Chanyeon was smug.

Actually she was crying, but she was still very smug underneath her tears. Her team’s ‘You Look Happy' stage had gone all too well, and she was proud of how she had done. She could barely focus on the audience before her though because her vision was blurred by tears. She had put a lot into her lyrics, feeling not only upset at her rank, but also her teammates. Their raps were about being unfairly judged, but they had done the same thing to her, not even stopping to think about their own hypocrisy.

“Rapping for the first time on broadcast, how are you feeling, Chanyeon?” Dojung addressed her.

"Uh… firstly, I’m very glad I didn’t mess up my lyrics or anything like that,” Chanyeon said slowly, smiling sheepishly. “I do have an interest in rap, and I’m glad that I was able to show that to the viewers just in case I, um…” she trailed off, looking up at the lights to try and stop more tears from coming down. However, Chanyeon failed miserably, but she smiled through her tears. “I’m glad I was able to show my rap, even if it was only just once.”

“I’m sure the audience enjoyed your performance.” Dojung nodded. He looked toward the audience, “Vote for your girl. The nation’s producers’ on-scene voting begins right now!”

 

☆

 

Seyun didn't know how exactly it had happened, but she had ended up winning her position evaluation. She didn’t just win for her team though, she also won the overall evaluation. It was insane, something she'd never experienced before. A rush of excitement and confidence flew into her, and she felt tears come to her eyes as she saw her name appear on the screen above Baehee's when the rankings had been completed. The other girl had given her a bright grin of congratulations, clapping proudly for the youngest contestant left on the show.

The three screens then changed once again to show all three positions, vocal, rap, and dance, together along with the three respective winners.

“Vocal, Individual Trainee Kim Jonghae.” The girl grinned from ear to ear as the trainees applauded. It had been a close competition between her and Kyungsoon, but the individual trainee had managed to pull ahead by a mere nine votes.

“Rap, Genius Entertainment's Park Chanyeon." Chanyeon's face was bright, and her toothy smile was wide and giddy as she relished in the moment of victory. She knew that she had created an image akin to the show’s resident indie trainee, but Chanyeon had never been one to fit into molds. She had delivered an emotional performance that had left all eyes watching glistening with tears. Diss raps weren't really her thing, but she had been so emotionally driven when writing the raps that all her feelings of bitterness and sadness about the unfair treatment had poured out.

“Dance, Genius Entertainment's Oh Seyun.” When Dojung announced her name, Seyun really did cry. She couldn't help herself. Since the competition had started, she hadn't felt like she was really worth anything or that she deserved to be there. She felt like she had been moving along in the competition not because she deserved it, but because more popular trainees had taken a liking to her.

Now, it was different. Maybe she had actually done something worthwhile while she had been at her company. Maybe she was actually good at this. She felt someone nudge her back, and she turned to see Seulgi giving her an encouraging nod and a proud smile before pointing to the row of trainees who had competed in the rap evaluation. Seyun looked to see Chanyeon grinning at her from ear to ear, her pride evident as she loudly applauded her best friend. She couldn’t help but smile back, blushing brilliantly.

Maybe she was finally figuring out what kind of idol she wanted to be.

 

☆

 

[Nate] ‘Nation’s Nine’ Shocking results for best dancer and best rapper titles

Bang Bang ended up being a team kill kekeke They were all too talented

Baehee acknowledged that Jongmi or Yixiu should have won instead of her, she’s surprisingly humble about her skills

       +She’s not from a company, remember? She wouldn’t be arrogant around actual trainees

The Genius girls were seriously amazing this week

Jongmi is such a great dancer TT-TT I wish she had gotten more votes

Seyun’s lines are so pretty, once her singing gets better she’ll be a real threat

Baehee proved she’s more than her high notes

Chanyeon seemed like she belonged in an indie band when she started on the show, but now I hope people vote for her a lot TT0TT

Seyun… seriously amazing, I can’t believe she’s so young

The standouts in the Bang Bang team were Yixiu, Jongmi, and Baehee for sure

 

☆

 

After they had been dismissed, Baehee engulfed Jonghae in a hug, “Congrats! I'm so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Baehee~!” Jonghae chimed in return. “And seriously, thanks for picking Dance. You could have easily beaten me in the votes for Vocal, I know it.”

“No, you don’t know that,” Baehee snorted. “Seriously, I've been saying this since the first day of filming. You’re just as talented as I am, and it's about time everyone else started to notice it too.” She rolled her eyes, “And I didn't pick dance just so you could thrive.” She gave a small sigh, “All anyone has been talking about when they talk about me is ‘Into the New World.’ I’m glad people think I did well, but I'm not glad that people think I only have high notes." She gave a pout, “I've worked too hard at teaching myself how to dance to just be recognized as a vocalist, I want it all.”

“Well, I doubt anyone can say all you have is your voice, don't worry,” Kyungsoon said with a snort as she joined the other two “I’ve been reading articles about the show, and almost every single person says that you're the most well-rounded trainee here.”

“That's because they're sleeping on like, half the trainees on the show, like you.” Baehee looked to Kyungsoon, "Seriously, Soon, I'm glad you're finally getting attention for your voice instead of your visuals.” She winked, “You are cute though, don’t worry! You deserved to be the center for ‘Pick Me.’”

