CHAPTER EIGHT
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It was the next day. Y/N was prepared to practise for the first test. However, there was a problem. The problem was, it was a boys’ song and she was the only girl.
As she walked around, she noticed the boys singing the song (horribly as possible, since they were new to the song) and practising the choreography (better than the singing).
But I wish I had gotten a part.
Y/N and her trainee friends were the backup dancers. It was impossible for them to debut like that.
Meanwhile, Namkoong Min and Bang Si-Hyuk sat down and watched how Y/N learned the stuff anyways.
“She has a lot of potential,” said Si-Hyuk.
“I know she does,” replied Namkoong, “Her mother said that she had been dancing since she was very young, at the age of two or three. And ever since, she has been going to hip-hop concerts and even managed to go to a BTS one.”
“Surprised we let her in. If she does well, and when the rest of her friends come over, I will see about letting them debut under HYBE.”
Of course, the boys and Y/N had to figure out their parts and other things.
But Y/N was out exploring the gardens of I-LAND. She saw the cars go by and the trail that led her to the place.
Meanwhile, the boys were in the practise room, trying to sing their newly given song the correct way.
“Let’s just run for our lives!” sang Jongseong.
However, his part of the song was so terrible, his voice actually crackled. The rest of the boys laughed. But Y/N was still nowhere in sight.
“Hyung,” said Nikki, “That was funny! Do it again!”
“I can’t do that,” said Jongseong, “I don’t want to lose this voice of mine.”
Meanwhile, Jake looked all around for Y/N. But she was nowhere to be seen still. He got up and looked all around the place.
Meanwhile, Y/N wandered off onto the other side of I-LAND. She just couldn’t complete the transfer without a proper tour of the property. But what she didn’t know was that she was going to smuggle the rest of the GROUNDers out of there.
She then came atop a much darker building. She tilted her head with confusion.
Did I go in a circle?
Y/N found the entranceway; it was the exact same design as the I-LAND!
This is confusing. Am I going to GROUND?
Apart from being an official I-LANDer, Y/N still felt scared to death. She worried that she wouldn’t be able to come back to I-LAND again and even her dreams would come to a crashing end.
Slowly, she entered the building. When the doors closed, Y/N did not look back. If she was going to get out, then she had to lose all of the fear that she had inside her heart.
Be brave, she thought, There is nothing to fear.
Suddenly, there were voices. Some were familiar and some were not. Y/N peaked her head through the archway of the main practise room and saw most of the remaining eliminated dancing to the same song as the I-LANDers were assigned.
Oh my god, she thought, I’m in GROUND! But I can’t be here, though!
She watched the boys practising for a long time. And then, she quickly ran out to the entrance, which luckily opened up for her.
She returned to I-LAND with a frown upon her face. This was how Y/N felt about having GROUND in a TV show.
She laid down on her bed, flat on her back. She still frowned. How could someone, even someone that you love most, would go to GROUND over a lower score of votes.
Is there really such a thing as favoritism?
She then laid to her side and closed her eyes.
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The boys were still learning their dance moves and the song. Lee Heeseung was one of the oldests. He was one to keep the whole group together.
“Come on, everybody!” he exclaimed, “Keep it up! We have to learn this before the rest of the five days are up!”
For two days the boys and Y/N were reviewing their parts and dancing. But Y/N was only a backup dancer. She had no part. This made her heartbroken.
After another three hours of practising, she sat down in the living room with a sad expression.
Taki, Maki, Niki, and EJ noticed and became concerned about her mindset.
“What happened?” asked EJ, in his terrible English.
“I feel bad for the people that are in GROUND. If only there was a way to get them out of there. But we can’t cheat, or else we’ll all be eliminated for good.”
There was nothing else to describe what Y/N was feeling right now.
“It’s okay,” said Taki with a smile, “We will get them out of there.”
Back in the main room, Y/N sat on her own. She stared at the clock: 5 Days, 35 Minutes, 15 Seconds.
I have to think of something.
She paced around. There was nothing else to think about. Jake entered a little later. But Y/N felt tired and then fell asleep on his chest.
“You’re a bit more hyper than the rest of us, aren’t you? You have the motivation like Layla.”
He then laughed.
“Don’t you miss her?” Y/N asked, weakly.
“I do,” said Jake, “However, she is not far from here. I wouldn’t miss her…too terribly.”
Y/N groaned and closed her heavy eyelids. It was not everyday when she felt this tired.
Officially, four days until the first test. The guys still needed to assign their parts. Jay was in the trainee days for three years already! He couldn’t be humiliated like he was during those years.
Heeseung was in charge of the assigning of the parts. Desperately though, he wanted Y/N to join in too. But it was a male-dominate song.
Jay raised his hand for Part 1; Geonu was voted in. He raised his hand for Part 2; Geonu got it again. Again for Part 3; Jungwon was voted in. Part 4; K, of course not Jay, got it. Later on, Y/N secretly entered.
Jay could not give up.
I will keep raising my hand until I get a bloody good part, he thought.
Seon was voted for Part 5 and Jay Park was becoming enraged inside. But as a professional, he kept trying and trying until the end of the assignment.
Part 6; of course not Jay…but Daniel.
Ugh!
Part 7. Surely Jay wouldn’t give up on this part, would he? But as usual now, he did not get the seventh part. Park Sunghoon did.
I hate you!
“Alright, alright,” he shouted with anger, “I’ll do whatever is done, okay?! I’ve had enough of it!”
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CHAPTER EPILOGUE: JAY’s REASON for HIS ANGER
“It was humiliating,” said Jay, “I felt ashamed and this resentful, angering jealousy.”
In his three years as a K-Pop trainee, Park Jongseong, often abbreviated as “Jay” not getting any good parts could be one of the most embarrassing moments that only he could ever think of.
Of course, he always knew that it wasn’t always going to be him. And yet Y/N felt absolutely sympathetic about him.