WHSP

Browser lacks capabilities required to play.

Upgrade or switch to another browser.

Loading…

<<silently>> <<set $mc = $CharList.mc>> <</silently>> <h1 style="text-align: center;">World Happiness Survival Plan</h1> <<nobr>> <<systemtxt "error-msg">>The World Happiness Percentage has fallen below the minimum value to keep this world functioning.<</systemtxt>> <<systemtxt "calculate-msg">>Optimizing World Timeline to ensure the highest World Happiness Percentage. <</systemtxt>> <<systemtxt "success-msg">>World has successfully recalculated <<cycle "$mc.name[0]" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.name1 >> <</cycle>> <<cycle "$mc.name[1]" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.name2 >> <</cycle>>'s potential impact on the World. <</systemtxt>> <<systemtxt "success-msg">>Successfully concluded critical necessity to increasing the World Happiness Percentage. World [[restarting|Prologue]] at critical point for User. <</systemtxt>> <</nobr>>

<<silently>> <<run setup.changeSaveName("Prologue") >> <<set $name = setup.getAttr($mc,"name","full")>> <</silently>> <h1>$SaveTitle</h1> I pulled out my keys from my pocket and they sharply clicked against each other, echoing slightly in the hallway. Shoving the key into the doorknob, I finally slammed the door to my apartment open, banging against the wall. I stared at the wall with a tight frown, and after checking there was no crack, closed the door quietly. With heavy steps, after barely remembering to flick the light switch on, I approached my desk. Pulling the straps off my backpack, I had set it down with a low thud. Sitting down in my old chair, it screeched under the pressure, skidding an inch off the floor. Leaning my head back, I squinted as I faced the light, and let out a sigh. Today was no different from yesterday, and I doubted it would even be different tomorrow. But, today, I had an annoying thought come in my head. <i>“What if I accepted that damn offer? I wouldn’t be studying at this school, taking max credits to graduate early.”</i> I closed my eyes as I recalled the news I was hearing at my part-time job at the dance academy. [[Recall|Prologue P2]]

<<silently>> <<set $temptaglist = {p: [1,2,3,4] } >> <</silently>> <i>"ARISE finally debuted their group! After what they put all of the members through in the show, I was really upset that they took a few months to debut, but, finally, ARIES are debuting! Look, Park Jieun is so pretty!" "Teacher, did you watch ARISE? It's such a cool concept, it matched the best vocalists, rappers, and dancers into an idol group of 7! Teacher, you're so pretty and good at dancing, I would've voted for you and became your fan!"</i> I frowned and opened my eyes. However, something strange happened. My vision was grey-scaled. Everything lost color. I creased my eyebrows as a strange feeling crept up. I knew this wasn't normal, yet, this was my reality. I felt my heartbeat start to beat quickly, pounding against my chest. <<systemtxt "error-msg">>The World Happiness Percentage has fallen below the minimum value to keep this world functioning. Optimizing World Timeline to ensure the highest World Happiness Percentage.<</systemtxt>> A hologram of a computer pop up suddenly showed up in my face, with a light red tint, contrasting with the black and white world, big text filling the screen. "What's… going on?" I managed to mutter, my heartbeat almost escaping out of my chest as a strong fear took over me. <<systemtxt>>World has successfully recalculated User $name's potential impact on the World. Successfully concluded critical necessity to increasing the World Happiness Percentage. World restarting at critical point for User $name<</systemtxt>> The text, which I consumed easily despite my shock, as if it was being sent directly to my head, disappeared. A strange glitch-like effect past by me, glitching out my vision as if I was looking at a broken screen. A screech penetrated my brain, nearly breaking my eardrums. I immediately shut my eyes tightly in pain. Suddenly, my nose picked up on something. It wasn't the antiquated apartment that smelled aged, but a clean scent of grass and flowers. I hesitantly opened my eyes, and in shock, my eyes shook slightly at the scene. In front of me was a familiar face. Around me was a familiar scene. I was in the middle of a park in Seoul where I used to live with my family. "… and that it why I would like to invite you to participate in the idol survival show as a contestant." The main writer and the right hand woman of the director of ARISE, Kim Juah, who reached out to me when I was 18, stood in front of me, saying the same lines I still remember to this day. I started to wonder what was happening. <i>Was this was a sudden lucid dream?</i> Then, when I blinked, my vision became colorless. I frowned in response and started to tense up as I slowly turned around, a strange feeling wrapping around me as I knew I should be on alert. Yet, as I turned back, I saw the writer's half open mouth not moving. The hand that was motioning in the air was frozen. Yet, I was able to move my body. At that moment, a screen filled my vision. The same as before, I recognized the monospace font and that it was floating in the air, following me. <<systemtxt>>\> Initiate <i>tutorial_viewed</i> to false for User $name. <br> \> Begin Tutorial. Congratulations, User $name! You have been selected to be part of the World Happiness Survival Plan as a Global Variable that will join other Global Variables to increase the World Happiness Level to keep this world functioning.<</systemtxt>> <<systemtxt "calculating">> Recollecting data about User... <br> \> Appearance: Traits include <<cycle "$temptaglist.hair_length" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.hairLength >> <</cycle>> <<cycle "$temptaglist.hair_color" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.hairColor >> <</cycle>> hair, <<cycle "$temptaglist.eye_color" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.eyeColor >> <</cycle>> <<cycle "$temptaglist.eye_shape" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.eyeShape >> <</cycle>> eyes, <<cycle "$temptaglist.skin" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.skinColor >> <</cycle>> skin, her voice can be described as <<cycle "$temptaglist.voice" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.voiceType >> <</cycle>>, and she is of <<cycle "$temptaglist.height" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.height >> <</cycle>> stature. <br> \> Personality: In situations that require her opinion, she is typically <<cycle "$temptaglist.p[0]" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.personality.ap >> <</cycle>>. When socializing, she is considered to be more <<cycle "$temptaglist.p[1]" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.personality.ei >> <</cycle>>. Her tone of speaking is notably <<cycle "$temptaglist.p[2]" autoselect>> <<optionsfrom setup.custl.personality.fa >> <</cycle>>. (Personality recollection is not yet complete) <</systemtxt>> [[Continue|Prologue P3]]

<<silently>> <<run setup.changeShowMenu("Quests", true) >> <<run setup.changeShowMenu("Profile", true) >> <<run setup.changeShowMenu("People", true) >> <<refresh "pulldownmenu">> <<run setup.pushTempTags($temptaglist) >> <</silently>> I furrowed my eyes, wondering what was making my dream so strange and realistic. It had strange phrases like "user" and "variables," which definitely came from my homework assignment this week, but that was just computer science in general. The "World Happiness Survival Plan" seemed ripped straight out of comics and web novels. But that genre was certainly action and horror. So… why was I brought back to the biggest regret in my life? The text changed then. I was left too stunned to even react and just read the text as if I were compelled despite the strange circumstances. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>You are able to access basic levels of the World Setting as a User. Your special ability in the System allows the additional function of improving Characters' existing skills. You may also additionally buy more System functionalities as you increase the World Happiness Level beyond the previous World Iteration.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> I felt like I was in a video game. One that I would've totally played. But, these jumbles of words meant nothing to me. This was certainly just a fantasy and I'm soon going to wake up to the real world. That's what would only make sense. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>It was calculated that you will increase the World Happiness Level optimally by returning to the point you were scouted by a writer of the show, ARISE. The impact of ARIES was calculated the into the future World Timeline, with and without your appearance. It was decided that your presence and debut in ARIES will increase the World Happiness Level to stable levels, and that you have a statistical advantage to do so.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> The strange feeling that made me uncomfortable came back. A terror spiked through my head almost immediately. It finally came to me. This was not a dream. It might be possible that I am going crazy. But, this was too weird of a situation to even fathom that. I started to blink rapidly, the unchanging world still around me. Even as I moved my head and arms, the screen with text followed me around, while the grey-scaled world started to look more terrifying. In the end, I only stopped as I became tired from blinking, leaving me exhausted and confused. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>If you fail to debut as a member of ARIES, this world will collapse and the you in this Timeline will cease to exist, and never be able to set foot on stage again.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> <<set $QuestList.mainq.accepted = true>> <<quest "mainq" >> <<refresh "questmenu">> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>System noticed a spike in negative emotion build-up. User $name is reaching the maximum amount of negative emotion before major negative affects occur. <br>> Activating Mental Care system. <br>RESULT: Expression of emotions is dampened, increased understanding toward quest; Personality recollection is temporarily halted. <br>> Assessing if negative emotion amount is at non-critical level. <br>RESULT: No more actions will occur.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> "‘Dampened expression?' I'm to join ARISE like this?" I asked suddenly, a cool manner, almost as if it wasn't a question related to me. I could feel my face relax into one of stone, removing the messy state of emotions I was previously in. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>User $name will be able to unlock benefits as you increase the World Happiness Percentage by making people happy with your performances! This System will grant you Generated Happiness Points (GHP) according to the generated happiness, which you can use as a currency to exchange for many things. You will want to use the Virtual Training system. However, if you want to increase your emotional output and lower the Mental Care system, you can pay GHP to do so.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> "This… it's stupid." I responded coldly, finding this system's reasoning to be unrealistic even if I comprehended it. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>The System cannot comprehend User $name's words. The world was re-optimized and decided to grant this User a second chance at becoming an idol as it was calculated you will be able to increase the World Happiness Percentage. <</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> "Shorten that. It takes too much space for me." I said in response to the long text that started to become cumebrsome. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>> \> Action approved. <br>> Shortening World Happiness Percentage to WHP.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> "…I can't be an idol." I responded, clear-minded. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>This System would like to disagree with your claims. The Tutorial will end and the Timeline will continue. The System has the ability to influence Users and Non-users and shift the Timeline for Users.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> <<set $QuestList.pr_kja.accepted = true >> <<quest "pr_kja" >> [[Continue|Prologue P4]]

I blinked and suddenly colors started to fade back in. The screen was gone. I could hear kids playing in the background, cars revving up their engine, and birds chirping coming to me all at once. It should have overwhelmed my senses, yet, all I could think of was that it was annoying. "…$name? Would you like to join our show?" The writer asked. "…No." I responded immediately. The writer looked at me with a crestfallen expression. However I felt nothing. I was about to get up and leave, however, the next moment I blinked, I found myself sitting down at the table, facing the writer as she continued to speak as if I never rejected her. "… that's why I would like to invite you to participate in the idol survival show as a contestant." <i>That System wasn't lying, I really did return to the same point. This System is annoying. </i> "I can't." I responded. "$CharList.mc.name[0]-" A static sound filled my ears, and even without blinking, I returned to the same scene. I continued to turn down the offer. And still returned back. Then time stopped, my vision greying again. A pop up came up from the system with a red outline. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>The User has shifted the Timeline for a few seconds 100 times, triggering this alert. Each new unnecessary Timeline shift will result in the user's body not shifting along with the Timeline. In simpler terms, you will age despite the world Timeline shifting.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> Her vision became colored as the pop up disappeared. "… that's why I would—" "Sure." I responded without letting the writer continue. The writer pause and look at me with a slightly surprised expression, before nodding and smiling. "Great! I'll finalize it on my side, and I can get all of the contracts in for you to sign within this week! We'll be officially filming in one month. I'll discuss more of the details then. Um, do you have any questions or concerns?" "Do we get paid?" I asked, recalling the apartment I used to live in with my mother. "Huh? Oh, yes! There's an appearance fee per episode. Any song we release through the show, the members of the song will gain royalties as well! During the duration of the show, we will cover accommodations, travel, food, and other expenses! If you would like to move into the dorms sooner, we can arrange for that as well!" She responded eagerly. "Got it." I nodded. I heard a trumpet sound faintly ring in my ears as a pop up showed up in the corner of my eyes. <<nobr>> <<set $QuestList.pr_kja.reqs[0][1] = true >> <<systemtxt "quest-completed">>$QuestList.pr_kja.header<</systemtxt>> <<refresh "questmenu">> <</nobr>> I frowned slightly at the annoyance and looked at the writer again. The writer was not too good at hiding her expressions. With my short phrased responses and nonchalant attitude, she was visibly uncomfortable. Especially since the mood seemed to have occurred half way through the meeting. I lifted the corners of my lips slightly. "Thank you. It's nice meeting you. I have somewhere to be." I said cordially. "O-oh, of course, I didn't mean to take up so much of your time, it was nice meeting you! I'll text you when we are ready and we can arrange when we can meet and sign the contract!" I nodded before standing up out of the chair. I then bowed politely at her before walking off back to my house. It was a natural reaction after being back in my hometown, however, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this was beyond comprehensible. Logically, I knew the whole reality I was living in was being shattered and that it seems nonsensical. But, this system restricted my emotions to protect me from going insane. I cannot express my true personality. As a performer, and for one who was known for my expressions online, this seemed like a death sentence. The reason I was scouted was because of my last video before I decided to quit. K-OS, a male idol group specialized in intricate dancing, had a b-side track that never got a choreography. I was a fan of them for a while and had discovered this song and felt its upbeat lyrics and rock fusion EDM sounds resonate with me at one of the lowest points in my life. Although the lyrics seemed cheesy, as they chased the sun at sunset, it was a motivational song for me. So, I wanted to use it as a goodbye as I went off to college, posting the last dance video that was not a cover. I already had a following on the internet, so it wasn't too surprising when I posted a video, with the caption that this would be the last video I would post and thanking everyone for enjoying my videos, that it started to rack up to almost 50,000 views within a few days. However, the short version I also posted online climbed to 5 million and more after a week, suddenly spiking after the fifth day, when things seemed calm. A short video of K-OS reacting very positively to it only boosted it. I gained a lot of followers, with old acquaintances reaching out, and I almost thought she could do this again. At present, the video had 40 million views. The thing that sold it the most according to comments was my expressions. Creating a choreography that looked good was impressive enough to them, but they said it would have had a totally different feel if someone else was doing it. I had great control over my body, able to change from fluid to sharp movements, and my facial expression always matched the choreography and lyrics. That was what I was known for. But, it was always a hobby, even if this momentarily made me think otherwise. But I had to continue with attending college. I wasn't rich, and I didn't want to continue holding onto a dream when I couldn't afford it. The fame wouldn't be able to last. But, even then, I teetered and thought about it. It was then, when I was scouted in the streets by Kim Juah, who, although said many good things, couldn't convince me to get on a program where I could lose everything. But, now, I was forced to say yes. [[Continue|Prologue P5]]

I saw my mother for the first time in a while. She wasn't bedridden in a hospital with chapped lips and tired eyes. She smiled and hugged me as I told her I changed my mind about college and was going to join a show to become an idol. "$name, I love you, so of course I will support you following your dreams. So, don't be sad or apologize to me. Alright? Let's go out for barbecue when you come back from filming. You don't need to win, but I know you have the skills to do so, so, show yourself to the world." I nodded before offering a few words.  {unifinished writing} [[Continue|Prologue P6]]

