It had been a few weeks since the new members were added to Jongin’s group. Post one such practice, he got permission from Yixing and helped in teaching choreography in an effort to get to know the new members. 

But right now, he was nervous and scared. They were not even an hour into practice when it was announced, through PA, that everyone was expected to be ready for performance evaluation. They would be given songs for group performances as well as individual performances. The head instructors of vocals and dance from the Main Office would be evaluating them. The public was invited for performances and put up for voting. Jongin had participated in the beginning and won but that was his solo. This time it would be the entire group.
So they would be evaluated on their individual performance and then be allowed to perform as a group for the audience.
For seasoned trainees, it was just another monthly assessment, because they would learn to expect such impromptu evaluations. But for new trainees, this was their chance to be allowed to perform. If they failed here, then they would be rotated into the next group or be kicked out, depending on their scores.

Even though his individual assessment was over, Jongin couldn’t let go of his feelings. He was nervous and scared for his group members. New and old. Jongin was finally getting to know the new trainees in his group and getting along with them, and this test was making him nervous, for them. More specifically, whether they would as a group survive as a whole?

 

“Hey, Kai, do you think you will actually sing this time or just impress them with your dance?” someone snickered, and Jongin was back in the room.

Jongin had just stepped into the makeshift place to rest in one of the halls. Tables lined with water bottles and food packets, medical help in the corner, and staff guiding trainees in and out. The ones who called him out were a group that he had been in but they had never accepted him. They also had some vested interest in him, that is, to talk down.

They were loud enough for his group to hear. Baekhyun leaped up from the floor towards them, “what?! What did you just say? Say that again, you…”

“Hey! no fighting,” screamed the manager of the other boy's group. 

“Hyung, leave it, just ignore them,” he said and grabbed Baekhyun to walk away from them. Jongdae came over to help him when Baekhyun still looked like he was going to fight them.

“Do they always do this? Or is it because of today?” Jongdae asked as they reached their members. 

“They always do this,” Sehun piped up. 

He and Kyungsoo were standing in a couple pose, with Lu Han training them in a couple dance he learned online. They must have been thoroughly bored, which would explain why Kyungsoo was letting them get away with this. In every pause, Lu Han would adjust Sehun and Kyungsoo’s posture. It was difficult to understand whether it was a prank or they were genuinely practicing.

“They make fun of us, the Mandarin trainees, thinking we don’t know Korean,” Tao grumbled from the corner. He was also guiding them, but subtly from the floor.

“Their manager is conveniently not listening when they say such things,” Lu Han said as he glared at the said manager, “and ours is always missing.”

“Yeah, just yesterday, they threw Yixing hyung’s bag in the trash. When we complained, their manager shouted at us saying we are just lying to get attention, none of us would actually debut,” Tao said as crunched his nose in disdain. He sniffled a little, which turned into giggles when he saw how Kyungsoo was leaning out of Sehun’s arms. He whistled at him as he was looking at Tao upside down.

“You are lucky I am holding him,” a frowning Sehun told Tao. Tao just smirked at him, and got up.

Jongin was so busy looking at them, that he missed the conversation, until he heard a loud,

“Why? Are you kidding me? Even though we are in advance training? Why?” Jongdae whined.

“Yeah, they always keep finding ways to mess with us,” Kris replied.

“But mostly you,” Kyungsoo said from under the headlock Tao had him under.

“Tao!! you are supposed to spin him!! do not put him under a headlock!!” Lu Han grumbled as he tried to rescue Kyungsoo, while Sehun was busy rolling on the floor and laughing at them.

That made Jongin think back to the day they were added to his group.

 

“Yaah!! How their voices melt together!! It was like they were training together!! The control they have!! Lu Han is still learning Korean but his singing is just too good!!  The Jongdae’s high notes !!!! Oh, they all are so good! Tao’s rapping skill puts him in the advanced category and the way he picked up the rhythm after the demo was played!! Wow!! It blew my mind! Baekhyun was so good with vocals and rapping, but he was made to focus on singing during the finals. Did you know Kyungsoo forgot the song he was asked to prepare and they let him sing another one? And for the last song, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo harmonized so well that they were directly promoted!!! And Kyungsoo picked up so well when we were doing the bit for rappers!!!” Chanyeol told the group that wasn’t involved with teaching choreography.

“What! You were there?” Kris asked.

“Yeah, the company had booked one guitarist but there was a concert in the girl’s dorms. That was, of course, a priority and I was at the auditions anyway, so I helped out!” Chanyeol explained.

“Tell me about their vocals again,” Junmyeon inquired.

“Jongdae hits high notes with such ease and with good consistency. He also has good breath control and takes last minute adjustments better than anyone. Baekhyun is an out and out idol, Hyung! He can dance, sing and has no attitude about him. You saw how quickly he warmed up everyone?”

They all nodded. That was true from what Jongin saw, Baekhyun hyung had made good friends with almost everyone in their practice room AND practice hall, and that itself was a feat in itself.

“Lu Han and Tao are good singers but the company wants them to be rappers and visuals. From what they told me, they are supposed to be advanced vocalists but it will not be until the instructors' clear them. They are a bit more stressed because of the instructor we share favors with that other group,” Chanyeol explained.

“The group that hates me,” Jongin whispered guiltily.

“Jongin, it is their insecurity that they look down on you” Junmyeon said as he squeezed his arm in support.

 

A clash brought Jongin back to the present.

“Guys, let’s go!” Baekhyun cheered as the staff gestured towards them. This meant that they now had their vocal evaluation.

“Jongin, do you know, there is a good possibility that trainees from all of us will be forming a group soon?” Tao asked him as he pulled him by the shoulder. Tao was taller than Jongin, so unfair, Jongin thought.

“Yeah?” Jongin asked.

It was surprising Tao knew something like this. Usually, it is Chanyeol Hyung who knows more about things like this. 

Then he saw Tao’s face. He knew immediately Tao was up to something. Tao had this smile and exaggerated eyebrows that gave him away when he was fibbing. Jongin heard Kyungsoo call out to Tao, but Tao merely glanced at him and looked back at Jongin, expectantly. 

“Yah! Why would I lie?”

“Really??!”

Lu Han rolled his eyes and replied as he helped Minseok hyung comb Sehun’s hair. Kyungsoo threw Tao’s bag towards them, which Tao managed to grab mid air without looking away from Jongin.

“Yeah, I hope we are in the same group,” Tao said as pulled Luhan with his free hand. Lu Han nodded enthusiastically as he removed a water bottle from Tao’s bag.

“Really? Why?” Jongin asked as he thought they would form a group with only Mandarin trainees.

“Then we won’t have to focus so much on dance training anymore,” Tao smiled.

“Yeah, we could just push it on you!” Lu han continued.

“Yaaaaaah!!!” Jongin laughed as he pushed them, only for them to bump into Kris and Junmyeon Hyung waiting for them. Jongin turned to call others when he saw Kyungsoo pat Sehun’s arm where he might have been punched. Before he could look away, their eyes met. Jongin froze. 

Kyungsoo sent a tiny smile his way, before turning away to help Sehun gather his things. 

It was their habit since all members had a bad habit of leaving things everywhere they went and that too in random places. As everyone gathered together, Jongin truly hoped that their evaluations would let them perform for the audience. 

And they did!! They got an encore from the audience. It felt good to be acknowledged by the head instructors and the audience reaction only fired them up. 

After the audience ballot, a head count was done and they were assigned specific rooms and new managers and the best was – Junmyeon Hyung was respectfully given keys.

According to Chanyeol hyung, that was the next step for forming a group, a definite hope of debut after that.