of course they had been measured during the week and the focus had been mostly on hair and makeup. sohee’s had been a more darker, edgier type of style. lashes and heavy liner with a smoky shadow could really make a difference on her face. actually, most makeup styles usually did.
she wasn’t the type for a lot of makeup on the daily. she was a more simple girl. even for events she’d go with a more-than-not bare face. she always got comments for it. in reality, she just didn’t want to bother with all that makeup removal. but as an idol, she was going to have to get used to it.
(gosh makeup felt heavy)
“so there’s no doubt that the concept is really hype or something like that,” sohee said to the other male as they waited. they got dressed in a different area (separated, obviously) but they waited in the same area. though sohee had no doubt that the comeback song would be dope. it was always something to could knock to in a club. bigstar was a big name. no matter the genre, it was going to achieve massive sales. “what do you think our outfits are going to be like?”
hair and makeup finalisations just brought her back to her modelling days.
while they were being instructed to work out more (sohee implored herself on doing more core workouts in the meantime) and being given less sugary and high sodium foods, she could only think of how familiar all of this was. even if she’s never done a music video feature before, she has filmed cfs for the brands she’s endorsed. it felt similar. so all of this just felt like an old, familiar routine.
she was ushered out of her scheduled session to go down to hair and makeup. only a few people were taken at a time. while she walked through the halls, she saw a familiar face headed in the same direction. “hey!” she called, skipping towards him. “you excited for our final fitting before the shoot?”
Are all the Nova trainees already public from the rksupernova event or do we wait for the netizen post?
yes, all nova trainees that participated in that event are now public since the photos and mv’s release, as are all the trc trainees from the ‘you got some nerve’ mv. this has been reflected in the trainee rosters!
acting tough was her thing, even if daily life easily proved otherwise. it was a mystery many did not understand - and she was certainly one of the many. as she stayed crouched outside the shot, simply watching as the other trainees got their turn to be filmed, xiao hugged her legs while keeping her eyes wide. she had practiced some movements and stares back at home, though that was something she’d probably never admit to.
if she were to be honest xiao actually loved a good cute concept. the thing was that breaking habits wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. she had introduced herself to the world of rap through some more tough-sounding songs, so that was what she surrounded herself with. most of the songs she had performed so far had been with the style of what her mind jumped to when thinking about rap. not that she was going to complain about it - it had worked quite well with her so far.
it’d still be nice exploring some other areas. not that she would actually go ahead with such thought knowing how her brain worked. and so a voice called out for her, pushing any of the ideas out of the way. her ears paid attention to all of the instructions she was given, and, even if some managed to escape her poor attention skills, the girl was pretty sure she got the hang of it. all she really needed to do was look mad, and maybe even kick some things around.
xiao wasn’t known for the aggressive part of the deal either, but she was still going to give it her best. when performing ‘brake’ she had jumped quite furiously as if to break the floor, so the plan was to keep that song inside of her head instead of the one she was filming for. no one would know. and she worked on the same movements she had practiced in front of a mirror, the master plan slowly progressing. after they told her she was done the girl quickly left the scene embarrassed with herself, even if there was no one else to judge her.
When they had come up with the teams for the mv, there were a few people she had in mind and a few she didn't want. Luck wasn't on her side when she found out that Sohee wouldn't be on her team. Yubin could admit she was jealous her best friend wouldn't be by her side but she knew to suck it up. It didn't mean that their friendship was over because of it. So once they had her settled in hair and make up, she went to seek Sohee out. It didn't take long, just a few minutes to push through the bodies around her. Once she finally found her, Yubin wasted no time wrapping her arms around Sohee. "How has the filming been so far?" Her own had been scattered between filming by herself, with Bobby and with the crew.
Once she had enough of the hug, Yubin stepped back and pouted a bit at Sohee. "I wish you could've have been on my team." She didn't mean to sound like the brat she thought she sounded like. "When you're standing next to me it doesn't feel so bad, I don't feel alone...when you're not with me. I feel like I'm going to fuck up. You already know I'm not super confident about this."
Since the news had been announced it had been easier to be at TRC and not be forced into the Samsung building, it was something she welcomed and any time spent in TRC was the best for her. The day only got better when she figured out that TRC was almost a ghost town and save for the lone trainee here or there the lunch room was empty. That helped her walk with her shoulders just a bit higher and a smile on her face. She hadn't been paying attention and at the very last second Yubin stopped herself from bumping into someone. It didn't take long to figure out who it was, her and Jongsuk had plenty of run ins. "Lunch break?" She asked with a small smile, it wasn't often she started a conversation with others but he was one of the few she didn't really worry about.
she would often remember entering the mnet building as if it had been yesterday, though it had happened over eight months before. they fixed her half-hearted makeup and sat her in front of a camera to share what was there to be known about her. truth was back then there wasn’t much for her to share. it was always the same speech: she was from china; she could speak multiple languages; and she could fit her hand inside her mouth.
funny to think back then she had just recently started the school year and now xiao was only an inch away from graduation. they needed to cover the signs of tiredness with even more makeup than usual. the free practice sessions had been transformed into gym workout extensions. as if the dance lessons weren’t enough the girl practiced even harder after her muscles turned sore. she wasn’t practicing for personal growth anymore, but simply to look better.
the speech had changed: she had been an mga contestant, became a trc trainee, knew how to do the splits - and was fat, apparently. she thought the entire concept was just straight up stupid. they had to work extra hard, and eat far less, but only up to the last day of filming - after that they could go back to their regular schedules and midnight snacks. it was like they could be however they wanted to be, except when in front of the cameras. way to be subtle about your embarrassment.
they set a measuring tape against her skin, writing down every result they got. all cheng xiao had to do was stand there, a bored expression glued to her face. she really couldn’t tell if they were satisfied or not with the numbers they had written down, but her soul had reached a place where it just really didn’t care anymore. if they had already taken her measurements then could she stop with the heavy training? what would be the point of just getting there on the day of filming with clothes that were just a little bit too big because of the weight she had lost afterwards?
so when they told her she could leave xiao quickly gave them a few polite bows before dragging her feet outside the room. she’d die for a snack, but the fitting already served to waste her time for exercising. her focus on training had changed so much it almost felt like she was a dancer instead of a rapper. maybe she should just take a goddamn nap.