<<nobr>> <<widget 'char'>> <<silently>> <<set _tx = _args[0]>> <<set _charkey = _args[1] ? _args[1] : _args[0]>> <</silently>> <<if !_args[2]>> <<txtpopup _tx>>  <div id="char-sheet"> <<charstat _charkey>> <div id="char-sheet-about-div"> <<include _charkey>> </div> </div> <</txtpopup>> <<else>> <div id="char-sheet"> <<charstat _charkey>> <div id="char-sheet-about-div"> <<include _charkey>> </div> </div> <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "charstat">> <<silently>> <<set _char = $CharList[_args[0]] >> <<set _f = setup.f >> <<set _charname = _f.getName(_char) >> <<set _statnames = setup.defaultStats >> <<set _skilln = _char.skill >> <<set _skilld = setup.skillList.find(x => x.name == _char.skill).desc >> <</silently>> <div class="stat-profile"> <span class="stat-profile-name">_charname</span> <<container "SKILL">> <h1 class="skill-name">_skilln</h1> <span class="skill-description">_skilld</span> <</container>> <<container "STATS" "stat">> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _statnames.length; _i++>> <<set _st = _statnames[_i] >> <<set _stgrade = _f.getStatHighLow(_char,_st[0].toLowerCase()) >> <<set _ststat = _f.getStat(_char,_st[0].toLowerCase()) >> <div class="stat-list-div">  <span @class="'stat-name ' +_st">_st</span> <span class="stat-num">_ststat</span> </div> <</for>> <</container>> </div> <</widget>> <</nobr>> <<nobr>> <<widget "systemtxt" container>> <<set _classes = _args[0] ? "textSystem " + _args[0] : "textSystem" >> <span @class="_classes"> <span class="textSystemHeader"></span><span class="textSystemContent"> _contents</span> </span><</widget>> <</nobr>> <<nobr>> <<widget "quest">> <<silently>> <<set _q = $QuestList[_args[0]] >> <<set _sql = _q.reqs >> <<set _classes = $QuestList.finished(_q) ? "quest complete" : "quest" >> <</silently>> <<nobr>> <<container _q.type _classes>> <div class="quest-subquest-div"> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _sql.length; _i++>> <div class="quest-subquest"> <span class="quest-subquest-text"> _sql[_i][0] </span> <span class="quest-subquest-comp"><<if typeof _sql[_i][1] == "boolean">><<if _sql[_i][1] == false>>Incomplete<</if>><<if _sql[_i][1] == true>>Complete<</if>><<elseif typeof _sql[_i][1] == "number">>_sql[_i][1]/_sql[_i][2]<<else>>ERR<</if>></span> </div> <</for>> </div> <div class="quest-success"> _q.success </div> <div class="quest-fail"> _q.fail </div> <</container>> <</nobr>> <</widget>> <<widget 'questlist'>> <<silently>> <<set _qs = $QuestList.sort()>> <<set _qsl = _qs[_args[0]] >> <<run console.log("?",_qsl) >> <</silently>> <<if _qsl>> <h2> _args[0] </h2> <div id="quest-div"> <<nobr>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _qsl.length; _i++>> <<capture _i>> <<set _q = _qsl[_i]>> <<if _q.accepted>> <<quest _q.id>> <</if>> <</capture>> <</for>> <</nobr>> </div> <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget 'charlist'>> <<set _cl = []>> <<script>> const svars = State.variables; const tvars = State.temporary; let tlist; for (let key in svars.CharList){ tlist.push(key) } tvars.cl = tlist; <</script>> <div class="charlist"> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _cl.length; _i++>> <<capture _i>> <<set _c = _cl[_i]>> <<if $mc.tags.include(_c)>> <<charstat _c[0]>> <</if>> <</capture>> <</for>> </div> <</widget>> <<widget 'addtags'>> <<set _ch = typeof _args[0] == "string" ? $CharList[_args[0]] : _args[0] >> <<set _taglist = typeof _args[1] == "string" ? [_args[1]] : _args[1] >> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _taglist.length; _i++>> <<capture _i>> <<set _ca = _taglist[_i] >> <<if !_ch.tags.includes(_ca)>> <<run _ch.tags.push(_ca) >> <</if>><</capture>> <</for>> <<refresh 'charlist'>> <</widget>> <</nobr>>

<<button '<span class="material-symbols-outlined">chevron_left</span>'>> <<run Engine.backward()>> <<run setup.pullMenu("hide")>> <</button>> <<button '<span class="material-symbols-outlined">chevron_right</span>' >> <<run Engine.forward()>> <<run setup.pullMenu("hide")>> <</button>> <h1> <<do tag 'menutext'>> $SaveTitle <</do>> </h1> <<button '<span class="material-symbols-outlined">menu</span>'>> <<run setup.pullMenu() >> <</button>> <div id="pulldown-menu" class="hidden"> <<do tag "pulldownmenu">> <<pullmenuList>> <</do>> </div>

<<silently>> <<refresh "pulldownmenu">> <</silently>> I walked back into my room in the apartment. It was smaller than the studio, with a loft bed barely fitting in. My desk I had brought with me looked slightly less dusty. It was a strange experience, which I knew logically, yet I couldn't be more emotional about it. I grabbed the back of the chair and pulled it back, dragging it against the wooden floor. I still didn't feel anything. I sat down on the chair and looked around the area. Everything was familiar. I had the posters of idol groups I liked taped on the wall. If I really went back in time, then, seeing all of this should have filled me with nostalgia. This was a period of time where I would have always wanted to go back to. So, unless I really lost every fiber of my existence, this system really was the reason for my lack of emotion. <i>Now... how do I call this system?</i> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>You can summon the System Menu with multiple methods. You may register a physical movement to open it up. The default method is thinking of the words "WHP System Menu" as you have decided to shorten the phrase "World Happiness Plan" to "WHP."<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> <i>That's it? What a strange system.</i> <i>WHP System Menu</i> As soon as I finished that thought, a slightly transparent blue frame greeted my sight, filling half of my vision. I first saw my name in a window to the left side of it with a group of words next to words. To the right side was a list of words were shown as options. <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>User $name has opened up the System Menu for the first time. Initiating tutorial.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>The menu shows two screens. The left side shows your Personal Stat. Per your role in the WHP, you currently see your stats relating to your main goals.<</systemtxt>> <</nobr>> <<charstat 'mc'>> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>The 6 Stats can be described as such: <br> 1. Vocal <br> The overall ability to sing <br> 2. Dance <br> The overall ability to dance <br> 3. Rap <br> The overall ability to dance and write lyrics <br> 4. Expression <br> The ability to express emotions clearly <br> 5. Beauty <br> The physical attraction of the person according to the current beauty standard of the world (on average) <br> 6. Charm <br> The ability to catch the attention of people and affect people <br> <br> There are sub-stats that dictate the stat's average number. At your current level, you may see the quantified number of the lowest and highest stat additionally. <</systemtxt>><</nobr>> <i>Hm, how is my Dance Stat average lower than my lowest stat? And what am I comparing myself to? Is 50 passing for an idol?</i> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>Expression affects <</systemtxt>><</nobr>> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>The right side shows a list of sub menus, with special actions you can run. The most important menu for you is the "Training" sub menu. You may spend World Happiness Coins, gained from increasing the World Happiness Percentage, to activate the Training Mode. You will be able to train a certain stat independently and you are given tools formed from your memory. The effects of training a stat can be increased by virtualizing a Mentor, who can be defined as anyone who has a greater stat than you in training. The level of perfect virtualization depends on how well you understand the Mentor. <</systemtxt>><</nobr>> <<nobr>><<systemtxt>>Your ability unlocks a specific sub menu called "Upgrade." You are able to increase the Skill Potency of anyone who has a Stat Menu with World Happiness Coins. The cost will depend on the Complexity of the Skill and the natural inclination of the Skill user to increase their Skill Potency. <</systemtxt>><</nobr>> I thought more about this. Then, without hesitation, I got off the chair and went to my closet. I wanted to see this in System in action. [[Continue|Prologue P7]]

<<silently>> <<run setup.changeSaveName("Chapter 1") >> <</silently>> <h1>$SaveTitle</h1> <Seoul, South Korea> "Hm... find the Special Trainee by the self-submitted facts? There is also a Red Herring who will be pretending to be the Special Trainee. 30 minutes to guess correctly. If the Special Trainee is not found out, they get fried chicken. If the Red Herring it chosen, they get fried chicken. Otherwise, those who guess correctly share fried chicken. You may not mention your company affiliation." A girl with a notable appearance, with rather defined features that made her look biracial, read the whiteboard that was in front of the cameraman and crew behind the cameras. She then looked at everyone, five other girls in the practice room. "Hm, so, then, we should match the people to the facts and introduce ourselves first." A girl with a ponytail spoke up. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, we only have 30 minutes!" Another girl spoke up, almost about to stutter half-way, but managed to avoid it. I, and the rest of the girls in the practice room, looked down at the floor. There were large strips of paper that, once we turned over, had words written on them. I quickly spotted the one I wrote. I frowned slightly as I read it again, realizing that the show changed what I wrote slightly. The ponytail girl picked up a piece of paper and started to read off it. "'I won my regional singing contest in high school.' Who is this?" The girl who almost stuttered raised her hand awkwardlty. "That's me. Um, I'm Kwon Areum. I'm, well, a vocalist. Before I became a trainee, I won first place in a singing contest in Busan." "Wow... that's really cool!" The girl with the notable appearance clapped excitedly. "Hm... the Special Trainee is supposed to be a technical pro in some field, and though regional is really impressive, there might be other facts here to consider." The ponytail girl mused over, her words not particularly nice, but also not inherently mean. But, I could tell that it could definitely be misconstrued. Kwon Areum stiffened up before nodding. "Y-yeah, I got scouted from my company because of it. There's probably someone cooler here." The girl with a notable appearance flicked her finger at her lightly and smiled. "Hey, don't say that. We're all cool for being here, there's only 30 of us, and we were picked out of hundreds of applicants." Kwon Areum smiled back, bashfully, seemingly happy at the comforting words. The ponytail girl, seemingly ignoring the moment, flipped over another piece of paper. "I switched from rap to singing when I was told I was more talented in singing." In the corner of my eye, I noticed someone flinching. She was most likely the person who the paper was referring to. She had dyed blond hair that went down to her shoulders. Look-wise, she did seem more like a rap trainee, wearing streetwear dancing clothes and a full face of makeup that was carefully applied to look stronger. However, her face showed off her nervousness and shy attitude. "It's me..." The girl raised her hand and smiled shyly. "I'm Kim Miyeon. As you can tell, my position is vocalist." "So that means you can do both! Wow, that's really cool, I'm not that good at rapping!" The same bubbly girl quickly complimented her. "Singing and rapping, being so well rounded is very good. If you were training to be a rapper, and switched to a singer, I'm quite certain you must be quite talented." The ponytail girl added, her comment rather sharp. Kim Miyeon simply nodded, seemingly attempting not to show any weird expression, before the ponytail girl picked up another paper. She stared at it for a few seconds before lifting her head up and greeted everyone with a surprisingly warm smile despite her cool tone. "Ah~, this is me. I'm Min Eunha, my position is as a rapper." She placed the paper on the floor near her. "I co-produced a few songs, including 2 songs that got all-kill. One of them was a song for BLUEBIRD." BLUEBIRD was a rather notable girl group. They had mid-sized popularity that kept them in demand, especially in music-related television programs, as judges and panelists. A few of their songs would hit number one, exploding them into the public eye before fizzling. And one of those songs would have been co-produced by a trainee. Everyone clapped, and I was the last to join, though the same few who talked reacted. "Wow... that's awesome! You must have really good musicality!" The friendly girl said with clear admiration. "I'm a really big fan of BLUEBIRD, I listen to all of the songs on their albums!" Kwon Areum exclaimed, excited by the revelation. "Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting someone who worked on their album..." "Haha, thanks, it was really good experience working with top idols." She then picked up another paper, without turning it over. "It would seem with these kinds of credentials, I could be seen as the Special Trainee, but I can also be a Red Herring. I'll leave it up to your judgement. I'll read the next one. 'K-OS's Kim Junyoung praised my dance skills.'" As she lifted her head up to look at the remaining members, including me, her face was then covered by a message from the system. <<quest "mainq" >> <nobr><<systemtxt>>[Create valuable scenes on-camera] Critical time detected. <</systemtxt>></nobr> I quickly pushed away the annoying message. I frowned slightly, as I had not put that in there. I had simply stated a famous idol complimented me. I didn't want to be too obvious or seem like I was using their name to boost mine. I simply shared something to the writers because they were looking for an interesting fact. This game was surprising enough, with simply a prize of fried chicken being meager and unfair. Either one person got the food, or all except two shared some. It was a strange deal, but, it seemed they just wanted some clips from the show to go viral to market the contestant who got praised by Kim Junyoung. I had no reason to not go along with it. But, now it made sense why Eunha had paused before reading hers. It seemed the show decided some of our answers were too safe. I then raised my hand. Everyone turned to me, with surrpise. Kim Junyoung is considered the pinnacle of idol dancers, knwon for his unique groove no one could mimic. He was a full fledged artist, who was known for barely complimenting his own members on dancing. So, a compliment from him was one of the highest praises any idol who is invested in dance could get. I, of course, was very excited in the past when I heard that. <<iftag $mc "extroverted">> <<addtags $mc "C1AF1-2">> "Hello, everyone, it's nice to meet all of you! I'm $name, my position is dance."<<else>><<addtags $mc "C1AF1-1">> "$name. I dance."<</iftag>>  [[C1B<-Continue]] <<addtags $mc `['KwonAreum','KimMiyeon','MinEunha']`>>

<Incheon, South Korea> A young teenager hummed, swiping through her feed of male idols. A few videos autoplayed, snippets of an idol fancam showed. Watching the whole thing, smiling as she sung quietly to the song, once it ended, she could still hear the song. She lowered the volume of her earbuds, and then glanced around. She then saw a crowd forming somewhere, and she suddenly got excited. <i>"It couldn't be REDD, could it?"</i> REDD, a 5 membered boy group that stayed under the shadows as a ballad pop vocal idol group, came out with a hit song in their 7th year of debuting. "See You Dream" was a modern synthpop danceable summer track that trended on TikTok from their point dance. Putting them in the limelight, they transitioned smoothly into a trendy group with chart topping danceable songs. She ran toward the area, fighting through the bustling people, and her lit up eyes lost their light. Instead of the 5 members of REDD, she saw a single woman standing there. She had a black cap and mask, hiding her face, and wore a black bomber and sweatpants. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her figure was slender, and standing in the center, it could seem as if she was rather small and overshadowed by the huge group surrounding her. Yet, she commanded a strong presence. She could immediately tell that the woman was very attractive. Yet, she still grumbled as she was disappointed it was just another busker here. She was beautiful and all, but she couldn't compare to REDD or any other male idol. Female idols just weren't capable of that. So, a small busker doing an impromptu session would not be able to match their flair. A speaker that was next to the busker then started to play music. Bass heavy, the teen jolted in surprise as she recognized the song. It was REDD's newest song, Naturally, as they shifted from pop vocal singing to powerful dancing, showcasing the versatility of the group as one of the members belted a high note as the others danced aggressively to a punk rock beat. Received extremely well, it was currently holding number one on charts. In position, the performer stood with one foot in front of the other and her hands in her pockets. The drums and guitair started to emerge, clear vocals starting the song, as the performer twisted her waist and tapped her foot against the beat, mirroring the choreography the teen knew by heart. ♪ <i>Giving me just one glance you got me swirling</i> ♪ In the crowd, where people were holding their phones recording with smiles on their face, the teen looked no differerent. She had immediately pulled out her phone, wanting to record this performer. With just one movement, she enraptured the crowd. The choreography was hard even for male idols, and she copied the movements with ease. Adding on a certain charismatic touch, even without seeing her face well, just how she moved her body, she made the dance her own. ♪ <i>I follow you so naturally</i> ♪ ♪ <i>Give me another glance, I'll go crazy</i> ♪ After the pre-chorus hit, a deep bass hit and the drums started to speed up. Background vocals whispered throughout the dance break chorus. ♪ <i>Naturally, you pull me in</i> ♪ The performer, switching up from the slick movements that gave her a chic appeal, changed as she leaned her body back and jumped back. ♪ <i>Naturally, I let it happen</i> ♪ Tapping her feet against the floor as she ran her hand down from her neck, she did a smooth body roll. The audience looked on, even pulling away from their phones, and looked at her with a very specific type of gaze. The type that said "I'm looking at only you." [[Continue|Prologue P8]]

<<nobr>> <<do tag "questmenu" element "div">> <<questlist 'Main'>> <</do>> <<do tag "questmenu" element "div">> <<questlist 'Current'>> <</do>> <<do tag "questmenu" element "div">> <<questlist 'Finished'>> <</do>> <</nobr>>

<<filelist>>

I let out a sigh, washing my face and looked up at the mirror. I looked happy, ecstatic even. I just performed for the first time in what felt like years. My heart rate was slowly returning to normal, but I knew that it was still going crazy. I danced for about two hours, something that seemed like nothing when I would regularly spend days on learning new dances. But... I felt alive for the first time in a long time. I knew this is where I wanted to be. To perform. To dance in front of a crowd and hear them cheer. I wanted to perform again. I'll make sure that I will win the survival program. <<iftag "mc" "assertive">>It's a crazy goal, but I wanted to debut and perform in front of larger crowds and reach new people.<<else>>I want to perform in front of people.<</iftag>> <<systemtxt>>[Status Effect] Reduction effect ended.<</systemtxt>> I blinked and looked at my face. A blank expression mirrored back. I took a step back and wiped my hands before leaving the bathroom. The impromptu dance session worked out favorly for me. With my mask, it was able to hide the lack of expression as I chose simpler dances to work with. Due to my high level of dancing, I was able to attract a large crowd. It was then, when the System gave me a message about a [Status Effect] Reduction. I was able to return back to my original personality and expression ability. It was then when I was able to show off my true performances and switched to more famous dance songs. REDD was a group that I had covered often because they were popular and many of my followers would request it. Since I already have very good memorization, it wasn't difficult relearning some of the songs I performed. But, I learned about part of the System works. <<silently>><<run $mc.whpc = 200>> <<set $whpc = $mc.whpc>> <</silently>> <<systemtxt>>WHP Increased by: 0.0002% <br> Current WHC Balance: 200<</systemtxt>> <<systemtxt>>Confirming upgrading $name's skill [$mc.skill to Level 2. Removing 98 WHC from balance. <</systemtxt>> <<silently>><<run $mc.skillLvl += 1>> <<set $whpc = $whpc - 98>> <</silently>> Around a half hour before I finished up with the performance, I looked at how many WHC I had. It gave me $whpc WHC for increasing the WHP by 0.0002%, which although seems extremely minor, was enough to upgrade my skill. Based on how it took 98 WHC, it seems correct that skills can level up passively. Whether or not I was close to leveling up this inherit skill of mine without upgrading, it made a clear difference. I kept my mask on because it would be best to hide my identity since I am going on a show, but I was able to return back to my original personality and had much more control over how I expressed myself physically. This would unfortunately prove useless in small environments where I would be severely disadvantaged compared to other contestants in most circumstances. I would have to be performing in front of a large crowd that would only occur on live stages or perhaps large practice performances where contestants, judges, and staff would see me. Then, a sudden question started to form in my mind. <i>If this skill of mine is supposedly a reflection of my true self, does that mean I performed best when I was in front of a large crowd rather than recording on camera?</i> I'll need to check out old videos. Otherwise, I will be severely unprepared for the recording. [[Continue|C1A]]

