Unlike previous episodes, the logo flickers out after a few seconds instead of smashing. The scene shifts to show the twelve remaining contestants sitting in the dorm's main living space, a heavy silence around them.

No one seems inclined to say anything - even Natchaya is oddly silent, staring out the window instead of trying to spark any conversation or controversy.

Most eyes are on the door, and more than one girl is fidgeting nervously.

Finally Kaerin breaks and speaks. "Why do you think it's taking so long?" She sounds like she's trying to be upbeat, but nerves sneak into her question and the tension seems to fall heavier on the group.

"Olivia is probably being difficult." Hiroko's reply is dry. She's sitting away from the other girls, a clear outcast from the contestants.

Miyeon and Jiwon both glance at Hiroko before sharing a look with each other.

The door opens shortly after.

"Apologies for making you wait girls, we had some difficulties with the eliminated contestants." Hyomin's words are brisk, and Hiroko rolls her eyes, sighing slightly.

It shifts to an interview with the singer.

"I love Liv, I do. She was my only friend on the show. But she really isn't graceful in failure." She shrugs. "I mean obviously it's not ideal that I'm by myself now, but maybe..." She hesitates, looking like she's phsycially pained by the next words. "Maybe Yeeun had a point. Experience is important, and maybe I need to... to step back and learn from the people around me as well as books."

The scene shifts back to Hyomin, now joined by Gyujin, as she addresses the remaining contestants.

"Now for the next challenge we're going to be completely honest and open about how it's going to work. I know some of you have been frustrated by the unfair or surprise eliminations recently, and we felt it would only be fair to give you fair warning for the next challenge."

Several of the girls look happy with the news, but Jiwon and Shisae especially look wary.

Gyujin picks up her explanation. "Today will be the last episode, at least for a few weeks, that will feature an elimination."

That gets everyone's attention. Gyujin quickly continues before anyone else can speak up.

"The judges have divided you into two teams of six. The girls you're grouped with today will be who you'll most likely be debuting with at the end of the show. However," Again the girls threaten to being speaking excitedly over him and he has to briefly raise his voice to keep focus. "As you know the final group will only have five members. And so, at the end of this week's performances one member from each team will be eliminated. The decision for this eliminated member rests solely on the viewers and the judges."

The contestants all stare at him, suddenly wordless.

"Two eliminations? Again? And we have no say in how they go?" Aerin sounds almost franctic in her interview. "How do we even do that?"

Jiwon is frowning. "It almost feels like they're still pitting us against each other despite these being our final teams. We have to somehow stand out from the others so one of them is eliminated, and then we have to all work together like we're best friends?" She tilts her head. "I guess that is pretty much how things go behind the scenes though."

The scene changes back to the dorms as both Hyomin and Gyujin pull out identical envelopes.

"We each have the list for one of the two groups. We'll be alternately calling out the members." Hyomin clears . "The first member of Team One is Miyeon." The host waves for the contestant to stand beside her, and Miyeon glances at her friend group before walking over.

Gyujin glances at his list. "Hiroko."

Miyeon almost looks upset when the other girl walks over to Gyujin. However the camera quickly cuts back to Hyomin as she reads the next name.

"Jiwon."

The rest of each group is called in quick succession and the girls move to stand beside the host who calls them.

"Minah."

"Shisae."

"Aerin."

"Kaerin."

"Jakyung."

"Ahri."

"Natchaya."

Soon just Kyungmi and Yoonhee are waiting for their placements. The scene cuts to a shot of Yoonhee.

"Kyungmi and I clicked on the first day we met. Not debuting with her never seemed like a possibility. But when we were the only ones left it was pretty obvious we wouldn't be with each other for the rest of the show." Her eyes are focused downwards. "I still can't imagine that."

The scene switches back to the dorms, where Hyomin reads out the final member of Team One. "Kyungmi."

Kyungmi walks over to the main host, where Miyeon and Kaerin smile and greet her. Yoonhee walks over to Gyujin without prompting, where Minah greets her with a comforting hug.

