LUXE(럭스) "LUV GAME" MINI-ALBUM Teaser Video
♦ 6. CHERI (체리)
royalTV
Published on July 19, 2018
0:00 - 0:20
Upon the press of the ▶︎ button, an upbeat instrumental clip of “Luv Me” begins to play. Jihyun, revealed with her stage name Cheri, stirs beneath a giant, fluffy blanket inside her bedroom. An exaggerated sigh is heard before the blanket is pushed aside to reveal the beautiful, masked girl underneath. Despite the yawning and stretching used for comedic effect, Cheri’s visual is shown to be undeniably top-tier as the mask is lifted and her full face is revealed. Her grumpy expression only adds to the cute aura she exudes as she reluctantly gets up to get ready for the morning. Feet are inserted into adorable purple teddy bear slippers and Cheri gives herself a good jive to get the blood flowing. But sleep sings a more alluring song and viewers are left chuckling as the girl succumbs to its melody. She hops right back into bed, tugging the blanket over her head as the music and video fade to a close.
This video is uploaded to Royal Entertainment’s official YouTube page at noon on July 19th. From this point forward, all promotional advertisements and official LUXE listings will feature the mononym Cheri (stylized as such) as Jihyun’s stage name. Everyone, including unofficial netizens, are highly encouraged to get involved in the hype of Luxe’s release!
( sms ⇢ wolverome )
☇ hey, i know you’re preparing for your stage rn but i wanted to let you know you’ll do great out there
☇ i’m here rooting you on with this ridiculous disguise
☇ i’m also really proud of you, y’know that?
☇ make sure to show them your best asset !!!
☇ and this time i don’t mean your shoulders 💕
☇ also dabin and seik say hi and good luck too !!!!
⇢ [ img _ attachment: boomerang of seik and
dabin handing her the mcdonalds brown bag ] , sent!
☇ thanks for the mcdonalds, i love them
☇ and i love you, you’re going to do amazing on stage
— MESSAGES READ AT 8:55PM ; HOURS LATER
[ text: Candy ] I read these before the show but didn’t get to reply then.
[ text: Candy ] You’re in front of me but I can’t do a damn thing with all these people here
[ text: Candy ] I was gonna call you my best asset but the truth is you’re my moon and my stars.
[ text: Candy ] I have a lot I wanna tell you… But I’m afraid I won’t get to so I’ma pull a page out of your book
He has to sneak away from everything going on in the restaurant the group chose to celebrate at and hiding out in the alleyway outside doesn’t feel safe enough. Keys jingle in his pocket and he thanks his past self for agreeing to be designated driver for Seik and Dabin later.
[ AUDIO_FILE_UPLOADING ]
{` — the clip starts with a light chuckle as he stares at the texts she sent again } Ya’no… reading I love you isn’t the same as hearing it and it got me to thinking… I have a recording of you saying you like me but not of you saying you love me. I know, I know {` — he laughs, shaking his head and leaning his elbow against the car door } That’s weird because it’s me, because I should’a tricked you into recording that at least once since the first time but… I think I like that I’ve only heard it in person. Hearing those words from someone like you, from you… That’s not easy. I would fucking know, right?
But I want you to have those words. I want you to hear it from me. I love you. Years have passed since that night in the beach and… you’re still lighting that fire inside me. You kept it alive during a time I thought I would burn out on my own. That’s why calling you my moon and stars isn’t enough. You’re a whole damn universe, Lee Jihyun, and don’t you ever forget it.
I didn’t know if I could tell you this in person when it’s been a while since we’ve been alone together… I think I might explode if I see you alone right now so I’ll give you bits and pieces of me ‘til then. {` there’s another soft baritone chuckle when he pauses to ask } Are you cringing yet Candy?
[ text: Candy ] Listen to it when you’re alone alright? It’s my thank you for being here, for always being here for me. I love you too
LUXE 💎 FIFTH EVALUATION
interview refresher course
june 11th-15th, 2018
as usual, the toughest part for eunae is to remain both seated and relatively calm the whole time. even though it’s a mock interview (and the hundredth they’ve had since the beginning of the course on monday), the staff is still scrutinizing their every move and facial expression. they’re quick to point out if they yawn, blink too much, look absent or bored, etc. it becomes irritating after a while but they know it’s for their own good. the media can be ruthless and the general public even more. any picture or word can be taken out of context, twisted and posted online for people to judge.
how many times has she seen articles online that made it seem as if a celebrity had said the most disgusting stuff, only to look into it a little more and realize it was a big misunderstanding? she would hate for the same thing to happen to her. eunae can be impulsive and bold which falsely leads people to believe she doesn’t care what people think of her. while it’s not exactly a lie, she does want others to like her.
“eunae, for the fifth time, will you stop following the flashes? it makes you look like you’re not paying attention.”
she blinks, as if coming out of a daze, which makes the staff member scoff. “well, i guess you really weren’t paying attention. focus, please? the press will eat you up if you’re not careful.” his gaze then sweeps the whole group. “and the same goes to all of you. let’s start over one last time, we’re almost there.”
eunae nods and they all stand up, getting off the small stage. because yes, they also practice their entrance, from the way they walk to how they greet the fake journalists. no comments are made this time around since they want the girls to go through the whole thing without interruption. it’s important that they experience it all so they’re prepared for the real press conference. there won’t be anyone telling them what do do or say then.
she listens as she first questions are asked, doing her best to smile and nod at appropriate moments, sometimes looking at the member talking and sometimes just looking at the staff members. her turn doesn’t come right away but she mentally prepares for it, past comments coming to mind: look directly at the person who asked the question, don’t cut off a member talking, when uncomfortable it’s alright to take a pause instead of just spewing nonsense (which she’s proven to be very good at).
