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Show Me the Money X Episode 6 - Team Selection

Producer performances have finished, and the competition continues! Which producer team will each rapper choose to join?

Are you hoping for anyone specific to join your team?

Saf: Not really, I'm just excited to finally start working some music with these guys.

Ash Island: She is absolutely lying. She's waited five episodes for Gunho to join our team.

Saf: (to Ash) You really think he'll choose us?

Ash Island: He'd be an idiot not to. You've spent all this time chasing him.

-----

All the producers are placed into a large room with four couches in a line. These couches also align with four doors, each one with a producer team's name written above it.

The producers take their seats and await further instruction. Contestants will be called one at a time, in order of increasing fight money. If the producer team wants to recruit this rapper, they'll stand in front of the door.

On the other side, the contestant will also choose which producer team to go to. If both the producer team and the contestant choose each other, the match is successful.

Contestants that fail to make a match will be put into "Reserve" status. Reserves can look for another match once all rappers have gone through the selection process.

Ultimately, each producer team will have four rappers on their team. If a producer continues to match after filling their roster, they must select a rapper to send into Reserve.

Reserves only have one chance at a re-match. If they fail again, they will be eliminated. Once all Reserves are eliminated, or all producer teams declare their door closed, Team Selection will complete.

-----

"This sounds complicated," Saf says to Ash on their two-person couch.

"Not really," Ash replies. "Stand if you like them, sit if you don't. That's all it is."

"Well what if I like them, but they don't like me?" she worries. "How will I live with the shame?"

"Oh, please," Ash says, brushing off her concern. "I've been rejected plenty of times, you'll be fine."

At that last statement, Saf furrows her eyebrows. "What girl in her right mind would reject you?" She looks as if she genuinely could not fathom anyone not wanting him.

But this is neither the time nor the place to be dissecting this.

"You'd be surprised," he says.

And the show goes on, with rapper after rapper being called up to the doors.

"Our next contestant will be Lee Gunho."

Saf immediately turns to Ash. "Are you gonna get up there?"

Ash resists the part of him that wants to give in to her every request. "No, he's your recruit. You should be the one to stand in front of him," he tells her instead.

"But-"

"We all know we're gonna argue," Ash interrupts, "but we all know I'm gonna win. So just go up, because I know you're not gonna risk losing this kid now."

Rendered speechless, Saf begrudgingly makes her way to the door. Sending Ash her best stink face she says, "I hope you realize you'll be stuck piecing my broken heart back together if Gunho doesn't choose us."

"I'm literally not worried about that at all," Ash deadpans. He wouldn't have sent her up alone if there were any chance Gunho wouldn't be on the other side.

-----

"The team Lee Gunho has selected is...!"

You beam from ear to ear as you see Gunho on the other side as your door slides open.

You rush over and give him a hug as you say, "Welcome to the team! We're so excited to have you on board."

Ash has come up behind you and shakes Gunho's hand once you've let him go. "Thanks for choosing us, man. Looking forward to working with you."

The two of you return to your seats, Ash with a smug look on his face.

"Stop looking like that," you say to him.

Ash widens his eyes innocently. "What? This is just my face."

"Well I don't like it, so put it away," you respond.

“I'll be sure to cover up with a mask next time," Ash says drily.

"But then what else would the viewers look forward to seeing each week?"

-----

"Is it just me or is she flirting with him?"

"No, she's definitely flirting. And he is definitely fumbling."

"For real, he had a perfect opportunity right there."

"Guys," Ash starts, "even if you tune into the show every week, do you really have to watch it in my studio?"

"Of course we do!" Hash answers back.

Leella chimes in, "We're just showing you our support in this new endeavor."

Ash rolls his eyes. "Q forced me to do this, don't act like this show is my current passion project."

Changmo grins. "Oh we weren't talking about the show."

-----

"Can you relax?"

"I didn't even say anything!" you refute.

You and Ash are waiting for everyone else to arrive for your first team meeting. At the end of filming you guys ended up with Gunho, Caylo, and two other rappers named Hyejin and Del on your team.

Ash answers back, "Didn't have to. Your thoughts are loud enough.

"You're worried they'll hate us, that I'll scare them off, they'll hate our songs, and or that they'll petition to leave the show after today. Am I right?"

