”is it on?” jungeun raises a brow as she takes a step back to face her camera. her friend, whom she kindly asked ( demanded ) to be the cameraman, holds a thumbs up. jungeun felt nervous being in front of a camera again. the last time she was in front of one turned out to be, well, not so kind. but, jungeun was ready to be in front of one again. she was going to start small, doing something that was fun.
”alright,” jungeun took a deep breath in. she gave a thumbs up in return, signaling for her friend to press play. “hey, everyone! i’ve been hibernating for a while but i’m back! i’ve been seeing these videos everywhere, but i didn’t want to remain as a viewer. i wanted to try this challenge! so, i’m going to do this ‘10,000 won makeup challenge.’ let’s see how it goes!”
hello everyone!! as you may have noticed, my activity has been level 10 shite. my irl schedule has been very jam packed in a way that took me quite a while to get accustomed to. working at a clinic, interning at a hospital, going to uni is...a Lot. BUT everything is movin to an equilibrium. unfortunately, its been a while so everything is in kahoots and it’ll take me time to do admin stuff on jungeun’s blog and catching up with plots/threads. but as i catch up on preexisting things, i‘m certain some of jungeun’s threads/plots are idle. so, i want to make this post to kind of start things anew.
please like this post if you would like to plot (even if we are already plotting or have something preexisting. so i can see who still wants to plot)! i’ll be getting to new plots as i organize my old plots as well.
jungeun stared at her reflection on the mirror. a cliche, yes. it was like the she was the heroine of a drama movie, having faced countless boundaries only to face a complete break and having to recoup before she makes a big comeback. but that is her story. as she shakes her brunette—a factor of her appearance she has yet to feel accustomed to—hair, she steps away from the mirror. she presses the play button of her music app. throwing her phone haphazardly on the floor, she winces when she hears her screen protector crack. once again. ( she makes a mental note to stop by a phone store to change it. )
jungeun shakes her limbs, trying to stretch it enough for her to be able to dance. the last few months of her life were transformative. the first few after the mgas being spent by moping around. the last being spent to pick herself up and remind herself about who she was. kim jungeun. mga competitor ( she no longer used the word loser ) and bad bitch. cliche, yes, but its what she needed to tell herself. she wasn’t going to think about being a failure. after all, her journey wasn’t over yet. there were promises she had to complete as well. her dreams involved being on the same stage as her closest friends. although they were a few steps ahead of her, some way more ahead of her, she had to make this dream come true. no more moping around.
|| ✧ –––– it’s the weekend at last, and sophie is so glad classes are over. it’s not that she doesn’t enjoy them, she does, but the constant waking up early and commuting to university sucks the life out of her. thankfully, summer holiday is starting soon so she’ll be able to relax for a bit. the korean school calendar is still a bit alien to her, but she’s getting the hang of it. backpack thrown over her shoulders, she gets out of her seat to get off at the bus stop, taking a little jump to reach the ground. she’s in high spirits, and not only because it’s friday, but because her plans for the evening are honestly awesome.
with a smile, she makes her way around the neighbourhood she now knows like the palm of her hand, after spending so much time here in the last seven months. she’s been trying all the cafés and bars around the area, and the fact that there’s a couple of music stores doesn’t make it a bad place either. there’s a spring in her step as she makes her way to one of the businesses, dark tinted windows hiding the games and consoles hidden inside zzang games. she spots the girl she’s meeting standing at the entrance and a cheeky smile spreads over her face.
“hey jungeun,” she says as she gets closer to get the other’s attention. “miss me?” she continues with a mischievous smile, eyelashes fluttering jokingly.
for the first time in a while, jungeun decides that going out would be great. two months is far too long to be in “hiding.” she wasn’t a fugitive or undercover; yet, she felt like the public wasn’t the best place to be in. ( past jungeun would be surprised, at the very least. ) being a failed competition show contestant is more than enough for her to go into hiding.
but, this place wasn’t too extravagant. it was something jungeun was comfortable enough to be seen in and to socialize in. jungeun hovers over the empty dance dance revolution console, digging in her pockets to insert coins inside. she couldn’t remember the last time she danced either, but she assumed playing this was a start.
her ears perk as she hears the voice of the other girl, one full of mischief and light. one that would probably tell the truth to jungeun and throw the sugarcoat away. jungeun definitely couldn’t handle another aww, its okay, you’ll do better next time! ( if there was even a next time. )
jungeun turns around and shakes her head. “no, definitely not.” she says with a wide smile, knowing they were at a point where sarcasm was allowed in their friendship. “hey, sophie.”
jungeun joined the fifth season of mgas and got eliminated in episode five. after the elimination, jungeun was highlighy humiliated and spent the past month moping around. she spends most of her time practicing dance but not to the extent she used to practice. she has been finding clarity day by day, so she hopes to return to her normal routine soon. baby steps.
` * YOU DEFINE THE VOGUE (visual changes) :
the biggest visual change jungeun had is her hair. which is now a shade of brown, much like irl jungeun right now. she might redye her hair to her classic blonde as she feels like it suits her best ( and she hasn’t really been feeling like herself ). her makeup and clothing favorites are very much the same
` * FAMILY :
her familial relationships haven’t changed much. the first two weeks after jungeun’s elimination was the roughest, as her mother constantly criticized her choices during the competition show. although her mother was coming from a place of understanding ( as the former ballerina knows the tough conditions of being in the performance industry ), jungeun’s father had to sit her down and advise her to cut down the dance mom attitude.
` * IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER... (friendships) :
jungeun is more than elated for her friends to have been signed into companies—especially heejin. she has been “soul searching” and “finding herself” for the past month, so she has naturally gravitated away from friendships in general. her mind has found more clarity recently, although she’s unsure if she’s found the answers she’s been looking for. she has missed socializing with others, so she’ll be looking for people to hang out with and collaborations to create.
` * EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT (hobbies, likes, etc.)
— has been spending more time around nature
— has been taking yoga classes and kickboxing classes to try to channel out her negative feelings
— being in the mga’s has brought her a somewhat considerable sum of followers (fans, insta followers, haters, etc.). she will say hi if someone notices her on the street and will be more than happy to take a photo. but, her time in the mgas has brought her some haters as well. so, she deals with having to see hate comments ( ex. the classic ‘hahah flop’ ) on sns.
@/0KJE0: feeling like getting back into the hang of things and collaborating with people. who wants to collab? #ContraryToPopularBeliefICanWorkWithPeople 😉
despite his confidence in his abilities to flatter a girl into following his ways, his head still snaps back towards her as she agrees, eyes lightning up. “so you’ll do it? awesome!” happy at the outcome of this rocky first encounter, jonghyun nods his head to introduce himself properly, camera held securely in hand.
“it’s an honor for me to work with you,” he states politely, keeping his head bend while raising his gaze to look at her from above the edge of his glasses. the smile remains cheekily on his lips even as he straightens again. “I’ll gladly sent you all the pics if you give me your email. If you would feel more comfortable to set down a contract I can ask my manager to email me a copy and we can sign it on my tablet. modern technology makes it possible,” the photographer jests with a laugh leaving his lips, head tilted to focus right back on the scenery.
jungeun doesn’t waste any time. she poses, before he even has the chance to wait for her answer. she’s a believer of doing things rather than saying actions will be done. so, she turns around, away from the photographer. she turns her head to face him slightly, body angled in a way that highlights her hair. she runs her fingers through her tresses yet again, waiting for him to snap the first photo.
the blonde turns around, facing him once again, after hearing him create some banter. “you’re jumping ship way too early—” jungeun says. she raises her brow, unsure whether she used the term correctly or not. was it jumping on board? she turns her body towards the camera, deciding that her first pose was doing a bit too much. she crosses her left leg on front of her right, contorting her body into a pose. she decides to move forward with his small talk, reciprocating his mention of a contract. “am i really that great of a model? i must be the newest it girl or something.”
a breeze flows past her and she wraps herself inside the sweater she brought with her. she glances at her phone to look at the time—12:00. midnight. once again, she finds herself overlooking the river. she knows better; she probably shouldn’t be outside at this time but there’s a few people roaming around the park as well. she’s been there for a few hours, mind moving at a hundred miles per hour. she feels everything yet nothing.
her heart was heavy when she arrived at the park around nine. it’s too much for her to think, so she decided to people watch. forgettable faces, save a few. there was an old man who was speed-walking. can’t sleep either? he asked as moves past her. she just nods. there was a young woman walking her dog. there was a couple, slightly secretive in movement. an idol couple?
jungeun almost winces as the thought enters her head. idol. the word seems distant, although she was so close to it. the simple thought of that word causes the girl to sit in silence for hours, until she saw the 12 on her phone’s clock. there’s no longer anyone near her. she chuckles at the fact. there wasn’t anyone near her at this instant but there wasn’t really anyone near her at all.
her friends were trainees. some idols. where was she? alone. back at square one? how many weeks has it been? was it one? no, two. or three? she winces everytime she thinks about her elimination. she winces everytime a new question enters her head. so many what ifs.
the embarrassment subsides, traded for heaviness. she wraps her sweater around her once more, hoping it would bandage the heaviness she feels. am i being dramatic? she thinks to herself. no, she replies to the voice in her head.
am i just being blue?
maybe.
”it’ll pass,” she speaks for the first time in a while. there isn’t anyone around her, so she scoffs at her attempt to comfort herself. “it will pass.”
@/0KJE0 : was on a sns cleanse but i am thankful for all of the supportive messages. this isn’t the end for me but for now, please support #5013, #5011, #5038, #5039, #5045
june 2019. mga 5 trios showcase. wordcount : 3493
performing to retro future by triple h [ 0:05 - 2:40 / 3:00 - END ] / jungeun as hyuna [ FIT ]
mentioning: @rkkenta, @rkchwev, @rknak, @rkpwj, @rkyeji, @rkpjy
@danielxrk
jungeun couldn't place a finger on exactly what she was feeling. was she tired? physically or mentally? was she discouraged? she didn't want to feel discouraged. yet throughout all the emotions she was feeling, she just knew that she was conflicted. at this point, this whole competition was a conflict; she just hoped the side she'd end up on was the victor's.
she found herself returning to her seat deflated after her performance with nakyung. the physical aspect wasn't taxing—she danced to more difficult choreographies before. yet, she found herself slouched on her seat ( as if she ran a five kilometer marathon ), with a morale lower than low. if she were to get eliminated right then and there, she wouldn't get too angry. perhaps, she would even release a sigh of relief. yet by the grace of god ( she wasn't religious, though she might as well be at this point ) or the ceos, jungeun remained in the competition. the excitement lasts only for a second, as she finds herself slouching in her seat once again, when the announcement for a trio showcase was made, jungeun feels herself jump up in her seat.
trios? thats's new. she sits up once again. this time, for the remainder of the recording. perhaps all she needed in the competition was a change.