“Do you regret getting involved in the survival show?”
she dives in first, bringing her microphone to her mouth. “not at all! of course it was very intense and very hard but because of it we learned lot about the industry and about ourselves! i think the saddest thing is probably that we don’t get to debut with all the friends we’ve made during the show.” she thinks of lisa, and soohyun, and hyuna. “but i know i’ll cherish those memories forever!”
“How is it living with five other girls in a small space? Have you had fights?”
she has a small laugh. she shoots a glance over to the other girls, lips pursed before the finally answers. “we’ve been really busy with our debut preparations so we spend more time at the royal building than we do at our dorm. that’s not a lot of time to get into fights!” she laughs again. “but we’re six very different people, with different personalities so of course we argue sometimes.” she looks at jihyun. “jihyun unnie is a very good leader though, and we go to her with our issues instead of keeping it it, you know? sometimes it’s better to just fight, then we don’t hold grudges.”
“Are you currently dating anyone?”
they decided it’d be less risky to have a single person among them answer this, just in case their body language tells otherwise when they say they’re not dating (which they obviously have to). eunae thinks it’s dumb of the media to constantly ask idols that question considering there’s no way any of them will respond positively unless they want to kill their career before it ever started. “there’s definitely no time for that!” and is she lying? even the three of them that are in relationships could almost be considered single now. “debuting is more important than dating right now, i think it goes for all of us?” who would she even date anyway? everyone gets tired of her after a while she’ll probably never get passed the “some” stage.
“Do the girls who came from other companies feel welcomed by the royal girls? How did the transition go?”
dawon, jiwon and eunae exchange looks and silently decide on who’s going to answer. she isn’t sure how jiwon feels about it, but then again she isn’t sure how jiwon feels about most things since the group was formed. dawon and her, however, have talked a whole lot and they both agree on what she’s about to say. “i can’t speak for all of royal, because i think it wasn’t easy for some of them to accept us debuting over girls they’ve trained with for months or years.” again, there’s no lie. they got nasty looks from a lot of people at royal. “but it’s different for luxe members. and even the other girls who did the survival show. we weren’t girls from our companies, we were just girls with the same goal and the same... hardships. and it made us connect in ways i don’t think we connected with other trainees.”
half excitement, half fear. that’s the only way she can think of to describe her current feelings towards luxe’s steadily approaching debut, something that she hasn’t fully come to terms with yet. it feels all too surreal; in fact, she’d argue that it was impossible to believe if she wasn’t experiencing it for herself. each day feels like a dream, and she’s unable to shake the uneasy feeling that she could wake up at any moment—it’s only a matter of time.
april 13th, 2018.
it’s the first day of filming, and although she doesn’t know it yet, it’s likely to be the most challenging. the atmosphere is drastically different from the filming for her individual teaser, which she mostly attributes to the presence of the other luxe members. they’re filming together, as a team, and it’s enough to fill her with a sense of companionship. for a moment, she smiles at jihyun, proud to have someone like her as a leader.
the filming goes on for hours, and it’s only natural to assume that the girls are growing tired with each passing hour. she's praying that it won’t show in her performance, relying on her stamina to get her through the day—she owes her team that much. they run through the choreography again and again, desperate to create an end product that’s nothing less than perfect. a fair share of mistakes are made amongst the girls, but dawon believes that it’s only natural; this is their first time filming for a music video, after all.
april 14, 2018.
on the second day of filming, she’s able to feel herself physically relaxing as the fear begins to dwindle, excitement steadily building within her as her confidence thrives. it makes it that much easier to present acceptable facial expressions; expressions that show off her confident and carefree emotions, showing that she was genuinely having a good time. it’s a welcome change from the nervousness that has plagued several of her last evaluations—she hopes that this change of attitude will last, though she isn’t going to place too much faith in it.
april 15, 2018.
the final day of filming is bittersweet. a sense of jealousy eats at her the entire time, knowing that she’s the only girl not to have a story scene to herself. she tries not to let it weigh her down, mentioning it to no one as she meets the cameras with an expected smile. it’s best to keep it to myself, she thinks. they’d just think i was ungrateful. she tries not to feel too down about it, remembering that she’s probably the member that needs to work on her charisma the most—if anything, she wants to use this as motivation, as it reminds her that she still has room to improve. maybe this could be another push in the right direction.
her feelings are mended partially as she films her scenes with the other members, the club scene serving as a much-needed boost to her spirits. not only is she more than pleased with her outfit (which does well to show off the abs she’s worked hard to maintain), but she’s also in love with her hairstyle—she makes a mental note to show her appreciation to the stylists later on. as she and the other girls are dancing around, they all seem to be having a good time—she just hopes that none of them are faking it. on several occasions, it’s already been made clear that some of them get through things like this better than others.
when the filming finally draws to a close, dawon lets out a sigh of relief, heart racing as she thinks of how close they’re becoming to actually debuting. filming for the music video was a major step in that direction, and she can only imagine what the next month has in store for the six of them.
Episode start.
