Produce 99 To Produce a Global Group.” big bold letters across the screen read before it’s zoomed out to reveal mockup news headlines. ”Akimoto Yasushi to produce alongside EM’s Kang Haesoo,” another reads. ”Their goal is to make the world watch the show.”

 

 

 

 

 

It’s completely dark until a spotlight shines on Woo Chanhee, a stack of papers on his arm. To the fitting background music of Nekkoya Piano Version, he starts talking. “Here, behind me, are 99 dreams.” He waves his hand the lights turn on, revealing a wall plastered with printed out trainee forms. “A dream to stand on stage. A dream to be in the spotlight. A dream to sing, to dance, to rap. 99 dreams for a bigger future.”

The scene shifts to stock footage of girls practicing. “Day in day out these dreamers practice to achieve their dream. We asked the dreamers this question: what does debut mean to you?”

Back with Chanhee and the trainee wall, he takes one of the papers and sticks it atop one of the forms. A close-up reveals a handwritten message with a name. “Debut is the final stop on the longest journey,” Han Siryung (Pledis) wrote.

Chanhee sticks another paper on the wall.  “Debut is at the end of an endless maze,” - Zhu Mengjie (Yuehua).

Another after another page is slammed on the wall.

“Debut is the fulfillment of a promise,” - Kim Dohee (WM).

“It is is like a mirage in an endless desert,” Hwang Jiho (Independent).

“It is the middle stop of a difficult journey,” - Kim Kyungmi (YNB).

“It is the light at the end of the tunnel,” - Yang Taeyoung (TS).

“It is the opportunity to become so much more than I am,” - Takiyama Sora (Avex Trex)

“It is the opportunity for a future,” - Park Dain (MMO).

“It would be a dream come true,” - Lucy King (Helix).

“It is the dream that keeps me going,” - Ming Fen (Woollim).

“It is the dream I can never stop running to,” - Choi Bitna (Independent).

“It is my only wish in life,” Jung Gaeul (SM).

Chanhee turns back towards the camera after sticking up the last piece of paper. “We all have dreams, some are big and some are small. These 99 girls all share a dream to debut, and only through their hard work can they achieve them. Hours of practice, sleepless nights, the uncertainty, I know it all too well myself. Now it is time to see that dream realized. Produce 99 begins now.”
 

There is the ringing of the alarm bell as the camera pans down to show Chanhee lying in the infamous bed. He throws the blanket aside with a dramatic flourish and steps out into the black studio. “Hello National Producer,” he says directly into the camera. “I’m your new representative, Woo Chanhee,” he does a theatrical bow.

“There are 99 girls here who cannot wait to meet you,” he continues. “Do you know why this season is special? The keyword is ‘global’. You will create a global group that will perform all over the world, representing Korea in the world market.”

“Take a deep breath now.” Chanhee inhales and exhales loudly himself. “Sit back, and participate in the rollercoaster that will create Korea’s new national and international group.”

He pauses for effect, coming to a stop in front of a black wall with the diamond logo of Produce 99 in front of it. He spreads his arms with a charismatic smile. “It’s showtime!”

The walls falls backwards to reveal a big room with 99 girls standing in a pyramid formation. They all bow in unison. “Please take care of us, national producers!” they all but chant, dramatic music in the background setting the exact feeling of awe you should be feeling at this very moment.

“But wait!” Chanhee says, turning the camera back around and away from the girls. “I forgot to tell you how to vote! Listen carefully, now.”

“First you go to Produce 99’s official website. You click on the 9 trainees you want to support, fill out the information requested, and voila! You will have made a difference as a national producer. You can vote once every day until the elimination cutoff. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you exactly when that will be. Voting is open now, from this very moment!”

“Well then, are you ready to meet the girls?”

The show switches to what seems to be a waiting room, a small room with padded pink walls and a mirror with a small shelf attached and that’s it. There are two big name stickers ready. Five girls cautiously enter, each dressed in white tops and light denim, the only pop of colour is the bright pink ombre colouring the hair of one of them.

“Are we the very first?” One of the girls asks. “We’re not, are we?”

“If we are, we’ll be able to sit at the top,” a distinctly not Korean-looking girl says with a mischievous smile.

“Look, it’s our names!” The pink-haired one reaches for one of the big equally pink name stickers. She eagerly holds it in front of the camera: these are Plan A trainees! The company which is home to the well-known girl group A Pink!
 

The five bow to the camera before one who appears to be the leader counts them down. “3, 2, 1: Jung Haneul!”

“Sunisa!” The foreign one answers with a heart.

“Kim Jinri!” The shortest one chants with her own pose.

“Park Sunmi!”

“Jeon Taeri!” The pink-haired one finishes. “Hello, we’re the Plan A trainees!”

“Woooow!” all of them gasp as they enter the hall with the chairs.

“We really are the first ones,” Kim Jinri all but whispers in awe. “It’s so empty.”

“Should we go up then?” Sunisa suggests. “The good chairs are there for the taking.”

They all climb up the stairs towards the big fancy pink chairs standing high above the flimsy plastic ones, #2-#9. These ones have plastic looking pink cushions and sturly silver armrests, more like small thrones than chair. And, of course, at the very top the #1 throne is the most menacing of all, towering over the whole pyramid of chairs. The girls gasp.

“Could we really sit here?” Sunmi asks.

“Only one of us can sit in #1,” Jinri says, eyeing the throne with ambition in her eyes, the special effects department give her a twinkle just to make sure you notice.

“I’m not sure…” Haneul starts. “We probably shouldn’t…”

Jeon Taeri  skips down the stairs, peering at the numbers until she gets to 33. “Here!” she says. “3 is a lucky number, right? This is my chair.” She pats the one next to her. “Join me!”

Haneul looks relieved to have an excuse to guide the girls down, though Jinri throws one last furtive glance at the #1 chair.

Sunmi points at a screen in front of them with the logo of Plan A on it. “That will change once new people come in, right?” Just then the logo changes to Brand New Music and Sunmi lets out a little shriek. ‘AH! I didn’t expect it to change right then!”

Taeri laughs at her. “You’re magic!”

Jinri leans over from the other side. “That’s where Lee Daehwi and Park Woojin are from!”
 

Four girls enter the room, each clad in casual black and green outfits. “Woah, it’s bigger than I thought it would be!” a pretty girl labeled Shin Areum (BNM) exclaims. “It’s so empty. It looks smaller on TV.”

The girl laughs, and while her hangul says Park Sora, the subs identify her as Lexi Park. “It does, doesn’t it?”

Jeon Taeri (Plan A) narrows her eyes and leans forward. “That’s Lexi Park! I heard she was participating. She was almost in Twice!”

“Almost in Sixteen,” Jung Haneul (Plan A) corrects her.

A clip of of Got7’s Stop Stop It is played, where Lexi is playing the cold female lead.

