Hyun Bin is the next to speak. “Park Jimin, you really are a bright girl and you have a beautiful voice. We just don’t feel that you’re quite ready yet. Please continue to work hard and you’ll be there soon.”
Her eyes closed for a nanosecond -blinked. Had she heard him right? Minutes before, she was off stage chatting with her friends, Chanyeol and Kasper. They had all been so chill and the results were pushed way back in their minds. It only hit her when she realized how many contestants have passed.
Fourteen.
Again, she blinked. Three sentences. All those weeks of hard work summed up into three sentences. Right at that moment, she wanted to speak up. Ask for an explanation. What does he mean by not quite ready yet? Did she lack charisma? Was her singing a bit too much? Was she too young?
He could have at least said more. Critique her, put her on fire, anything. The words couldn’t come out of her mouth, choked. She nodded somberly, lowering her face as to cover how red it has become.
She waited.
A part of her wanted to believe it was a joke. Her friends told her that last year, there was a twist too. Her knuckles turned white, but still -nothing. Swallowing her pride and stubbornness, she squeaked out a small thank you before piping down once again.
Once she got off the stage, her feet took her away from the crowd. She could feel her face warming up, the hot substance starting to roll down already, causing her to run even faster. She made a turn for the toilet and locked the door behind her. She cried and let her tears roll down. Her grandma had always told her that it’s okay to cry.
Her fingers shook as she pressed the numbers on her phone. Mom. She needed her mom. Her breath was ragged and uneven. Disguising it was impossible, not now at the very least. Pain seared in the left side of her chest when her mom picked up.
"Mommy… I-I’m sorry." She lowered her phone an stared at it for a while. It ended with a simple click. She probably made it sound too much of a death note unintentionally. How silly.
MGA SPECIAL EPISODE : PARK JIMIN, #2024 UNREVEALED
The morning light poured from between her window blinds. Reaching for her alarm, she stretched her arm out and randomly hit on the bedside table. Groaning, she got up and shoved her blanket aside.
She blinked.
"Hi." Her voice came out as more of an embarrassed whisper than a straightforward sentence. "That was a bit embarrassing, wasn't it?" Her face warmed up and color rushed to her cheeks. Hair up in a bun, she sheepishly smiled at the camera and held on to the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I don't usually sleep in but I guess I got really tired from studying last night." The crew had just told her about the so called special episode. Technically speaking, she would have to show them how she lives her life from day to day.
"That reminds me, you are still attending school right?"
She gave the PD and affirmative nod. "Yes, exam week has just passed." It reminded her of how hard she studied only a month before. The MGAs was in no ways a concern to her at that time. "But I have this test coming up so I have to study. School's actually pretty fun." A grin formed on her lips, giving her face an extra boost of radiance and youth. Putting her hand against her chin, she took a few seconds to think of what to show to the crew.
An idea popped in her head. "Come on, I'll show you my room." She walked moderately, not too fast and not too slow- just enough to make sure the audience feels welcome. Hands lifted up to represent a grand entrance she turned the doorknob and smiled. "Ta-daa! Welcome to my room!" She's seen a lot of room tour videos on YouTube and surely she could make one too, right?
The camera first shot the right-hand corner of her room. A huge board covered that side of the wall. She placed the palm of her hands on it with a proud expression engraved on her face. "This is one of my favorite things ever. Do you know what it is?" She looked at the crew to see if any of them had reacted.
No one did. They simply shook their heads and continued with the filming.
The girl shrugged. A playful smirk made its way on her face. She leaned in closer to the camera and whispered. "It's called an adventure board." She took some time to admire her work- you probably can call it pride. "What I do is basically stick on pictures, travel logs, and mementos of my travels here." Her eyes settled on her junior high graduation picture, the edges of her lips curling into a smile. "But I don't always put travel-related items here. Memories that I treasure too, will be stuck on here."
Turning towards the camera, she clapped her hands and grinned. The next stop would definitely be the kitchen. She cheered and hopped around when they got there, almost forgetting that every single thing she did is being recorded. She muttered a small oh when she spotted the camera. Opening the fridge, she took out a carton of milk. "I'll be having breakfast, if you don't mind." It was true, she hadn't had breakfast since morning and since the crew would be staying for a while longer she might as well eat before she goes to school.