A familiar trio appears on the center of the stage, greeting the in-venue audience and the audience at home with matching saccharine smiles. “It’s been a long journey to get here today,” Byun Baekhyun says, addressing the audience as the camera follows his face and words. “Both for us, the viewers, and for the girls who have worked diligently from the start to make it to this final point.”
“It’s bittersweet knowing we’ll have to say goodbye to many tonight,” Seo Kangjoon continues, picking up the cue with his own charismatic words. “All the girls here have become our favorites, right?” The audience cheers in agreement to the words, clapping and calling out their favorite contestants’ names in support. Han Yejin’s smile widens at the loud sound and she playfully covers one of her ears to tease about the audience’s excited volume.
“Before the end, there’s still a lot more to see!” she announces warmly. “So Jisub sajangnim, do you have anything to say before we begin?” The camera cuts over to the image of the Royal CEO sitting comfortably at his usual spot in the middle of the venue, only this time surrounded by a sea of fans holding colorful banners in support of their future idols. Jisub looks handsome for this finale episode, dressed to the nines in a sleek gray suit and tie and grinning widely at Han Yejin’s query.
“I want to say… I’m looking forward to this,” he jokes pleasantly. He lifts the microphone up and the metal head touches gently against his lips as he speaks. “Let’s begin.”
For the audience at home, a brief review of last episode’s events reminds them what’s at stake for tonight. Two groups have been formed by So Jisub based on the finalists remaining in the competition: Team A, consisting of YANG JIWON, JO EUNAE, LEE JIHYUN, MANOBAN LALISA, and LEE SOOHYUN; and Team B, consisting of PARK CHAEYOUNG, JEGAL SEOYOUNG, KIM SEOLHYUN, AHN HYOJIN, and NAM DAWON, and these groups are to perform one last time, their efforts and stage presence determining their future fate in Luxe-- or outside of it. As they’ve only been given a week to prepare for this performance, the pressure has mounted higher than ever and the resulting emotional responses have intensified, as seen in several clips of the girls as they are given a chance to capture a camera and confess their innermost thoughts.
“it’s been a really precious experience.” JEGAL SEOYOUNG says as she steeples her fingers. “In the beginning I thought… I probably won’t make it to the end, but I should still do it. I couldn’t give up the chance. but now it really feels like i could win.” Seoyoung reaches down and takes a sip of tea, which has now cooled to her satisfaction. “If you told me I would be a finalist on a Royal Survival show in one year, I would have fainted. Seriously.”
“The girls aren’t here right now, but I brought them with me!” JO EUNAE lifts up a picture they all took together at the very beginning of the show, when there were still thirteen of them. "We lost three girls along the way. Three talented friends. I guess you could say it’s to be expected when you enter a survival show; you never know when your turn will come and how you’ll react if it does. But when you’re in it, it’s different. We’re so involved that we don’t really imagine this could ever end. You know? The experience I gained during the show is priceless, really. I was confident in my abilities. Not arrogant, but confident. Maybe a little too much?” she laughs earnestly. “But I’ve learned that i indeed have a lot to work on still. i think even years from now, I won’t be able to be completely satisfied with myself. Maybe I’m too competitive, but I think it’s always possible to do better.”
“If I had an opportunity to do this again, to be on another survival show, I think I would do it,” KIM SEOLHYUN confesses, “I thought I knew what I would be getting myself into when I signed myself up for this, but some of the challenges, the interview and the dress…” Her eyes closed and her shoulders bounced in a silent laugh. Hands went up to cover her face with a whine as if wanting to forget the memory. “It’s nearing the end now, right? No matter what happens, every one of us did their best. At this point… I’m also proud of /us/ for making it this far. Really, with all the memories we shared, I would be glad to be in the same group with any of them. But we’ll learn about that soon, won’t we? I’m nervous just thinking about it.”
“When I auditioned – I thought that I’d be a shoo-in.” LEE JIHYUN reveals honestly. “I’ve been at Royal for so long, I had to get in? But getting put into minor really made me work for my place. I had become so complacent that I had forgotten the feeling of trying and took my seniority for granted. If anything, from this experience – I learned that it’s never too late to keep trying, to prove your worth. Or, show that my dancing has improved a little bit – I know, I’m still not the best but I’m not exactly a sight for sore eyes anymore, right? Riiiiiiiiiiii –ght.” Jihyun laughs, hand coming up to cover her lips, muting the laughter trying to keep it at bay. “I just hope, in the end, that’s what I’m remembered for. started from the bottom, now i’m here.”
“Hi, hi! It’s me, Lee Soohyun, royal entertainment’s sunflower and precious chibi moon.” LEE SOOHYUN giggles then a soft smile appears on her lips, and she then turns the camera to show that she is actually at a cosplay cafe. “i’m here with my boyfriend you know.. i’m sorry sajangnim.. i didn’t want you to find out like this. he’s very good to me i hope you support us!” she jokes, but later becomes more sweetly sincere: “i pray that we make you happy with our performances, please look after us fondly. we all have worked really hard to be here, chasing any dream takes a lot of courage.” Soohyun smiles placing her free hand on her chest, “it’s scary.. even if we don’t show it.. we’re all a little scared. we’re bearing our hearts to you. so with that being said i always remember this: don’t forget, if usagi can! so can you! i love you guys bye bye! god bless!”