the last two weeks were duo showcases. the first was great. although she didn't get the win that she wanted, eunji was more than a great partner. she feels sadness as she witnessed the older girl's elimination but there wasn't anything she could do. the second performance was whatever. they performed it well enough to remain in the competition but not well enough to be first place. jungeun blames nakyung for this—it would've went much better if jungeun had her complete way. jungeun was less than content and she feels like nakyung felt the same way, too.
the pair barely make proper goodbyes after the recording is over. it was probably better to leave the performance behind, nakyung leaves to look for her two-thirds and jungeun does as well. she's paired up with kenta and vernon. to be honest, the three of them together wasn't a tandem that even she'd expect in theory. but their assignment together wasn't such a far-fetched idea. it made enough sense for it to work out. or maybe she was just being too wishful. the three exchange a few words and agree to meet at the nova practice room the morning. jungeun goes home, only having enough energy to wash up before she goes to bed. yet no matter how tired she is, she always happens to stay awake once getting into bed. the rest of her night is spent thinking about what was next for her in the competition, her teammates, and what they could possibly do.
vernon was someone she always enjoyed watching. for the last few weeks, he was an excellent rapper, actor and performer. ( and he has an excellent instagram feed too, if she adds. ) she was excited to work with him, as she think the mixing of their two styles would create a different but pleasant outcome. then, there was kenta.
he's not horrible at dancing. in fact, he's great at it and he even has an abundance of charisma. he's another excellent performer but she'll ever express that to him verbally. he is, of course, part of woojin and the other annoying four. commonly known as: empty enigma. so jungeun, in her childish ways, would never let any five of them hear a compliment come out of her mouth.
even if they were teammates.
friday arrives and there's a spring in her step. it was like christmas day. no, it might as well be christmas day. jungeun was practicing in one of the companies for this week. to top it off, she was assigned to nova entertainment. out of all companies, it was the one she wanted to be in the most. for once, she jumps out of her bed at five a.m and gets herself prepared for the day.
in the solace of her mom's studio, she was left alone to look however she wanted. she almost forgets that these practices were going to be filmed—probably both for security purposes and for mnet's drama fodder. so, she doesn't forget to wear something cute yet comfortable enough to practice with. she doesn't know what was going to happen today. will they fight? will they get along? but she tries to prepare by presenting herself and packing appropriately.
jungeun arrives at nova around seven to eight and she takes a moment to step back. she looks at the tall building—which makes her feel much smaller in comparison—taking all her emotions in. this is it. the place where her dreams come true. she goes to the receptionist desk, waiting for the receptionist to finish the phone conversation they were having. she looks around, curious about who she could possibly see. she knew a few people under the company. there was haknyeon in nova, chaeyoung too.
her focus returns to the receptionist when they ask for what jungeun wants. jungeun feels a bit deflated—they should know what she wanted. and who she was, why she was there. but she remembers that she wasn't signed yet. she was just another contestant, a rookie. she could still easily be discarded from the competition's cycle.
"kim jungeun, mga contestant." jungeun replies and the receptionist speaks no further. jungeun's lead into the practice room that was supposed to be her home for a week and she doesn't hesitate to step inside.
a wow escapes her mouth and the dancer takes time to glance around the room. she spots a camera, then another and another; she goes to the one that's placed close enough to her height and she waves at the camera.
"hello," jungeun says. "let's begin!"
jungeun places her bags to the side and begins to stretch. there wasn't anyone else in the room but she didn't want to be unproductive. any time spent not practicing was time wasted. shortly after, two people entered the room. yeji and jinyoung.
she forgot there were two teams per room and that her team wasn't going to be the only one in the room. she takes a break to wave at the two and greet them. she was about to ask them who their other partner it but her mouth closes. she supposes that she'll find out later and there were much greater mysteries.
such as: where in the world are vernon and kenta?
her impatience almost leads her to text them—where the heck are you two? but her worries fade when the two eventually arrive. the other team's third member arrives eventually as well and it takes kenta hugging the other guy for jungeun to realize.
she almost verbalizes, "god, i'm stuck with not one but two empty enigma members." but she shakes her head and decides to smile at the two.
sungwoon was bareable. minhyun was bareable. kenta was bareable ( tentatively ). woojin was well, woojin. but daniel, was something else too. he wasn't as irritable as woojin yet there was something about him that jungeun couldn't place a finger on.
jungeun was only able to figure out what she felt about daniel when when jinyoung started nearly yelling at the guy. right. daniel was dramatic. he was moping around too much, so much that even she started to feel his negative energy in her team's side of the room. she almost wants to give jinyoung a round of applause for his words. daniel wasn't the only one who was tired and dismayed.
wasn't kenta dismayed too? they're also his friends, right? yet her teammate was scrolling through his phone to look for a song, trying to do his part for their team.
she just smirks as jinyoung gives his teammate a lecture and she decides to waste no more time. their team is composed of two dancers and one rapper. jungeun jumps to suggest a hip-hop idea song and a discussion between the three of them begins. they spend some time discussing their skills and what they're comfortable or not comfortable with.
vernon practices dancing at nights but he isn't the most experienced. by the looks of his recent performances, he puts in effort. jungeun doesn't need to worry about kenta's dancing but he isn't a power vocalist. she isn't either. so they needed to find a song that would highlight their strengths but challenge them. challenge them but not highlight their weaknesses. they decide to look for songs that they would think fit them in general.
her eyes widen as she sees a certain name appear on her music library. triple h.
