#ryujinrk

The girl shut her eyes and took a deep breath as the three best trios started being announced. Would she—in an interview—say that she thought their group deserved this? Probably only indirectly. Did she honestly think they did? Yes. They'd done really well and it hadn't been a very easy song to perform either. They deserved it.

After the girl had been named one of the top 3 dancers, it was like a shark sniffing blood, like they told her she had a good chance of making it to the finale and getting a contract. Her ambitions were propelled through the roof and she couldn't let herself fall now. Making it into the semi-finale, she couldn't leave now, she couldn't give them a reason to kick her.

As they were named best of the round, her eyes opened and she smiled from ear to ear. Now, most would say in this situation that they couldn't believe it and wow they were so happy! Of course Chaeryeong was happy, but she could believe it. They'd worked so hard for it, they deserved it. Sure maybe that also applied to other groups, but she'd learned to take what she could get and she was proud. She would waltz home to her aunt and tell her her group made it in first! Sure, she pursued this dream for herself and no one else. There was no one she wanted to prove something to anymore. But she still liked talking about her achievements with those important to her. Best of all she was an adult now, which meant her parents couldn't hold her back and she didn't need to convince them of doing the right thing.

That was a point of concern though. Now they'd probably hear from someone from her little village, that she was on this show and that would result in a long exhausting call. Not that she really cared about these things right now, the giddy feeling of happiness and success bounced in her stomach, almost making her bounce as well.

Before she could really fathom everything and once eliminations were done, she paid full attention again, excited for what the next week would bring. Her eyebrows quirk up at the unexpected scene in front of them. The screen split, the floor got covered in dry ice and three figures started appearing. “Is that–”, she murmured and her jaw dropped a few centimetres as her suspicions were confirmed. They'd be getting the help of idols and trainees! Now that was unexpected.

The girl immediately straightened her back as the trc coaches were introduced and as the details of the next round were explained. Hope to be in the trc group started growing in her. She did think she fit the image pretty well and it was her dream company after all. While she didn't mind cute performances, she loved the charismatic stages and had looked forward to k.armas debut a lot.

Chaeryeong was super excited to have made it into the group and couldn't wait to get started. She wanted to show them that she did indeed fit the image of trc and that she wouldn't disappoint. The girl had always been disciplined, so it wouldn't be difficult to stay on track and put in more than just the effort needed.

She recognised everyone in her team and couldn't deny that she felt even more confident knowing who she would be performing with this week – except that she was worried of being overshadowed. While this team promised to do well, one of them would have to leave, whether they'd end up 1st or last place didn't matter. It was unfair, really and she thought, at least the first two places should be safe.

However she was very well aware that she could do nothing but be better than ever before.

Minho invited them to a restaurant and Hyunggu suggested a game to break the ice which she was immediately excited about. Everyone seemed nice, even though some felt a bit more quiet. But who knew, maybe they would warm up over the week. She was also excited about having the coaches there.

She immediately liked the three, but Jinsoul especially grew on her. She couldn't quite pinpoint why, but it was as though they simply clicked. She was glad that they had help from those who knew what they were doing. Being the last 25 contestants, there would be higher expectations for this week, she was sure.

At some point they had to settle on a song and think up a performance for it. There were so many different options, even if it had to fit to trc's style. But Chaeryeong felt like she'd done that for half of her performances already anyway. She didn't favour the company for no reason, after all. But the further they got into the thinking progress the more worried she became. They were strongly leaning to whiplash by NCT. Theoretically that was completely her style and promised an amazing performance, but in combination with the idea of solos towards the end, it reminded her a lot of her previous week's performance. She voiced her worries and they discussed it, after all everyone should be happy with the choices so they could perform their best (and so no one would be unhappy). They did consider a few other options, but whiplash seemed like the best choice – and she had to agree with that. Really, she thought it would make for a great performance, but what if she would be kicked for repetitiveness?

