it’s a leisurely sunday, the sun is up, the humidity is high. it’s typical summer weather in seoul, not dissimilar to the summer weather back in hawaii. it makes him homesick for a place he left behind to start anew, even if he’d been born in seoul long before ever putting down roots in lihue. however, even though he misses the island and misses the lazy summer days he’d spend by the water, there’s nowhere he’d rather be right at this very moment than right here on the han river, enjoying the sun and the water.
it probably helps that he’s lying on the bow of a small boat, staring up at the blue sky, mind empty as he ignores all of life’s responsibilities. it’s been about a month since his friend has been out of the country for some mission trip and asked wonpil to care for the watercraft while he was gone. he’d said to use it at least once during the three months he’d been away, and now that he’s finally taken it to the water, he wonders why he hadn’t done it earlier.
he sits up reluctantly and heads back toward the hull, waving to the handful of friends he’d invited along, and moves toward the cooler, grabbing himself a bottle of water. “how you feeling?” he asks soye as he takes a seat at the vacated driver’s seat. “not getting seasick or anything, are you? do you want a drink?”
*.☽ .* ┊chong tingyan meets mga 5 callbacks, 062719 !
↪ dancing to i’m so hot (0:03 - 1:11) & so hot remix (0:12 - 0:55)
what did chong tingyan do when she found out she'd made it past preliminaries? did she cry, gasp, or scream like other contestants might have done? well....no. in fact, she laughed. not out of amusement, or humor, but in actual disbelief that something which had started out as a dare had landed her a spot on the show she used to fantasize of even being in the audience for. it was reality - a crazy one at that, but hers. unbelievably hers.
things had been hectic in the week she'd took to prepare both mentally and physically - from hectic dance practices with yuqi, to stressing over her outfit, to preparing the best performance she could muster. it was no secret the girl was a perfectionist, so no matter how short her appearance on the show was she would do anything to stand out for just a little more camera time.
things hadn't really begun to settle in until tingyan got where she is now - walking in with the rest of the hopefuls, really sitting where the first episode would be held. as the cameramen were getting their positions, her eyes wandered to the front, landing on the set of chairs she just knew had to be for the ceos. gulping, even the seemingly unphased tingyan couldn't help the wave of nerves approaching her. her competition had never wandered far from other dance schools or her own classmates - never had she been in the running with so many people this talented. for the majority of the waiting she stays to herself aside from the polite hellos and small talk, her nerves and final preparations getting in the way of allowing her to be as talkative as she usually is.
and though it feels like only a few minutes have passed amidst the nerves, she's eventually called up to the stage where she's expected to perform. it all seemed so surreal, and it's almost as if someone else's taken control and walked her up themselves. you've got this, tingyan. i don't know anyone else made for tv than you. her older brother's words ring in her head, from the phone conversation they'd had earlier. for a while, looking at others talking to their parents or friends for encouragement, tingyan swears she's all alone. but when she thinks of all those who have supported her - from yuqi helping her out with her performance, to soyeon making sure she looked pretty, and all the other friendly people she'd come across during her time there. it gives her the confidence that, if not anything else, she's here, and that's farther than she'd ever really expected to make it. she'd give it all she got to the judges - and it'd be enough for her.
once she approaches the stage, she imagines herself starring in her own movie, not really there. instead she tries to channel an amplified tingyan - a little more confident, a little nicer, a little less nervous. when the girl looks over to the judges who asked for her name, she notices the faint exhaustion imprinted on their features from the many contestants who'd already gone before her. she recalls the past interview she's partaken in as well as the encounter during her arrival at auditions and decides she'll try her best to leave an imprint on the judges. "graceful, young, and pretty! this season's ambitious queen, i'm your chong tingyan, hello everyone!" she'd created her own greeting a few days in advance, sounding similar to the ones idols had for entire groups. extra, but very tingyan. her introduction exudes confidence, which isn't entirely false, but she worries it may come off as cocky. also not entirely false, but that wouldn't be a good look for a new contestant to have. so just in case, she slips in a quick "i look forward to hearing your feedback! i hope you enjoy my performance," before continuing.
as the lights dim, tingyan gets the chance to clear her thoughts, imagining she was performing at a noraebang with friends. this could be her stage, if she claimed it. so when the lights are shining back on her and the music she'd heard too many times this week begins to play, she knows she's got this.
