#rkmga4

[rkevent]

MGA SEASON 4: THE SEMI-FINAL STARTS NOW!

The sun shines brightly for the first time in a while. This season was submerged in the summer, but mostly hidden away in closed sets. Maybe the summertime challenge had already passed, but that didn’t stop the semi-finals from taking place right under the sun for the city to watch. Anyone who had some time to spare showed up in Hongdae to watch the performances of the week live, while some others… well…

“I told my boss I was sick so I could come watch,” a woman stated without a trace of regret. Her friend covers her own face in embarrassment. “And who did you come to support?” the interviewer asked. “Kim Yongsun! Teacher, fighting!” The microphone moved towards the friend and the first woman is quick to elbow the second so the latter would remove the hand from her face. “Ah, I… like Choi Yoojung.” She then returns the hand to her face, now embarrassed for herself as well. “What if our boss watches this?”

The next to be interviewed are a small group of male students holding banners of their obvious choice. “Jung Jinsoul!” They all cheer in unison. “For you, I’d give out my soul!” There’s another group of males, but who are all comically dressed in suits while trying to harmonise a cheer together. “Lee~ Lu~ Da~!” A girl then stands by herself in front of the camera. “Don’t you think I look a bit like Kim Doyeon?” A quick split of the screen shows their faces for comparison, her statement clearly proven wrong.

As much as the sun shines, with a crowd overly excited, the scene transitions back into the usual set, showing images from the previous week. The contestants are told to go one by one to choose their challenge of the week. Firstly, the camera shows Lee Luda as she walks inside the familiar room. She was the chosen “best singer by” the judges, and the weight on her shoulders shows by the time she spends simply staring at the options.

Her song of choice is “All Night” by ChiChi, and, followed by her, Kim Yongsun picks the song as well. Jeon Somi joins the team. “I’m picking All Night!” she says while clapping her hands together before pressing them on her cheeks. To complete the team, there’s Minatozaki Sana and Kim Doyeon, making this the first all-girl group of the season.

When they meet for the first time inside the practice room they all seem to be very excited to be with each other. Somi and Doyeon hug each other, and everyone seems to have already worked with at least one of their teammates. Still, the girls make sure to introduce themselves again so everyone’s on the same page. “Mm- before we start…” Doyeon hesitates for a moment, but she soon continues with what she’d like to say. “We’ve come this far and knowing for sure one of us won’t make it to final is sad to say the least, I know, but let’s try to work well together and have fun this week,” she says with an encouraging tone, offering a smile to her teammates. “I guess this is the first girls-only group here, so let’s make it memorable!”

They start giving out ideas for their team name, and after some suggestions have passed, Yongsun raises her hand. “Since we are all girls this week, how about something like Girl Power?” All the other girls agree on it, and their team is finally settled. Yongsun also volunteers herself to distribute the lines, and Doyeon asks to join. “Unnie, you can give me lines and higher notes this time, okay? I’m confident now,” she says cheerfully while sitting next to the other. “You raised me well.” And then she winks.

Once they’re done, they show the finished sheets to their teammates. Sana quickly voiced her desire to sing one of the lines given to Yongsun, and the older gladly gave it away. “Of course you can have that one.” The team starts practice as a well-oiled machine. All the girls seem to get along well with each other, and not only do they have strong vocalists, but they have strong dancers as well.

In one of the breaks, Luda sits by herself in front of the mirror to practice her expressions. She starts by trying to flex her non-existent bicep muscles and tries to look tough while doing so. The more she tries, though, the cuter she looks. The fierce look on her face only truly looks like she’s pouting, so the girl ends up settling for a wink instead of anything too fierce.

The scene changes to the group appearing at the top of the stage being welcomed by the roaring cheers of the crowd, and the reason for Luda’s practices is quickly shown. “Hello, we are Girl,” and as they’re about to say the second part, each member shows off their biceps. “Power!” They all end up laughing at it themselves, and once they’re done giving their individual introductions they move to their starting positions.

Sana starts the performance as center, delivering the cute line of “I like to party!” Even if they have a smaller number of members than the original performance by ChiChi, the group still manages to move in unison and make the stage feel complete. They raise their legs as the memorable dance move of All Night, and the crowd cheers in return. Their shiny outfits reflect the bright sun above, making the performance even more spectacular.

The youngest, Somi, does the rap after the chorus, gaining a lot of screaming reaction from the audience. During the dance break, the three dancers take the center and, as expected from a ChiChi song, the crowd chants along to it. The ending chorus has Sana as center again, and the girl finishes the performance. As the song comes to an end, they turned their backs to the audience again, but turned their heads, so their side profile was visible. The crowd claps and cheers, and it’s time to move on to the next group.

The first person in the room is the chosen best rapper, Kim Taehyung, and he picks “Fxxk It” by BIGSTAR as his challenge. Kim Junmyeon chooses the song as well, followed by the young Lee Minhyung. “Their rappers are what I aspire to be. I want to be as charismatic and talented as them so I’ll work hard to make sure they’re well represented.” Along with them, there is Seo Soojin and Kim Mingyu, who complete their small team.

On the first day at the practice room, Taehyung walks in with his hair dyed bubblegum pink, and all of his teammates give positive remarks about it, hyping him up. The boy runs his hand dramatically through his hair, and everyone else cheers in response to the sight. Just as the team before, this team seems to be getting along well.

“I’d like to do the opening verse that Raehwan sings.” Junmyeon says, but Soojin quickly cuts in saying that she’d like to do it as well. It’s an important part of the song, and whoever sings it would get a lot of attention to themselves. At first, there’s silence, but then the girl suggests they share it. Junmyeon nods and gives her a thumbs up. “Sharing sounds good to me. We can split all the vocal parts this way so we both have an equal chance to show our talents.” They high-five each other, and peace is once again settled in the practice room.

When it’s time to decide on a team name, Junmyeon looks at Taehyung with a smile before suggesting something. “Well, we were team Little Star week one… how about something to do with stars now?” A quick cut of their first performance with a different BIGSTAR song plays on the screen before returning to present time. They settle on ‘Rising Star’ and everyone seems to be content with it.

A few days into rehearsal, Soojin brings a tie with her for Junmyeon to wear. The woman ties it herself, and his face slowly turns an obvious shade of red. When she pulls away, he covers his cheeks, but it’s still obvious that he is embarrassed, especially when he starts to fan himself. When they start practice again it becomes obvious why she brought the tie with her. It’s their starting verse, and the woman grabs at the tie, pulling Junmyeon closer to her. His face turns red all over again, and once Soojin is done he crumples to the ground with a nervous laugh. Soojin doesn’t seem to be afraid of pushing physical boundaries, however, and different cuts of her pinching Minhyung’s cheeks is shown before returning to her grabbing onto Junmyeon’s tie multiple times.