You give him a sad glare. "You left out the song going horribly wrong and I cause the downfall of four careers that haven't even started yet."

Ash seems to consider that idea. "Does your brain just automatically conjure up these scenarios or do you have to actively work at it?"

You scowl at him. "I'm serious!"

"Well, so am I!" he defends. "It'll be fine. Of all the possibilities running through your head, the most likely one is that they'll all get along, and the only thing they'll fight about is which one of them will get the seat next to you."

You let out a laugh, trying to ignore how his occupying the seat on your other side sounded like a given.

-----

"Do you think he realizes you're madly in love?"

"Man, I hope not."

-----

For your first team meeting, you and Ash agreed on taking the contestants out shopping. A lot could be said about someone's rap style from their fashion choices.

Del opted into a laid-back, casual look.

Hyejin went for bold and bright.

Caylo's outfit was trendy and unique.

Gunho dressed very minimalist without accessories.

It really seemed you worried for nothing; everyone was getting along just fine and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

You and Hyejin had somehow found a moment away from all the boys and the camera crew.

"Okay, I've been dying to ask you this all day," Hyejin whispers. "What's going on with you and Ash? Are you guys actually dating?"

You let out a small laugh. "What? Does it look like we're dating- actually, don't answer that. No, we are not. Ash is very sweet, but he's not into me."

"How about you then?" she probes. "Are you interested in him?"

"I..." you give your answer some thought. "...hold him in high regard," you say with some finality.

"But-"

A shout from down the aisle cuts your conversation short. "Where are you guys?"

This interaction would just have to be filed away for over-analyzation by you and Rohan later.

-----

Round 5: Song Mission

The hit-making song mission begins anew! Every team of four will perform their song to a voting crowd of 25 professional hip hop artists and 75 fans.

The two teams with the least amount of votes will each have to eliminate one member, who will also not feature on the official release of the song.

Which team are you looking forward to seeing?

Celebrity Panelist, Crush: I'm actually a fan of Saf, so I'm excited to see what she and Ash Island have come up with together.

In his interview, Crush said he's Saf's fan and wants to hear your guys' song.

Saf: Did he really? (looks over at Ash with her mouth covered)

Ash: We can go meet him later if you want.

Saf: Are you serious right now?

Ash: It's like you've never met a celebrity before.

Saf: What do you mean? I met you.

-----

During rehearsals, everyone puts their all into making this stage worth it. This could be the last day on the show for any one of them.

You watch and give critiques to your team wherever you can as a viewer, but your limited stage experience can only go so far.

Saf: This was the most thankful I've been to have Ash in this as my partner.

Ash: Really? After the infinite number of fail buttons I pressed in the second round? This is where you show your appreciation?

Saf: (ignoring Ash) He's performed on so many stages, large and small, since his debut. And he was on a survival show, too, just like our team members. He even messed up his lyrics on the show-

Ash: You did not need to mention that-

Saf: Anyway, it's nice to have someone that can relate to how they're feeling. Someone that knows all the different emotions they'll go through on that stage and that is able to help them navigate through it. And there isn't anyone else better than Ash for that job.

Ash: Of course there isn't. I'm the complete package.

-----

With every competition, there are always winners and losers. Unfortunately this time around, Saf and Ash's team end up as the losers.

Coming in fourth with the lowest number of votes, they must choose a member to eliminate.

Under whispered promises to him of a future remix of the song with him in it, the two young producers say goodbye to Del. Contrary to his usually laidback personality, he had been very nervous for today, and it showed in his performance.

Ash: It really is hard to let go of teammates. We spent all that time together, rehearsing, building synergy, getting to know each other. Just to have to part. But this isn't the end. I of all people know that there is life after the show ends. We'll see each other again.

-----

The conclusion of the Song Mission means the start of the next round of competition: the infamous Diss Battles!

Show Me the Money X Episode 5 - Producer Live Performances

The moment you've all been waiting for! Our producers have been rehearsing non-stop for their live performances.

This is their last chance to appeal to the contestants before team selections begin. Since our producers are usually the ones doing the judging, tonight they will be the judged! Before leaving tonight, all audience members will rank the producers from best to worst performance. Higher ranking producer teams will receive a special advantage in the next round!

What are your expectations coming into this round?