“hello hello hello!” MANOBAN LALISA says greetings in the three languages she knows — first korean, then english, then thai. “this whole show has been a wild ride, and so much happened in the span of a few months.” lisa takes a sip of her drink before continuing. “there are a lot of things that happened that didn’t get shown. we had a lot of hardships. sometimes i would be practicing all day and i wouldn’t realize the time, and since the practice rooms have no windows, i would barely even think about it… to be honest, it was difficult in the beginning because i knew that i was lacking, especially compared to the other trainees.” she pauses, taking a breath. “i think that’s what really motivated me. because i thought that i definitely couldn’t show that on television, and that i had to improve no matter what. and i’ve learned so much from sajangnim and my trainers and the other trainees, so i’m really really grateful.”
“it’s been, what, three months now? wow, it feels so…unbelievable. i still can’t decide if the time passed by slowly or quickly, but… i don’t think i’m ready for it to be over yet.” NAM DAWON smiled a warm and reminiscent smile. “it’s been such an important chapter in my life… it feels almost like i’m graduating high school again,” she admitted, light amounts of laughter spilling from within her. “coming into this, i didn’t think that i’d end up caring about all of these people so much, but…” she looked down for a moment, and, when her gaze lifted, it became clear that she had tears forming in her eyes. “coming from another company… i know that this is my last chance to be with them. i’m not ready to leave them yet, so i have to show that to so jisub by working hard, right? i want this more than anything… i realize that now. i’ll adapt, and, maybe you’ll see me on luxe’s debut stage! royal, fighting!”
“i remember when the show was announced, i didn’t sign up nor take part in the special training, i didn’t want to be apart of the show.” PARK CHAEYOUNG explains. “so, when i signed up, it was more-or-less on a whim.” rose glances downwards at her hands, fingers almost bare of rings, other jewelery which usually occupies every vacant limb. “i can say now, that i’m really glad i signed up, and god, who knew i’d be here still. i want to win.” she shifts in her place, leaning back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest, looking downwards. “it means so much to me that i’ve been given the opportunity to debut alongside them, we’ve worked so hard. let's go all the way together. no matter what, everything happens for a reason. this is park chaeyoung signing off, i may be rose of luxe or just rose of royal but,” she pauses. “either way, i’ll be happy. take care now, bye bye!”
“I’m trying really hard. Harder than I ever thought I’d be capable of. Not because…Not because I’m afraid of losing. I know I have to do well for the others.” YANG JIWON is too tired to stave off the way her eyes start to well with tears. “People think I don’t work hard because of the company I represent, or that I think I can just be better without…lifting a finger or anything. All of these girls are so talented. I never thought I’d make it this far. And they’ve all been so good to me. I hate the thought of them not debuting together, especially my teammates...” She sniffs, for at least the third time since she started recording. “I have to be better,” she concedes, looking into the camera, “It could be the last time anyone sees anything from me ever, and that’s kind of a big deal…”
From expressions of positivity to a consistent sense of fear of being eliminated, it’s visible to all that the girls are enduring far more mentally and emotionally than what is shown on the camera. It’s the cost of a survival competition and no one envies their position; they’re offering it all to the watching audience and only one man decides whether it’s good enough or not.
Once more returned to the stage, Seo Kangjoon introduces the first group to perform as Team B. PARK CHAEYOUNG, JEGAL SEOYOUNG, KIM SEOLHYUN, AHN HYOJIN, and NAM DAWON all take center stage and the lights and music begin for their rendition of the original song, “Want You to Say.” Jisub’s eyes are sharp as he assesses the performers individually: Rose, whose lovely vocals and stage presence have improved gradually over the duration of the competition; Seoyoung, whose full-rounded talent adds stability to the group’s overall dynamic; Seolhyun, whose usual high dance quality is marred by an injury he’d heard about from the choreographer, yet who still endures well for the camera; Elly, who impresses him with her suitability to this fresh concept, as well as her softer rapping style that’s a refreshing change to hear; and lastly, Dawon, whose singing style is as flawless as ever and has him closing his eyes in joy to hear it.
It’s tremendous. So Jisub is impressed and the feeling is revealed on his face as he slowly nods in approval once the performance ends. “Well done, girls,” Jisub tells them simply, smiling wide. There will be no critique for these final performances but he hopes his appreciation for their shown hard work is heard loud and clear as he claps strongly for them, along with the audience who shouts their praises to the five girls.
Byun Baekhyun comes to the microphone when the noise finally dies down and introduces the next group as Team A. YANG JIWON, JO EUNAE, LEE JIHYUN, MANOBAN LALISA, and LEE SOOHYUN all take their positions on stage and the lights and music go up for their performance to “Why Did You Come to My House?” An utter change of pace from the previous fun-hearted performance, the audience and So Jisub all watch equally fascinated as the up-beat stage takes place next. As before, the CEO quietly watches all girls in turn: Jiwon, whose potential he’s always believed in despite her being thrust into roles where she couldn’t show it off like the others; Eunae, a talented rapper who one simply couldn’t take their eyes off of whenever she appeared; Jihyun, with a singing talent to shake the soul out of viewers as she hits the challenging high notes; Lisa, the epitome of someone who’d worked hard throughout the competition to improve to his standards; and Soohyun, whose vocals fill the CEO with shameless pride that he’s found her such a long time ago.