Well, groups usually had a set concept, so having her own style shouldn't hinder her, she felt. She was also glad that everyone took her worry seriously and eventually she was fast convinced that with their own choreo and rap parts, it would be a creative enough performance, completely different to the previous week. They also switched the solos for a “girl vs. guy dance battle”, making the only similarity to the previous week the original group. She was still worried whether that would endanger her survival to the next round, but everyone was very nice in encouraging her it would be fine and she felt excited again fast. She wasn't really one to dwell on negative thoughts for long, especially without anything serious happening.

One other factor in her regaining her confidence fast was the help of Jinsoul. The girl had gone to the other for advice—how could she stand out next to all of them? She felt like she had most charisma out of the group, right after Minho, so she should have a good chance of being noticed. But they were all strong contestants either way, there was no guarantee to be seen. So while Jinsoul wasn't a rapper she could still ask her for help with cameras and the like. While she's always put effort into that and researched a lot about it, some tips couldn't be found or explained quite like that over the internet.

What touched her most was when Jinsoul told her that she just needed to be herself, that that would be enough. She's often heard support in the form of “just work hard and you can do it”, but no one ever really told her she already was good enough. And also said that she was talented, hardworking and trc would be lucky to have her. It even brought her to tears, though, again, she'd never admit that to anyone else. She wasn't one to show weakness in worry of being run over, but that moment really got to her and gave back the confidence that usually came to her so naturally, that had kind of been missing at first. She even bought a cute little bracelet for the other to thank her for her help and support.

There was however, another worry that she didn't tell the team. The longer they worked on the performance, the more Chaeryeong couldn't shake the doubt about whether she was dreaming of the right company. Of course she'd always known that trc favoured creativity, but simply thought that not everyone in a group could have too much of it—too many ideas would bring chaos, right? Plus they also favoured charisma and rapping and that was something she could do. But now as they did the choreography themselves and decided to write the raps themselves, she felt useless. She'd choreographed a bit for herself before, but never on this scale. But that didn't even matter all too much. She was a rapper so she had to work on her own lyrics which is something she's really never done before, ever.

The only reason she agreed to the idea was a better chance to make it to the next round and her teammates agreeing to help her. Honestly she was so glad about who was in her team! With others she might've felt lost and would've panicked the whole week. They could've just decided on things by majority vote and helped her for the bare minimum to not look bad on camera and be safe by themselves. But she didn't get that feeling at all, she felt like they earnestly wanted to help her and that, most of all, was calming. It also made the team grow on her a lot and she was pretty calm while coming up with her own lyrics, with help of Ryujin and Minho.

Regaining her usual chipper self rather fast, she was completely immersed in the work the whole time. She was one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave every day, researching how to write a rap whenever she couldn't get help from the others, or when she didn't want to bother them again. In the end she had to say it turned out really well, especially since she'd never done this before but of course also because of the help she'd gotten. She was very proud of herself.

The choreography was also great and super fun to dance. The more days passed, the more confident she felt and it was refreshing to be back to her old self after so much worrying. She really didn't like it, being sure of ones own skills was so much more fun. And insecurity was so exhausting, she preferred being her normal self.

They walked up to the stage and she was weirdly calm. She felt confident, her worries long forgotten and she was excited to once more show what she could do. She'd practised expressions again in the practise room's cameras, applying the advise she'd gotten from Jinsoul. The expressions were mainly of the more charismatic kind as practise for the performance.

She only had few lines during the first half of the song. It wasn't all that much of a bother to her—had she wanted more, she would've become a singer instead of a dancer that also raps. Her main passion was still dancing and this meant she could almost completely focus on it.

As always she was continuously aware of where her teammates were, never once forgetting they had to look like a unit, a team. Her moves were natural, like she'd always done this, was born to do this. Smooth where they needed to be, clear cut where they needed to be.

Having an audience there was a new experience, however. For her duration of the show, anyway, as she'd been to several dance contests before and was used to an audience. It was exhilarating really, only motivating her to do even better, no matter whether she was centre or all the way at the side, she'd always give only her best when she was on stage. Her expressions controlled throughout. Sometimes strong and charismatic, sometimes a lazy half-smile added to the mix when it fit or a wink.

Through the fun she had, the time seemed to fly by, as she flew over the stage, doing what may well be her favourite thing in the world. Her own rap fast approached and she was all excited to show the world what she'd come up with. She'd practised it so, so much, every word ingrained into her brain and she knew exactly how to present them. Had she been nervous, she might've forgotten something, but she was confident, proud to show what she had made and excited to start.

