Three participants had already been eliminated from the competition.
Jiwon had officially said her goodbye.
There were rumors going around that she was planning to leave the company and move to another one.
Llana didn't know if those rumors were true, because as of now, Jiwon had chosen not to talk to her friends.
Maybe she just wasn't ready to face them yet.
The remaining members of the Minor Group were Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Mina, Chaeryeong, Dahyun, Minyoung, and Sana.
While the Major Group consisted of Llana, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, Momo, Somi, Jihyo, and Natty.
An even distribution.
JYP had given them the day off today. No missions, no practice, no recordings.
A much-needed day to do whatever they pleased.
Llana decided to take full advantage of it. She would lie on her cozy bed all day, doing nothing but reading her book and listening to her favorite songs. The same little escape she loved in her previous life to relax and give herself a proper break.
[Ding!]
[7:30 am. Host you still have time to do your workout routine.]
Llana groaned, 'system gimme a break! I want to stay in my bed for a whole day.'
No exercises today. The system could wait until tomorrow.
[Lying down all day is not good for the host's body. Exercising is—]
'You can't change my mind any further, System,' Llana replied stubbornly, 'No one will. No one can. Even if you call my mom, my dad, my brothers, even my neighbors or my pastor, they still won't change my mind.'
[Host is being lazy to fuel her productivity system will give an extra 1,000 Virtual Coins as a reward.]
Llana snorted, 'arent you too stingy, 1,000 virtual Coins only?'
[2,000?]
Llana snorted in disdain.
[5,000?]
'You can't change my mind, System. Not even with a treat dangling right in front of me. If I cave… I'll admit it—I'm officially a dog.'
[... Understood.]
[System apologizes for suggesting productivity.]
[Enjoy your full day of "rest."]
[Reminder scheduled for tomorrow.]
Llana raised a brow.
Why did the system suddenly sound like a grumpy old woman?
Suddenly, the door opened, and Llana glanced up. It was Tzuyu. They were sharing a room again this week.
Last week, Llana had roomed with Nayeon.
Nayeon and Tzuyu had swapped places in the Major Group....again. Its kinda funny how the two kept trading spots like it was a game of musical chairs.
"Llana, are you sure you're not going to eat breakfast?" Tzuyu asked as she stepped inside, tilting her head slightly.
"Hm… I already had coffee. I don't usually eat breakfast," Llana said, her eyes never leaving the page.
"What are you reading?"
"Sherlock Holmes," she replied shortly, turning a page.
"Sherlock Holmes…? What's that?" Tzuyu asked, leaning over curiously.
"A detective story about a genius guy named Sherlock Holmes, who solves complex crime cases."
"…Can I read with you?" Tzuyu asked, her eyes wide and hopeful. She wasn't really a reader, but seeing Llana so absorbed made her curious enough to try.
"Sure. Come on," Llana said, not looking up. She scooted toward the inner side of the bed, giving Tzuyu some space.
Five minutes later…
"Uh… do you have any plans for today besides reading?" Tzuyu asked, frowning slightly, trying to change the subject. She was bored. She had been pretending to read from the start. She could read the words on the page, but her brain just wouldn't process them. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she decided to pretend she was reading...just for ten minutes. That was probably the maximum she could manage.
(Author: More like five minutes…)
"Nope. I planned to read all day," Llana said, shaking her head.
"…Oh… okay," Tzuyu muttered, looking a little deflated. She wanted to go out with Llana but...
"Why? Do you have plans?" Llana asked, noticing the slight disappointment in her tone.
"I want to go out, but I don't really have anyone to go with. I heard there's a new café nearby with dog residents… I wanted to see it for myself," Tzuyu said, staring off as if recalling it in her mind.
"Then you can ask Chaeyoung. She'll probably agree," Llana suggested.
"She and Dahyun already have plans for today," Tzuyu said.
"…Natty?"
"She's going out with Chaeyoung."
"Ugh… what about Jihyo unnie?" Llana asked, unsure. She couldn't be the only one available, right?
Tzuyu stared at her intently, her big round eyes fixed on Llana.
Stare.
Stare.
"…Do you want me to go with you?" Llana finally asked, sighing internally. It seemed she had no choice...Tzuyu was just too cute to deny.
"Can you?" Tzuyu's eyes sparkled, her excitement obvious.
"Sure. No problem," Llana said, smiling. She felt a little happy herself, seeing Tzuyu's reaction. Cute, she thought.
[No one can change your mind, huh? Host. I mean… woof!]
Llana rolled her eyes internally at the system.
____
The bell above the café door jingled as Llana pushed it open, Tzuyu right behind her. The warm scent of coffee and baked goods hit them immediately, mingling with a faint, unmistakable smell of… wet fur.
The café was bright and cozy, with large windows letting in sunlight that bounced off polished wooden tables.
A few small couches lined the corners, and colorful dog toys were scattered across the floor. On the other side of a low fence, a group of dogs, two golden retriever, a corgi, and a beagle. Hearing the bell the dogs bark.
"Ugh~ Tzuyu. Are they going to attack us?" Llana gulped, instinctively hiding behind Tzuyu.
[You're a dog yourself. How could you be afraid? Why don't you bark and talk to them?] The system interjected, teasing her.
'shut up'
It was her first time interacting with dogs in this life.
Her past life hadn't had any either.
The only memory she had from her previous life was being chased by an Askal, commonly known as an Aspin.
She remembered running like it was a marathon...the fastest she'd ever run, and also the longest.
She felt like she was the Flash that time.
"Anni~ they're just greeting us." Tzuyu laughed at Llana's reaction. This was the first time she'd seen Llana so scared. She usually looked calm and in control of everything. Seeing her like this was like a breath of fresh air.
Tzuyu took Llana's hand, intertwining it with her own, and placed Llana behind her protectively so she wouldn't be startled.
"They're even cuter than in the pictures!"
She petted the dogs, who wiggled their tails excitedly and leaned their heads into her hand. Some even nudged the others aside just to be petted. "Look, they're so friendly!"
Soon, Llana fought her fears and slowly reached out to pet the dogs. Tzuyu gently guided her hand, helping her stroke the soft fur of a golden retriever. The dog leaned into her touch, wagging its tail excitedly, while a corgi bounced around them, trying to get noticed.
Llana giggled nervously, her hands a little shaky at first, but the warmth of the dogs and Tzuyu's reassuring presence made her relax.
"They're… actually really soft," she murmured, smiling.
Tzuyu laughed softly. "See? I told you they're friendly." She rubbed the beagle's ears, and the little dog let out a happy bark.
Llana's nervousness melted away completely as the dogs wiggled around her, eager for more pets.
After a while, the girls grew tired from petting the dogs and settled into a corner with coffee in hand. The warmth of the drinks matched the cozy atmosphere around them.
Tzuyu glanced at Llana, worry flickering in her eyes. "Do you think the company will upload the part of the evaluation where you spoke up to the trainers?"
Llana took a calm sip. "I don't think so. The cons outweigh the pros. They won't risk giving me a bad image that could mess up the group's debut."
She figured her brothers had probably already taken care of it. Those two sis-cons were probably already trying to outdo each other.