Saf: Honestly, they're not high. I'm not too well-known as a producer yet, so I'm not sure we'll be getting many votes. The other producers are legends, household names. I'd probably vote for them, too. But we're not too worried about our placement.

Ash Island: If our team is good, they should be able to win with or without any advantages. What matters is we're performing and putting out music that we like.

Saf: Yeah, we're really excited for everyone to see what we've been working on.

-----

As you and Ash take your spots on the darkened stage, you take a deep breath. This is your first time singing for such a large crowd. And it's going to air on national television. No big deal.

You close your eyes and calm your shaky hands. This is what you've been working toward for weeks. It's just you and these songs you know inside and out.

You open your eyes, and the music starts playing.

-----

Changmo, Hash Swan, and Leellamarz all sit in slack-jawed silence as the final notes play.

"I know," Ash says with a smug smile. "She's good right?"

"This was her first time singing?" Leella asks in bewilderment.

"Yeah, you would not believe how hard I had to work to convince her to do this," Ash tells him.

"And you've been hiding her from me this whole time?" Changmo exclaims. "She would've been perfect for my last single!"

Ash frowns, not liking the thought of your first song being with Changmo instead him. "She would've-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hash Swan interrupts, leaning toward the screen. "What is that?"

-----

Still on the adrenaline rush from performing, you stretch your arms out to Ash for a hug as the crowd continues to cheer all around you.

Wrapping his arms around you, he leans his head in to whisper in your ear, struggling to be heard over the crowd.

When you throw your head back in laughter, you notice his arms tighten around you, not letting you get away from him just yet.

-----

"You ever see him smile like that before?"

"Nope."

"Definitely not when he hugs me during a concert, that's for sure."

Ash just stares at them doubtfully as they talk about him like he's not even there. Until your laughter on screen catches his attention.

"Oh, yeah. He's got it bad."

-----

What did you say to Saf at the end of the performance?

Ash Island: I told her she did a great job, of course.

Saf: He also said maybe one day I'll be as good as him. Please, which one of us was getting all nervous when they put their arm around me during that last chorus?

-----

Thank you to all the producer teams for putting together such phenomenal performances! The results are in, and we will now reveal how the audience ranked our teams.

Ash Island: We don't really care about how we ranked against the other teams. We're satisfied with our own performance, and that's enough for me.

Saf: He says that but then secretly hopes to win. He'll go home and pout about it later.

"In fourth place, ranked last by our audience with a total of 52 points, we have..."

You close your eyes, bracing yourself to hear your team called.

Your eyes go wide as another team is called, and you look to Ash with surprise.

He scoffs, "Please, have some self-respect. You did way too good for us to rank fourth."

Your heart warms at his words. His face is all confidence as he reassures you.

The MC starts up again. "And in third, gathering 127 points, we have..."

You're not even nervous this time, since you're almost certain your name will be called.

And your jaw drops when it isn't. "We're in the top two?" you ask Ash in shock. You honestly can't believe it. You grasp his hand in yours as you wait for the next announcement.

"We will now reveal the second place team. Receiving 239 points, we have..."

You close your eyes and give Ash's hand a squeeze.

Contestant 1: It was almost unfair, letting Saf sing. I don't think anyone was expecting it.

Contestant 2: Ash Island was too good. His performance, his gestures, diction, flow just exude hip hop.

Contestant 3: That was a new song they performed wasn't it? I really liked it. I think the appeal of their team would be being able to make music like that with them.

-----

You allow yourself another leap of joy as you and Ash exit the Mnet building for the day. "I can't believe we won!"

"We didn't win," Ash reminds you. "We got second."

"We were in the top 2! That's a win to me," you defend.

Ash lets out a sigh but can't stop the smile from creeping into his expression. "Okay, you're right. Let's go eat to celebrate. On me," he offers.

Your eyebrows raise, "Right now?" Filming had run pretty long so it was already late at night.

"Yes, we've been on set all day. I'm starving. And you only performed to appease my begging, so it's my treat."

It had been a long day, and you should eat before heading home. "Alright, let's go," you agree.

“Come on.”

“No way,” you refute.

You and Ash have been holed up in his studio all night. The 1-on-1 battles are wrapping up, and the crew battles will be next. And after that will be the producers' stages, so you and Ash have been spending a lot of time preparing.

