Scandals

"Hello hello and welcome back!" Jongwoon's cheery introduction is back as he lounges in one of the improv classrooms. "Our teams had a lot of fun last week learning about improv, but being an idol isn't all fun and games." He leans forward, his demeanour shifting from bright to serious in an instant.

"This week the kid gloves come off."

The scene shifts over to the dorms, where a majority of the participants are dressed and hurrying to finish eating before they have to leave.

"The workouts never actually stopped, we still go for at least an hour a day." Akihiro explains in a quick cut to his interview. "The timing is just pretty random depending on what else we have going on in our schedules."

Jinyi demonstrates this when she stumbles out of the women's room and blearily makes her way to the coffee machine, still clothed in her pyjamas.

Hanhae steers her in the right direction before heading out, accompanied by Myunghwa and her guitar.

"Since we changed Hanhae's rap parts, the coaches decided we had to keep working together to make sure Hanhae does his parts well." Myunghwa explains in her interview.

"How has that been going?" Gikwang prompts.

Myunghwa shrugs awkwardly. "Good? I think? Hanhae is a lot like my brother in some ways so we get along, but I could do without him flirting so much. I don't know how Jinyi handles him." She admits, blushing faintly.

The scene cuts back to the two of them in one of the private practice rooms. Myunghwa is tuning her guitar while Hanhae types on his phone.

"Hey Myunghwa, do you mind if I get a photo of you? I like putting beautiful things on my blog, it attracts readers." Hanhae holds up his phone, clearly angling to get a shot.

Myunghwa glances over. "I'm just tuning my guitar Hanhae, and shouldn't you be warming up?"

Hanhae shrugs and there's a faint shutter sound from the phone. He glances at it, and then turns the phone around to show Myunghwa the shot. "See? Gorgeous. And I'll warm up in a minute, I only updated my blog once last week, I need to post something."

Myunghwa blushes, a faint smile on her face. "Fine, you can post it. Now warm up please?"

Hanhae grins brightly. "Thanks!"

The camera zooms out and pans over to one of the upstairs dance rooms, where Jisoo is working on some warm ups with Eunchan and Hadon.

"Okay you two, since I'm in charge we're going to do some modern dance." Jisoo says authoritatively.

Hadon rolls his eyes slightly but nods indifferently, while Eunchan looks excited at the prospect.

"Awesome! Does that include break dancing and stuff?" He asks eagerly.

Jisoo looks annoyed. "No Eunchan, it doesn't mean break dancing. That's it's own form of dance. We're doing modern. And keep stretching!" She adds sharply.

Eunchan shrugs and returns to his stretching as instructed and Jisoo's annoyance seems to heighten.

"He's so dang cheerful all the time! It drives me crazy!" Jisoo laments in her interview. "It's like he's not even a person! No one is that happy all the time." She frowns. "He's got to be hiding something. That's all I can think of."

Gikwang looks amused. "Are you sure he's not just actually happy to be here? He's just here to have fun you know."

Jisoo still looks aggravated. "Yeah but the rest of us aren't! Show some respect!"

"Jisoo is really intense. I get why Jinyi finds her so aggravating to work with at times." Hadon observes in his own sit down with Gikwang. He's relaxed and his tone isn't accusing. He instead seems rather amused by the entire situation. "I think Eunchan was goading her on in that roundabout way he does things. It was definitely entertaining but we didn't really get anything done."

The next contestants shown are Jinyoo and Woojin, who are at the gym. They aren't speaking, though Jinyoo does keep glancing over at Woojin to check her own form during the exercises.

"It was different." Woojin is as carefully composed as ever during his interview. "I haven't really spent any time with Jinyoo in the past few weeks, but our schedules are nearly identical this week."

Gikwang nods. "Perhaps now is a good time to get to know her then?"

Woojin shrugs noncommittally in answer.

"I'd like to talk to him more." Jinyoo is fidgeting away as she gives her thoughts on the situation. "But he's really quiet and I'm not so great at talking and just..." She trails off awkwardly, inadvertently demonstrating her concerns.

Jinyi, Giri, and Akihiro are all briefly shown then, revealing they have private lessons with the coaches.

The scene then shifts, and a time stamp shows that it's just past noon on the first day. The men and women are back in their dance rooms, looking distinctly confused.