“Speaking of well-rounded trainees, Lu Huan is amazing," Kyungsoon said. “I can't imagine coming to another country and still kicking on a survival show.”

“Uh yeah, she's like the queen of China or something,” Jonghae said. “But China has to have two queens because Yixiu? She's so cool, and she was straight fire in Bang Bang.”

"Yeah, I for sure thought she was going to win, no offense Baehee." Baehee laughed, loudly and freely, “I didn't think I was going to win either, but I guess people really do have my back into his competition.” She then grew noticeably quiet. “…I need to go. I'll see you guys back at the house.”

 

☆

 

“Jongmi, I don't want to say I told you so because you're in a lot pain right now, but I swear to everything holy in this world that I told you so,” Junmae hissed, “multiple times.” She had known the very second that something was wrong when Jongmi’s face had changed during the ‘Bang Bang’ stage. It was only a slight change, but Junmae had known the other girl long enough to recognize when she put on a mask. Her stomach had dropped when, after the performance, she saw Baehee and Yixiu carefully helping her back into the room, and she wanted to throw up when she saw that a cameraman had been following her journey there.

Junmae prayed that those clips wouldn't make it into the final cut.

“I know, I ing know, okay?” Jongmi groaned as Junmae massaged her waist with a pain relief gel. “I went too hard, and I'm paying the price for it. I didn't listen to anyone when they told me to stop during practice, and I'm paying the price for it.” She hissed in pain as the older girl hit a particularly sensitive spot. “I worked my off, still couldn’t beat Byun Baehee’s popularity, and I messed up my waist again… I ed up, and I’m paying the price for it.”

“Baehee didn’t even win overall, Seyun did,” Junmae said quietly. “Good, she deserves it,” Jongmi huffed.

“Jongmi? Junmae-eonnie?” Baehee’s voice carried throughout the bathroom as she wandered towards them. “The last car is going to leave soon…” Her voice trailed off when she found them, and her eyes widened, “, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jongmi muttered.

Junmae rolled her eyes, “No, she’s not fine, she’s a stubborn idiot.”

“Uh, is there anything I can do?” Baehee asked. She gestured back in the direction she came in, “I can go get Jonghae or Huan-eonnie or Yixiu-eonnie or… someone, anyone, I don’t know who really, to come help you get to the car? And then I’ll carry all of our bags and stuff?” She nervously looked at the way Jongmi’s muscles seemed to twitch in protest before her eyes flickered up to Junmae, “Seriously, just tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it.”

“Baehee-eonnie, Chanyeon-eonnie said you need hurry if you don’t want to miss… Jongmi?” Seyun stopped at the opening, eyes wide. “Are… are you okay? Well, you’re obviously not but,” she quickly corrected herself with a shake of the head, and her voice became small, “are you going to be?”

Jongmi gave a small smile, “I’ll be fine, Seyun. This happens all the time.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Seyun frowned in reply.

Baehee nodded, “Yeah, have you seen a doctor yet?” When Junmae answered for her, silently shaking her head, Baehee’s eyes widened, “How have you not seen a doctor? You can barely walk!”

“Kim Jongmi, I don’t doubt your desire to debut is strong, but you should be conscious of your health.” The girls all froze as Boa walked into the bathroom. “Baehee, Seyun, Junmae, the last van is waiting to take you back to the house.” She frowned, “I’ll be taking Jongmi from here.”

 

☆

 

“I can’t believe they put a band concept in,” Chanyeon said as she tuned her guitar. She laughed, “Especially after my company evaluation…”

The third evaluation they would be going through was a concept evaluation, and to Chanyeon, it was a major surprise to see idol bands as one of the concepts. She definitely wasn’t going to complain about it though, and she easily made her way to the designated room. There weren’t many girls inside their room to begin with, but Chanyeon was okay with that. As long as they had enough instrumentalists to get through the stage, she really didn’t mind.

“What happens if we get eliminated though?” Yerin asked, sitting at the drum set. “’Cause I mean, you’re the only other drummer here, but you can’t be the drummer because you’re the automatic center, and it’s kind of hard to make a drummer the center.”

“…I’m sure I moved up from dead last,” Chanyeon said after a moment. She nodded to herself, “There’s no way I’m getting eliminated. I got a hundred thousand extra points.”

“You’ll be fine,” Yixiu assured her. “Even if you hadn’t have gotten the benefit, you still won a lot of people over with your rap, so I bet you moved up regardless.”

 

☆

 

“Yum Yum~” Baehee was making faces at Seyun. “Come on~!” When the other girl was unresponsive, Baehee pouted, “You really need to cheer up, Seyunnie. You suit your concept, you really do! Innocent lyrics and amazing choreography, that’s literally you in a song,” she insisted. “Plus you’re the center again!”

Seyun had originally tried to join the Trap Pop concept Baehee was in, but the Genius trainee had been booted from the room after the max trainee amount had been reached. She had eventually found an empty spot in Girlish Dance concept, but despite her boost in confidence from winning the position evaluation, Seyun had been trying to avoid that concept. The demo had sounded vocal heavy, and Seyun wasn’t sure had the voice to get her through the song.