<h1>TUTORIAL SCENE</h1> - MC understands her new abilities - Viewing other's stats (those who don't have star potential lack this) - Can see main stats - Seeing sub-stats require upgrading the System by using World Happiness Coins (WHC) gained from increasing the potential World Happiness Levels - Currently able to see max and min stat of stats (but not what correlates to it) - Able to see what each stat correlates to (what each stat means) - Can increase the potency of others' stats by spending WHC; - The complexity of the skill, as well as their natural EXP gain to increase the potency of it, dictates the cost of the upgrade - Being able to train in a virtual environment (boosted effects by virtualizing a mentor) - Mentor: someone with a higher training stat than MC; - Mentor is based on MC's memory of them, so they will be ineffective if MC has never been taught by them - MC tests it out by going busking, dancing to popular K-Pop songs on TikTok (undercover with a mask, hat, etc.) <h1>FIRST TIME MEETING TEAM</h1> - The whole team shows up and is told to guess the Special Trainee based on self-submitted facts each member wrote up. If Special Trainee is not found out, they get a small prize (food), otherwise those who guess correctly get to share the food. - MC: [group]'s [idol_name] complimented my dance skills - Kaede: I won silver at the 20XX Olympics in artistic gymnastics - Miyeon: I switched from rap to singing when I was told I was more talented in singing - Eunha: I co-produced a few idol songs, including those who won music shows (list 2 groups) - Eve: I can do 10 poses in 10 seconds in any style - Areum: I won my regional singing contest in high school - MC will fail to get the main dancer part because she lacks emotion compared to Kaede (during mid-evaluations when she dances in front of a large crowd, her ability activates, and she outshines Kaede, which led to the dance judge saying that MC should switch with Kaede) - MC teaches the group the choreography as she learned it quickly - MC learns more about the stats in practical use environment <h1>MEETING ROOMMATES</h1> With 3 other people: - Park Kaede (dancer teammate) - Shi Wen (blase rapper from a rich family) - Park Sowon (SNS singer) Roommates are randomly assigned, they have bunk beds. Shi Wen is the first to choose, going to the lower bunk automatically without asking. The rest locked eyes, as if wondering how to make this less awkward, and MC chooses to go, taking the top bunk above her. Kaede and Sowon do rock paper scissors, leading to Kaede getting the top bunk and Sowon the bottom. They talk, introducing themselves, although they're a generally quiet crowd. System flashes the requirement of creating memorable scenes, prompting MC to say something (or take something out, I dunno). This scene is mainly used to understand Kaede’s personality. <h1>MID EVALUATIONS</h1> - All groups are shown performing, MC points out to the most standout (debut members, special trainees, etc) - All special trainees wear a different uniform/jersey compared to others (MC finds the idea annoying and hopes it won't come off as too strange for the viewers when they watch it) - Introduction to judges and Emcee - During MC group's performance, her skill activates, and she gets a burst of energy and her personality back, making her realize that she needs to perform more (she gets more WHC, make decision on what to level up) - Judges praise MC's group and then asks why MC did not take Kaede's part and that she seemed more suited toward it. Everyone looked awkwardly at each other before the leader (rapper) intervened and said that they'll make the performance better --- MC can stay quiet or not (publicly or privately reveal her circumstances plainly, saying that she performs differently in front of a crowd) - During practice after the performance, they re-adjust to MC's abilities, believing that she would be able to do a memorable performance and that they will have to trust that is capable of that. Kaede is not particularly upset at the revelation and accepts it saying that changing parts will allow for them to have the best performance and show themselves the best way possible <h1>NIGHTTIME</h1> - Goes to bed and tries the training system to improve her singing, learning from team member who she asked for a lot of help from - Goes to fill her waterfall and go to the practice room to record herself when she bumps into someone (other User) who had an inkling of an idea that she was also a User and asks her subtly before asking to check out her makeup (an excuse) to talk to her more - They chat in the bathroom about everything: how they feel, what they can see, the past future, etc. - Although not particularly friends, they have become allies and start to find each other when they are in the dining hall <h1>NEXT DAY PRACTICE</h1> - General unease as rapper leads the team and the team is not particularly friendly toward each other but not against each other - MC and Kaede talk more about their role switch, learning from each other, and MC finds out that Kaede is better at following than teaching (with words) - Eve and vocal member teaches everyone singing techniques and warmups to relax between practice, leading to a voice crack that spurs an event (quest progress increases) - End of practice, everyone feels rather confident about the performance in 7 days

<<silently>> <<set $QuestList.mainq.reqs[2][1] = 1 >> <</silently>> The group clapped, aware of the group and the weight Kim Junyoung's name. "Wow... I feel honored being in the same room as you!" Kwon Areum clapped, smiling. "Yeah, I'm now in front of a dance master!" The girl that spoke the most cheerfully joked around. "It's very impressive." The only girl to not speak up suddenly added. Everyone turned to her, most subtly, as this was the first time she spoke up for the first time since we entered this practice room for filming. The two last people that would introduce themselves were undoubtedly the visuals of the team. It wasn't as if the rest of us were unappealing, but they were on a completely different level. Anyone who saw all of us could see it. Especially to the cameras. But, it was strange to have two visual members in the team Min Eunha nodded. "That's a very interesting fact. Though, I can see it being both as a normal and special trainee." "Yeah... it's pretty ambigious in that sense." Kim Miyeon nodded her head in agreement. "Of course, really cool!" Min Eunha then took another paper. "I won silver at the 20XX Olympics in artistic gymnastics." All of us glanced at the two who were not introduced yet. The girl who spoke a lot and was very enthusiastic, and the extremely quiet girl who only recently said something. I mused over having the faces of this group go last. And one of them had a very high achievement. Helping write a song and getting praise by someone else was on a different level than winning the highest esteemed international competition in the world. I then glanced over at the quiet girl. I glanced and opened up her stats. <<charstat 'ParkKaede'>> Her dance was slightly on par to mine, which must mean that she would be more likely to be in gymnastics. The only two positions left were vocal and dance, and it would be a large mistake to have a vocalist go into gymnastics first to waste their talents. And, more obviously, the other candidate did not look very embarrassed or excited, which would be quite expected after such a reveal. Just as I thought, she raised her hands, and all eyes turned to her. "...I am Park Kaede, my position is dancer. It's nice to meet make your acquaintances." After her somewhat stiff but polite words, everyone else chimed in. "Of course! It's nice to meet you too!" The friendly one smiled at her brightly. "Winning a medal is really something... I feel honored meeting you!" Kwon Areum praised. As the voices settled down, as Park Kaede smiled and returned words politely, we then looked at the paper before looking up at the last person. She seemed to have done something, since Min Eunha waved her hand slightly, and then she reached over and grabbed the paper in a flash. She was surprisingly nimble considering that she was supposed to be a vocalist. "Ah! So, I am Eve! I'm from Australia and came here to become a idol singer! I can do 10 poses in 10 seconds in any style. Cool, cute, late to school, watching a horror movie, ask away!" I then recognized why they put the two in the same group. She is supposed to be compared to the real star athlete. And it would work. Eve's high charm meant no one would be visible when she performed. Her bubbly movement and tone would be very attractive to fans. "Amazing, you look so great!" "Wow... very impressive." I watched as she easily switched facial expressions and posed. I could somewhat tell that she was good at positioning her body, but they could be performed better if she was more practiced in dancing. This is when appearance and charisma overrided any technical skill. "Hm... so, we introduced each other. We have only 10 minutes left, so why don't we reduce who it could be based on their facts. What seems extraordinary and couldn't be done by most trainees." Her words were rather harsh, and I could see a few of the contestants flinch. Her approach was very calculative, and is the most logical option. The one most likely to be the special trainee would have to be unique. "$name, I would take you out first. We can't share our company affiliations, but it wouldn't be surprising for an idol to give praise to a trainee." I blinked. Part of that sounded true, however, perhaps as a non-trainee, I didn't understand that logic. Perhaps it was easier for trainees to meet their seniors who would praise them. However, this was a senior who wouldn't even praise his own members. I then wondered something about Min Eunha. The Red Herring might just be her. <<iftag $mc "assertive">> <<run $mc.tags.push("C1BF1-2")>>"Hm? Why not? I'm aware he's very picky about compliments. Wouldn't it be easier for a non-trainee to stand out?" I said. She smiled at my words before laughing slightly. "Perhaps. It's quite possible. I heard special trainees could be influencers, athletes, or award winners. We do have quite a few here, so it may be difficult to tell." "...Yeah." Min Eunha said, musing over my words and quickly pushed it aside while taking Kwon Areun's. <<else>> <<run $mc.tags.push("C1BF1-1")>>"Yeah... that makes sense, but what about putting it in the middle. It's Kim Junyoung sunbae we're talking about." Eve spoke up. "...Yeah." Min Eunha said, musing over hwe words and quickly pushed it aside while taking Kwon Areun's. <</iftag>> "This is pretty normal. It's of course impressive to win put of a large group of people, but I don't see it as extremely special. That is why Kaede seems to be one of the top contenders for being the special trainee." I took it as a very obvious fact. It would make most sense to paint her as the special trainee, when in fact it was her. And, it was most likely she was the Red Herring, story-wise. Which, meant that Min Eunha was most likely not it once I thought more on the matter. She, however, seemed to be competitive and perceptive. She seemed to know it was me immediately, but most likely wanted to create a specific narrative where it makes the recording interesting. This was a group of three interesting individuals according to the Min Eunha who seemed to exclude herself. Which seemed slightly mysterious. But, for the camera, it was presented differently. There was another competition between me, a dance cover "influencer" and an Olympics winner. It seems the show really favored Kaede. She must be better than someone who can does poses and me, who is just a dancer who did covers others' dances online. "...And so, I think for the most part, there are two possible candidates for the Red Herring. Park Kaede, and $name." Min Eunha finished speaking. <<iftag $mc "assertive">>"What about you? Is there a reason why you're excluding yourself? Isn't creating songs as a trainee quite difficult to do? If you were a songwriter who decided to be on this show, that could also work, right?" "I suppose so. That will make it three people we will have to decide on. We have 3 minutes left, so, let's vote on who we think the Special Trainee is, and maybe the Red Herring." <<else>>"Hm... what about you though? Didn't you write music for top idol groups? That's really impressive. I don't think a normal trainee could do that." Kwon Areum added in, her tone rather uncertain as she continued speaking. "Yeah! Don't tell us... are you the Special Trainee? Or the Red Herring?" Eve spoke up, halfway smiling widely in a teasing manner. "I agree." Kaede spoke up suddenly, again, commanding attention as she spoke, her statue like beauty captivating. "It does seem suspicious you are narrowing down the decisions. It seems you have a special role in this game." Min Eunha simply smiled. "We will have to vote on it. Who we think the Special Trainee is, and the Red Herring."<</iftag>> "$name. Who believes she is a Special Trainee?" <<addtags $mc `["ParkKaede","Eve"]`>> [[Continue|C1C]]

<<silently>> <<set _poi = $changeList.poi>> <<set _team = $changeList.team >> <</silently>> <h1> People of Interest </h1> <<do tag 'charlist'>>  <<nobr>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt _poi.length; _i++>> <<capture _i>> <<run console.log(_poi[_i])>> <<if $mc.tags.includes(_poi[_i])>> <<char setup.f.getName(_poi[_i]) _poi[_i]>> <</if>> <</capture>><</for>>  <</nobr>> <</do>>

<<refresh 'menutext'>>

Perhaps unsurprising, no one raised their hand. At that, I was quite confident Min Eunha planned this, as well as the show who put us together. It would paint quite a picture when they find out the truth. "Red Herring?" At that, two people raised their hand. Areum and Miyeon. I was somewhat surprised since they didn't participate actively and voice out any opinions of their own, except perhaps to add onto another trainee's. Min Eunha nodded her head. "Wow... I didn't expect that. How come?" "Oh, well, I thought about it, and being praised by Kim Junyoung sunbae is a very big deal. It sounded just enough plausible for a trainee." "Yeah, I had a similar line of thinking. I think it's possible for a trainee. And... I think you would act more suspiciously if you were the Red Herring. I'd fight for fried chicken." That seemed to break up the tension in the air and the trainees laughed, and I followed suit, smiling. "Then... Park Kaede, is she a Special Trainee?" Unsurprisingly, there were four hands that shot up. Eve, Areum, Eunha, and Miyeon. As they noticed each other, they then shot to me. "Why don't you think it's Kaede, $name?" Eve asked curiously. <<iftag $mc "friendly">> <<addtags $mc "C1C-2">> "There's been many cases of former athletes becoming idols. It wouldn't be surprising if it was also the case for Kaede. And... it would be hard to believe an active athlete would be invited to be a special trainee." <<else>> <<addtags $mc "C1C-1">> "Former athletes sometimes go into the entertainment industry. An active athlete wouldn't be here." <</iftag>> "Oh... I guess that's true." Eve nodded her head, taking my words at face value. I glanced at Kaede who has no expression on her face, but was somewhat stiff in posture. It would almost seem like a joke if she were the Red Herring. But, with her awkwardness, it didn't seem to so. "We have only ten seconds left, so, let's go over our answers, and hear the results." Not particularly surprising, but no one changed their answers. As we waited for the crew to count everything, <<iftag $mc "friendly">> I glanced around to the crew's side. We were told to dress for dancing, so it was quite likely this was just a long introduction to an even longer day of practice. It would be most likely with us put together even before meeting the rest of the trainees that we would get our first mission. <<else>><<iftag $mc "assertive">> I engaged the group with casual conversation, asking about themselves and hobbies, making sure not to overstep the boundary set by the task, but still kept the mood to not be cold.<<else>>I joined in the conversation started by Eve who managed to bring everyone in as we politely discussed everything that would yet tell each other our identities to keep the game going on.<</iftag>><</iftag>> "Oh, results!" The crew was rather quiet from the beginning, probably because they were being split across 5 other teams for this and were the bare minimum set of crew for this recording. So, they kept using the board to have us read out. And, before they could say anything to bring our attention to them, Eve spoke up first, seeming to be always aware of her surroundings. "The Special Trainee and the Red Herring won. According to the rules, the two will split the reward." Eve read off the board earnestly, before showing a puffed up face. "Oh, c'mon, I want chicken too!" I glanced at Eunha who didn't look surprised or annoyed at all and then looked over to Kaede whose body language gave away it was clearly her. However, she didn't look happy, and looked rather pensive. "Oh, and revealing the Red Herring..." Eve stopped pouting and quickly read the board. "It's Kaede?" Eve, Miyeon, and Areum looked extremely shocked. Eunha chipped in, feigning some surprise. <<iftag $mc "assertive">>I joined in, laughing about how I'm surprised I got it right.<<else>>I nodded with a still expression on my face.<</iftag>> "Eh... so $name was really correct!" Areum chimed in. "Hm? Then... who is the Special Trainee?" Miyeon asked. Almost on cue, the board changed and Eve read off it immediately. "$name." "Eh?" Areum gasped, surprised at the revelation, her eyes widened. "Wow..." Miyeon let out, a befuddled expression on her face. I glanced at Eunha who was certainly the ringleader of this whole operation and she simply smiled back at me. The rest looked at me awkwardly, not sure how to react. They rightfully assumed that Kaede would be the Special Trainee. So would the audience who would watch this. In this team, it seems as if I was in the worst position. My main competitor is an Olympic winner, and it's obvious who would be shown in better light. A cover dancer could not compare to an Olympian. So, that means I have to prove myself. "I would have never known? Wait, were you even playing the game? You didn't even do any lying, and almost convinced us Kaede wasn't the Red Herring!" Eve babbled. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>"Huh? I was never really seen as an option, and wouldn't it be interesting if something unexpected happened? I mean, I guess it did."<<else>>"I didn't need to do anything to win."<</iftag>> I responded. "Ha...? I guess that's true. This was really crazy, I now want to see the recording of it now I know all of this--ah, more stuff" Eve smiled before then turning to the staff who already had another page with instructions written. "Now you know a little bit about each other, we will start the first mission of the series. The position battles. We'll give you a tablet to watch the video introducing the mission." "Alright. We're now going to get to the fun part." Eunha smiled before lifting herself off the floor to take the tablet from the staff. "Thank you." All of us sat next to Eunha, peering to watch the video that the tablet opened up to. [[Continue|C1D]]