Back in the front the Brand New Music girls are looking up at the rows of chairs. “Where do you want us to sit, leader-nim?” a girl called Na Chaerin asks.

Lexi sighs before peering up into the stands, counting the chairs. “There,” she points at the #12-#14. “That’s where we sit.”

“Why aren’t the 10 an 11 seats big, too?” Areum asks when they get towards the top. “You don’t think they’re only going to debut 9 of us, do you?”

“That would be terrible!” Juyeon whispers back. “I really hope not.”

Next up is WM Entertainment.
 

The show flashes back to one on one interview segment with one of the girls, a pretty girl with a chipmunk look sits across from a producer. “You’re not the only artist in your family, are you?” the producer asks.

The girl looks taken aback at the question. She reluctantly shakes her head. “I have two brothers…” Kim Dohee (WM) says. “Kim Donghyun and Kim Dongyoung.” Helpfully, Mnet has provided photos and subtitles to fill in the gaps: 5urprise’s Gong Myung and NCT’s Doyoung are this girl’s brothers!

“I really want to compete in this show on my own merit though,” Dohee continues. “I didn't get special treatment when I first got accepted into JYP years ago, and I don’t want special treatment now.”

Back to the present where that same Dohee is seen leading the others up the stairs. The youngest looking one taps her on the shoulder and smiles, dimples dotting her cheek. She points at the #1 seat. “It’s okay unnie, just take that seat and we’ll take #98 and #99.” The subtitles identify her as Yoon Jisun (WM).

Kim Dohee smacks Jisun softly on the head. “Nonsense, we’re sitting together.” She walks further up the stairs until she gets to the last row of plastic chairs, choosing the #25-37 seats.

Jisun frowns as she takes the seat and looks down at the few others who are already seated. “Should I be here?” she asks. “I feel like I should be further down.”

“Okay, bye,” Dohee says with a smile and a wave.

The third trainee, Chae Seulgi, gives a breathy laugh of exasperation. She gives Jisun a small pat, “Relax, Jisun. Let’s just see who comes next, okay?”

Jisun nods but worry remains on her face.

Next up a team of 8 girls comes in wearing plaid and denim, an overlay announcing them as the Urban Works trainees.
 

“Did they send an army?!” Sunisa (Plan A) gasps.

“That’s almost enough to fill the whole debut lineup,” Jeon Taeri (Plan A) whispers back.

“Where should we sit?” One strikingly beautiful girl labelled Moon Soomi (Urban Works) asks.

“Somewhere in the middle, maybe?” Gong Sohyun (Urban Works) says uncertainly.

“Oh!” Sunisa stands up suddenly and waves. “Sawasdee kaa~!” she calls down while Jung Haneul tugs at her jean jacket trying to get her to sit back down.

One of the girls, another obviously foreign one, blinks in surprise and looks up at Sunisa. “Sa...wasdee ka?” Pattita (Urban Works) returns, still perplexed.

“She’s Thai too!” Sunisa excitedly says to Taeri. “I knew it!”

“Ooh, that’s awesome!”

The girls whisper and chatter as they walk up the stairs and sit down in the 40s range, taking up half a row just by themselves.  “It suddenly looks a lot more full here,” Kim Dohee (WM) whispers to Chae Seulgi next to her, who suppresses a giggle.

Just as all the Urban Works trainees seated one of them jumps up. “Youri, what are you doing?” Another girl asks, a pretty one  labeled Seung Hyemi.

“This is probably my only shot at the top 9,” Gyeon Youri says passionately. “Look at it! It’s empty!”

“Oh, let her go,” an older-looking girl called Hong Yejin says. “There’s no stopping her, anyhow.”

Youri runs up to the top, taking steps two at a time. She slows down when she gets close to the #1 chair and cautiously approaches. The eyes of all the present girls are burning a hole in her back, anxious to see if she’ll actually do it. She suddenly puts a hand to her head and pretends to faint. “Oh, it’s so high! It’s making me feel woozy!” She falls down dramatically and almost sits down on the seat before jumping back up. “Just kidding!” She bounces down one step and takes a seat in the #5.

“That’s one way to get screen time,” Dohee whispers to Seulgi.

Some more companies takes seats edited in quick success. Two girls from C9, a girl from Top Media on her own, five girls from MMO, and two girls from Cre.Ker in dramatic black outfits, three girls from a company called MLD who arrive in colourful short hanbok. They all fill in the lower rungs while the top 9 chairs remain untouched.

Sunisa (Plan A) nudges Jeon Taeri (Plan A) and points at the screen which now shows the logo of none other than Starship. “Wow!”

“It’s Starship!” Taeri’s face lights up. “That’s Monsta X’s company! Ah, they’ve probably seen Kihyun oppa up close, lucky~”

More hushed whispers fill the room as every stares at the innocuous rocket ship logo. Na Chaerin (BNM) leans over. “They always send really good trainees, right? Yeonjung and Sewoon were both super good vocalists. Do you think they sent another one?”

“We’ll have to see,” Lexi Park (BNM) replies. "I look forward to it."
 

A group of six trainees come into the room. One of them, a girl with wild permed wavy hair, points at the #1 seat. “It looks like a crown!” She exclaims, and her name is revealed to be Im Mosu (Starship). She makes the crown hand gesture above her head and giggles.

One of the girls, name sticker labeling Park Haeun (Starship), shoots a wicked grin to the others. “I’m going up,” she announces, before separating from the group and excitedly skipping up the steps towards the top seats. She doesn’t even hesitate before sitting down the #1 with a flourish and waving down to the Starship girls who are still at the bottom of the stairs. “Come up, it’s a great view!”

“Let’s go sit somewhere lower,” Won Seoyun says, finding a seat in the 80s range. Almost all the other remaining Starship trainees follow her, but one girl hesitates.

Mosu grasps Moon Chaewon’s hands. “Do you want to come sit up top with me?”

"Oh, okay!" Chaewon replies. Mosu leads her all the way to the second row where the fancy #2-#9 rank chairs are located while the other trainees watch them.

“Woaaah these look awesome. Could we really sit here?” Mosu asks, looking down from the very top.

Chaewon pokes the pink shiny fabric. “I don’t know. It’s too high.”

“You’re right,” Mosu says decisively. “Let’s just sit on 10 and 11.” They seat themselves on the first plastic chairs one row down.

The show switches back to the announcements screen as the logo of Helix Entertainment appears. A montage of Prism and Aeon songs informing the audience exactly what that company is good for.

“Wooaah, they used to have Aeon!” Urban Works’ Gong Sohyun (Urban Works) whispers. "And Prism is there! Their trainee is probably really cool. Girl crush!"

“Do you think they trained for long enough to have seen Aeon?” Her labelmate Yoon Joori whispers back. “Before the disbandment? Shin Minjun and Woo Chanhee are so handsome.”
 