"Okay, I think this is the latest our mentors have ever been." Jinyi decided, frowning as she eyes the door. "And does anyone else think it's odd we're back in the dance room for the rest of the day? I thought that we were doing variety and interview stuff with the rest of the mentors."

The other women shrug, though Myunghwa looks distinctly concerned by the realization.

In the men's room, only Akihiro seems to be wondering about the mentor, as the other four are going about their own business in the room while he paces.

"Are honestly none of you curious about this?" He asks at last, pausing his movements to look at the rest. "Woojin I thought at least you had some sense."

Woojin eyes him with clear annoyance. "I have the sense to not stress myself over insignificant bull like this." He responds flatly.

Hadon barks out a laugh. "Dang! And I thought you were just another stick in the mud, that was a good one!" He compliments around continued chuckles.

Akihiro huffs indignantly and goes back to pacing, and the others turn back to their conversations.

The door to the women's room swings open first, and all five look up expectantly.

However, instead of an idol, a middle aged woman greets them.

"Good afternoon ladies. My name is Shin Mirae and I'll be your choreographer for the next few weeks."

The girls exchange confused looks, all of which Mirae ignores.

"Let's hear your song first, and then I'll test your dance skills." The choreographer gets straight to business, and after an additional moment of scrambling the women do a quick harmony check and begin.

In the men's room they're equally blind sided by their choreographer, a man perhaps a bit older than Akihiro.

"Alright men, fall in. Let's see what you're capable of." He wastes no time with introductions, but a label onscreen states that his name is Cho Hwanhee.

The male parcicipants slowly follow orders and fall into formation for one of their warm up dances. Hwanhee watches them for a few minutes before waving for them to stop.

"Alright. Eunchan you're the main dancer, correct? Let's see some freestyle."

"The second he said that I admit I got worried." Akihiro is honest in his interview. "I'm not a good dancer by any stretch. I'm still only mostly able to follow choreography, so freestyling isn't really something I was ready to do."

Eunchan is moving around happily to the beat when the scene returns, and he's not half bad.

Hwanhee nods slowly before flipping off the music and waving Eunchan back. "Thank you. Woojin, you were named lead dancer so let's see what you can do."

Woojin blinks, and for the first time he looks uncertain as he steps in front of the others.

"I don't know why Rain made me lead dancer, but I don't really consider myself one." He speaks slowly, carefully, in his interview. "I think I did alright, but that was probably one of the least comfortable things I've had to do on the show so far."

The editors seem to have taken pity on him as the scene returns to the men after Woojin has finished and Hanhae takes his place at the front of the group.

When the music starts, he flows right into it, and the others stare at him in shock.

"I have no idea when he learned how to dance, but he was really good." Hadon observes in his interview. "You think you know a guy." He adds jokingly.

Hanhae smiles warmly in his own interview. "I spent a lot of time with Jungsu two weeks ago when my voice was gone, and he gave me tips. I've been working on them in the past week, and I guess they paid off." There's a flash of pride in his eyes as he finishes speaking.

Akihiro and Hadon's freestyles are breifly shown afterwards. Hadon clearly isn't even trying, looking like he's at a club, and while Akihiro is at least attempting to do well he's still quite stiff and awkward.

Hwanhee pauses the music in the middle of Hadon dabbing, sighing.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's hear the line distribution and we can begin."

In the women's room, they've finished singing and are now going through their own freestyle tests.

Mirae opts to start from the bottom of the talent ladder, sending Giri out first.

Giri clears nervously, but moves as best she can when the music begins. Though she's clearly nervous, her practicing has definitely paid off and she stays on beat throughout the song.

Mirae nods approvingly and sends Jinyoo out next.

Jinyoo stares nervously at the others, not moving for several econds before Mirae figures it out and stops the music.

"Never mind dear, come back to the group."

"It was humiliating." Jinyoo looks ready to cry in her interview. "It was improv all over again only this time there wasn't another person to bail me out when I froze up."

Myunghwa goes next, andt hough she's far from impressive she manages to create something that at least resembles a dance.

"It's definitely still not my forte, but I am feeling better about it as we keep practicing." She sounds pleased with herself as she gives an analysis of her own performance.

Jinyi is next, and she looks much the same as Myunghwa, only with a bit less stiffness from nerves.

Jisoo finishes off the performances with a professional-level freestyle that earns her some applause from her teammates. Grinning, she makes a little curtsey before returning to the others.

Mirae nods and then opens her bag. "Alright then, thank you girls. Now let's do it again but in these."