"Do you want some?" She scooped a spoon of cereal and brought it closer to the camera. Just as it gets closer and closer, she retracted her hand and shoved the thing in her mouth. A restrained laugh faintly escaped her lips as she tried hard not to choke on her breakfast. After finishing her breakfast, she took her bowl to the sink and washed it clean. "See people, you have to wash your dishes."
After downing a glass of water, she went back to her room and stood in front of the door. "I'm gonna go wash up bait and change into my school uniform, please wait for a bit!" Closing the door behind her, she dressed up and got ready for school.
SCHOOL
"Welcome to SOPA!" Jimin waved her arms in front of her as she walked backwards. "This is my dearest second home. Yes, apparently my second home is my school." Clicking her tongue she spun on her heels and faced the road in front of her. "It's really nice in here and I don't regret studying here. Everyone's really fun and nice, plus, the teachers are really funny too!"
"What do you think of the facility?"
She tilted her head for a while before answering. "I think it's okay. I mean, the place is really clean and so are all the facilities they provide us with." Her feet kicked a stray rock as she walked. Once she reached the actual front door, she took a second to wave at the camera and smile. "I guess I'll see you again at lunch. Bye!" With a final wave, she went inside and let the door close on its own.
LUNCH
A fit of giggles could be heard even from 50 meters away. The school canteen was buzzing with life, be it students or staffs alike. "We're given pretty good food in here." The girl licked her lips as she looked at the day's menu. "I'll have a chicken katsu with tonkatsu sauce. Oh, and make sure you give me plenty of rice." Her chirpy voice sounded even happier than usual.
"Do you like chicken katsu?"
Jimin nodded. "I love any kind of food to be honest. As long as they're good, I'm in." This came off as a bit different. Girls would usually watch what they eat and refrain from snacking too much. "But I exercise and eat mostly organic food at home. So it reduces the amount of fat I gain. Kind of." She laughed and smiled at the camera. Taking the tray in front of her she proceeded to sit next to her friends.
"This is Mina and this is Jihye. They're sort of my best friends." The other girls playfully punched her in the arm and laughed. "Jimin is really sweet sometimes." Mina said. "But she can also be a real pain in the ass, especially when she starts pulling pranks." Jihye too spoke to the camera. The three girls talked amongst themselves for the rest of the break, occasionally eating their lunch.
"So you guys are going to vote for me no matter what, right?" The two girls nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "We have your back kid." Smiling, the young girl gave them both a big hug before looking at the camera. Pushing away her bangs, she put her soon aside. "Alright, I'll get going then." she said as she waved at the camera.
AFTER SCHOOL
The crew arrived in front of a cafe. Holding on to her hat, the girl gestured at the cafe. "The owner of this cafe is my friend's parents. We're almost like siblings except for the part where we don't actually come from the same womb." Making her way inside, she showed the crew around. From coffee machines to the best seats, she gave them the full tour.
Leaning against the counter, she called for one of the workers. "Ahjumma, have you seen Tae?" The older woman only replied with the shake of her head. Nodding, she bowed and thanked the woman before making her way out of the cafe. "Well, since my friend's not there, I couldn't introduce him to you." Hopping, she pretended to pull the camera closer. After almost falling on her butt, she laughed and walked normally.
HOME
Plopping down on the seat next to her mom's she leaned in on her mother's shoulder. "Everyone, this is my mom. Isn't she pretty~?" Her mom shyly looked away and shielded her face with a local newsletter. "Jimin, I look really bad right now." Feeling a bit playful, Jimin nudged her mom and smirked. "But mom you always look like that."
The next thing she knew, a pillow had just landed on her lap after making contact with her face.
Making her way towards the balcony, she spotted her dad and pulled him closer to the camera. "Dad, say hi!" Confused, the man half waved, half stared at the camera. Scratching his head, he turned to face his daughter. "Why is the crew still here?" Shrugging, the girl could only reply that she doesn't know. Her dad nodded- he looked as if he had just learned something interesting. "Well have fun." he said before walking away. Stepping closer, Jimin smiled.
"My parents are weird like that. But that's exactly why I love them."
JIMIN'S ROOM
Legs crossed she hugged her giant rabbit plush. Her room's color scheme was pastel, giving her room a more feminine touch. "That's all for today. Now I need my sleep and-" she rubbed the nape of her neck, "I think you need one too." She grinned widely and waved at the camera. "I hope you guys will keep on supporting me. I know I'm a bit weird and peculiar but a little diversity won't change a thing, right? Anyways, have a good week ahead!" With only a few seconds to go, she waved at the camera and threw a playful wink.