They step onto the stage together and greet the cheering crowd in unison, their hands imitating twinkling. “Hello, we are Rising Star!” After their introduction, most of the members exit the stage, leaving only Soojin and Junmyeon to start it off. Their practice move with a tie is executed perfectly, this time without the man shying away. They move away when it’s time for someone else to sing, and the stage is only complete when it’s time for the chorus. The performance is much more on the chiller side, and they all seem to be having fun on the stage.

The youngest, Minhyung, who was most commonly knowing for his rapping abilities, sings the bridge of the song. The crowd cheers in surprise, and the song slowly gets closer to its end. The long-awaited final chorus arrives, and as each member sings their assigned line, the crowd moves their hands up and down to the rhythm of the music. Once they’re done, the audience claps at the performance, and the screen wobbles back to the empty room.

Kim Chungha is the first to appear, gladly choosing H.A.M’S ‘Why So Lonely’ as her song. However, the contestants that follow don’t have the freedom to choose. “Ah, this is… not what i would’ve hoped for,” Bae Joohyun says, “All is taken but this one… okay.” Kim Bora is next, this one actually with a smile on her face. “I guess I have a knack for picking songs nobody wants anyway,” a reference to the team of leftovers she was in last week. Jung Jinsoul joins them, as well as Ji Changmin. “Ah, last again, uh?” he says.

The first one to arrive is Bora, who excitedly screams as she walks into the room. “Now I’ve been in all the company buildings.” As the rest of the members join her, though, it’s clear that most of them didn’t actually want to be there, except only for Bora and Chungha. They start things off by discussing their ages so they can address each other accordingly. Chungha’s eyes widen in shock when Jinsoul reveals she was actually born in 2000, and Changmin is the youngest born a year later. Joohyun was the eldest, but Chungha drops a comment so they wouldn’t both feel bad. “Don’t worry, women age like fine wine. And you’re very fine, unnie.” The eldest immediately blushes, but returns the compliment.

Jinsoul sits by herself while eating a pear when someone starts playing their music. The girl looks up to stare at herself in the mirror and quickly swallows her food. What follows is her lip syncing to the song, as well as dancing from her waist up. Her eyes keep focused on the mirror, though, and Jinsoul tries out all of her best facial expressions on herself.

The two youngest seem to be the two most conflicted about expressions. Changmin approaches Chungha for some help (while comically calling her ‘Chunghaha’) and the woman gives him some advice. The boy ends up walking towards one of the cameras, showing off his best newly-learned expressions. “Good, right?” he whispers to the audience, “Chunghaha noona taught me!”

Finally, the day of the performance arrives, and the team introduces themselves. “Hello, we are team Wonder Child!” After their individual greetings, they move over to their starting positions. This song has a more different vibe from the other ones from the day, but the team still gives their best to make this just as exciting a performance. Jinsoul and Changmin show off their practiced expressions. It’s a mature song when comparing it to their age, but the two manage to perform it well. The girl even gets a lot of center parts, both in the dance and vocally. Eventually, the performance comes to an end, and the crowd claps for the contestants, just in time for the scene to change back to the empty room.

Lee Sungyeol appears, and his song of choice is ‘Can Be Better’ by ChAOS. Choi Yoojung picks the song as well, and then Joo Haknyeon enters the room. Three of the five songs were already chosen, but the boy throws a fist up in the air out of happiness. Dong Sicheng and Kim Jonghyun pick that same song, and, just like that, their group is formed.

When they enter the practice room, there seem to be a few familiar faces. Yoojung and Haknyeon share a high five, and others greet each other with known smiles. The idea for a team name comes easily when Sungyeol suggests one of his ideas. “Maybe we could be Control. Like our song is by ChAOS, what’s the opposite of chaos…?” Everyone agreed with the idea, and so their name was chosen.

The line distribution proves to be a bit more troublesome. They’re a team composed of three rappers, but the song is heavily focused on vocals. Jonghyun shares his concerns about his voice. “I don’t feel skilled enough to pull off either– I don’t want to drag the team down with that.” The team still tries to work something out, and decide on breaking some verses to make it easier for their rappers to shine.

However, Jonghyun didn’t seem to have much confidence in himself. Sungyeol tries to help by cheering him up with one of Haknyeon’s tangerines. He puts it on a fork, and tries to make the boy eat with words meant for babies. “Here comes the airplane! Whoosh whoosh…” The younger looks at him in surprise but Sungyeol marks it as a win. Haknyeon himself approaches Jonghyun later on. “Hyung, something’s off. What’s up? Did you hurt yourself while practicing?” But Jonghyun’s reactions tell him no. “I keep wondering if I am skilled enough for the semi-finals… am I good enough?” As expected, Haknyeon knows just the right words to cheer him up. “Hyung,” he begins, “You’re good. You’re very good. You might not think you’re good enough but the judges do. They saw something in you and that’s why you’ve made it this far. Don’t doubt yourself hyung.”

The mood seems to go up a bit, and the teammates have fun with each other while practicing. Even after making a mistake, Yoojung laughs it off and continues to dance. Haknyeon throws himself on the floor and shouts out one of his lines before just as quickly returning to practice. As much as having fun was nice, they also knew the importance of serious practice.

With the cheers from the crowd, the team goes up on stage and introduces themselves. “Hello! We are Control!” The audience screams in response, and the members walk over to their starting positions. The song is fun and exciting, and the crowd can’t help but dance along to the bright rhythm. Yoojung winks at the camera after her verse is done and the song goes on. They all could have been stressed at the thought of an end being so close, but the looks on their face showed their excitement of being on the stage. It ends, and the audience claps at their performance.

The famous empty room is taken over by Jeon Wonwoo, the chosen “best dancer” by the CEOs. He chooses ‘Tell Me’ by MYNAME, a group notorious for their dancing. Followed by him is Kim Jinhee, Hwang Hyunjin, Kim Hyunjung and Moon Bin. They gather for the first time inside of NOVA’s building, and, as expected, most people already know each other from a previous performance during the competition. It only serves to bring forth a reality check on how close to the finale everything was.

Firstly, they needed to choose a group name for themselves. Jinhee suggests one of her ideas quietly at first, it either being Reset or Redux, but eventually raises her voice a bit to explain it. “You know, it goes along with the story in the song.  And I think it conveys the group’s mindset right now... that we want to restart.  Let’s reset the way they look at us.” The members seem to agree with it, but the discussion wouldn’t end without one of Bin’s witty comments. “It’s not Kpop without a number in it.” And so, their name is chosen to be RE5ET.