From within her bag she pulls out five pairs of ridiculously high heels, and Jisoo's face drops instantly.

"This show hates me, doesn't it? You know I can't dance in heels!" She laments to Gikwang, who just grins unsympathetically.

"Didn't you want to be an idol? Nearly all girl groups wear heels regularly so if you're serious about that dream, maybe you should be a litte more open minded."

Jisoo huffs angrily.

Meanwhile the men have also begun their choreo practice, though they're clearly struggling.

"You need to time your steps exactly, and you need to be able to cover the same distance back in only three so don't walk too far." Hwanhee sounds like he's explained this several times already, and all the men nod though a few annoyed glances are tossed towards Hadon.

The rehearsal continues on fast forward, and a lot of the time is spent barely moving as Hwanhee fixes posture and corrects timing.

In the women's room there's even more chaos as everyone loses their balance in the insane heels they're wearing. They seem to be spending more time on the ground than actually practicing, though most of them are laughing as well.

There's a final cut to Akihiro's interivew. "Overall, despite everything, today was oddly... uneventful. We didn't meet our mentors and there was nothing too world changing announced. I'm just bracing for tomorrow. This felt too much like the calm before a storm."

Oddly enough it's overcast the next day as seen in the exterior shot of the JTBC practice building.

A zoom in shows the groups are back in their practice rooms, and a time stamp reveals it's 6 AM on the second day of the week.

The choreographers enter shortly after the zoom. Mirae is accompanied by Jongwoon while Hwanhee is tailed by Gikwang, and the participants eye the additional party with clear wariness.

Mirae laughs. "What did you do to these poor women Woon?" She glances over at Jongwoon who throws his hands up defensively.

"Hey, I didn't do anything, I'm adorable. I have no clue what's with this reaction."

Jinyi grins. "Oh please, you showing up any day other than the first or last means something is going down." She points out, and Jongwoon's hands stay up, though now to symbolize defeat.

"Fair enough. It's been a few weeks since your positions were assigned, and you've all been reevaluated recently to determine how you've progressed." Jongwoon wastes no more time and launches into the reason he's there.

In the men's room Gikwang is even shorter about his purpose. "Some of you have improved, some of you haven't. We'll be assigning new positions based on this."

Akihiro frowns slightly and glances towards Woojin, clearly concerned that his position may be stolen. Woojin remains stoic as ever, his gaze locked onto the interviewer.

Eunchan meanwhile seems quite excited to see how things have changed. "Oh cool! Is Woojin going to take everyone's positions officially now?" He smiles cheerfully as Hadon bursts out laughing.

Gikwang sighs and waits for them to quiet somewhat. "You have a packed schedule today, so I'll make this brief. Woojin, you are being promoted to main vocal, so it will be shared between you and Akihiro."

The Japanese contestant looks slightly relieved, though not completely content with the shift.

"Eunchan you're still the sole main dancer but you can add lead vocalist to your title. Apparently you've shown the most improvement of everyone except for Giri in terms of vocals."

Eunchan beams happily.

"And finally Hanhae, you're being moved up to lead dance along with Woojin. Good luck." He nods to the men and their choreographer before excusing himself from the room.

Jongwoon is a bit more dramatic with his reveals. "You ladies have been keeping rather consistent with your vocal abilities, but in dance was have quite the shuffle going on." He grins conspiratorily, but the women are clearly not impressed, save for Jinyoo who looks a bit nervous despite dancing positions not affecting her at all.

"Giri. You've grown a lot in all areas the past few weeks, and so it's been deemed fitting to reward you with a lead dance position! Congratulations!"

Giri looks thrilled with the news, and the other girls all silently cogratulate her with smiles and shoulder bumps.

"We have a new main dancer as well! Jinyi, from floudering about at the start to being one of the most charismatic onstage, we've decided that you're fit to be named main dancer of this little team we have here."

Jisoo's mouth drops open, but a moment later things get even worse for her.

"And for Jisoo, since you've shown no ability to adapt to heels we've had to lower you down to lead dancer. Skills only count if you can tell that you have them." Jongwoon has the decency to sound apologetic, though his sympathy goes over Jisoo's head as she breaks into a rage.

"WHAT?"

"Practice was not fun after that. Jongwoon skedaddled right out before he had to deal with any of the backlash." Jinyi sighs. "I thought we were past this with Jisoo but apparently she's still like this."

