chapter 006.   Episode 2 of Making Mystique (Part 3)

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Eunkwang turned to face the camera, a stern look on his face as he spoke, “Now that we have seen all the performances, and heard the comments from each of the judges, there is one question that still remains: Which group will be going to an elimination round?

“We’ll leave the judges to decide amongst themselves, then we’ll hear the results!”

There was a brief silence as the three judges-slash-trainers huddled close together. They whispered to each other their opinions and comments towards their final decision, though it was mostly Jiyool and Junyoung talking while Rap Dragon gave his opinion through one-worded answers and nods or frowns of disapproval.

Eunkwang patiently stood on the stage, rolling back and forth on his heels as he waited. Backstage, the girls waited anxiously within their groups, desperately hoping they wouldn’t end up into elimination.

Finally, the judges were finished discussing, and they sat back on their seats. Jiyool gave a firm nod towards Eunkwang, signalling him to continue his host duties. Nodding back, Eunkwang faced the camera again to continue the show, “The judges are finished deciding. Before we announce who will go to elimination, let us call the girls back onto the stage!”

Upon the signal, the girls filed out from behind the curtains, standing side-by-side each other while still within their groups. Some looked confident, while others looked extremely nervous about the results.

The singing instructor eyed each trainee one by one, fixing them all with a stoned expression. Miyoung wasn’t so fazed by the trainer’s expression, as she was quite used to it, but her other fellow trainees seemed to be holding themselves from fidgeting under the woman’s stern gaze.

“Overall, you girls did better than I expected and I would like to congratulate you all for your efforts,” Jiyool begun before allowing a brief silence to ensue. 

Looking down at the notes she had made previously, she continued, “Now that we have that done and over with, I'll begin with our thoughts on,Group D; the first group to perform in front of us today.”

Making eye contact with the group briefly, she reiterated the comments made by herself and her fellow trainers earlier, “Your group performed Beast’s On Rainy Days. Yoonji and Dami were responsible for the vocals, whilst Hyejin and Sora, the rap. As Rap Dragon-ssi stated earlier, perhaps it wasn’t a good performance to showcase your rap skills, considering that you both did not write it yourself. I also mentioned how Dami needs to work on conveying her emotions. Overall, your harmonising and teamwork was extremely strong, however, is that enough to avoid elimination?”

The girls of Group D held the hand of the member nearest to them, closing their eyes  in order to mask their apprehension. However, In contrast to their expectation to hear of their status in the competition, Jiyool passed the mic to Junyoung to continue on with the comments. With their eyebrows still furrowed, and their hands occupied, they opened their eyes to glance over at the next group to receive their comments.

“Group B,” Junyoung called, and the group looked expectantly at him, “Your group performed a dance cover of My House by 2PM, each of you girls carrying an important role in the performance. It was undeniably sharp and full of energy, and it was quite visible from your smiles. Although, the judges and I agree that your synchronisation as a whole was off at some points. In addition, Yeonhee still has some work to do in regards to her expressions. Perhaps your synch could be your downfall?”

Junyoung paused to observe the worried expressions on the three girls’ faces, before allowing a fatherly smile to appear on his face.

“Perhaps, it could be eventually... but not today because you’re safe, girls!”

The girls of Group B let out a satisfied breath of relief, grinning towards each other and huddling into a group hug. SuAh, extremely happy, squealed in delight as she initiated the group hug by pulling her teammates towards herself. Laughing, Yeonhee wrapped her arm around SuAh’s waist, smiling towards Soomin, who delightfully returned it with her famous eye-smile.

“Congratulations, Group B! You may step back,” Eunkwang instructed with a smile, and the girls did as told, also sporting bright smiles on their faces.

The three groups that were still left in limbo clapped for the first group that was safe from elimination. Although they were mostly happy for their fellow trainees, they couldn’t help but feel more concerned about their position in the competition.