Jisub feels the pressure mounting even before the song is over. In front of him now are five girls whose talent could shake a nation, and yet so, too, were five previously who could do the same. However, despite the heavy decision that he feels weighing down his shoulders, the CEO already knows the final conclusion he’s come to. These performances alone were never the deciding factor but everything up to this point. Their past performances, hearing the honest opinions from the coaches over these three months, watching the confessional interviews behind the scenes that weren’t always shown on air and, finally, his own biased opinion over who would suit Luxe -- all these factored into the decision he’d announce once the final ensemble performance graced the stage. “Absolutely fantastic,” he praises Team A, keeping to a simplistic approach as he conveys his happiness over their performance with enthusiastic applause.
The surprise for the audience follows next, as Han Yejin takes over the microphone to announce “Wild” as a special presentation for the loyal viewers watching the show all this time. “May I introduce… your finalists of Royal Survival!” she declares, once the girls have had enough time to quickly change into their ‘Wild’ costumes and the stage is reset for the final performance. The lights go on and the audience is mesmerized by the full sight of all ten young women challenging the third, most difficult concept of all: sensuality to bewitch the mind.
Jisub looks on with pride as he sees them all together on stage for the final time. His chest tightens with an unexpected rise of emotion as he thinks of all the progress they’ve made since joining the show. Those without confidence in their first challenge now shine like stars underneath the bright lights and he exhales out a long breath, smiling fondly as they dance together as a unit and entertain the audience with their unique charms.
Of these girls, his Luxe would be born.
When the performance ends, the audience roars with thunderous cheers and applause. The girls are given time to soak in the live reaction, standing on stage to hear what’s justly deserved as the camera crew and stage crew hurriedly switch over to the results stage. The audience at home is given a commercial break while they do so, and Jisub takes the time off camera to stretch out his legs and take a much-needed sip of water.
This was it. The final reckoning.
There’s no way for him to prepare himself for the inevitable heartbreak he’d cause on that stage tonight. Jisub knew this was the end for several of them, some who might leave his company out of grief and giving up on their dreams ( though, of course, he’d hoped they wouldn’t. ) But, for the others, those who would start on this road with him to make Luxe the shining new stars of the idol industry, he would have to steel himself to face the consequences.
When the show returns, Jisub stands and faces the girls, still dressed in their Wild costumes, with a bittersweet expression. “Thank you, girls, for everything,” he tells them sincerely. “These last three months have been eye-opening and I’ve seen talent that takes my breath away still even today.”
“Without further ado, I will now sort you into groups for the very last time.”
The audience gasps in surprise at this announcement but Jisub has anticipated this reaction and ignores it, choosing instead to stare steadily at the line up of finalists up on stage before opening his mouth to announce their names one by one.
“Ahn Hyojin… you will stay in Team B.”
“Jo Eunae… you will stay in Team A.”
“Kim Seolhyun… you will move to Team A.”
“Lee Jihyun… you will stay in Team A.”
“Lee Soohyun… you will move to Team B.”
“Manoban Lalisa… you will move to Team B.”
“Nam Dawon… you will move to Team A.”
“Park Chaeyoung… you will stay in Team B.”
“Yang Jiwon… you will stay in Team A.”
Jisub pauses, considering the new groups as they stand now: Team A, consisting of JO EUNAE, KIM SEOLHYUN, LEE JIHYUN, NAM DAWON, and YANG JIWON; and Team B, consisting of AHN HYOJIN, LEE SOOHYUN, MANOBAN LALISA, and PARK CHAEYOUNG. The CEO’s gaze settles on Jegal Seoyoung, considering her for a long moment of contemplation before finally speaking.
“Seoyoung, you will join Team A as the sixth, and final member, of the new Royal girl group Luxe.” His smile is radiant as he stares at the chosen girls. “Congratulations to all of you. You have been truly outstanding all of this time.”
To the members of Team B, Jisub’s tone takes on a softer tone. “Ladies, you, too, have been absolutely outstanding since the start of this competition. But, for several of you… Lisa and Rose, especially, I believe there’s still time for you two to grow. You are young trainees still and time is what you need in order to train to reach your fullest potential. Keep working hard, training hard, and debut will certainly be in your futures.” To Soohyun and Elly, he also nods his head apologetically. “For you two, as well, it was a close call -- and probably the hardest decision I have had yet to make. However, Luxe is not the group that is meant for you. I know what you two are capable of, probably better than you know yourself, and I assure you, as your CEO, that I will always steer you in the right direction. I am proud of you, of all four of you, and I can only see your futures expanding wider from this moment on.”
Jisub then turns his attention to the winners of Royal Survival -- the six girls who will soon be presented to the world as his Royal LUXE. “Eunae, Seolhyun, Jihyun, Dawon, Jiwon, and Seoyoung… each of you has proven yourselves to be exactly what I’d hoped for when this competition began. Full of talent, full of potential, beautiful as well as hardworking-- let us travel this road together from now on. Congratulations,” he says again, warmly. “You have won the final round of Royal Survival.”
[ OOC Note: ]
Congratulations to the winners of Royal Survival, and a heartfelt thank you to the contestants who have worked hard to make this event a truly special experience!
For the finalists who have won a position in Luxe, a follow-up post concerning the group concept will appear on Royal Entertainment’s company blog in the next few days (my personal time permitting) with further instructions about what will occur in the next stage for you. For Eunae, Dawon, and Jiwon, a meeting between Royal Ent. lawyers and their original company lawyers will take place privately in which Royal will follow legal procedures to officially buy out their contracts. You will be given a two year contract with Royal starting on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 while those already in Royal will keep the same contracts they have now.
