Mrs. Ahn has been a producer at Arirang for several years, and this show is her brain child. She's brisk, professional, and has studied every aired survival show in not only South Korea but the rest of the world, and she's determined to make Vs one of the most popular ones to date.
Kim Gyujin
MC
Kim Gyujin was hired by the network to play as a foil to Mrs. Ahn's intensity. He's generally viewed by both viewers and the contestants as the "nice" host, though he's still quite firm in his critiques of performances. He's mostly around to provide some levity, and generally defers to Mrs. Ahn for most issues.
No Doyeol
Interviewer
The man in charge of interviewing the girls is a new member of the Arirang staff. His demeanor is often reminicent of Mrs. Ahn's dissmissive tendencies, as he's rather brisk in his treatment of the girls. He makes it clear he's there to ask questions, not to be a shoulder to cry on, though he often ends up as the latter regardless.
Yoo Iseul
Judge
A young vocal coach, Iseul is just starting out in the idol world. But with twenty years of lessons under her belt she's well qualified to critique the vocal performances of each contestant, and she's not afraid of being quite blunt about what she dislikes - and she always finds something to dislike.
Lee hyunmi
Judge
A long-time choreographer for several big companies, her credits include parts of Twice and Red Velvet choreography, with her most recent job being with JYP's new group Gold. She's highly professional and does her best to be fair, though 'emotions' aren't really something she's great at.
Kang Inho
Judge
Don't let his pretty boy looks fool you: Inho is by far the most intense of the judges. An ex-underground rapper and now composer and lyricist he's very vocal about any and all mistakes he finds in rap flow or composition choice. Of all the judges he's the most likely to make someone start crying, though he claims it isn't his intention.
Chapter 16: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 6: Thicker Than Water
WAIT HOLLUP IF WE'RE SEEING EUGENE GO WE GOTTA KNOW WAI
FITE ME INHO
NO WAIT
Vs!Inho go fight DoD's Inho
Let this happen
The Eugene mourning squad is honestly so relatable, it hurts. Minah's desperately bright denial (reminds me of a certain optimistic maknae named Baekhyun, mmm?) already hit like a truck, but Kyungmi's confession honestly felt the most personal. As much as I liked Eugene, I must admit that a big reason for that was how she got along with the fluffy line. It's almost like getting into a fandom purely for the ship; we lose sight of the individual in the process. It's weird, catching myself thinking that way, but good job to Kyungmi (and a certain author!!) for the Thought Provocation.
Yasss Aerin and Jiwon calling out the "typical girl" comments. I'm appreciating Miyeon a lot despite how high she has her walls up. Even if her support of others is clearly beneficial to her, she doesn't end it there and completely neglect Minah when the girl is upset. Heck, she even defends her by steering the topic away from Nat Being Nat. I love you, Nat, but Miyeon did good here. (Though this Nat vs Jiwon thing is so adorably sports anime with this weird one-sided rivalry and helping each other grow… or Jiwon helping Nat grow… eh, close enough)
"Those two cooperating would be a force to fear" Miwon Miwon Miwon I sail this ship even if only as a platonic queen ship. Hiroko's analysis, as tactless as it is, does bring up an interesting point: that Miyeon and Jiwon are both big on control. Their differing styles of it still intrigue me so much…
(Lolol Yeeun clinging to Ahri, I would've thought it'd be the other way around, but come to think of it, Yeeun has been very sweet to Ahri and supportive of the girl's ideas. Even if Aerin got the shorter end of the stick there, it's still quite touching.)
Ohh dear, and the lights go out. I guess that's the beginning of the mess we started with here XD Trust Hyomin to toss in the most intense twists and completely throw everyone (viewers included) in for a loop. I was not expecting the genre to shift to horror but hey~ I'll dig it
PFFFFT Jakyung's pun flops XD I love the reactions, haha, "clearly expecting more." On the one hand, thank you for highlighting the crap which is sleep deprivation. On the other hand, this is hilarious, and you are awesome. I wasn't expecting this kind of scene as I wrote up the app, but now that I'm reading it, it fits perfectly~ and Nat's salt is fabulous as always
Shisae the lone ranger, haha, no surprise
"Keep the bandage on." Of course the cheerleader knows how to handle injuries, haha, and I love any tiny glimpse of leaderly potential in Minah. Just as much as Miwon mini-clashes. And Kyunghee fluffiness. And Aheun(?) balancing each other out.