Gyujin looks slightly uncomfortable. "Well, we'll take you girls to your practice rooms and explain your new challenge to you there."

The contestants file out after their respective host and the screen divides out into a split screen, following both groups as they traipse through the halls of Arirang.

Team One has paired off. At the front beside Hyomin, Jiwon and Miyeon are speaking in hushed tones, occasionally glancing at the rest of the gorup as they do.

Kaerin is chattering to Kyungmi behind them, though the dancer is clearly not listening, trapped in her own thoughts.

Taking up the rear are Ahri and Shisae. Their conversation isn't as continuous as the two before them, but there's a comfort between the two that is somewhat absent from the others.

On the right of the screen, Team Two seems to be more lively due to their conversation involving most of the group.

Jakyung is obviously cracking her usual puns from the way Natchaya is laughing and Hiroko is rolling her eyes. Aerin responds to whatever Jakyung had said and gets a rasberry blown at her courtesy of Natchaya for her troubles. Even Gyujin is clearly amused and engaged in the shenanigans.

Only Minah and Yoonhee walk a bit away from the group. Minah seems distant, and Yoonhee is completely closed off, hunched over as she walks at the end of the line.

The groups reach their destinations almost simultaneously, and the screen focuses in on Team One and Hyomin.

As the six girls gather in the room, Hyomin pulls more papers from her jacket and hands them to Miyeon, who accepts them with some confusion.

"This challenge will be a little different than the others. Since these will possibly be our final groups, we want to see what you can do with an original song."

The scene switches to show Gyujin addressing Team Two.

"We've already selected two songs, and the judges assigned them to the teams." He pulls out some papers and hands them to Hiroko, who accepts them in surprise.

"There are choreographers on standby if you need them, as well as back up dancers. You have the entire week to perfect your performances and an audience will vote on who will be eliminated." Hyomin continues the explanation to Team One.

"One week for a new song? I don't think that's even possible." Aerin complains in an interview. "I mean, think about how long it takes groups to make comebacks. That's months of hard work to create a hopefully decent product."

Doyeol's voice sounds from behind the camera. "Well they've done it on survival shows before. Produce 101 did it, and they only had three days on Twenty-One."

"Yeah well." Aerin can't seem to come up with a response.

The scene switches back to Team One. Hyomin has left and Miyeon is passing out the papers.

"So I guess this is our song." She announces, sounding more like she's just trying to fill the silence with something.

Shisae scans the pages critically. "I think I can have a choreography for this by tomorrow." She announces. "If we can get the line distributions done quickly."

The others look at her in surprise, but Jiwon quickly recovers and nods.

"Sounds good. I think the obvious is to give Kaerin the chorus parts since she's the best vocalist, and Ahri can take the bridge as our second best." She looks around for argument.

Miyeon looks slightly annoyed, but she bites her lip. "It sounds good to me. Guys?"

Ahri is looking over the paper as she nods slowly. "I can probably take part of one of the versus too, if that's alright?"

Jiwon nods. "Miyeon, Kyungmi, and I can split the rest, and obviously the rap goes to Shisae."

Kaerin raises her hand. "Um, the chorus is pretty long, and I'm not... a great dancer." She looks embarrassed. "Maybe I could share?"

Miyeon responds before Jiwon can. "Of course. Shisae, you've sung in the past and I thought you were pretty good. Why don't you take it?"

Everyone looks at the visual in confusion, including Shisae.

"Why not give it to Ahri or take it yourself?"

Miyeon shrugs. "You haven't had much screen time and I thought it would be nice to give you more spotlight so it's fair when eliminations come. Plus you're the best dancer in the group so putting you center isn't a bad idea." She adds.

Jiwon has an eyebrow raised. "Kyungmi-unnie, are you alright with that? I was going to ask if you wanted those parts."

Kyungmi looks startled, clearly not having been paying much attention the the discussion. Once recovered, she glances at Miyeon. "No, that's okay. I agree with what Miyeon-unnie says."

Jiwon glances at Miyeon before she shrugs. "Alright then. Shisae-unnie, think you can do that?"

