Ryong Jaeyong and Kim Minah were eliminated from the top ten. Jaeyong got high scores from the judges but he fell short of audience votes. Minah got low scores from both. They still went home with you and spent their last night in the dorm and then left in the morning. You admired how none of them cried, they’re even thankful that they’ve gone this far. You will be the same when and if you get eliminated.
Today, you woke up from the sound of the doorbell. The producers woke the eight of you to open the door and when you were complete, all of you then went for the front door. 
Sanghyun gasped when he saw who was outside from the screen on the side of the door. “Omo! It’s BoA-seonsaengnim!” 
The rest of you expressed your surprise to have her in the dorm so early in the morning.
You let her in and all of you felt so embarrassed that she looked so fresh and beautiful and you’re all still wearing your morning faces with bed hairs. 
BoA’s smile is like sunshine and you all bowed and greeted her. 
“Annyeonghaseyo! It’s great to see you guys. I’m here to let you know that this week is the SM Week. It means that it’s time for you to get to know the SMTown family.” 
She gave all of you 15 minutes to do your morning stuffs and said that she’ll be waiting in the living room. All of you ran to your rooms to do everything you can do in 15 minutes. In your case, because you’re normally slower than the others, you’ve only managed to brush your teeth and wash your face while Yoojin and Minyung were able to change their clothes. You were actually just about to do the same thing when one of the producers knocked on your room to tell you that you have to get to the living room immediately. Time is up. 
Unfortunately, you’re the only one who’s still in your PJs and by the looks of it you’re pretty sure they’re going to include this one in your bloopers again. 
“Still on your PJs?” BoA asked you. 
Smiling, you said “I’m not really slow, I just take my time.” And they all laughed at you again.
BoA asked you to settle in and told you that you’re going to make a reaction video of some of SM artist’s music videos. She said that it’s the first step to get to know their artists, and the company in the process. But before she played the videos she announced that she brought breakfast for everyone. 
People appeared in the living room carrying food trays. BoA brought delicious treats and you all started eating when she played the videos as she explains and gives information about it. 
“For those who don’t know them, they’re TVXQ...” She told you all about the accomplishments of the duo and you were amazed at how popular they are because they were able to fill up the Tokyo Dome and so many other arenas for their concerts. They also have amazing vocals. You’ve already met Changmin of course but you’ve never heard him sing until now and he’s really good, a male diva. 
BoA asked some of you for a reaction afterwards. Next you watched is Super Junior’s and then Girl’s Generation’s music video and some clips of their successful concerts. Then she showed SHINee, followed by EXO. “This music video is called Call Me Baby.” BoA said and played the video by pressing the play button on the remote control. The others’ reactions were so loud when a white convertible came into the view and someone got out of it wearing a white overall which almost caused you to laugh because the outfit reminded you of a janitor’s uniform only that it’s white and he’s eating a lollipop and you don’t get the connection, so you focused on his face instead of his clothes so you won’t crack. He looked really handsome though, with a nice jaw line that makes him look very masculine as opposed to those flowerboy idols you’ve seen in the previous videos with soft features that looked almost feminine-ish. Then he sat on the hood of the car and wore his headset and suddenly there was music and he started dancing and four more appeared and they started singing.  
You remembered the names and faces of those boys you met in the SM headquarters weeks ago. Damn, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Jongdae really have great voices. But Kyungsoo’s voice really suit your taste more. Golly, all of them are really great dancers but for some reason, the guy that appeared first earlier would always get your attention and you find yourself looking for him and following him and it’s really difficult because of the fast camera works. He’s probably the best dancer of the group because there’s something about the way he dances, it’s all out. He gives it all. He lets himself let go. There’s fierceness in his expressions that traps your attention to him. 
When the music video was done, you still can’t get over the fact that the boys are so talented. You were just underestimating SM. But still, they do too much dancing. Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s just that, it’s not your thing. 
“Mikaela-sshi.” BoA’s voice got your attention and you automatically looked at her. She smiled at you. “What can you say?”
Oh. “They’re very talented.” You said. The others laughed because it’s too short. “Uhm...The entire music video is really gripping because their dance moves are so on point and the beat is so catchy plus they have really great voices.” 
Nodding, BoA said “Who stood out for you?” 
You smiled and scrunched up your nose. “I don’t know his name.” 
“Okay. Here...” BoA showed a group photo with their names on it. 
“Two people actually stood out for me. In singing, Baekhyun and Chen’s voice are undeniably beautiful but I like the texture of D.O’s voice and his singing style ‘coz I think it’s very similar to mine.” You explained, then your eyes focused on the other person who stood out for you. “All of them are really great dancers but... Uhm, there’s something about the way that Kai dances. Singers express emotion through our voices but in his case, he expresses it through his body. He’s telling a story through his dance.” You said, realizing afterwards that you probably said too much.
BoA seemed satisfied with your answer and she showed some clips that showed how popular EXO is. The next group she showed is called Red Velvet. 
After the ‘reaction video’ that you all made, she told you stories from her experiences as a child, dreaming big and how she persevered to get to where she is now and with the help of SM. She told you all about what SM can do for you and that because their family is really big, so many people will take care of you. Or rather, whoever wins the competition and chooses them. 