“It would just be one song! Out of the four that I’m doing! What’s the big deal?” For the past ten minutes, Ash has been trying to convince you to sing for your shared stage with him.

"I just don't see why I'd need to! Plenty of other producer-artist duos have come on the show, and the producer was deejay for the artist's performance. Why can't we do the same?" you argue back.

You've never sung in front of a live audience before, and this is going to be a pretty big stage. You don't want to mess it up for Ash.

Ash isn't having any of it, though. "Because that's what everyone will be expecting. Think about how surprised they'll be when they hear you sing for the first time," he reasons.

"Have you considered how shocked they'll be when they realize I'm terrible?"

"Is that what this is about?" he turns the questions back onto you. "You're worried you'll mess up?" You give him a look, you thought that would have been obvious by now. Of course you're scared of ruining his performance.

"You're a good singer!" he tells you. "Come on, it'll be fun." You highly disagree with that statement.

"Fun would be maybe performing in a club, for less than a hundred people. This would be a crowd of 1,000 people, who, I might add, are going to rank me, and it'll be broadcasted on national television!" You can feel the nerves just from imagining it.

"Look," Ash tries to calm you down, "it's not that big a deal." Easy for him to say, he's performed for crowds of thousands.

He continues on, "I'll be there the whole time backing you up, and you'd just have to sing a couple lines, maybe the bridge. And we're literally writing the song, so you have full control over what you end up singing."

He's making a pretty compelling argument for himself. You're having a hard time turning him down seeing how much he seems to want this to happen.

After a couple more seconds of hesitation, you budge. "Fine! I'll do it."

"Yes!" Ash goes as far as doing a fist pump into the air.

You let out a big sigh but can't help sharing a bit of his excitement. "Let's start writing."

-----

Round 4: Crew Battles

Crew battles are back! Due to explosive responses to it in prior seasons, the low-stakes round of rap battles returns, but with a twist.

After much negotiation between the judges and the production team: this year there will be no eliminations from the crew battles.

Saf: We're really happy that the production team went through with our request. The constant competition and fighting for your spot can get so stressful.

Ash: Having been on one of these shows myself, I agree. This'll allow them to have some fun on stage, and we can scout everyone out ahead of the upcoming team selections.

-----

After an exciting round full of surprises, the producers give their feedback to the contestants.

Saf starts out by giving a compliment to Caylo, one of the more well-known rappers expected to win the show. "Every time I think 'is he really that good? Is he worth all that hype he's getting?' your performances always prove to me: yes, you are worth the hype. Your bars were so sick today."

Caylo gives a bashful smile and thanks her. Then Ash Island moves on to give his own thoughts.

"One of the people who stood out most to me today was Lee Gunho," Gunho looks up in shock at hearing his name mentioned. "Nice job today."

He thanks Ash in a daze.

-----

"In all my years of knowing him," Hash Swan starts dramatically, "I've hardly ever heard Ash compliment anyone, much less another rapper."

He turns to Changmo as Ash rolls his eyes, "You ever hear him say anything like that before?"

"Nope," Changmo quips. "And he just did it for that kid two episodes in a row!"

Leella approaches Ash with a cheshire grin. "Aw, someone must want Gunho on their team real bad."

"And we know that someone sure isn't Ash," Hash Swan adds. Cackles ensue.

Ash is quick to defend himself, "Hey, as partners in this show, it is both my job and Saf's to help each other reach the goals we want for our team. One of her goals is to get Gunho, and I'm just doing my part to make it happen."

The boys don't believe a word of it, though.

"Whatever you say, man," Changmo says with a patronizing smile.

Ash begrudgingly hits play, and sounds of the show fill the room.

-----

"You agreed to sing a song with Ash and not me?" Rohan asks in utter disbelief. "I've been asking you to do a featuring for me for years!"

"I think we're both aware of the different positions you and Ash hold in my life," you deadpan.

"Fine, that's true," Rohan agrees. "And just to be clear, I am very happy with my position in your life. The thought of dating you gives me chills."

"Right back at ya, buddy."

-----

"Wait!" you pause in the middle of the recording session. "What if I do super bad and then we're ranked last by everyone?"

Ash stops the music outside the booth.

"Dude!" he exclaims in exasperation. This might be the twentieth time you've stopped.