"Like what?" Gikwang prompts curiously.

Jinyi waves her hands around vaguely. "Like, I dunno. A spoiled brat."

"I'm obviously the only one there who knows how to dance! How could you not keep me as the main dancer?" Jisoo is still furious in her own talk with Gikwang.

"Well to be fair you spend more time on the floor than dancing when you have heels on." The interivewer points out.

Jisoo releases a sound of pure frustrated exasperation. "Are you finished? I have a dance to work on."

The scene returns to show the groups exiting their practice rooms, sweaty and panting. A time stamp shows that it's almost noon.

"So how were things mixed up for you guys?" Hadon asks cheerily, either not noticing or ignoring Myunghwa's desperate attempts to signal that he not pose the question.

"It was absolute bull-"

Jisoo is cut off by the elevator dinging open to admit two figure into the hallway.

"That didn't sound like a particularly pleasant conversation. Let's change the subject!"

The groups stare in confusion at the newcomers, a man and a woman who are shown only from behind.

Finally, Woojin speaks. "You guys are kind of late."

The man laughs. "Call it fashionably late. But we're here now and ready to get started!"

The camera finally shifts focus to reveal the week's mentors, given labels despite their not needing any.

The man is Jo Kwon, and he's giving the men a Cheshire grin that has them all shifting nervously. The woman is Park Eunhye, who's smile is less intimidating, but she makes up for it with a powerful aura that causes the women to remain as quiet as the men.

Ivy speaks after a moment. "Shall we go then? We have a lot to do today." Her voice is soft but authoritative, and everyone quickly hurries to get going.

The groups arrive at the classrooms rom the previous week, and their mentors herd them into the same room.

"Alright, I will be honest with you guys. I've watched none of this show." Ivy gets straight to the point, grinning slightly. "And so we're going to do some simple get to know you exercises just to warm up and relax before we dive into the main course."

The groups glance at each other but say nothing as the mentors arrange them in a circle on the floor.

"Alright, so I made this one up on the drive over here." Ivy seems quite pleased with herself. "I call it the Snowflake game."

Jo Kwon snorts, but lets her continue.

"The game is quite simple. You'll state something about yourself that you think no one else in the group can relate to. If you're correct, then you get a point! If someone else has had a similar experience though, they get the point and you don't. Any questions?"

Jisoo's hand shoots up. "How do you win?"

Jinyi nods emphatically, clearly hoping to snag her own victory.

Ivy grins. "Whoever has the most points by the end of the game of course!"

"Which we'll determine." Jo Kwon adds. "So don't worry about time or anything."

The group nods, and Ivy decides to begin.

"Alright, so my first fact is that I've been in multiple scandals, including a false accusation of being in a tape."

Jo Kwon laughs loudly as many of the contestants look scandalized by the fact.

Ivy shrugs and puts up a finger. "I'm aiming to win, and I figured that one was an easy point." She says cheerfully.

Jo Kwon thinks for a moment before he gives his fact.

"I have been mistaken for a girl in the past."

Hanhae's hand shoots into the air. "Same! I mean, I was wearing a dress at the time, and with a face this ethereal it was an easy mistake but still. I get your point right?"

Woojin is eyeing Hanhae oddly. "Why would you wear a dress? Only girls wear dresses."

Hanhae shrugs, happily putting up a finger to mark his point. "It was for a photography project. I don't get the big deal personally. Wear what you want to."

Woojin looks troubled as Myunghwa ponders her own fact.

After a moment the guitarist shrugs. "Well, I play guitar. I don't think any of you guys do?" She looks around the circle uncertainly, and smiles when she realizes her guess was correct and puts up a finger.

Woojin is still lost in thought, so Myunghwa has to nudge him before he realizes it's his turn to speak.

He stutters for a moment before regaining composure. "I... I used to be a business major? Before switching to acting."

"Well that's quite the shift. What caused it?" Ivy sounds genuinely curious.

Woojin shrugs almost awkwardly. "I didn't like business much."

He puts up a finger shortly after when no one else claims the same major.

Jisoo already has her fact planned when it's her turn. "I've had professional dance lessons!" She puts up her finger, but a moment later Woojin raises his hand uncertainly.

"I've had to attend professionally-run dance workshops for some of my classes. Does that count?"

Jo Kwon pretends to bang a gavel. "I call it fair. Point Woojin."