$$$

Today, four days before the live show again; you’re going to SM’s building. To practice. You wondered why you’d have to practice there when you can practice in the dorm since there’s also a studio there. 
But the staff said that someone is going to coach you. So once again, the cameraman kept following you as you get out of the car and you remembered what happened the last time. You grinned at the cameraman. “There are no cables this time.” You told him; the same cameraman you attacked the last time for recording your fall and for not agreeing to delete it. He just laughed. He seemed to like seeing you in embarrassing situations. 
Someone called your name and you turned to see a group of boys across the street, so you smiled and waved at them. 
“Is BoA-seonsaengnim going to be with me today, unnie?” You asked one of the two producers who came with you today. Yesterday, Minyung and Yoojin went here too but they didn’t tell you much about it. 
“Who knows?” She just said. You have become pretty close to the production, especially those who stayed in the dorm with you because they take care of you a lot. Since your stomachache from the Korean food they made you eat the last time, they’ve become very careful with what to feed you. 
You pretended to feel nervous to tease them so you walked closely behind the producer-unnie and tried to hide behind her when you approached the entrance of SM. When they let you in, the camera was still recording and the producer kept telling you to let go of her so she can ask you the questions while the camera records you but you won’t let go of her arm so she ended up being recorded as well laughing while trying desperately to hide her face. 
The other producer-oppa made you wait outside the same studio that you used the last time probably to talk to whoever is or are inside. Whe he got out, he told you that you can now get inside. You know someone important is inside based on what you have seen in the previous season. 
You entered the door and smiled when you saw Kyungsoo sitting on the bench on the corner. When your eyes met, he smiled back at you and stood immediately. You bowed and greeted each other. “Annyeonghaseyo..” You said and he moved to shake your hand but when he saw that your fists are clenched, he knew that you wanted a fist-bump so he accepted it as he laughed.
It feels awkward to be filmed like this. Maybe you’re not allowed to mention that you’ve already met him once? 
The producer-unnie explained that since this is SM Week, BoA will also get to decide the song choice. All of the songs that contestants will sing this week will be songs by SM Artists. 
“So, I’m going to sing an EXO song?” You asked. Worried because, what if they’ll make you dance?
“You look so shocked.” Kyungsoo said, observing your reaction.
“Ahniyo.” You laughed. “It’s just that, I can’t dance.” You said and he laughed. 
“It can be learned.” He told you. 
“She doesn’t have a sense of balance and coordination. You should see last week’s episode.” The producer-unnie told Kyungsoo who laughed along with the other staff. 
“We’ve seen it.” He said. Oh shoot. “You did really well. I’m starting to like Evanescence now.” He added and you thanked him for the complement. Then he handed you the envelop in his hands. The producer told you it’s BoA’s song choice for you.
When you opened it, it’s a music sheet. You read the title of the song. “Promise?” 
Kyungsoo explained how important the song is to EXO and its fandom. He said that the group had gone through a lot and you remembered Rina telling you once about some members leaving but then you never really paid attention back then. You read the lyrics and it sounded really emotional. You listened to the song afterwards. 
For the rest of the afternoon, you and Kyungsoo worked on the melody. He gave you some tips and ideas especially when singing live. You told the music director about playing the music during practice. It’s actually easier for you to learn a new music if you play an instrument because you get to be familiar with the notes. You suggested to make it slower, to make it more emotional and meaningful. 
You tried to play and sang it in they key you suggested, just to show them your point. You could relate to the song because you know how it feels to be left behind. So the melody felt so real and the lyrics went smoothly in your mouth.
When you sang it, you felt so connected to the song. The pain in your heart resurfaced. After you finished singing, you opened your eyes to see Kyungsoo biting his lower lip and wiping the small bead of moisture that accumulated on the corner of his eyes. He’s fanning his face. 
You hoped you could do the same thing to the judges and audiences on the live broadcast.