"wait, guys—how about triple h?" jungeun brings up the group's name. the group was composed of two guys, one girl. their team was composed of two guys, one girl.
based on that fact fact alone, it was perfect. they play the song retro future and jungeun is almost startled at kenta's excitement. she looks at vernon and he seems to agree with the song choice. from listening to it, it was suitable for them. there was enough rapping for vernon to shine. the dancing was enough for kenta and jungeun but not terribly difficult for vernon to learn. there was also rapping too for jungeun, which she feared but supposed its intermediate enough for her to learn.
they spend the rest of the day sorting out the technicalities, trying to figure out what parts to cut out. or, what parts pushed their limits. jungeun thinks the whole song pushes her limits, yet she doesn't find a way to express her worries.
she liked the song and its choreography on triple h. but, she didn't know if it was something she could personally pull off. technicality wise, she could perform the song. but was her charisma there? this was a sexy song and jungeun was not sexy. it was one thing to perform a sexy song alone, it was another to perform a sexy song with others and it was definitely a whole other thing to basically do a sexy partner dance of this caliber.
she won't let her reservations get the best of her because that would make her the weakest link of the group. she's sure her teammates have their own personal reservations as well, so she tells herself to get over herself and get to practicing.
after mapping out the parts and timing, the three spend the rest of their friday starting to memorize the song in its entirety. they practice until they realize that they should probably get some sleep, so the three part ways and agree to meet tomorrow morning.
saturday's a new day and for the first time in a while, she is somewhat excited to practice. she still has her reservations about the song, but she tries her best to hide it for the sake of her team. jungeun laughs at times during their practice. one: the choreography was too awkward for her, especially during her partner dances with vernon. two: kenta was a bit too enthusiastic doing the ah parts. three: kenta often took her place to help vernon with the partner choreography.
their dynamic is great. vernon is chill and the most objective one out of the three of them. she finds that kenta is that annoying; goofy but not where it gets annoying. ( she's thankful that vernon often tells them to pay attention. ) most importantly, the three of them help each other. vernon helps jungeun with her rapping and kenta with the english lines. kenta helps the two of them find ways to add charisma to their performance. jungeun and kenta help vernon try to nail the choreography.
jungeun tries not to focus on the other team as much, though she can't help but look when jinyoung and yeji are nearly-yelling at daniel once again. she finds daniel talented and hard-working but he's so terribly dramatic. maybe a bit insecure too. ( she'd have an inflated ego if she were him. ) she thought that he'd at least attempt to hide his melodrama after jinyoung's initial lecture. his attitude is dampening her's, so she supposes its time for daniel to get yelled at again. but not from any of his teammates, this time from her.
she makes her way to his side of the room. she doesn't believe in apologizing if there was no action to back it up, which was basically daniel. a guy full of apologizes yet no change. "look, i know we're on different teams but if you don't get your shit together then you might as well tune your bass again instead of being here,” she says. she notices daniel's expression change and she waits for him to react. insult her back even, instead of being a useless punching bag by his two teammates.
she crosses her arms when he replies to her, making a statement that he'll beat her in this battle. she's content because that's really all she wanted from him and she returns to her side of the room to practice. her team continues to practice, trying to get the technicalities of their performance down.
she continues to practice with her team, trying to ignore the other. the night ends uneventfully, they part ways once again, agreeing to meet the next day. jungeun goes home, receiving a whole lecture from her mom. something about getting her shit together and to perform less boring things. jungeun forgets that the next episode already aired but jungeun's too tired to talk back, though she agrees with her mother's sentiments.
sunday comes and the three try to make the most of the time they had together, as a sum of vernon and kenta's time is spent towards outside obligations. she wants to say, can't you just quit your job? drop out? yet she's trying this thing out called being understanding. whenever the two guys in her team leave, she spends the time to practice alone and leave a glance at the other team in the practice room.
jinyoung's a talented singer and yeji a talented dancer ( one of the few that she respects in the competition ). daniel—well, is daniel but he's trying harder than the last few days. she's almost bored without her two groupmates, to the point where she almost offers to watch the other team's performance and constructively critique it. but she supposes that daniel would be somewhat scarred by her unwelcomed critique that happened that other day, so she discards the idea.
jungeun finds it easier to do the sexy parts of the choreography without vernon and kenta in the room. they weren't necessarily the problem, as jungeun refuses to do anything related to love or any physical contact with men. yet here she was, having to do a choreography where she's nearly grinding on a guy.
frustration grows in her. she needs to get the charisma of the performance down or else, she'd get eliminated. but she supposes that she's just tired. so, she decides to pack her bags and rest for the night.
monday comes and all three of them are present to practice. at this point, they're able to get the choreography, rapping, and singing parts down. jungeun thinks that technicality wise, they're perfect. vernon is getting better with his moves and she notices the rapper adding his own style to the steps. kenta's much better at singing and she wonders if the entirety of boyz ii men possessed him overnight. jungeun wonders where she was progress wise. was she the weakest link?
the three practice until nighttime and jungeun makes a mistake. it isn't big enough for the others to notice but being the dancer she is, its large enough for her to notice. oh god, can i just give up already? she's tired mentally and for the first time in a while, physically. she decides not to cry because that's something reserved for daniel to do. but, she decides to laugh.
the whole situation was a comedy at this point to her. she's almost delirious from hearing the music play over and over. she's taken aback when her two teammates join her in laughter. she supposes they're tired too.
jungeun can't recall when but vernon propses the idea for tuesday being a break day from the studio. jungeun almost opposes but something in her mind tells her its a good idea. one of them also proposes the idea of looking for outfits and jungeun doesn't hesitate to reply with a yes!
tuesday comes and the three of the meet at a movie theatre to watch the new spiderman movie instead of being productive. she realizes she only really speaks to them about their performance but she's surprised when they spend hours talking about marvel movies, their favorite clothing stores, foods, and other random facts about them. kenta and vernon weren't bad, at all. jungeun even thinks that they could be friends after the competition. jungeun goes home and rests with a lighter heart.
wednesday comes and its the last day of practice. she isn't sure if its the pressure or stress activating amongst them, but their overall morale is much higher. jungeun performs the choreography with an extra hop in her steps and an extra sway to her hips. she looks vernon in the eye during their parts and she isn't afraid to feel the music rushing through her.
she watches her two groupmates through the mirror as they practice. vernon is much more comfortable with the steps he had to perform and kenta with the singing.
this is good.