Hyunjin and Hyunjung sit by themselves one day, and the girl lets out her sad thoughts and nervousness. The boy confides in her his own thoughts and worries, commenting about how his last performance involving a MYNAME song hadn’t ended up too well. Trying to cheer him up, the girl decides to share her own lacking area by coming up with a ‘rap’ which involved mostly the names of different foods. They both end up laughing, and the mood is lifted up.

They take some time to actually relax and have fun while practicing. Stil, Bin even manages to make Jinhee ‘woof’ as a reference to a previous team they were in together. On Thursday, they all decide to sleep next to each other in the practice room before the day of recording. They buy food and eat together until they all fall asleep.

It’s the day of the performance, and they go up on the stage together. “From the top, we are RE5ET!” The crowd cheers at them, and after each member introduces themselves, they move to their starting positions. Hyunjin starts by walking towards the camera, with perfect eye contact and expression when he delivers the opening line. His lines are spread all across the song, with the other members getting to shine in between. Bin and Hyunjung take most of the heavy vocal, while Jinhee and Wonwoo manage to keep up with the dancing. In the end, the crowd cheers for them, and there are no performances left.

The only thing left to do is something completely different from the previous episodes, and a chance to interact with the viewers. A hi-touch event starts, involving 200 lucky fans who’d get to meet the contestants. The camera highlights a few of them as they receive the affection with a smile. First it’s Kim Jonghyun greeting the viewers, and then the young Jeon Somi. Kim Junmyeon is shown as a sea of fans walk over to greet him, and Minhyung, by his side, only gets a couple of high fives. Soojin, beside him, is completely ignored. She started looking down to the floor, already losing confidence, when the people beside her give her a nudge to notify her that someone was standing in front of her. After touching each other’s hands, Soojin walks to the back and hides her face before she started to cry. More people came to greet her later on, and, eventually, the event came to an end.

The usual set comes into view, and what is about to come is almost obvious. The CEOs make their first appearance, sitting at their designated chairs while the groups remain standing on the stage below. There’s only one thing left to do, and the look on Baek Jiyoung’s face could easily fool anyone. “Welcome back to the set! I hope you had fun outside.” She chuckles, looking at her fellow judges before returning her attention to the contestants. “We certainly had a lot of fun monitoring you from a room with air conditioning.” The rest of the CEOs chuckle in agreement.

“I’ll start by announcing the rank between the teams. Since you went out and had the opportunity to interact with the public, we also took the chance to hear their opinions and reactions to the performances, and took that into consideration.” She fixes the microphone on her hand and looks at the paper in front of her before continuing with the first announcement. “Firstly, we’ll start with the third rank, and then make our way up.” Jiyoung nods at the contestants and then parts her lips to speak: “The team who ranked third this week is… Team Tell Me.” The woman gives them a big smile. “You all did great on dancing, which is the thing people worry about the most when it comes to MYNAME, but the song was simply lacking here and there from an overall standpoint. You weren’t the best, but you didn’t do terribly bad, so the third place suits you. You did well.”

So Jisub takes his microphone next, ready to announce the next rank. “The team who ranked second this week is… Team Fxxk It.” He gives them a nod from his chair before proceeding. “You were lucky with your team composition, and everyone got to show their strengths, as well as some unexpected talents. There was also great chemistry not only between each other but also with the stage, which is always great to see. We’ll look forward to you in the future.”

The grand rank is next, and Katie Lee will be the one to announce it. “There are only three groups left, and between you, one will be the great winner of the week. Since we’re already at the semi-finals, it should feel good right?” There’s the typical sly smile on her face. The woman pauses for a second to build up the atmosphere before she continued speaking. “The winner of this week is… Team All Night.” She spares a few claps by tapping her hand against her microphone before proceeding. “You had a very exciting song in your hands, and you managed to deliver it perfectly. ChiChi has a lot of songs that people usually cover, but that doesn’t mean they’re always good covers. You had the vocals, the dance, and, surprisingly, the rapping to do it, and you did it. Congratulations.”

Tiger JK takes his own microphone, ready to give the bad news. “So, we’re left with two teams. Ranking isn’t a good feeling, and it shouldn’t be. The eliminations today will be made from every team, and we hope that people take this as a time to reflect on their abilities and, also, on themselves.” The man clears his throat and takes his cheat paper to deliver his announcement. “The team who finished last today is… Team Why So Lonely.” He spares a look to the contestants before proceeding. “A lot of you worried that the younger members wouldn’t be able to express themselves too well, but we think they did well. Even if it was a more mellow song, we expected you to control the stage a bit better, and captivate the crowd like H.A.M does but, sadly, it didn’t work out too well. Still, we’ll be continuing to see most of you here, and hopefully you’ll improve in that area before the next episode.”

“As for the fourth team… Team Can Be Better.” The CEO spares them a look this time. “There was good teamwork between you, and you managed to pass on the great energy that came from the original song. You had no control over who would be your teammates, of course, but we think that was what tugged you all down. There were a lot of rappers, and you ended up having to break the structure of the song to try and give everyone lines. Energy-wise you all did great, but, sadly, it wasn’t as good as we had hoped.”

The ranking announcements were done, meaning there was only one thing left to do. Eliminations. Hyun Bin is the one left, and so, he starts speaking into his microphone. “One person will be eliminated from each team, meaning five of you will be going home today. Those who stay will officially be the finalists of the Mnet Global Auditions Season 4.” He stops speaking, and the usual tense song starts playing in the background.

“The contestant from team Why So Lonely who will be leaving us today is....” The camera focuses on each of the member’s faces before landing back on the judge. “Kim Chungha.” The music stops, and her face is the only thing on the screen. “You’re a very well-rounded contestant, and maybe that was what was missing. You’re a good dancer, but your singing could still use some work. You had to use a lot of it today, and it wasn’t as good as we’d have liked. We hope you’ll keep on practicing, and good luck on your future endeavors.”

Baek Jiyoung goes next, holding onto her mic. “The contestant from team Can Be Better who will be leaving us today is… Lee Sungyeol.” She gives him a close-lipped smile before proceeding. “You’ve made a great journey so far, but you won’t be joining us next week. Even if the dancing this week was more simple, you still need to improve on it, and actually bettering your vocal skills would do you well, as well. We appreciate your time here, and wish you well on whichever path you take in the future.”

There’s only three left, and So Jisub is the one to announce it next. “The person from team Tell Me that’ll be leaving us today is… Kim Jinhee. You’ve worked hard so far, but we thought it was time for you to go. You’re a good dancer, which is what was mostly keeping you afloat. Your voice could still use some practice, as well as your expressions. Keep working hard, and we’ll be waiting to hear more from you in the future.” He settles his microphone on the table and looks over to Katie Lee for her to continue.