Shisae shrugs. "I guess if no one else wants it, sure."

The scene shifts to Team Two, who are also working on line distributions.

"Hang on, Yoonhee doesn't have a part in the first section." Hiroko almost sounds uncertain as she speaks up.

Aerin, who seem to be running things, glances down at her paper. "Huh, I didn't notice. Yoonhee why didn't you say anything?"

The dancer shies away slightly as the group all turn to look at her. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's not trouble." Aerin says impatiently. "We're trying to make the line distribution as even as possible, so you not saying anything is more trouble since we have to rearrange that part now."

Hiroko coughs lightly. "Maybe she could take the opening line and then be the main focus during the chorus?" She offers.

Natchaya rolls her eyes. "We said no one would take the chorus parts, remember? It was your idea."

Hiroko makes a face, but then takes a few deep breaths, calming herself down. "I know, but there still needs to be one main voice each time. Why not give it to Yoonhee for the first chorus? Everyone will still be singing, but she'll be the focus."

"And you don't want the chorus?" Natchaya sounds slightly mocking. Aerin nods her agreement with the question.

Hiroko's face shows clear strain as she fights to keep her voice even as she replies to Natchaya. "I'm trying to be a team player here Natchaya, don't push it."

"Yeah, she's not a shopping cart!" Jakyung pipes up, grinning happily, but her shoulders are a bit tense.

Natchaya giggles, and Hiroko lets out a faint sigh of relief, glancing over at Jakyung with a smile.

However Jakyung turns away from her to continue addressing the group. "So let's start on the next part!"

Hiroko stares at the turned back for a long moment, confusion, frustration, and hurt on her features before she inches a bit closer to the group to listen to the conversation.

A time stamp on the screen shows that it's been three days since the new challenge was assigned. The screen focuses to show Team One practicing their dance.

The six girls are accompanied by male backup dancers and all are listening intently as Shisae addresses them.

"The prop's movement shouldn't be noticable to the audience. Right now it's too clear that we're rushing to move it around." She frowns. "Maybe we just cut it."

Miyeon is immediately shaking her head. "We mostly have the dance and the prop is fun, plus it matches the theme. Maybe we can shift the formation around so that it's better hidden." She decides concisely, and the others can't do much more than nod in agreement.

Shisae frowns, and it cuts to an interview with her.

"Miyeon is used to being in charge, but changing a dance willy-nilly is the choreographer's call, not the leader's." She says quietly. There's no anger in her posture though, just annoyance.

The scene switches back to Team One, apparently a few hours later as they're practicing the new arrangement. However there are still problems, namely with Jiwon, who's riding on top of the rolling prop they're using.

"Why don't you just not move as much while you're up there?" Ahri suggests as she helps the team's maknae off of the floor after Jiwon yet again falls off the prop.

"We need to keep the energy up during the performance." Jiwon replies, brushing off her dress and rubbing her elbow where she'd landed. "Natchaya especially has very high performance energy, so we'll want to be able to fully combat that with every aspect of our performance. We want to show we're ready to debut together, and even one member having lower energy will hurt the performance." Her eyes seem to instinctively go to the side as she glances at someone off screen.

Miyeon nods agreement. "Jiwon is right. We need everyone focused and pumped up the entire time or the performance will fall flat. Let's try it again."

Everyone falls back into position and Shisae cues the music.

The scene shifts to Team Two. Their choreography seems to be much simpler, and thus going much more smoothly.

"Great job guys, I think you've got that part nailed! Why don't you take a water break, you've earned it." An unfamiliar man turns off the music and claps his hands.

The scene cuts to an interview with Hiroko.

"Mr. Kim, our choreographer, is really nice and very patient, but I sort of feel like we're moving too slowly. We still need to record the song but we haven't even finished learning the dance yet."

"Have you said anything to your team?" Doyeol prompts.

Hiroko shakes her head. "I'm trying to let everyone else take charge for a bit. Try listening for once."

"Not to say that that's a bad thing, but if you feel your group isn't acomplishing the task then maybe you should say something." The cameraman points out.