"this is great!" jungeun blurts out during the end of their last run-through. for the first time in a while, she leaves the nova building with a beaming smile on her face. "see you tomorrow boys!" she exclaims.
jungeun almost skips to the mnet recording studio thursday morning. she doesn't spend much time talking to her friends, choosing instead to sit next to her teammates immediately. they wait for their turn and when they're called, the three of them walk to the stage.
jungeun walks with a certain swagger, something that she didn't feel in a long time. she was ready to make the stage her's. she was tired of being just another contestant. she needed to win. they needed to win.
"hi we're triple treat!" the trio introduce themselves with the playful name. they get into their first positions and wait for the song to begin. she flashes a smile to kenta as the walk to the middle of the stage when the song starts.
hey come on sexy music ah ah
jungeun performs her first line, swaying her hips and running her hair through her caramel locks. she doesn't hesitate displaying the sex appeal the choreography needed.
i say i want you back gwageoye
jigeum ne geotchireneun shilkeodeun wake up darling
nareul neukkyeobwa manjyeobwa eottae na malhaebwa
put your phone down my darling
after vernon's first verse, she performed her's. she's thankful for his guidance with the rap because without him, she'd be stumbling on her lines. though she performs it with the confidence it required. she stood in the back as kenta took the spotlight, performing the steps as the two guys shone on stage. she struted back to center position when the first chorus begins.
she takes a deep breath as the part she feared ( emphasis: feared ) neared. as vernon rapped, she stood to left of stage and danced as she looked at him. she didn't freeze when the two danced, their bodies making contact. she tried to channel the chemistry that the couple had in the original performance.
as she heard a few ooh's and ahh's from the audience, she smirked. her confidence increased as they performed the dance break and break down of the song. she was going to make this stage her territory and she winked to the judges to make sure they need that, too.
get it on get it on get it on get it on
movin’ into the night
the three freestyled for a bit as the song ended and she smiled as the three of them all looked at each other. jungeun performed the last few steps with power, before placing her hand over her eye and jutting her hip out as her ending pose.
jungeun smiles as their performance ends, taking in the adrelanine she feels from performing. she gushes along with her teammates, laughing when kenta unbashedly calls themselves cool. "yeah, we're not bad at all." she returns to her seat next to her teammates. but instead of slouching like the week before, she sits up with the level of confidence she so longed to feel once again.
IV-I : apostrophe friends apostrophe — the second duos showcase
june 2019. mga 5 duos showcase part 2. wordcount : 1019
dancing to mantra by drunken tiger & u go girl by katie lee
mentioning: @rknak, @rkeunji
a sigh of relief. once again, jungeun was safe. right, safe. while she was grateful that she wasn’t eliminated ( and one of those that weren’t wildcard ), she was still safe. and safe wasn’t much if she wasn’t first place. but she supposed safe could do for now.
there was still another week for her, which meant another chance to display her capabilities in front of the whole world. she was blessed with such a good partner in eunji and she emphasizes that because she really wasn’t all that religious. she hoped that this week would bless her with another great partner. fingers crossed as she had a feeling of being paired with another friend, she hoped her feelings would become reality. name called, she released a sigh of relief when she realized she’d be with another friend.
jungeun and nakyung.
in their past, they’ve talked about performing with each other someday. while they weren’t the bestest of friends, their shared love of idols was enough to form a ( somewhat strong ) foundation. but this love of the idol industry is what set them apart.
its no secret that jungeun disliked certain idol groups and concepts, but it was those exact things that nakyung favored. jungeun was aware of it and tolerated it because that’s what friends do. accept each other’s differences. even if the difference was having an absolute lack of taste.
it was a secret that jungeun had a secret twitter account. an account where she’d use the freedom of the internet to protect her fangirlish thoughts. an account where she’d use the freedom to argue with the same people who had a lack of taste—just like nakyung. but the other girl wasn’t just similar to those people. she was one of those people ( and to think jungeun was ever friendly with her ).
jungeun can’t recall when or how she discovered nakyung’s internet persona. she wasn’t even sure if nakyung knew what jungeun knew. ( probably not, the girl was really clueless. ) jungeun couldn’t blow her own cover. she too, had an internet persona. so, she decides to play a game of facades.
the two greet each other at the end of the filming. nakyung as sweet as ever and jungeun too. they agree on meeting times. text me. i’ll text you! the usual friendship exchange. then they depart, waiting for the next meeting.
they text each other during the nighttime, “expressing” their excitement to be working with each other. they agree to meet at the dance studio and jungeun—a wolf in sheep’s clothing—goes to sleep, waiting for the next day.
when the two meet, they immediately get to planning. since they were friends—correction—”friends,” they had an idea of what the other wanted to do. to an absolute lack of surprise, nakyung recommends eclipse. which, of course, jungeun rejects. they have a short compromise-forming discussion about it because that’s what friends would do. they decide on a katie lee song, which was fine because katie lee was never the problem.
it was her absolute lack of vision in regards to her artists.
