#*solo.journey*

[rksakura]

episode five interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! mentions: @hyojinrk, @danielxrk, @rkmason, @rkyuri, @rkxuxi, @rkpjy, @rkheejin, @rkkyul, @rkyeji, @ericxrk, @rktaeyang​ trigger warnings: anxiety levels.

it feels that the interview is more nerve-wracking than being on the stage and performing. maybe it's because she's in a room all by herself with no one else other than an interviewer and a camera, recording logs of her personal answers to the questions. before she's taken to sit down on the chair, she takes a couple of moments to relax and get a grip of herself before this anxiety got to her. a couple of deep breaths is the way to go. once she's led to the door entrance, she enters the room and sits down. "hiya!" she gives a small smile to the interviewer.

"what did you think of the results last week?"

"the results last week.." she trails off, contemplating carefully before she gives a statement with clarity. "i actually expected more people to be eliminated.." she lets out a relieved sigh, content enough that many of the others weren't off the show. "i'm glad people got to stay here! makes it worthwhile, you know?"

"how was it like working with your trio?"

she had nothing but positive things to say about xuxi and yuri, it was fun hanging out with them and putting together a wonderful performance that she enjoyed dancing to! "i love them! it was great, yuri is my powerpuff girl buddy! and xuxi, i didn't meet him until now but let me tell you, he's a wonderful soul and a really sweet person!" she isn't the kind of person out to make bad blood at all. "i'm glad we all got along." she smiles, appreciating the time she shared with yuri and xuxi sincerely.

"did practising in the trc building make a difference?"

she was so jubilant once she heard the news that she was given the opportunity to have practise sessions in the trc building, a dream company of her's. "oh, it was so big! and they have nice things everywhere, high-quality equipment." she was impressed when she got her hands on it, it looked expensive and all.

"how did you react when you were put in a group with trc?"

sakura has a wide smile on her face, she couldn't ask for anything more! "i'm just happy that i got to be there, you know? tiger jk is my idol! he's a really good rapper and being in there is an honour. really." the feeling was exciting, almost too good to believe that it was true, that she was stepping in the building that day and practising. "i was fangirling inside!" she chuckles lightly.

"did the trio that shared the room with you ever interfere on your plannings?"

"no not at all! i loved being around them. they were super nice and friendly too. i don't think anyone was out there at each other's throats, honestly speaking." sakura meant every part of it, she just didn't trust mnet's editing is all ( from what she's heard but she's learned to be careful of what she says! ).

"were there any performances that you really liked?"

"i was captivated by heejin's voice when i heard it, she has a pretty voice! jieqiong's a really good dancer and mason's really good at rapping. he has a lot of experience. i look up to him too!" she had much more to say than that, she did stay for the whole thing to watch the performance. "yeji, daniel, and jinyoung. when they performed, their energy complemented each other's and they were like a perfect blend."

"hyojin, eric, and taeyang! i think the song they chose worked really well with their voices! i think they ate the cd."

she's told that her time is up. sakura thanks the interviewer and gives a courteous bow before she leaves the building.

[rksakura]

FINALE, EPISODE 7 🔊: fiesta (solo) + nillili mambo ( lyrics + lines ) | group performance with 💖 sakura, woojin, daniel & zuho! coaches @rkxjinki, @junerk, @rkjinwook! mentions: @rkxkikwang, @yuzurk, @rkxminhee, @rkpwj, @danielxrk, @rkchwev, @rkmason, @rkzxh, @hyojinrk, @rkyuri​, @rkchoutzuyu trigger warnings: mild levels of anxiety.

this is the final performance.

one more episode that'll determine everything and where she'll go, whether she gets signed or not. 

faces being eliminated could be a high possibility as well. the thought of anyone of her teammates being eliminated makes her feel uneasy. while sakura is a complete ray of sunshine with a heart of gold, she still sticks to the honest side. this is a competition, she's against her friends who she doesn't want to lose either. while the tensions are at its highest stake, she has to see the positive outcome in this. even til' now she tenses at times, she does a wonderful job hiding it away from the camera which is a good advantage to her. that's because she's learned to smile through hard times but the adrenaline on the stage also excites her, the experience that made her develop into a better performer came from this opportunity.

she couldn't be any more grateful than to have a chance to broaden her connections, meeting the coaches wasn't intimidating at all. just like before, sakura makes bento boxes for her team and the coaches before the day ends and preps the meals accordingly to day-by-day. she was one who prefers homemade meals over going out despite her being a huge foodie. nothing beats the feeling of home sweet home. spending time with the team, she's gotten to know them more. it helps to know what they like with their dishes, sakura does her best to adjust to as they requested. hojung, jinki, and jinwook are coaches that she can ask feedback from comfortably without hesitating.

moments in the training room aren't simply singing, dancing, or rapping but conveying creativity and sharing ideas before all of them picked a final song. there are underlying doubts that reside in her when she hears that the tempo is following with hip-hop brands, she can't help it but reflects on her social image, a girl filled with aegyo and unique tone to rapping but she still feels it doesn't suit her. she's mentioned it to zuho, sitting down at the highest peak of a building to look over the dark skies. she's been wanting to receive feedback from the coaches, so she asks and they tell her that she needs to believe in herself more. sakura couldn't agree anymore. she's the type of person to motivate herself but can't do it all alone, encouragement from peers gives her the push that she needs to carry on.

the writing sessions with daniel are fun. at first, the impressions with sakura that she rubs off as a gentle, warm-hearted and that she might not be into all that with rapping, but she's been interested in song-writing for a while. this stems from her interest in poetry, writing haikus were her favourite past-time as a child. there's nothing but empowerment she feels from rapping, especially when it derives from her own resources. she's intrigued by his creativity levels, they're out of this world and she's sure to inform her teammate about his talents.

somewhere in the day, she's chatting with yuzu and notices that she's able to attend the live show with minhee. when she hears the good news, sakura instantly smiles and promises she'll work harder for the both of them. plus, she couldn't let the rest of her team down if she doesn't practise her facial expressions. the uneasy remnants remain trapped but she overrides that by giving practise her all. she needs to work on how she emphasizes certain words in korean, taking the time to memorise the lyrics as it's majority hangul than english. pronunciation is keycore, she couldn't make an embarrassment out of herself knowing that netizens out there could be out for her life. sakura has to be prepared for anything. she works hard in what she believes in, music is basically the air she breathes for.

most of all, she doesn't leave out to be there for her beloved ones. including mason and it honestly broke her heart when she heard the results from the last episode, but she doesn't mention it as she doesn't want to upset anyone. sakura can only wish him the best of luck and she does every time, rooting for mason and supporting his decisions. she even lets him know that she's afraid of not making it through when she's been this far and she's always listening to his stories within the industry. she takes a good time to hang out with her childhood friend and it breaks the concerns overwhelming her temporarily. she's overthinking but being side-by-side with her friends relieve any trepidation.

sometimes, she wants to ask yuri if she can stay over and have a sleepover with yuzu before all of this mga stuff happened? she wonders, will she lose everything if she did win and sign the contract? her friends are everything to her. sakura doesn't want to forget anyone or have herself be forgotten. she hasn't been able to see kikwang and tzuyu and it does run in her mind, bothering her to the point she'd write handwritten letters for them she'd give later on.

she doesn't ever forget her roots. ever.

it feels lonely without hyojin when he��s not around, sakura loves his company over. she wants to keep going on but she can’t help but think to send a text through, wondering if her good friend was alright after seeing what recently happened in the last episode. sakura doesn’t do so well dealing with loss. not that she’s a sore loser but when the ones she cares for experience such a thing.

the big day comes shortly. she wakes up from her bed with enough sleep to get on with her day, packing all the lunches she's made for her team the night before. there's also her hygienic duties, brush her teeth and fix her hair as well as eat her breakfast before she sets out to her designated destination. once she gets there, sakura enters the mnet building, greeting everyone familiar to her. waving her hands all around the place and wishing them the best, the energy pill is her, that roots for everyone! she feels that's the best energy she can give out. she's got everything packed carefully in her backpack, switching over to the outfit and her makeup's already done. the theme of the performance is interesting, different than what she usually does.

jinwook's birthday comes along, she brings mini mochi ice creams for everyone, including a pack for jinwook himself! celebrating birthdays gets sakura cheery, it makes her genuinely happy as it's someone else's important day and a nice day to celebrate with everyone. this week has been quite eventful with everything lining up with her school and volunteer work schedule to, but sakura feels that it's an escape, that's why going out and celebrating holidays make a great hangout. she sings happy birthday to jinwook, both in japanese and korean.

the choreography isn't hard to learn, but the focus on this episode seems like it was revolving around dancing than anything else but that's her weakest, that doesn't stop sakura from working around her barriers. she doesn't use that as an excuse to let laziness guide her. in fact, she uses it as willpower to take the challenge. she sees this as something she wants to overcome, something to be better at so that way in the future, she's overall a consistent performer. the sphere practise room is peaceful from what she remembers. the concept that she's been given is a trc-based but the doubts aren't bad anymore, sakura has all she needs. the right environment, the swagger of her own even if it doesn't suit the rappers from the original song. it's better to tweak it up to her own style rather than copy someone else anyway.

without vernon, it doesn't feel right either. a missing piece of the puzzle; another number down, a presence that her team is missing. she admired him for the tips she's learned from him in the rapping department, specifically. it's rare for sakura to meet rappers and when she does, she's sure to exchange information to keep in contact. she's met a couple more faces being in seoul. traveling around the world from youth, sakura's lost touch with a lot of friends that she was close to. she made sure that wouldn't happen as often present day. 

at least, she can rely on daniel with performance criticism and critiques.

he’s right. the song is enjoyable as long as she doesn’t break her concentration. she asks zuho again and again, what defines sakura’s swagger? she’d receive the same words to be herself and not force it. she did have an individuality, an enigma to her soul when it comes to being up on the stage. she’s going to show that off.

when she’s sitting next to her team on her assigned seat, it’s not much longer until her full name is called up. miyawaki sakura. she’s assigned to take a section of the mash-up, matching her own epitome is the song solo by jennie from blackpink. she’s small bits here and there researching trc’s trends a couple nights ago, keeping notes up in her bulletin board as she read over them during rehearsals. the song’s quite powerful, so much that it eventually grew on her. she found herself playing it on repeat during her commute times. she presents a polite bow to the contestants and the judges that will be evaluating them.

before the song begins, she’s wearing a pair of sunglasses and posing for the camera as the lighting gradually increases, lenses lock on the team. she throws them off as the music starts playing. woojin starts with the opening lines and sakura dances along to her formation, movements sharp as she’s highlighting on her dancing. she’s practised so many times that she’s memorised the moves efficiently. daniel, zuho, and woojin sing through their lines and when sakura reaches her’s, she doesn’t find herself breathy thanks to the techniques she’s learned. jinki also helped in that aspect too, taking deep breaths before any performance is the way to go. it keeps her breath control in check as well as her anxiety levels.