Jisoo looks incredibly upset, but she puts her finger down. "Next time." She grumbles.

"I grew up on an island!" Eunchan pitches in his first fact, but Hadon quickly tosses his hand up to prevent the point from being counted.

"Same here. Ever heard of Deokjeokdo island?"

Eunchan shakes his head, still grinning despite losing the point.

Jinyi has to think a moment before shrugging and giving her fact.

"I manage a bakery."

Ivy puts up a hand. "I haven't but is ther anyone who might run a small business? We'd count that."

The others shake their heads, and Jinyi grins over at Jisoo as she claims her point.

"Oh it was on." Jisoo is grinning despite her competitive tone in the brief cut away to her interview.

Jinyoo is next, and she looks incredibly nervous.

"Um, I..." She hesitates, and then raises her hands. "I'm fluent in KSL." As she speaks her hands move with her words, and the rest of the group is immediately interested.

"Really? That is so cool!"

"Could you teach us that?"

"Wait is that why you fidget al the time? You should just sign, that would be so cool!"

Jinyoo looks a bit overwhelmed by the attention, but slowly she starts smiling. "Um, I guess I could show you some stuff?" She blinks. "But it's not all fun and games, deaf children really have it hard you know."

Ivy raises an inquisitive eyebrow at the comment while Jo Kwon redirects everyone back to their positions in the circle. "We can have KSL class later in the week if we have time, but for now I believe it's Hadon's turn."

The game goes on, speeding up and causing several playful arguments to break out. However, everyone seems to be having fun, save for Woojin who barely participates more than he has to. Even Jinyoo is getting into the rythm of things, and she's grinning broadly in a cut to her interview.

"I really like this week's mentors. Why didn't we have something like this at the start? It would have made working with everyone a lot easier." She's no longer fidgeting, but instead is signing along with her words, looking more confident than ever.

Woojin has opposing feelings to Jinyoo's. "I see the merit, but wouldn't it have been better to do something like this at the start? It all feels like a waste of time. The objective for the week hasn't even been discussed yet."

Gikwang hums. "You don't trust that the mentors know what they're doing?"

Woojin opens his mouth, pauses, and then glances away silently.

"...I just hope we get more done tommorrow."

Day three of the week is once again overcast. It's noon when the groups convene in the classrooms, and this time their mentors split them by gender.

"Alright guys, it's time to get into the theme of the week." Ivy has her business face on as she stands by the desk at the front of the room.

The women settle in seats at the front and wait patiently for her to go on.

The scene switches to show Jo Kwon sitting on top of the desk as he addresses the men.

"You've seen the excitement of being onstage, and the hours of work that goes into each performance. You've seen the fun of variety. But there are some very dark clouds in the industry."

"Scandals." Ivy is much more direct with her explanation. "They're something every person in the spotlight has to watch for over their shoulder. The constant pressure to be perfect in an imperfect world." She sighs slightly. "It's worse for us ladies unfortuantely, so you'll have it a bit worse than the men this week."

"I don't get that. The mentors decide how we're treated, so why make it worse for us?" Jisoo sounds slightly annoyed in her interview.

Gikwang shrugs. "We're going for authenticity." He replies simply.

"The easiest scandals arise from friendships with the opposite ." Jo Kwon is in full on teacher mode. He draws two stick figures on the blackboard holding hands, and denotes the female with a triangle skirt. "Dating is a big no-no so any contact caught by media is something that needs to be addressed very carefully. If you're lucky, there's a real explanation that doesn't in any way suggest anything beyond casual interaction, but if you are friends, or worse dating, you need to be careful. There's a fine line between dodging the question and straight-out lying, which you'll generally want to avoid."

He draws as he speaks, though the doodles on the blackboard are messy and for the most part nonsensical.

Akihiro raises his hand. "With all due respect I think we're a bit different. We aren't actually idols, and I for one am married, as is Jinyoo, and I don't think anyone is going to attack us for it."

Jo Kwon fixes him with an extremely unimpressed look. "For the duration of this show you are idols, and you'll act like it." He then smiles. "And since you so kindly volunteered, let's have a bit of practice shall we?"

Akihiro looks slightly worried, but he nods uncertainly regardless.

Jo Kwon claps. "Excellent! Akhiro, you're caught by Dispatch on a date with your girlfriend Sarang. Naturally several fans inquire as to your relationship with her. How do you respond?"