<i> "Welcome trainees to ARISE. I am your host of the show, Seo Mincheol." Filling up the screen was a young, handsome man. Short brown hair pulled back with a few sparse bangs framing his face and defined facial features. He wore a tailored black three piece suit and looked at the camera with a steeled gaze. </i> "Wow... that's really Seo Mincheol sunbae..." "No way, it's Seo Mincheol sunbae! I'm such a big fan!" "Ooh, I wonder what's going to happen!" It was quite surprising they had Seo Mincheol here. Often times it was actors unrelated to the field. Maybe they would have a judge be an idol. But, an idol as an MC, that was unusual. It made it seem that this show was more high budget than I expected. He rose to prominence as he transitioned into a soloist after his group's disbandment in which all except one went into different areas and exceeded in them. He is known for his all-roundness, his main strength being dancing. However, he has a good foundation for singing though. He is very bright and sociable, with the ability to remember most of his fans. I knew of their music only after their members became famous and people started to look back at their career that didn't take off. So, it would be a treat for those fans to see him looking serious and presenting with the voice of an actor. <i> "By now, you have already introduced yourself to your teammates for Mission 1: The Potential Test. All 30 trainees are split up into teams of 6 to form 5 teams by production. 6 of the trainees are Special Trainees who have not trained as a normal idol trainee. You have figured out who the Special Trainee, or Trainees, are in your team. They have been selected by the production team for their skills in their respective roles. As you may have already seen, the teams were based on their roles so each team has 2 vocalists, dancers, and rappers. "For your first mission, you will be performing a cover of a song. In 2 weeks, you will perform in front of the coaches, and will be officially ranked by your performance. The top 6 trainees gain extra points to count for their ranking score. Our ranking system will be unique in the sense that we have a different top rankings split by your roles. So, it will be the top two in each ranking, that is, the top two vocalists, dancers, and rappers, will gain extra points. "And, to reveal your team's song..." Seo Mincheol faded from the screen, showing a blank white screen with some logos of the show, and a question market in the center that floated. </i> "Wow... I wonder what it is?" "I hope for something really fun!" "What if it's a boy group?" <i> The question mark burst into confetti and a text appeared. "Your team will be performing DEJAVIEW's Heartbreak Hotel." </i> "...Heartbreak Hotel?" Kaede muttered under her breath the same time as Seo Mincheol. "Ahh! I love DEJAVIEW!" Eve shouted with excitement, clapping her hands. "Wow, this will certainly be interesting." Eunha smiled. <i>"DEJAVIEW is an up-and-coming girl group known for their dancing that has gone viral many times because of their performances in the rain that they used as an opportunity to improve their performance. Heartbreak Hotel is their title track for their second mini-album, Traveler. A dark and haunting slow-to-fast melody track with dark drum kicks and piano and violin that highlights its intricate dance with dreamy vocals and angsty rap. "Team Heartbreak Hotel, good luck, and I am excited to see your performance in 2 weeks."</i> "Wow!" Eve squealed, tapping her heels against the floor. "This really is real." Miyeon muttered, lowering her head. "Let's now see the choreography. They're a 7 membered group, so it will be different. $name, Kaede, pay attention. We'll be relying on you for the dancing." I nodded my head and straightened my back as she tapped the next video and showed the video. [[Continue|C1E]]

<i> 6 female dancers wearing black outfits had a jersey over them with text that showed their position. Four members crouched in front of two members who were standing back-to-back, their profiles facing the camera. The soft sound of a piano started off, setting the scene for a slow, orchestral tone. The member to the right raised their hand as if grasping something from above. ♪ I thought I found the stars in the sky with you ♪ ♪ But it was just an illusion I fell into ♪ The four members crouched on the floor reach out to the member singing, as if trying to pull her back, and she responds as she walked back slowly in time with each pull. The member behind her, follows as well, turning around and wrapped their arm loosely around her neck and pulled her back in time to switch places. She then starts to sing. ♪ I was swept into your pace, promised the sun, moon, stars ♪ ♪ Why do I believe you every time? ♪ </i> "Wow... this is what we're going to do." Miyeon muttered under her breath. I watched the video, looking at the non-dancer parts. They were not required to do too difficult of moves, but, it might be difficult to additional maintain a clear, emotional tone. The song was a pop ballad that the group, DEJAVIEW poured their emotions into. It was obvious from the way they sung, even as it was being mixed, I could hear the emotions, while their dance performance was completely serious and in character. <i> The members pair up and dance softly in a ballet-esque style, stepping in a unique pattern on the balls of their feet and placed their hands an inch away from each other like they were mirroring each other. ♪ I'm checked into Heartbreak Hotel with you ♪ ♪ I come here like a clockwork toy on the same track ♪ The chorus slowed down, pulling into a soft piano and rhythmic bass sound. The members formed an asymmetrical V-shape formation and tapped their feet softly left and right while their hands intricately. ♪ We fall in love, fight, break up ♪ ♪ Love, fight, break ♪ </i> "Ah, now the killing part's coming up soon, I wonder what we'll be doing!" Eve gasped, slapping her hands against her pants. <i> All but one dancer walked off the stage, leaving the solo to them. A sudden prop appears, a thin strip of string, that the dancer loosely wraps over their neck. ♪ Our love became a guilty pleasure I can't escape ♪ They then claw at the string, lifting their head up and rolling it languidly, before falling to the floor, rolling over on their back, their face turned to the camera. Their hands wrapped around their body, the string floating midair, as they kicked their legs back to the beat. ♪ If you can't love me anymore, leave me because you know I can't ♪ They then languidly lifted their body up, sitting on their knees at a slight angle, and tugged at the string at each phrase while their expression and the way they moved their head changed. ♪ Leave me, love me, leave me, leave me ♪ The song went silent as the dancer was frozen in place, the string thrown in the air and slowly fell between their legs. Their head was turned to the side, facing down, eyes closed. </i> "Ahh, wow, that's so cool! They added a solo dance part!" Eve excitedly squealed. "It added so much cool story to the dance!" I focused carefully on the performance, making sure I understood all of the angles, the story, and nuances of the whole thing. I had to aim for this position after all. "Ah, and the rap part!" Areum brightened up. <i> The dancer in charge of the part staggered down on their knees as the members encircled them, pulling them up by the arms. ♪ I told you to I want a break, why are you still saying you'll stay, isn't this what you want ♪ ♪ If you are going to love me, do it properly ♪ As the members moved inward, covering the member who just rapped, they then were replaced by the second rap member who stood in their place, as the other members stood behind them, moving their hands to mimic clock hands moving. ♪ I don't need diamond rings, just your heart you keep away ♪ ♪ Why do we stay like this in an endless loop we know is hurting us ♪ </i> "Hm... this will be an interesting performance." Eunha commented. <i> The members, centered again in the asymmetric V-shaped formation, pulled their hands in the same intricate hand motion, switching at each word. ♪ Love, fight, break ♪ ♪ Love, fight, break ♪ </i> [[Continue|C1F]]

“Wow… this looks so interesting, and I love the song, it’ll be super fun to learn this!” Eve commented as the video ended. “It seems like it’ll be a bit challenging, but, I’m up for it!” Areum added. “I have a lot of faith that we can do this. It’ll be the best performance to show what we got.” Eunha said, capturing the attention of everyone who seemed to have quickly looked up to her as the default leader, her words inspiring confidence. “Yeah, I really like the choreo.” Kaede nodded her head. “What do you think, $name?” Eunha turned and looked at me. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“It’s a very fun choreo, with practice, we can learn everything about it!”<<else>>“It’s cool. It’ll take a while to get everything.”<</iftag>> “That’s good. Then, shall we decide the parts? Since our roles are practically confirmed, we only have to split it between our other counterpart. So, we should get to show our abilities to each other now, and see who fits each section best.” Eunha said, capturing everyone who turned tense at her words despite her casual way of bringing up the heavy topic. We were handed lyrics sheets that marked the sections by role and Eunha held a pen to write on hers to work the parts. This part would most likely be one of the hardest for the contestants. On the first recording of the first episode, we would have to be compared to another member who has the same role as us. So, it wasn’t surprising that Miyeon quickly conceded the heavy rap part to Eunha. “Ah, this part… it looked like it fits you much better, Eunha. This more melodic rap is more my style.” Miyeon softly spoke up. Eunha didn’t argue and took the role. Eve and Areum had a friendly singing match that had a cute vibe as Eve was clearly just having fun as she sang, swinging her shoulders around, relaxing Areum to follow suit and have fun. Though, Eve won the main vocalist section. It mainly had to do with how much Eve could express her emotions. Areum’s technical skills would not benefit in this song. Then, it came to Kaede and I. The song had many important moments that clearly showed all of us properly, however, there was the intro and killing part that was done by the main dancer. Kaede had a higher dance stat currently than me, with just partly have to do with my stat reduction, so I knew I would lose. However, I still needed to make an impact. As Kaede’s on-screen rival and a Special Trainee, I was required to prove my existence among these idol trainees. [[Continue|C1G]]

<<iftag $mc "assertive">> <<silently>> <<addtags $mc "C1G-A2">><</silently>> “I’ll go first.” I raised my hand. <<include "C1G MC">> At the end of the dance, they clapped politely, as if unsure of what they were clapping for. With that, I understood that I was not able to execute what I aimed to do. "Wow... that was interesting!" Areum nodded her head with a smile. "You're so good at dancing!" Eve then said. "It looked great." Eunha said to me, a strange look on her face as she looked at me, before turning to Kaede. "Kaede, it's now your turn." <<include "C1G Kaede">> <<else>> <<silently>> <<addtags $mc "C1G-A1">><</silently>> “…I’ll go.” Kaede spoke up after a few seconds of silence between us. <<include "C1G Kaede">> At the end of the dance, we all clapped, the others with more fervor. "Wow, that was so good!" Areum spoke with slight adoration. "You looked so beautiful, like you didn't break a sweat!" Eve praised her. "Very impressive." Eunha complimented before turning to me. "$name, it's now your turn." <<include "C1G MC">> <</iftag>> “Wow, both of you did so well!” Eve clapped actively. <<iftag $mc "friendly">><<silently>> <<addtags $mc "C1G-B2">><</silently>>“Thank you for the compliment.”<<else>><<silently>><<addtags $mc "C1G-B1">><</silently>>I nodded my head slightly.<</iftag>> “Both of you were very good. I liked how both of you interpreted the song.” Eunha smiled. “I enjoyed $name’s performance, I could see the vision, however, I am not confident right now that it can be improved so drastically. Kaede followed the choreo with a high degree of elegance.” <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I laughed slightly. “I guess I couldn’t do it correctly this time. It makes sense.”<<else>>I nodded my head. “I understand.”<</iftag>> “You were very good, like, the movements, they looked really big and stuff, but, I think it might require a lot of practice to master it to express it clearly, and we don’t have too much time to do that.” Areum smiled slightly, trying to explain it better, but halfway realized the words were getting worse and worse and slowly mumbled the rest. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I chuckled slightly. “Don’t worry about it, I tried and failed. The song is even distributed, we’ll all be able to shine no matter what.”<<else>>“It’s fine.” I said casually.<</iftag>> I wasn’t upset at all, it would be impossible with this status effect. I tried something when I can barely express myself correctly. I’ll just need to prove myself on stage. “Alright, so, we have the parts set, let’s start with some singing before focusing on the dance. Areum, Eve, are either of you good at teaching others?” Eunha asked. “Oh, well, I taught a bit to juniors at my company.” Areum stuttered. “I haven’t, but I’ll try my best!” Eve smiled. “Then, Areum will focus on leading, and then Eve can jump in to help us individually.” For an hour or so, we practiced the song, listening to the song occasionally for tuning and timing. We generally had an easy time getting through the songs, with maybe me and Kaede slipping up the most of reaching certain notes on time because of our lacking vocals. I could tell Eunha was rather disappointed that Kaede took the killing part of the song since her perfect memorization of the dance was not inspiring for her. Between an elegant ballet like show of emotion versus a cracked vulnerability I attempted to emulate, this song would do best with my interpretation if I had the skill to handle it. However, Eunha knew a good performance would be better than a disappointing one. “Wow! We’re doing so good! We deserve a break… right?” Eve smiled with big eyes at Eunha, who smiled back and laughed. “Alright, yes, we did a lot, so, let’s just take a break for 15 minutes. Water, bathroom, lying down, it’s dance afterwards.” After that, I called out to Eunha who had the tablet near her. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Eunha, can I borrow the tablet? I want to study the dance more.”<<else>>“Hey, can you pass the tablet?”<</iftag>> Eunha looked up, originally glancing at the paper she wrote notes on, and smiled. “Sure.” She gave the tablet to me, <<iftag $mc "friendly">>and I thanked her<</iftag>> before I started to watch the dance practice at a low volume. I stared at the 6 dancers, studying their individual moves and how they connected to each other. “Are you going to teach us?” Eunha asked while I scrubbed through the video, frame by frame. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Yup. I have experience teaching people, and it’ll help me learn the nuances better.”<<else>>I nodded my head.<</iftag>> “Then I’ll leave you to it. I’m certain you’ll do well.” At the strange praise, I looked at Eunha who had already got off the floor and walked outside the practice room. I looked back down to continue watching the video, but I saw a shadow hover over me, and I turned my head again and saw Kaede staring at me. “Can I watch too?” She asked. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Of course!” I responded, scooching over and moving the tablet so we could both see it.<<else>>I nodded my head before moving the tablet so we could both see it.<</iftag>> She sat down next to me and leaned over slightly to better see the video. It was rather silent, though perhaps a comforting one, as we simply watched the dance practice for the whole 15 minute break, which Eunha had aptly timed using the tablet, which made a sudden sound, startling Kaede. “Alright, time to do our dancing. $name is taking the role of dance teacher, so let’s pay attention well.” My memorization skills shone best in situations like these. Whether it was back in high school when I needed to teach club members the routine to a dance for a festival, or recently when I busked in the street, it didn’t take me long to understand a dance. And, my teaching skills were honed while I taught junior high and high schoolers for more than a year. If the system wanted a memorable moment, then, this is where cameras would be placed on me. Especially with Kaede taking over the killing part. [[Continue|C1H]]

Kaede then stood up and got into position, waiting for Eunha’s countdown before the music played. I watched her intently, to see who I would be performing with. I watched as she started. I knew the dance already, so I could tell that she knew it well too. In fact, all of her movements were exactly the same as they were seen in the video. However, it was lacking something. Most likely since she was copying it exactly, even making it look effortlessly, it felt more like a routine rather than a performance. And, I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

I stood up from the floor, remembering the killing part in my head after watching it again. Eunha counted down before playing the music, and I started to focus as the bass started to scratch, becoming static and cutting off, while the vocalists changed their tone and sung airily in a ghost-like manner. At this moment, I would be a solo performer who would enrapture a crowd as the others danced in unison to another move. As I pushed my body, forcing it to move to the beat according to the choreography, I could feel a wall between what I was thinking I wanted to do, and what I was actually doing. Heat fell along my cheeks and chest as I felt my muscles tense up. To the last note, I knew that I messed up.

