After the introductory live streams, the 110 candidates gathered in the main hall to await the results and the next announcement. Although the room was noisy, you could clearly feel the void left by the half of the candidates who had disappeared. I was sitting quietly toward the back, observing the competition but also my future teammates. My gaze fell upon a tall figure huddled in a corner.
It was the giant from Phase 1, the one who had been eliminated despite his superb dancing talents. It seems he left a strong impression on the public, given that he is one of the ten saved candidates. I didn't expect someone so tall and intimidating to be so shy. He practically doesn't dare to breathe too loudly. It's quite sad to watch. Is he just uncomfortable in this kind of environment? I'd like to ask him how tall he is. Oh, I'll probably see it in his introductory video.
_ Calm down, everyone. We have the results of the various lives. Mina began.
_ The candidate with the highest number of people present in their live stream is... Junho continued.
_ Cat!!! They said in unison. Congratulations to Cat for reaching 2,500 views in his introductory live.
All the candidates applauded to congratulate him—some sincerely, others just to avoid a bad editing in the show. I've seen this atmosphere many times in my sister's competitions. I even heard someone murmur, "How did he get all those views? He doesn't even speak English." Personally, I applauded because I'm happy for him. I truly believe that with his personality, he was able to gather 2,500 views in eight minutes, especially combined with his background as a video game streamer on Twitch.
Cat stood up to collect his certificate.
_ Thank you. He said in English, in a joyful tone.
Turning around, he seemed to spot me in the crowd and rushed over to show me his certificate.
_ Phi, did you see that? I told you I was amazing!!
_Truly impressive. I never doubted you. I smiled.
A small cough was heard from Lee Junho. We all shifted our attention back to him.
_ Aside from Cat, we also salute Anael, Jiho, and Lovro, who all gathered over 1,000 views in their lives.
The other participants applauded. I turned to try and determine who Lovro was, but with little success. Next time, surely.
_Next. Mina continued. Tt is time for you to move into the dormitories for the second phase of the competition.
_ You have until the day after tomorrow to move into your assigned dorms and settle in.
_ The second phase of the competition is a Clash.
_ You will be divided into groups of five girls or five boys, and you will perform a cover of a song from one of your senior groups. Junho explained.
_ It is a Girls vs. Boys clash. That is to say, one girl group and one boy group will cover the same song.
_ There are 11 selected songs. They are songs from senior male or female groups. There will be a mid-term evaluation where the coaches will assess you and provide critiques on your work.
_ The final stage will be in two weeks, and you will be evaluated entirely by the public. The five groups with the lowest scores will be eliminated from the competition. Prepare yourselves as best as you can. This time, there will be no second chances. Lee Junho finished on a dramatic note.
They then continued to explain how the song selection would work. The boys would draw a number at random from a box, as would the girls. Each number corresponded to a song. There are only five spots in each team. Cat was called later to choose the song he wanted to work on. We were all surprised when he chose the song Loco by ITZY, a girl group. After the draw, I ended up with the song Fire by BTS, a vibrant song, as the name suggests. I met the members of my group and was happy to see that Nam Jiho was in my team, along with three other girls: Natalie 18, French, Yuki 18, Japanese, and Seol 19, South Korean. We only had enough time to introduce ourselves and decide on a meeting time for tomorrow at 6:00 AM. Jiho reminded us to watch the video and more or less learn the original choreography for tomorrow.
On the way back to the apartment, I waited for Isidora at the exit. She told me she received the song Starry Night by MAMAMOO. We said goodbye to Cat, who was leaving with his brother. Darwin offered to pick us up in his car this afternoon with our luggage to make the move easier, and we accepted. All the way home, we continued to chat. Isidora told me about the BL series she's watching right now. I told her about the latest true crime story I watched from my favorite YouTuber. She's not really a fan of true crime, but she listened without complaining. We kept talking until we reached home.
_So, we meet in the lobby at 3:00 PM, does that work for you?
_Yeah, that's perfect for me. I smiled.
We parted ways, and I went up to my floor to pack my things. I took the opportunity to call my father. We talked while I packed, he asked me questions about the show and the participants.
_ When will the first episode air? What channel can I watch it on?
_ The first episode will air in three weeks, on Friday night. You'll be able to watch it on Global. It's broadcast as the show is being filmed.
JYPE signed broadcasting contracts with channels in several different countries to make the show truly international. In Canada, Global TV signed the rights, in South Korea, it's Mnet, in the US, it's CBS, etc. The show is filmed in Korea in English and broadcast in dozens of countries. Starting tomorrow, the candidates will be filmed 24/7, and it will all be edited into episodes. It's becoming more and more real. One small mistake, one malicious edit, can ruin your career.
I finished packing, ate something, and ended the call with my father. Once done, I noticed it was time to leave. I hurried out to join Isidora with my suitcases. I arrived in the lobby to find her talking to a very handsome young man. Seeing her looking uncomfortable, I was about to step in and get her out of the situation when she noticed me from afar and rushed toward me.