when her lines come up, she holds the microphone firmly in her hand and starts singing. it’s not anything too hard, she holds a nice melody with her sweet tone. it’s easy on the ears but not aggressive that it seems like she’s overshadowing her teammates. sakura didn’t want that at all. she wants everything to be a fair win.

bichi naneun solo bichi naneun solo

i’m going solo lo lo lo lo lo i’m going solo lo lo lo lo lo

she rolls her body to the melody, keeps up with the same energy with her lines and dancing to make sure she doesn’t look subpar. she shares this segment with daniel. she has a big smile on her face as she looks over her teammate and winks, posing up two peace signs as she’s delivering a wave of charisma with her profound valor.

geot gachi ttaekkaji geunyang sarado dwae geu malhaneun neon sujeosujeo georyeo nan saraminde so what~ sing it loud like

bichi naneun solo

invariably, her australian accent shows with any of the english lyrics. her signature trademark is her multilingual abilities. she transitions it well back to korean, then switching to english. by this, she can use a unique ‘switch’ with her rapping or singing flow. her voice is a tool, a part of her she can control than let any of the fears control her. it’s an instrument like what her choir teacher told her back in high school during her cheerleader days.

bichi naneun solo i’m going solo lo lo lo lo lo i’m going solo lo lo lo lo lo

the mash-up seems like a fast-tempo song, she’s somewhat surprised that she’s able to hold off on her own because if the current her was the same sakura from a year ago, she wouldn’t even have the ounce of confidence to be on this stage without trembling or shaking. anxiety doesn’t go away just like that, she has her moments too but she didn’t work hard for all of this to go to waste.

she’s jumping on the stage with a bright smile on her face as she winks at the camera again! she picks herself up to hit the dance moves duly, providing an excerpt of her rap.

give me more give me more geonjohan sok keun bul jipin neo gudeojin du bare tto hoheuphae anim michilgeol ganjeolhi gajgo sipeo neon allokdallok son japgo nun gamgo ipmajchwo neomgyeo baton

the cute charm remains (it’s never going away, isn’t that what everyone knows her for?) but sakura also wants to indicate her chic colours, she’s not reliant on her ‘soothing sound’ at the moment but wants to leave an unremarkable impression to the judges so that her name’s written somewhere out there and she’s not just another pretty face on the screen that seems talentless. that’d be the last she’d want to go by. to get to the top, she must survive her way to the bottom and fight her way to become a rising phoenix.

give me more

she’s learned how to harmonise with her team too! sakura didn’t know too much about in-depth singing features but it’s essential if she wants to sound good and hold a note. she doesn’t sound off-key and not too horrible but still isn’t at the peak where she can belt out high notes like the others do. jinwook and jinki have strong pipes which is why she asked for some pointers on her vocal control and the consistency of it. her vocals are soft, thin and sometimes airy but she isn’t doing adlibs so sakura holds a strong tune.

yongseohaejulge

the boys possess loads of charisma as well which compliment the entire performance, she can really rely on her team without a doubt to win this. it doesn’t even have to be first place but sakura’s one to appreciate the beauty regardless of the situation.

sunglasses are on at the end, she’s forming a v-shape with her fingers underneath her chin as she poses.

she’s given a lot of her energy but it doesn’t stop there. the song closes but another door opens. this was the most complicated piece she’d spend a good time on, endless nights and days of playing owl so that she didn’t stutter with her words. but like the last song, the sound of it was also energetic! she found a way to work around it.

pirates, argh matey and all. wooden boats and parrots as props in the setting. she thinks it’s an amusing concept, not one that seems typical of her but once she takes off the sunglasses, an eyepatch is revealed and she throws the sunglasses to the audience if someone wanted to catch it. daniel opens up with his rap and it’s the part where he wrote his own lyrics. she’d proud of his achievement and his ability and it expresses in her eyes whilst performing in the stage.

she jams to the melody of zuho’s swagger voice, he’s popping off as well and sakura’s happy for her best friend. it feels like there was nothing to be stressed over the entire time, not when she has zuho by her side to support her through tough times. she cherishes his company, doting on him a lot of the time. sakura keeps up with the movement of the dance, making sure to keep a friendly smile on her face!

aight~! jakjeonghago nawara  sarammada jeongsin nagan holiday igot bunwigin yeoreumbada  geollijeok georineun witdori taruihae eosuseonhage beongjjiji mara yangchigisonyeon gachi  sabangeul jeonjeonhamyeo Blah Blah donghaedo naega daibinghamyeon adamhan puljang joeda baksallaera click clack boom pow

being the only girl in the group felt scary at first but she’s aware that the boys have her back when she’s in trouble and they don’t bite at all. sakura’s the type of person to give people the benefit of the doubt. it often ended well for her as most people didn’t take advantage and don’t break her trust. there are a few cases but not many to the point she’d lose the spark of her generosity.

she’s doing what she loves on stage, living the dream. being able to rap freely, proving people wrong—not to judge by her looks, to see the soul with eyes. she lets the boys shine in the spotlight while following the formation of the dance.

(this is real b.b) (we be big pimpin)

baksuchigo sondeureo igeon baiking taljinhal ttaekkaji gyesok syauting bbbbrrrrrrrr~!

not one song but two, this was a lot and she’ll be tired after but it’s worth it.

she doesn’t have much longer. the song’s going to end soon. sakura doesn’t want to think about the countdown but enjoy and breath in the moment of the song. she takes heavy deep breaths but keeps the microphone away from her mouth so there’s no feedback. when it’s her time to shine again, sakura sings the last bit of her lines effortlessly.

nilliri rarara nilliriya nillirimambo nilliri rarara nilliriya nillirimambo nilliri rarara nilliriya nillirimambo

woojin closes the song. when the instrumental stops playing, she’s out-of-breath but thanks everybody for watching them. including the viewers, judges, and contestants. prior to leaving the stage, sakura takes a courteous bow on the stage.

adrenaline gushes through her system, it’s not leaving yet as she’s still going to root for the others, watching the remaining time of the mnet global auditions. she has to stay to see what the results are. regardless, watching the process of elimination is nerve-wracking. at least, she can enjoy the rest of the other performances and see what everyone else has to show off!

she didn’t calculate that she’d make it this far but being on this taxing and demanding show has polished a lot of her skillsets that she probably couldn’t do on her own with the help of her peers, friends, coaches, teammates, and any words she’s received from the judges about her musicianship.

she’s come a long way down this road. she’ll have to call her mother and father once they’re back from their business trip so she can catch up since it’s been a while she hasn’t contacted them. she’s been slacking in communications but she’s doing the best she can with the limited time she has.

[rksakura]

🔊: bond girl ( lyrics + lines ) duo performance with 💖 sakura miyawaki & shin ryujin! trigger warnings: anxiety. mentions: @rkkyungsoo,@rkmason, @ryujinrk, @hyojinrk

the show was brewing into a much competitive scene which shakes sakura as she doesn’t cope up with competition too well. it feels like this was a proposition against her bubbly demeanour! other than the occasional burst of tension that gets to her, she’d rather deal with that than lose any of her friends, all because of the spotlight. in truth, sakura loves her friends. when she hears about the duos being featured, she couldn’t ask for anyone else really. she’s happy it’s shin ryujin, a good friend of hers! this meant no competition, it feels of a fun collaboration.

she’d gotten along perfectly with the girl, sakura’s fond of her energy so she loved the practises in the sessions. it was full of smiles, joy, and wonderful vibes so she has nothing to complain about. zero. if anything, she doted being around ryujin! she’d even ask her to pick out the outfits and the best part about it, shopping! sakura likes shopping as hangouts, something she didn’t mind doing at all. she eventually decided that going together in the same outfits made it easier. the choice of her outfit was a white crop top, covered by a black blazer and black pants, wearing white sneakers to piece it together. matchies! she mentioned earlier ago to ryujin with a bright smile.

not only shopping, but she decided to go all out with the masks and decorate them to her heart’s content. how fun, she truly enjoys expressing her creativity. she went with a silly gudetama mask that she drew. sakura was an artist, being able to draw well with a unique style to the outlines and details. she also had precision but it didn’t take much out of her to make her own mask. at least this way, she can be relieved of any restlessness that’s been resting in her because of the elimination process that’s taking up next. there are better times in the heat of the situation, gradually spreading.

the performance due date was coming up closer, sakura’s garnered a lot of confidence to make it through and she’s sure she can nail this. she wakes up in a good mood, goes through her session to clean up and pack the outfit for bond girl in a bag to bring with her to the building. she’s dressed in her usual casual attire, a black ¾ baseball t-shirt, dark blue denim skinny jeans, and the white sneakers she doesn’t have to change out for later. thank god for saved time!

she makes sure to say hello to everyone she can get to, mason, kyungsoo, yuri, and hyojin. they were up next before her turn was up. once it is, sakura ensures that she’ll deliver a charismatic and enjoyable performance to the crowd. she’ll surely have an amazing time being able to rap on the stage with a change of flow! she wants to show a different enigma to the cast. in spite of her voice told that she wasn’t able to be a rapper by a couple, she took that as advice to become a versatile rapper and adapt. she’d also picked up this tip from her mentors.

prior to her hitting the stage, she doesn’t forget to change into her stage attire. she’ll switch back to her usual outfit later, storing her items in a secure place. sakura sits next to ryujin and squeezes the girls hand, sitting back and watching the other performers. she feels a hint of security built around her, excitement enters as well as she’s eager to perform the song. once she’s called by last and first name along with ryujin, she stands up and heads to the stage. she’s remembered to take deep breaths before rapping, it’s surprisingly relaxing.

before the song plays, she makes sure to take a polite bow as she’s wearing the mask, next to ryujin. the lyrics include a lot of korean, sakura stayed up for a day to perfect this masterpiece! she notices that there are some english words, so that’ll come in handy for her. she’d say it’s worth it as it’s her drive for music that doesn’t make her give up. she’ll keep pushing through even at her tired states. she brings in her flow and can provide an entertaining performance today! one that the judges will ( hopefully ) like.