Her moves were flawless and her rapping skills had obviously gotten much better, even if they weren't on the level of someone who'd rapped for years and years. It made sense as she'd only started a couple months back, maybe a year. But all things considered, her progress was fast, driven by passion, ambition and the exclusion of accepting failure.

The next lines were a switching between her and Ryujin, before the other started with her own part and Chaeryeong focused back on dancing. Even if she might not have been quite as good as the other two rappers, no one could convince her that she didn't do really well.

sitting through performance after performance, jaemin feels the pressure even more knowing that they would be performing last. in his stupid nerd (and dramatic, he could hear haech saying it) brain, there are only two ways this could go -- they cap the performances with a job well done, or they are the receiving end of every criticism for being lackluster. he smiles at the thought, lackluster was the last thing to come to mind given what they were wearing. he takes a quick glance in suwoon and shakes his head a bit, smiling, amused by his bright yellow outfit -- as loud as his personality, and then over to ryujin looking ridiculous...ly good -- she really can wear anythin and look stunning. he leans back, tries to focus on the performance before his eyes, but he can't help but be distracted by how proud he was of their group, and how, for the first time, he wanted to, so very badly win.

when they announced who he was in the trio with, he was beyond ecstatic. he had already expressed how he admired suwoong before, and especially ryujin. they were both very talented and carry themselves so well that jaemin is worried he couldn't rise to their level. he was used to having things go smooth sailing that he almost didn't realize that there was something big brewing right in their very practice room. maybe because he was distracted with the fact that it happensed again this time around -- being entrusted with more lines. he usually knew how to read a room, he had to learn that the hard way during rehearsals for school plays, grouping people to warm up, and having to end breaking up two girls yelling at each other. but it takes him a day to really see that there was something... off about suwoong and ryujin's interactions.

jaemin was used to working in loud workspaces, when your boyfriend suddenly belts out an alba song -- not that haech's voice was less than perfection -- you'd have to keep working through your homework. suwoong and ryujin were both vocal, energetic perhaps would be a better word, and jaemin was fine with that. but they were sharing the room with another group, and they were just as... energetic as his team members. he'd get distracted a few times, get annoyed for the most part, but he lets his expression be swept away by sweat and desperation to get the choreography right. he was not the best dancer, but he knew how to address his weaknesses -- presence of mind and playing on his strengths. by focusing on learning everything first, he breaks it down to what he has to work on harder and alot how much time he needed to spend on it. but he also knew that it was only a matter of time before this tension between suwoong and ryujin explodes, and explode it did come sunday.

he comes in later than usual that day, having to meet with one of his classmates at the hakwon to get his assigned worksheets. he enters the room and greets everyone, getting settled in and heading straight to stretch for the day's rehearsal. suwoong was being perfectionist as soon as they began, and truthfully, jaemin didn't mind it all -- he liked it that the other was like this. but ryujin was surprisingly not like her usual self. he doesn't comment on it, but couldn't help but watch the girl with worry tucked beneath his lashes. his focus shifts from his movements, to suwoong finally, for the lack of a better word, snapping. jaemin knew that feeling, and he had a gut feeling that it had something to do with the way ryujin was acting to day. he intended to talk to ryujin, but she too had excused herself.

as soon as he found out what was happening to ryujin, he immediately noted on his phone to maybe bring her something for it. he'd have to research on that or maybe ask someone from clinic. he brushed the thought away as soon as suwoong comes back, offering to rehearse his dreaded sexy squats. if haech saw this, he would be laughing. who would have thought jaemin would do something like this? even more so a song that requires this much loudness and energy? he supposed it was only a matter of time anyway, and it would be good to explore performances like this. suwoong gives him a handful of meaningful feedback, and he notes each and everyone of them, applying them right away. he really didn't mind practicing and practicing, the same steps over and over again. practice makes perfect after all.