they decide to sing ‘u go girl,’ which jungeun confesses is an absolute earworm. but singing a cover of that song wouldn’t suffice with jungeun. jungeun was here to challenge herself. if they were taking the risk to cover one ceo’s song, they might as well go for it. so, she suggests the ceo that would be the riskiest for both of them.
but mostly for nakyung because jungeun wanted her to work for something ( without the grace of having minho fans support her by association ).
jungeun suggests dancing to a drunken tiger song and she senses the slight apprehension on the other girl’s face. nakyung accepts the suggestion and the two waste no more time to practice.
nakyung, jungeun admits, makes up for her lack of taste with her work effort. jungeun didn’t really expect a problem with practicing with the other. although jungeun wants nakyung to suffer internally, jungeun didn’t want to lose. this was a competition after all. her desire to stay overrode her infantile quarrels. so jungeun practices with nakyung, agreeing when they plan out the songs and parts. she practices the song every night, giving it her all. the two practice every day, trying to make this performance work.
‘cause if it didn’t, jungeun didn’t know if she could continue this game of facades.
the two arrive to the studio in suits and caps, trying to emulate the style of the trc ceo’s time. its a cycle. jungeun speaks with others as she waits for the boom to come, the boom comes, the ceos enter, and the performances begin.
“hello, i’m kim jungeun!” jungeun almost mocks the way nakyung introduces herself when they enter the stage. this time, they have the microphones attached to their ears, so they could be able to dance. after their greetings, they step into their starting position, waiting for the music to start.
hip-hop and pop. they’re almost polar opposites but jungeun and nakyung find the perfect medium to combine the two. the first part of their performance is stronger, they move fluidly to the music until the surprise comes. they take off their suits, showing shorter and more brighter clothing. and they mix rapping and singing to perform the lines of the kt ceo’s famous song. when jungeun has to sing, she does what she usually doesn’t. winks, smirks, and overall flirtaciousness.
she admits she has grown to like the song and she enjoys performing it. but there’s the part of her where she doesn’t want to perform it. yet she powers through because she isn’t a quitter. she powers through the end of the song, relaying the ending english lines with the other girl until the song ends.
the pair return to their seat and jungeun exhales. she just hopes this performance wasn’t in vain.
III-II : post-game press conference — the duos showcase interview
june 2019. mga 5 duo showcase. wordcount : 639
featuring: @rkeunji, @rkyuna, @junheerk, @rkyeji
when kang-pd enters the room, the first thing he does is point to his hair. so he’s noticed it, jungeun thinks to herself. the newly ex-blonde was a little bit overly irritating about her new look. she needed everyone to notice it but she had an excuse. it was the first time she’s been anything but blonde in two years. jungeun gets her hopes up and thinks that they’ll have a casual conversation but as per usual, he doesn’t waste any time.
— so, did shin yuna’s comment about your dye get to you?
jungeun visibly rolled her eyes upon the mention of yuna’s name. his question had the truth. yeah, yuna’s comment did pull some of her strings. jungeun clearly remembers what the younger girl said about her. even her dye job couldn’t help her performance.
“well it seemed to have helped. i’m here still,” jungeun states. “she isn’t. maybe she should have dyed her hair blonde, so she could stay in the competition.”
— but you don’t have your blonde anymore. do you think that would hurt your chances of staying in the competition?
“who said i’m not blonde anymore?” jungeun questions as she grabs a section of her hair that still remains blonde. “i must confess, i was too chicken to leave the blonde completely.”
jungeun pauses as she runs her fingers through her locks. “the blonde was my signature for two years but i can’t be boring. i needed to switch it up, you know?”
— we noticed you switched it up this week and tried new things. why was that the case?
"in all honesty, i want more screentime.” jungeun says without faltering. she sees the interviewer react for once. “i know, it sounds so honest but i don’t want it solely for the attention factor. i put my all in every performance that i do, i feel like i should be compensated for that right?”
‘i’ve heard others saying nice words about my performance. i appreciate that, yes but i feel like the country should see more. i understand the amount of competitors being a factor for time but i hope this duo performance would showcase my talents and especially eunji-unnie’s more.”
— jung eunji was your partner this week for the duo round. how was it like working with her? was it easy because she’s a dancer?
"we’re kimjungeunji,” jungeun references the nickname eunji coined. “i have nothing but love for eunji-unnie. in all honesty, sometimes i felt like she was being too adventerous,” jungeun chuckles. “i haven’t showed much of my singing yet but she encouraged me to do my best. being an idol requires both singing and dancing, so i was happy to showcase that. we haven’t met beforehand, so we were a bit quiet at first. but we both thought of having a surprise dance break. that was kind of our icebreaker and it helped facilitate our communication better.”
— do you have any comments about some of the other duos?
"hm, well its not like the words i say will help influence the judges, right? i don’t want to talk much and have it kick me in the butt later. call it the yuna effect,” jungeun references the younger girl once again. she wonders if its obvious that the comment got to her, so she edits herself. “i was joking, by the way.”
“i feel like the duos were able to work well with each other. i’ll be honest, i almost always pay attention to the dancers only. i’m a dancer too, its natural. but, i’ve noticed that this is the second week that yeji-ssi has danced to a great gatsby song. no, a greatest showman song. but, it works for her, she and junhee executed it well. she should join the korean remake of it one day.”