난 제임스 본드, 이유는 묻지말고 i’m james bond, do not ask me why 안전거리를 확보 앞뒤 간격 유지하고 keep a safe distance 독자적인 행동들은 다 금지 내 속 태우지 말고

ryujin’s charismatic and enigmatic deep voice compliments sakura’s sweet and soft high-pitched voice, the raps are full of a nice blend. she’s dancing kind of goofy, it’s pretty silly but refreshing. at least, she doesn’t have to wear herself out. to her, music came in all forms, shapes, and sizes. sakura didn’t always have to show her ‘swag’ or any of her cutesy raps, she wanted to change the ways each episode to entertain. also, that she’s a well-rounded performer.

do not burn your own actions 치명적인 매력, 착한 미소 뒤로 숨지 말고 do not hide behind a deadly charm, good smile uh, 본드걸, 뭔가 냄새가 나 uh, bond girl,  i smell something 남자 없어도 잘 사는 넌 왜 면허도 없는 날 꼬시나 you do not have a man, you live well. why do you have no license? 싹 떨어져 내 맘에 붙지 말고 sprout away, do not stick to my heart 보기보다 순결하다고 나 i am more innocent than i am

she watches ryujin perform, delivering each line flawlessly. she applauds ryujin on the stage, empowering the other girl in the spotlight! sakura wasn’t one to fight for it, she wanted this to be fair as ryujin is her friend after all. she’s smiling underneath the mask that she’s wearing which isn’t too hot at all to her shock. though, the building did have proper air conditioning in this midst of the summer. she could’ve chosen to sing the singing part but decides not to as she doesn’t want to strain her voice and use it up. she wants to focus on the feel of her rap. sakura throws in some rapper adlibs in between the song!

then, it was time to show off the last few lines before the song ends. sakura’s caught up between the dancing and rapping, nothing was overwhelming her as she didn’t find this a hard routine to follow. she’s bringing such an energetic vibe on stage, sakura’s made sure to do that. she holds the microphone firmly to her mouth and starts rapping again.

왜 내 집 주소 묻는데 why do you ask my home address 아 왜 너 내 주민번호 묻는데 oh, why do you ask my resident number 내 대답은 no woah 징그럽게 달라붙지 마 my answer is no woah 본드걸 ! bond girl!

there’s never a moment when sakura doesn’t smile on stage, she’s done that for so much of her performances and will keep showing her pearly teeth on stage! she bows politely with ryujin on stage, thanking the judges and contestants for their time. she also tells ryujin that she did a good job! she nailed that performance. sakura takes off the stage, holding the box in her hand as she packs the rest of the stuff in her bag in the break room.

[rksakura]

🔊: gogobebe ( lyrics + lines ) | 👚 trio performance with 💖 sakura, yuri, & xuxi! mentions: @rkmason​, @rkxkikwang​, @rkchoutzuyu​, @rkkenta​, @hyojinrk​, & @rkkyungsoo​

tw: anxiety!

the more the merrier, the better. this theme's featuring three bodies instead of two, which feels like a small group performance. which gets sakura pumped up, eager to work harder so that she holds up to the team. signs of trepidation flow through her though, that seems to be on every episode that she feels the tension itching but she can only focus her intent on having fun to come up with a piece with her new group! eliminations are inevitable every round, there's no point in wasting time dwelling on a circumstance bound to happen as written out by the judges based on impressions and several opinions.

she spends her days in the practise studio, working more and more on to pick up her vocals as she wasn't only going to rap this time. there are moments when she sits down and ponders thoroughly that she should've pressed on with her choir lessons but she'd already found a strong drive for rapping and its unique elements. she truly admires yuri and xuxi for being such hard-working individuals, the pace that they go through pushing themselves through it all, she lets the two know that she appreciates all of their hard-working whether through statements or gestures.

still, there's not a moment when she doesn't think about her friends or the fact any of the two other than herself have the potential to be eliminated. that's how it usually goes, right? rather, there are remnants of favouritism from the judges but she'd like not to trap herself within her own mind. the thoughts aren't on the brighter side so sakura shakes her head away as it'd only shuddered her, render her swelling with nervousness and going back to where she'd been so hesitant to reveal her face to the public before she'd reach this breaking point, blooming with confidence and becoming a better performer comes from trial and error!

not too long ago, just about a year. those were the days when she'd only discover that she'd been comfortable enough to put her musical content out in the world through the form of social media but never going out of her way to actually audition. this isn't the first time that she did it but she'd take every opportunity she could find to attend them in hopes to expand her knowledge and throughout, meet all sorts of other people that shared the same interest: a passion for music. it was a promise she'd carry out for tzuyu and kikwang, even gray that she'd enter. the truth is, she didn't expect herself to make it here. all the way to episode five but tonight, that could be changed. if she comes down to that fate, at least she knew that she did her best at the end of the day. that she sang, rap, and danced her heart out.

the building has such a warm atmosphere to it, maybe it's the fact that she isn't daunted and everyone has been nothing but kind souls to sakura. she'd do her best to return the gesture by putting out the same matter, with smiles and greetings. small meetings during lunches and small talks. she loves the friendliness and lightheartedness that flows through the room when she's listening to music or moving her body to a beat of the song. it doesn't feel forced, nobody hates one another or feels like strangers. this is the specific kind of environment that she aims to surround herself with all the time.

she hadn't met xuxi prior to this, but left a great impression with his performance on the last episode! she'd gotten to know him a bit more, exchanging contact information and numbers so that she didn't lose track of a new friend that she'd been excited to meet and even have the honour to work with him on the stage, alongside yuri. seeing the girl who she shares a cordial friendship with off-the-set and have dorky adventures with yena ( which sakura still wishes even now that she'd be here with them ), she's just glad to see her friends really.

tweaks are made with the choreography and dividing the lyrics out to three people, originally four and she finds herself having to dance, rap, and sing at the same time. she has to take some time at home to polish her vocals and breath stability whilst dancing. she'd have a small rap part given to her as both xuxi and yuri are strong vocalists. she believes that the only factor she found intimidating was the capabilities they had as vocalists with remarkable techniques and unforgettable charisma. she couldn't be on that level but her dreams are coming true slowly, she's grateful to even step on the trc building which is her dream company. it piqued her interest right off the bat when she came to south korean soil a year ago.

the outfit choice came down to light-colored suits. sakura could use a cool outfit to keep in her closet to use for another occasion. she had a good day shopping with the two. shopping's a favourite hobby of her's but she didn't like to overindulge unless she needs to. she'd have a horrible history in the past with using her debit card, her parents were from wealth but she didn't like to present that side about her upfront. at least, she's doing better with handling money now.

it's not long until the big day hits. her alarm sets off, she rises up from her bed with messy, untidy hair. sakura finds that it's easier to pack her items in her backpack and change her outfit in the bathroom. but with a suit, it's a tad bit complicated and she tries to pack the items carefully so that the condition doesn't look worn out with wrinkles all over. the clothing's covered with plastic so that nothing stains the high-quality item. she takes a small apple and banana with her for a small breakfast, starting off her day. the time comes up when it's time for her to go filming. she sets out to her designated destination, entering the building and greeting familiar faces. she'd arrive here early to see the others perform as she liked to stay longer even though she could have gone home, it was way better to see performances in person. being there physically, right at the moment is more exciting than seeing it on a flat-screen.

she spots mason, he's one of the first few to perform up. before he sets on that stage, sakura wanted to wish him luck and let him know that he's got this. kyungsoo's there as well, she walks up to him and greets him a hello, waving her hand and smiling at the male. first, she was speaking english with mason and korean with kyungsoo then she switches over to japanese with kenta, yelling out "頑張ってください "! ( ganbatte kudasai ; translation: good luck! ). then, she sets out to find the chairs are and finds yuri immediately. heyaaa!" she hugs her friend briefly before pulling away to sit down on her assigned seat. hyojin is someone she couldn’t forget to visit! she wants to make sure she gives him the best wishes.

once she hears their names being called up, that's when she knows she has to stand up from her seat and have an upbeat smile on her face! she introduces herself along with the others on the stage, bowing politely prior to letting the background music play. she finds a state of reassurance and relaxation when she releases some distressed sighs and takes a couple of deep breaths. she can sense the pressure already from the eyes. she's facing the judges and looks down on the ground then back up. in a moment of deep thought, she takes the few seconds to thank her goddess, amaterasu and says her prayers. 

the tempo starts playing, the sound's ebullient and uplifting. the dance isn't exactly difficult to tag along with, just sultry in some segments but she can work with the theme and calibrate herself. xuxi starts with the first line and it's a nice sound to it. yuri then sings with her angelic voice. she's grinning and jamming to the song energetically, sakura moves to the centre and delivers her rap portion of the song. she doesn't have a hard time pronouncing the korean as the lines were short, her flow is smooth and clean. her australian accent can be heard when rapping in english words.

야야 하루아침에 내가 변한 건 아냐 별거 아닌 거에 의미 갖지 마 인마 괜한 ANTIPATHY 등 떠민 적 없지 아이고 아이고 BUTTERFLY 그냥 잔을 부딪쳐 짠

she's got a lot of zeal. getting a good night's rest, her sleeping schedule has been better this week than the recent month that has gone by. she's cluttered with piles of schoolwork on the side, there's also the aquarium volunteer work that she's been doing for her internship. she's managed to take a couple days off from the volunteer work instead of being there five days a week, it was down to two as of the moment. she's astonished at the high notes that yuri and xuxi are able to reach. she's skipping on the stage with a curve on her lips and her eyes forming to a crescent shape. she switches in between the formations, staying on the side and drops a small line. 

DROP DROP DROP

she moves to the sound of the beat, primarily a drum-based noise and she's quick to pick up on it, moving her body as she prepares to transition over to singing. while she may not belt out notes and do runs and riffs, sakura could hold a note and tune with the sound of her voice, soft and airy, also lighthearted. she doesn't want to hold any of the others back sakura can show her own shining charisma with her charms!

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

고고베베

sakura forms in a line with xuxi and yuri, in the center and winks at the camera cutely, with a cheeky grin on her face as she finds the meaning in the song that the best thing to do is enjoy living in the moment. she has minor levels of anxiety and which is what contributed to her being afraid to go on the stage and presence left unknown in the music industry until she found people who helped find out the possibilities of her blooming talents! being with xuxi and yuri gives her that sentiment, she'll remember being on the stage with her friends.

LOOK UP THE HERE FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS 난 나의 피사체 무시해 잔소린 음소거 CLICK CLICK 삑 이렇다저렇다 가타부타 꼭 말 많은 애들이 먼저 영화에선 DIE해 SO RAISE 자기애

she places her hand on her hip, following through the choreography and raps one more time. her rapping style has cuteness but is also chic, she's trying to go for more of a sassy and chic vibe! from the genres, she's experimented with being on the mnet global auditions made her a capable and versatile rapper. she'd been discouraged in the past that she couldn't rap cause her sound wasn't suited for rapping or she didn't fit the "criteria" but that didn't stop sakura, she views it as empowerment to continue to pursue what she wanted to do and develop her skills in rapping. xuxi takes over singing and his deep voice is a smooth transition from her rap.