He continues, "I could not possibly care less about those rankings. It's just you, me, and this song we've spent over 100 hours on. Nothing else matters- Scratch that." He could tell you were nearly ready to interrupt him again, so he takes a moment to think over his next words.

"For you, the only thing that matters is you. If you're proud of yourself and enjoy what you're doing, that's enough. Okay? Leave all the worrying up to me," he finishes.

"But you never worry about anything," you refute.

He shrugs, "So this will be good practice."

And you, finally, let out a smile and continue working on that song.

Show Me the Money X Episode 4 - Round 3: 1 on 1 Battles

And the 1:1 Battles continue! Two contestants rap on the same beat, and the producers vote on which was their favorite. The winner takes all the fight money, while the loser is eliminated.

Rappers called up at random to challenge someone to a 1:1. Next up is Pay-One.

"I would like to challenge Lee Gunho," Pay-One says with a smirk.

Lee Gunho quietly walks onstage with his head lowered.

"Is there a reason you chose him?" the MC asks.

"I just feel like I could beat him pretty easily." Murmurs start throughout the crowd at hearing such bold words.

Caylo, one of the rappers expected to win the whole show, leans over to his friend to discuss. "Gunho's not bad though?"

"Is he? I don't remember him from last round," his friend whispers back.

Caylo frowns, "I thought he was pretty good..."

Who do you think will win between the two of them?

Caylo: I stood next to Lee Gunho during the first round. I was really impressed when I heard him rap, he's really good. I thought he did well during the second round as well.

Do you not think Pay-One is good?

Caylo: ...

Caylo: Let's just say his rapping is of the same quality as his personality.

-----

Once you see Pay-One vs. Lee Gunho listed as one of the matchups, you let out a noise of distaste.

"What's up?" Ash asks, trying to read over your shoulder. "Oh, those two got put together? Interesting combo. At least that means an easy win for your kid right?" he speculates.

"Yeah, but that means he has to spend time and interact with that d-bag. He deserves better company than that," you say with a frown.

Ash lets out a laugh, never hearing you speak about someone that way before. "I know he's not the greatest, but what'd that guy ever do to you?"

"He's just so... gross," you say for lack of a better word. "My group was near his in the first round and all his lyrics were just about his big dick and fat ego." At that, Ash's nose wrinkles in disgust.

"Plus he kept making creepy comments about having such a 'cute young girl' on the show every time I walked by," you add, shuddering at the memory.

Ash's expression hardens. "He said what?"

"It's fine, Gunho's gonna knock him out anyway. It's not a big deal," you try to brush it off.

It obviously doesn't work as Ash remains tense for the rest of the round until Pay-One and Gunho are called to the stage.

-----

Round 3: 1 on 1 Battles

As Pay-One and Gunho enter the stage, Ash Island and Saf are rather quiet, with Ash sporting a stony expression.

Even as the other producers ask the boys questions, Ash and Saf never say a word. Pay-One tries to earn cred with Ash by mentioning how he was judged by TheQuiett last season.

Ash's only response is "DJ, play the music," and so the round begins.

As expected, Gunho blows Pay-One out of the water. To Ash, it's almost laughable how bad Pay-One is. Despite his disrespectful and distracting behavior during his competitor's parts, Gunho still manages to tear it up on the beat.

Saf finally breaks her silence to give her praise to Gunho. Her long list of compliments for him as well as her confession to liking him since the last round cause his ears to turn red in embarrassment.

"And what'd you think of me, babe?" Pay-One asks with a wink.

Not even sparing him a glance, Saf turns to Ash. "We'll announce the results now!" he states.

Without even pausing for dramatic effect, he says, "Pay-One, you will not be moving on to the next round. Bummer."

As the boys are leaving, you and Ash do a subtle fist-bump, Ash with a smirk on his face.

He calls back out to Gunho, and the boy stops. "Great job today."

Gunho turns around to him with a big smile on his face, "Thank you!"

Show Me the Money X Episode 3 - Round 2: 60 Second Rap Evaluation

Round 2 continues! With so many rappers passing, recording time gets longer and longer. Many producers are stifling yawns, some don't even bother trying to hide it.

Saf is slumped in her seat next to Ash. Eyes half-closed, she leans her head on his shoulder. "Why did we pass so many rappers in the first round? Can we just fail the rest of them?" she mutters wearily.