After quite a few hours of dance practice, where we recorded and watched, or I and Kaede took turns standing aside to check the movements as they performed, we made pretty good strides. Unsurprisingly, the vocal members, Eve and Areum were struggling a bit more overall, with the rap members lacked punch. Kaede was perfect at dancing, however, I still had my doubts as she performed the killing part. It seemed that she was aware of it as she tried everytime to make it different, unconsciously copying the movements I tried and failed at. <hr> A few days later, I was boarded on a bus with all of the other trainees. I <<iftag $mc "friendly">>sat down next to someone quickly, not giving it much thought, introducing myself to them and struck a conversation. "Oh, it's nice to meet you. I'm Yuan Li. I'm a vocalist." The girl politely spoke. "I apologize if I can't hold a conversation too well, I'm still learning Korean." At her name, I quickly recognized her. It didn't take much considering her strong facial features that erred on the masculine side, though still held the feminine features, that made her, quite objectively, a handsome woman, and her Chinese name. I was slightly surprised with the cast of people that were on this show. Out of hundreds of applicants, they took a cover dancer who showed no skill in singing, and a Chinese girl who went viral for performing as a male butler from a popular webtoon series at their cultural fair festival. However, she took a step forward compared to me. "...$name, right? I think I remember seeing a video of you dancing to K-OS and they reacted to it." "Yes, that was me! Didn't think anyone would really recognize me." "There's no way, Kim Junyoung sunbaenim called you a great dancer." She waved her hands, as if denying my words. I smiled. "I can't compare to you. You performed Sugar Crush by YWS dressed as a character from Sir Butler. You sang and dance, and you went viral in Korea, where I recall YWS mentioning it once." "Eh? They did? I'm embarrassed now..." She covered her face with her hands. "I thought no one would know about it, it was a few years ago... I sang terribly and I can dance so much better..." I laughed. "It was great, don't worry. Maybe we can see another repeat soon?" <<addtags $mc "YuanLi">> <<else>>took an empty seat by the window and an energetic person introduced themselves to me. Rust orange colored hair, a rather cute face with large features, and a smile that seemed to never go away. "So, you're $name, right? I'm a Special Trainee, too. I am Park Sowon. You might know of me since we do different things, but I do a lot of cover songs. I watched a few of your videos before your viral moment. I guess after that, it only makes sense to pursue the path of an idol, right?" --> continue conversation <-- <<addtags $mc "ParkSowon">><</iftag>> <hr> Unlike what I expected, we waited on the lobby of the building. We were moved from the basement practice rooms to countryside training retreats. The building itself looked nice from the outside, like a medium-sized inn, but, it started to look less so when we entered. Perhaps it was due to all of the cameras perched everywhere and the decor they added for the show. There were banners on the wall with the ARISE logo of a crown with six points and a jewel the shape of a star in the center. Thick poster boards were propped up by what looked like art easels, showing the directions of everything, including the cafeteria, training rooms, and dorm rooms. We waited on line as we received a jersey uniform and received an identification, most likely to make it easier for voting purposes. Quite a few people stopped by to talk to each other as a few recognized each other, <<iftag $mc "friendly">>and I talked to a few, while I<<else>>while I<</iftag>> waited. Once we were done, one of staff members called us in groups of 3, most likely to avoid overcrowding the halls, so we walked together down to the room. This would most likely just be a snippet of the episodes, or as extra content later on, so I <<iftag $mc "friendly">>made some conversation<<else>>didn’t say much<</iftag>> on the way there. Perhaps because there were a lot less trainees compared to other survival shows, but we had quite a decent sized room. We each had a loft bed, all on different sides of the wall, with desks and lockers underneath. Although no one could stand on the bed, a tall person could still sit comfortably on it. And there was quite a bit of gaps in between the beds, so no one would bump into each other if they all got off at the same time. A table was near the window with a few cushions, possibly for us to talk to each other. To the right of the entrance, where there was a slight walkway to get through, was a bathroom that could comfortably fit two people to wash up in, and a sliding closet with a full-length glass mirror. I thought that it was quite fancy, however, seeing there was nothing there, I did recognize that it was still not a hotel. But, most surprising was the fact that I had two roommates that seemed they may be troublesome to deal with. Perhaps luck of the draw, but I shared a room with Park Kaede, who was very quiet, and then a rap member, Shi Wen, who was rather low-key and said very little, but every one of her motions were impactful. <hr> “Then, I’ll take this one.” Shi Wen flung her bag onto the desk of the bed farthest from the bathroom with a thud. She then turned around and leaned against the chair, looking at us. I looked at her again. Jet black hair, extremely silky and well maintained, with a sharp, pointed face and cat-like facial features, her appearance looked like it only touched the most expensive of products. It did not help that the casual clothes she was wearing hinted rather heavily to being designer, and her bag had a logo for an expensive brand. It seemed that there were a lot more visual members than I expected to be on the show. I glanced at Kaede who simply looked back. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I didn’t want to make the air more awkward so I spoke up first. “Do you have a preference for a bed? I’m good anywhere.” “Oh, not really.” “Then… since we don’t really care, I’ll take the left.” <<else>>I glanced back and forth between the bed and her, and then she spoke up. “Do… you want the right or left bed? I’m fine with either.” “I’ll… take the right.”<</iftag>> “So… you two are on the same team.” Shi Wen started to speak, her tone rather lazy, elongating her words. “Dancers too, huh? Pretty cool coincidence.” “Um, yeah.” Kaede said first<<iftag $mc "friendly">>, beating me to the punch<</iftag>>. "Well, it'll be fun rooming with you both. An Olympic gymnast and a raved dancer." I was slightly surprised at her words. <<iftag $mc "passive">> "You know about us?" Kaede asked, a hint of surprise on her face.<</iftag>> <<iftag $mc `["assertive","friendly"]`>> "Wow I didnt realize I was famous/that recognized." I laughed slightly.<<else>>"Oh." I responded.<</iftag>> Kaede then spoke up. "...You know about us?" Shi Wen laughed. "Of course. I'm a big fan of K-Pop and I like to keep up with the Olympics. I was actually in the audience when I watched you, it's a tradition in my house since we have a few in the family who participate in it." She then turned around, starting to unpack her stuff. "I brought quite a few things, so if you like any of them you can ask to use it. My friends used to borrow my stuff often, so I'm not picky about that.: "I should unpack too." Kaede (or I) say. I then start to take my stuff out. It wasn't that much. Casual clothes, basic makeup set, and a few other things. "Oh, $name, what's that you have there?" Shi Wen then asked. >> Create Valueable Moment Popup << I stared at the screen, frowning internally, before looking over to her. <<cl>> "It's my... <<clchoice "Teddy Bear.\"" "C1H Teddy Bear">> <<clchoice "Sketch Pad.\"" "C1H Sketch Pad">> <<clchoice "Animal Hoodie.\"" "C1H Animal Hoodie">> <<after>> <<include C1I>> <</cl>>

This is a description about Eve.

<<silently>> <<set _pl = $mc.tags.slice(0,3).toString().replaceAll(",",", ")>> <</silently>> A User Variable in the World Happiness Plan. PAST (LIFE) Was previously a struggling college student studying computer science balancing a part-time job as a dance instructor for middle schoolers. Once well-known as a K-Pop cover dancer online before quitting to focus on college <<iftag $mc "Mother's Sickness Known">>because of the debt from her mother's hospitalization fees<</iftag>>. CURRENTLY A K-Pop cover dancer participating in the idol surivival show ARISE as a Special Trainee because of their recent viral dance cover. PERSONALITY <<print _pl[0].toUpperCase() + _pl.substring(1)>> NOTES <<nobr>> <<iftag $mc "Sketch Pad">>- Uses a sketch pad for visualizing choreography movements and positions<</iftag>> <<iftag $mc "Teddy Bear">>- Is unable to sleep without a teddy bear ever since she was young <</iftag>> <<iftag $mc "Camera">>- Is interested in photography and capturing memories <</iftag>> <<iftag $mc "Candy Stash">>- Has a major sweet tooth <</iftag>> <</nobr>>

<<silently>> <</silently>> Previously a Olympian representing South Korea in Artistic Gymnastics, winning Silver. CURRENTLY A K-Pop cover dancer participating in the idol surivival show ARISE as a Special Trainee because of their recent viral dance cover. PERSONALITY Quiet and has little to say, but doesn't seem uncomfortable speaking her mind when it calls for it. Seems to be rather perceptive around her surroundings. NOTES <<nobr>> <<iftag $mc "Kaede Fried Chicken 1">>- Seems to have some kind of eating disorder<</iftag>> <</nobr>>

<<silently>> <<run setup.changeSaveName("Chapter 2") >> <</silently>> <h1>$SaveTitle</h1> "I was the choreographer for this performance. I know exactly how I wanted this routine to be performed. But... this performance... it was unbalanced." I held my breath, staring at the judge who spoke those words, with a suffocating feeling welling in my chest. Talking was So Donhoon, only 29 years old, and he switched from winning awards as a dancer part of an international team to becoming a dance instructor for his own studio and choreography for a living. Hearing praise from him was almost as hard as Kim Junyoung, however, ase much as the words of a very well-respected idol with outstanding dancing skills weighed, it couldn't compare to one who spent their entire life focused on dance. His criticism hit the hardest as it would always cut deep and held no ill intention. He then looked down at most likely our profiles and then spoke up. "$name? I see here that you are a Special Trainee that was praised by Kim Junyoung on your dancing skills. I can see where that came from. Your movement was clean and sharp and you were very keen on expressing everything, and you pulled the attention toward yourself even during parts that weren't yours. "This would not be as much as an issue if you were the main dancer, or if your partners during the pair sections could match your expression. However, they didn't. This may be a competition where it's important to stand out, but your first priority should always be on how to make a cohesive group performance. I assume there was a reason for the position assignments, however, I can only comment on what I can see. That expressiveness is what I wanted, but it must only be contained during the killing part." I nodded my head, <<iftag $mc "assertive">>locking eyes with him,<</iftag>> heeding his words. "...Understood." It was strange. I felt a heat in my cheeks as I was being criticized with a compliment slid in at the end. It almost felt like I could cry as the attention was pulled onto me. Even without seeing my own expression, I could tell that it was different because Eunha, who stood next to me, tapped me gently on the side while Kaede, on the other side, glanced at me, albeit awkwardly. It almost felt weird for them to be caring toward me. (STATUS EFFECT ADDED) "Then I'll leave it to you and your leader. To comment on the rest of the performance, the dancing was above average. There were no large mistakes, the direction, escrpt what I previously mentioned, is sound and the expression is slightly better than average. There seemed to be a few weaker dancers, however most of their weaknesses seemed to be covered well, so I will assume that it will be covered by the final performance. This is a very dynamic song, so there is a lot of moving parts that require correct timing and coordination. If this is the worst of your performance, then I will expect a great performance on the stage." "Well, I should comment on the vocals." The vocal coach, Cha Myungha, commented, smoothly interjecting. Cha Myungha, the vocalist of an old idol group that didn't manage to gain popularity after 7 years. She later switched to being a vocal coach for her company, training JADE, a well-received and vocally talented girl group that is the face of their company, and started to show up on variety shows that required a vocal trainer, becoming a staple on music programs. "For the most part, I heard a near perfect performance. It is not a very technical song where you can show your colors so easily through belting or other power moves, but is very much enhanced by the emotions you show. There were small, minor mistakes, however most of it is breath control, which can be remedies quite easily by finding the space to breathe during the phrases. However, by the way the rappers and dancers are singing, I see there is a capable vocalist teaching you all, so I'm sure they have an ear for it and that they will make this performance extraordinary." Eve and Areum shared a small smile at the compliment. "And for the rappers, both of you are very technically great. And for the more rhythm intensive singing rap, that was great too!” Cirros, the rap coach said. He’s a man in his late forties who was part of a famous rap duo a few decades ago, however, I see him more on TV. He’s known for the more father-like personality that makes people comfortable with him. “You girls can only go above from here. Though, Kim Miyeon, I can tell that there is a bit of a lack of focus in your tone. Confidence is key, and it is noticeable to the audience, the people you are performing for. So, once you lock that in, you’ll be a force to reckon with. Good luck, all of you, I’m excited to see what we’ll see in a few weeks!” We bowed and thanked them before sitting down in chairs, passing by the other teams. We were the first ones to go, so it would be nerve-wracking, however, the members performed as well as they did in practice, with the exception of me. That was the true performance I would have given, however, it was difficult to control compared to being under the status effect since it was no longer my usual state. And, as a cover dancer who was never critiqued for being so expressive, it would prove difficult. “That was Team Heartbreak Hotel.” Seo Mincheol spoke to the camera. “Next is Team Cendrillon sans Prince. They are performing the girl group STATIC’s title track from their fifth mini-album, showing the hard work put into their year long music hiatus into a digestible jazz dance track with musical elements that focus on vocals of different tone ranges and an upbeat dance that requires it to look effortless.” The row in front of us got up and started to walk to the center of the room where set as the stage. After introducing themselves, they got into position and the music started to play. A smooth jazz upbeat sound started to play, and the group started to move energetically. I watched all of the members, analyzing their skills as they performed. They were all good technically, and the producers of the show seemed that they may have decided on a serious concept for this program. Instead of having pre-determined losers and winners, it seemed as if any of the participants could debut. ♪ <i>Cendrillon, she ran away from the ball</i> ♪ ♪ <i>To get away from the prince</i> ♪ ♪ <i>promising her everything</i> ♪ My eyes gravitated to the voice who sung. Their voice was uniquely deep with a jazz tone that was perfect for this song, filled with clear emotion that affected everyone else. She had a simple appearance without any standout appearance, her face rather soft and her features not clearly defined. Yet, with an unassuming appearance, with her voice and stage charisma, she took control over the stage. And, once her part was over, she was pulled to the back, and she became part of the choreography. Her dancing skills were not exceptional, and rather rudimentary, but they were never necessary for a vocalist who stood in the back most of the time when not singing. The judges were muttering among themselves, most likely commenting on her, while I heard murmurs nearby talking about her voice. At the end of the performance, they started to compliment, and unsurprisingly, the vocalist’s name was called. “Lee Mina, you’re a Special Trainee who represented South Korea in an international singing competition when you were in high school. I remember seeing you on TV and you were very skillful. I’m glad to see you here and performing so amazingly! You have a very high control over your voice and you used it well during this song which requires lots of energy and technical prowess.” Cha Myungha, who was rather courteous to us, expressed a separate interest. Lee Mina smiled. “Thank you for the compliment! I’ll do my best to surprise you next time.” “Haha, you better do well on your promise, It’ll be disappointing otherwise.” <<addtags $mc “LeeMina”>> “So, this is a team with two Special Trainees. One specializes in singing, and the other dancing. Special Trainee Lee Yubin, you are a street dancer that has not learned technical foundations required for this song. It does show. However, I’ve heard you are an excellent freestyler. I’m sure you can apply yourself correctly to perform this choreography to how I expected.” The others, although very decent and capable of debuting, seemed to be lacking when compared to Lee Mina. She performed and spoke confidently when needed be. Unless there was scandals to befell her, she would make it to the debut team. That is, if the viewers of the show are as dedicated to making the technically best group. It would have to be said that she did not have a face that the public liked. “Team Million, performing the internationally popular boy group THR33’s 4th album’s title track, a tropic summer upbeat track that features singing and rapping in key feature parts while maintaining high energy dance and a duo dance break.” Seo Mincheol transitioned to the next group. With that, there were a few murmurs as the team got up from their seats. After all, being told to do a major group’s song was a near death wish in K-Pop. They can do it poorly and be hounded by their fans, perform it exactly the same and be compared to and wonder why the performance was necessary, or change it too much and it’s no longer a cover and get hate for it. For a group as big as THR33, who had expanded reach overseas, the required ability for a group of girls, which makes the consequences twice as worse, would need to be beyond debut level for this kind of competition. I felt that I had to take back my previous statement about this being a serious and fair competition. Heartbreak Hotel may have a more technical dancing and Cendrillon sans Prince required powerful vocals, but THR33 focused on both and making sure it looked and sounded attractive. It seemed that these people are the ones most likely to be in dangerous waters. As they introduced themselves, I realized I recognized <<iftag $mc "YuanLi">>two. Yuan Li, who I first met on the way to the dorms, and <<else>>one. <</iftag>>Shi Wen, my roommate. I was slightly concerned how the performance would pan out. <<iftag $mc "YuanLi">>It felt that Yuan Li would perform well, however I was still concerned about Shi Wen. She <<else>>Shi Wen<</iftag>>, from our brief encounter of sharing the same room and waiting for her desk light to turn off at night, was someone I didn't analyze to be "idol" material. It felt more like she was doing this for a hobby, which would be an expensive and exhausting side gig, but it was apparently not uncommon for foreigners to be allured to the idea of K-Pop. Thus, I hoped that she was as good as the last team. [[Continue|C2B]]

<<silently>> <<addtags $mc "Teddy Bear">> <</silently>><<iftag $mc "friendly">>teddy bear, isn’t it so cute? It’s been with me since I was a kid, and I can’t sleep without it!”<<else>>teddy bear. It needs to be on the bed.”<</iftag>> >> Camera “Camera! I like taking pictures to capture the moments before I lose them, and sometimes to just take pictures of pretty things.” “Camera. To capture moments.” >> Animal hoodie “Animal hoodie, super soft and super cute! I wear it to sleep a lot, or just to hang out in!” “Animal hoodie. It’s insulating.” >> Candy stash “Candy stash! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, and it’s a good pick-me-up after working.” “Candy stash. For energy.”

