boyfriend was admittedly just a tad more important to the Fool. 

It is as she waits that news reach her from Yuri about her refusing the offer from Nova and Yuzu feels her gut churn with conflicted emotions. Almost as if she had smelled the shift in atmosphere, her cousin miraculously appears in the droomframe, arms folded across her chest, sleepy smile on her lips and a brow raised as if she already knew exactly what was going on inside her dearest cousin’s head.

“You look happy. Did Aron text you he’ll be here soon?”

“Hmmm no... not yet. I dunno if happy describes what i’m feelin’ right now...,” the streamer admits, placing her phone down and looking up as if to invite her cousin to come talk to her. Yuzu knows when Jieun wants to help guide her and while she appreciates her cousin’s efforts, sometimes she wonders just how much of her own mistakes she made the singer tried to fix when advising Yuzu not to make them.

“Then what happened?”

The question is an easy one and yet the Fool hesitates. Even if she was just a nerd that liked to rely on quizzes more than she should, the streamer can tell which arcana her Jieun eonni is and to admit things to her and be open about her own struggles would ultimately mean that she’d be faced with Judgement in return. Biting her lips it was as if refusing to face a mirror of all things she already knew but didn’t want to admit. In the end she surrendered, not wanting to keep her eonni away from her when Jieun was reaching her support out to her like this.

“Yuri ain’t accptin’ the offer...”

“Well... I never did like Nova-,” comes the sassy reply from her cousin which leaves the younger one to chuckle lightly. Then there is the hand running through her hair, a comforting gesture that can only mean she won’t like the next words coming at her. 

“So then you’re happy she’s not signing?” Alone the words put out there in the open air made her cringe, shoulders raised and hands folding together to fiddle nervously with a loose string of her ripped jeans. The indie singer takes the silence as a confirmation and continues on with a sigh.

“It’s okay, you know? To be selfish sometimes? You’re not the only one who worries that people will leave them behind. You have to learn to trust in your bonds, Yena-yah. You’d bend yourself backwards to make time for them, no? So why do you think they wouldn’t do the same for you? Isn’t that unfair? To not trust them like this?”

Yuzu hated being right- she didn’t like these words one bit. But she hated even more that Jieun was right as well. Head hung low the streamer only sighed, raising her shoulders into a defeated shrug. 

“You really... grew up to not consider yourself anything special, hm?” The question is more of a rhetoric one at this point but the pain in Jieun’s voice makes Yuzu feel even smaller. She feels too vulnerable and the fact her cousin can read her so well unnerves her a lot. 

“Yena-yah... it’s okay to be scared... but you also have to learn to trust people. Not everyone will stay... but not everyone will leave either. People come and go and sometimes you may be closer and sometimes further apart but at the end of the day... the connection you have won’t just disappear and you know that.” The words make her heart sore and leave her feelings with a certain warmth that only Jieun seems to carry. Suddenly Yuzu understands why her cousin is one of the best linked artists in the scene right now and why her connections seem endless; this woman refuses to distrust and let go.

Eyes widened slightly the Fool looks back at her Judgement arcana, wheels ticking in her brain even as her cousin’s smile turns slightly confused about the radio silence coming from the younger.

“You... sound like y’been ‘ere before...,” it’s a wild guess maybe but the knowing, nostalgic smile given back at her lets Yuzu know that yes, her cousin too has known her struggles and found her peace. It felt nice to know she was trusted and cherished enough to be let in on something personal like this solely to give advice and make herself feeling better. “Just remember... as much as you are there, for people, you have to let them be there for you too. I love you, Yena-yah. You can always count on me, okay?”

A matching smile finally widens across Yuzu’s lips as well before she picks up her phone and waves it towards her cousin’s direction. “I’mma tell Yuri I’ll treat her for foods when I get back from the trip.” 

Jieun only laughs at that, pats her cousin’s hair one more time and then gets up to leave the room. Before she is completely gone though the streamer calls out to her one more time, a soft smile on her lips.

“Y’better dun stop teachin’ me how to sing. I’m actually likin’ yer lessons.” 

The indie singer merely smiles and shakes her head, turning back to wink at her cousin. “You’re welcome. Don’t think I’ll go any easier on you now.”