Ash chuckles. "Wow, you're much better at rejecting people when you're tired. Don't worry, it'll be over soon." And if he said this with a faint red tint to his cheeks, Saf was too tired to notice.

-----

Unfortunately for Ash however, the Ambition boys were not. In fact, they were quite awake, judging from their obnoxious laughter and how hard Changmo pinched Ash's cheek.

-----

For the first time, you weren't feeling that nervous as you entered the Ambition building. You've been there a few times to work with Ash now, so going up to his studio just feels like another part of your routine.

Of course, that would be the first time your routine is tossed firmly out the window.

"Saf!" Changmo greets. He's seated very comfortably in Ash's studio with Ash himself, Leellamarz, and Hash Swan.

"Hello," you reply a bit timidly. All these times you've been to Ambition, you've only interacted with the front desk people and Ash. You didn't know the rest of the boys very well, and they were all a bit older, making you very awkward.

Ash stands up when you enter. "Sorry, I've been trying to kick them out," he says to you while glaring at the other boys.

"But," Hash interjects, "he made the mistake of mentioning you were coming."

"And we wanted to meet Korean Hip Hop's upcoming star!" Leella finishes.

"Me?" you ask, a bit baffled. "I'm not-"

"What's with all the noise coming from this room? If you guys are gonna be so loud at least close th-"

"Y/N?"

"Hyoeun!" you exclaim, pulling the oldest Ambition artist into a hug as he enters the room.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, a smile on his face as he hugs you. "And why are you with these losers?" He eyes the boys behind your back in suspicion.

As you two release from the hug you reply, "Ash and I are a producer team on Show Me, so we've been working together the past few weeks.

"You're telling me you don't scour the internet for articles on me everyday?" you ask with fake hurt.

Hyoeun rolls his eyes with a scoff. "Oh, please. You hate being talked about. Whenever I even mention something I saw about you, you look like you want to throw up. Something about 'I don't like people knowing things about me that I didn't share with them.' Newsflash: you're a celebrity. People will spread everything they can about you."

You open your mouth to reply but Ash cuts you off. "You two know each other?" he asks, mildly confused.

"Oh yeah, we go way back," Hyoeun says with a smirk. He wraps an arm around your shoulder.

"We grew up together," you explain. "Our parents were friends, so we were basically forced to spend time with each other."

"Practically my little sister," Hyoeun says, shooting Ash a meaningful look. Ash hears the unspoken half of his sentence loud and clear, so if you hurt her you're dead.

-----

Round 3: 1 on 1 Battles

With the closing of another round, 52 rappers remain, and in this round, half of them will be eliminated. It’s the classic 1v1 showdown that can’t be missed in SMTM! Rappers will choose their opponents, going in order from highest to lowest fight money.

Who are you looking most forward to this round?

Saf: Definitely Lee Gunho. I even convinced Ash to give him more money in the last round.

Ash Island: Yeah, that was the only person she was willing to spend a lot of money on.

Saf: He was so good! When he first walked up for the 60 second rap, he didn’t look that impressive. However, once he started rapping I was really surprised. It almost seemed like words couldn’t contain his entire self, so he expressed it through music. And that’s what music is all about to me. 

Ash Island: (smugly) I was the one who passed him in the first round. 

Saf: Do you think that means he likes you then? Do you think he’ll pick our team later on?

Ash Island: Be careful. If you get too attached, you’re probably going to end up crying if he gets eliminated.

Saf: Funny of you to assume I don’t get attached to every person whose music I like.

-----

“Does Ash know you’re like almost creepily obsessed with his music?” Rohan asks you.

“I really hope not.”

-----

After you and Hyoeun left, the remaining Ambition boys sat down in Ash’s studio again. 

Ash turned to the boys. “You guys didn’t think to give me a heads up on Hyoeun?” 

“We thought you knew!” Leella defended. “Whenever Hyoeun actually shows up to parties they always hang out. Kinda hard not to notice.”

“Well, seeing as I generally try to avoid looking at Hyoeun when he’s not with you guys, I didn’t,” Ash said flatly.

He’d always felt a bit uncomfortable around the older male. The two were just fine when they were with the other guys, but they would never spend time together one on one. He just seemed so hard to approach, and Hyoeun definitely wasn’t going to be the one to reach out and alleviate the awkwardness.