it was at the sandwich shop that suwoong finally tells him what was happening. and true to what he had been feeling all this time, there was definitely tension. jaemin couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he feels obligated to defend ryujin, subtly, and he still wanted to be logical about the issue. he kept with his stance when the other tells him that there weren't really details shared with him. innocent before proven guilty, those words echoed in his mind over and over again. there has to be more than what he was just told. na jaemin needed to know the truth -- there was a strong need to, especially when he almost put han yejin aside to (almost) be a shin ryujin fansite had promotions pushed through.

he doesn't mean to, but this unsettling feeling inside him makes him look a little bit longer. his face maybe showing a lot more than he intends, but he ignores it, not wanting to draw attention to whatever unpleasant or suspicious expression he had on his face. if he pretends that it was nothing, maybe ryujin wouldn't make much of it. but he was getting too distracted to focusin practice when the right time comes. he offers to buy drinks and asks ryujin to come along. it was very unlike him to do this, but he couldn't afford to lose focus now -- and not know what truly happened.

the thing about na jaemin is despite how 'nice' people say he is, he could just be as sharp tongued and unforgivingly straight forward. that's probably why he could swear he might have offended ryujin. it wasn't that jaemin believed the rumor entirely, he just figured there must have been something that happened that involved ryujin for people to speculate that way. he had read some things online that he had ignored before, focusing only on the good and cheering ryujin on with her future endeavors. but after what suwoong said, he recalled all those rumors that surfaced. it would have been a disappointment if they were all true.

relief washes over him as soon as ryujin began to explain her side. honestly, jaemin didn't even need the details that she seemed to be withholding. he got what he needed, and he was fine with that. but his heart almost stops when ryujin approaches suwoong. he imagined a fight breaking out, but also having to mediate if that happened, and he rather not let something as violet take place. but they talked about things much better than his, perhaps, exhausted mind could imagine. watching everything happen, he figured that it was only right that this happened. they were able to air out and clear things up to make sure that the golden trio will be as flawless and priceless as gold.

and the moment of truth has arrived! it was their time to perform. honest work never fails anyone, jaemin reminds himself. at this point, success is truly a matter of opinion, and he was sure that they were going to do well. it was not intenional but he had showed that he could be a versatile rapper, he tried to make sure that his style still shows in the different songs he had done so far. he was grateful for the opportunity to be entrusted with as many as parts as he does have now, and to be trusted with it. jaemin wouldn't let them down, and when his turn comes, he makes sure to do deliver what they ask and require of him.

인간의 욕심은 끝이 없고 같은 실수를 반복하지 너 그럽게 살면서 대박을 노린다면 어림 반푼어치 우린 운명의 주사위를 던졌고 한치 오차도 용납 못하지 Aight, Get rich or die, 살아서 나가자

during the auditions, he figured that he'd never have to dance anyway for the mgas. but now that he was doing it on stage, for some parts that is, he was enjoying it. he thought maybe if he had better control of his body, opted to take dance lessons as most of the people at the glee club tell him, he'd enjoy this so much more. after all this, he was going to do just that. if he doesn't get signed and be trained in dancing, he'd take those dance lessons and invest in himself more. jaemin had a heightened presence of mind, fully aware of his movements and what he had to do next. those school productions and performing in plays really helped him with the acting in this performance, along with suwoong and ryujin being patient with his dancing.

she’d gotten along perfectly with the girl, sakura’s fond of her energy so she loved the practises in the sessions. it was full of smiles, joy, and wonderful vibes so she has nothing to complain about. zero. if anything, she doted being around ryujin! she’d even ask her to pick out the outfits and the best part about it, shopping! sakura likes shopping as hangouts, something she didn’t mind doing at all. she eventually decided that going together in the same outfits made it easier. the choice of her outfit was a white crop top, covered by a black blazer and black pants, wearing white sneakers to piece it together. matchies! she mentioned earlier ago to ryujin with a bright smile.

not only shopping, but she decided to go all out with the masks and decorate them to her heart’s content. how fun, she truly enjoys expressing her creativity. she went with a silly gudetama mask that she drew. sakura was an artist, being able to draw well with a unique style to the outlines and details. she also had precision but it didn’t take much out of her to make her own mask. at least this way, she can be relieved of any restlessness that’s been resting in her because of the elimination process that’s taking up next. there are better times in the heat of the situation, gradually spreading.