RANK UP! 

          things like sia’s birthday and, if things weren’t as precarious between her and haseul at the moment, that she would’ve sang happy birthday for her with haseul over video call but things don’t always go as planned, including the video calls she does get and the ones she makes herself to the team. 

          getting their call about a team name and the bouts of aegyo shown to her in order to help them, her mood easily soars, practically skyrockets, because she’ll never say it but the amount of people of ktworld, the likelihood that most ( and sometimes she scares herself into thinking all ) are coming for another group, makes her nervous. but a name comes just like that and she thinks it’s suiting considering the concept they’re going with. besides, ariel is always down to pay homage to a character with such beautiful development, a strong female one at that too. what she does appreciate, too, is that xuxi doesn’t mind the constant themes of women in their song choices and how each member takes initiative in their own way. they’re just as much individuals as they are a team at this point to her and it’s a heartwarming sight to see   —   just how much hard work they put into everything. 

          when yuri asks to speak to her one on one, she’s glad that she already knows it couldn’t possibly be about the team and an issue with not getting along. with this group, she doesn’t think she’s thought of it once. she trusts them to get along with each other just as she did with her previous team and the fact that they’re including kyul in the performance still, that they’re keeping her in their minds for the next stage, well it still reminds her of season three and she’s more touched than she’d like to say, even to suji who’s from that season, from that team. 

          being asked why yuri was chosen for kt is more difficult for her to answer than she’d like, at least in a way that she felt was more helpful. because how many times can she tell the team they have potential before they get tired of her? it’s not always about being the best on that stage but showing you can improve and that you have the will to do so. she’d seen it herself over the years, after all. trainees who are so skilled and talented, that show up every day until one day they don’t. 

          in the end, the most beneficial advice she thinks she gives yuri is to decide for herself and no one else   —   because whether or not she gets an offer, whether or not she accepts, whether or not yuri decides becoming an idol isn’t for her, as long as she believes in her own potential and listens to her own voice, how could it steer her wrong? 

“Were you happy with your team?”

She’s a little surprised at the question, why would they expect a negative answer?  Then again, she’s heard about the show’s negative editing, so she wanted to make sure to try and not give them anything they could use in that way, not that she had anything bad to say anyway.  “Very happy!  They were all so eager to get to work and all of them brought something to the team.  You should have seen them, they started working together like they had been a team the entire time.”

“Did you expect any difficulties as a coach?”

“Not from my team, but from myself, honestly.  I was surprised!” she laughs a little bit, smiling for the camera. “After the last season I coached, I really felt I had let my team down, so I was surprised when they invited me back.  I was happy that I could draw strength from having Ariel and Luda there with me, working as a team with our team made me much more comfortable and I felt I could help a lot more this time.

“Any words for your team, for hopeful idols, or those that have been eliminated?”

“First, for my team.  I’m so proud of you all for working so hard and coming together as a team.  Now go out and give it your everything!  No matter what happens with this week, keep your heads up high and know that you’ve done an amazing job!” “For hopeful idols, I just want to say that it won’t be easy.  It took me five years after I was on the MGAs to debut, some take longer, some take less, but I think we all would say that it’s worth it.  All the ups, all the downs, it was all worth it to live my dream.”

Even though she was nervous about doing this again (the last time she coached, the end results led to her feeling like a disappointment to her team), she was determined to push those nerves aside and give them her best.  That being said, she was glad when, as usual, Ariel was the one to speak up first when they were finally in front of their team.  She was glad that they were on a team together this year, instead of facing off.  Luda she didn’t really know that well, but she was thankful for her being there as well.  She hoped they’d get to know each other better in the future as well.

When she was finally prompted to speak, she gave their team a genuine smile.  “Hello, I’m Jo Haseul, main vocalist of Eclipse.  I’ve been on the MGAs as both a contestant in season one and a coach in season three, so I know how exciting and stressful that this time can be,” she said, a little laughter escaping with her words.  She’s not used to giving speeches like this.  “I just want you to know that as a team, we’re here to support you in any way you might need it and you should all be proud.  Not just because of how far you’ve made it, but for even trying in the first place.  A lot of people don’t understand how hard it is to put yourself out there. I’m... not the most outgoing person, as I’m sure Ariel would be able to confirm, so I know how difficult it can be.  So be proud that you took that first step towards reaching your dreams and keep working hard, because it seems to be working!”  With that, she gives a slightly embarrassed bow of her head, stepping back, slightly hiding behind Ariel’s arm, but she is still smiling.

Actually getting into the flow of the team getting ready for their performance was interesting.  The flow of ideas and the teamwork was fun to watch and she could see just how quickly the others seemed to fit in together as a team.  She thought that they had done a pretty great job with their selections.