Hiroko frowns.

Back with Team Two, the girls have begun a new section of the choreography, and Yoonhee is clearly struggling.

The choreographer stops the music and turns directly to her. "Yoonhee-ah, you seem quite distracted. This is the third time now that I've had to tell you to walk out left, not right." He sighs.

Yoonhee looks down in embarrassment, but Minah quickly comes to her rescue. "Sorry sir. She just found out she's not going to debut with her best friend and it's just a lot to take in." She smiles winningly at the choreographer, and he sighs but gives in.

"Look, why don't you take another break Yoonhee, go see your friend. We can run the dance without you for a bit."

Yoonhee awkwardly leaves the room.

Aerin looks highly annoyed in her interview. "I get that she's sad, but Minah-unnie just lost Eugene and even I knew those two were attached at the hip. But she's still working hard to make the performance great. Yoonhee needs to get it together."

"Did you think maybe you don't sympathize with her because you have no friends in the competiion?" Doyeol's voice is challenging, and Aerin's response indicates she's tearing up some, though she does a good job keeping the tears away from her eyes.

"I had it rough the first few weeks. I'm making friends just fine now." She glances away from the camera.

The view changes to a hallway, where Yoonhee and Kyungmi are standing together. There's faint music indicating that Team One is nearby practicing.

Kyungmi looks elated. "I'm so happy you came over! I forgot how boring it is not being on a team together." She says enthusiastically.

Yoonhee smiles in return. "Same, I miss you. Though my team is nice, plus Minah is there so it isn't so bad."

Kyungmi pouts. "Maybe. But I wonder if there's some way that we can change the teams..."

Yoonhee looks surprised. "I don't think that would happen. We're on different teams now."

Kyungmi sighs. "I just don't want to debut with..." She trails off and glances at the door they're standing near. "I don't dislike them or anything but I really wanted us to debut together."

Yoonhee is straight-up frowning now. "You're with Miyeon and Kaerin unnies though, and they're our friends too. I know we pinky promised to debut together but sometimes things... don't work out." She says the last part as if she's made an incredible discovery, and she looks up and Kyungmi solemnly.

"I think," She says, "That maybe we shouldn't talk anymore. Unless we're all on break or something. We have to be on opposite teams now, so we should be focusing on what comes next."

"You sound like Jiwon." Kyungmi cuts her off, sounding upset. "And no way. Friendship should trump competition. We can figure this out-"

"Thinking about it has made me so distracted I can't tell right rom left anymore!" Yoonhee explodes.

Kyungmi stares at her in shock, but Yoonhee keeps going.

"I'm not saying we should stop being friends, you're one of the best friends I've ever had! But I think I understand Hiroko-unnie a bit better now. This is a competiton, and you have to think about the end game. Always." She's looking away from Kyungmi and her voice shakes slightly, but she stands firm.

Kyungmi's eyes darken as she stares down her friend. "Alright. I get it." She finally says.

Yoonhee looks up, ready to say something, but Kyungmi turns away and heads back into the Team One practice room, leaving her friend standing in the hallway alone.

In Team Two's practice room, the other contestants are taking a break when Yoonhee returns.

"Hey, how'd it go with Kyungmi?" Minah greets her friend warmly, her voice colored with sympathy.

Yoonhee smiles at the oldest contestant somewhat sadly before she takes a breath and marches up to Hiroko.

The Japanese contestant looks up in surprise. "Hey Yoonhee, what's up?" She goes for casual, but her confusion is evident.

"Would you be willing to show me the new parts of the choreography?" She addresses the next words to the room in general. "I'm sorry for being distracted, and I promise I'll be putting in a hundred percent from now on."

The camera changes to an interview with Minah.

"I mean Hiroko is an amazing dancer, so it's not surprising Yoonhee would ask her for help." The dancer sounds insistent, but there is barely concealed hurt in her eyes as she speaks. "I'm not upset that she didn't ask me." Doyeol seems to give her a look from behind the camera as she starts fumbling out words after glancing in his direction.