“The person from team Fxxk It who’ll be leaving us today is… Kim Taehyung.” The result would probably come out as a shock, but it isn’t the first shocking thing to happen that season. “You were chosen as the best rapper last episode, but it’s important to know that isn’t the only skill needed in this path. We hope you’ll keep working on how to capture the audience and control the stage a bit better. Your teammates were better at that, and maybe if you were in a different team you would have continued with us. You have a lot of potential, but, sadly, not to continue on this competition. Good luck in your future endeavors.”

Finally, the last elimination is about to be announced. Tiger JK gets the attention for this one, and the suspenseful music starts playing as intensely as ever. “And now, the last person to leave us today, from the team All Night, is… Minatozaki Sana.” He gives the girl a knowing look before continuing. “Your entire group was very well constructed and, honestly, you could have passed for a group of trainees set to debut. Sadly, one of you had to go home, and we chose you. You have a good talent of grabbing people’s attention but, most importantly, we think you must still work on your singing ability. We hope you’ll continue working hard, and we’ll wait to hear more from you in the future.”

The eliminated contestants leave the grand stage, and remaining on it are only twenty people left. Tiger JK continues speaking into his microphone, now addressing the rest of the contestants. “All of you standing here managed to very nearly complete your journey. You are, officially, the finalists of this season. There’s only one more challenge in front of you, and we hope that you give it your all. Congratulations.”

To see all of this season’s finalists, click here!

And now, let’s see what’s in store for our final episode!

It’s been a long journey, but the grand finale is right around the corner. Only 20 contestants are left to fight for big title of the winner, but not everyone will get to win. The final challenge will happen on a live stage, except this time the stage is much bigger. The set can fit up to 3000 people in the audience and the episode will be streamed live on the MGAs official website for everyone across the world to watch.

To prove themselves, each contestant will have a maximum of 150 seconds to show a solo performance at the live stage. Special stage effects such as professional lighting and dry ice will be allowed to use, as well as a maximum of 4 backup dancers. However, there’ll also be a second performance which everyone will need to take part in. With 10 female contestants and 10 male contestants, two original songs were composed especially for the final episode of the MGAs.

The group songs for this week are as seen below:

GIRLS

Like A Star (line distribution)

Vocal 1 - Lee Luda

Vocal 2 - Kim Doyeon

Vocal 3 - Jeon Somi

Vocal 4 - Jung Jinsoul

Vocal 5 - Kim Hyunjung

Vocal 6 - Seo Soojin

Vocal 7 - Bae Joohyun

Vocal 8 - Kim Bora

Vocal 9 - Kim Yongsun

Rapper 1 - Choi Yoojung

--

BOYS

Stand By Me (line distribution)

Vocal 1 - Kim Junmyeon

Vocal 2 - Moon Bin

Vocal 3 - Dong Sicheng

Vocal 4 - Kim Jonghyun

Vocal 5 - Jeon Wonwoo

Vocal 6 - Ji Changmin

Vocal 7 - Hwang Hyunjin

Vocal 8 - Joo Haknyeon

Rapper 1 - Lee Minhyung

Rapper 2 - Kim Mingyu

As you can see, the lines were already separated into different parts for the contestants to choose from. However, the members who ranked the lowest will get to choose their parts first. That’s right. The lowest ranked members will pick their parts first. Of course, there is always a trick. After they’ve chosen their part, any other higher ranked member has the power to take it for themselves and will have to place the lower ranked member in any other available part there is. Therefore, for the first time, the rank of all team members from the previous mission will be revealed, as seen below:

ALL NIGHT

1 - Lee Luda 2 - Kim Doyeon 3 - Kim Yongsun 4 - Jeon Somi

FXXK IT

1 - Kim Junmyeon 2 - Seo Soojin 3 - Lee Minhyung 4 - Kim Mingyu

TELL ME

1 - Jeon Wonwoo 2 - Moon Bin 3 - Kim Hyunjung 4 - Hwang Hyunjin

CAN BE BETTER

1 - Joo Haknyeon 2 - Kim Jonghyun 3 - Choi Yoojung 4 - Dong Sicheng

WHY SO LONELY

1 - Jung Jinsoul 2 - Kim Bora 3 - Ji Changmin 4 - Bae Joohyun

For this mission, two boards (one for each song) were taken to the stage with the available vocal/rap spots listed and pictures of each contestant available for them to lift and stick to their desired spot. This means all of the contestants were able to see with their own eyes as each person placed their photo on their desired vocal spot and move the previously-positioned person.

There will be no leader system for this episode, but all members should still come up with a team name that will represent them.

After both performances are done, the two groups will join each other on the stage to perform a quick mashup of both songs, of which the details can be found here.

For this week, two practice rooms in the Seocho Training Complex were landed for use, one for each team. On the first three days after the challenge announcement (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), the contestants are to be present in the rooms to learn the team song choreography. On the first two days, they’ll have the help from the original choreographers, while on the third they’re to practice by themselves. Any other day, the rooms will be available for anyone to practice either their group song or their solo performance (girls still separated from the boys.) Those who requested backup dancers may enter get in contact with the staff to reserve the room to teach them the choreography if needed. You may also give a video reference to the staff and use the time simply to practice. A schedule will be found properly taped to the front door so no one will use the room during someone else’s time. Solo practice footage will most likely not be aired, and anyone who’d like to practice at their own home or studio is free to do so without pressure.

The group performances will have their outfits specially made for them. Their measurements will be taken on Saturday afternoon at the Seocho practice room. The first fitting will be on Wednesday, and the second on Friday. A sound and stage check will happen all through Sunday until the show starts at night. Starting at 8am, everyone will have to perform their solo songs as well as the group performances in casual clothes, and then at 3pm there’ll be another full check, except that this time a dress rehearsal with the performance clothes.

The gates will open for the audience to enter the set at 7:30pm and the show will start at 9pm. It’ll last somewhere around 2 hours.

                          Tune in next Sunday, the 26th, for our final episode!

MGA Season 4 episode nine preview: The final episode has finally arrived, and only the best contestants will get to perform a solo stage for the entire world to see. Did your favorite contestant survive until the end? Will they get the win? Will someone else win your heart with their final performance instead? Tune in next week to find out!

SURPRISE! On Friday, after their second fitting, all contestants are told to wait in the room. Once everyone is done and back in their usual clothes, the contestants will be moved to the Seocho auditorium where they’re told to sit next to each other. Once everyone is seated and comfortable, a video will start playing with clips of everyone’s auditions which took place over two months ago. What will be shown of each contestant can be found here. Once the clips are over, a new video will start playing, showing scenes of the remaining contestants working their hardest in the practice room, and small snippets of their latest performances. You’ve worked hard, contestants!