<<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Sketchbook I like to relax by drawing things. I used it to draw out choreography too, I’m trying to get better at drawing bodies so I can imagine poses!”<<else>>“Sketchbook. I use it for sketching choreo.”<</iftag>>

<<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Camera! I like taking pictures to capture the moments before I lose them, and sometimes to just take pictures of pretty things.”<<else>>“Camera. To capture moments.”<</iftag>>

<<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Animal hoodie, super soft and super cute! I wear it to sleep a lot, or just to hang out in!”<<else>>“Animal hoodie. It’s insulating.”<</iftag>>

<<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Candy stash! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, and it’s a good pick-me-up after working.”<<else>>“Candy stash. For energy.”<</iftag>>

♪ <i>Ey, I'm surfing on these feelings I feel for you." ♪ <i>I don’t want to go under, so let me take you on a ride.” Shi Wen's voice was slightly lowered, yet didn't deviate too much from the rest of the group, while the expression her moves were the same off-stage, with a touch of elegance and faint decadence. In such a fresh concept, it seemed as if she should stand out as an outlier, yet, somehow it melded right in, as if she were that slightly dangerous woman men are told to stay away from. But, I had to say that she was good. However, someone else stood out to me more. “Lee Minsoo, you changed some elements of the choreography.” So Donghoon spoke in a solemn tone, although did not look displeased. “Yes!” A girl with a chic appearance smiled brightly as she answered him. “I enjoyed the original choreography you conceptualized for us, but I thought some minor changes would allow the performance to mesh better with our team with diverse skill sets.” “Hm, well, choreographs are created for a reason because they are supposed to realize a vision. When you change one part, the rest will need to be thought out well, and, it seems that you’ve done well on that point. The integrity of the choreography is still maintained despite the changes, and elevated the members’ abilities. I don’t have any critiques on it.” This marked the second compliment given by So Donghoon. I pondered if it was intentional, or genuine. I have heard times when coaches were given directions by staff, so I wondered what the case was now. His image was as a perfectionist. Though, I suppose the best compliment would be an invitation to join his dance crew, something I remember hearing on a different show by another dancer. “Min Taerin, you had quite a few hiccups on your singing. I don’t know whether or not it’s because you feel stressed, however, this is something that should be worked on. I can tell by the remaining of your parts that you are a talented singer, so, I’d like to see that in full.” “Yes… I’ll do my best.” The girl I now knew as Min Taerin responded softly, difficult to clearly hear from where I sat. This also marked the first scathing comment by Cha Myungha. That would certainly be important fodder for the TV. Although her mistakes didn’t seem to deserve a humiliating callout, I could only assume the judges were told to do so. “Next up is Team Your Antagonist, performing the title track from internationally renowned girl group BLUEFIRE from their 2nd mini album, a simple bass heavy hip hop track that focuses on the musicality and timing, with a simple but charismatic choreo and focus on rap and pleasing vocals in between.” I listened to their performance. It was a lot more hip hop, which became a theme, as none of the songs so far could be compared directly to each other. They were really well thought out songs. Even Millionaire. ♪ <i>I carry these trophies, bags, and gold on my shoulders</i> ♪ ♪ <i>There’s no room for you to pressure me, don’t even try me</i> ♪ ♪ <i>You just see me as your antagonist, ready to blow over</i> ♪ I knew this song as it was popular online for its dance a few years ago, and I joined into the trend. However, I didn’t know these lyrics. I looked at the rapper who spat out the bars quickly, her gaze sturdy and rather charismatic despite her slight frame. In K-Pop, there was no shortage of thin people, and I felt that she fit it. Her appearance erred on the casually attractive side with her hair cut short around her neck and her features clear. “So, I get to see you again, Shin Heeyoung! It’s a shame you left the other audition show for high school rappers, but, I really love now seeing your overflowing confidence as an idol! Nam Wonhee, I’ve seen videos of your rap battles, so seeing it in-person, I can only say that your rap is as fun as ever, and you changed the lyrics as you saw fit, and it fits perfectly!” “Thank you.” The girl, Nam Wonhee, replied somewhat cutely with a bow, eliciting laughter from the judges, and even some around me. “And, for the final performance by Team Seoul Nights, performing the collaboration song between EZRA, the ever popular soloist and up-and-coming rapper Cleo, a bubbly pop song with modern synth and upbeat snares with conversation like singing and rapping between two fighting lovers.” This was an interesting choice for a song. It was a male-female duet song based in meshing singing and rapping, so either the rappers would get the attention or the vocalist, with little room for the dancers. If they followed the original. Which, after seeing many change some details about, I regretted not thinking about that sooner since it would be difficult now to get critiques. ♪ <i>It’s 9 o’clock and you’re still not here.</i> ♪ ♪ <i>I shouldn’t be surprised.</i> ♪ One of the singers, who looked a bit more western, caught my eye. She wasn’t particularly a great dancer, with some awkward steps here and there, but she had a really good tone that worked perfectly for this song, with good expression to pull off the lyrics and dance. She puffed her cheeks slightly as everyone but one member crowded around her, pretending to calm her. ♪ <i>I’m sorry, girl, but I was busy with work, I know I said that one too many times, but it’s true.</i> ♪ ♪ <i>I bought a cake, a ring, and your favorite drink for us tonight, so let’s go to my place.</i> ♪ The lone girl started coming toward the singer, rapping well enough that she could be mistaken as a debuted member of an idol group. It had a slight cute tone, yet, it didn’t subtract from the song. Unlike what I expected, the performance was impressive. The dancers, they did fall back slightly, however, they kept up with the singers as their dance partners in scenes. They had no dance break, so it was importantly for their moves to be perfect during those scenes and the chorus. “Ah, I’ve seen your videos online Luna, I loved the way your rapping style changes according to the songs, and you’ve managed to put on a great performance!” “Yuan Li, your voice really has changed through the years, and you’ve improved greatly on your dancing and stage presence. I’m sure many of us know you from your cover performance, so if we ever see it again, I’ll know we’re in for a treat.” At that, a few laughters could be heard while the judges bantered a bit. <<iftag $mc "YuanLi">>Hearing her voice, I was really impressed. It sounded great, even while dancing. She really trained hard for this. It was impressive.<<else>>After hearing her name, I realized I did recognize her. She was viral for a while a few years ago when she cosplayed at her school festival in China as a character from a popular webtoon and performed a famous boy group’s song, YWS’ Sugar Crush. The main thing that went viral was her looks since she was dressed up as a male butler, and with a naturally chiseled face and makeup, she went around the rounds as the perfect cosplay of the character and she performed a lot of fan service for the cheering crowd. She was put up in discussions and had the boy group in question reacting to it and commenting. Unlike her, I did not use that as a sign for wanting to become an idol. She went to another country and trained before joining this show while I decided to pull away and give up. I… felt faintly jealous of that fact.<</iftag>> “We have now seen the mid-evaluations of all 30 contestants performing 5 different songs. In one week, the judges will then decide the initial rankings of our contestants. They will then choose the best performance of the team and give a special prize to the team, which will be revealed once we reveal the winner. So, continue watching to see how our contestants fare.” Seo Mincheol said. “Cut!” The director yelled out. After that, some members of the crew started to murmur among themselves, and a few makeup artists ran over to Seo Mincheol and the judges. “Alright, contestants, that’s all for this shoot, you can go to the cafeteria for dinner. In an hour or so, we’ll be calling you in for interviews, so plan to be in your practice rooms to make it easier to reach you.” The assistant director then called out. All of us quickly got out of our chairs and formed a line outside of the room to the cafeteria. Since practice was up to us, as lessons are planned after this preliminary ranking challenge, we never all ate at the same time before. The cafeteria was open morning to evening, with decent selection of food, which seemed costly, but, it seemed that it was also feeding the staff since I would see them eating there. We also did not have a reason to talk to each other. We weren’t too sure how much we could ask about performances since we came here separately, which, was quite an odd approach we just made up a rule for, but, now, it seemed perfectly fine to talk. “Wow… all of the other teams were really great. It felt like I was watching a real stage performance.” Areum commented, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Yup, it was all amazing! Us…” Eve started strong before quieting down, and I knew exactly why, before changing her tune. “Too!” “Yes, it was really good.” Eunha smiled, sensing the mood. “Seeing everyone else, it seems that we’re all working hard to become idols. So, I’ll want to make this performance the best it can be so I can look back at it happily. I’m certain we can make that happen.” <<iftag $mc "YuanLi">>”Hi $name!” I heard my name being called and looked behind me, and saw Yuan Li approaching me with a shy smile. “You did well on your performance.” I smiled back. “Thanks! I think you did very well too. The judge even mentioned waiting for a version 2.0 on that performance!” “I can’t possibly do it so soon! I have to do better before I do it again!” “Oh, I forgot to introduce you to everyone.” I turned to my team who, as if on cue, smiled and waved at Yuan Li. “This is Yuan Li, you probably know of her already. Y’know, famous for her cosplay performance of YWS’ Sugar Crush as Janus from the webtoon Sir Butler. We met on the bus to the dorms. It seems you got even better at the fan service, so you’re going to get people falling for you! I’m the first down, Miss Yuan Li!” Yuan Li blushed, and my table laughed at my remarks before quickly introducing themselves. It then ended up with her team coming over and eating with us, and we started to get to know each other better. The vocalist with a bit of a western appearance was Seok Yujin, and she came from Britain before training around two years ago. Luna, who was praised for her rapping skills, was rather quiet and mostly listened attentively, though it did crack occasionally with Eve’s constant chatter, making sure everyone was in a conversation. Even Kaede started to talk, mainly with the other team’s dancers. Choi Suah was a child actor who switched to becoming an idol, and although she didn’t say it, seemed to be the last resort to the entertainment field for her. She was making polite conversation with Kaede, seemingly aware of everyone’s personalities. Kim Miyoung was most similar to Eve, however seemed to be denser than her, and rattled off her favorite snacks she’ll be eating after our first performance.<<else>> <!— MET PARK SOWON —!> “Hey $name!” I heard my name being called excitedly, and I almost flinched at the suddenness, before turning and saw Park Sowon grinning widely as she approached me. “Good job on your performance, it’s really something else seeing you dance in-person versus online.” I then nodded. “Yeah, you were good too.” “Hehe, thanks!” She smiled brightly at me before turning to my team. “Hi, I’m Park Sowon, I’m a Special Trainee and a vocalist. You might not know me by name, but I’ve done a lot of K-Pop song covers online that have viral, it’s nice to meet you all!” “Wow! I’m a fan!” Eve, unsurprisingly, shouted out. “I always look forward to your next videos, I was wondering why you were taking a break, and it was for this!” “Hehe, that’s right! I’m here to perform and meet new people! Would it be a bother if me and my team ate with you guys?” “Hm? Of course not!” Eunha smiled politely. “Yup! We’re all very welcoming!” Eve nodded. “Yeah, no problem here!” Ahreum waved her hands. After getting the green light from us, since I wasn’t particularly bothered by it and saw no need to say no, the group of 12 started to eat together. Sowon and Minsoo led a lot of the conversation, with Eve making sure everyone was involved. Yet, I could tell that there was some discord between the members on their team. It wasn’t obvious at first until Eve started to include the member, Taerin, and nobody on her team interacted with her. I wasn’t surprised with Shi Wen, who didn’t seem interested in other people and was mainly eating, but only Minsoo glanced at Taerin who ate quietly. I couldn’t be sure of any of the reasons, but, it was something I didn’t expect on the first mission when everyone was just starting to get to know each other. If it was mean-spirited bullying, or if Taerin messed up greatly, it wasn’t clear. But, if any of them are to be my future teammates in another competition, it would be good to know who I needed to be wary of.<</iftag>> After eating and talking, everyone seemed to be in a better mood despite the previous tenseness that was performing in front of the judges for the first time. My team decided to go back to the practice room, so we parted ways with the other team, and sat down on the practice floor. And, we needed to have the talk, which seemed to be very uncomfortable for the members, except Eunha. [[Continue|C2C]]

“Ah. How interesting.” Shi Wen laughed slightly. <<iftag $mc "Sketch Pad">>“For… drawing choreography? You make choreographies?” Kaede asked me suddenly, with genuine interest. <<iftag $mc "aloof">>I nodded. “Only recorded it once.” <<else>>I beamed at her. “Yep, though I only uploaded it to SNS once. Since it had good reception, I’ll probably want to do more of it and get inspired here.”<</iftag>> She then nodded her head. “I’ll hope to see it soon.” “Hm? You never saw it before?” Shi Wen asked as she took out and unfolded a silk bathrobe. I stared at Kaede, who then stared at me, before looking at Shi Wen who was tugging on the bathrobe, pulling off a tag. “…No.” Kaede responded, seemingly starting to understand Shi Wen better, and how to respond. “Then, if the owner of the video doesn’t mind, why don’t we watch it? We have some time until dinner and then practice, so why not?” They then looked at me for an answer. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“Sure, I’d like to see it again!”<<else>>“Doesn’t matter.”<</iftag>> <</iftag>>  ADD MORE HERE (DEPENDING ON ANSWER) [[Continue|C2A]]