For the finalists who did not win, you may return to your original trainee status that you held prior to the beginning of the competition. Everyone will be expected to move out of the Seocho dorms before the weekend (December 9th) and can return to their normal living spaces and training schedules by the 6th.
Any questions may be sent either to the Royal Ent. inbox or to Mod Sera or to Mod Kyle, as appropriate. Once again, thank you all so much (as well as our opinionated netizens!) for making this event truly a memorable one. Let’s meet again soon! ^v^
For the Royal MCs, BYUN BAEKHYUN and SEO KANGJOON, you may use this episode as the proof post of your participation in this event. Please provide this verification form along with your usual workshop forms for the December 6th activity check. You may submit both Episode 7 and 8 forms together if you wish.
ROYAL SURVIVAL EPISODE 8 (for the Dec 6th form)
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+10 CHARISMA POINTS
+ 2 DEBUT POINTS
+1 WK RADIO/TV HOSTING (CURRENT LEVEL + NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN)
Son Seungwan - Nova Ent
December 2017 Evaluation
Line Distribution: Nova Girls Stages | Santa’s Coming For Us | Do You Want to Build a Snowman
Wendy’s not going to lie. She has been dependent on ginger tea and lots of vitamin C to keep her voice intact with all the singing she’ll be doing tonight. She’s flattered that the coaches trust her and her skills enough to include her in special stages besides the performances with her unnies at Nova. She likes to think that maybe she has grown and improved in the year and a half she’s been with the company. She isn’t certain how much growing she has done and still has to do, but she wants to keep doing well to earn the coaches faith in her to do more.
It’s always fun performing with Kaeun unni, Hyuna unni, and Min sunbaenim. This also marks the first performance with Suji unni. Wendy may have been more of a “loop The Nutcracker Suite in lieu of Christmas carols” type of girl, but she had developed a soft spot for the first song she’s performing for the night. Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” is relatable, in a way that she hopes that a person she’d have a crush on would still be around next year. She can’t get anyone to stay, case and point: Toshi and Minhyun oppa. (To be fair, Minhyun oppa did shoot her down on Day 1, but he was always there as an older brother slash handsome friend to her).
There’s also the unspoken pressure that she has to do well to represent Nova in the joint collaboration with the girls from other companies. It’s an honor to share the stage with three MGA season three coaches from different companies. Rumor had it that the girls she was performing with were the among the best trainee vocalists in their respective companies. She had heard three of them sing back at the MGAs, and she had even shared a stage with Taeyeon sunbaenim. However, it still doesn’t stop her from being impressed whenever she hears them sing in practice, and every day she wonders what she did in her past life to be worthy of standing and singing on the same stage with some respected senior trainees.
There seems to be an unspoken agreement among the females of Nova that they would all rather die than do aegyo. However, when push came to shove and their backs were against the wall, there was a surprising reveal of aegyo skills. Min sunbaenim was a revelation of sorts to Wendy, that she found herself taking notes on how to pull it off as naturally as Min sunbaenim did. If she respected Min sunbaenim before, then Wendy’s respect grew even more. It takes talent to pull off aegyo and be cute without being cringe-worthy. Wendy hopes and prays that her cutesy acting and smiling onstage didn’t come across as laughable. It took her hours to practice e expressions in front of the mirror between study breaks.
Finally, there was the final stage. It’s been long since she got to share a stage with Yeri, one of her long-time best friends. She also recognizes the two boys: one of them is the one with Soojung a lot while the other was one of those attractive faces she accepted a Royal flyer from. During practice, they realized that they who got solo lines were the youngest trainees of their respective companies. Wendy almost wants to laugh at the irony of it all, yet it also makes sense. The program ends with a Disney song... and that they youngest kids lead it. As much Wendy has professed to banning anyone within her vicinity from singing this song when the movie first came out, it has grown on her. Oh... if her other friends could see her now. (She bets Seulgi and Joy are giggling somewhere as they remember her screams of agony when she got sick of the song). They’d probably be laughing at her for singing the song she once loathed.
As she and Dongmin sing the last line, Wendy lets out a sigh of relief. It’s over... They did well enough to entertain the people at the plaza. Maybe... just maybe... she’s on the right track in this whole idol thing after all.
He sat face to face to the mentor who told him to pretend that they didn’t know each other. Task was to reply to the questions, trying to be as concrete as possible without damaging his own image. Kang Joon had no idea how to remain himself without saying things he might not mean. Sounded hard. The other male began rustling with his stack of papers before lifting his voice, as if he was a reporter to get to know about him.
Please introduce yourself before we are starting with the questions.
Kang Joon lifted himself up from his seat and bowed, smiling brightly. “Hello, I am Royal’s White Lotus Seo Kang Joon. Pleased to meet you.”
Q1.“Your real name isn’t Seo Kang Joon, it is Lee Seunghwan instead. So what’s the reason behind your stage name Seo Kang Joon?”
He hummed, most people didn’t even knew Seo Kang Joon wasn’t his real name. He often introduced himself as Lee Seunghwan but rather liked it to be called Kang Joon. Most people called him Kang Joon anyways, there were just few like his grandmother or his cousin or his ex who called him by his birthname. “Well, there is a sunbaenim who is called Lee Seunghwan…. I felt like I couldn’t dare to become an idol while holding into this name without the pressure to surpass him. At the same time I was afraid to dirty his good name if I were to fail. That’s the only reason. I am not ungrateful towards my late parents, and I will never forget the name they gave me. ”
Q2. “Please name 3 things that describe you the best.”