[ All teams had their introduction and performance aired. Any other part only made it to the final cut if it was mentioned in this post.

Muns will be approached one by one in order of ranking based on what’s written on this post by Mod Bianca to choose their song part for this week.

Contestants have until 5PM EST of Sunday, the 26th, to post their 200+ words solos about their solo performance on the final stage. That’s at 5PM, not midnight. Please tag all related posts with #rkmga4 and #rkmga4final.

Contestants may also write a 200+ words solo about their group performance to win a bonus +1 CHARISMA and +1 SHOWCASED SKILL. Posts should be up until 5PM EST of Sunday, the 26th. That’s at 5PM, not midnight. Please tag all related posts with #rkmga4 and #rkmga4final. After the solo is up, please link this post as verification.

To win +1 CHARISMA, contestants may write a 200+ words solo describing their time watching the old clips of themselves with the other contestants. Posts should be up until midnight EST of Friday, the 24th. It should include, at the very least, their reactions to their own clips to count for points. Please tag all related posts with #rkmga4 and #rkmga4memories. After the post is up, feel free to add +1 CHARISMA to your points sheet! Please link this post as verification.

When at Seocho Training Complex, contestants should not interact with any trainees and should mostly keep themselves inside the practice room except for meals or bathroom breaks. This time around, muses not part of the MGAs may be part of the live audience. More information about this will come in a future post.

Any group chat made as a way for the muns of the contestants to interact with each other for this mission should have Mod Bianca and Mod Mira (@luvseungjoon and @allevicte on twitter) added to it. They will be there to monitor everything, but any questions should be sent to the rkevent inbox in case someone else had the same question and so it won’t be seen as an advantage to your group.

To award everyone for making it to the semi-finals, feel free to add +2 CHARISMA and +2 SHOWCASED SKILL to your points sheet! This includes members eliminated on this episode. Please link this post as verification.

For writing purposes, this is the order things will happen during the final episode:

CEOs start the show and invite all the contestants to the stage where they’ll each have a moment to quickly introduce themselves before they leave.

First half of solo performances in order of contestant number.

Airing of the contestants watching their old clips

Second half of solo performances in order of contestant number

Girls practice cut, Girls group performance

Boys practice cut, Boys group performance

Joined performance

Final ranking announcements and winner

The end. ]

[rkxhyunjin]

[rklino]

((   always  coming  back  !!  ))    ➡   TEAM C ::            

                                                                                    BOOMERANG  !!

                     ↳ now performing  ::  RUBBER BAND  (( ikon ))

↳   line dis  ::  dance ref ::  4004  4008  4016  4028  4032

daehwi is eliminated, and team i is ranked in such a low placement that yoongi feels awful. the frustration that all the hardwork they’ve done the past week had been for nothing; for a good performance, but lackluster. it’s frustrating; it does things to his ego, to his pride and to his entire mindset. 

they’re shuffled and placed into another team. yoongi has the luck of at least placing with minhyung again, and hyuna. it’s very lucky for him; he has people he’s used to, both in general comfort and general performing. doyeon and bin are new faces, but they’re nice enough-- talented, kind people that yoongi thinks he’ll become more comfortable the more they work together.

“min yoongi, contestant 4016,” is mumbled in greeting, a hesitant smile on his face directed towards his new teammates. the preparation, yoongi feels, is always the worst before any performance. especially here, where discussions over leadership, songs, distributions and chorography. then comes practice, practice, practice. it’s something yoongi’s prepared to do, no matter how frustrating or hard it might come off as. 

but choosing a leader comes first. since hyuna can’t, as per rules, yoongi is all for doyeon taking the lead. she’s got the charismatic air around her-- but hyuna says his name instead, and agreement rolls across the room. it takes several seconds for it to settle; yoongi appointed as leader, yoongi is the leader. yoongi has to guide, yoongi is the leader-- and the anxiety settles in his gut. he hadn’t been a thought, a possible option to himself. yoongi knows damn well he doesn’t have the heart, doesn’t have what it takes to lead anyone down the right path. doesn’t know how to show structure or guide or anything what’s expected.

and it dampens him. hesitation on every decision-- that worry growing in his gut that plagues him. it makes him approach awkwardly, makes every comment he makes seem strange-- seem not sure of himself. because he isn’t. yoongi thinks this is a terrible idea.

talking to hyuna helps. it’s a moment of weakness. of vulnerability that yoongi shows through a heaving chest and stuttering words. through panicked expressions and trembling lips, shaking hands as they grip hers. i don’t know what to do, i don’t know where to start. it’s a mess, he’s a mess. 

teamwork makes the dream work. she tells him. it’s all about working together, all about trusting in each other. she trusts him. she trusts yoongi and that’s so much-- to just have one persons trust. 

but he tries; he sucks it up, smiles and tries his damndest.

he approaches minhyung first; the obviously affected one from their previous team’s elimination. he tries his best to offer comfort-- but yoongi’s never been the greatest at it. his voice is soft and kind, his smile gentle if not the slightest bit awkward. after minhyung, is bin-- gentle encouragements and words that might come off too stiff. but it’s given attention, worry and words to compliment; bin’s not as bad as a dancer as the station makes him seem. he’s hardworking, long nights of practice and most of his time spent in the practice room. he’s admirable. doyeon after, and she’s helpful; they both go over choreography, pinpoint areas of work and to find a way to better teach the team. she would have been a good choice for leader, yoongi thinks; he hopes she has a chance to do so-- he feels as though she’d fit the role well.

throughout the entire practice session, through everyone-- he makes sure to check up on everyone. even if it’s a simple smile, a glance or a few words; he tries his damndest. they all work hard, harder than ever. they eat together in the random moments that hyuna will drag them out; there are moments of weakness, crying and tears that end with encouraging words; a group hug that yoongi is stumbled into, red faced and awkward. 

when it comes to the performance day, yoongi’s entire body is thrumming with excitement, with nervous energy. he feels a little more at ease with performing in front of a crowd as opposed to the previous times; he’s still worried, horrified at a possible loss under his leadership. his lips are chapped and bitten and his fingers are a mess of torn skin and nervous biting. 

they’re team boomerang, we’re always coming back to you! it’s a cute name, a cute little addition that makes yoongi smile and bite back the urge to chuckle. it’s a quick intro, before they settle into position. yoongi’s the starting point-- and he breathes out a sigh as his head drops. his body moves into muscle memory as the music cues, softening and settling into the role he’s chosen. hands extended, fingers formed into a heart as everyone disperses and he moves forward. 

rubber band, rubber band.

they harmonize together, jumping and moving according to the beat. he hypes himself up to continue his part, expression of confidence on his face as he slides to the front, hand on hyuna’s shoulder as he settles into his part.

