⭐️ — sn project: month three, week four — ⭐️
now playing: hush and omona (line distribution)
performance one || outfit one
performance two || outfit two
this is it.
three whole months have built up to this moment. all the tears, the sweat, the sleepless nights. meiqi can’t think of a better way to wrap everything up, though, aside from maybe debuting all of them in two separate groups at the same time—a possibility that wouldn’t seem too unlikely if it were any other ceo but hyun bin. still, it’s the best they’re going to get. even if there’s a 0.5% chance that meiqi can debut from this three-month hell, she’s going to give it a shot.
she didn’t like the songs. she didn’t like their choreographies. she didn’t like the parts she was given. and yet, none of that stopped meiqi from working her hardest. nothing will stop her from achieving her dream.
and it’s because of that, that meiqi practiced until her bones ached and her eyes threatened to fall shut. with the amount of times she had run through each song, it comes as no surprise to meiqi that she’s suddenly developed… some positive feelings for hush and omona. these songs were made for her and no one but the nova trainees. this could very well be the last two performances she does for a while, and so she feels the need to like the songs. but it’s also the reason that she naturally begins to adore the songs for all that they represent: the good and the bad experiences while trapped in confinement, the friendships that she’s forged along the way, and so much more.
meiqi cries before they go on stage.
she does it privately, though she’s sure that some camera somewhere has captured the moment. meiqi doesn’t understand the tears, whether they’re happy or from sadness. are they even either of those?
stop it, she scolds herself as she dabs at the moisture on her cheeks with a tissue. meiqi gets her makeup touched up quickly to fix anything that had gone awry by the tears, and then stands with the rest of the girls by the stage. yongsun offers her a hug and a few words of encouragement that force any qualms to the back of her mind (the other girl seems to have that effect on her).
and then they go out.
it’s hard not to be energetic when there’s a crowd cheering and a camera panning across the stage, not to mention the remixed beats that are paired with the girls’ introductory dance stage. the choreography she worked on is nothing less than stellar, if she may say so herself.
the stage where both the boys team and the girls team come together is fun, a more relaxed atmosphere that allows them to interact a little more with the camera and each other. both stages are over within the blink of an eye, before meiqi gets into line for self introductions. to appeal to the audience, meiqi sings one of her lines from hush: “this is my kingdom, peekaboo!” as she says the last word, she hides her face behind her two hands and then tilts her head to the side to unhide herself. “hi everyone! this meiqi flower has bloomed thanks to your love and support. please watch the stages well that we’ve all prepared for you!” meiqi finishes with a bow and blows a kiss to the crowd.
the rest of the concert continues with a blur. the trainees go backstage to get into their stage outfits for the first concept. when it’s the girl’s turn to take the stage, meiqi takes her place.
she feels confident, thanks to all of the practice, the blue vest she had been wearing the past three weeks, and her team’s support. both concepts are done well not only by her, but by everyone. meiqi can’t help but feel content with how they’ve executed each performance. everyone has grown so much, that much is evident.
“i love you guys,” meiqi confesses once they’ve returned backstage after both performances. “let’s debut together. i believe in us!”
the thought is bittersweet. there’s no denying that the sn project has been the most trying three months of her life. everything has come easy to meiqi ever since she was young; what she wanted, she got. praise was all she ever received, and when it wasn’t, she could just brush it off. there were never any repercussions for her actions, or at least, not that she knew of because someone else would handle them (her aunt or uncle or cousin, all solved with massive amounts of money). becoming a trainee challenged some of that, but the sn project literally threw her under the bus.
she’s missed her friends. meiqi misses coming home to the perfect roommate, her best friend, and the sporadic acts of affection that they would exhibit for each other (some of which were inappropriate, but happened to be meiqi’s favourites). she misses scrolling through her instagram before she sleeps, leaving silly comments on friends posts and watching stupid videos. she misses the fresh air, the freedom, being able to never repeat the same outfit—all the little things she never knew were so important to her until now.
but would meiqi have passed up on this chance? if she went back in time, would she do it again? in a heartbeat.
“don’t make me cry, coach!”
meiqi has found solace in these one-on-one sessions, in her coach who comforts her when she cries, and who cheers with her for every little victory.
minsoo chuckles before asking his next question. “how do you feel, knowing the project is coming to an end?”
“scared. excited. lots of things.” meiqi sighs. “in a way, i’m kind of attached to the routine of the sn project. and i’ll definitely miss performing so frequently—especially if i don’t debut. i can’t imagine going back to the regular trainee life after this. but i also want to see the blue sky again, feel the sun kissing my skin, spend some time with the people who i hold dearest to me. it’s a very confusing time for me, so i just want to close off my thoughts and focus on perfecting everything that i’ve prepared for the concert.”
“what has been the best part of the sn project?”
meiqi doesn’t let a second pass before answering. “getting closer to all the nova girls. i’ve never been on bad terms with any of them, but it was nice to work with people who i’ve never worked with before. i think we have a special bond now that can’t easily be broken. it’s what makes our team so much stronger than when we had first started the project.”
looking directly at the camera, meiqi arches her arms over her head to form a heart. “yongsun, wendy, sunmi, chaeyoung, solji, kaeun, hyuna! i love you!”