He leaned back, before replying. “Spectrum, cheesy & cheeky.” The male’s lips formed into a wide grin. “I may look innocent, but there is much more to learn about me, so I guess spectrum is a good word to choose. There are a variety of sides to learn about me. I am a hopeless romantic and sometimes even I found myself pretty cheesy.” The mere grin turned into laughter. “And people often tell me I’m bold because I tend to do things differently from what you would expect.”
Q3. "What do you think about Royal Survival? Who is your favorite and why?"
This was one of the questions he had expected, since the show was drawing Royal Ent. into the focus of citizens right now. The male straigthened his limbs and his back, a hand tabbing on the table between the two of them. "Well, actually there are quite a few people I am cheering on. But if you ask me to choose one favorite it would be definitely be Elly. She is one of my closest friends, so I know about her skills and talents. I think people should just focus her because of that, nothing else.”
Q4. " How was it for you to co-host the Survival show? Is hosting one of the things you want to do as idol?
Nodding in agreement, Kang Joon replied: "I was pretty nervous but at the end of the day I was glad I received the chance to host the show. The Royal show represents our female trainees, so Baekhyun and me could remind Korea about Royal's male trainees as well. It was a good experience and a great opportunity! I would definitely host again, if I received another chance. But acting and modeling are something I want to do as Idol as well." He was thankful for the chance, and he needed to make sure to thank Jisub sunbaenim later.
Q5. “If you have to choose: Who is the most handsome and who the most beautiful among Royal trainees?”
Seemed like a question to provoke him, he thought. “How do you choose the fairest flower in a Royal Garden?” He returned the question with a cheeky smile. “I think our visual line is pretty strong among other companies, and I actually don’t think there is someone who is better looking than the other. But if you want me to choose, I think Baekhyun is easy on the eyes... When I was next to him on stage, I couldn’t take my eyes of his side profile. He has cheekbones one could be envious of... and still has this pure charm that pulls one closer to him and his adorable smile.” Kang Joon nodded. On the other hand he was facing a dilemma, when he was about to choose a pretty female. If he were to follow his guts he would have definitely called out for Rose, but there was no way he could actually do that considering the two of them could easily get under fire again. And choosing Dahye he also had somewhat of a special bond to, and whose beauty he personally adored almost as much as his exgirlfriend’s, would possibly cause a stir as well. Either way, it was troubling for him and the choosen female. “And for the females... I vote for Elly once again!” He shortly said, it was obvious the two of them were close friends, so there was no way one could misunderstand their relationship. “Her mature looks make her stand out, it’s something one has to be born with.”
Q6. “Talking of Baekhyun... During your participation at the MGAs there was a scandal regarding same sex love. Please tell us your thoughts on controversial topics such as homosexuality.”
The question stabbed him right into the chest, as he knew how Korea was a very traditional nation and this kind of topic was a bit of a taboo. Maybe it would be better to stay low, swallowing down his opinion. But that would mean to deny his true self, even though Kang Joon wanted to show the world who he really was. “I’m not against it. I rather support it. And I hope there will be a day, when South Korea can support and accept same sex love as well.” He was bisexual after all, so how could he ever hate on those who loved the same gender? He himself had experienced it before. “I don’t believe anyone has the right to intervene the love of two humans. Whoever you love, it’s still love.”
Q7. “Does that mean you would date a man?”
He blinked, perplexed after hearing the mentor’s question. He couldn’t really believe what he just heard, the other man was much more pushy than he expected him to be. “Life is busy enough, even without dating.” Kang Joon replied, mistrustful gazing at the other’s eyes. The male wouldn’t give him a chance to be alarmed about Kang Joon’s relationship status, unlike at the beginning of his trainingship. He had learned from his mistakes. “And please refrain from sounding disgusted by that thought, it’s nothing bad.” A dangerous glint flickered in his amber coloured eyes.
Q8. “Fine... Then please tell me what kind of concept do you hope to debut with?”
Brushing through his light brown hair, he averted his amber coloured gaze for a short moment in order to collect his words. Kang Joon wouldn’t show his anger about the rudeness from the older man. This wasn’t the time. “It would be awesome to debut in a co-ed group, if you ask me.” He laughed a fake smile. He had no idea what he was actually talking about since he had never really thought about a group concept before. “Having to balance between female and male aspects we wouldn’t do too strong or too cute concepts I believe… I rather feel like we could pursue a deeper concept, which tells stories to the listeners instead of only capturing them with alluring looks or ear-catching melodies.” Kang Joon was suprised about himself for sounding self-confident and prepared, but he supposed his improvising skills weren’t as bad as he thought.
Q9. “And if you could choose trainees from all companies, who would you want to create a co-ed group with?”