our love temperature is a bit lukewarm, these days, i wanna be alone, oh no i don’t even get angry anymore i know after this phase ends, it’ll really be the end so i’m staying extra cautious

transitioning from that is hyuna, and he hears the precision in which she projects her part. from her it’s doyeon, bin and then mark-- and he’s filled with pride at how good they sound. how the movements all seem to be falling into place; it’s an overhwelming feeling-- a feeling of possible success building in his gut that brings a warm to settle over him.

the entirety of the song is fun. it’s a fun hearted dance, one with footwork and movement and jerky movements yoongi isn’t really used to, but it’s easy for him to grasp the hold of it after practice runs. the beat of it isn’t too messy, isn;t at all something yoongi finds they have a hard time doing. it’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get this far-- to yoongi, at least. 

but at the end, as they stand and the last moments of the song tick down-- he feels as though they’ve done their best. they’ve given their all to the best of their ability and that’s a great feeling.

we gotta go, yoongi slips the last part out as they finish off, end the line and the performance. it’s a rush after that-- white noise in his head as they move off stage, and he only focuses back in when he sees hyuna trip, the fall of her body causing him to pale-- and he’s one of the first to reach her. eyes sharp as they glance over her for injuries. the off-handed way that hyuna acts with it, even the twitch in her face, the slightest change in her step. she says she’s fine and yoongi leaves it be-- lips pursed as staff helps her away. he’s twitchy, fingers picking at each other and foot tapping as they wait. the pride, the warmth; it’s gone in exchange for another bout of fear, of worry. the discomfort takes hold, and this time it doesn’t release so easily.

[rktshx-blog]

K.nox: To the highest form of appreciation, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who not only supported me during this mad month. But to the nation that showed their love to all the contestants in MGAs. To the the hundreds of people that auditioned and to those that are still running the race. I got insane respect for you’ll, cause doing your thing up there in front of the big leagues and whole country, like daaamn son~! Also thank you to the staff and MGAs for treating us well and giving us this chance ^^ Again shoutout to my former teams - if i can imma vote for everyone, so i’m not gonna do specially tags since you’re all special snowflakes to me <3 - and to my mates that’s still surviving the wave with head held up high! Keep on supporting people... maybe your fav wildcard would make an appearance next week~~ ;)

♥ 3,821⇏  3 hour ago ✏ 947 Comments

[rkxsungwoon-blog]

hahawoon.97 • following

thank you for all the support so far! i’ll try harder to show a better image and a more exciting performance next week. team d – #4009 bora, #4023 kyungri, #4024 soojin, #4025 hyunjung, #4032 bin, and #4048 sungwoon, fighting! let’s go! we got this! 

♥ like 💬 comment ⌚ just now

[danielxrk]

                                         ⊰ mga 4 episode 7 interview ⊱                                                        ⊰  #4050 ; kang daniel ⊱

daniel isn’t too caught off guard when one of the mnet staff members pulls him out of practice and leads him to another room in kt’s winding halls. if anything, he’s a little relieved to get a break for something mnet mandated; his throat hurts after running through his lines so much, and his heart hurts from how much he’s lacking. he doesn’t usually watch shows like this, but aren’t interviews common? there’s always the possibility that he’s in trouble, but he doesn’t think he did anything, and once he steps inside the room and gets a good look at the table with everyone’s pictures scattered across it, he thinks he can confirm the former.

when the staff informs him that he’s picking who he thinks the best contestants are, his eyes widen. “ah, you really think i’m qualified to do something like that?” he asks, yet receives no answer. he supposes qualifications don’t really matter; on a show like this, what the viewers want is drama, and to hear the opinions of their favorites, and he at least has some of those. for as bad as daniel used to be at talking, he’s probably better in interviews than he actually is at singing, so he needs to take this time to shine if he wants to find any success this week.

he looks over the pictures spread across the table, some of the faces familiar, others he’s only seen backstage and through the tv screens provided for the teams to watch the competition. his eyes land on a picture of himself, and his lips spread into a smile, and he giggles. “this is a good picture of me, though?” he comments, making eye contact with the camera for just a moment, eyes disappearing into crescents before he turns his attention back to the pictures. “ah, really, i look so cool, people might really think i can actually win.”

the staff reminds him to get back on track, asking the question “who do you think is the best singer?” daniel nods in acknowledgement, and starts picking out pictures of contestants that stand out to him, and putting them in a separate group as he narrows his decision down. “this is hard,” he whines, but he finally makes up his mind.

“i just want to say that yongsun noona, luda, yongguk and sungyeol hyung are really good too, but-- i have a top three, and they didn’t make it,” he laughs. he looks over the pictures in his hand again, as if second guessing himself, and truly, for one contestant in particular,he isn’t sure if he wants to put her in the best vocalists category, or save her for someone he thinks could win. in the end, he supposes he can mention the same person twice.

“third, moon bin! i haven’t been in a group with him, but just from watching performances, he has a voice that’s really moving? you can tell her really enjoys singing, and i admire that.” he puts his picture down, then lifts another, smile immediately spreading across his face. “second, is jung jinsoul! her voice is really nice. she can hit high notes, but it also has a really gentle, soothing quality, in my opinion. i could listen to her sing forever,” he admits with a bashful laugh.

“the best singer in the competition, though,” he begins, and he lifts sungwoon’s picture proudly. “ha sungwoon hyung, no doubt! his voice is really powerful, and suits a variety of styles. he hits notes i didn’t know were possible for humans to hit. maybe he’s part dolphin or something,” he laughs. “i look up to hyung a lot, so even if i’m biased, i really think he’s the best, and i’m glad so many other people get to hear him sing now, too.”

“i’m excited for sungwoon hyung and jinsoulie especially to get to show off more of their singing this week,” he remarks, and he’s met with confused looks from the staff members.

“they’re on dancing teams this week though,” one of them says, and daniel’s expression darkens in realization.

“oh no,” he laughs a moment later, and he buries his face in his hands in dismay.

“dancers next,” the staff urges him, and daniel nods. he goes through the same process, gathering up pictures of the contenders as he tries to narrow down the list. “there are so many dancers,” he laments, scratching his head. finally, he comes to his decision.

“i should add a disclaimer that i don’t know much about dancing, as i’m sure you’ve seen, so this is all just based on who i’ve liked watching the most this season. honorable mentions to rosie noona, chungha noona, and somi-- it was really close! --but my pick for third best dancer in the competition is doyeon. i feel like her dancing is just...really graceful? but she can be powerful too! it’s hard to look away from her, even though i was never on a team with her.” he nods, as if in approval of his own choice. “my pick for second best dance is sua noona. her dancing just stands out, right? she could make it through the entire competition just based on dancing alone, as far as i’m concerned, but my pick for best dancer is jei noona. “

“she’s not just good at dancing, she also has a certain creativity, it makes me feel like she’s really an artist. her choreography for the first round was really cool, and her dancing throughout the entire competition has been, too. aside from that, she’s really helpful, and good at teaching those of us bad at dancing how to,” and he laughs once again.