A pretty girl comes in with a face of hardly concealed awe and excitement as she looks up at the rows of chairs. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaims in English, the subtitles referring to her as Lucy King (Helix). “It’s so much bigger in real life! Woooow, this is so cool!”

She climbs the chairs eagerly, eyes wide as saucers as she’s taking it all in. She squeals when she sees the top row mostly empty and makes a beeline for chair #9. “My number!” she says to the camera with a wink and finger guns. “Gu!”

The WM girls sitting a row down from her look back in confusion. “What is she saying? Is that English?” Chae Seulgi asks.

“I don’t know English,” Yoon Jisun (WM) says urgently.

Lucy leans down. “Oh- eh- annyonghaseyo?” she says awkwardly, obviously not very good at Korean, but making up for it with enthusiasm. “Lucy imnida!”

The WM girls half-bow politely and return awkward hellos but it’s all very uncomfortable on their end.

Thankfully a new label announcement takes everyone’s attention away again: Woollim, home of Infinite and Lovelyz.

A single girl is shown entering the little waiting room, tall and very pretty. She pauses in front of the mirror to fix her hair, looking a little worried. She jumps when she notices the name sticker. “Oh!” Ming Fen (Woollim) says to the sticker. “You startled me!” She puts on the sticker, looking a little embarrassed, and steps out into the room.

There are instant gasps when she comes out. “She’s so pretty!” Gyeon Youri (Urban Works) whispers with awe.

“Typical for Woollim,” Won Seoyun (Starship) says. “She’d fit right into Lovelyz.”

“Aaah, we’re so done for.” Park Sunmi (Plan A) laments. “She looks like Tzuyu, doesn’t she? Or am I crazy?”

Ming Fen looks a little shy while the whispers sweep through the room. She awkwardly bows to the other girls in the room and sits down on the very last chair: #99.

The screen changes logo again, this time it shows Sony Japan.

“What? Sony Japan? Do they even have trainees?” Kim Dohee (WM) whispers to her label mates. “What is a Japanese company doing here?”

Then the logo disappears again and is replaced with ‘Nogizaka46’. There are brief clips from the group’s latest two releases: Synchronicity and Jikochou de Ikou!

“Whaaaaat.  Aren’t they super popular in Japan?!” Park Dain (MMO) exclaims. “Why are they here?!”
 

Three girls come in, the awkward hangul on their stickers confirming what might be guessed from the faces: these three are definitely Japanese.

“Oh! It’s Amano Midori!” Dain gasps.

“You know her?” Ahn Minji (MMO) asks.

“Yeah! She’s one of the most well-known Nogizaka46 members. What is she doing here in a Korean idol program?”

“Woooow she’s so pretty,” Hong Gayoung (Cre.Ker) sighs.

“How do we compete against someone so famous?” Yang Jeongha whispers next to her.

The Sony girls speak hurried Japanese to each other. “Woaaah, it’s so big!” the girl called Tanaka Yuki whispers in awe. “There are so many people.”

“Of course there are, there will be 99!” Ito Chiyo laughs.

“I didn’t realize just how many that would be!” Yuki pouts. “Do you think any of them speak Japanese?”

“Should we sit somewhere in front?” Amano Midori asks. The three girls sit rather uncomfortable on the front row while there is complete silence from the Korean trainees.

“Is it always so quiet?” Ito Chiyo asks, glancing around her at the Korean trainees who are gawping.
 

Another group of trainees come in, four girls in colourful sweaters and white pleated skirts come in and look around the room. One of them has striking bleached blonde hair with just a peek of artificial black roots, she strikes a fierce figure as her eyes go straight to the currently empty #1 spot. The one in the yellow sweater notices. “There’s your seat, unnie,” Bang Yemi says. “Go take it.”

“I will,” Kim Yeeun replies. She takes determined steps up towards the #1 seat, never taking her eyes off the prize while the other girls watch her with big eyes.

“But it’s already taken!,” a young girl called Kim Saebom (Urban Works) whispers urgently to the girl next to her.

“I can they can unseat the #1 chair,” Moon Soomi (Urban Works) whispers.

“I deserve that seat,” Kim Yeeun (CT) says in an interview section “I’ve been training for years to debut. I have to show SM exactly what talent they let go.”

“This is my seat,” she announces to Starship’s Park Haeun. “Scram.”

Haeun looks like she’s going to fight, but then she just shrugs. “Whatever,” she says. ”If you want it that bad, take it.” She moves over to the #2 seat while Yeeun installs herself with utmost confidence and sends a fierce look to the camera.

“She was so scary,” Yoon Jisun (WM) says in a separate interview section, almost obnoxiously pink background never letting you forget what show you’re watching. “Woah.”

“Wooow, if looks could kill,” Sunisa (Plan A) says in hers. “We’d all be goners!”

“She can sit there for now,” Park Haeun (Starship) says in her own one on one. “We’ll see who sits there in the end.”

More gasps as the Pledis logo fills the screen next. “Nu’Est!” Jeon Taeri (Plan A) exclaims. “And Pristin!”

“I bet they’re really pretty,” Park Sunmi (Plan A) says. “And tall! Pledis always has tall and pretty people like Nayoung and Kyulkyung.”
 

As predicted, two strikingly pretty girls come in, one of them strikingly tall as well.

“I feel like a potato looking at them,” Kim Saebom (Urban Works) whines.

“Shhhht,” Yoon Joori (Urban Works) shushes her. “You’re the cutest potato.”

The Pledis girls chatter as they walk up the steps. “Let’s sit up there, it’s still free,” the shorter one says, named Shin Kayeon.

“We can right?” The taller one, Han Siryung, replies. “Yes, let’s sit there!”  They take up chairs #6 and #7.

“We should have sat up there,” Jeon Taeri (Plan A) laments. “We were the first ones here.”

“Too late for that now.” Jung Haneul pats her leg.

The show fast-forwards through some more trainees. The Maroo, TS, BBC, MBK, and Brave trainees are only briefly shown taking their seats. The hall is shown to be filling up quickly, with more than half of the spots filled already.

The awkwardness stretches on as a bunch of girls sit in a room who don't really know each other. “A new one would come in handy now,” Im Mosu (Starship) whispers to Chaewon beside her. “I’m not sure I can handle much more of this silence.” She startles when the screen abruptly changes. “I’m magic!”

“It’s EM!” Moon Chaewon (Starship) points out, and that gets Mosu’s attention.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Lucy (Helix) is getting worked up in her own plush seat. “Three Six Five,” she whispers in awe, the grin on her face showing every ounce of excitement in her. “My queens.”
 

Two girls come out, a cold looking blonde and a bubbly brunette scan the room. “Didn’t you want to sit on the #1? It’s taken, though,” the brunette, Ha Bada, says. “But I think you can challenge her for it if you want to.”