$$$

You’re not going to play the piano but they ended up choosing the key that you suggested. Right now, you’re sitting on a stool in front of the audience and the judges again, breathing in the moment before you started singing. “Gakkeum i muneul datgo nan saenggage ppajyeo. Mudae wi nae moseubeul sangsanghagon haesseo...” This is exactly what you feel everytime you think of what your father did to your family. You think of an escape and the only thing you could think of is singing your own songs on the stage. “Sigani jinado malhaji motago mamsogeuro samkineun na... mianhadago neol saranghandago jigeumcheoreom mideodallago...” You admire the person who wrote this song. You always admire people who are able to put their thoughts and feelings into words and turn it into a very beautiful piece of music. But the most challenging part of the song is the rap. It’s a risk. A risk you have to take to show your versatility and skills.  “Yeah, eonjebuteoinji neon useodo uneun geonman gataseo mam pyeonhi nal saranghaji motago tto...” You liked rapping this part because it felt like you’re ranting and expressing yourself in anger and loneliness. This song really is so rich of emotions that are not alien to you. You have BoA to thank for choosing this song for you. Did she see through you and saw the angst you’re still nursing inside of you?
The deafening scream and cheer felt so welcome after a very soulful and emotional song. The judges praised your rapping. You practiced so hard to make your rapping as convincing as the way Chanyeol did. 
Thank heavens, you escaped elimination again. But unfortunately, Minyung didn’t. You knew how important this competition to her is and when she started crying, you really wanted to run to the stage to stand beside her. You kept biting your lower lip to stop yourself from welling up. 

$$$

JYP Week came and Park Jinyoung treated you all to the Lotte World. 
You’re not really fond of amusement parks. You’re afraid of fast rides and those that would lift you up really high. No. You’d rather go to an arcade. 
You begged everyone not to let you try any rides because you’re going to die. They probably saw real fear in you so they let you off, but not so easily because they kept on teasing you including Mr. Park. 
You only enjoyed driving a bumper car and racing with the others. 
Afterwards you all went to a restaurant inside the park and Mr. Park did his talk there. Just like what BoA did last week, he told you the things that JYP can offer. "Don’t just choose the company because it’s big or it’s good at promotions. Choose the company that best suit your style. The company that can boost up and support your sound. Especially because all six of you have great and unique colors and I’d like to see you debut someday and hear the same sound that made you reach this far in this competition because that’s what made us fall in love with you.” He said so seriously and you felt as if he was talking to you. Well, he is talking to everyone but the words his saying addresses your thoughts. 
Of course, you will choose YG. 

$$$

This is your first time in JYP’s headquarters and you’re excited. You’ve watched a lot of music videos from JYP artists when you found out last week that it’s gonna be JYP Week this week. 
You’re looking forward to the person who’s going to coach you today.
When you pushed the door of the studio open, you immediately recognized the two familiar girls standing in the center of the studio. They’re from the group Miss A. You smiled and greeted them immediately and they responded to you. After you introduced yourself, they also did the same thing.
They handed you the envelope of Mr. Park’s song-choice for you. You already have an idea that since it’s Miss A that’s here in front of you that the song would also be by them. And you’re right. The title of the song is Hush. You’re already familiar with this song and you’ve seen the music video. 
When the producer told you that you’re going to dance a little, you felt your world collapse. Your jaw dropped as if you’ve heard a very sad and shocking news. So that’s why Min and Fei are wearing over-sized shirts and sweatpants. You were still unable to talk even when the producer-unnie handed you a change of clothing and your running shoes that they probably took from your room earlier. 
Laughing, the two girls assured you that the steps are simple and you’re not going to be dancing all throughout. 