“all that’s left are the rappers,” he observes-- and his final picks to win, of course. he once again begins gathering pictures to make his decisions, though this one comes more quickly than the others.

“shoutout to yoongi hyung and guanlinie for this category. i feel bad about not including them in my top three,” he admits, unable to meet the lens of the camera with his eyes until he lifts the picture of his third pick, kim taehyung. “i pick taehyung for my #3 rapper. he’s really good, and aside from that, an interesting character. even though i don’t know much about rap, i feel like that’s just as important as being able to rap well, right?”

he lifts up the second photo now, this time, kim mingyu. “mingyu is my second best rapper in the competition. i feel like his talent probably goes without saying, right? it’s funny, because he’s really nice and kind of quiet off-stage, but on stage he’s like-- fierce!” he chuckles to himself, then lifts up the final photo. “the best rapper in the competition is kim hyuna-ssi. i think her talent is obvious even to me and my lack of experience. she’s just leagues better than everyone else, isn’t she? her experience in the industry is obvious, not just in her rapping, but also her stage presence. didn’t she already win one season of the mgas, too? aish...her ability is seriously scary.”

next comes his final picks to win the competition, and thankfully, he’s put thought into this while narrowing down all of his other picks, and already has their photos at the ready-- two this time. “i picked two winners. aren’t there usually multiple?” he asks, but he receives no answer. “my first pick to win is seola noona! she’s really just good at everything. it’s hard to tell if she’s a better singer or dancer, because she’s so skilled in both areas-- definitely better than me at both,” he admits with a laugh. “you would think because of that, she’d be lacking in some other area, but she’s really not! her stage presence is crazy too. she could already be an idol. i think that any company would want her, for sure.”

“my final pick, and the contestant i really really think is going to win for sure, is joo haknyeon!” he announces proudly, and he beams as he holds up his friend’s photo. “haknyeon-ah is really good, i considered picking him for both the best dancers category and the best rappers category, that’s just how good he is. he’s also really charming, and looks after his friends and teammates well. i’m sad i wasn’t on a team with him yet. is there still a chance?” he asks, once again, to be left hanging.

“i think haknyeon is the standard, not just for the kind of performer you should try to be, but the kind of person, as well. he seems popular, and that’s well deserved. i’m glad korea gets to see him shine, and he deserves lots of success in his future.”

[rkrosememories]

[ rookies ] lavieenrose just posted a photo! 

[rkseongmin]

WILD CARD. MGA ATTEMPT NUMBER 2 RAP ( ORIGINAL ) DANCE ( NTLTC CHOREO 0:05-1:25 )  tw implied drug use implied underage drinking hj being really hard on himself

wild cards huh? 

hyunjoon didn’t really like the sound of that. he knows how these survival shows work--from a view standpoint--since he’s watch so many of his now favorite groups go through the same thing. watched the past mga seasons when they were airing. fell in love with contestants then, and never once considered going on the stage himself. oh how time has flown by.

while he didn’t really like the sound of wild card, knowing it was some ploy by the show to make things more interesting hyunjoon could also see it for what it is. a another chance.  

he spoke with juyeon about it, seeking the older out for the first time in over a week. 

but what if im not good enough

just do what feels right kid, dont have regrets. 

and he knows.... he knows what he want. who he wants to reach. his goal right now is not so much a dream, but he could see it becoming that. dancing has grown on him, he likes to dance. it’s almost more fun than cooking, but for whatever reason he’s having so much trouble admitting any of this. he doesn’t know why he can’t just say ‘hey, i want to be an idol--i want to dance’--although, maybe he does know. 

you’re nothing like your brother, he’d fit into all that. you dont fit anywhere, you do nothing. 

( there has been a voice in his head for weeks now, one that sounds suspiciously like his father, that whispers to him how worthless his effort is. how he should give up. he always gives up--- why doesn’t he just give up on this. after all, he’s a lazy kid, he has no drive for anything. he just makes messes and doesn’t care who he hurts )

even in the last week when he was trying to pretend he hated to dance, when he slipped back into bad habits and found himself needing to be picked up twice by his hyungs for different reasons and ended up scolded three times--four if you count inho and sungho as two-- and told himself this is all you’re worth, hyunjoon. when he cried for the fifth time in one week, five times more than he has cried in the last year, and wanted to do nothing more than just implode and not deal with anything--and he kind of did. flashes of harsh words, hard hits, bruises that would last to this day. in all that time he told himself, this isn’t you. this is who you are, why are you doing this. why can’t he just stop.

he told himself. you’re not a dancer--you’re not a chef---you can’t even pretend to care about anything--before he said fuck it and he found himself back at orions practice room.  found himself spending hours sweating out his anger in dance after dance until he collapsed onto the floor in exhausted laughter. grinning like he hasn’t in days, feeling lighter than he has in days. and he finally thought--okay, maybe this is me. 

he worked on a new dance that night, going out and performing it on his own instead of with the rest of the dance crew. he just needed to do this himself. 

he still feels the sting of being cut the first episode. 

he knows he doesn’t have the experience or talent that most had on the show, but to be cut mostly for his age was more hurtful than being cut for literally sucking at everything. he’d rather they tell him he would never make it as a idol or that his dancing stinks, than for him to be cut for his age. it’s so minor--if anything his age was his advantage. it gives the company time to mold him how they want or need. and maybe he’s bitter over that. maybe he’s annoyed that there’s still someone on the show who wasn’t even two months older yet he’s on the show, and hyunjoon isn’t.