The blonde shakes her head. “Come on.” Han Moonae (EM) leads the way up the stairs. Her eyes are on the #1 seat, and Kim Yeeun (CT) stares back, seemingly daring her to try and take it. She pauses in front of the chair while Bada seats herself on #4 and cheerfully greets her neighbour Youri (Urban Works).

Bada pats the chair next to her. “Sit here, Moon Moon.”

Moonae disengages from her stare down reluctantly and sits down next to Bada. “Please don’t call me that on broadcast, unnie,” she whispers.

Bada leans forward, chin leaning on her hand and impish grin on her face. “But it’s cute!”

“Are there any debuted people coming?” Ahn Minji (MMO) asks Park Dain (MMO) next to her. “Like the last two seasons?”

Dain nods. “I’m pretty I saw rumours online of at least two. Aren't the Paradise girls coming? The ones with the super cute music?”

Just then the screen shows YNB and three girls walk in.
 

“Look at her,” Gyeon Youri (Urban Works) whispers at the Brand New Music trainees below her. “She’s so tall, she’s like a giraffe!”

“That’s Lee Juri from Paradise,” Choi Juyeon (Brand New Music) whispers back. “The others are, too.”

“Wow, Paradise, I love their songs!” Lucy (Helix) squeals in English. “Paradise saranghae!”

A medley of Paradise’s best songs Journey to Atlantis and Love Shoot are shown as a handy reminder of who Paradise is exactly, a decently known yet ultimately underperforming girl group.

The three girls make their way up the stairs, not talking much before settling into chairs #16-#18 while the camera lingers on the prettiest of them, Song Liling (YNB).

"There are so many visuals, I'm getting really nervous," Ahn Minji (MMO) whispers worriedly.

Ahn Nami (MMO) grabs her hand. "It's okay, we can stand out on our own, too."
 

 

Next the screen switches, but no logo appears. Instead, there is only the words “independent trainees”. Five girls walk in, and it’s obvious none of them are familiar with each other or in any way affiliated. The camera focuses on one of them: a fierce looking blonde girl who stopped to take in the room, squinting up at the seats as she takes it all in.

“Isn’t that Choi Bitna, from season 1?” Gong Seulrin (Maroo) whispers.

“She’s back? Why would she be back?” Yang Jeongha (Cre.Ker) whispers above them.

"I suddenly feel a lot less worried," Ahn Minji (MMO) jokes.

Choi Bitna squares her holders and struts up the stairs, evidently she spotted what she was looking for. She approaches Hong Gayoung (Cre.Ker). “That’s my seat,” she says. “#40. Would you mind moving?”

Gayoung looks a little bewildered, glancing at Jeongha next to her. “We can move one,” Jeongha says, and scoots one chair down. Gayoung follows and Bitna sits down onto the chair.

“That was your rank wasn’t it? Last time?” Gayoung asks.

Bitna nods. “I’m continuing where I left off.”

“She’s so cool,” Im Mosu (Starship) whispers to her neighbour.

Next up is the Avex Trax trainees, and more confused whispers sweet the room.

“More Japanese girls?” Ahn Minji (MMO) asks.

“Is there some kind of collaboration going?” Park Dain (MMO) wonders, too. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”

The logo on the screen switches again: Cube. Hushed whispers fill the room. A montage of Hyuna, BTOB, Pentagon, and (G)I-DLE songs swiftly inform the viewer why they should be excited.

“Will it be Jeon Soyeon or Lai Guanlin?” Sunisa (Plan A) whispers to one of her fellow trainees.

“With trainees from companies like Cube and Pledis around, we’re doomed.” Yang Taeyoung (TS) slumps defeated in her seat.

A wide-eyed pink haired girl comes out all by herself, wearing a fluffy white dress and sparkling headband, the sticker on her stomach proclaiming her as Min Hwari (Cube).

“She looks like a princess!” Yang Jeongha (Cre.Ker) exclaims to Hong Gayoung.

Hwari looks back and forth to the trainees already seated like a deer in the headlight, peering left and right as she climbs the stairs. She goes all the way to the top where only a few chairs are still available. Han Siryung (Pledis) tries to smile at her but the girl doesn’t even see her. She looks at the #8 chair and it looks as if she might sit down but she spooks and quickly moves back down the stairs. After a cut (one can only imagine how often Min Hwari went up and down the stairs) she all but stumbles onto the first seat in front of her, right next to the Japanese girls.

Amano Midori (Sony Japan) does a little bow and an awkward annyonghaseyo while Hwari looks like she might melt through the chair onto the floor if she could.

"I thought she'd never sit down," Kim Dohee (WM) whispers.

More and more trainees fill the room until almost all of the seats are taken. One by one the last few chairs are taken until there is only one of them left. #59. Then the screens change again, and in the center there is the pink logo of SM.

There are gasps all around the room and more than a few little screeches. One girl, Gong Seulrin (Maroo) even falls off her chair in shock. “That’s impossible!” she whispers.

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh,” Lucy King (Helix) stares in awe, shaking the arm of the girl next to her, Wu Yingmei (Yuehua), who looks annoyed at the invasion of her space.

“Please tell me it’s SM K Plus,” Sunisa (Plan A) jokes to Jeon Taeri next to her.

“Will it be one of the SM Rookies, you think?” Ha Bada (EM) asks Han Moonae (EM) next to her. “That would be exciting! They’d be like you.”

Moonae shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. That seems like the smart thing to do, wouldn’t it?”
 

The show cuts to a girl in the little backstage room carefully pasting on her nametag. She looks in the mirror and makes sure her hair looks perfect and smooths her sheer blouse. She cheerfully waves at the camera in the corner before she goes out.

“Do you recognize her?” Ahn Minji (MMO) asks Dain next to her.

Dain shakes her head. “I know all the Rookies but I’ve never seen her before.”

The show switches to a one on one interview with the SM trainee, Jung Gaeul. “I’m like the forgotten trainee,” she says. “As much as SM promoted their Rookies, they never once even featured me anywhere, not even an MV extra. It’s like I never existed.”

Back in the present, her face lights up when she sees that the #59 chair is the last one left over. “History repeats itself,’ she whispers to herself and makes her way to the chair, cheerfully greeting those in her path with quick bows. The whispers continue even as she sits there but Gaeul keeps her back straight and her chin and a smile on her face.

Then the SM logo disappears from the big screen replaced with 'Introducing the National Producer’s representative!' Woo Chanhee dramatically and in slow motion throws open the door and steps inside, eating grin on his face.

Gong Sohyun and Yoon Joori (Urban Works), the trainees who’d previously gushed over Chanhee, grab each other. “WOO CHANHEE!”

Chanhee steps forward and does a theatrical bow. “Good afternoon!” he says, voice booming. “I will be the representative of the National Producers, here to help guide you all through the process and towards your dreams.”

