For this week’s eliminations, I was called up earlier than expected.

              “Number 22, Alyssa Kim.” I must’ve gotten a lot of hate for slamming the door during practice, so less people voted for me. I was just thankful to make it another round.

              As the few of us on stage make our thank-you speeches, Euiwoong surprises everyone by apologizing. “There were times when I wanted to give up, and for that, I’m sorry.” I’m next, and after hearing what he had to say, I realized that I should make an apology as well.

              “Hey everyone. Maybe I’m copying Euiwoong, but I’d like to apologize too.” Instead of being mad at me for capitalizing off his apology, Euiwoong gives me a smile for encouragement. “During practice, I got discouraged, and acted immaturely. I feel really guilty and ashamed for showing that side of me to all of you. To the fans who voted for me, thank you for supporting me despite my mistake…” Suddenly, I break down in tears. It’s become a norm at eliminations now, but nonetheless Taehyun and Euiwoong wrap me in a hug saying “Uljima~”.

              Once I’ve regained my composure, I finish off my speech. “I’ll reflect on my actions and work hard to improve myself every day. Thank you.”

              A few more boys apologize for their actions as well, including Hyungseob for supposedly showing a bad attitude at the last elimination, and Daniel for cheating. Soon, all rankings up to #1 have been announced. It’s just #35 now, and Eunbi and Woo Jinyoung haven’t been called up yet.

              “I will now show the four candidates for the final spot,” BoA announces. After a long delay, the four faces are shown. Eunbi is one of them.

              “Number 38, Hong Eunki.”

              “Number 37, Park Sungwoo.”

              Finally, it’s time to announce the last person to pass this round. It’s between Eunbi and Donghan, a hot blond-haired dancer our age. I vaguely remember him being in the same company as Sungwook – it hasn’t been that long since Sungwook and crew were eliminated. I silently want it to be Eunbi, because I don’t know what I’ll do without her for the rest of the competition. At the same time, I feel bad for Donghan – he’s really talented and has already started to tremble in his seat.

              “Number 35, Kim Donghan!”

              Donghan starts to cry as the other boys cheer. Eunbi just stares at him with a reluctant smile. Damn, she was so close. After Donghan has struggled through his speech, BoA asks Eunbi about her thoughts of having just missed the cutline.

              “Well,” Eunbi laughs nervously. “I am a bit disappointed. I thought I would’ve done better on this show. But I’ll have to accept it.” She chokes.

              “I feel bad that I didn’t get to interact with many of you guys during my time here. Being one of the only two girls was a new world for me, and came with its own set of challenges. I’m not really sure what I’ll do next, but I’ll have to wait and see. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed my time here, and hopefully I can keep in contact with some of you.”

              Her eyes fixate on me all of a sudden. “Alyssa Kim, I’m so thankful we went through this together. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. You have to be strong and do well for both of us, okay?” I nod, the tears springing to my eyes again.