III-I : the adventures of kimjungeunji — the duos showcase
june 2019. mga 5 duos showcase. wordcount : 2232
dancing to holler by tts ( excluding the bridge ) / jungeun as sohee
mentioning: @rkeunji, @rkheejin, @danielxrk, @rkpwj
jungeun wasn't surprised that she didn't get eliminated this week. am i getting too cocky? she constantly asked herself that but she supposed there's nothing wrong with confidence. she worked hard, so she earned her place. she thinks about an english saying she learned about. you reap what you sow, or something like that.
seconds are hours in the recording studio. she feels a drag as she waits for the next task at hand. and if she may, she compares the experience as being a child waiting to be reprimanded by their parents. the drag completely stops and as the royal ceo says 'congratulations.'
the five-syllable sentiment marks the end of this week's challenge but as he says himself, there's no time to rest. jungeun awaits the next. her eyes widen and she stands up slightly as the announcement of a duo competition appears.
now that's something new.
jungeun goes through a mixture of emotions during the announcements. they're nothing extreme, though she feels her heartrate rise as her name is yet to be called. she slightly frowns when a kang is called after heejin's name. there was a sliver of hope inside her that she'd perform with her best friend, yet it was probably due to her fear of being paired with someone she couldn't work with. she lightly pats heejin's shoulder as a sign of comfort. heejin and daniel were an unlikely pair, yes, but daniel, as much as she hated to admit it, was nothing short of talented. jungeun was confident that her best friend would be in good hands.
or else, she'd have a few words for daniel. ( it wasn't the first time she'd argue with a guy in a rock band. )
she begins to wonder who she'd be paired up with but the question is answered for her. the name jung eunji was followed shortly by her's. she scans the room to match a face with the name. she spots the girl, who she now recognizes as another dancer and a smile creeps on her face. eunji's routine flashes in her head and jungeun remembers being happy that she wasn't the only one who did a lyrical routine. on top of that, it was a good performance as well. jungeun feels elated that she paired with another dancer; at least it removed the worry of not being able to dance.
jungeun sits upright as the rest of the duos are announced. she's at a more happier state, a hopeful state and she waits for the opportunity to meet her partner. when the chance arrives at the end of the filming, she says bye to her friends and a good luck to heejin.
the blonde finds her way to eunji and they go through the formalities. hi, how are you? good job on your performance. what's your contact information? then silence. alright, see you then.
jungeun goes home feeling satisfied but not the most confident. she senses eunji's shyness but she wasn't sure if being too outgoing during their first meet would scare eunji. first impressions are important but they aren't concrete. tomorrow was a new day anyways.
the pair meets at jungeun's mom's studio. jungeun tells eunji to make herself feel at home and they sit on the wooden floor to begin brainstorming. the silence is felt in the studio, save for the few questions they throw at each other about their limits and likes. jungeun picks at the floor, though there's nothing to pick at.
they get to know each other or at least, know what the other has to offer for the sake of the competition. jungeun finds out eunji is a wonderful singer and she feels a sweat drip down her back at the prospect of having to belt during the performance. eunji seems to like the idea of singing and dancing, so jungeun goes along with it despite the apprehension she feels.
her main goal is to figure out what they're going to do for their performance. she decides she'll figure out the logistics later.
a switch is flipped when they both mention the idea of having a dance break. they laugh at the coincidence of sharing the idea at the same time and the mood of the studio shifts. they're more talkative now, bouncing off each other's ideas at a faster rate.
it isn't long until they come to a decision of what to sing and dance to. jungeun tells eunji that she wants to try something new, something she hadn't done in the competition yet. so, dancing to an upbeat american song was out of the question. a lyrical piece was out too. but out of every possible idea, they decide to cover a girl group song. and out of every girl group out there, eunji mentions a chi-chi song.
jungeun just smiles at the idea, telling the older girl, "yes, i love that."
they definitely didn't have the time for jungeun to explain why she didn't like chi-chi but upon hearing the song eunji recommended, jungeun supposed that it was a cute song to perform. okay, maybe more than cute. she absolutely loved it. but, she was never going to admit that.
they spend the next few days creating their performance and fine-tuning it. jungeun didn't sound bad at singing but she definitely wasn't going to test her limits at an important competition. eunji, whom jungeun considers an actual angel on earth, takes the heavier load of singing parts. though, jungeun feels guilty for putting it all on eunji.
with the encouragement of her partner, she takes a few vocally intermediate parts and practices it with eunji by her side, cheering her on. they practice their performance over and over then over again. they lend each other a hand if one stumbles. at this point, jungeun is comfortable enough to joke with eunji.
"maybe we shouldn't do that on performance day," the blonde says and the two laugh before getting back to practice.
the night before the performance day arrives. jungeun tells herself that she needs to sleep early but the sentiment is interrupted when she picks up her phone to text eunji. they send each other words of encouragement and jungeun takes a deep breath.
they had a lot to prove tomorrow. she has a lot to prove tomorrow.
filming day arrives and the cycle starts once again. alright, she confesses that everything is becoming routine, which is why she was so willing to jump into new territory with eunji. the room is somewhat in its same format—only difference being a smaller chair number. she shivers as she enters; if it wasn't already, it was definitely getting serious now. she finds her seat next to eunji, giving the older girl an enthusiastic hi unnie!
she keeps an eye out for her friends, her enemies, and woojin ( wherever he stands in those two categories ). she hopes people notice the quite obvious change in her looks. she hadn’t told anyone about it, save for eunji. she even recalls telling someone randomly, “does my hair look different.” ( as if it wasn’t so obvious. )
as she waits for the judges to arrive, she engages in banter but most importantly, being a part of a pep-talk with eunji. she’s really thankful that they were paired together and she was about to tell the older girl that, until the stereo’s boom was heard.