“Now as you know, I once an idol, too, before I became an actor. I know what you are all going through, and hopefully I can help you become the best version of yourself,” Chanhee continues while many of the girls are still fangirling hard. “As you know, Produce 99 is a project where the public, through votes, is completely responsible for the making of the nation’s next girl group, but this year will not target only the nation, but the whole world!” He pauses to let that sink in to the gasps of many of the girls.

“A global group?” Gong Seulrin (Maroo) whispers to her label mate next to her, eyes wide. “Really?”

“I’ve never been abroad before!” Kim Jihee (Maroo) whispers back. “Aaah, awesome!”

“You will all go through 5 evaluations,” Chanhee picks his speech up again. “Where the ranking will be completely up to the audience’s votes. The trainees who do not rank high enough will get eliminated.”

“Aaah, I hate that word!” Gyeon Youri (Urban Works) laments.

“It is cruel, right?” Chanhee asks. “But it’s an unfortunate reality. The world of singers is cruel, but if you work hard and show your best sides, every one of you can have a shot of making it to one of those seats.” The camera pans to the girls sitting in the #1-#9 seats. Most of the girls look nervous or confident, all except Lucy King (Helix) who is smiling a little confused, obviously not really understand everything being said.

“Trainees Moon Chaewon and Im Mosu sitting on #10 and #11, do you think you’ll make it into the group with those rankings?” Chanhee asks.

Im Mosu (Starship) glances at Chaewon (Starship). “Yes?” she guesses.

Chanhee shakes his head. “Not this time. The final group will consist of the top 9 girls of the season, competition will be even tighter than the last two seasons.”

Mosu slumps in her plastic chair. “Ah, that’s so cruel!”

“And you up in the #1 seat!” Chanhee calls out. “Kim Yeeun! Do you know what happens if, in the finale, you get to sit in that spot again?”

Kim Yeeun (CT) raises her chin. “You get to be the center of the group.”

“Correct! The #1 trainee will debut as the center of the global girl group chosen by the National Producers. Now, are you ready to meet the people who will turn you into global idols, the Produce 99 training team?” Chanhee points dramatically at the entrance.

The first one out is a boy with a big smile, he’s positively glowing as a subtitle identifies him as Seo Yikwang, the main dancer from the boy group MBX. A few clips from their more recent songs flash across the screen, including Bad.

Right behind him comes a girl with equally bright smile who gasps as she looks around. “Wow, it’s so big!” She introduced as Candy from the girl group 365, famous for songs such as Up&Down and Lil’ Touch. Candy is another idol known for her dancing skill, and which is highlighted with some footage from a performance she did with Yikwang for Hit the Stage.

There’s a shot of a pre-show interview with both Candy and Yikwang. “It’s so nice to come out on this show together,” Candy says excitedly. “We used to be label mates, Three Six Five and MBX, but it’s been harder to meet since they left the company.” She pouts.

Yikwang smiles. “I’m really excited to see what the new generation of trainees have to offer! Ah, it’s so always good to work with that youthful energy.”

And of course Bae Yoonjung joins them, characteristic intense look on her face as she enters the room. She needs little introduction, but viewers are still once again reminded that she’s the one who choreographed Kara’s Mister and 365’s Up & Down and Yeah.

The next one to come out is woman, dressed in all black, face framed by thick black hair and a thick fringe with a wide-brimmed black hat. Lim Eunha, well known soloist. Flashes of her mv for Bobby Doll and live performance of Don’t Look At Me Like That remind the views what she is known of: thoughtful songs an emotive vocals.

Right behind her there is a completely unknown face, a man introduced as Lee Woosung, who has been a vocal coach who has worked with artists from YG and JYP.

The final woman who comes in has a frightful aura that almost matches BYJ. She’s stunning and absolutely confident as she struts: Hana, who doesn’t know her with hits like Red and Lip&Hip?

The trainers all take their seat behind the desk where Chanhee is already seated. Bae Yoonjung and Hana already look ready to slaughter their prey while Candy and Yikwang just look happy to be there.

“Woah, they all looked so intimidating!” the voice-over of Ito Chiyo (Sony Japan) says, subtitled in Korean. “I had no idea they would look so serious.”

Meanwhile Chanhee looks at something with glee. “Oh, stamps! Dibs on stamping duty!”

“Ah, there are so many judges I look up to!” Ming Fen (Woollim) says in a pink-tinted interview. “It’s both an honour and a lot of pressure. I don’t want to let down my idols, you know?” she lets out a nervous little laugh.

“We will now begin judging the 99 trainees,” Chanhee announces. “Each of you will be judged level A to F according to your skill so we can more easily train you to your level. Hopefully, by the end, we can make A-level performers out of all of you. Let’s start the evaluation!”

“Ah, I’m really excited!” Candy rubs her hands together. “I can’t wait to see what they’ll show us.”

The first group who comes on stage is FNC, and a group of seven girls come on stage, each clad in all black. A girl called Im Sungsook (FNC) counts them down and they bow in unison. “Tough and strong! We are the FNC trainees, please take care of us!”

Chanhee laughs at them. “They already have a tagline!” he says. “That took us like at least months after debut to sort out! They’ve got their act together.”

“We’ll have to see about that,” Bae Yoonjung says, but she seems pleased. Or maybe she’s just ready for her first sacrifice, it’s hard to tell with her smile.

"This looks like it'll be good." Kim Dohee (WM) moves to the edge of her seat.

"They really look like a girl group!" Yoon Jisun (WM) whispers back.

The trainees get ready and then they perform.

Go Yoonseo (Kim Bora / purplish sash), Choi Dahee (Lee Yubin / short blonde hair), Jang Miyoung (Kim Yoohyun / blonde ombre), Im Sungsook (Lee Siyeon / floppy pants), Yeji (descriptor),  Park Jaeeun (Kim Minji / red hair), Jang Soyu (Han Dong / ponytail)

When it is over and the applause from the other trainees has died down, Candy is the first to pick up her mic. “What are you doing here?” she asks. A look of panic passes over some of the trainees before Candy diffuses tensions with a laugh. “Seriously, why haven’t you debuted yet? You’re like a perfect team!”

“We’re now going to deliberate,” Chanhee announces and all the trainers gather around.

“They look good together, but how are they apart?” Bae Yoonjung starts. “I hardly even remember this one.”

“That one did her lines well,” Lim Eunha said. “But she faded into the background.”

“They had great energy though,” Yikwang says. “Especially this one.”

“They planned the performance really well,” Lee Woosung agreed. “These two have very nice vocal colours."

“I didn’t like her rap at all though,” Hana says. “It felt tacked on and the flow wasn’t there at all.”

Chanhee turns back to the trainees as the trainers all take their seats again. “We will now reveal your scores. A: Park Jaeeun, Im Sungsook and… no one else. B: Jang Miyoung and… no one else. C: Jang Soyu, Choi Dahee, Go Yoonseo, and… no one else. D: Cho Yeji.”