$$$

Once again, they showed your bloopers from your dance practice with two of Miss A’s members. They were really nice and patient with you. For some reason, they also seemed to enjoy seeing you dance so awkwardly. 
But you appreciate their time and thanked them. You practiced so hard for it and now that you’re performing with a dance for the first time, you became very nervous and uneasy.
Yoojin hugged you really tight, telling you that it’s going to be fine. You had her watch you practice even up to the wee hours of the night. 
Your heart almost want to burst out from anxiety the moment you finally stood on the stage. To hell with the dancing. You did your best, but you didn’t allow for your dancing issues to affect your singing. 
“Of course, you can’t be perfect. You have to be bad at something.” Mr. Park said, the audience laughed along. “You got lost. You made a mess on the stage. No matter how good your singing was, we couldn’t concentrate because of your dancing.” 
“It can still be improved.” You heard BoA say in your defense.
“Yes. Although I didn’t expect so much from your performance tonight because you’d been so worried about your dancing... The performance does include the dancing so my score would have to include it.” Mr. Park added and you understand. 
“To be an idol, you don’t necessarily have to dance.” Mr. Yang started. “You clearly doesn’t have the talent for dancing. But if you debut and don’t dance, at some point in your career; you might want to consider learning it so you’d have something new to offer your fans.” You don’t really know if that’s a good or bad comment because it’s too vague. “You looked so uncomfortable and it made me feel uncomfortable watching you too.” 
“I had fun watching you tonight, Mikaela. They’re right. You clearly doesn’t have the talent for dancing but it can be learned. I appreciate your effort because I know you practiced so hard for it.” She’s trying to lighten the situation. “It’s the first time for me to see you so out of your element tonight. This is one of the things that you can’t control and if you had allowed yourself to immerse to the flow of the song, for sure your body would go accordingly.” Oh no. BoA is talking about your control issues. She spoke like she knows you so well and she’s telling you something that is deeper than the words she used.
That night, you almost got eliminated if not for the audience votes. Thankfully, you had the highest votes to save you.  

$$$

Now there’s only four of you. Yoojin is a tough competitor and so is Sungjin. Sanghyun is a dark horse. He came from the bottom and he is the most improved and you can’t just predict his performances because he also has this capability to surprise the audience. The four of you have different sounds, Yoojin is ballad, Sungjin is RnB, Sanghyun is pop and you’re rock. They have come up with names for the four of you. Yours is the rock princess. And you like it. 
Rina told you that you are especially popular to children and teenagers while the other three are more favored by the adults. There are some people who doesn’t like you because you are not Korean. But you don’t want to focus on that because you have to win this competition.
For YG Week, Yang Hyunsuk invited you four to the YG Headquarters. He held a special dinner where the four of you are the guest of honor. You arrived to a very beautiful rooftop that was transformed into a party venue. There were a lot of tables and food. But there wasn’t anyone aside from the crew that’s recording you. 
After a while, Yang Hyunsuk appeared, smiling at all of you and you greeted him. He told you he invited a lot of people today to help him convince you to choose YG. 
Behold, there appeared Akdong Musician followed by WINNER, Lee Hi, Sandara Park and Bigbang’s Daesung. YG is going all out! 
Now that there’s only three episodes left and the top three will be decided on the next live show; the companies really want to impress you all to choose them. 
You really like these artists in front of you. You love their sound and it would probably feel nicer to be a part of their family. You only hope that you’d win.
Everyone had great words for the four of you and are wishing you good luck and of course at the end of their messages they want you to choose YG. It was a very fun night, everyone was very friendly and warm. You know for a fact that Sungjin, Yoojin and you all want YG. Back in the casting round, Sanghyun’s choice was SM. So really, YG only have Sanghyun to convince. 