Despite Baehee’s concern, the evaluation wasn’t the only thing on Seyun’s mind. “It’s not the song,” she said with a sigh. “No one’s seen Jongmi since the position evaluation.”

“Oh.” Baehee’s mood immediately went down, “I’m sure she’s fine…”

“Baehee-eonnie, she could barely walk,” Seyun reminded the other. “Why did they let her onto the show if she was so injured?”

The individual trainee shook her head in reply, “I don’t know. She passed the medical exam, but I couldn’t tell you how she did it.”

“I passed that exam fair and square.” Seyun’s eyes widened at the voice and she looked towards the door. Junmae was rolling Jongmi into the room, the younger Crown trainee sitting comfortably in a wheel chair. She gave Baehee and Seyun a small wave, “Hey, guys…”

“Uh, can you be here right now?” Baehee asked, her eyes finding it difficult to leave the wheelchair. “Like, are you here to stay, or are you just here to say goodbye?”

 

☆

 

“From now, I will announce the top nine trainees that have been decided by the nation’s producers,” Dojung announced. “The differences from the first rank begin with ninth place.” He glanced at the cue card briefly, “She is a trainee who’s captured the hearts of the national producers with her contrasting appearance and personality. With traditional Slytherin visuals and an eye smile that will brighten anyone’s day, she took six hundred thirty-five thousand, nine hundred ninety-one votes.” He paused briefly, “Genius Entertainment’s Oh Seyun.”

Jaws dropped at not only the amount of votes, but also the recipient of the votes. They had already seen miracles happen at Chanyeon moving up from 51st place to a comfortable 15th, but Seyun’s rank was a reminder of just how beneficial the extra points were. Dojung had singled the trainee out weeks earlier because her previous rank would have sent her home. Many of the trainees cheered her on as she walked to stand on the platform, Chanyeon making sure she was the loudest of them all. Slightly embarrassed by the older girl, Seyun quickly received a microphone and prepared to speak.

However, before Seyun could say a few words about her ranking, Dojung continued on, “Although Seyun received the benefit for placing first in the position evaluation, this was not enough for her to place ninth. Why then is Oh Seyun standing in ninth?” His face took on a serious expression, “It’s unfortunate, but I have to announce the withdrawal of one of the youngest trainee on the show and the trainee who initially placed ninth in the second ranking, Crown Entertainment’s Kim Jongmi.”

“During the ‘Bang Bang’ stage in which she received numerous praise for, Jongmi suffered an injury to her waist and was taken to the hospital,” Dojung explained. “For the sake of her health, Jongmi will be leaving the show to properly heal.” He looked to Seyun, “Only able to call herself an eonnie to Seyun, Jongmi has continuously awed the viewers with her impressive skill at such a young age. Seyun, how do you feel about placing in the top nine due to Jongmi’s withdrawal?”

“I… I really think that Jongmi-eonnie deserves to be in the top nine instead of me,” she began. “Even though I won the position evaluation, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her during the ‘Bang Bang’ stage. She was amazing, but I could tell she was in pain,” Seyun admitted. “I’m really glad Eonnie is going to take time to heal her waist, and I’ll do the best I can to debut in her place.”

 

☆

 

[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ narrows down to 33 trainees

Jongmi TT-TT

I didn’t realize Seyun and Jongmi were so young. Jongmi has such an injury at her age… 

Jongmi, please take time to heal and debut when you’re ready, Oppa will wait for you TT-TT

She’s only a 00-liner, but she always put on such good performances, Jongmi will definitely go far if she heals and gets to debut. I heard a terrible rumor about Crown though…

Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan, I want those three to be the centers with Baehee as the main

Heol… the idol industry is so messy if children are getting these kinds of injuries before they even debut

I don’t know if they were close, but I hope Seyun can debut in place of Jongmi

Chanyeon seriously went up in the ranking this time, her rap really touched people

Lu Huan’s debut is basically ensured? She didn’t get a benefit, yet she still ranked 4th

Baehee is slowly falling, I hope she can reclaim first place

 

☆

 

Lu Huan really liked working with Minseon.

This late in the show, almost all of the older trainees had been eliminated. The Chinese girl had never really considered herself to be old, but it was obvious that high school-aged trainees were the viewers’ favorites. Lu Huan might have been a college student sitting in a comfortable fourth place, but she was also well aware she looked about as young as Seyun actually was. The concept of ahjussi fans supporting younger girl groups had always been in the back of her mind, but seeing it for herself on the show was something entirely different.

“Old men are erts,” Minseon had said with a derisive snort when Lu Huan had shared her observation. “No matter what country you’re in, that will never change.”

“And this is why you hate innocent concepts.”

Minseon nodded, “I didn’t always hate them, but when I realized I’m not about fulfilling creepy fantasies for fans more than twice my age, the allure kind of wore off.” Minseon shrugged, “I can’t trust them unless I know the lyrics.”

“So you chose to do ‘Fingertips’ based on the lyrics?” Lu Huan wore an amused smirk.

“At least it’s obvious,” Minseon pointed out. “I’m not exactly looking forward to getting back into my old school uniform.”