The girls all go backstage to receive their letters to add to their name tags. “Ah!” Jang Miyoung (FNC) exclaims. “It’s over!”

“I’ll have to do better for the re-evaluation,” Choi Dahee (FNC) says with a determined nod, accepting her C sticker.

The next girls are the Blockberry Creative. Lim Eunha leans towards Candy. “That's the company that debuted all their girls solo first, right?”

“Yup!” Candy answers. “They must have something really impressive to show, right?”

"It's certainly an ambitious project," Hana says. "A lot to live up to."

"You debuted first in a duo, so it's like you then," Chanhee said.

Hana laughs. "And did I live up to it?"

Chanhee raises his hands and laughs, too. "Got me there!"

Three girls come in and introduce themselves as Kim Eunbi, Song Jisoo, and Uchio Maki, and each of them is stunning.

"I wouldn't mind an MV of each of them," Chanhee grins. "I see their business strategy, now."

Just the Mr. Chu part!

Kim Eunbi (Ju Haseul / white shirt), Uchio Maki (Kim Heejin / middle one in the beginning I don’t have much to work with here), Song Jisoo (Kim Hyunjin/ right one)

“Ah, what are we going to do with this?” Chanhee asks.

“Kim Eunbi,” Bae Yoonjung says, tone and face menacing. “You’ve been training for nearly 3 years and this is all you have to show for it?”

Eunbi bows. “I’m sorry.”

“There is really not much to say about this,” Chanhee takes over. Uchio Maki gets a D, while Kim Eunbi and Song Jisoo get an F.

There’s a shot of the Sony Japan girls looking worried. “I thought to myself they looked good, why did they get F’s?” a voice over of Ito Chiyo (Sony Japan) says.

Tanaka Yuki leans over. “We should just prepare for our F’s!” she says with a nervous laugh.

Backstage Eunbi (BBC) slumps against the wall. “Ah! I knew it was coming but it was rough, anyway! Yikes. Bae Yoonjung sunbae is no joke.”

“Will the next trainee please come in?” Chanhee prompts.

Bae Yoonjung smiles when she spots the girl. “Choi Bitna!” she grins. “Good to have you back.”

"Oh, I recognize her!" Eunha says. "She participated last season, didn't she? I didn't think there would be anyone coming back."

The Bitna in questions smiles back and bows. “It’s an honour to be back.” As a refresher, clips from her performances on Produce 101 are shown, such as her audition and her position evaluation.

“I wasn’t mature enough last time,” Choi Bitna says in an interview section. “At that time I didn’t know how to handle criticism well, especially online, and it really got to me. I grew a lot in the time since Produce 101 and while competing on Unpretty Rapstar and I’m ready to give it another shot.”

"You used to be with NH Media, right?" Yoonjung asked. "You're coming out without company backing this time?"

Bitna nods. "I'm on my own now, but I'll show you the new Bitna, company or not"

“Show us what’ you’ve got,” Yoonjung says, and Bitna steps up.
 

Ignore the backup dancers and terrible quality please! Only Soyeon can do Soyeon justice

Yoonjung smiles. “That’s the Bitna I wanted to see. In my eyes you’re still an A.”

Hana is grinning. "I don't have much to say. Your rapping is better than mine, you're obviously having a blast and you're a delight to watch. I'll be looking out for you."

Chanhee looks at the others and they all agree. “Thank you Choi Bitna, you get an A.”

Choi Bitna grins as she goes off-stage. “I’ve still got it!” she says cheerfully to the camera. “And more, I can’t wait to show you!”

The screen shows Helix next, and Hana raises his eyebrows instantly. Chanhee just laughs. “That’s your company, right?” Yikwang asks Hana.

“It is,” Hana says. “She’ll have to uphold our honour.” A barely perceptible snort can be heard from off-screen.

There are two very pretty girls shown in the backstage room. One of them is doing the moves to So Hot and she looks really into it, though none of it is very good. The other girl is watching her, looking very nervous.

The dancing girl is totally concentrated, until a staff member asks her to go on stage. “Huh?” Lucy King (Helix) looks confused. “I don’t- Eeeh. Molla?”

The staff member looks a little panicked before all but shoving her out of the door. “Oh!” Lucy gasps, stumbling into the studio.

“Ah, she’s so pretty!” Jeon Seyoung (C9) exclaims.

“She’s like Somi, isn’t she?” Bang Hyowon (C9) answer. “She doesn’t look all Korean.”

“Eh, hi!”  She walks across the back missing the steps onto the raised area completely. “Oops!” she laughs and backtracks until she skips up on the stage and bows. “Annyonghasaeyo,” she says awkwardly. “Jeonun Helix yeon- eeh yeongsunsaeng imnida?”

Chanhee laughs. “What’s your name?” he asks in English.

“What?” the girl blinks.

“You didn’t say your name. You just said my name is… blank.”

“Oh! Lucy King imnida!” she corrects herself, looking very proud.

“Perfect! Where are from, Lucy?”

“I’m from New Zealand!” she says brightly. "Nyu Jillaendeu."

“Alright, Lucy from New Zealand, show us what you’ve got!”

 

“You don’t even have the basics for dancing,” Hana says, ice in her voice. “Your singing is unstable, and I don’t even want to talk about your rapping..” Lucy looks a little confused at the Korean but the tone is unmistakable.

"She's been a trainee for 6 months it says," Candy weighs in. "It shows, but I think she has potential."

“Lucy King,” Chanhee says. “You get an F.”

Lucy bows just as brightly as before. “Kamsahamnida!”

“She’s very bright,” Eunha says. “I have to give her that.”

“I like her,” Chanhee proclaimed.

Up next is the other pretty girl, and again there are gasps when she comes in. “I still can’t get over how pretty she is!” Gong Sohyun (Urban Works) whispers.

The girl bows towards the trainers with a shy smile. “Hello, I’m Woollim’s Ming Fen.”

“Wow, her visuals are off the charts,” Candy says.

 

Lim Eunha grimaces. “I couldn’t even tell what she was singing most of the time.”

“Her dancing was a bit…” Yikwang grimaces too.

“Ming Fen,” Chanhee says. “It’s a D.”

Fen looks hurt but she bows and thanks the judges, barely containing her tears as she walks off-stage, but when she meets the camera backstage she squares her shoulders and brushes away the tears. "I'm going to work hard to improve," she says with fragile determination. "I will."

The show quickly flips through some performances. Urban Works’ audition of I Got a Boy is briefly shown and it’s revealed that only one person, Hong Yejin, got a B while the rest got C’s, D’s, and F’s.

Meanwhile two different company groups are briefly shown performing the same song: Orange Caramel’s Catallena. Sidus HQ performs in polka dot dresses while MLD performs in short hanbok . Neither of the groups got very high marks out of it.