she'd got it all figured out - this portion would be dedicated to her charms. the choreography isn't hard in the slightest, obvious in the way the judges look on nonchalantly, but tingyan hopes to spice things up with her personality. so even though she's not singing this time around, her lips mouth the lyrics as her body moves to the beat. a little flirty, but more cute than anything. attempting to win over the heart and soul of her most beloved company, she delivers a finger heart to hyun bin in substitution of the point she usually does. the girl was certainly risking a lot here, but it was her best shot at showing she wasn't scared of trying new things. if anything, it was much different than her previous dance audition - far less involved with technicalities and dramatics and much more with stage presence and charisma.
so when the chorus hits, tingyan ushers the crowd to show enthusiasm, cheering "let's go!" as she points to the crowd, beckoning them to join in on the chorus. "i'm so hot!" she chants, beaming as her hands began pointing, doing the infamous choreography. few other songs could have matched tingyan so well, full of confidence and laced with a little cuteness on the side. the choreography isn't straining, and tingyan uses the opportunity to utilize the whole stage, waving in the direction of the crowd, and then the judges. when she reaches back to the center, she grins, mouthing one last "i'm so ho-"
silence. the music turns off for a few seconds, and tingyan notes the confusion through squinted eyes as she slumps her head over. it's only obvious once the winding up sound effect of the next song is heard this is intentional, as the girl's body moves with the beat. thank god for yuqi helping her gain control over her body, or else she may have never learned how to do it properly.
the song shift is...certainly different, straying from cuteness and moving towards a more fierce type of alluring. soft and cute moments are handed over for sharper, more seductive ones. though it's a completely different drama, the moves call for all the years of ballet in which she'd learned how to have more precise movements when she danced. her eyes lock on each of the judges for a brief second a piece, unable to help the small smirk on her lips as she moves. torso bouncing forward, she feigned exhaustion with her hand over her forehead as the words hot hot were heard from the speakers. going from i'm so hot to so hot seemed to be a good choice - both with familiar lyrics but definitely different vibes. this portion was mostly to show her dance skills, that even though she had much to improve on regarding hip hop she could also do other things outside of just contemporary.
as she reaches the lyrics, she mouths these by heart as well, evidence that both songs had been ringing in her head for days on end. this choreography calls for her to point to someone, but this time, it's directed at katie lee. hey - it never hurt to try and pinpont your favorites, right? her body moves in each of the choreographed moves for the breakdown, a little less clean than it could have been but satisfying for tingyan considering her lack of experience in hip hop. she lingers on the last few beats, bringing her body into a squat then popping up to finish the song. the dance finishes with a turn to the back of the stage, looking over her shoulder to wink at the panel one last time.
as soon as the song's over, she's a little flustered, but manages to smile and deliver a thankful bow to everyone. "thank you for watching!" she says gratefully, one last time before following the route she'd gotten on to get back offstage.
she'd done it. she'd really done it. euphoria washes over her as she exits, finding her friends who'd been watching in the audience to give a thumbs up.
i came, i saw, and even if no one else thinks i did....i conquered, she thinks, sitting in her seat once more as yet another contestant prepared to perform. she'd gave it her all, and finally got to feel the rush of dancing once more. that was enough for her.
when: june 13th, 2019
where: mall in gangnam, seoul
with: @rksoye
“i really hope i can trust your judgement today, soyeon....” cautious eyes wander over the racks of clothes, and then down at her own. if she could describe this store’s style in three words? simple. rips, baggy, and different. she’d never been into street style, and the one thing she couldn’t shake from her mother’s teaching had been her love of fancy clothes. laces, frills, flowing - all of it was a must when it came to tingyan’s style. while the female admired her friend’s skills when it came to beauty, they couldn’t have a more different sense of fashion. but that would all change today - she’d be soyeon, and soyeon would be her. tingyan had been hesitant to accept soyeon’s proposal of a makeover for the mgas, and only accepted when her request to give soyeon a makeover as well was accepted. so here they were, in the middle of the mall, switching styles for a day and deciding on what’d work and what wouldn’t.