Akihiro frowns. "She's my wife. They know that."

Jo Kwon frowns back. "This is a hypothetical where you're an idol. How do you respond?"

Akihiro sighs. "What was in the pictures? I can't create a plausible reason if I don't know what was caught, and therefore what I have to account for."

"Akihiro has a real knack for diplomatic responses to questions when he actually wants to try." Jo Kwon notes in his chat with Gikwang. "He's just oddly resistant to it."

"I'm not a liar. I don't like doing it." Akihiro states flatly in his own interview.

"It's just to see what idols have to handle, it's not real for you." Gikwang points out.

Akihiro glances away. "I know, but it still feels wrong."

"How do you think idols feel? It's real life for them."

Akihiro has no response to that.

In the women's room, Jinyi seems to be the master of misdirection. A scoreboard is drawn onto the blackboard and she has fifteen points, putting her well ahead of Giri, who ranks second with only seven.

A note in the corner of the screen reveals that it's day four of the week. The women are sitting at their desks while Ivy reads off notecards.

"Alright, an interviewer jokes that it looks like you've gained weight recently."

Myunghwa's hand flies into the air. "Laugh along and promise you'll be dieting soon, then shift focus to another member."

Ivy smiles and nods. "Point Myunghwa."

"We call them shout outs." Ivy explains in an interview segment. "I present a hypothetical situation that could cause some level of scandal, and the first person to provide an effective response gets a point. It's all in good fun."

"I admit I mostly enjoy kicking Jisoo's in this." Jinyi grins shamelessly in her own cut away interview. "But really most of these things aren't hard to do, just avoid the question and change topics as subtly as possible."

"I at this." Jisoo laments. "I'll never beat Jinyi at this rate."

"This is friendly competition, right?" Gikwang sounds slightly uncertain, and Jisoo grins.

"Sure. Friendly. For the most part."

The men are shown doing their shout outs on day six of the week. Their scoreboard is much more even than the women's though it could be due to the time rather than skill level.

"Rumors have surfaced that you threw away fan gifts. Given that these claims are false what do you do?"

Eunchan's hand flies up milliseconds before Hanhae's. "Deny it and if possible show a few of the gifts as evidence."

Jo Kwon adds a point to Eunchan's column, and then raises an eyebrow at Hanhae's hand, which is still raised.

"Yes Hanhae?"

"You should apologize for causing the fans concern as well, especially in case something comes up in the future that's actually true, you've set up a precendent for reaction that can work in either situation."

Jo Kwon smiles approvingly. "Excellent point." He adds a mark to Hanhae's score as well, and the visual grins proudly.

"It isn't so tough once you've figured out the trick. It's about getting into the fan's heads and knowing what they'd want to hear. From there you just turn up the charm and hope the really intense haters eventually simmer down." Hanhae explains to Gikwang. "It's a mind game really."

The screen goes dark then, and text ripples in announcing that it's the final day of the week.

All ten contestants are in a single room, with the mentors standing in front, holding notecards.

"Alright guys. We're warning you up front that today's session is going to be a whole lot more personal than the past five days." For once Jo Kwon is completely serious, and beside him Ivy is equally as grave.

"Normally idols don't have a chance to brace themselves before being hit with these sorts of questions." She adds.

The participants look at each other nervously.

Ivy continues. "We'll be starting by reading you a few comments made by netizens."

Now everyone looks terrified.

"I may not know much about KPop, but I know about netizens." Jinyi makes a face in her interview. "That was quite a way to wear us down beore hitting us with the heavy stuff."

Jo Kwon begins the assault. "I quote, 'Is Woojin even a person? He's so quiet I forget he's even there half the time, what's the point of him being on the show at all?' End quote."

Woojin frowns slightly but otherwise shows no response to the critisism.

Ivy picks up the next comment. "Jisoo acts all high and mighty because she's had dance lessons, but her vocals are meh and she can't even dance in heels. Stop overrating yourself, seriously."

Jisoo looks more upset by the remark thn Woojin, but she's given no time to contemplate as the comments keep coming.

Akihiro is called out for being bossy, Hadon and Hanhae for being too goofy, and Eunchan for generally being unhelpful. A few comments call out Jinyi for her side of the conflict with Jisoo, but more people seem annoyed with the young dancer than the baker. Myunghwa has a few comments about her awkwardness and that her voice is annoying, and Giri gets a few people telling her she should leave if she can't handle the pressure. But it's Jinyoo who garners the most negative attention, with commentors complaining about her soft, stuttering voice, her constant fidgeting, and her general 'uselessness', going so far as to say that Myunghwa sings well enough that Jinyoo isn't really needed anyway.