“$name… during the mid-evaluation performance, you were much different than when practicing.” Eunha said in the midst of the silence, looking at me with a serious expression that seemed slightly probing. “Is there a reason for that?” <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“I didn’t realize it until now, maybe because my past experience was mostly solo performances, but, I get excited on stage too easily. I’ll be working on it to make sure I won’t interrupt the performance again. I’m really sorry about it.” I explained slowly in a solemn manner.<<else>>“…I didn’t realize I act so differently on stage compared to practice. I’m sorry.” I lowered my gaze to the floor. “I’ll be working on it.”<</iftag>> “W-well, it’s a good plus, it’s great to be active on stage!” Eve spoke up, seemingly trying to uplift the mood. “Yeah, I was told I didn’t have enough of that.” Miyeon laughed bitterly. “Let’s exchange parts.” Kaede suddenly spoke up, turning toward me. <<iftag $mc "assertive">>“Really?” I asked in surprise. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“I don’t want to take it if you feel pressured. You’ve been working on this and we just have a week left.”<</iftag>> Kaede looked at me without a hint of jealousy or disdain, and looked more as if she were encouraging me to take it. “I want the part to go the person who fits it the most. That’s you.”<<else>>I didn’t respond immediately, thinking she was going to say more, while I tried to gauge her facial expression that didn’t change, to which Eunha then said something.<</iftag>> “If our only complaint about your dance from before was that it lacked emotion, I will have to trust that you will be able to pull that off on stage. I was going to bring it up soon, but Kaede beat me to it. I mean, though, there isn’t much choice, Coach Donghoon said it, and I’m sure he knows what we need to improve our performance.” <<iftag $mc "aloof">>Eunha spoke up suddenly.<</iftag>> “Then… I’ll take it.” I said after deliberating, glancing at Kaede who looked at me with a serious expression. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>“If we think that’s best for the team.”<</iftag>> She nodded her head slowly before speaking. “I do think this is best. In sports, the most suitable player is picked according to their abilities, regardless of what we may desire. However, we all play an important part on the team and we won’t be as good if we don’t work together. That’s what matters.” While I was somewhat surprised that she managed to say quite a bit, the others seemed filled with emotion, surprised by her rather profound words. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I smiled brightly. “Yeah, you’re right, those are really good words. We need to be a team because we work together to create one awesome performance!”<</iftag>> Eve, who sat next to Kaede, immediately snuggled her, and Kaede smiled slightly as she was tightly held. “Wahhh! Those are such cool words, I think I’m gonna cry now! I’ll do my best to teach everyone singing!” “Yeah, we’ll worked extra hard to make this the best performance ever!” Areum added. “Yes, let’s do it.” Miyeon added with a surprising amount of resolution. “Alright, then, there’s a few other things I would like to ask. The most pressing one is… $name, is there any improvements you can think of for the choreography to best suit our current abilities?” Eunha broke the tender moment with a question aimed at me. “Eh? You can choreograph?” Eve reacted with surprise. <<iftag $mc "Sketch Pad">>Kaede nodded slightly, as if recalling our short conversation the first night at the dorms.<<ekse>>"Really?" Kaede asked with a hint of admiration as she faced me, leaving me feeling surprised.<</iftag>> “Wow… how’d you know?” Areum then asked curiously. I then looked over to Eunha who lightly smiled at us. It was rather glossed over when we first introduced ourselves, perhaps due to our awkwardness and nerves from meeting each other for the first time, especially as I was compared to Kaede, but, it seemed that my team didn’t seem to recognize me. <<iftag $mc "assertive">>It was mildly disappointing that I wasn’t able to reach everyone, especially the superfan of K-Pop, Eve. <</iftag>>However, it could also be said that none of them recognized Park Kaede either, “Hm… I suppose we didn’t touch on it really, but… our Special Trainee over here is an online influencer who posts dance covers, but, her last video was a self-made choreography that went viral. K-OS’ songnamed." "Oh!" Eve suddenly shouted, her eyes widening. "Oh! I feel so dumb now, I recognize you now! I didn't connect the dots until now..." "A-ah, I'm sorry, I was preparing for auditioning for this show." Areum chuckled, greatly embarrassed. "I'm not heavily into social media..." Miyeon admitted. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>"It's really fine. It's not as if I'm very famous or anything. And, if I was, it wouldn't really make a difference. I'm now a trainee like you all." I smiled<<else>>"It's fine." I said<</iftag>><<iftag $mc "assertive">> before looking to Eunha. "So... you knew during our first meeting, huh?" She smiled widely before letting out a light laughter. "Yeah. I thought it would be boring if I pointed at you and revealed it since no one else seemed to recognize you."<<else>>. I glanced at Eunha, getting implict confirmation that she definitely knew what she was doing our first meeting. She looked at me and laughed, making the others look over at her quizzically. "Sorry, it seemed $name figured out what I did." Eunha managed to say between laughter, wiping tears off with her pinky. "I guess there's no way out of it now. I knew who she was before we first met, so I felt it woukd be boring if I pointed at you and revealed it since no one else seemed to recognize you."<</iftag>> I then wondered how well known I really was. Or, how they even grouped us up together. But maybe it was just that, like Areum, real trainees weren't as interested (or allowed on) social media, which felt odd, but I was aware it was an issue when I was younger for trainees. Somehow, it seemed that it was those active on social media, like <<iftag $mc "YuanLi">>Yuan Li<<else>>Park Sowon<</iftag>>, who knew of me. "Wow, you schemer!" Eve gasped with a smile on her face, playfully teasing her. "Eh... shouldn't you go into acting now?" Areum asked rather seriously, eliciting more laughter from Eunha, who seemed to be awfully giggly. "So... how was the chicken?" Eunha barely managed to let out, smiling at me. I glanced at Kaede, who looked at me as well, before responding. <<iftag $mc "aloof">> "Good." I looked around for a split second before reaching for the tablet. "I came up with something."<<else>> "Really good! I ended up stuffing myself! Kaede's not good with spicy food, so I helped out." I then reached out to the tablet. "Oh, I just had an idea!"<</iftag>> Eunha straightened her expression and looked at me. "What is it?" <<iftag $mc "friendly">>"Well, since this is a test to show off all of our capabilities,<<iftag $mc "assertive">> we should do everything to do so<<else>> it might be a good idea to show ourselves more! The killing part's a solo, right? Let's change that."<</iftag>><<else>>"We're supposed to show off our abilities. The other teams changed things.<<iftag $mc "assertive">> I'm changing the killing part to a duet.<<else>> We can change the killing part to a... duet."<</iftag>> <</iftag>> I had the idea in my head as I first watched the video, however I was under the perception we had to follow the choreography fully. After seeing the other performances, I realized it wasn't the case and decided with the feedback from Kim Junyoung, that we should change it. "Hm? Changing the killing part, huh?" Eunha smiled at my words. <<iftag $mc "passive">>"A duet, hm, not bad."<</iftag>> "Wow! That sounds like a difficult thing... but I think you can do it." Eve smiled. "You thought this through, I assume." Kaede asked carefully, her face showing slight confusion and caution. I nodded my head. "Yes. It'll be a duet between you and me." <<iftag $mc "Sketch Pad">> SKETCH PAD SCENE <<else>>"Let me show you." I said before getting up off the floor, motioning toward Kaede. "<<iftag $mc "aloof">>Let's dance.<<else>>Kaede, I'll need your help to demonstrate.<</iftag>>" Kaede got up and stood across from me, though we both were standing in front of the mirror. "<<iftag $mc "friendly">>Alright, l<<else>>L<</iftag>>et's start from the beginning of the killing part. You'll do the original choreography." I counted down and Kaede starts to dance, pretending that the string was there. I then walked behind her as she then continued the dance, falling to the floor. I crouched down to her level, humming the words to the song, while I started to dance with her. I followed her motions well as I hovered over her, craving my neck and back, with my arms motioning toward her as I were controlling her movements. At times, I even pretended to not be able to control her movements before hitting the last part of the dance, as I pretend to fight for control, using the original scene of her dancing with the string, and adding a new layer to it. I then kneeled behind her, mimicking the movement of wrapping the string around her eyes gently as if she fell under my control again. I then got up <<iftag $mc "friendly">>and thanked her<</iftag>> before looking at the rest of the team for a response. Eve then started to clap with a strange, idolizing gaze, before Areum and Miyeon clapped along, with Eunha following suit afterward. "Wow! I think it fits so well. I think I understood what was going on. Um, you were portraying the inner conflict the singer has with staying in this relationship, and, in the end, they resign to their fate of staying in the relationship. W-well, that's my impression anyway." Areum analyzed with a smile on her face before getting self-conscious and started to blush. I nodded. "<<iftag $mc "friendly">>Haha, you got it!<<else>>That's correct.<</iftag>>" Areum smiled, red with embarrassment. Eve said a few words to her, which made her nod awkwardly before she rubbed her face. Eunha then smiled and looked at me. "So, any other changes, miss choreography?" <</iftag>> [[Continue|C2D]]

<<nobr>>  <<widget "txtpopup" container>> <<link `_args[0]`>> <<run Dialog.create(_args[1] ? _args[1] : _args[0], "txt-popup").wiki(_contents).open(); >> <</link>> <</widget>>  <<widget "openmenu">> <<run Dialog.create(_args[0], "txt-popup").wikiPassage(_args[1]).open(); >> <</widget>> <<widget "backhome">> <div id="backhome-div" style="display: flex; gap: 2rem; margin-bottom: 3rem;"> <<button "CLOSE">> <<run Dialog.close()>> <</button>> <<button "MENU">> <<openmenu _args[0] _args[1]>> <</button>> </div> <</widget>>  <<widget "container" container>> <<silently>> <<set _containerClasses = _args[1] ? "container " + _args[1] : "container">> <</silently>> <div @class="_containerClasses"> <span class="container-header"> <<if _args[0]>> _args[0] <</if>> </span> <span class="container-text"> _contents </span> </div> <</widget>> <<widget "passage" container>> <<set _classes = _args[0] ? "passageLink " + _args[0] : "passageLink" >> <span @class="_classes"> _contents</span><</widget>>   <<widget "refresh">> <<redo _args[0] >> <</widget>> <!-- EXAMPLE: <<refresh "thesetags">> <</nobr>>

I was the last one to sleep, so I was quiet as I left the bathroom and found my way to the room with my phone's flashlight at the lowest setting. As I laid down in bed, I checked my stats. <<container "$name's Balance">> $mc.whpc WHP Coins <</container>>  My first stage performance was with a crowd of over 50 people, from the other contestants, judges, and staff. The number was more than my street performance, but was still not much. It seemed to make sense since this was a small world of people who were all in the entertainment business. WHP meant the whole world, not just a few from the billions. $mc.whpc wasn't that much. I could upgrade my skill again to be more effective, upgrade someone else's, or decrease the effects of [State]. However, since it was a dance and vocal based performance, the only other person that would need a skill boost would be Kaede. But, I had to first be concerned about myself first. My dancing skills were acceptable for this stage, however, the vocal coach(name) mentioned better improvement on singing, and I knew it. And, with the changing choreography, I had new parts I needed to train on. Now that I had sufficient WHPC, I could now see what the training system is like. OPEN TRAINING SYSTEM <<systemtxt>>Welcome! You can exchange WHP coins for training time with a simulated model of anyone you know of to train on one of your 3 talent stats. Vocal, Dance, and Rap.<</systemtxt>> I mused over that. I doubted that Beauty could be trained on, but I assumed that Charm and Expression could be trained because it seemed to be skill-based to some extent. <<systemtxt>> AVAILABLE TRAINERS Vocal: Eve (65%), Areum (59%), Coach (8%) Dance: Kaede (43%), Coach (12%) Rap: Eunha (29%), Miyeon (23%), Coach (9%) COST 100 WHP Coins per session (8 hours) <</systemtxt>> I looked at the list. The best educated guess I had about the percentages was the affinity I had toward each person or their ability to teach me effectively. I felt I had a good understanding of Eve and Areum despite us not being particularly close, when compared to Kaede who I live in the same room as but have less of an idea of her personality. Either way, I would need to do this. Rather, I am supposed to do this to raise the WHP level, and I can then reclaim my personality and life. I then picked Eve since she had the highest percentage. My eyes started to feel heavy and I closed them. But, instead of seeing darkness, I stared at the wall of the practice room I was in merely an hour ago. The only difference is that instead of the cameras placed inside, I saw small stickers with the letters "WHP" with a bubbly white outline scattered about. As I turned around, I felt my feet touching the wooden floor and the ball of my foot rubbing against the sole of my sneakers. I looked down at saw I was wearing a blue tank top and black leggings. I grabbed my hands and felt my hair, which was tied up into a ponytail, like I would have done during practice. This was a strange feeling. I was in a strange world that replicated the practice room and put me in workout clothes when I was previously in pajamas on my bed. As I pondered on this, I noticed something happening near me and I turned to face what I noticed to be blue specks. A group of blue specks quickly formed, shaping into the form of a human being and turned into the appearance of Eve. I was slightly surprised at it as I saw a smiling Eve. "Hi! I am a virtual version of Eve! I am going to help you with vocal training. It'll be so much fun!" She clapped her hands and smiled intensely. This really did seem this was more of a reconstruction of what I thought if Eve. It seemed perfect, though, it felt slightly different. "So, according to your memories, we just finished rearranging the parts of the song. And, previously, before that, I was commenting mostly on your breath control. So, let’s work on that! Then, we can try to incorporate it into the new dance! Sounds like a great plan, right? Let’s get started then!” I felt a slight dizziness creeping up on me as I heard Eve’s peppiness taking over, but I ended up nodding my head and letting out a deep sigh. I was decently tired, but, after this, I might be star struck. “And so—” Eunha slowed down her words and looked at me. I lowered my gaze, glancing at my hand that was covering my mouth to politely hide my yawning mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut, relieving myself temporarily from their heaviness, before opening them, and saw Eunha still staring at me. “$name, did you sleep well last night? That’s your fifth yawn, and we’re just talking about today’s schedule.” <<iftag $mc “friendly”>>I laughed slightly. “Sorry, I was excited from last night so I was a bit restless.”<<else>>"It's nothing."<</iftag>> Eunha frowned. "<<iftag $mc "aloof">>It's not <i>nothing</i>. <</iftag>>Try to get balanced sleep. It's not good working on a sporadic sleep schedule. Could you look out for her, Kaede?" Kaede nodded before looking at me. I simply smiled and laughed. Eunha then waved her hand slightly. "Anyway, we're going to work on improving our vocals until lunch and come back for one round of rehearsing through singing the song, then we'll spend the rest before dinner on dance practice. We'll be focusing on working on our weakest skills to make sure we look flawless on stage." "And so, Areum and I will do some teaching. I'll teach you some new warm-ups! Try to follow along!" Eve started to speak in a perky manner. I then felt a slight bitterness. Last night, I spent 6 hours with a virtual version of Eve who had a strange 24/7 perky tone that was always speaking in a kindergarten teacher's voice. Yet, if I waited a day, I would have been able to train more, and not feel awful and exhausted. I now learned that although it seemed like I was sleeping, my mind and body were still being used, albeit at a less rapid rate than awake, for those 6 hours. "Hm, good job $name! Your skill really improved, it’s much better than yesterday! I guess learning those new warm-ups were really helpful to you!” I heard the familiar praise that went on for 6 hours straight and I nodded my head, almost automatically. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>Eve stiffened up, before laughing quietly with an awkward tone, her eyes barely looking toward me. "It seems you're still tired. Um, you did well, so if you want to take a power nap…”<<else>>Eve looked at me cautiously, and the words falling out of her mouth were as well as she spoke softly and elongated her words. “$name… you seem out of it, I think it’ll be a good idea to rest for a bit. You’re doing well, so, um, I think it’s fine if you miss a bit, you’re good at memorizing things!”<</iftag>> She then nervously looked over at Areum who seemed to be staring at me with a similar nervous look, and she then spoke. “Y-yeah! You’re looking really tired, it won’t be good if you’re not in great shape!” Eunha then turned to face me. “And, who else will be showing us the new choreography? We’ll need you in good health for that.” I nodded again, resigning myself to the fate. I was tired, so I wasn’t concerned about getting more sleep because of that, but I knew that people, especially viewers, didn’t see well to those who are missing during practice. I wondered if it was a good idea to use the training system again, but, I did feel more comfortable singing. I lowered my head as I left the practice room, intending to find a place to rest for a few minutes. Within seconds of leaving, I noticed a shadowed figure and I then stopped in my tracks and looked upward. I looked upward and recognized them. “$name, right? Hi, let me formally introduce myself. I’m Min Taerin. Part of Team Million<<iftag $mc “MinTaerin”>>, you might remember me from the cafeteria when our teams ate together since you seemed to know Sowon<</iftag>>.” Unlike what I had initially felt her impression to be, she was quite friendly. <<iftag $mc “MinTaerin”>>It almost seemed to be hard to believe that she was being ostracized.<</iftag>> >> FR “Yes, I remember you, it’s nice to meet you again.” I smiled slightly, my voice not as energetic as I would have been if I wasn’t tired >> ELSE “Nice to meet you.” I nodded. She smiled at me, <<iftag $mc "ParkSowon">>and felt intentions similar to Park Sowon radiating off her, <</iftag>>before walking closer to me. "I saw your performance, it was really amazing. I mean, it felt like your dancing and expression stats were way off the charts! You also seem to have an off-and-on mode, which makes you really interesting. It's like a status effect in video games, of course, I don't mean that with ill will, I think it's impressive to be so different on and off stage. It'll make you a great team player." I looked at her with a serious expression, however, internally, I was attempting to come up with a reason for her phrasing. Because it sounded like she knew about something I knew. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>"Haha, that's a lot of compliments being thrown at me at once! Then... I now have to come up with something." I responded with light laughter, trying to probe her as well to make sure I could read her intentions correctly. "I suppose.... you have amazing vocal control. I'm sure it'll make the people happy. It'll be great if we could all debut and perform for the world, it'll make the world a happier place, right?"<<else>>"...Thanks. Your singing... I think it'll make the world happier if you did it well."<</iftag>> Her smile widened and her eyes started to close more, crinkling slightly at the corners. "Yes. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what is the makeup you're using right now, you look very pretty! I'll make sure to buy it when we get a break." I nodded my head, and I quickly understood that we both understood each other. We both happened to be Users that have to bring up the World Happiness Percentage. Which meant it was more than likely that we both have to debut. And it seemed that Taerin knew that well. [[Continue|C2E]]

