Chapter 17: there's no excuse for how late i am lol i read this as soon as it came out and it made me so happy, it feels like the avengers before they assemble.

i'm excited to see yona shine here. i remember her from pd99 but mostly because of her awesome name (props to the creator!) so this was actually a really good refresher on who she is and what she's doing here. every time she said something i just pictured her talking like a children's cartoon character, just so cute and impossibly considerate. can't wait to see what being dragged back into the public eye does to her lol

AND THEN YOU HAD THE NERVE. THE ABSOLUTE NERVE. THE GALL AND THE GUMPTION. to give me a jiwoo pov !!!!!!!!!!! [screaming crying shaking throwing up] THATS MY BABYYYY i want you to know this might have come out months ago but i haven't stopped thinking about "what song did you chose" "just iu like a basic " @$%#$@% you didn't have to go that hard omg i love it
and the way the first line is basically "i'm 20 *shudders*" YOU GET IT YOU TRULY GET IT,, jiwoo is such a good vehicle for exposition bc she will not shut up,, and i like that u took all the neon lore and laughed at it and made us peasant readers learn it (mostly bc i created it but also bc it's refreshing and unique to walk into a first chapter that's actually smackdown in the middle of the characters' lives..... makes pd99 feel like the prequel to d4u i think i'm onto something.... asking for a friend what's the avengersverse movie order?)

it's so glorious to go from "there's no way in hell they're picking me *smiles stupidly*" to yeowool eye of the tiger movie montage-ing herself before the audition. something something writing is a craft. and yeowool's section truly feels the most idol with the constant pressure of being replaced, the never-ending cycle of "she wants it so bad, she hates it, she knows it like the back of her hand, she needs it, it's all she has". i'm excited for more yeowool

I LOVE LIQI. i love her. i also love the ruri cameo, i'm a very selfish reader and i'm so here for bighit trainee ruri. i mean, hybe, venereal desease hybe trainee ruri. i have never seen my thoughts on the bighit rebrand captured so brilliantly and succinctly: it was . what's more terrifying is i've recently heard it pronounced as hive, like a beehive(????), so the possibility that i've been mis-pronouncing it as high-be all along awakens something very violent in me. ANYWAY liqi pov really hammers it home how different each section is in tone, how each pov has a unique voice. if i had to do a non-serious recap it'd go like this: yona's is shoujo protag excellence, jiwoo's is silly and old, yeowool's is main character in the second half of the movie, and liqi's is snarky clever sitcom (mostly bc of the back and forths with donghan. i am begging on my knees for more donghan make him a cj exec there's got to be a loophole somewhere).

AND MY GIRL EUNHUI. the legend herself. the early covid era mindset is captured brilliantly in my opinion, i for one was convinced it was never gonna reach my country. plus it was a nice reminder of how the story is set in panorama times. ALSO NOT THE OMNI REFERENCE i forgot it was in here and it has made my life complete bc i practically fangirled over them just today and they don't even exist. this is the best crossover in aff history. AND SHE'S AN ILWOO FAN TOO I WIIINNN !! points for eunhui.
i love how carefree and relatable eunhui's section reads. i can totally believe a random girl can audition for an mnet show tomorrow and find out she got in just like eunhui did, sharing snacks with her friends and getting her phone snatched by them to read the email. i also just realized eunhui is the only character who is plainly and fully excited and satisfied about going on the show: yona is cautiously optimistic but also scared, yeowool has the whole inferiority-superiority complex thingamabob going on, liqi got demoted from potential hybe debut project candidate to mnet sacrificial lamb and jiwoo is deliberately trying to fail the audition. meanwhile eunhui goes "i'm gonna be the best nugu ever!" and suddenly i'm smiling and my heart explodes. she's literally dreaming for me, mission accomplished

Chapter 17: LOLOLOL @ Mr. Fluffkin's. He's really the star of this section with Yona and she's just the supporting actress. Nah, but all seriousness, this was so wholesome with her sister Saemna cheering her on and reminding her that she's capable and SHOULD give this idol thing another go. I love the support, it's so endearing and reminds me of my own relationship with my little sister. Saemna also might be the lead actress but don't tell Yona just yet. It's sad that Yona hasn't really been cheerful since the whole MLD departure so perhaps D4U will bring that smile right back onto that cute face of hers. She deserves it just as anyone else would. Good thing Girim isn't here to remind her of that in her "much stronger language"!

Poor Jiwoo, must she suffer the conditions of a contract still in tact for two more years. The torture, the misfortune and now she must wear an awful costume to boot. It is really such a shame that with Neon's dismissal that it couldn't be Jiwoo's just yet. She's twenty for pete's sake @ ty company, let the WOMAN BE TWENTY. *cue Itzy's Twenty* And then they think she's not going to get in?! BWHAHA, fate has another thing coming for you Miss Byun Jiwoo, just you wait~~ "Oh, just IU like a basic ", why does this character remind me so much of the author who created her?! It's really a mirror with that response. LOL. AND PICK ME TOO? Please just push a dagger into my heart of pettiness, I would PAY to see this train-wreck.

Yeowool dear, it's OK that you're an ahjumma to those brats. You'll show them just how this ahjumma gets down and if Park Kahi can still thrive, SO CAN YOU.

LIQI MAY BE MY LOVER. She is in the same sinking boat as Yeowool and I have to agree with Bana, I think they should totally band together because they'll need it. LOL. Nah, but seriously, that's some really FUDGED up going on at her company. You either try out for this show that we don't even want to participate with, just "strengthening bonds" or you get the out, basically. Damn, I'd look on with petulance too? With a sadistic smirk and a big YOU to boot, too. Liqi, honey, you deserve more but I'd rather see you flaunting in a tutu across the stage of D4U then see you booted out on the streets, a beggar in regret. Why are they picking on my girl, Liqi ANYWAY?