“Oh that’s a easy question. I would love to be with my friends because I know we could enjoy ourselves while having the strongest teamwork. They are like my family, so I believe we would be the coolest gang out there!” Excited he blurred out, without trying to make him sound calmer and more elaborate. “KT has Aron and Gary, those would be my male buddies. Aron could be the talented allround pretty boy, while Gary would be the calm big brother with mad dog rapping skills. And if Elly wouldn’t win the Survival show, even though I am most certain she will, she would be the strong and cool female counterpart to him, independent and in charge of the sexy charm. Since there are three males we would need two more girls and there won’t be better choices than Sphere’s Minhee and Nova’s Wendy. The two of them have bubbly personalities, as Minhee is super attentive and caring and Wendy is gentle and kind and sweet to everyone. Also their charming harmony would serve the vocal parts of our group well. And I for my part would be the dumb visual who could take care of acting and variety.” His eyes glinted in excitement, when he imagined things. The mentor blinked before nodding in agreement. “Oh! And other choices for a group would be Rose, Dahye, Soohyun, Jihyun and Yooa… wait…” The male cover his eyes with one hand, while cackling. “This isn’t a co-ed group anymore… I suppose I could try be part of a girlgroup as well.” He joked which made the mentor laughing out as well before telling Kang Joon to move on to the next question.
Q10. “What kind of advice would you give new trainees coming in to your company?”
The male scratched his chin, before looking right into his mentors eyes again. “They should think about a flower name beforehand.” Kang Joon laughed about his own answer, as he remembered how he had struggled to find a good flower name for quite some time. “And please enjoy the stay here.”
♡ #rkroyalsurvival, episode 5! — waterpark filming ! ( three day compilation ) outfit.
never in her life had she been to a waterpark of this size, especially not within korea. so, when it’s announced for the fifth episode that filming revolves around a day out, rose is ecstatic. it’s cumbersome to constantly be evaluated and judged, even though that’s the premise of the program after all. choosing what to wear is a problem all on it’s own, and rose has to keep in mind that korea is still somewhat conservative, and she’d hate to be targeted for being promiscuous and showing skin where not necessary. rose ends up settling on something rather safe, yet flattering, a zip-up rashie in a deep blue with navy detailing and fitted shorts. she’d make the most of her outfit, and besides; she looked cute and she was excited to see the sun even if the temperatures were a little lower than she would like. her mom had messaged her early this morning prior to her leaving for filming, saying how hot it was back home in australia, and rose was lowkey jealous, pining for the hot summer australian sun. how nice it would be to pair two and two together. she sighs, unable to have the best of both worlds.
rose spends most of the first tag tagging along with the rest of the girls at rainbow stream and spa valley, testing the different attractions, seeing which one was her favourite. she doesn’t go out of her way to approach the cameras, but nonetheless, she comes across as though she’s having a whole lot of fun and she is. cameras would hopefully catch sight of a very happy, laid back girl in her element, outside amongst her friends having the time of her life. it’s nice to take a step back from the stress of serious evaluations and prompts; although rose can’t help but dwell on the next episode and what’ll be happening for her; unless jiseob is planning a surprise elimination at the waterpark. if so, that’d be a total downer. she enjoys swimming around in the deeper waters, answering eunae’s call willingly. day one is refreshing and fun, and rose is hoping that she’ll have enough energy to enjoy the following few days. if anything, she’s going to sleep well tonight.
the second day is a little more fun-filled and full on. she spends a good portion of the day attached to seolhyun’s hip, accompanying her in the shallow ends of the pool as the older female is unwilling to travel into the depths, which rose thinks is fair enough. seolhyun grabs at rose whenever the two of them go a little beyond feet touching ground territory, leaving seolhyun to go into a panic. rose smiles and holds her hand, helping her back into comfort zone, moving back to the shallow depths once more. however, the moment where seolhyun was flipped out of her inflatable lounge chair was a scare for the both of them and rose being rose immediately reacted to the situation, helping the other, asking if she was okay, peeling bits of a wet hair back from her face with a gentle smile. later on, rose is found by jihyun’s side, sneaking a peak at the food carts, ice-cream’s in hand; all whilst in the midst of a water fight. water pistol in rose’s hand, she finds herself being dragged off in the opposite direction by jihyun, hand in hand. rose cries out a little while licking at the banana and vanilla ice-cream that drips down the edge of the cone. she didn’t want to be that kid to drop the pricey ice-cream cone at the waterpark.
she hadn’t anticipated how she’d feel for the filming to come to an end. even with cameras following their every move, it had been a total refresher for rose; in her eyes the filming had totally been worthwhile and she would love to do it all again with the girls if given opportunity ( although, she knows that it’ll never be like this ever again. some will triumph and others will falter, that’s the bitter truth of royal survival ). the funzone is filled with sand, almost like a large stretch of beach or a giant sandpit; rose felt like a little kid again, especially when all of the girls went head to head in a sandcastle battle. teaming up with seolhyun, rose is asking seolhyun if she knows anything about making sandcastles as though there is a science behind making the sand structures. it’s all trial and error, either too much water or too much sand. rose sighs in defeat each and every time but ends up trying again, determined to make some form of structure before the filming day is over. and they manage, rose adds small, makeshift flag poles made out of icey-pole sticks and leaves before shouting out of victory with seolhyun, the two holding hands before going in for a hug to celebrate their success. volleyball is also a focus of this day of filming, although rose admits she’s feeling a little bit lightheaded, sits on the sidelines with a bottle of water, watching the girls play volleyball. while the day ended on a little bit of a downer for rose, nonetheless, it was fun. she couldn’t put a finger on what her favourite day was, but on the ride back to the dormitories, she falls asleep without hesitation or trouble, cheeks dusted with pink. rose has had a decent amount of sun, perhaps a little too much.