{draft} Taerin and I sat on the tiled floor of my bathroom. I leaned my back against the shower door as Taerin sat cross legged and leaned toward me, or at least more than I did. -->> Status Effect increased (because mental stability is decreasing, so time to reinforce it (because of original body's confusion over the situation) "So... we are definitely the same type of people. Users, right?" I nodded my head. "Correct." "And, I see you're much more mentally fragile than me. You have the Mental Care status effect on. I was barely able to get rid of it after the mid-term performance. I only had a bit of alteration to my personality. But, you seem to have it quite badly. Well, it doesn't matter. In fact it makes it easier. "We need to team up. We're both going to die if we don't debut. The world will need both of us to debut as ARIES. That's how they calculated it. And we both must have failed as idol, right?" I shook my head. "I previously rejected their offer. I planned to become a normal university student." "Huh? Wow... I had to beg to get an application for this and barely managed to bag it.” She scoffed, a hint of jealousy in her voice, however, it didn’t seem to be entirely malicious and rather directed to herself. “I guess that's the point of this show, trainees versus scouted talent. Hm, I assume you care about performing, I saw it in your eyes when you performed. What made you quit?" I thought about my answer for a few seconds, before coming up with a brief explanation. "My mother was hospitalized a month prior, and I decided it was better to graduate from college and get a job than wait forever to possibly gain a chance at being able to perform for a living." "Ah... family issues. Not unusual. I hope your mother will be well this time.” She said, more subdued and polite than before, however, it did not seem to truly faze her, unlike how I expected most would react, with awkwardness or pity, which was not visible on her face. “But, how long ago did you come from in the future? I was 28, about to fail again on my third debut in a group. So it's been 8 years." I processed the new information with slight surprise. It did not occur to me that we would come from different points in life. Or, the implication that the world was not processing time in the same way I would. "…It's been a year." She looked at me, a smile on her face, before laughing uncontrollably, lowering her face into her hands. Her hands shook as her laughter continued, sounding much more desperate and scratchy, echoing against the walls, and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Wow, this system sure is harsh! I'm supposed to debut with someone almost 10 years younger than me!" She let out a deep sigh and shut her eyes and rubbed her face before looking up at me, the smile wiped off her face and changed to a frown and dead eyes. "So, what do you see? I see the stats of everyone through letter grades and numbers. You didn't mention any of that at all, so, I bet you don't see what I see." "That's true. I see everyone's skills. An innate ability. I can't see the stats like you, but I believe I know them by name according to the descriptions I’ve seen so far. There’s 6. Vocal, Dance, Rap, Expression, Beauty, and Charm." “…Yes, that’s what I see as well.” She nodded her head as she started to muse over my words. “Ah, this is good info. Really useful. We'll need to work hard together. What's my skill then?" I pulled up her stats. <<charstat "MinTaerin">> "Perfectionist Performer." I read off her skill. "Plus 10 to all stats when performing in perfect condition. Negative 5 to all stats otherwise." Her face froze, slight irritation seemingly piercing through, her eyes sharpened as she seemed to be focused. "Damn it, what kind of skill is that?" She clicked her tongue and slowly leaned back, staring to the side where the door was closed. "...What's yours then?" "Expressive Nature. When performing for more than 50 people, expression ability increases greatly and temporarily removes all negative emotional states." I recited without the need to pull my stats up because of how many times I looked at it. She scoffed before letting out a hollow laughter. "This... is so ridiculous. We can only perform normally when we hit those damn requirements. Why’d they even choose us when there’s people with triple S stats and I only hit A when I’m in ‘perfect’ condition? In Cendrillon… Lee Mina, she’s gonna be the vocal fave. And on your team, there’s Eve, she’s good at singing, but she’s going to be the visual center, and then your other dancer, Kaede, who dances like a dance machine unlike you, and has the looks of a visual too. All of them, they could debut together. Add in any of the rappers, and we have a team that could do everything.” I could tell that she was spiraling a bit, and most likely like me, was sleep deprived. I then felt more confident in my decision to not reduce my status effect for this reason. I wouldn’t be able to comprehend everything that was going on without it. “Taerin.” I called her name, and she lifted her head to look at me with a depressed expression, her eyes downcasted and her lips pulled downward. “The system wouldn’t have chosen us if we weren’t calculated in to change the world. In the world where we did not get back to turn the clock, the group failed. So, the system picked us. That would not have to be done without reason. We have skills that would put us on par with those who would have survived. So… don’t overthink it.” >> IF ALOOF “We were picked for a reason. If we are in the group, we’ll make people happier than before. Don’t overthink.” >> Taerin’s eyes started to move around, and it seemed as if she were processing my words. She then smiled and looked at me. “Alright, yeah, we do. Of course. It’s like we’re main characters in a game, so, of course we’ll be perfect. Then, we’ll need to talk more about things. Since we now have to rely on each other. Let’s then share info about our teams. I want to know what kind of skills they have, and I can tell you about the stats. It was initially confusing for me, so I’ll need to explain it to you. "I see two things, a grade letter that seems to be the potential of the stat, the maximum they can achieve--or their limits--, and a number, the stat average. So, you, for example, right now, I have a potential of S in vocal, and a stat average of 85, which means, I’m very vocally talented. The letters are ranked by the normal grading system, from worst to best, D, C, B, A, and S. I haven’t seen anyone with a D potential in these contestants. Heh, but I sure did in my company. “Anyway, you have a 70, which, when I heard the other teams, means that it’s the bare minimum for an idol to not be awful, and can sing decently under normal circumstances. The ace singer, Lee Mina, has a vocal of 90, and you heard her. She’s amazing. Her potential is also S. But, you, I can’t see your potential. It’s just garbled text. That… does give off main character energy. You might not have a ceiling cap to your stats. Who knows how it’ll be with the virtual training. I did it last night for a bit, and I’m exhausted. I see you right now, you look awfully tired. “Ah, we need to go back to our teams. It’s been long enough, I’ll probably get an earful. I’ll be going to my room to get an energy drink, do you want one?” \<Status Effect Lowered> I shook my head. “<<iftag $mc “friendly”>>Thanks, but i<<else>>I<</iftag>>t’s fine.” <<iftag $mc “friendly>>I then smiled at her, adding a few extra words. “It’s nice to know I’m not in this alone. I’m glad I finally got to meet you.” She nodded her head slowly, looking at me with a strange expression I could not place as one she would use when musing over something or disinterest. “Yes… it’s nice to meet you as well. I’m looking forward to what we can do together.” <else>>She let out a sigh before smiling slightly. “Well, you’ll know who to talk to you about these things. I’ll be bugging you too. I’m looking forward to working together.”<</iftag>> We then left my room, parting ways at the hallway as we went back to our practice rooms. When I entered, I noticed every stopped what they were doing, the music continuing to play as they looked over at me. “Hey, $name! You’re doing better now?” Eve was the first to break the silence, walking toward me. I glanced at the cameras that were around, and took a step forward, before opening my mouth to speak. >> Friendly “Yeah, I just needed to wake up a bit. I’m all ready!” I said with the brightest smile I could muster, which, seemed to surprise everyone, however, at least I knew that I could still smile. >> Aloof “Yeah.” “Alright! We were just going through the singing again, so, we’ll do a few rounds, then eat!” My team and I were at the tinted glass doors to the cafeteria, Eunha about to open the doors, before we heard someone's voice, and she paused, keeping the door cracked open. >> As one of the taller members, I stood in the back and looked at the scene >> As one of the shorter members, I stood on my tippy toes to watch the scene "Min Taerin’s not here, huh?” Shi Wen commented casually as she sat down with her team with a plate of food. “Must be sleeping again.” One of the members quickly stepped in, perhaps aware of her voice being loud, although there weren’t any cameras in the cafeteria or seemed to notice us. “W-well, she’s good at the performing stuff, you noticed in the mid-evaluation, she fit in well! The only criticism was her unstable vocals, which… she has more good days than bad!” Someone laughed softly, and soon after, I only recognized it was Sowon after they spoke. “So she’s a ticking time bomb. We can’t do anything about it if she wants to be viewed by the public as a sleeping lone wolf and get criticized after all of that. The public opinion will favor us after getting such a bad teammate. As long as we show we’re working hard and trying to include Min Taerin, it’s fine. We'll get more screen time looking pitiful, which works wonders in these shows. Editors love the good guys versus bad guys, and viewers eat them up." Someone else sighed, seemingly unhappy. “Guys… let’s not discuss this. It’s lunch, so let’s not eat in a bad mood. I’ll talk to Taerin again. She works hard, it just seems she gets tired easily.” Sowon scoffed. “That’s not good for anyone who’s in the entertainment business. If they can’t handle their health, or do this much, they shouldn’t be here.” “Sowon…” The same person who seemed to be mediating between the two called out to her. “Well, we’re finished eating now, aren’t we? Let’s go to the practice room now.” Another voice spoke up, more stern, also seeming to end the conversation. The group got up and started coming toward us. Eunha, as she met eyes with one of them, pushed the door open. "What do you guys think lunch will be?" Eunha asked us naturally, as if we weren't spying on them. After they spotted us, we said our pleasantries before we entered. We were the only other group besides the other staff on site who seemed to have also silently listened in, so it didn’t take long for Eve to let out a nervous sigh. “Wow… I didn’t think that they were having a problem. Min Taerin… she did a few singing mistakes if I remember correctly. I thought their performance was really good, I didn’t think that was happening.” Eve laughed slightly, trying to fill the void. “Hm, it’s good that we are doing well.” Eunha said before glancing toward me momentarily. I wasn’t too surprised. Eunha was the leader, and controlled many aspects of the schedule. I wouldn’t say I had the image of slacking often, but I was extremely tired today and stepped out. She may not think I will be following in Taerin’s footsteps, but, seemed to be more concerned that something in the same realm of that may occur. Which, I did not believe to be the case, so I <<iftag $mc “friendly”>>just smiled back<<else>>didn’t react<</iftag>>. “Mm.” Areum and Miyoung said quietly, almost at the same time, before they stuffed their mouths. At their slightly odd response, I looked at Eve, who was wiping the condensation off her glass of water, before looking at Kaede. She had a slight uncomfortable expression on her face, and I then looked at Eunha. She seemed unaware of the lukewarm reactions. Or, misunderstood why they were. I was quite certain Eunha led in a way that she believed would show the best performance. That meant, she would have to tell people what was wrong, why it was wrong, and how to improve. Eunha was naturally pushy, and she saw nothing wrong with it. However, now that I saw the members’ reactions, it seemed to be more than just discomfort. <<iftag $mc "assertive">>It needed to be addressed, however I was unsure what would convince her at the moment.<<else>>But, no one was on edge enough for anyone to speak up. There weren't many arguments one could make up for her at the moment.<</iftag>> [[Continue Draft |C2F]]

{draft} My ears perked up to the vibration of my phone and I immediately reached my hand for it, cracking my eyes open slightly, and turned off the alarm. Taking a step down the ladder, I felt a pounding headache above my eye. I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled as I squeezed the sides of the ladder. Then, I slowly stepped down with my eyes shut closed, the heaviness of them weighing me down as I became drowsy again. As my feet touched the wooden floor, I then quickly opened my eyes and shook my face. I felt slightly dizzy, but I also didn't feel as exhausted as before. Two more days from today would be the final performance. I used the Training to focus on my Damce, however I also used it to check my expressions. Whether or not that changed my Expression, I could only ask Taerin later. I stifle a yawn as I enter the bathroom, turning back the light on after closing the door. I stared at myself, looking at my dark circles under my eyes. I then stared at the makeup bag in my hands and clicked my tongue before taking out my most expensive concealer. "...ready to rehearse." I barely heard the last few words, only barely consciously recognizing them as not noise as I only noticed as Kaede's lips move. "$name?" I blinked as I heard my name, the weight on my body lightening up for a brief moment. >> "friendly" I smiled before moving my body slightly. "I'm sorry, I zoned out for a bit. What did you say?" >> "aloof" I rubbed my eyes before looking back at Kaede. "What did you say?" She looked at me with a rather serious expression. It was beyond what her normal expression was. "$name. If you aren't feeling in good condition, don't force yourself. An accident will last a lifetime." I shook my head. "No, I'm not forcing myself." Kaede frowned and was about to say something, before the door opened. We both glanced over and saw a staff member smiling. "Hi, we're doing your team's individual interiews now. Kaede, you'll be up first. It won't be long." Kaede looked at me with a surprisingly frustrated expression before turning around and followed the staff member out. All the other eyes were then on me, as if waiting for a command. >> Friendly "Let's go through the dance just go over the movements" >> "Let's practice." I walked over to the speaker with heavy steps and I rubbed my eyes on the way there. A heat then started to rise in my head and I noticed my vision shifting. The view of the practice room started to spin and the bright lights became darker. I then heard noises and a dampened thud before everything fully faded into darkness. --- I took a breath in and realized something was strange. I did not smell the musty scent of the practice room, but an almost sterile scent of chemicals and cleaninf supplies. I moved slightly, and instead of the hardwood floor, I felt my body sink into something plush. I moved my fingers and felt my skin brush against thin cotton sheets. My eyes, which felt like they would be glued closed forever, I forced them open, and then quickly squinted them after seeing the bright light above my head. However, I faintly recalled someone's head in the corner of my vision. "Oh, you're up." A voice I couldn't instantly recognize spoke, alerting me, and I opened my eyes again before lifting my body up. I soon recognized the person sitting across from me. They were a staff member, a bit more higher up than those who did busy work, but I barely spoke to them, although I've seen them around. Others seemed to wary of this person, and, with their blank expression as they looked up from their phone, it wasn't hard to see why. "Yes..." I started to speak<<iftag $mc "passive">>, looking at them for a response<</iftag>>. "Miss $name." She interrupted me before I could say anything else. "You are in a hospital half an hour away from our filming location. You have been asleep for nearly 4 hours. As the only to be hospitalized, we would like to keep it that way. Of course, if you can't manage that and your condition worsens, it would be best if you left the show. We wouldn't want you to harm your body more." I looked at their face, devoid of emotion, and <<iftag $mc "friendly">>smiled at her. "I apolgoize for the disturbance I caused. It must've been a lot for you. So, I'll be more careful with my body. So, you wint see me here again!"<<else>>frowned at her. "It won't happen again."<</iftag>> She raised her eyebrow before looking down on her phone, typing something. "You may say that, so, I shall not press further. But, if an incident like this occurs again, you will have to step down." "Understood." I nodded. "Then, once the paperwork is filled out, we'll go back." --- I opened the doors to the building and was surprised as I saw my team standing in the hallway. They all turned to me, and Eve was the first to run up to me and hug me. "Ahhh, you're here! It was so scary seeing you faint, I thought you really hurt yourself!" <<iftag $mc "friendly>>I pat her on the back before smiling. "No, I'm fine. Look, I would be on the floor with you running into me if I wasn't."<<else>>"I'm fine." I glanced and saw everyone else's faces before adding on, "Nothing to worry about."<</iftag>> She let out a laugh before letting go, smiling at me. "I'm just glad you're not hurt." "So, anything the doctor wants you to do?" Eunha asked as she walked up to me. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>"Sleep?" I chuckled.<<else>>"Sleep. And more food."<</iftag>> "I'll make sure of it." Kaede suddenly spoke up, looking at me with seriois expression. Suddenly, Eunha started to chuckle. "I... I didn't expect that. With such a straight express--ha ha ha!" She started to laugh, making Miyeon, Areum, and Eve to laugh. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I also joined in, partly due to Eunha, but mainly because of Kaede.<</iftag>> "Haha! S-sorry, it's just... you're so serious about it. $name, no, it's important to listen to the doctor and everything, but, Kaede, you look like you are promising someone's dying wish!" "W-we're not making fun of you." Areum quickly blurted between laughs. "I swear." Kaede looked at everyone with a straight expression, either not understanding what they were reacting to, or why they reacted. "Did I... say something out of character?" "No, it was completely in character!" Miyeon, the quietest one of them all, quickly explained with a large smile on her face, as if she really found this situation funny. "Ahem. Well, we need $name to rest. We're well prepared for the performance, so losing a night won't affect us. Let's go to sleep early tonight, it'll make practice more efficient tomorrow. Alright?" Everyone nodded in response, and after talking for a bit more, we dispersed, leaving me and Kaede to be alone. <<iftag $mc "friendly">>I spoke up first as we entered the room. "It's my fault for pushing myself. I know you could tell. And you definitely know better than me, but I was being stupid." "Then... please listen next time. If you fainted when you were dancing, you could have really injured yourself." I smiled. "I will. Thanks for caring." She nodded slightly. "Then... you can wash up first." <<else>>Kaede spoke up. "I'm sorry." I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering why she would say that. "No. I pushed myself. You couldn't have changed anything." "If... you say so." She let out a slight sigh, her tone signaling that she was not particulalry convinced.<</iftag>> --- "Alright, we had at least 8 hours of sleep and we ate well, so, let's get on with practice!" Eunha declared with a smile. "We have one more day to practice, so let's give it our all. If there are any mistakes, let's fix them before they become problematic." "Yes!" We responded in unison, most of us motivated to do well. However, that didn't last all day. "Miyeon, your right arm moved in the wrong direction during the 'like a clockwork toy'. $name, Kaede, don't hesitate to call out mistakes. Eve, Areum, you too. We need to improve." "U-um, $mc, you went off key during the 'leave me, love me' part. Uh... make sure you manage your breath before coming in. It seemed thar you eere too out of breath to sing then." Areum spoke up half way through the song. >> Friendly I nodded at her. "Thanks, I'll do that." >> else I nodded at her. The music continued to play while the rest of us stopped dancing, Eunha going to the speaker to restart the song while everyone else wiped the sweat off their bodies. Within seconds, the beginning ticks to the intro to the song played, and Eunha ran into position. Everyone else shuffled themself into position, as we restarted the song again. >> "friendly" "Ah, Eunha, you're too close to Miyeon right now." I called out, staring at Eunha through the mirror. >> "aloof" "Eunha, your position is off." Eunha stopped dancing, staring at the positions through the mirror before letting out a sigh. She ran her hand through her hair. "Alright, thank you for letting me know. Let's restart from the top." As she walked to stop the song, I could see slight disgruntled looks on everyone's faces. It was about 4 hours without break that we were practicing dancing and singing. We barely made past through the first chorus before we had to restart because of a mistake. Kaede and I barely had time to really rehearse anything. But, considering we never restarted because of dancing, it seemed less worrisome. Especially compared to what our team was feeling right now. >> ASSERTIVE "What about going back 15 seconds? You just need to get that part down. We've wasted a lot of time on the