"I mean really, I'm just kind of an awkward mess and am probably one of the least talented people even here, I don't even know why I made it this far, I'm sure I'll be cut this round and-" She sounds like she's about to start crying when Doyeol cuts her off, apparently taking pity on the clearly miserable girl.

"She went to Hiroko because she felt a sense of solidarity with her in that moment. SOmething that happened when she was talking to Kyungmi. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Minah, you've made it this far for a reason, and it's not just luck."

Minah sniffs and wipes at her eyes, offering Doyeol a watery smile. "Thanks oppa. I'll try to keep a positive mindset."

It switches to an interview with Hiroko.

"I think I was as surprised as anyone when Yoonhee came to me, but of course I helped her. We're teammates now, and hopefully for the next year as well." She smiles. "And I admit... it felt really nice to feel needed. I haven't really felt that in a while."

The scene the camera returns to is with Team One in a recording studio.

"Cut. Come on Kyungmi, I know your lines are pretty simple but you can still give some effort." Jiwon sounds extremely frustrated. She's alone in the booth while the rest of the group wait outside to record themselves.

"I am. Just autotune them or something." Kyungmi replies, sounding just as tired and frustrated as Jiwon.

Jiwon throws her hands up in a rare show of raw emotion. "Fine! Tell Miyeon it's her turn then."

Kyungmi leaves the booth and it cuts to an interview with her.

"Jiwon is just super picky. She always has been." She defends herself. "Plus I was a bit upset - anyone would act the same."

"She's just being very immature at the moment. If she can't handle this, how will she handle being an actual idol? Kyungmi seems like a nice enough girl but she has a lot of growing up left to do." Jiwon's thoughts on the matter are much calmer than Kyungmi's, though there is trace annoyance in her voice.

Team Two, on the other hand, seems to be getting along quite well since Yoonhee's talk with Kyungmi.

"Hey how do these look?" Ahri holds up two bright yellow polo shirts, showing them off to Jakyung, who grins widely.

"I think they'll be a real hit!" Jakyung grins, and Ahri laughs slightly.

"You'd think I'd be sick of baseball puns, but they're kind of growing on me." She admits, shaking her head and grabbing four more of the same shirts, checking the sizes before dropping them into the basket that Minah is holding, which contains several pairs of socks as well as dark blue shorts.

The team is in a large clothing warehouse, accompanied by an unnknown female who seems to be their guide.

"I think these should match with the jerseys you found for use earlier quite nicely." Hiroko speaks to the woman, who nods.

"You six have a good eye for fashion. If you hang around and get dressed here I'd be happy to help wit any details for the final stage outfits."

Yoonhee smiles brightly. "Thanks unnie!" The others agree with her as they make their way through the twisting mess of clothes towards the entrance.

"We're going to blow Team One out of the water for sure." Natchaya grins and high fives both Jakyung and Yoonhee, the latter of whom laughs in excitement.

Hiroko watches the exchange with trepidation, but it's Aerin who dampens the mood.

"We're not fighting Team One though. One of us is going to be eliminated for sure." She reminds the group, frowning.

Natchaya frowns right back. "Oh poop you. You're just saying that since you'll probably be the one cut."

"I think I'm more likely actually." Hiroko's voice is soft. "So you guys don't have to worry. Let's just focus on making this performance awesome, yeah?" She doesn't look at them as she continues to follow their guide out of the warehouse.

The rest of the team look at each other with a vareity of emotions ranging from discomfort to annoyance, but after a moment they follow as well, their previous cheer somewhat dampened and the air suddenly silent.

The Arirang theatre is the fullest it's been of all the shows, and Hyomin looks genuinely pleased as she introduces the performances.

"Hello and welcome to this week's challenge! This time around we've done something a bit different. The two teams will be performing original songs, and at the end of each performance you'll be ranking each member of each team based on how well they did. We hope you'll enjoy the performances!"

She settles into her seat as Team One rolls on their mini platform and set up for their stage.