Eunhui, you sneaky little lady. I am one for mischief and it's written ALL over her. I bet she's really going to shake up this group, and probably cause Jiwoo to pull out her hair in the midst of it all. She reminds me of the disobedient Chaeyoung of Twice already, something I relish in (secretly). It is a pleasure to see her again! Seriously! How dare she end up with a spot on the show since she was jokingly applying anyway?! The drama to unfold is bursting at the seams and we haven't even been introduced to the other girls yet, haha! "What the " is right, Eunhui?!

So many different perspectives, thoughts, personalities, I thrive off of it all. I cannot wait to see what the next chapter brings and what the personalities of the other 4 are like!

Chapter 17: Let's go!

It's nice to see Yona again from P99~The name of that bookery is so cute and so aptly named. The description of the first thing to assault the sense being a cat is so spot on. Like, as a cat owner, I know that smell is sometimes impossible to fully hide. But I really enjoyed how you layered the scents in this description...and all my deep, dialectical notes are gone because the cat is named Sir Fluffkins and I AM IN LOVE. Yona is such a dear and is so increadibly endeared to me in these parts ;; An oh my, the cat is TURDUCKEN. <33 This talk of an "attack" from Yona break my heart a little. That's a little too real as a young person dealing with shattered dreams so early.

Oh nooo Jiwoo...the dreaded TWENTY. Pahaha! I had to double check myself, but I knew exactly which outfit for Angel you were talking about. Such a good song tho. I digress! I really like how through these POVs we're really getting a spectrum of people who are part of the show, and in their different stages. Some are just stepping in and others are deep in the midst. It's very intriguing to see the walks of life each of these girls are coming from, and when you begin adding the other POVs, it feels like it's going to be a very colourful cast! It's kind of fun to see Jiwoo hoping to actually not get selected and long suffering the effects of nugudom. But it's a good glimpse at how these girls don't really get that much say in their lives or careers whilst under these contracts. "Making her do this" indeed.

But then we switch to Yeowool who is in this for completely different reasons. And oooooof being called ahjumma by some young punks when you're not really that old. The ageism in idol life is such a painful thing. She is trying so hard to go on as if none of these little girls are anywhere near her caliber, and yet here she is doing the same thing as them. Again, another great change of POVs from something who, unlike the other two, want to be here, but for some less "wholesome" reasons. Cue Twice "I'm gonna be a star"~

“Okay okay, I got one. marry kill: Satan, Bang Sihyuk, or Kim Donghan.” - pahahaha, that's great! That switch from Yeowool's determination to THIS was amaziiiing. Art I tell you! Oh my gosh, Liqi's POV shouldn't have made me snort laugh as much as it did, but IT DID. Sooo different. You know, despite Liqi's distate for Donghan, I admire that he's honest about the things he's telling her. Granted, they aren't very nice things...but at least he's honest? So now we have Liqi who is being sent because she has no choice: go or say goodbye to being a trainee. Rough choice there, especially for someone like her who seems to definitely not want it. But what can she do? This ties in really well to the Jiwoo POV: these idols and trainees have far less choice than it seems. Made even worse knowing she is the sacrificial lamb afterall. Also, the small acts of defiance throughout this entire section was magnificent. Take that fancy desk. Embrace the chewing gum!!

AH! MY BABEH! Ahem, anyhow. This section was so adorable and light hearted, especially when compared to those prior who were either in the idol space or failed by it already. Eunhui doesn't know what's coming. But it's so earnest and wraps up the POVs nicely in that now you complete the spectrum. Eunhui is sheer optimism here, and it's so endearing. I DREAD how you're going to probably break some of this though ;; I also like your nod to the 'rona. Ughhh...it's going to be so intriguing to see how you use that in the story.

I LOOK FORWARD TO MOOOAR. And seeing the other POVs! This cast is proving to be quite interesting, and I can't wait to see how they interact together!

Chapter 17: Oh wow! I remember you asking me about using some of the characters from Scandalous for this and making some cross universe things, but this is so nice to see! Thank you for taking the time to include! Its like we're creating an extended universe!! :O

Chapter 17: Oooohso now we see how about half of them got in! And it's hilarious how it seems that half of them are moved by spite and the other half by luck xD
I wonder if Yeowool and Liqi will join forces or be archenemies xD

Chapter 15: *screams* JI YONA

Thank you for choosing my kiddo Yeowool! I look forward to disaster and drama. I’m glad to see you’re back too, baby! How much I’ve missed you, you have no idea ;-) congrats to everyone’s character who got chosen and congrats to all the cameos about to happen!

Chapter 15: Welcome back!!
Glad to see this has returned, even if I am disappointed to know that Sunisa didn't make the cut. You're welcome to use her as a background character, if she happens to fit. If not, no big!

Chapter 16: omg youre back!! congrats to everyone who got chosen!!
dying at hwarin auditioning not even last minute but after the auditions closed 😭

Chapter 15: MY BABY WENWEN MADE IT?! This is indeed the job of Lady Luck XD hahahahahahahaha
All the girls have the delicoius potential for chaos and I'm living for it. I also went "Oh no. Things will go terribly wrong" with Xiwen's last intro line xD [ I understand that she can't speak english anymore, even if means that she can't talk to Tali in english now :') ]

Also, does Eunhui and Liqi really have the same birth date?! I see very chaotic birthday videos in the future.