“You're nineteen,” Lu Huan rolled her eyes. “I suddenly realize why you and Yixiu are such good friends.” It was Minseon’s turn for an amused smirk. “You both have the tendency to think in Chinese and speak in Korean.”

 

☆

 

[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ On the Fingertips of the Oldest Eonnies

Lu Huan just keeps getting better each week, she’s amazing

I want your love~~ I want your love~~

Minseon is a total girl crush since day one

It’s a shame they had to suffer because of the mistakes of one of their main vocals, they did their best to carry their team

Don’t worry, Oppa will alternate voting for each of you

I seriously can’t believe Lu Huan’s Chinese, her looks are totally my style…

The 96-line eonnies are seriously amazing, the ultimate girl crushes

Minseon-nuna can do whatever she wants with me…

 

☆

 

“It does kind of that all three of us are separated for the evaluation,” Yixiu said, “but I hope if one of us can win, it’ll be you, Kyungsoon.”

“I would ask you why you have no faith in yourself, but I know how badly received band concepts are,” Minseon replied with a snort.

The three SPY trainees were taking their sweet time to reunite with each other. It wasn’t like one of them had left the show or they never saw each other again, but it was kind of weird to go from training together for years to training with strangers. The different feeling was rather hard to ignore, and the three found themselves wanting to be together more than usual, even though they still saw each other every day.

“Even if you don’t win, Yixiu-eonnie, I bet all the viewers will see how talented you are,” Kyungsoon gave a sure nod.

“Aww, you’re sweet, Soon, but I’m definitely expecting a drop in rank,” Yixiu admitted. “It’s bound to happen, but I’ll just take it in stride.” Band concepts were only well received if they played live, and Yixiu’s team had yet to hear back on whether or not they would have to pre-record their playing. It was an annoying situation to be in because she knew that it was important, but she wouldn’t complain.

“Honestly, Kyungsoon has the best chance of winning out of the three of us,” Minseon made a face. “My team’s concept is Girl Crush, but the same can be said about most of the concepts.” She shrugged, “Your concept might be R&B, but you’ve got a really good song.”

When Kyungsoon had first heard ‘The Light,’ had been touched by the lyrics and what they represented. She couldn’t help but compare it to her debut song evaluation, and she liked it infinitely more. Instead of focusing on a confession, the song focused more about being there for your friends when nobody else would. Combined with the R&B style Kyungsoon was more than comfortable with, the SPY maknae wished that this was her actual debut song.

 

☆

 

[Naver] ‘Nation’s 9’ Do Kyungsoon’s honey vocals show viewers the light

Kyungsoon is seriously well-rounded. She can sing and dance well, she has great visuals, and her personality is good. SPY hit the jackpot with her, she better be debuting soon

Debut right this second, I’m tired of waiting

I prefer this image to the innocent image she had for APink. Kyungsoon has natural aegyo, she doesn’t need an innocent concept to try and force it out

I’m glad Kyungsoon is getting exposure on this show, but I wish she would debut…

Kyungsoon should have gotten the benefit… In the Same Place had a shock factor and the song fits the current trend, that’s the reason why it won.

Please keep supporting Kyungsoon! The votes are resetting before the next ranking and elimination, so no one is safe!

Kyungsoon has so much emotion in her voice

‘The Light’ really should have been first, the song has so much meaning for our country

 

☆

 

“Seyun, you’re sounding better each time we practice,” Junmae praised. The two trainees were taking a small break with Jonghae before they continued to practice with the rest of their team for the evaluation. “And Jonghae, you’re getting the choreography in ways I never thought possible when I first saw your stage.”

Jonghae did a little victory dance, “Seyunnie has been helping me since the very beginning, I only have her to thank.”

“I don’t have anything to do with it, Eonnie,” Seyun blushed, shaking her head. “You never took a lesson before, but that didn’t mean you’re bad at learning.” When Jonghae looked like she was about to protest, Seyun continued, “You’re comparing yourself to other people that have been training for years. You really should give yourself more credit.”

“The baby speaks the truth,” Junmae nodded sagely. “However, the baby is also forgetting how much she’s improved since the first evaluation, so she might be deflecting my compliment, no matter how cute she is.”

“I’m not deflecting your compliment,” Seyun pouted. “I just don’t think I deserve it.”

Junmae gave her a look, “After we go through this evaluation, after we win this evaluation, try to say you’re not deflecting, I dare you.”

 

☆

 

[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ trainees form bands and become ultimate girl crushes

Don’t lose faith, Chanyeon and Yixiu! You showed off your talents well!

Yum Yum team… I thought they were going to win for sure, Baehee was so good TTATT

Seyun’s ending pose… don’t cry, Oppa will always vote for you TT-TT

Minseon-nuna… seriously amazing…

       +She’s a monolid beauty

Minseon and Lu Huan were amazing in ‘Fingertips,’ they looked like your cool eonnie

Yixiu was really cool this week, Chanyeon too! I hope they don’t drop TT-TT

Was Seyun always this good at singing? All I remember is that she has a lisp half the time

Jonghae’s high notes are always so refreshing

Junmae’s voice suits songs like these

 

☆

 

Chanyeon really wondered what she did to deserve standing on that plastic platform, a camera on her yet again as Dojung announced she was on the borderline with another trainee for the second time in a row, her fellow bandmate being the trainee this time. Yixiu was hardly ranked any higher than her, sitting at 14th place, the rest of their bandmates already eliminated. If she could slide in at 18th place, she would be eternally grateful, but the Genius trainee was incredibly jealous of Minseon’s slightly safer ranking of 17th. She was tired of always having her life on the line. It wasn’t good for her health.