I'm loving Ahri's increased moments of speaking up (I guess we do have to thank Yeeun for some of that) and Aerin's possible improvements in terms of playing nice. Or so I typed, then she started putting the keys back into the bucket. I see you, Aerin. I see you see her, Nat. 'Tis adorbs XD
NOOO ROKO Y U LEAVE LIV NOOOO
I take back anything I ever said about Aerin playing nice lol, I got hopeful. I caught Kaerin's hope virus.
YEEUN THE REAL MVP MAY YOU BE REMEMBERED ESP BY AHRI AND EVERYONE WHOSE BUTTS YOU SAVED INCLUDING OLIVIA'S WHO YOU AT LEAST REMEMBERED
(I really do wonder what would have happened if everyone got eliminated in this ep? Like that was totally a possibility unless they had backup plans like having Iseul appear in different spots if need be?? Not gonna lie, though, I love this sort of old-school variety game much more than the high-stress of certain 101-contestant shows these days, but one's gotta wonder…)
Darned right, Doyeol, you should look uncomfortable for lowkey jinxing it, hmph (I kid, but really, would it have killed these people to explain the rules or at least let Kaerin reconsider her choice after it was explained)
Yesss Aerin finally gets rewarded for her efforts!!!! Yay to Inho. Yay to Jiwon. Yay to Aerin too.
Mannn Miyeon and Jiwon are a force to be reckoned with. Almost a John-Sherlock combo, with Jiwon having the ideas and Miyeon making it palatable to the group. Also, a boot to the head for Jiwon's lowkey shaming at Minah, a nice solid boot. A nice solid retracted boot since she's letting Minah's skills shine tho.
Hmmm I need to modify what I said about Yeeun's leading abilities. In the listening respect, I suppose Miwon still take the cake as an odd-cop-saccharine-cop duo. Yeeun does have to room to improve, though. I hope the bit of defensiveness she got towards the end won't cloud her future judgments on this stuff…
Noooo Hirokooooooo use your earsssssss!!!! D: Come on, sis, you know you're overstepping if even Yoonhee has to speak up. Not that she's entirely to blame, since Jakyung, Kaerin, and Eugene each enabled her in their own ways. Jakyung with her nonchalance, Kaerin with a dangerous desire to prove herself, and poor Eugene with her natural shyness. Nuuuu….
Wow I really wonder what Olivia said now. To be fair, having the practice outside is extremely unfair. This is something I hate vehemently about real survival shows as well, where it's almost designed to keep the low rankers low. I'm both mad and very impressed you managed to capture that unfairness. Grrr but also grrd job… get it? "grr"-d? (I'm sorry I'm SORRY)
I love Yoonhee and Kyungmi's sweet and soft vibes but also can't help but worry since they get walked over when it actuallys counts for something.
Mmm I like this Leader!Minah concept. I really didn't see that coming, but I really hope she comes into her own!
I SEE WHAT YOU DID WITH THE WRAPPED HAND AHARHAR I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE POINT OF THE TOWERS WERE. I thought it was enough just to see Minah in her natural habitat and lowkey introduce Hoon (!!!), but leave it to Dani to tie it in even more~ I got tripped up by the Umji = Eugene ≠ Umji, but everything made sense once we got to the description.
Inho, babe, Teaching 101 says to clearly state your expectations as you give your student a new task—or at least acknowledge where your expectations were not made clear. See: Iseul causing a similar misunderstanding with lip syncing but explaining to Hiroko what she expects for the future. As much as I appreciate Inho's tough stance on things, here's my obligatory rant about judges ≠ coaches and the unhealthiness it entails.