Ahri - Hyemi;Bow, Jiwon - Cheska;Hat, Shisae - Yezi;Blonde, Miyeon - Jei;Tank Top, Kaerin - Linzy;Black Hair, Kyungmi - Cao Lu;Bun

Once the applause has died down Hyomin speaks.

"I'm curious to know what the badges with the letter A stood for?" She looks slightly amused.

Jiwon replies evenly. "Those were my idea. Since the song is about not understanding how lust works, I thought it could be amusing to pay tribute to the scarlet letter with our outfits."

Hyomin nods. "I thought that might be the case. Excellent work with the outfits in general, I know this was the first time you had full creative control with them and they fit the song nicely."

Jiwon nods in thanks. "It was mostly Miyeon's work."

Miyeon smiles modestly at the acknowledgement.

Inho glances at Hyomin before he gives his critiques. "The rapping section was well executed, I actually quite enjoyed the slight stylizations you used Shisae, it furthered the tone and message of the song well and I appreciate your felxibility to move between styles."

Even Iseul looks surprised at the positive review, though she quickly moves on to her critiques. "Overall the song was cute, and Kaerin and Ahri both did a wonderful job singing live as usual. It was also nice to hear most of the rest of you trying to do at least parts live, and honestly you almost looked like a real group at times. However there was one major standout to me, and not in a good way. Kyungmi, every time you had a line it was obviously lip sung, and not always very well. Also there was a clear lack of energy, which stuck out even more since everyone else was doing a great job staying upbeat and in character throughout the song."

Jiwon glaces over at Kyungmi, who's frowning heavily at the critisism.

After checking that Iseul was finished, Hyunmi speaks up as well. "Honestly I have the same problem. Overall the dance was very high energy and cute, but there was more than once that Kyungmi - or Kaerin - was out of sync and it threw off the performance for a moment. I will say I enjoyed the use of backup dancers and the rolling platform - and I correct in assuming Shisae did the choreography?"

The rapper nods modestly, and Hyunmi smiles at her warmly.

"Well if being an idol doesn't work out I can tell you'd be quite a successful choreographer."

Shisae smiles. "Thank you."

Hyomin claps her hands then for attention. "Alright, before you rank the girls, why don't we let them appeal to you? Each contestant will get two minutes to explain why she shouldn't be eliminated. We'll start with the oldest. Shisae?"

The rapper blinks, clearly caught off guard, before she clears .

"I didn't know we were doing this so I don't have anything prepared. But I don't much like talking so I'll be brief. I love performing. More than that I love creating something with other people, coming together to be stronger than our parts. That's something I'm truly experiencing with this show for the first time, and with your permission I'd like to continue on with the people I have come to view as friends, to see where this road will take me." She bows, and Ahri bumps shoulders with her lightly. They share a smile as Miyeon steps forward.

She brushes her hair out of her eyes and laughs lightly. "Like Shisae, I don't have anything prepared either, so I'll talk from the heart. As most of you know this isn't my first time through the survival show process, and both times has been a struggle. But the people you meet and the bonds you create, that's what makes it worth it. And I've definitely made bonds here - some that I didn't even expect." Hey eyes drift unconsiously towards Jiwon, who blinks at her, and then smiles quietly.

"And, if you'd let me, I also would like to continue exploring these relationships. I'm learning things I never expected, and finding a family where I thought there would be only competition. NOt to mention how much experience I'm getting for if I do debut!" She giggles and several of the male audience laugh with her.

"I think my time is almost up, but I hope you'll consider helping me continue these friendships and keep fighting for my dreams! Thank you." She bows low, and then sends hearts to the audience as she steps back to allow Kyungmi to take center stage.

The dancer looks extremely nervous. "Um... I've always wanted to be an idol, and I'm so close now and I don't want to stop." She mumbles.

It cuts away to show Kyungmi in the interview room, head buried in her hands. "I get so nervous in front of people! I'm not good at public speaking unless I prepare for it!" She frets.

Back at the stage Ahri has stepped up. She takes a steadying breath, glances towards Shisae, and then turns determined eyes towards the audience.