_ Anael, thank goodness you're here. she sighed in relief.
_ Is everything okay? I asked worriedly, glancing at the young man who still hadn't left.
_ Mmh. She hummed, practically hiding behind me. I've already rejected him, but he won't leave. I was starting to get a little scared.
I took her hand to reassure her.
_ Don't worry, I'm here. I may not look like it, but I did Muay Thai for five years.
I made sure to say the last part of my sentence out loud. The guy must have understood I was trying to intimidate him because he finally left after one last insistent look in our direction.
_ You really did Muay Thai for five years? Isidora asked me, surprised.
_ Yeah. My twin sister and I took classes at my mother's request.
_ You have a sister?! she cried out.
_ What sister? Cat asked, arriving with his brother.
I think he just caught the word "sister" in English. I'm surprised by how he's becoming more and more comfortable speaking English. He must also have a knack for languages.
_ Me, I had a twin sister. She passed away nearly three years ago. I explained to Isidora in English while Darwin translated for Cat.
Even after all this time, associating Océane with death still breaks my heart. But I don't know if it's because I'm surrounded by good people, I find it much easier to talk about her. I still love my sister, but after all this time, I'm finally starting to remember the good memories more than the death itself.
_ Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. Isidora apologized.
Cat, for his part, squeezed my hand to comfort me.
_ It's okay, I'm better now. I smiled.
I turned to Cat's brother to greet him and then tried to change the subject.
_ But yes, I did Muay Thai, and I was actually quite good. That's how I started getting interested in Thai culture and decided to learn the language.
_ Wow, Phi Ana, you're incredible!! Cat exclaimed once everything was translated for him.
_ So, when P'Duke did this sport, it wasn't cool, but when it's Anael, it's incredible?! Darwin laughed.
_ It's not the same thing. P'Duke is a 'nag' who absolutely wanted to convert me. P'Ana is my savior. Cat said seriously.
I started laughing because of his serious little pout. This kid is seriously adorable. We finally set off for the show's dormitory. I walked Cat to his room, then Isidora, before heading to mine. I entered the dorm and noticed that only one of the beds was occupied. The person was not present in the room. There were four bunk beds, two on each side of the room. The occupied bed was the top one on the right. I took the free bottom one and started putting away my clothes. Just as I was about to finish, the door opened, and I was surprised to see it was Nam Jiho. She was dressed in comfortable joggers and a hoodie. I think she went to work out because she looked like she was sweating.
_ Hello, Nam Jiho, right?
_ Hello, yes, and you're Anael. Correct? She affirmed.
_ I wanted to tell you, I really appreciated your performance in Phase 1. You're a total badass!!
_ Really?! She asked, surprised. You're the first girl to tell me that. You really liked it?
_ I seriously loved it. And I'm so happy we're on the same team.
As soon as those words were said, her face lit up as if she had seen an angel. I get the impression she hasn't made many friends since the start of the competition.
_ Thanks! I also really liked seeing you dance to "Hips Don't Lie". How do your hips move like that?! She said excitedly, sitting on my bed.
_ And you, how do you rap so well? Do you have a background as an underground rapper or something?! I tossed her a lead.
_ Actually, yeah. I was a rapper before signing up for this contest. My stage name is Orizon. I've posted some of my raps on Splice and YouTube if you want to check out my work.
_ That's incredible! I listened to your song "Awakening" to prepare for Stardom. I can't believe it. Can I have your autograph?
I am totally charmed. I had researched her past a bit, but I hadn't made the connection that she was Orizon. My sister and I were always fans of confident, badass young women. Though our usual style, according to our friends, was more "Princess Diva" for my sister and "Woman CEO" for me. I'm so excited that I lead Jiho into a long conversation about her rapping career. We only stop when the other two roommates enter the room.
___
References
_ Twitch: A popular American live-streaming application for video games that also offers streaming services for music and creative content.
_ Loco by ITZY: A South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment in 2019.
_ Fire by BTS: Also known as the Bangtan Boys, a South Korean boy group formed in 2010. They debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment.
_Starry Night by Mamamoo: A South Korean girl group formed under Rainbow Bridge World in 2014.
_ JYPE: JYP Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company founded by Park Jin Young in 1997.
_ Global TV: A Canadian television network launched in 1974.
_ Mnet: (Music Network) A South Korean music television channel launched on January 24, 1994. It is owned by the CJ Group.
_ CBS: An American television network created in 1927.
_ Splice: A music creation application.
_ YouTube: A social network and video-sharing platform owned by Google.
_ Hips Don't Lie: A song by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean.
_ Inspiration partially drawn from the song La vie qu'on mène by Mentissa. You can listen to the song while you read if you want to.
Thanks for reading and have a good day.