Even more than Minseon though, Chanyeon was jealous of the top three. Despite not winning the concept evaluation, Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan were an unshakable force at the top. Seyun sat at fourth place due to once again winning a point benefit, but with a gap of almost 100,000 points, Lu Huan had easily taken third place. Even more amazing was that Kyungsoon had fallen to second, and Baehee had risen to first with almost 400,000 votes accumulated in a week.

It was amazing how the power of individual votes was shown after the reset. Company alliances were moot, and the rankings were expected to change and favor the most popular members, but no one had expected Baehee to return to where she had been at the end of the first episode, including the individual trainee. Chanyeon had watched with a proud smile as the individual trainee broke down in to tears, crouching on her spot on the platform when Dojung had announced she was first. She had continually worked her off, and the Genius trainee would easily admit she deserved it.

“Not only is it the battle of the instrumentalists, it’s the battle of the Parks,” Dojung read. “Genius Entertainment’s Park Chanyeon and YK Entertainment’s Park Yerin.”

“With twenty-one thousand, five hundred sixty-three votes, which Park will move on to the final stage?”

 

☆

 

[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ has final eliminations before last stage

I had no idea individual votes had this much of an effect, the gap between Kyungsoon and the other SPY trainees was insane.

Chanyeon and Yixiu TT-TT

Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan are seriously amazing, none of them got the benefit, but they’re all on top

Jonghae has been a steady contender all because of her voice TT-TT As long as she makes it into the final lineup, I’m pleased

Baehee’s fans all came out to vote after the reset kekeke

Lu Huan’s popularity is undeniable, looks like there will be foreigners in Korea’s national girl group kekeke

Chanyeon was saved again, but please vote for her! She deserves to debut!

Junmae has been quietly rising all this time, I’m proud she finally broke the top nine

I guess most of Jonghae’s votes were because of Baehee? I thought she had a lot YouTube fans…

       + They both have a lot of fans online, but Jonghae originally had less

       + Jonghae’s fans are also likely to be Baehee’s fans, so fans had to pick between them

Kyungsoon will always be the center in my heart TT-TT

 

☆

 

Jonghae sat on her bed, the night before their final stage. In less than twenty-four hours, her fate would be decided. Honestly, she didn’t think that she would make it as far as she had. There were a lot of trainees represented by companies that could hit the same notes she could, but they had already been sent home. “The number keeps getting smaller and smaller…”

“And the three of us are still here,” Lu Huan said with a smile.

“Yep, and we’re going to last until the very end,” Baehee grinned. “Jonghae finally broke the top nine, so I’m more sure of this now than ever.”

“I was still only eighth with the extra points,” Jonghae pointed out.

“I could drop any time.” Baehee shook her head. “It would be insane not to put you in the group. Your voice is unlike any other. Plus, you’re cute. People always vote for the cute ones.” She winked at the girl, “I’m first, aren’t I?”

 

☆

 

“How does it feel to be knocked off your throne?” Minseon joked as she slid on her faux school blazer. The live show was about to start, and while she was nervous, she was also excited to stand on the stage again. To be in the final eighteen was a huge accomplishment, but Minseon was ready to prove that she deserved more, that she deserved to debut.

“Absolutely amazing.” If Kyungsoon was being honest, she preferred second place. There was a lot less pressure on her now that Baehee was first. The SPY maknae didn’t really care about where she ranked if she was being honest, she just wanted to debut. Even if she ranked ninth, she would be grateful to have made the cut. There was sure to be massive shock, but Kyungsoon couldn’t bring herself to be bothered by that.

Yixiu wore an amused smile as she put on her mic pack, “For someone who hates getting attention, you sure do attract a lot of it.”

“I think it’s the lips,” Minseon said thoughtfully, looking at the girl’s face. “Our Kyungsoon has some of the most beautiful lips in South Korea.”

 

☆

 

“Seyunnie, you don’t want to forget your mic pack,” Chanyeon said, tucking it into the girl’s shorts multi-color shorts carefully. She gave the girl a soft smile, “We need to be able to hear that pretty voice of yours.”

“I wish we were on the same team,” Seyun pouted. While she was wearing a black crop top, Chanyeon was dressed opposite her in a white one. They had chosen their teams and positions by ranking, and since Chanyeon had gone first, she was bound to get moved around. The two Genius trainees had done their best to stick together, and when Seyun had picked her position and team, the two had both been on the black team. However, Lu Huan had quickly moved Chanyeon to the rap position on the white team, put Seyun in Chanyeon’s old position on the black team and claimed Seyun’s sub-vocal position.

“But at least my rap leads into yours,” Chanyeon focused on the bright side. “We bridge the gap between our teams.” “It’s not the same, Chanyeon-eonnie,” Seyun pouted even more.