As always, I both love and hate how much your fics remind me of real shows and how diddly-whacked up they can be. </3
Chapter 14: Viva's SoC (I'M SORRY IT'S A MILLION YEARS LATE)
Act I: \/s
Scene 4: Spotlight
Haha there goes Hyomin as the MVP of twists as usual(?). I'm loving Hyunmi as the middle ground between Iseul and Inho here. I'm curious what the others' answers were to that question, if they were asked, but I can also guess why they'd choose Hyunmi's answer above the others, haha~
(I lowkey feel like I know who did the swooning at Gyujin lol, and it definitely wasn't Nat)
Hyomin: "Group B was voted to be the worst"
Gyujin probably: WHY COULDN'T SHE JUST SAY GROUP A AND C MADE IT?! GLASS HALF FULL VS HALF EMPTY LIKE SRSLY DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THE CHARMING AROUND HERE
(Hiroko and Hyojin on the same page, I see you <3)
The duckling dynamics give me this mix of d'aww and concern. Jina jumping off the stage after Nat is so adorable, but blindly following someone into playing hooky could end badly. I'm still not sure what to make of Olivia and Hiroko…
Aww Doyeol being helpful to Aerin in his own sweet-n-sour way. I really wonder when Inho will realize that the tsundere schtick is actually counterproductive in Aerin's case. At least he gives her legitimate criticisms, though the lack of advice to follow up is a hit-or-miss teaching style...
Of all the potential leaders, Yeeun definitely seems to have the drive and sincerity with a more practical amount of stand-your-ground. We have some driven and sincere folks with too much aggression/pride (i.e. Hiroko and Hyojin) and then some who could stand to take charge a bit more (i.e. Ahri) and then Miyeon and Jiwon who are oddballs but powerful oddballs.
Jiwon is such a fascinating figure. So calm and clear-headed, with good business sense. I guess I'm a er for characters like that, haha… *glances guiltily at apps*
Loving Jiwon and Miyeon with the legitimate concerns over how they are treating the trainees… then Jakyung's "??? :D" The details, man, the FRIGGIN DETAILS IT'S SO SUBTLE BUT IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!!! I love it when the background of a character is just hinted at this way instead of handed to us flashback-form. Even if I'm a er for flashbacks too, just… kudos. Muy bueno. Rad.
The way Aerin handles a difficult situation versus how Jiwon does. The way Hyojin treats her dancers versus how Ahri does. (There's just such a difference in perspective with how they view other people…) The way Shisae aims to write a new piece while Nat doesn't even bother. Again, I love Jiwon's benevolent manipulations here. Seeing Nat say "Teach me" was hilarious, and I must thank Jiwon (and youuu) for making that moment possible. Dat Kdrama-style power play with the promo sign though XD I wouldn't even be surprised if Jiwon deliberately stoof at the end to make sure the scene concluded dramatically
I'm starting to get the idea that Hyomin's definition of a Twist is to completely blind-side people with smart but abrupt stuff. Like not telling the trainees that the promos would give someone immunity, not telling them that judges will not be commenting on the revival perfs, etc etc. Lady loves her surprises, I guess, though I appreciate the inclusion of the trainees' reactions. If this were a real show, I imagine Miyeon would be getting lots of GIFs of her comments with the caption "PREACH"
(Shisae's song <3 <3 <3 What a solemn trooper)
DOYEOL PLS YOU ARE CATCHING HYOMIN'S TWIST-OBSESSION CAN YOU GUYS EXPLAIN VOTING RULES BEFORE ACTUAL VOTING
I lowkey ship Shisae and Jiwon as the quiet but purposeful people who only speak when needed and consistently drop bombs lol. Miyeon's leading would probably work a lot better outside of this competitive environment, where the structure of everything isn't designed to make teamwork difficult. Then and again, I guess idoldom never stops being competitive…
Oooh that pun is just golden. So smooth. You have good taste. *winkity wink*
And ooooooh is Yeeun hiding something?? She seems very sweet with Ahri here, but yeah, I guess I see a little power imbalance? Is such the power of editing?! To make me see such things?!?!