The teacher looks ready to break by the end of the comment reading session, but the day has only just begun.

Putting down the cards, Ivy waves for the women to follow her out of the room, leaving the men with Jo Kwon, who clears his throat for full attention.

"Alright, this is the delicate part. Ivy and I have been analyzing your comments and general attitudes for the past five days, and we've formulated a few specified scenarios to present to you."

"These are not reflective of our beliefs or feelings towards any of you, but are instead intended to push you to your limits. Stay calm and respond as well as you can for as long as you can. You may feel free to ask us to stop at any time." Ivy is giving the same disclaimer to the women, who look concerned.

"What's the point if we're allowed to tap out?" Hadon points out with a frown.

Jo Kwon shrugs. "You aren't real idols. We don't want to cause any emotional breakdowns or trauma here."

"Too late for that." Woojin mutters to himself.

In the women's room Ivy has begun with Jinyi, who looks determined to do well.

"So Jinyi, you're single at the moment?"

She looks surprised by the innocent quesiton. "I... yeah, I am." She sounds cautious, and her instincts proove correct with the next question.

"However, you've mentioned several past relationships. You seem to go through people pretty quickly. And by your interactions with Hanhae you seem to be angling for another conquest."

"The start soft and then punch you in the face." Jinyi sighs in her interview. "I didn't do very well."

"Excuse me? What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Back in the classroom Jinyi is clearly furious. "I flirt because flirting is fun and makes people feel appreciated. Flirting isn't always about for heaven's sake!"

Ivy raises an eyebrow. "Good response, but your tone ruined it."

Jinyi blinks, and then realizes her mistake and groans. "Do we get do overs?"

"One chance only, sorry Eunchan." Jo Kwon smiles at the young boy, who looks a bit teary for the first time.

He sniffs. "Okay. Sorry I didn't do so well."

Jo Kwon rufles his hair affectionately. "Hey, these are designed to be tough, don't worry."

Eunchan nods and is smiling again moments later as he bounces back to his seat.

Jo Kwon looks around. "Hanhae? Why don't you come down for the next round."

"I really thought I wouldn't have any trouble with this." Hanhae admits in his interview. "But man, I barely made it to the end. I did make it though." He adds with a smirk.

However a cut to his returning to his seat shows a significatly more shaken image than the one he'd given in the interview.

The scene switches back to the women as Myunghwa rises from the front seat and walks back to her own, where Giri offers her a high five that isn't noticed as Myunghwa sinks back into her seat. Giri glances at her own hand, then opts to use it to pat Myunghwa's back supportively.

At the front Ivy turns to Jinyoo. "Alright. Final contestant. Whenever you're ready."

Looking determined, Jinyoo walks to the front of the room and takes her place across from Ivy, who almost looks nervous.

"So Jinyoo, tell me a bit about your job."

Jinyoo nods. "I'm a teacher at a school for deaf chidren." She's signing confidently along with her words, and a quick pan of the other women show that they're quite interested in her gestures. "Specifically I teach history, since that's my degree."

"Why deaf students? There are easier teaching jobs to be had."

Jinyoo frowns, clearly both used to and frustrated with the question. "Because all children deserve access to basic education! Why is it people can stand there and say that some students don't deserve what others get just because you have to put in a bit of extra effort to help them?" She's ranting now, and Ivy tries to get her attention.

"Jinyoo, that's all, I think we'll stop there-"

"No! People need to hear this!" Jinyoo is furious, and Ivy stops back, her eyes slightly wide.

The scene cuts out then to an interview with Ivy, who looks genuinely upset. "I didn't want to upset her so much, but she was so quiet the entire time, her passion for her job was the only thing I had to work with." She sighs. "I didn't realize it would cause her to quit."

The final shot shows Jinyoo walking out of the dorms, suitcase in hand.

Next week on SuperStar BootCamp...

There's no sound playing, instead a stifling silence accompanies several slow shots of the women sitting in their practice room, looking utterly lost. A few instersperesed shots show the men, though tensions seem high with them as well. Slowly, the screen fades out, lingering on a shot of Myunghwa tearing up. Then the screen goes black.