“Can I be a good enough replacement?” Junmae asked. The Crown trainee was wearing a black overall dress with multi-color straps. “I’m not nearly as tall, but I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll have you know that I am irreplaceable,” Chanyeon hugged Seyun close to her. “Our nickname is Se-eob-Chan, there is no room for Jun.”

“There is when we’re on the same team,” Junmae chimed before taking Seyun’s hand. “You’ve got to go get into position, Chan.”

 

☆

 

[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ The nation makes a final decision

This group has solid vocals, solid dancers, solid visuals and even solid instrumentalists… they’re set kekeke do well, Eunha Sonyeo!

Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Jonghae are all amazing vocals

Princess of China, Lu Huan, is here to bless us all

Chanyeon can sing and harmonize well, she can rap well, and she plays lots of instruments. She deserved to make the final lineup

       +I’m so thankful TT-TT

All their visuals are great, and they’re all talented, I have no complaints

Wow… never would have thought individual trainees would survive until the very end

Junmae’s words about Jongmi TToTT

Seyun’s visuals really are no joke, she’s a great dancer, and her voice is soft and sweet, I don’t know if I can handle her promotions TT-TT

Yixiu, Seyun, and Minseon are a solid dance line, I hope their debut showcases them well

Lu Huan and Yixiu are foreigners, but no one can complain because they’re talented

 

☆

 

“You’re terminating our contracts?”

Minseon, Kyungsoon, and Yixiu sat inside their company CEO’s office, faces displaying pure shock. It was a week after the competition had ended, and they had just begun preparing for their debut with the rest of Eunha Sonyeo. The three had been excited to finally debut and promote in a group, but it seemed like their world was crashing down around them.

Their CEO nodded, “It’s unfortunate, but it is for the best. SPY will be debuting a new girl group in two months to capitalize on the success from the show, but the three of you cannot take part in the group due to your contracts.”

“But we were the three trainees that you sent on the show,” Minseon protested. “If a new girl group debuts from under this company, people are going to be looking for us.”

“I’ll be honest,” the CEO sighed, “I never expected for you to make the final group, and I had hoped to debut you after you were eliminated. The other girls you usually train with have been learning the songs and choreography while you were gone.”

“We can’t debut in the group, but everyone else who can debut is ready to,” Yixing pieced it together, “so we’re cut from the lineup.”

“There are enough girls that it’s not awkward, so there’s no problem,” Kyungsoon said quietly. “Why are our contracts being terminated though?”

“Because it’s going to be a long time before we debut in another group if we stay,” Minseon answered for the CEO. “We’ll probably be too old for whatever group debuts by then.” She had been afraid she would eventually leave SPY, but she never thought that it would happen in this way. She never thought that she would be kicked out of the company that she had been a part of for four long years. All because their CEO hadn’t believed they would win enough votes to debut.

“Minseon is correct,” the CEO nodded. “This isn’t simply a contract termination, it’s a way for you to still debut in your prime without being tied to this company. I acknowledge that I’m putting you in an awkward position, so I’ll be releasing you from your contracts when your promotions as members of Eunha Sonyeo are over.” What was even worse was that the next SPY girl group would be hyped up by their success on the show, and they wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits. They wouldn’t have a company backing them when it was all over… they had nowhere to go when Eunha Sonyeo disbanded.

 

☆

 

The rest of the year had been a rush of songs and promotions. The girl group formally known as Eunha Sonyeo had been worked to the fullest, appearing on variety show after variety show to promote two mini albums, and three digital singles. After their promotions had ended, the nation’s girl group formally known as Euna Sonyeo had gathered together for a disbandment party two days after Christmas to say their final, tear-filled goodbyes. They started on a live stream in which each of the girls had thanked the viewers for all of their support over the course of the year, played games, and talked about the bond they had formed and the memories they had made. The stream ended with Minseon giving their final thanks as the leader of Eunha Sonyeo, but the night had just begun.

Once the cameras had been turned off, the nine girls continued to talk about all that had happened behind the scenes on their year long journey. They had become something akin to a family, going to member graduations and meeting each other’s siblings (it was a general consensus that Seyun’s older brother was incredibly attractive and Baehee’s older brother was a close second). They were sad that it was all coming to an end, and the tears continued to fall no matter what they were talking about.

Baehee sighed, “From almost a hundred girls to nine…it’s still amazing to me.” She shook her head, trying to hold back more tears, “I can’t believe we were the ones to last until the very end.”

“It’s insane,” Jonghae agreed, wiping stray tears. She gave a watery smile, “I guess it’s time to go back to making covers in my bedroom.”

“I guess it’s time for me to start a channel,” Kyungsoon laughed halfheartedly. She looked to Minseon and Yixiu hopefully, “Do you want to make one together? I really don’t want to do this alone. I’m too used to performing with you.”

Kyungsoon’s words served as a bitter reminder that the three wouldn’t be returning to their company come the next morning. When SPY had announced plans for a new girl group made up of both Korean and Chinese girls in the middle of Eunha Sonyeo’s second mini-album promotions, the rest of the girls had been shocked to find out that Minseon, Yixiu, and Kyungsoon had been dropped by their company in exchange for the hype they had created. It was shrewd business move, and it spoke more of the entertainment industry than the malicious editing on the show ever would.