 DROP DROP DROP

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

she sings the best she can, the lines aren't very hard either. xuxi and yuri are in charge of belting and harmonies, she's responsible for rapping and the rendition of the piece came out lovely. she's learned a thing or two about harmonizing in groups, breath control's essential to singing, just as much as rapping relies on that too. together, all of the three dance and sing! her favourite part about the song is the beat. she moves her hips, swaying them and her hand gestures are lively!

고고베베

sakura sings her line and then continues to jam to the sound of yuri's sweet voice. 

NINE / SIX SIX NINETEEN NINE / SIX 고고베베

her pre-recorded voice is louder than her rapping out loud, ringers and she breaks into several poses before stretching her leg out as part of the dance. then, pulls herself back up and continues rapping while holding the microphone carefully. xuxi and yuri are singing in between lines after.

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

the song was coming to an end soon, that was her last line and it was short and simple. the korean words in this song weren't hard for sakura to memorise either, she got them within an 'or two. she grins and holds up a peace sign as she enjoys the last half thirty seconds she has on the stage before the next trio comes up! running her fingers through her hair, she skips and dances happily. the formation of the choreography was adjusted to make it three instead of four! she sings one more time, harmonising with yuri and xuxi. lastly, she makes a pose prior to the song being cut.

it's ended.

she takes a bow and thanks the contestants and judges for their time, waving both hands in the air to say her goodbye and leaves off with a smile on her face. she'll definitely stay longer until the show ends to see how everything else turns out. it's better to be safe than sorry anyway. it seems that this day, the nervousness is rising back up once she's not on that stage anymore. music is a source of peace for sakura, helping her when she feels that there's a strain in her feelings or when everything else didn't feel right. the fire is growing in this competition, sakura didn't want to feed into it. the best weapon is to smile!

[rksakura]

MNET GLOBAL AUDITIONS S5 EP2,

interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: anxiety. mentions: @yuzurk, @rkxkikwang, @rkchoutzuyu, @rkseunghun, @rkkyungsoo, @rkmason, @ericxrk, @ryujinrk, @hyojinrk

the heat on the stage lowers once the performers are all done showcasing their skills, the burden on her shoulders lifts away once she's sitting on a chair, adjusting herself comfortably, rather talking about the results of the program–based off her opinion. sakura's slowly adapting to the cameras and bright lightning all around the setting she's in. regardless, she can only focus on bringing out optimism in spite of all the tensions that are growing on the show. at least, the situation is turning out fortunate as she's made some new friends. caught up with familiar faces, watched magnificent singers, rappers, and dancers perform, and taking some cute selfies with her friends!

no matter how unsettling the atmosphere develops into, she's one to see the light in the darkest tunnels even if the world turns dark. sakura believes in hope. she can only sit back and smile before everything unravels into a pressure zone of hunger games. a smile's exchanged at the camera immediately once she's informed that this was a broadcast to the whole south korean nation. a demon's standing in her path, anxiety, derived from the feeling of having to be so self-conscious but she takes a few deep breaths to relax.

that's her healing exilir to breaking any jittery gestures or sedating the wreck of her own panic. it wasn't until this year that sakura was willing to record her content and post it on youtube, soundcloud, all sorts of social media platforms. she'd received so many tips and advice from her fellow trainee friends, sakura didn't put down and took their input. applying it to her daily routines, she's transformed on another level.

she's all ready for the first question attacking her. yes, attack because sakura didn't like how overwhelming the mgas could be. she beams a wide grin and shows two fingers that form the peace sign. "hello! miyawaki sakura here! that was fun wasn't it guys?" it's the greeting that she passes through. minutes feel endless when she's reluctant due to the elimination process that could happen to any one of her friends. she can only remain mellow for so long. smiling is a recovery action when times get rough, no that she has much of a choice.

"what did you think of the results last week?"

of course, that's how it was going to turn out in the first place. without a doubt, she wasn't fond of the question as it led on to the thoughts of faces she'd no longer have screentime with. tzuyu and kikwang, two people that represent a strong significance to sakura. she hadn't greet tzuyu because she assumed, she thought she needed a bit of time before she'd send that sms through. treading on shells from multiple scenarios is already enough but she's somewhat tired from the hours she's put in trying to perfect the practices for her performances. the expression on her face leans on indifference, "interesting.. eliminations came from day one but it was quite the show." both of her brows are raised as she isn't sure how to go on further about this.

thank you, next–question.

"how do you think you did?"

she tilts her head to the other direction, rocking her body back and forth a bit then giggles softly, then fixing posture to lean straight. "i put in a lot of effort and practiced all night. i think it was worth it because i really loved being out there on the stage! i wanted to show you guys a different kind of me. i've been working on other projects for hip-hop and freestyles to get better! i hope you guys liked my performance?" it might seem strange from the aura she gives off, sweet and bubbly but with a fierce and fiery passion to rapping. she'd receive too many words based off her looks itself but sakura wanted to prove them wrong.

"were there any performances you liked?"

"a lot of the singers have angelic voices don't they?" she's truly envious of their capabilities with the art, sakura can't climb up to that level of being a pro singer. "i like yena's voice, she has a pretty tone to it, hm?" she has other names to mention, "seunghun has an emotional voice to me, he sings from the heart. i like kyungsoo too, he's interesting." she brought up the class of singers but didn't go on about the other types. the interviewee's curious enough to hear about sakura's answers so she asks sakura to continue on. “but hyojin has a pretty voice too, i can’t forget about him. he has a voice that i’d like to fall asleep to just cause it’s so something and beautiful to the ears.”

"what about the others? who was your favourite rapper and dancer?"

there wasn't many rappers out there from what sakura's seen. she starts with her classification first, "i think yoona's a good rapper with nice flow, huh?~" she smiles lightly as she couldn't forget to bring up someone else, "mason niichan has a lot of charisma when he raps! he has so much experience that i look up to him." she hums quietly, trailing off before she discusses the dancers to close up the question. "ryujin and youngjae, they have a lot of expressions when they dance, it shows in the way they move their body, the fluidity of their movements."

the bomb comes last, "is there anyone you are certain will be eliminated today?"

she's felt it coming, aware of this question before it was being asked as it felt too predictable. "in all honesty." she's overall sweet as candy and filled with warmth but she can't seem to show any indications of that momentarily. "there's going to be people that are going home. let's see... what they'll say." she raises her shoulders, not focusing on bringing up any names. sakura didn't want to start a flame she couldn't put down. beef wasn't her intent. the sound of her voice shifts to a much reassuring tone, "let's just do our best. we got this! give it all you got."

that was the only thing anyone could do.

sakura's told that there wasn't going to be any more questions, she thanks the judges and others for their time. "thank you guys for having me here again, it was a pleasure." a bow is given before she takes her exit to finding her way back home. maybe she'll grab a meal before she hits the hay.

[rksakura]

episode seven interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! mentions: imma srry tag later!

this is the last time she'll be in a dim room with lights all over the place and lenses recording whatever she's going to be saying. sakura sits on her chair comfortably as the interviewer tells her lights, camera, and action! she's done a better job at public speaking as she was interviewed every episode. sakura tugs her lips into a small smile as she greets hello with both of her hands, "hello everybody! nice to be here one last time, isn't it?" the interviewer jumps to the questions right away.

"this is the very last interview. how does that make you feel?"

her bottom lips juts out into a pout, but it's also a sign of relief when she realises that she doesn't have to panic whether she looks good or not. "i'm actually sad, ya know! i enjoyed my time here with everyone despite the heavy competition. it's not everyday that you get to be here so i'm grateful." she gives another soft smile to the interviewer as she prepares for the next question, adjusting herself on the seat a bit.

"what did you think of last week's results?"

sakura shakes her head, eyebrows coming together in a distressed manner as she'd realise that's when she couldn't secure the victory with hyojin. the sight of him walking away from the show breaks her heart, just like when she was devastated that the two of her best friends couldn't celebrate it with her. "it was heartbreaking because the eliminations had me go woah!" she opened her mouth widely to shape an 'o' to indicate her shock but covers it with her hand after, then adds more of her input and opinion. "hyojin-chan has such a pretty voice, i didn't expect him to be off.. the show.. jieqiong's a creative dancer too and vernon taught me some tricks!" she's pausing in between some of her sentences, sadness heavily seen in her eyes.

"what was your own favourite performance this week?"

"i actually really enjoyed royal group's performance this week! heejin, kyungsoo, suwoong, and youngjae have such a nice element as a group. they complement each other's aura, i feel. when they were on the stage, they looked really unstoppable-all of them, being there together." she makes a couple of hand gestures, eyes widened as she was amazed when she was watching them on stage the whole time. "i'm glad i stayed to see how everyone else was doing." her lips curve into a cheeky grin.

"is there anyone you think will win for sure?"

right off the bat, there's a familiar face that comes to mind and sakura doesn't hesitate to bring him up. "mason seems like he's up there and sia too, she’s very talented. i can't leave xuxi out too. they're all charismatic performers that have so much confidence on the stage in my opinoin. i always get mesmerized when they're doing their thing." she doesn't put her name out there but there's a hopeful feeling in her gut that she wants to win this.

"how was it like working with your team?"

"i got along with all of them. my coaches gave me the feedback i asked for and they were always honest with me." sakura doesn't leave out her teammates, she speaks with a small curve on her lips. "daniel helped me a lot. he really encouraged me and zuho's really good at that too! did i mention that woojin doesn't bite? he's pretty friendly. i think everyone's fun to be around." she didn't have any negative feelings for anyone.

then, her interviewer informs her that her time is up. "thank you." sakura thanks her for her time and gives a polite bow before she leaves to continue her day.

[rksakura]

episode six interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! mentions: @rkxjinki, @rkjinwook, @hyojinrk, @rkmason, @danielxrk, @rkjoohyvk

"what did you think of the results last week?"

"i actually.. didn't expect that many people to get eliminated again." sakura tugs her lips into a frown, trying to sit comfortably in her seat but she can't. instead, she finds herself being dragged out by sadness, "it's actually saddening when people get eliminated but it's something that happens.. right?" she still can't quite come to terms with it but at the end of the day, it's not in her control anyway. so, she can only leave it as it is.

"how were your coaches?"

she had nothing but positive things to say about jinki, hojung, and jinwook. "they're so nice! and supportive! jinki gave me some really nice advice that i can work around with, he's a really good coach. they were all protecting me from anything that scares me!" sakura has a big bright smile on her face. soft giggles escape from her pink lips as she places a hand over her mouth, covering her lips. "i'm glad to have them as coaches. they're wonderful people, yaknow?~ thank you guys for everything, i appreciate all of you!" she shows two peace signs up with both of her hands.

"how was it like working with your group?"