$$$

Lee Hi was waiting for you on the practice room and you know immediately that you’ll be able to redeem yourself from last week’s performance. It was really scary. You really thought you’re going to be eliminated. Your supporters saved you and you owe them a lot. 
She’s a very sweet and awkward girl. Just like you. You’re only a year older than her so your wavelength are about around the same. At this point in her career, she still remained shy but when she sings, it all changes. She becomes a different person full of confidence and soul. 
Yang Hyunsuk chose the song Rose. 

$$$

The small stage was full of red roses and also surrounded by a lot of thorny stems. You wore a white dress with wreath of white roses on your head. Even the microphone stand is adorned with red roses. It looked so beautiful. 
“Nae sarangeun saeppalgan rose. Jigeumeun areumdapgetjiman. Naklaroun gasiro neol apeuge halgeol...” You love the meaning of this song. The world needs more songs like this. It speaks the truth. The song is like threatening the boys that it’s not easy to love you. Warning them not to be fooled by your appearance because you’re a person who’ve experienced pain and have already had your heart broken even before you experienced that thing they called love. The only love you know is your love for your mother. The only thing you’ll be able to offer anyone who’ll fall in love with you is pain and suffering. That’s the kind of love your father gave your mother and that’s the same kind of love you’re capable of giving. “Nae sarangeun saeppalgan rose. Geurae nan hyanggiropgetjiman. Gakkai halsurok neol dachige halgeor...”
When you finished singing, you’re excited for the judge’s comments. However their comments are all very obscure. You could tell that they like it but they also expressed the same thing to the others before you as you’re last to perform.
The four of you stood in front of the judges and are now awaiting their decision. Mr. Hyunmoo is right beside Yoojin and had just announced that BoA will be the one to call the first to advance to the top three. There’s tension in the air and you’re already shaking. 
“Welcome to the top three... Chon Sungjin!” The loud cheers echoed in your ears. You congratulated him and he already stood on the other side of the stage. “Next is you...” It has to be Yoojin or you. It has to be. “Ok Sanghyun!” She called and your heartbeat started to accelerate. You looked at Yoojin and you saw the fear in her expression. Yoojin’s dream is not only for herself but her family as well. Her parents are farmers and she wasn’t able to go to college because they can’t afford it. She joined this competition because of two things. To pursue her passion and also to win the cash prize for her family. Only the top three gets to have a consolation prize. You held on to her hand. 
At this point, you’ve already gotten some followers and all, maybe if you audition as a trainee at YG afterwards you might make it because YG said he likes you. In such a short time, you’ve found a good friend in Yoojin. 
“You will advance to the next round... Mikaela Bennett.” BoA announced and you felt Yoojin stiffen beside you. You looked at her and you could see her smiling at you and taking the result very bravely. But you were not able to hold your emotion. You hugged her really tight as you bury your face on her shoulder. 
”Mikaela-sshi is very close to Yoojin-sshi so we understand her reaction.” Mr. Hyunmoo said. Your tears were unstoppable. 
Yoojin you back, “Gwenchanayo. Gwenchanayo.” She said and whispered to you that she needs to make a speech and you’re taking her last moment. She was joking, trying to cheer you up. You pulled away from her and walked towards the other boys. Sungjin reached to tap your shoulder, his way of consoling you. Sanghyun smiled at you and told you that you still look really pretty even when crying so you should cry more often and that made you smile a little bit. These two boys are actually older than you and they’re very nice to all of the girls in the dorm. Sungjin sometimes speaks to you in English since he’s from America. 

$$$

This week is the Collaboration Week. It means that you’re going to have two performances each and both are going to be scored by the judges. The first performance is a solo with a song of your choice and the second is the collaboration with another artist. 
The artists would come from YG, JYP and SM. 
The decision of who will get to collaborate with an artist from which company lies on the envelopes on the table. Since you’re the only girl left, they told you to pick one first. 
You chose the envelope in the middle, hoping that it will be YG. You want to collaborate with one of their artists. Actually, any of their artists. 
When Mr. Hyunmoo opened the envelope he laughed out loud. “Mikaela-sshi will collaborate with... Kim Taeyeon-sshi!” 
Whoa. You picked SM. It seems like the fates is on SMs side. But Taeyeon is a really great singer too. One of the best vocalists in Kpop and you remembered her instagram post. She also want you to choose SM.