“Definitely,” Yixiu was earnest in her reply. “Even though we met in SPY, it wasn’t the reason we became friends.”

“Besides, Yixiu and I wouldn’t leave our baby all alone,” Minseon teased, her eyes shining with tears. She looked to the actual maknae of the group, “No offense.”

“There is only one baby of the group, and that baby is me,” Seyun pouted from her place snuggled comfortably in Chanyeon’s arms. “Kyungsoon-eonnie is an imposter.”

“I still remember you saying how you weren’t a little kid when we first met,” Jonghae laughed. “It’s nice to see that you’ve come around to the idea.” When Seyun stuck her tongue out in reply, Jonghae’s smile only widened, but it also grew sad. “I have to thank you again for helping me with the choreography when we were on the show, I probably wouldn’t have lasted if you hadn’t.” She looked at the rest of the girls, “We all helped each other out, didn’t we? It’s like we were destined to become a group.”

“I’m glad it was us,” Minseon said, “I’m glad the nine of us got to debut. I honestly thought that this show was my last chance to prove to our CEO that I was ready to debut, but it looks like it was actually my last chance to debut, period.” She paused, the weight of her words settling on top of herself. She had done what she had jokingly said she wanted to do, debut before she turned twenty-five. However, she would most likely be retiring before she hit twenty-two. She swallowed thickly, “It’s okay though, I’m just glad that I could meet you guys. We all have to stay in touch, okay?” the former leader said, “No matter where we end up, we’ll all support each other.”

“Of course,” Baehee nodded earnestly, “And we can do collabs on each other’s channels! It’ll be kind of hard because Jonghae and I aren’t from anywhere near Seoul, but we can make it work… we’ll definitely make it work, I know we will.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, snuggled up together, not wanting the moment to end. All nine knew that would eventually have to though. They were leaving the dorms the next day, and none of them had finished packing yet. They had purposely been dragging the process out, but they knew they had to get to it eventually. Minseon was the first one to drag her body up the stairs to the room she shared with Lu Huan and Yixiu, and Chanyeon soon followed, taking Seyun by the hand and leading the girl to the room they shared with Junmae.

“Uh, guys?” Chanyeon called the rest of the girls, “There’s another bed in here that I swear wasn’t here this morning!”

“Junmae finally cleaned up all her stuff?” Lu Huan asked with a snort as she walked over to their doorway. “It’s about time, we’re going to be evicted tomor—what the hell?” Eyes wide, the Chinese girl raced over to the staircase, “Minseon! There’s seriously another bed in there!”

Minseon came over to the staircase and looked down at the other, thoroughly confused, “Our beds are different. Why are our beds different?”

“I’m just gonna…” Baehee booked it to the room she shared with Kyungsoon and Jonghae and opened the door. With wide eyes, she stared at the changes that had been made. While there wasn’t an extra bed, the beds and bedding had been changed from the thin white frames and inconspicuous sheets that had been there that morning to a much sturdier wood and a disturbing lack of sheets. Their personal blankets, pillows, and fan gifts remained intact, but as far as Baehee could tell, all of the YMC furnishings were gone. She walked back into the living room to see the rest of the girls gathered back together. “Um… what is happening, and when did it start?”

“We were out of the dorms for a few hours earlier today, so that’s probably when they changed out the beds?” Junmae guessed. They hadn’t gone into their rooms when they had come back because their stylists had immediately started getting them ready for their goodbye stream, and their manager had brought food for them to eat while they were waiting.

“But if YMC is cleaning all their beds and stuff out, why couldn’t they just wait until tomorrow?” Chanyeon blinked owlishly, “We still need to have somewhere to sleep.”

“And why is there an extra bed?” Seyun asked in confusion. “Most apartments don’t just have ten beds lying around.”

“Maybe they’re getting it ready for the next season?” Kyungsoon guessed. “I read some articles last week saying they started recording for it already, and the final group is supposed to have more members.” She made a face, “I think some netizens were saying that Mnet was trying to make us too much like Girl’s Generation with our member count.”

“… So they’re going with an even bigger number?” Jonghae raised a brow. “I figured they’d try to create the next 2NE1 for the second season.”

Yixiu shrugged, “Big groups are the trend right now.”

“I still don’t get why they had to take our sheets… we would have washed them in the morning if they had asked us to,” Minseon rolled her eyes.

“We can have a sleepover here in the living room,” Seyun suggested, “It’s our last night, and even if YMC hadn’t taken our sheets, I’d want to spend it with you guys.”

Lu Huan tilted her head upwards, blinking rapidly, “Just when I thought I was done crying, our baby has to go and make me start all over again.” She enveloped the younger girl in a hug, “Of course we can have a sleepover, Seyunnie.”

The girls went to working, bringing all of their blankets and pillows into the living room, and in the middle of the process, the doorbell started to ring. Minseon wandered over to the door with a raised brow, “Uh, no one ordered chicken, right?” When she heard chorus of negative answers, she became wary. It was close to ten o’clock at night, who could possibly be at their door? Praying it wasn’t a sasaeng, she looked out the peephole. “… Um, why is the Genius CEO here?”