"i made them lunch, they were all nice to me too! just like the coaches." she wasn't afraid of being around her team at all and didn't intend to make any bad blood which was good. sakura wasn't the type of person to make an enemy out of anyone as she was filled with nothing but joy and love to spread. "i wanted to bring them bentos every day because training can be so rough.. sometimes. it's a nice feeling to just to sit down and eat as a family, all together. i love my sphere group!” bringing up relations is also essential, “i got closer to my team and got to know a little bit more about them! daniel is someone i want to collab with in the future cause i can also play guitar. joohyuk is also really endearing.” she smiles brightly, pearly white teeth showing.

“there’s a lot of boys but i feel like they were trying to protect me!”

"how do you think you did this week?"

"i think i'm doing better slowly the longer i stay but the mgas are coming to an end, right?" she starts off with a smile but transitions into a pout once she mentions the last episode. "i'm improving gradually with my singing and it's something that i want to keep improving on for sure! i'm excited to be here actually.. even though it can be intense from time to time."

"is there anyone you're certain will be eliminated today?"

"please don't let mason and hyojin-chan go! mason is like influential in his way, just being on this show and hyojin’s voice is like an angel’s!" she's pouting at the camera again, clasping her hands together. "i don't like to think about these kinds of questions, but it's really up to the judges." she nods, that's the answer she can give the best out. she didn’t want to interfere with it any longer.

[rksakura]

🔊: movie star ( lyrics + lines ) | mnet global auditions, season 5 episode 6 group performance with joohyuk, vernon, daniel, & woojin! mentions: @rkxjinki, @rkjinwook, @junerk, @rkjoohyvk, @rkchwev, @rkpwj, @rkxkikwang​ & @danielxrk ! trigger warnings: food & anxiety!

the semi-finals, the biggest episode of all.

also the most anticipated as well as intimidating, some remnants are also outright scary due to the fact that eliminations may even be bigger in numbers in this episode. however, sakura can let that fear guide her or let it subside, but it can also push her to develop her abilities as she’s been instructed by her advisors, people who have won in the past that possess much more experience than her. the group is now in a large number, down to five and not three. she can work with this, with the right resources and present the essential skills that the judges sought in her effortlessly. if she chooses to listen to the words carefully, remaining on the confident lines than slipping up, right? 

she’s got this as long as she continues to put faith that everything will be okay.

the persistence resides within her, preserving so she can make it through with her team. she has to stay on top of her game, becoming a fierce lioness with loads of charisma! simply put, she doesn’t want to let anyone down or make them upset. overall, she’s a genuine soul willing to work with others, providing some support system as well by doing the best she can to show that she wants to help out the team in some way through long practise durations. 

it was a perfect idea to prepare cute bento boxes but just in case if any of the others had any allergies, sakura made sure to adjust the meals to their liking! she didn’t want anyone to have an upset stomach, but the dishes were filled with healthy options but also delicious goods. it might’ve not been the best idea to sneak in the occasional desserts, but she couldn’t resist! sakura loves mochi ice cream and dango too much to pass on. plus, she couldn’t just keep eating greens, she wanted to share her favourite delicacies with the team too. 

again, training takes most of her days when she’s not at the aquarium doing her volunteer work or at school. her routine is waking up, cooking breakfast and bentos for the team, making sure to leave some for jaewon and his little sister as well for later. as she wants to make sure to hold up to her promise, it was better than going out to eat and waste money or taking out some extra time during lunches when she wanted her friends to relax more than anything else! homemade meals are the absolute best, she didn’t make any excuses when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.

she doesn’t have as many lines compared to the other songs she’s performed, which is relieving in a sense that she doesn’t have to worry about her breath control. a specific technique  that she needs to work on when it comes to singing, but she’s learned a few tips from the pros like jinki and jinwook ( some of the best coaches, supportive all the way with her goals! ), their advice is something she takes to her core, letting it sink in and working through the days to concentrate on improving her singing. hojung is a supportive coach as well, someone she can ask questions to openly! the hangul isn’t as hard to memorise, she manages to nail it down within a couple of hours thanks to rereading all over and over again.

there are those days when she takes a break, pulling away from the practise room to sit down and talk to joohyuk, seeing the other as an older brother figure. serenity radiates throughout her bright smiles in the heart-to-heart talks, sharing lunches with him as they both talk about whatever’s on their mind. sakura isn’t the type to be a judgmental person, always remaining open-minded to the possibilities out there in the world, considering it’s a big big place. but, it still feels empty without kikwang next to them in their meetings. she can’t help it, but she feels that the trio should be completed. she’s gotten to closer to joohyuk with their constant hangouts! 

whether or not she’s gotten closer to the others, she’s surely afraid to lose them without a doubt. she doesn’t have the heart to pour out any more tears because she’d just be so damned devastated when she says goodbye to any one of her team members. she tries to replace any sad feelings by smiling through it, using that as a solution to relieve any symptoms of obvious pain. she can’t show frowns, that’s not like her to do so. only one more episode.

maybe she’ll pass or not. 

she muses silently to herself, mentally. there’s still that anxiety that doesn’t leave her at the thought of being eliminated but she’d rather herself be gone than anyone of her team. sacrifices are sometimes made but she doesn’t like that last resort. for the most part, everyone’s a dear soul to sakura and has been nothing but nice to her. so there’s no unfriendliness that runs around the bonds with her teammates. she’s not one to bite or start any drama, that’s one last thing she wants to start. a situation that she’ll do her best to evade, staying away from it at all times but it’s really nice to see a smile on everyone’s faces before they hit the stage!  

releasing a couple of deep breaths help her out, finding it a temporary method to ease her anxiety levels down so that she isn’t all over the place when she’s performing out there on the big stage. she takes the microphone in her hand, holding it tightly. once her name is called, she stands up from her assigned seat and makes her way over to the lights and camera! she bows politely with her team before the song starts playing. daniel’s the first one to come up, singing the first verse and starting off with a nice medley. she finds both daniel and woojin’s voice relaxing to her ears, holding a nice tone and she hums to the rhythm of the song softly once joohyuk’s turn is up. following through the formations of the dancing whilst holding her notes to not stay off-key isn’t exactly hard, it’s an easy choreography that she can move along with.

she’s a movie movie star 너와의 모든 게 꿈같아 이 순간 she wants it she wants it

she sings the lines smoothly, delivering a nice melody with her signature, soft and sweet voice that isn’t ( hopefully ) overshadowing the others. she tugs her lips into a bright smile and winks at the camera when it’s zoomed in on her face. charisma is critical when it comes to times like these, she might’ve not always been the best performer in the best but she’s doing the best she can to improve. she needs to believe in herself, put in that faith knowing that she’s made it this far, almost at the very last episode.

the truth is, she didn’t expect it to turn out this way, without some of her friends but once she comes back, she’ll thank everyone for getting her through those rough days of training to deliver precise performance. whether she wants to admit it or not, sakura strives for perfection in some moments but doesn’t like to show that upfront. then, woojin sings and it’s her turn again. 

take me high take me low 끝이 없는 이 시간 속 i don’t care 포기 못 해 가치를 뛰어 새롭게 더

while she may be better off rapping, sakura figures that it’s better to give off the lines to vernon, who’s a solid rapper with amazing potential! she’s actually asked him for advice as well, on behalf of what she can do with her dancing to stay consistent. not to mention, facial expressions and gestures are important to note on stage, she’d receive some nice feedback which she’s sure to do. sakura isn’t one to be forgetful, her dance moves are sharp and clean, but not stagnant enough that she looks like she’s slacking. sakura feels well when she’s around her team.

끝이 없는 터널 속 내게 비친 한 줄기 마치 맘이 술래가 된 듯해 나 상처 속을 걸어 매일

the pronunciation is clean, she’s worked with the others on how to enunciate and pronounce certain words so she doesn’t mess up the lyrics. sakura’s australian accent comes naturally upon the english word, finding that the easiest to say as she doesn’t struggle with her native language. she picks up her body, constantly dancing throughout the song and grinning widely, she’s having fun up on the stage! it’s not much until the song is coming to an end.

혼자 남아버린 밤 하늘 위로 꿈을 그려 상상보다 멀리 더 she wants it she wants it

her breath control has improved a bit with the practise sessions, from the sounds of it. she winks one more time, a cheeky smile on her face when she’s in the centre of the stage delivering her lines, holding the microphone closer as she did have a small voice. that was her last few lines until the boys take over singing. She’s learned a lot being on the mnet global auditions, something she’s truly grateful to have an opportunity like this. It doesn’t come around too often. 

once the song ends, sakura takes a courteous bow and makes sure to thank the viewers, contestants, and judges for their time.

almost there. one more.

[rksakura]

epsiode three interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: low levels of anxiety. mentions: @hyojinrk, @rkseunghun, @rknak, @rkmason, @rkjaemin, @rkkyg, @rkkyungsoo, @rksungwoon, @ryujinrk

it seems that the more she does these interviews, the easier it gets every time. the anxiety doesn't overwhelm her anymore, sakura's grasping how the cameras and lights work! it's a good experience which is why she decided to go on the stage. when her turn is up to be interviewed, she's smiling widely to show her friendly smile! "hello guys! how are you doing?" then, she's being asked the questions from the interviewer. she's sitting comfortably on her chair, twirling around a bit before the camera finally rolls on record.

"what did you think of the results last week?"

that's when the situation was getting heated, sakura felt uncomfortable upon being asked. she doesn't start off with a smile, slightly rattling in her seat as she realises that the show is slowly narrowing it down to its finalists. "it was intense, i admit." she speaks with wholehearted honesty, a straight line on her face as she looks down slightly but then back up to the camera. "it's going to get interesting, isn't it?" she comes up with another response, not wanting to deliver a negative response as she didn't want to be perceived to be anything less than a bubbly soul.

"how was it like working with your duo?"

she had nothing but positive comments to say about ryujin, "wonderful! she's an amazing soul, talented and she really did well with her rap." sakura smiles reassuringly to the interviewer, hands placed on her lap, clasped together and a bit relaxed from the last question. "i couldn't ask for any other partner! ryujin's the perfect duo~" she shows two thumbs up, applauding and cheering for ryujin even though the performance was long over. "it wasn't a competition at all, it felt more of another half that went well with my rapping. she really complimented my style of rapping, she has a deep voice that meshes with my soft voice!" she giggles softly, placing her hand over her mouth.

"how do you think you did?"

she's asked about her progress, sakura reflects thoroughly prior to giving out an answer just yet. once she's figured it out, she'd like to say that she did good! "i was a bit goofy but i had fun on the stage, dancing around and rapping. i love music is all! but i think i did my best in spite of my eccentric performance!" but that's what made it so diverting, the uniqueness and thrill from a not-so-typical choice of song. she's one that loved trying out different experiences to broaden her horizons!