the performance due date was coming up closer, sakura’s garnered a lot of confidence to make it through and she’s sure she can nail this. she wakes up in a good mood, goes through her session to clean up and pack the outfit for bond girl in a bag to bring with her to the building. she’s dressed in her usual casual attire, a black ¾ baseball t-shirt, dark blue denim skinny jeans, and the white sneakers she doesn’t have to change out for later. thank god for saved time!

she makes sure to say hello to everyone she can get to, mason, kyungsoo, yuri, and hyojin. they were up next before her turn was up. once it is, sakura ensures that she’ll deliver a charismatic and enjoyable performance to the crowd. she’ll surely have an amazing time being able to rap on the stage with a change of flow! she wants to show a different enigma to the cast. in spite of her voice told that she wasn’t able to be a rapper by a couple, she took that as advice to become a versatile rapper and adapt. she’d also picked up this tip from her mentors.

prior to her hitting the stage, she doesn’t forget to change into her stage attire. she’ll switch back to her usual outfit later, storing her items in a secure place. sakura sits next to ryujin and squeezes the girls hand, sitting back and watching the other performers. she feels a hint of security built around her, excitement enters as well as she’s eager to perform the song. once she’s called by last and first name along with ryujin, she stands up and heads to the stage. she’s remembered to take deep breaths before rapping, it’s surprisingly relaxing.

before the song plays, she makes sure to take a polite bow as she’s wearing the mask, next to ryujin. the lyrics include a lot of korean, sakura stayed up for a day to perfect this masterpiece! she notices that there are some english words, so that’ll come in handy for her. she’d say it’s worth it as it’s her drive for music that doesn’t make her give up. she’ll keep pushing through even at her tired states. she brings in her flow and can provide an entertaining performance today! one that the judges will ( hopefully ) like.

난 제임스 본드, 이유는 묻지말고 i’m james bond, do not ask me why 안전거리를 확보 앞뒤 간격 유지하고 keep a safe distance 독자적인 행동들은 다 금지 내 속 태우지 말고

ryujin’s charismatic and enigmatic deep voice compliments sakura’s sweet and soft high-pitched voice, the raps are full of a nice blend. she’s dancing kind of goofy, it’s pretty silly but refreshing. at least, she doesn’t have to wear herself out. to her, music came in all forms, shapes, and sizes. sakura didn’t always have to show her ‘swag’ or any of her cutesy raps, she wanted to change the ways each episode to entertain. also, that she’s a well-rounded performer.

do not burn your own actions 치명적인 매력, 착한 미소 뒤로 숨지 말고 do not hide behind a deadly charm, good smile uh, 본드걸, 뭔가 냄새가 나 uh, bond girl,  i smell something 남자 없어도 잘 사는 넌 왜 면허도 없는 날 꼬시나 you do not have a man, you live well. why do you have no license? 싹 떨어져 내 맘에 붙지 말고 sprout away, do not stick to my heart 보기보다 순결하다고 나 i am more innocent than i am

she watches ryujin perform, delivering each line flawlessly. she applauds ryujin on the stage, empowering the other girl in the spotlight! sakura wasn’t one to fight for it, she wanted this to be fair as ryujin is her friend after all. she’s smiling underneath the mask that she’s wearing which isn’t too hot at all to her shock. though, the building did have proper air conditioning in this midst of the summer. she could’ve chosen to sing the singing part but decides not to as she doesn’t want to strain her voice and use it up. she wants to focus on the feel of her rap. sakura throws in some rapper adlibs in between the song!

then, it was time to show off the last few lines before the song ends. sakura’s caught up between the dancing and rapping, nothing was overwhelming her as she didn’t find this a hard routine to follow. she’s bringing such an energetic vibe on stage, sakura’s made sure to do that. she holds the microphone firmly to her mouth and starts rapping again.

왜 내 집 주소 묻는데 why do you ask my home address 아 왜 너 내 주민번호 묻는데 oh, why do you ask my resident number 내 대답은 no woah 징그럽게 달라붙지 마 my answer is no woah 본드걸 ! bond girl!