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“Group A,” Jiyool started, averting her eyes towards the trio that made up said group, “Your group performed a vocal cover of the song Lady Marmalade from the film Moulin Rouge; all of you were responsible for vocals, however, Iris also rapped a bit for us. Your performance was astounding. Your vocals were powerful and delivered flawlessly. It was also thoughtful of you to incorporate a few dance moves as you sang. However, one of you wasn’t able to hold the stage well, and that could cost you.”

Seorin pursed her lips as she knew she was the girl the singing instructor was referring to. Bowing her head, she shut her eyes tight, keeping herself calm as she desperately hoped their group wouldn’t be chosen. Miyoung threw her arm around Seorin's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, whilst Iris gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Seorin forced her lips to curve upwards slightly, attempting to stay focused on the judges' words.

With a quick pass of the mic  back to the dance instructor, Junyoung, gazed at the remaining four girls in Group C.

“Group C, you all did magnificent in your performance. Lee Hyori’s U-Go-Girl is a fresh and fun song, and it was refreshing to see you all enjoyed performing it, as well,” the dance instructor praised, “However, some of you weren’t as powerful as the rest, and expressions needed to be worked on. The audience should be able to feel enjoyment at all times, and with some blank faces whilst it's not your turn... well, let's just say it's not a good look.”

Tana, being the girl in question was feeling slightly more anxious than the others in her team. Similar to Group D, Group C united through holding each others hands, and silently praying for the best result.

With another brief pause, Rap Dragon was finally in possession of the mic.

“Group D, I think these two judges have left you hanging for way too long,” he pointed out, shaking his head at the two judges., earning some glares and some muffled chuckles from the girls.

“We believe that you have showed us enough to leave us curious for more. Thus, you’re safe from elimination. I hope to see your true rap skills soon, Sora and Hyejin.”

After hearing the news, Group D all squealed in delight, Sora particularly hopping to shake off the anxiety she was feeling whilst waiting for the results. The girls hugged each other, all relieved to be safe from elimination, especially with the earlier mishap backstage, from one of their teammates arriving in late. Without even being told to do so, they all shuffled backwards in one step, happy of the outcome of their performance.

“Good job, girls,” Jiyool smiled at the members of Group D, then moved on to landing her eyes to the remaining two groups. 

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“The rest of the judges and I have weighed out the ups and downs of your performances as a group, as well as individually, and…” Jiyool flicked her piercing gaze back and forth between the groups for a moment, “Group C, I’m sorry but you will be going into an elimination round.”

The girls of Group C’s faces fell in disappointment. Tana bowed her head low, willing herself not to cry in front of the judges and her fellow teammates. She needed to show that she was strong, even though she was the one who needed to work harder to stay in the show. With pursed lips and sad expressions, the rest of Group C huddled into a group hug, whispering to each other that everything would be alright.

“It’s okay, guys,” Aria reassured her groupmates, including herself, “We’ll get through this. Best of luck,” she smiled sadly, her smile not reaching her eyes, and patted each of her teammates on their backs. YiA nodded, choosing not to say anything, but grateful for Aria’s attempt in encouragement to not give up. Soeun gulped, nervous as to what they had to do to prevent elimination.

“Now, since you girls performed a dance performance,” Park Junyoung explained, “Your task to prevent elimination is to do the other aspect of becoming an idol, and that is to sing. Each of you will be on your own for this task. You may choose whatever song you’d like to sing, however long you want. If you would like to rap instead, then you are also welcome to do so.”

“I'm sure you've gathered this from Junyoung's words but dancing is absolutely off-limits ,” Jiyool interjected, and the rest of the judges nodded.

“We will give you a few seconds to decide what to sing, then we will be hearing your performance.”

Authors' note:

Greetings and happy Easter to you all! Unfortunately, the first elimination round will be arriving, oh no! Who do you think will stay or go? Do let us know what you think of the story so far! Also, as always, thank you for your patience and support for the story! Spread the love, folks! -the-badguy-or-hero-

Hello! I'm sure we all didn't expect this day to come so soon, however, elimination rounds are always a requirement in survival shows. Let's just hope that the girls work harder and reach potentials they never thought possible after this experience. Also let us know what you think is going to happen during the elimination round. Thanks for reading!  Forever-Beast