"were there any performances you liked?"

sakura to her honest core believes that all the performances all had different charms and unique variations that she admired each and every single performance that the hopeful duos delivered. "i liked all of them! i really liked this duo episode because it was cool and we can also show teamwork! sometimes we can even become good friends with our partner, who knows?" she has a small grin written on her delicate features.

"i think hyojin and seunghun did really well together on their performance, hmm?" she smiles, admiring both of their vocals! "i was really fascinated by jaemin and sungwoon's performance as well! they have such good charisma. oh, i also can't leave out minho oppa, he was really good with nakyung! i think nakyung is pretty, isn't she?" sakura couldn't leave out another friend, "i think kyungsoo's performance with yugyeom was very wow! i was shocked." sakura could go on and on but she'll cut herself there as the interviewer tells her that her time's up.

[rksakura]

🔊: run it ( 1:10~2:49 ) performed by 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: some anxiety. mentions: @yuzurk, @rkxkikwang, @rkgray, @yienrk, @rkchoutzuyu, @rkmason, @hyojinrk, @rkyq

sakura likes to start with the good news first, she’s got the call back to make it past the first round. she’s stepped up in another territory, one she thought she wouldn’t come far to at first but she was proven wrong. she shouldn’t be storing disbelief to herself, but fill up with much more confidence if she wants to push through the battle. that’s the hard part though is being separated from some of her friends like tzuyu and kikwang. she didn’t cope up with letting go quite well as shown in her past mannerisms. she wishes that they could be on the same stage as her performing but sometimes, life doesn’t always work that way.

lies didn’t align with the australian gal, she wasn’t one to display her anxiety that’s written all over but she’s practised generating the proper facial expressions when up on the stage. it seems silly but body language was essential when performing on the stage. she couldn’t just be another body count, sakura’s made them believe that she was a vocalist at the start but offered a different dish on the table with some rapping fire! in fact, she was more of a rapper than a high-note belting singer ( she wasn’t at that peak at all ). so she spends most of her days, other than tending to the aquarium and her daily dose of school, she was working on what song she should perform next.

when it comes to rapping in front of a huge stage and the whole world watching then she best prepares to give it all she’s got. most importantly, keep up the same energy and flow when on the stage! she couldn’t break the chain of the words she’s about to memorise, sakura ran trial through the verses a couple of times and tried out styles that complimented her vocal mixture with rapping and how the instrumental went. that’s how her nights pass by until the bright lights and cameras are flashing all over the area. she’s not coming up first in the short line of female rappers, sakura was one of the few last as her last name started with an m. thank god for now, it serves as a good excuse pass but she shouldn’t rely on that too much.

she has to break the bad habits of letting anxiousness overwhelm her, she can’t deliver that on the stage when she’s meant to perform a rap that’s the polar opposite of her physical epitome and markings! sakura wants to break the poor judgments about her, being called too soft and cute to even rap. the only way that she can cut through is by continuing what she loved to do. the assignment, from what she’s been told is to showcase an ( ultimately, dominant ) skillset. sakura’s prepared her resources efficiently. she’s ( somewhat ) ready for the big day!

since facial recognition serves with influences on votes, she can’t look dead. she rises from her bed with a decent amount of energy but it isn’t enough to deliver a good verse. once she sips down her green tea, it’ll wake her up eventually. she doesn’t consume a huge meal in the morning as it takes some energy to muster eating a great portion but she’s good with a blueberry muffin and her everyday tea. it’s time to at least look like a presentable human being, sakura needs to cover her dark circles that are formed over the past few nights as she’s become obsessed with her work. she puts on some bb cream and concealer to cover it, lip gloss at the shade of light pink, natural to her colour. with her choice of attire, she fits something that’s comfortable with the weather today, a light blue denim skirt and some high ankle socks, her top was an off-shoulder pastel purple blouse that was tucked in her denim skirt. she’s wearing a pair of sneakers which won’t be too hard on her feet standing all day in long queues. when she leaves her house, it’s taking the commute down the building! she shoves her earphones gently in her ears and makes it to her desired destination.

after some time, she’s reached the grounds and greets some of the familiar faces she’s spotting right off the bat. hyojin makes her days better when it comes to this setting, sometimes it’s unsettling but she escapes that torment of anxiety when she sees his gorgeous smile. mason’s also there, she greets the older brother figure and stops by for a brief hug ( his presence was surely enlightening as she’s known him for like forever ) before she turns her direction elsewhere then catches yuqi, a fellow rapper and one she doesn’t intend to make an enemy out of. despite the mnet global auditions being regarded as a highly competitive stake, she’s still able to manage the joy she finds in her friends. she’ll never toss anyone over a reality television show. she can only show support and that’s about it!

hope for the best, after all? she pulls yena into a reassuring hug prior to walking out on the stage, the music playing as sakura makes her presence known. “hi guys! sakura again here and today, i’ll be showing you guys something else!” she puts up two fingers, showing off a ‘peace’ sign, winking and holds the mic tightly closer to her mouth to start spitting out her lines. the instrumental plays, she’s rapping over the beat.

ya hold up 구름다리 굴러가듯 무음 걸어 뭐든 힘든 거니까 라고 말한 무책임 성공가는 계속 들어 백기 들어 백길 언제 들어 걸어 야 뺏긴 후에 안 뺏길 걸 ya i know it big boy 얘 앞길에서 비켜 ya i know it big boy 니 이마에 비췄어 뒤쳐 지기도 지쳐서 너는 노를 저었지 각을 재기 전에 각을 잡았지 make it boogie make it boogie switch move it make a movie

the beat was moving at a much faster pace, one that’s at a higher tempo than she usually raps to but she’s learned to adjust to this kind of technique. it’s all about breath control which she’s learned a trick or two from her choir classes. she’s jumping up on the stage, smiling but with a serious expression on her face as she couldn’t be overflowing with aegyo with this kind of theme. sakura has to communicate with her charisma she’s been taught by her mentors, gray. other influences like yien and luna keep her up to become a strong rapper. she only takes a slight break but then hits it back with another verse!

일동 홀렸지 백문이 불여일견 보기 전에 부정이 널 가로막으니까 넌 그걸 부숴 두벌식의 키보드가 만든 편견 check it 누구에겐 폭력이지 쳇바퀴만 도는 하루 어때 너넨 이게 제 자리로 보이니 잿밥에만 고이는 쟤 침이 못 이긴 땀이 너를 바꾸지

she’s led to the path of a singer for a couple of seconds but it’s a nice switch, smooth and the transition clean with her soft vocals complementing the track. before she hits the notes, sakura pulls the microphone away and releases a breath and pulls her control back together. the singing isn’t going to overshadow any of her rap, hopefully. she’s got some of her australian colours unveiling, the english part covered easily.

baby oh the world is yours i'll give it to you can you hear me tell me oh your visions you make them come true you know we run it run it

we run it yah 챙길 건 챙겨 너를 위해 we run it yah 지금부터는 너의 시대 we run it 정상을 향해 boy where we at i just do it i just do it i just do it i just do it

it seems that the last few verses are much easier than the opening, she seems to catch her breath control easier when it comes to this time. she’s not getting all tongue-twisted with the korean lyrics, she’s able to enunciate it correctly along with the occasional english. she isn’t afraid to show any of her foreigner roots off, sakura lets her australian accent emphasize on her rap when it’s switching over to english. it makes it a unique attribute and kind of a signature mark as there weren’t many female australian rappers in south korea.

chasing dreams i got the feel 멈출 순 없어 i love the thrill i'm a beast i got to kill 두렵지 않아 i got the will 내 꿈을 향해 달리고 포기 따윈 없어 never no grind it out just lose control when it all falls down it's dominos you know i'll get up and try again i can see the light again 날개를 펴고 fly again winning is my vitamin yeah run this game i just get it once i got it i don't lose it grinding through these bumps and bruises i'm the best and i just proved it

she wants to end the day with nothing but good vibes. but the last few lines take her back to when her hopeful friends dreams are shattered due to the process of elimination but she’ll strive and fight on for them. sakura can put her name out there on stage and not just be another cute face. once the song ends, the lights dim out and then the light’s on sakura once more and all she can do is smile, “thank you guys for your time! thank you for your support and please support my friends!” she still wants to share generosity by involving the ones she cares for. before she takes the exit door, she bows to the judges and other contestants politely. “have a good day everyone!” the cuteness aura catches up to her, for sakura it’s something she can’t avoid.

[rksakura]

callback interview with 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: low levels of anxiety.

sakura's radiating with waves of friendliness and joy but realisation hit her right away coming to find out that the mgas are a game of hurdles. she doesn't like it when the whole atmosphere develops into an unfriendly and fiery one, sakura loved to make friends no matter where she went. regardless, that didn't stop her from being herself. she wasn't quite fond of confrontation so she'd do her best to stay passive within her behavior. her intents were on nothing but good vibes, she carried zero thoughts of destroying anyone.

the darkness of the studio perturbs her a bit but she dismisses the nerve right away once the lights are fully turned on by the staff, she's asked to sit down on a chair to her liking and the camera faces directly on her features. tremor greets her but trepidation jolts sakura, but she contains the intimidating feeling and focuses on putting out a smile. that's her coping mechanism when it comes to the disarrays of anxiety. she has the experience, from uploading her youtube content to recording the live streams of her rapping sessions. she traces the memory of back when she couldn't face the camera.

she'd grown from the girl that'd fear a silly camera lens. but that fear has retreated for a while, sakura introduces herself confidently. "my name is miyawaki sakura, hello! i'm from australia, currently living in south korea as a marine biologist major as a university student!" she was just an ordinary girl, with a big heart of gold. up next, she was mentally preparing herself for the train of questions that the interviewer was going to ask.

how did you feel when you received the news of the callback?

the truth is sakura didn't expect much results back considering how it went with her nova audition but she wasn't upset about that. it was a push for her, to figure out what she had to develop about herself and her music. "i was pretty shocked but excited! i remember looking over at the email and just rereading it a couple of times to see if it was true! it was and.. i'm here now.." she laughs softly, lips tugging into a curve and the lines of her eyes forming a crescent shape.

how was it seeing the set for the first time?

she felt the excitement and a tingly feeling at the tip of her fingers when she got in the building, "oh man. i couldn't explain it but i just remember this feeling of delirium. it's definitely exciting to be here, i won't doubt that." sakura clasps her hands together, relaxing her shoulders as she knew that posture made a factor to how she'd appear to the public.

how do you think you did with your performance?

sakura thought, maybe rapping once and not combining the other gifts she'd been given, but that couldn't impress the public. she went over her comfort zone and realise she could hold a note and rap at the same time. "i was happy performing the rap! i usually don't sing but i think i did my best." she licks her lips and nods, "i hope i didn't kill you guys with my singing." a brief laugh is given before smiling once more, she gives a peace sign. she's merely joking but in a playful manner. she didn't like the seriousness, that contributed to overthinking and renders her uneasy but she's getting the flow of things.