"I know I'm pretty quiet, so a lot of you might not even know anything about me. But I didn't even really think I'd get this far, but I have and I've learned so much. If you eliminate me tonight I can say that I'll go home having learned a lot and with no regrets. But, if you're willing, I'd like to learn more. I want to come out of the shadows and learn to have some faith in myself as well." She bows. "But however this comes out, I thank you for the amazing experience this has been, and I hope to continue to learn."

Shisae pats her shoulder lightly as she steps back into line to make room for Kaerin.

"Hey guys! So singing has always been my lifelong passion, and I actually taught myself a lot of it! I was super surprised when I got onto the show, and it's been really tough. But wat everyone says is right - I've made a lot of great friends, and learned a lot! And I really want to try and get to the end. I think there's more that I haven't learned, and I want to see everything!" She ends the cheerful speech with a little bounce forward onto the balls of her feet. She gives a quick bow and waves happily before bouncing back into line and offering a highfive to Kyungmi, who awkwardly gives her one.

Jiwon doesn't step forward to speak, instead remaining level with the other contestants. She looks thoughtful.

"When I was a kid, my parents were scared for my future." Her voice is steady and powerful, filling the room despite not being raised in the slightest. "I never showed interest in anything. They always say it was like I was drifting. I existed in life but didn't participate." She pauses, her eyes distant and a faint frown on her features. "I didn't even know what they meant by that - I couldn't. They were right. Nothing held my interest. I wasn't living Not until I went to my first concert." Her face relaxes slightly as she continues. "That was teh first time I saw something and though, 'I want to do that'. I'm lucky that my parents could get me into a company, and I'm lucky that NH Media has kept me on and trained me despite the fact I don't have a natural talent for this sort of thing."

She takes a breath. "Practicing, training, they made me happy. But it wasn't until this show that I realized that this is truly what I want to do. When I performed for the first time, I finally knew what my parents meant. Because I finally felt alive." She isn't making eye contact with anyone, her thoughts clearly a million miles away and a smile on her face. "You don't have to vote for me to stay. But I admit," she laughs a bit, "I'd love to be able to keep feeling that for a bit longer."

Her teammates are staring at her as she finishes. and after a moment Gyujin claps.

"Well I think that gives us a lot to think about! Take a few minutes to cast your votes, and then we'll bring out our next Team!"

The audience murmurs to each other as votes are cast, and after a few minutes Team Two is called out.

Hiroko quickly pushes the rolling platform - which had been left by Team One - off the stage before jumping into formation.

Yoonhee - Haein;Headband, Minah - ZN;2nd Singer, Hiroko - Soyeon;Short Hair, Aerin - Yulhee;Pigtails, Jakyung - Yujeong;Closed Shirt, Natchaya - Solbin;Thin Braid

Several audience members laugh as Yoonhee says the first lines, and several more gasp when Hiroko swears, but by the end almost everyone is chanting along with the girls, including Gyujin who happily screams "Out!" as the song ends, so loudly that his voice almost drowns out the girls'.

Once Hyomin gets some order back she gestures for Inho to give his analysis.

He nods. "Well Aerin, what can I say? You may still sound like you were just released from the YG dungeon, but I can tell you're trying something different with your flow and exectution, and while you're definitley not there yet it's the effort that counts. Generally the rap flowed well into the song, which is rare in pop that contain more that one rap section so good job."

Aerin beams.

Iseul's analysis is alo surprisingly praise-heavy. "Like the previous team you incorporated the lipsyncing quite well, you definitely seemed like professionals up there. Minah, Natchaya, I want to specifically say that you've both improved from your first performance here and it's nice to see that effort paying off. Yoonhee, you didn't have many lines but you seemed much more energetic in this performance than in previous ones, and it was very fun to watch you." She grins. "Which isn't really part of my analysis but I wanted to say something."

Yoonhee colors slightly, and smiles brightly at the judge. "Thank you! It's a fun song."

Iseul laughs. "It definitely is."

