"THE WINNER IS…"
The words rang in Nayeon's ears.
They won.
…Wait. They won?!
Her eyes widened as she turned to her team, just to make sure she wasn't hearing things.
"We won!" Jeongyeon yelled, throwing her arms up and grabbing whoever was closest, which happened to be Nayeon.
Nayeon didn't forget to pull Mina and Chaeryeong into the hug. Tears welled up as she laughed, her vision blurring.
They won the losing round.
No one from their team would be eliminated.
Right now, Nayeon didn't care about being demoted to Minor group.
What mattered was that they weren't in the fourth place.
Losing to Llana's team left them completely defeated. The sting washed over them like a tsunami.
102 votes to 293, the gap was nearly threefold.
A brutal defeat.
Fourth place meant elimination.....
The realization shattering them, dragging them back into reality.
....Someone will be eliminated again.
____
Llana stood at the back with the major teams, while the losing team stood in front of them.
The atmosphere felt heavy as they waited for JYP to announce the results.
Right now, Llana just wanted to shout at JYP and tell him to announce the results already.
She couldn't take the tension anymore. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart tighter with every passing second.
Honestly, Llana hated the management's plan for the fourth challenge. It was terrible and unfair.
Giving the audience full control over who won and who lost didn't sit right with her.
People voted for who they liked, not for who performed best. She wasn't ungrateful, she deeply appreciated every fan who voted and supported her.
But it still hurt, especially for the teams who lost despite doing well, simply because they didn't have enough supporters.
In the end, all they could do was swallow the bitterness and stand there in silence.
Talent doesn't always guarantee sure survival. Popularity did.
Take Tzuyu, for instance. Among the contestants, she started out as one of the weakest.
Llana had to agree with JYP's earlier evaluation, Tzuyu showed the most improvement with every episode.
Still, if she hadn't had high voting rates from the very beginning, Llana was certain she would've been the second one eliminated.
That was how fragile survival really was.
"There will be an elimination in the B Team Minor group," JYP announced, his voice low and heavy. He let out a long sigh, rubbing his face. "This… this isn't easy. What should I do?"
Dahyun, Minyoung, Sana, and Jiwon stepped forward, standing side by side. Their hearts pounded violently it felt like they might burst straight out of their chests. The idea of being eliminated scared them more than they wanted to admit.
"I'm sorry…" His voice wavered, "But it's you."
"Jiwon."
Jiwon's eyes reddened instantly. Tears pooled before she could stop them, spilling down her cheeks as she took an unsteady step forward.
And as if on cue, the DJ started playing Coldplay's "Fix You," making the moment even more emotional and heartbreaking.
When you try your best, but you don't succeed.
JYP's eyes began to well up as he watched the girl struggle to hold back her tears. He look down for a second as he tried his best to deliver his speech, fighting hard not to make his voice tremble. "All of you did well today. But among the four… you showed the most flaws." He swallowed hard. "I'm heartbroken."
He paused, taking a breath, "I wanted you to stay....but I have no choice."
When you get what you want, but not what you need
Everyone started bowling their eyes.
"Jiwon, you received a lot of criticism since the start of the first competition. You did better, far better than your first, second, and third."
And the tears come streaming down your face, When you lose something you can't replace.
"I'm very proud of you..."
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
"Your stage today is really should not be eliminated"
Could it be worse?
"I-I really… h-had fun on stage t-today. I—I…" Jiwon tried to continue through her sobs, but the weight of it all became too much. Her voice gave out, and she broke down completely.
The others finally couldn't take it anymore. They rushed to her and pulled her into a tight hug.
Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones, And I will try to fix you
"What do I do? I don't understand why she has to be eliminated." Jeongyeon kept wiping at her eyes as tears continued to fall. It hurt too much watching a close friend be eliminated.
Tears stream down your face, When you lose something you cannot replace
Happy memories of them flooded her mind, making it even harder to calm herself.
She was supposed to be the one comforting Jiwon..so why was she the one crying? She hated herself for it.
Tears stream down your face, and I....
Llana bit her lip hard, trying to stop herself from sobbing. Watching the others from the side, she wanted to move, to go to them—but she couldn't. It felt like her feet were glued to the ground, refusing to budge.
Tears stream down your face, I promise you I will learn from my mistakes. Tears stream down your face, and I
Jiwon slowly walked away from the others, her legs feeling weak as she headed toward the waiting room. Disappointment sat heavy in her chest. She really did try her best every time, holding onto the hope that maybe there was still a chance. JYP's words had given her hope. But it disappeared just as fast, like a candle being blown out.
'This couldn't be the end… right?' Maybe she should try applying to another company as a trainee.
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face, and I
For another start.
Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you.
____
An emotional chapter for you guys! I got emotional writing this one,
I hope I'm not the only one😂