OH NO KAERIN IS GOING TO BE SO SAD WHY DID TWO PEOPLE HAVE TO GO SEE THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD EXPLAIN HOW VOTING WORKS BEFORE LETTING PEOPLE VOTE DOYEOL WAIIII
SORRY THIS IS SOUPS LATE (like super late but more gelatinous idk) I timed my comeback to AFF kinda crappily since I got swamped with more work right after, but back means back means staying so here goes...
Ah, the title reminds me: what exactly would Hyomin have considered adequately creative for the last challenge? I know she approved of Shisae's directness, but… yeah
Mmm these responses are very revealing! Hyojin's very human response, Hiroko with the facts, Jiwon with the diplomacy, and Miyeon with the war flashbacks.
AEGIUHAOISDVOYUV this reminds me of Boys24 with those horrible, horrible self-eliminations. I'm torn between feeling proud of Hyojin and Hiroko for actually being civil with each other and standing firm on common ground and… Jaelyn. Jaelyn was one I thought would be around much longer. She had that pop sensibility and cheerful kinda vibe, you know? Given the chance to reflect on her mistakes, I'm sure she would have been able to show more commitment. If I were a viewer and this were an actual show, I would definitely be ranting about how this elimination did nothing to actually promote growth. There was growth between Hyojin and Hiroko, but that is no thanks to the actual elimination mechanic; that mechanic only guaranteed that someone would go home without really getting to prove themselves (as Hyojin said), without any warning (as Hiroko and Jiwon said), AND without any chance to improve.
Chapter 12: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 2: Callback
Oh no, bare-faced close-ups this early in the morning, poor things T_T isn't this an idol's nightmare? This is honestly so much blackmail material, holy cow. Early morning grumpiness (@Aerin), early morning sass (@Hiroko), and aha! There's the bed hair (@Olivia).
Wow, Ahri the shrinking violet is the one person on top of things~ kudos to you, Ahri! Dang, Iseul, that's brutal… but very effective. Now it's a self-enforcing system in which the girls wake each other up or else they'd have to bear the darned sound. Clever, clever.
Blackmail list is going~ early morning bathroom wars (@Hyojin)…
Chapter 10: OKAY so I am going to stagger these so (I can proofread and distribute my attentions fairly among the girls since I was super biased the first time around and so) you don't drown in wordcount haha but anyways, here's Wonderwall
Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 1: The Beginning
hypehypehypehYPE
oh lol I type that then see the word "hype" in the actual text. Hiii Gyujin! So much more amiable than MC-chan from 21 already, haha. Magic Mic XXL outta nowhere. Is Hyomin actually rude ft. playin-it-cool!!Gyujin or was that banter tho
okay I guess I'm doing each of these vid responses in two parts per perf, so it's like the initial "whoa" and then later "ohhh (so that's who that was)"
Chapter 24: And thus it is over. I apologise for the lack of comments, college has been doubling up this semester and midterms were, well still are, hell right now. This fic kept me going, thank you so much for that. This story was so sweet, such a rollercoaster of emotion and attachment to all of these characters. I am so happy to see all of them end up okay and on their feet, such bright futures for each and every one of them. Good song choices too, Pretty Pretty remains a favourite.
Thank you so much for writing this fantastic story Unqua, you have brightened the week of very many people with your regular updates and heartfelt content. Whatever project you undertake next, I will be on board.
Chapter 24: Glad to see the girls after a year~~~
It's makes me happy to see that most of the girls got to debut :)
Hopefully Kyungmi will be able to in the future and maybe find another company where she can debut as well
I'm glad most the girls still maintained their friendship~! Maybe we can see them all together in the future again <3
Chapter 24: Glad to see an update on the girls :)
Also very happy with the direction Hyojin was given-
And that she and Aerin might be friends, since the performed together ^^
I really enjoyed this applyfic, with all of its drama and humor!
Hope to see you again!! :)
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