Hyunmi takes that as her cue to start. "The dance was cute enough, but after seeing the flow of Team One's dance it doesn't follow well. You were all in sync though, and Iseul was right that your energy was abolutely wonderful to watch despite the simplicity of the dance itself. I can't really say much beyond that."

Hyomin nods. "Very well. Girls, why don't you tell us why you shouldn't be the one sent home tonight. We'll start with the youngest this time."

Yoonhee looks nervous as she steps forward. "Well, I, um, I'm actually an actress. I switched to idol training only recently, and I admit I didn't really realize how hard being an idol is." She quickly fumbles into the next part of her thought. "But this show has shown me there's a lot more than I ever thought, and I really only started learning about it this past week. If you'll allow me to, I'd like to try to keep learning." She bows nervously and steps back.

Natchaya steps up next. "I mean what can I say? I'm having fun, you're having fun. I'm not big on sappy speeches about friendship and learning, but I mean, ditto to what everyone else has said. There are people I want to keep hanging out with and this whole experience is one I want to keep having. Hopefully I've been entertaining enough that you want to keep me around." She winks at the camera directly as she steps back.

Aerin steps up next. "I mean, this show has done a lot for me. I think you guys know that. I've definitely done a lot more crying then I was planning on." She laughs a bit. "But it's been... good. Great really. I know some people are hard on me, but it's because they want me to succeed, and more than that to improve myself. I'd like to stay and continue being able to learn from everyone here." She bows and steps back, quickly replaced by Jakyung.

"Voting for me would be a real home run!" She exclaims loudly.

Natchaya laughs, along with several members of the audience, and Jakyung looks pleased.

"Hey maybe you guys should join the competition, you seem like more fun than these guys!" She laughs. "I mean, being on this show has been a lot of fun, and it would be cool to see how much farther I can go. I missed my chance to be on Produce 101 with my trainee friends, but I'm kind of happy since I got to meet these guys instead. It's seriously been a crazy ride, and one I hope to continue."

"And you know she's serious since she didn't make it into a pun!" Yoonhee teases.

Jakyung laughs. "Very true!" She steps back into line and Hiroko moves forward, clearly nervous.

"So. I've realized recently that maybe I'm not the most liked person on the show. I got so wrapped up in winning that I lost sight of what was happening in the present. I know that I probably don't deserve it, but if you can find it in you to give me a second chance, I'd like to try again, to do this correctly. I hear people talking about the bonds and friendships they've formed, but I can't really say I've had that. I've been too wrapped up in myself and in winning." She bows. "So if you would let me, I want to try again. To do this correctly." She steps back, her eyes on her feet.

Minah is obviously nervous as she steps forward. "Um..." She stares at the audience, and then glances to the wings. A camera cut shows Doyeol standing there, watching the proceedings. He nods encouragingly to Minah, who takes a deep breath before turning back to the audience.

"They always said I was too fat to be an idol." The words are blunt, and she stares in shame at her feet. "I believed them. I... I still believe them. But my CEO, he believed in me. He saw something that I don't. And then, here, more poeple saw it. Miyeon, Hyunmi-unnie, Kaerin." She chokes up. "Eugene. All these people believing in me, when I can't even believe in myself." Tears are falling openly down her face, but she pushes on, determined despite the hiccups that keep interrupting her words. "But someone told me there's a reason I've made it this far. And I..." At this point she's crying too hard to form words.

Miyeon runs out of the curtains and pulls Minah into a hug. She rubs her friend's back and looks out at the audience.

"She's made it this far because she's a kind, honest, and wonderful person, someone anyone would be proud to debut with. And you should believe in her too." She finishes the speech for MInah, and the dancer clings to her friend harder as the rest of Team One pile out of the wings in a show of solidarity among all twelve contestants.

Hyomin looks quite pleased. "Well than! I think voting will be rather difficult, don't you Gyujin?"

The camera turns to the cohost, who's dabbing at his eyes. "I think this one is going to be tough no matter who's leaving Hyomin." He agrees.

The host turns to face the camera. "So who's staying, and who's saying goodbye? Find out next week!"