“Will the next trainees come out, please?” Chanhee says, summing two girls clad in red and black.

One of them looks tiny while the other is a lot older. The older one introduces herself as Lee Soomi, while the younger one, in heavily accented Korean, tells them her name is Aihara Yuka, from Brave Entertainment.

“Oh! You’re one of the youngest here, aren’t you?” Candy says, reading from her profile.

"Eeeh," Yuka pauses. "I'm sorry, my Korean is not very good yet." It's a carefully practiced and pronounces phrase.

"Oh no, she's so cute!" Gong Seulrin (Maroo) exclaims. "I just want to catch her and put her in my pocket!"

Chanhee quickly translates into Japanese and Yuka's face lights up. “I am! I was born in 2004!” She manages it in Korean.

“Whaat!” come various gasps from the other girls in the stands.

“I was so useless when I was that age!” Gong Seulrin (Maroo) gasps. “I can’t imagine participating to Produce back then!”

“I can’t even remember being that young!” Chanhee jokes. “Well, more accurately I don’t much want to remember. I look forward to what you have to show!”

Aihara Yuka (Ahn Yewon / dress), Lee Soomi (Choi Yeonsoo / skirt)

“Aaah, we’re going to deliberate,” Chanhee says, grimace already on his face. The judges all cluster together to discuss.

“This one didn’t even put any effort in,” Hana says. “Does she even want to be here? There was no motivation there, it put me to sleep trying to watch it.” Back on the stage Soomi cringes.

“I liked her energy,” Yikwang points at what must be one of the profiles. “It wasn’t very good but she was at least bright and giving it her all.”

Candy nods. “I want to teach her and make her better! She’s suuuper cute, all she needs is to learn, right?”

Chanhee turns back to their local Brave Girls. “Lee Soomi, Aihara Yuka, both of you get an F.”

The girls both nod. Soomi looks like she might burst out crying but, surprisingly, Yuka is the one keeping it together, guiding Soomi away. Backstage Soomi breaks down while Yuka comforts her. “It’s okay, unnie,” she says. “We’ll just have to work hard.”

 

Next up there are three girls in the waiting room speaking hurried Japanese. “They’re all so good!” the youngest of them, Tanaku Yuki (Sony Japan), worries. “If those got B’s and C’s and D’s what will we get?” Her hands are shaking with nerves.

“Welcome,” Chanhee says in smooth Japanese. “It says here you’re from Nogizaka46? And two of you have been in this group for 6 years?”

Amano Midori nods. “Chiyo and I are part of the second generation of Nogizaka46, and Yuki-chan hasn’t debuted yet."

 

 

 

 

 

It cuts to an interview section with Midori. “I’ve been debuted for 6 years now, and in all of those years I’ve only once been allowed to be center, and that was the first song I was in.” She’s obviously emotion and teary-eyed. “It just- it felt like I was never enough. Did I do such a bad job in Barrette and they never saw fit to put me center again? Every time a new song was planned I would wait and hope that maybe this time I’d get to try being center but it never came.” She brushes a tear away. “I’m sorry," she says in accented Korean.

“It’s okay,” an off-screen staff member tells her.

Midori is seen trying to keep her tears under control, looking at the ceiling and brushing them away whenever they well up again. “When I heard about Produce 99 I thought it might be a chance to do better, to prove my worth,” she says when the tears are finally under control. “I love kpop so much, I’m really a big fan, and with the aim of a global girl group I’d hoped that maybe, just maybe, I’d be allowed to prove myself here.”

Back in the studio, Candy is looking at Chanhee with disbelief. “I can’t believe you speak Japanese, too.”

“Aeon promoted in Japan too you know,” Chanhee points out. “I know a functioning amount.” He turns to the trainees. “You know Aeon, right?” He peers at the girl’s name tag. “Yuki?”

Yuki’s eyes widen. “You mean the English school?”

Chanhee buries his face in his hands while everyone else laughs at his dramatics, even they might not understand what's being said. “I think I love you, kimi wa dou?” he sings one for their Japanese songs.  Yuki just looks blank. “No? Really? It sold quite well!”

“I like BTS,” Yuki admits.

“That’s an F.”

“Chanhee, no!” Yikwang struggles to wrestle the F-stamp out of Chanhee’s hand before he can stamp it onto the paper. There is chaos as Yikwang tackles Chanhee from his chair. “LET GO OF THE STAMP.”

“SHE DESERVES IT- OW- OW- FINE- I YIELD! God, you dancers are built.”

Yikwang climbs back onto his chair with the F-stamp. A few seconds later Chanhee gets up, brushes the folds off his suit, and sits down. “Where were we? Right. You can start your performance.”

The girls blink, totally perplexed, before getting into position.

Amano Midori (Takahashi Juri / black skirt), Ito Chiyo (Kojima Mako / grey skirt),  Tanaka Yuki (lightest skirt)

“Thank you,” Chanhee says in Japanese. “The judges will now deliberate.”

“They weren’t in sync at all,” Bae Yoonjung said. “It was a mess.”

“I think we should keep in mind that synchronization isn’t the most important thing in jpop, there’s a big different in the way Japan trains their idols and Korea,” Chanhee points out.

“Aren’t Nogizaka46 supposed to be good dancers?” Candy asks. "Or are the standards that different?"

"I think it's mostly a question of culture," Chanhee says. "Even if they're better dancers, they still don't practice for perfect synchronization like Korean idols do."

“But they’re in Korea now and should adhere to Korean standards,” Lee Woosung says.

“This one did do all the moves correct, even if it wasn’t in sync, and you can argue that was because the others were worse,” Yikwang points out. “I want to give her a chance to prove herself.”

“I want to teach these ones.” Yoonjung poings at two of the papers. “With enough training I want to see what I can do with these Japanese girls. If it really is a cultural thing, maybe they can be taught our way of dancing.”

“Amano Midori: C,” Chanhee announces. “Tanaka Yuki and Ito Chiyo: F.”

Each of them bows deeply and returns heavily accented Korean thank yous. “I told you we’d get F’s!” Yuki giggles as they get offstage.

“But not our Mii-chan.” Chiyo nudges Midori. “As expected from a front liner.”

Midori brushes her off. “I must have gotten lucky.”

Next up there are two groups in the backstage area, and both of them are wearing black pants and white shirts.They look at each other and there’s instantly a sense of rivalry.

“Don’t forget, right hand first then left,” Chae Seulgi (WM) says, demonstrating a move to the younger Yong Jisun. To the side the other girls watch them closely, and one of them can be seen mimicking the move.

“Is there anyone you’d consider your rival?” an off-screen producer asks one of the girls in an interview situation.

“The WM trainees,” Shin Kayeon (Pledis) says. “They’re performing the same song we are and we have to be better.”

“The Pledis girls, definitely,” Kim Dohee (WM) answers the same question.