the lights center to the five CEOs once again. the performances start and in comes the looming feeling of dread and anticipation. jungeun attempts to focus on the performances before her, she knows there's cameras centered on the audience. but, she doesn't try to garner their attention as most of her's was on trying to make sure the lyrics they've practiced were engrained in her mind. she couldn't let eunji down, especially when the older girl was so supportive to her.
jung eunji. kim jungeun.
their names are announced and jungeun's eyes close. she sits for a couple of seconds before standing up when she feels eunji stand. the pair find their place on center stage, where they rightfully belong. jungeun and eunji place their hands on the other's hips, as they turn away from the judges and audience. as it always does, most of the worries she had fade away when she anticipates the music.
a smirk creeps on her face as she waits for the music to start. this performance is different than what she's displayed so far. for the first time, she holds a microphone in her hand. tonight, she's not only kim jungeun the dancer, but kim jungeun the singer. the performer. someone's who was born to be an artist.
ladies and gentlemen
can you hear me?
i hope you're ready for a fast ride
화창한 Sunny Day 평범한 건 재미 없지
특별한 비밀을 찾아 떠나볼까 어디로?
jungeun and eunji turn upon hearing the song's english intro. jungeun places the mic to her lips to sing the first few lines of the song. with confidence, she struts a couple of steps towards the judges to sing. its nothing difficult, but jungeun keeps in mind to sing with soul and to definitely not overdo it.
jungeun stands as eunji sings her first few lines, smile on her face as she watches the older girl shine on stage. the two keep the dancing at a minimum, as they focus on displaying their vocal skills to the world.
Holler Holler Holler 나와 눈을 맞춰
Holler Holler Holler 잠든 네 맘을 깨워
Holler Holler Holler 시작해 보는 거야
Holler Holler 새로워진 내 가슴에 너를 맡겨
Holler at Me
the chorus begins, jungeun singing the first few lines. she dances as eunji sings her lines, unable to hide the excitement she feels in her heart. as she hears eunji sing the last line of the chorus, her smirk grows larger as words are traded for an instrumental.
the song turns into a beat that samples get right by jennifer lopez. jungeun clutches her mic as she bounces to every beat on the instrumental. the pair look at each other and smile, this wasn't anywhere near over.
the instrumental turns into a trap-like beat. jungeun's thankful that they came to a compromise to give her more of a focus on the dancing part. jungeun and eunji dance their choreography that incorporated many aspects that idol fans loved—floor choreographies, wacking, and tons of hair-flipping.
jungeun ran her hands over her now caramel locks as she placed the microphone to her lips once again. jungeun wanted to put her all into her performance. she not only wanted to display her versatility as a performer but her versatility in her looks. new territory, new look. she agreed with yuna's comment. ( although it required her to vent to her mom for an hour. ) the blonde was getting old.
although she and eunji spent most of the week practicing, jungeun found a few gaps in her schedule to have a hair appointment. ( more like she combined her sleep time with this appointment. ) she's happy that her connections somehow brought her to a stylist in seoul who was more than happy to bring her a new look in the middle of the night.
( with a promise of an instagram shoutout, of course. )
Oh 날 봐, Oh Ready, Set, Go, Go,
널 향한 시선은 Let it go
이젠 널~~~ 더 감추지는 마
jungeun brings the mic to her lips once again, harmonizing with eunji. she tried to gather most of the air in her system as the part which feared most arrived. as she opened her mouth to do the high note, she focused on the words of encouragement eunji gave her during their practices. center it on your abdomen. don't strain. breathe. jungeun is thankful as she didn't have to go any higher or lower with the note. jungeun looked at the judges she thought of words to encourage herself. 'you can do this jungeun, you and eunji got this shit.' she smiles as eunji joins her, adding another layer to the note she was trying her absolute best to sustain.
Holler Holler Holler (나와 눈을 맞춰봐, Yeah)
Holler Holler Holler (시작해봐, Right Now!)
Holler Holler Holler (Holler Holler)
Holler Holler 새로워진 내 가슴에 너를 맡겨
Holler at Me, Yeah
Holler Holler Holler 날 따라 소리쳐봐
Holler Holler Holler 더 크게 소리쳐봐
Holler Holler Holler 그게 바로 너야
(Holler Yeah) (geuge baro neo)
Holler Holler 새로워진 네 가슴이 터지도록
Holler at Me
they break away from choreography as they focus on finishing the song. jungeun's thankful that years of extensive dancing built up her stamina, or else she would have been breathlesss. the two could have done more choreography but jungeun was trying to display charisma. keeping her eyes on the judges and audience, she smiled and winked as she finished the song. when the song ends, jungeun finds her hand on eunji's hip once again, returning to their first position.
she gives eunji a hug as they walk back to their seat. the two left their all on the stage, showing their talent and a bag of tricks as well. jungeun looks up at the ceiling. she didn't believe in it much but she prayed that the judges wanted her to stay. it was all or nothing now and jungeun was all in.
hello!! i know i just poofed off the face of the earth for the past few days... i’m not ignoring anyone (purposely) but i literally been called to go to work last minute for the past few days and me, aka not rich, went. but everytime i went home i literally knocked out which caused me to not do any rp things. ajfsdkjskj
basically real life came in like a wrecking ball but i’m gunna try my best to catch up on my rookies things tonight !! i apologize for the inactivity
@/0KJE0 : #5022 MGA SEASON FIVE!! are you all keeping up?? episode three here i come 😲😲 please support me and support #5013 / jeon @rkheejin, #5038 / park woojin ( @rkpwj ), #5039 / seo changbin ( @rkxbin ), #5030 / lee nakyung ( @rknak ) as well ✨✨