what company are you aiming for?

it didn't take her long to come up with an answer. despite her not conveying much desire to the idol or trainee world, if sakura had to choose, she already had a choice. "trc, it must be weird for me to pick that.. i get it!" she giggles, smiling before she continues on with her words, "i've always admired tiger jk and the rappers there all have found a home. just because of my soft voice and whatnot, i've been told not to rap before but that didn't stop me." she found comfort in her unique sound, sakura found rapping to be more than a side hobby. it's become an extension to her poetry and soul.

were there any performances that you didn't like?

sakura was one to express negativity or hate when it came to others. hell, she even did her best to find the beauty in flaws (whether things turn for the worst or not). she lived with the morale of giving the benefit of the doubt. she held that in highest regards, she can only raise her shoulders nonchalantly. "i think everyone is talented in their own way and i can't say that i didn't like who's and that's but if anything, i'd say i might need a bit of polishing in my vocals and dancing." she always had a strong sense of empathy for others.

were there any performances that you really liked?

she admired people who were able to dance fluidly and move their body as if it was an instrument, "i like people who can dance well." plus, she couldn't leave out dedicated singers with amazing pipes, "the vocalists are a delight to see. some of them have really heavenly voices, just like angels." she was fond of those who were given the gift of being able to use their voice on levels others couldn't. sometimes, it made her ponder if singing was a god given gift or a talent that could be built up. but she'd learn from choir and that could be the only other explanation to how she could stay in tune.

last question, what did you think of when the judges were revealed?

sakura was dumbfounded and amazed, allured by the sight of seeing tiger jk in the flesh and blood. "i was so happy to see tiger jk! wow katie and baek jiyoung are so pretty!" she couldn't believe that she was witnessing the big five company ceos. how often does that happen on the daily? never ( excluding trainees and idols ).

when the time is up, she stands up from her seat and bows her head politely to the staff, "thank you guys for having me here!" sakura gives a small grin, waving her hand goodbye as she makes her way out to the entrance.

at the end of the day, she can only carry on hope when it comes to the elimination process.

yeah, hopefully, my name isn't on the list of being removed. she releases a relieved sigh.

[rksakura]

🔊: blue moon ( 0:17~1:12 ) covered by 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: mild levels of anxiety. 

the problem of her lack of confidence was rooted in her foreigner ways as sakura still struggle with day-to-day korean. although, it’s been a couple of months since she’s resided in seoul. slowly, her korean was gradually improving but it came with time. she didn’t expect herself to perfect pronunciation as the song but as long as she was understandable ( in this case, she is ). traces of her australian accent is often heard when she tries to speak fast. that’s holding up with a conversation, singing comes easier as she can practise the words until she gets them right. anxiety’s still present in her but she knows she can get pass this.

she can just share her admiration for music.

she’d be stuck in her own shell if she stuck to a japanese song and english was about the same too. it was evident that south korea hadn’t been her home but she’s found it to be a second home sweet home just because of all the wonderful people she’s met in a tough environment trying to adjust. sakura’s chasing a challenge, wanting to show her development in hangul. so, she’ll be singing a song that she used to have on repeat for a couple of months until she got plain sick of singing it. she’s learned to work around the higher notes by singing in her own register but she knows she’s still got a long way to go with singing.

it was the experiences from choir and posting content on soundcloud that’s helped her maintain her vocal stability. karaoke helps too, but she didn’t have a lot of plans around it. a couple of seconds after the instrumental plays, sakura starts projecting her voice in a comfortable range, she’s got control over her it.

어서 날 알아보길 바래 나 없는 넌 안 되겠다고 말해 깨고 또 깨어나도 반복되는 깊고 슬픈 꿈 내 머릴 쓰다듬고 이제 괜찮다고 말해 메마른 너의 눈빛은 make me crazy 둘 사이 파랗고 위태로운 다리를 건너 나밖에 몰랐었던 너 사랑이 전부였던 나 그곳으로 난 돌아가길 바래

she doesn’t hinder, her pace is unbreakable and the sound of her calm, mellow voice is relaxing to the ears. she might not be able to hit high notes like the professionals do but she has a unique colour to her vocals.

날 끌어당겨 작은 틈도 없게 해줘 네게 안겨 지친 맘을 쉬고 싶어 발이 땅에 닿지 않는 이별 위를 혼자 허우적대며 걷지 않게 해줘

the song was a short trial of her vocal abilities to see how well she could do. she didn’t sound bad at all. practise made perfect, so did her passion and love for music that made her talents bloom. when the music fades, sakura bows and gives a friendly smile before she takes her leave. she’s somewhat buried with restlessness as she’s unsure on how the outcome would reach, but she’s got to test herself to see how far she can come along.

sakura will climb mountains if need be.

[rksakura]

🔊: lo siento ( lyrics + lines ) | ( dance ) | 👚 duo performance with 💖 sakura miyawaki & kenta takada mentions: @rkmason​, @rkxkikwang​, @rkchoutzuyu​, @rkkenta​, @hyojinrk​, & @rkkyungsoo​ 

sakura isn’t one to showcase an upside-down smile, practically a frown on her bright features. she’s a ray of energy, an energy pill if you might even call her but she still has her limitations just like everyone else. she’s only human in spite of her charisma on stage, she still finds it hard to believe that as the episodes go by, so do her friends say goodbye. she’s never one to take it too well. moving around different parts of australia throughout her lifetime, every time she made friends, she’d cling but eventually parted ways, causing a great rift from her friendships. she’s the kind of person to store friendships in her heart deeply, always willing to go out of her way for her friends. she’d consider them a second family when her parents were out of the country, friends are her source of happiness!

she’s met faces where she forgotten in time too. sakura knew friends that she couldn’t remember by name but recognises them by their faces, it was at a time she went to summer adventure camp as a six year old in kyushu. this feels similar to that time, she’s growing at a certain distance from the ones she loves. she should’ve said hi or a good morning to her best friends, asking her other friends how they are doing as well! but she’s got her time busy filled with volunteer work from the aquarium, practising and being in and out of the studio for recordings or dance rehearsals, and university.

it feels like everything’s overwhelming, got a whole lot on her plate and almost as if she was carrying the whole world on her shoulders, juggling it. she had to balance everything out to the point she’d follow a schedule to keep herself grounded. that’s a great and healthy technique to go on about her days other than her body adjusting to auto-pilot mode for a lot of her personal moments. noted that sakura did her best to do her work while remaining sane throughout it. she liked her free time too much, especially freedom!

sadness flows through her as she nights pass by realising that she can’t share the same spotlight with any of her best friends. that meant no kikwang or tzuyu, plus she hasn’t even hit them up. she knows lacking but she’s afraid to say a word to her friends after the loss. she felt it too but she tried not to dwell on it too hard as she needed to smile on her performances, people were taking pictures and the cameras are all over the place. plus the big five ceo/judges had their eyes locked on the australian gal.

though, there’s faces she doesn’t want off the show that can be on the risk… it feels that anyone can be eliminated for various reasons. sakura didn’t expect herself to make it this far but she’s grateful for the experiences that are letting her experiment with the best of her abilities and themes that compliment her flair for rapping and music. she can only wish for the best when it comes to the others! she has to give in the other half her partner is dedicated to this project, she can’t be unjust and fair to her duo.

kenta feels refreshing and nostalgic, she’s reminded of how and communicating in japanese without hesitation. she gets along with him perfectly, vibing with his energy effortlessly. the aren’t feisty but rather friendly to one another! she’s been aware of his presence, long before this took place to where they’re led on the chapter of the mnet global audition season five.  he’s definitely a better dancer than her, without a doubt. so she finds solace in his advice when she learns through the moves over and over again until she moves through the choreography fluidly. it didn’t take much for sakura to memorise the instructions though. she’s able to dance but not on a level where she can run up on the stage freestyling to a strong rhythm! she’s on the flexible side than showing off sharp moves.

she touches up on her spanish from years ago, going through her favourite spanish playlist to help pick her pronunciation so that she doesn’t sound like she’s completely new to the language and its structures. she took the language repeatedly, moving up to levels on where she was able to hold a conversation in latin america and spain throughout her travels with her parents. sometimes, she’d rather sing in spanish rather than english but she didn’t get on the levels to be fluent. perhaps next semester she will if there’s extra time for her to fit in with her classes and the labs. she’s got the lyrics down after a couple of hours of singing through it, she needs to practise her pitch to hold a tune.

sakura’s vocals aren’t horrid, she’s able to stay on-key and present her soft, relaxing tone to her voice. she didn’t rely on herself to hit the high notes when it came to the ad libs, she worked around the song to stay within her range when in the recording. the sound is sweet and easy on the ears, meshing with the song quite well actually. there’s a part where she gets to a korean rap which requires her to flip the switch again to another language! she speaks korean on the daily so it isn’t hard to find the unique flow in her rap.

sharing tips with her duo partner is also essential, she’s giving him some pointers on facial expression when it comes to dancing. an aspect that judges make sure that they judge and notice when performers are on the stage. she’s been told that much from trainees that she knows of.

piecing the dance and live singing wasn’t exactly hard, the movements are simple. she needed to find the perfect outfit to go with the theme of the song, she decides to go with a flowy red dress with ruffles that was cool enough for her to dance in freely. gradually, being on the spotlight makes it a little hotter temperature-wise in terms of body heat. she’s going to perform in an area of luminescent so it’s best to stay in thin layers. she hasn’t worn heels when performing in so long but she picked up a cute pair of red dress shoes that looked like they were comfortable, tapping all around here and there when dancing. this outfit should work wonders with impressions! red is a nice, sultry colour that compliments her.

she sits down patiently until it was her turn to be called up.

she’s one of the first few to come up with her partner, kenta. she takes a bow greeting the other contestants who are watching, as well as the judges with a big cordial curve on her lips. waving a hand before the music starts, she lets the broadcast be known what she and kenta are as a duo! “we’re the global couple duo! and this is our performance for today. i hope you guys enjoy it!” she looks over at kenta, greeting him with a small smile too. he looked so fancy in this attire, a great choice for this theme that went with her red dress.

the pre-recording of her voice starts off, it’s a soft sound to the elements. she takes the lead up front, sliding to the side and letting kenta sing through the first lines. she makes sure to follow through the choreography naturally, showing a smile at all times as she’s enjoying the upbeat vibes from the song. the instrumentals’ a  good choice, it’s not the typical kpop sound but that’s what she was aiming for. to try out different themes to which she liked, she intends to be a versatile artist. she’s known to be a rapper but can also hold the title to being at least, if not, an average vocalist.