“Hah?” Chanyeon looked over to the door from the pillow fort she was creating, “Bae Haneul-seonsaengnim?”

“Yeah…” Minseon trailed off as she opened the door. “Seonsaengnim, hello,” she gave the woman a respectful bow. The rest of the girls hurried over to greet the CEO, most of them considering the woman to be a living legend.

Haneul smiled warmly at them, “Good evening, girls. I’m sorry to interrupt, but Nam Hojin-ssi and I had planned to speak with you all.” She gave a quick glance around the room, “It seems that I’ve beaten him here… Just a second,” the nine girls watched as she called the Crown Entertainment CEO. “... Are you close?” She turned towards the door, “I see, I’ll begin without you then. Let me know when you get here… Yes, I understand… Okay, bye.” She walked over to one of the chairs in the living room, carefully avoiding the spread of pillows and blanks with an amused smile. Sitting down, she set her large handbag next to the chair and looked at the girls, “Take a seat, let’s have a conversation.”

They trailed over to the couch quietly and sat down, wondering what the CEO could possibly have to tell them since her company only managed two of them.

“Today is the official end of your promotions as Eunha Sonyeo, a girl group that was chosen by Korea even if some of the members didn’t call the country their home,” she gave Lu Huan and Yixiu pointed looks before chuckling. “I remembered when Rebelle disbanded… we’d been together for four years, but I hadn’t wanted it to end. I knew that I would keep in touch with the rest of the members, and yet, that wasn’t enough for me. I wouldn’t only miss them, I would miss standing on stage.” She looked at the girls, “It’s the same for you all, right? Living together for nine months and promoting together for eight, it’s obvious that you’ll miss each other, but your time on the stage was also too short. You can always meet up with friends, but promotions are different.” She nodded to herself, “That’s why I went solo.”

A vibration then came from Haneul’s handbag, and she took her phone out, “Mm… he’ll be pulling up in a few more minutes. Perfect.” She sent a quick reply before looking to one of the foreign girls, “Lu Huan… what’s your current situation if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um, well, I’m a student at Seoul Arts, and honestly… that’s about it.” she replied slowly. “My company released me from my contract when I signed one with YMC after the show ended.” She looked to the CEO, “I’ve always wanted to join a Korean company, and Ringleader accepted that. I’ll start going to auditions again in the new year.”

“Mm… I see…” Haneul nodded in understanding. “Would you like to join Genius?”

“Would I—what?” Lu Huan stared at the woman in shock. “Are you serious?”

“I have six contracts in my handbag and one of them is for you,” Haneul smiled. She took out six folders, and suddenly the girls understood why her handbag was so big. They were speechless as she handed the folders out. “There are two more Genius Entertainment contracts for Byun Baehee and Kim Jonghae, and there are three Crown Entertainment contracts, courtesy of Nam Hojin-ssi, for Do Kyungsoon, Zhang Yixiu and our oldest eonnie, Kim Minseon.”

“You’re inviting us to join your company?” Baehee stared down at the contract with blurry eyes before looking up at the woman. “Really?”

Haneul’s smile grew as she nodded the affirmative, and Baehee’s tears started to fall uncontrollably, tears dropping down onto the folder. She wasn’t the only one, all nine girls had begun to cry, glad that none of the members would be without a company to return to when the morning came. They could barely hear the CEO as she went on to explain that Genius Entertainment and Crown Entertainment would be pursuing a joint venture to produce a girl group they believed could become the leaders of the next generation of idols.

“The group will have ten members because we want to keep the member count balanced between each company,” Haneul continued.

“… Ten?” Seyun looked up, sniffling slightly. “Is that why there’s an extra bed in our room?”

“YMC’s lease on your dorm ends tomorrow, but that’s also when Crown Entertainment’s lease begins,” Haneul nodded. “They took all of their furnishing out, and we’re in the process of putting ours in.” Before she could continue, the doorbell sounded. “That should be Hojin-ssi,” she went over to the door and let the man in, but another body shuffled in after him, rolling a suitcase into the apartment.

The girls all craned their heads, trying to get a glimpse of their final member. The girl was holding a stuffed bear in her arms as she bowed, “My name is Kim Jongmi, and I’ll be debuting with all of you.” Her eyes were shining with tears as she greeted them, a smile on her face, “Please take care of me.”

 

☆

 

[enter-talk] Genius and Crown follow successes on ‘Nation’s Nine’ and reveal teasers for new girl group

Seriously amazing… this lineup is perfect

I don’t know if they’re aliens or super heroes, but I’m glad they can do something stronger than the innocent concept Eunha Sonyeo had

Let’s debut, Jongmimi!!

Baehee, Lu Huan, and Jonghae joined the same company in the end TTATT

Jongmi took the rest of the year to heal, and now she gets to debut! As a fan, I couldn’t be any happier.

The class of Genius and Crown kekeke Only these companies could come up with this kind of concept for a girl group

So the rumors are true TT-TT

Jongmi can finally debut TToTT

The teasers they’ve been posting are amazing TT-TT Oppa will support you until the very end

Do well, EXO!