OKAY, so he’s a lot bitter. 

but it’s not often hyunjoon finds something he actually really feels a connection too. he found cooking when he was young, and pokemon, but other than that he kind of just floats around. its why he got into partying and smoking. it was something to do. something to keep himself occupied and to keep his mind off everything. honestly. if it hadn’t been for inho and sungho, hyunjoon might have slipped into harder stuff. he was on the verge of going back into that world and the kid knew people who were into some heavy shit. it wouldn’t have been hard. 

maybe he doesn’t really realize how close he was to being unreachable. maybe he doesn’t see the danger he as putting himself in. hyunjoon has never been one to care for his own well being. he followed what his friends were doing. he followed whatever seemed to be the best path to just keep his mind working. or to numb everything out. 

dancing helped. 

that could be why he really likes it so much. not only does it give him a connection with a good handful of his friends, but he can focus on a routine and on nothing else. his mind running through the motions leaving it now time to fuck him over. dancing helped--dancing was fun. dancing is what he wants to do. to dance alone, with his friends, or even complete strangers. hyunjoon just wants to dance. 

and he was going to show them all that he was more than just some kid. that he wasn’t doing this because he wanted that five seconds of fame. that dancing means more, this show means more.

he tried cute. he tried to play off his age and go for what everyone expects of a fifteen year old. but maybe that had been his first mistake. because hyunjoon ( no matter what haknyeon or hongseok say ) is not a cute person. he doesn’t do aegyo or throw cute smiles around that curve his eyes just right. he doesn’t hold up finger hearts, or wear bright colors. he’s dark clothing, and monotone words. he’s sarcastic remarks that come out of the blue because he hasn’t spoken in over two hours. he’s holding his hyungs hand but pretending nothing is happening because the attention would scare him off. he’s subtle and blunt and closed off all at the same time. he shouldn’t have tried to be so far off from what he is. 

the wild card event is another chance to prove himself not only to the judges on mga, but also to himself that he is more than his dad says. that’s he’s more than a kid with his head full of silly ideas. to prove to himself that this isn’t a bad path to do down. that hyunjoon just needs to work harder and put in more effort. and then he’ll get there. it’s like trying to bake the perfect cake. sloppy mixing will get a result but not the one you want. 

he arrives on time, he gets ready. he’s not nervous, not like he was the first time. his expression is blank, but there’s a glint in his eye. he’s ready. he wants on that stage and regardless of what the results are, he wants to dance--no--he wants to perform. even if he doesn’t make it back onto mga, hyunjoon will be happy just to draw a reaction out of someone. 

he had shared part of his lyrics of choice with guanlin. texting the older boy rather vaguely to ask his opinion. he didn’t tell guanlin though that he was going to try for the wild card thing. he didn’t even bring up that it was lyrics he sent. he wanted to make a splash, and guanlin had to be kept in the dark. he would treat the older to ice cream or something later. 

“heo hyunjoon, thank you for the second chance.” is all he says once on stage, bowing at his waist politely. but his expression is blank, his voice is even. there’s no shake or tremble like there had been. he’s not scared like he had been. before he hadn’t been sure what he was doing on this stage. he hadn’t known what he was doing on the mga. it had all been impulsive and done without thinking and hyunjoon hadn’t been ready.

this time is different. 

the music starts, a simple back beat sounding very much like the tune of ariana grande no tears left to cry. hyunjoon is relaxed as he starts instantly into a rap. a surprise, as he had said so himself that he isn’t much of a performer outside dancing. the rap is a self composed one too. rough, and raw, and he’s on the slower side. but emotional. a mix of korean and chinese to show off his language skills. 

he keeps himself relaxed, keeps his expression even and his voice soft--a touch on the raspy side. aiming for the almost defeated look. trying to fit with the lyrics he has for his rap, which is all too easy as hyunjoon himself is a rather tired, and defeated looking person. the faded bruises on his cheek and jaw--though covered in makeup--would attest to the defeated part. 

he raps like he’s reading a poem. he raps like he’s trying to explain himself to the judges, and to his parents who probably wouldn’t watch this. he raps like he’s trying to convince himself this is where he belongs. his tone never falters. there’s not one emotion in his tone because he’s speaking with so many. contained anger, bitterness, unease, confusion, excitement, acceptance--he’s trying to portray his ambition to be here. the time he put in to actually create his own rap. actually consulting students in school who he knows are writers--or at least into the writing. it was hard to find the words to get across what he wanted.

especially when he didn’t even know what he wanted. 

but he thinks he has it down now. he knows how to feel for this. knows what he’s supposed to look like when talking--rapping--these lines. his body moving with ease as he goes from line to line. smoothly flowing through the transitions--practiced ease--and fluctuating his tone, emphasizing the words when needed. even the switch from korean to chinese was nice. 

too young im told too young to hold and face this path all on my own

so here’s my shot in the dark here’s the chance I shouldn’t take the chance pushed out of my sight and when I dive in again just let me sink this is my time

and sometimes you have to lose it all sometimes you have to face that wall even when i’m scared to death--scared to be alone i face that wall, and scared to death of letting go--to fall apart and be alone

he wonders if ricky would see this. empty enigma and ricky have always been the biggest influences in him wanting to peruse this. seeing ricky at the idol class had really ignited that childhood dream. but its different now. 

before he just wanted to be with ricky. now he wants this for himself--he wants to be able to look at himself and say you did you’re best and even if he doesn’t make it far. even if he goes back to his dream of cooking ( still a really good dream ) hyunjoon wouldn’t be angry. he tried. he did. thats all anyone can ask of him. he’s trying every day to be better. and not just in dancing or rapping. but in everything. in his delinquent behavior as sungho calls it. he wants to be good. 

he knows what it feels like to fall apart. 

i hold my breath and take the dive release my grip this is my next try  i’ve got to take this leap of faith and trust in a self that i don’t know 

and who am i to say these things i still just know this one thing that i’ve got no tears left to cry 

about 30 seconds of his rap, the music picks up and the actual ariana song begins to play and he breaks into dance. his movements are sharper, but he still flows through each movement easily. with practiced ease. a smirk had pulled across his face as he started to dance. and he makes sure to make eye contact with a few of the judges when he can. belaying to them that he knows he’s young. but that doesn’t make him any less of a good contestant than the others on the show. that he can improve too, and his age is only going to allow him to get better and better. 

he knows he probably shouldn’t lowkey try and challenge the ceo’s especially since they’re the ones who decide who stays on the show and who doesn’t. but hyunjoon doesn’t really care anymore. they cut him once, what does it matter? there’s only two outcomes here. they shove him back onto the show, or they kick him out again. either way. he’s proud of this performance.

his dances comes to an end just milliseconds under the two minute make. his bangs sticking to his face a little thanks to sweat, only showing how hard he had actually danced. how much effort he put into trying to make a point. because thats what he wanted. to prove himself--to prove he got better, that he wsa improving. and he would only continue to improve. just like gordon ramsay sunbaenim says, he has to keep at it to get better. he’s such a good cook these days because he spends so much time cooking.

the same it about to be said for dancing. hyunjoon is going to improve. he’s going to work on it himself, and get better and better and better. he would catch up to everyone on the show, to his hyungs already trainee, to his idols who have been in this world for so long, catch up to his father who thinks he’ll never make himself anything. he would catch up to himself and show himself that yes, hyunjoon, you are worth something more. and that maybe his dreams are allowed to change because he is young.

he’s young, and he’ll embrace that. after all, he has room to grow. 

“thank you for your time!”