“Ah, there’s nothing worse than finding out someone else is doing the same song!” Han Siryung (Pledis) laments. “There’s no way we’re not going to get compared, now.”

The first ones out are the Pledis girls. The girls introduce themselves, one of them a pretty Irene look-alike, the other a tall girl with the quintessential kpop visual look to her with big slightly startled eyes and a doll face.

“Wow, both of them are visuals,” Eunha says as the girls come up on the little stage. “Pledis don’t fool around, do they?”

Han Siryung (Park Seoyoung / blonde), Shin Kayeon (Park Jinhee / Brunette)

The judges don’t exactly look happy with the performance. ‘That was…” Eunha starts. “The singing was not good, you were out of breath most of the time.”

“The rap was very awkwardly positioned,” Hana says. “If you’re going to insert a rap, make sure you rearrange the song well.”

“Was it a good rap, at least?” Chanhee asks her.

Hana shakes her head. “Not really, no.”

“It says here you’re a ballerina?” Yikwang says. “That explains some of your stiffness. Could you show us some of your ballet skills?”

“I’d love to!” Siryung replies, looking happy to get away from the criticism. Tchaikovsty starts playing and Siryung answers.

(Ignore the JYP stuff after...)

"Ah, ballet dancers are so graceful,” Yikwang smiles.

“Be that as it may, you’re going to have to adjust better to the idol dancing style,” Bae Yoonjung cautions.

“As for your rankings,” Chanhee says. “A… no one. B: Han Siryung, and… no one else. C: Shin Kayeon.”

 

There’s a shot of the WM girls watching the Pledis performance on a screen. Yoon Jisun is frowning, twisting the hem of her shirt. “Their dancing is better,” she says. “Except yours, of course, unnie,” she adds quickly.

Chae Seulgi puts a hand on her shoulder. “We’re just going to have to do our best to impress anyway.”

Back in the present the girls are called onto the stage. “Oh, she’s cute!” Chanhee exclaims as the camera gives a closeup of Jisun fretting about her position. In the end Seulgi pulls her back just a bit before the music starts.

Kim Dohee (Kim Minji / frilly shirt), Chae Seulgi (Lee Chaejeong / puffy sleeves), Yoon Jisun (Park Chanju / sleek sleeves)

“Yoon Jisun,” Candy starts. “You stumbled a few times, did you practice enough?” Jisun hangs her head and doesn’t respond.

“The singing was a little weak for all of you,” Eunha says.

“Chae Seulgi,” Yisung says. “Can you do a freestyle test for us?” The girls nods and a random song is played for her to dance to.

 

There’s loud applause when she finishes. “Wow!” Yikwang smiles. “That was very impressive.”

“Thank you!” Seulgi bows deeply. In the end Chae Seulgi gets an A, Kim Dohee gets a B, and Yoon Jisun gets a C.
 

Next they show a few moments of a disastrous attempt at Playing With Fire by independent trainee Lee Inree.

“When is the last time you trained?” Hana asks. “It says here you used to be a trainee before, but I don’t even see the basics represented in what you just showed us.”

“8 year ago,” Inree said. “I trained for a few months before the company went bankrupt.”

“Wow, 8 years ago?!” Candy exclaims. “And you haven’t done any practice since?”

Inree shakes her head. “I went to university instead and got my degree, but I always wanted to try again. I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”

Yoonjung nods. “We’re sending you to F so that we can properly teach you, I look forward to seeing your passion.”

Inree nods, expression series, before thanking the judges and going off-stage.

The next company audition is Cube, and a little pink haired girl in a princess dress almost stumbles over her own feet getting to the stage.

Woo Reni (Sidus HQ) leans over to her labelmate. “Look at her, she’s so nervous. I really hope she’ll be okay.”

The girl bows deep to the judges. “Hello, I’m Cube’s Min Hwari.”

The show cuts to an interview section with Hwari, her hair competing with the backdrop on which is pinkest. “What my strengths are? Ehm.” She glances to the right, obviously trying to remember something she memorized. “I work hard, I practice a lot, I am patient, I get along with others well, and I’m pretty,  think….” she trails off and then her eyes widen. “Oh! And I can sing! I almost forgot!”

 

“She did it!” Reni smiles.

There’s a lot of applause when she finishes and Hwari glows when she hears it. “That was very nicely sung,” Woosung says.

“You already look the Disney Princess part too,” Eunha says with a smile.

Even Hana is smiling. “Her expressions were good, too.”

“But can you dance too?” Yoonjung asks.

“Ehm, I prepared something.” Hwari says. “A dance performance, too. If you don’t mind”

Yikwang smiles. “Go ahead.”

Hwari does a short dance number that’s fairly basic but the moves are sharp and well worked out and Yikwang nods when she’s finished. He looks to the other trainers. “That’s about all we need, isn’t it?” He slides a ranking paper towards Chanhee.

“Min Hwari,” Chanhee says. “You get an A.”

Hwari’s face lights up like a christmas tree before she remembers to bow. “Thank you!” She squeals when she gets back into the waiting room. “I did it!” she squirms in happiness. “I did everything just as a practiced and I got an A!!”
 

Back in the backstage area there is a girl on her own, she’s shaking her hands to get rid of some tension as she waits, her sticker revealing her as none other than the SM trainee: Jung Gaeul. She can’t help but smile at the camera in the ceiling, flashing a V-sign in acknowledgment.

“Will the next trainee come in, please?” Chanhee says, and Gaeul enters. Chanhee glances at the sheet in front of him and back at her. “Ah, so you’re the SM trainee. It says here that you’ve been training for 9 years but you were never promoted? I thought SM always promotes their trainees in Rookies and stuff, they’re some of the most visible trainees out there.”

“I was going to be featured in SM Rookies,” she said. “But that never happened, I’m not sure why. I also almost made it into Red Velvet, but that fell through as well.”

“Oh no! I’m sorry, that’s rough!” Candy says. “The life of a trainee is so uncertain.”

Eunha smiles sadly. “I know what you’re going through, I was part of two group projects that didn’t happen until I found a company willing to debut me solo. One of the worst things is almost making it to that treasured debut and having it taken away at the last moment.”

“That’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders,” Yikwang says. “Being the representative of SM on this show.”

Gaeul nods. “It is,” she says. “But they trained me well to meet the expectations.”

Hana smiles at her confidence. “I will anticipate your performance, then.”

Gaeul gets into her start pose, but before the music can start the screen freezes. Next episode, on Produce 99.

The preview of the next episode promises more auditions. There’s four girls doing a killer dance, there’s one of the Paradise girls in tears, there is a single girl absolutely killing it, and there’s Gaeul, of course Amidst the previews of dancing girls there is one thing that stands out most. Four girls with colourful sweaters in a row, and Hana demanding from one of them “Do you even want to be here?!” Tune in next week!