“alright...i’ve got it! do you like - this?” the hopeful girl emerges from the hoard of racks she’s gotten lost in, finding soyeon and lifting her discoveries up. in one hand was a white lacy top, flowing down to the torso and adorned with frilly sleeves. in the other, lay a light denim skirt, stopping above the mid-thigh. “i know, i know. it’s not what you’re used to, but...it’s different, right? what do you think?” proud of her combination, she spins it around on the hanger, admiring from afar. soon, though, her attention turns to soyeon, peeking curiously at what was in her hands. “so? have you found anything mga-worthy?”
it'd been... a long time since seoyeon had danced in a studio. three years and 1 month to be exact. she’s definitely not as flexible as she once was, constantly hunched over her computer nearly all day because of school and messing around with music. but for the longest time, she’d convinced herself she wouldn’t ever dance again.
seoyeon lost everything in the summer of 2016, dancing included. a pit would form in her stomach any time she thought about dancing anywhere but her mom’s studio, a bundle of nerves that would sit there for hours. her dad always encouraged her to try dancing again, “you know she would want you to do what you loved,” but she still couldn’t bring herself to try.
that was, until meeting soyeon.
seoyeon had been friends with soyeon for a while now, meeting her through a mutual friend a few months ago. the two had grown close quickly, especially after dvs was formed. she loved supporting her friend’s interests and that included soyeon’s dance videos. it was inspiring watching just how passionate her friend was when she danced. she doesn’t remember when it happened, but she remembered feeling the want to dance for the first time in three years. that’s when seoyeon decided to ask her friend if she wanted to dance together. or, in reality, build seoyeon’s dancing up again.
so here she was at the studio that she always saw in the background of soyeon’s videos. the pit was there... but it was lighter than before, surprisingly.
she’s just finished stretching when she huffs, already out of breath. “oh god..” she groaned, “this is gonna be a nightmare.” she eases herself into a split, hovering over the floor a couple inches. “i’ve lost all of my flexibility.” she turns to the other girl and whines dramatically, “soyeon, i’m gonna die.”
*.☽ .* ┊chong tingyan meets mga 5 auditions, 061419 !
↪ dancing to camila cabello’s i have questions ( 0:10 - 0:56 ), outfit
"chong tingyan?"
amidst all the other dancers, she turns at her name, shock evident in her features. of course, she knew that her turn was coming eventually, but with all these dancers she hadn't realized just how fast time would go by. but there's no time to think it over because a few seconds into tingyan blankly starting the woman who had called her name gives an uncomfortable cough, prompting her to move.
"oh! right," she says, bowing in apology before following her to the stage. the time she's gotten to prepare has allowed for tingyan to ready herself, and now she's in competition mode. dance was her thing. if anything could send her far in this competition, it's dance.
"hello, judges. my name is chong tingyan, i'm twenty years old, and today i'll be dancing i have questions for you all. i hope you enjoy." a smile is given, odd considering this time it's polite opposed to the flirtatious ones she usually gives. after her introduction is done, she backs up, arms to her sides as she gets into the headspace to perform. this was going to be...difficult. though her outfit made her look as if she was going to perform hip hop, once the soft music begins to play it's clear that she's in contemporary. for once, playing it safe seemed like the best option, especially since she was significantly better in it than other genres. slow songs were her specialty, allowing her training to truly shine through. of course, tingyan still wanted to look cute, and soyeon's style has imprinted itself on her outfit. it was obvious in the street style it exuded, different from her own. while it felt strange, once the music starts any feeling of doubt washes away and she's tingyan, the dancer.
as soon as the music reaches her cue, she's transformed to a different time - the lyrics motivating her every move. while the lyrics may remind them of a love song, it reminds her of her childhood. the words, i'm way too young to be this hurt, i gave you all of me, all of it reminds her of the time she spent used as a pawn for their plan. so as much as she hates to she uses it, channels all her painful emotions in the song. it causes her jumps to be a little higher, kicks to be a little sharper, and the genuine pain she hopes will transfer to the panel.
then the song fades, and tingyan turns one last time to face the judges. for a minute she stands there, in a sort of a daze, but once the song cuts off for good she shakes off any feelings that may have resided within her. the competition was far from over, and there was no time to stop now.
"once again, i'm chong tinyan. thank you," she says, bowing to each of them before heading for the exit. she may sound stupid repeating her name, but if she wanted to be remembered she had to make sure she made herself known. and with that, she's led out the room.
right now she feels drained - emotionally, and physically. but she did what she came to do, and hopefully showed the judges every piece of her.
tingyan feels satisfied with herself, and right now? that was all that mattered.