she moves her hips to the sound of the beat, staying on par with the rhythm of the song, getting ready to sing through the spanish lyrics. leslie grace has a pretty elegant-sounding voice with a light tone to it, so it’s not hard to sing-along to but sakura prefers to sing in her own tone to not sound like a copycat, trying to imitate the artist. sakura’s never been on this level where she has to dance in heels, holding a microphone and singing at the same time. maybe even rapping as it’s coming up. she’s crouching as she sings then picks herself back up on the floor once that part is over with.

grace is an essence she has to retain throughout the entirety of this performance, sakura’s picked up the tweaked up choreography that kenta improved to make her movements lean on the feminine side. she faces him in certain moments, with a deep look to her eye––emotions are deep, making the stage more entertaining. delivering a good and energetic performance, one that many will enjoy is her goal! she picks herself up elegantly through the dancing, delivering a torrid image than her typical signature cute expressions.

who knew she sounds so good in stage speaking three languages? english, korean, and spanish.

the dance is not normally in her element but she loves the light ballroom dancing and tangos that takes place in the chorus! it’s even more fun when she twirls, when she does she lets out some giggles. it truly looked like she was having a great time on the stage without faking it. that’s how much she liked music, breathing for the sensation of it. holding hands are couple things but kenta’s a good friend that sakura doesn’t flinch but flows with his dancing naturally too. practising made amazing results.

kenta’s korean is ridiculously good to the point sakura wishes she spoke it like him as she needs to learn more but is holding up to the best she can do. she mirrors the dance movements that kenta is doing, making sure to stay in sync with the beats. she doesn’t have a whole lot of experience with harmonising but this was good practise for it, she doesn’t sound horrible as sakura’s been practising to tune in with kenta’s vocals for this specific part. she takes some parts from the chorus but stays on tune the whole time whilst dancing through.

english lines come out from her voice pleasantly, no accent and punctual. her accent with her spanish sounded crisp too, sakura’s really holding up with speaking the languages. she’s more surprised that she didn’t wind up using a japanese song but she needs to leave a mark for this season. she’s more than just a pretty face or a jane doe.

once the rap comes up, sakura uses a stronger tone to her accent to adjust to the risque theme but not explicit to the point it would sound suggestable and not suitable for work. she still retains a lighthearted feeling to her rapping, but sakura has the charisma to get her through this and she can work through the rap without breaking a sweat. it’s what she’s best at, delivering a good verse with eccentric energy! she moves through the twirls swiftly, with a grin on her features as she dances!

when the instrumental is at its last few minutes, she shifts her body into a pose for the end. the spotlight on her and kenta, she takes a polite bow before taking her leave. still, the faith in her friends not being eliminated and kenta doesn’t leave her system. it gives her an itchy antsy nerve-wracking feeling but decides to stay to watch the rest of the performances. she wanted to see what mason, hyojin and kyungsoo had to show. she also wants to cheer for them, giving them some encouragement as the stage can be intense! sakura is the kind of person to stay behind her friends to support them in events.

[rksakura]

TRIPLE THREAT CHALLENGE 2!

🔊: bang bang 0:54~2:17 (dance) covered by 💖 sakura miyawaki!

the first plan was she would endure the whole day by doing her homework, rearranging her room, and finding a list to check off that involved her chores as she’s been slacking recently. sakura being hit with exams didn’t help her with the amount of sleep she was (supposedly) getting, slumber was short for the past few days. she didn’t seem one to take stress easily but that didn’t halt the bright, shining smiles on her face as the spring’s come by.

this meant a new season, a different chapter of her life. she’s still containing some doubts about her abilities when it comes to the music industry as she’s not too perfect in any aspect. dancing, singing, rapping, and charisma; she couldn’t perfect it all but it wasn’t like she explored her soul fully. it seems that rapping is her affinity to the core but she still finds pleasure in the beauty of singing and the free flow of dancing. besides, this is for fun as she’s never had the intent to sign her soul away to the dungeon and deduct the freedom and time of her life she already has.

truthfully, sakura cherished the life she lived now which seemed simpler than the draining high school days. she couldn’t ask for anything more or anything less. with an amazing environment and a roommate that she knows to the roots, a source of her childhood--there’s a reason for her to leave this wonderful city of seoul despite the business which is only the beating heart of it. seoul is like tokyo, an essence to the homeland.

the right gift was presented to her eyes, the trc challenge that she wanted to take part in. for this occasion, she didn’t mind skipping her long day nap and tending to her excitements as she’s been eyeing on trc. if rejection occurs, it’s not like she had expected herself to ultimately get through the stage. she’s still shy in her abilities even though she’s been reminded by others that she has some serious talent. regardless, she doesn’t see it as a tiresome errand to take her route to the building.

once she’s in, she goes through the waiting progress as it was a long wait until her turn was up. it feels that singing and rapping in english seems to give her more confidence than if she was to tune to korean. she knows that korea’s a weakness, which she needs to work on more. she’ll get there someday in the place she needs to be with her linguistic ties to south korea.

her vocals aren’t as impressive as the original singer, ariana grande and jessie j, who both got some legit belting skills but sakura’s on the level where she can hold a sweet melody with her soft voice. she has some anxiety filling in but that doesn’t stop her body moving to the rhythm and her rap following a decent flow. she’s practised this back then, many times, out of random when she wanted to sing to karaoke. problem was her favourite, she’d only needed to prepare a dance for this.

time moves so swiftly, she got lost into the world of music and expresses her gratitude for being allowed to step into the trc building. then, it’s suffocating her face with loads of textbooks and notes that she has to remember for her upcoming exam! oh, college student duties. and then there’s the visit that she has to make for the aquarium as a volunteer.

[rksakura]

🔊: love talk ( 0:00~1:28 ) covered by 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: low levels of anxiety.  mentions: @yuzurk​, @rkgray​, @rkxkikwang​, @rkchoutzuyu​

to think she’d make it past the audition round, sakura was shocked to hear the news when she received the email notification on her phone. nevertheless, she’s got a hint of proudness for herself in her heart as she’s always doubted her capabilities but sakura dedicated a part of herself to rapping already. she’ll get through this, to leave an unforgettable impression as she shows her other abilities in front of the stage. she can’t believe that the sight of the big five ceos are in here, in front of her sight, in the flesh and blood. that meant she was going to see tiger jk! something else she was anticipating. not only that, but the other contestants are going to be watching her.

the vibes of the competition cannot be avoided, from the pressure to the nervousness that breaks. she can’t destroy her flow once she’s put her concentration on the melody of the rap and the harmony of her voice. she has to stay on-key and she will. sakura’s got to prove that she has decent korean. she’s been studying the language for quite some time ever since she’s gotten here, this meant she learned new words daily. she’s juggling her studies on the side still, with school but has her primary focus on delivering an impact on her performance. she sings and raps the lyrics all throughout the nights to practise her accent, sharpening her korean skills.

night passes by quickly, the sun rising, showing off its rays as she’s left the curtains open. this is how sakura rose, not at the sound of an alarm to her ears but rather the feeling of waking to the warm sun that kisses her skin with vitamins. considering she was in buildings all the time, she missed bathing in the warmth of nature at times. australia had all that to provide but filled in that void of seoul not having any beaches by making plans to go to busan and go surfing there once or twice a week. she had no regerts. but that day wasn’t going to be a trip down to another city, it was to go to the studio.

her choice of attire was skinny jeans and a white sleeveless top covered by a grey cardigan to prevent her shoulders from becoming cold. sakura found sneakers to be her favourite pair of shoes as she could never go wrong with them, tying her white laces on her black vans then she heads her path down to the studio and prepares. she couldn’t wait to deliver her performance but of course, she’s still a bit tense but that won’t overwhelm her this time.

mornings aren’t bad as commonly thought by people. she was able to wake herself up quickly, just a quick rush of exercise and it gets her days going. sakura was in an extremely good mood as she’d seen kikwang, stopped by and gave him a hug before she went back to greet her other friends. she’d seen yuzu and tzuyu, she’d already informed the girls that they would nail this and wish them absolute luck! cheery and jubilant tones come to sakura and she’s got the encouragement she needs from all of her friends.

when her turn comes up, she ensures to stay upbeat as she is going to be shown on national television. she pulls the ends of her lips into a big, friendly smile and introduces herself, “miyawaki sakura. from australia!” she had to rep her roots, the fact that she’s a foreigner is indicated by her accent when she speaks hangul and the colour of her hair. her mannerisms weren’t on par with the korean traditions as well. but she came here to do one thing and it’s to represent her love for music.

the beat drops, the song is chill and mellow. a great compliment to her voice as she does carry those colours, sakura’s able to hold her tone in the first verse as it’s singing that she needs a bit more work on. she’s been given tips to stay in her comfort range and this holds her pitch together.

그 앤 어때 매너는 좋아? 잘생겼니 매력 있니 고민 말고 얘기해봐 언니 (빨리 얘기해봐)

at least, the song mostly has a rap. this holds the most time, sakura can hold up to that. she’s not freestyling, there’s no worry that’s destroying her pace. she’s got this, sometimes it takes a couple of times to note this mentally. she’s never been confident when it comes to her talents but those sessions with gray help her out to continue on. the thoughts of giving up have come to mind, but sakura doesn’t feed into what could take away her passions as she’s found a form of art. at the switch to the rap, she makes sure to take a huge breath and pull the microphone away from her so it couldn’t be heard loudly on the speakers. she releases a sigh, bringing the microphone closer once the rap was coming up.

얜 느낌이 달라 처음부터 뭔가 feel 이 딱 꽂히게 만들어 버려 날 들었다 놨다 나는 지금 얘 손바닥 안 yeah 영 알 수 가 없어 걘 바닷속 같지 빠지는게 두려워 튜브를 줘 빨리 (hey, i just wanna swim in your love)

the english is a good break, her australian accent shows and she stays diligent with her rap. she had a smile on, for the most part, one that couldn’t be wavered away. sakura needs to make a good impression to tiger jk and the other judges, that was the only way she’ll be recognised.

말해줘 내게만 이렇게 친절한지 아니면 다른 사람에게도 친절하니 아니기를 바래 난 솔직하게 말해봐 네 맘을 진짜 모르겠어 난 (he is my lover 잃을까 봐 두려워) 전하고파 이렇게 걔한테 근데 난 말 못해 how can i do this

and the singing pops back up once again! it’s only a bit more that she has to be on the stage, there are no signs of anxiousness that break through now as the song’s bound to end anytime soon. for now, sakura carries her mind on the excitement that’s surging through her system, something about competitions that involve music drive her to expand and wanna learn more. her voice is stable, staying consistent with each note.

연애 할래요 해요 먼저 말해요 hello man 눈 마주치고 다가가서 말해요 (love love talk i want to love talk)

the music comes to an end, sakura takes a bow at the camera and waves her goodbye to the judges and contestants. she takes her leave off the stage and lets the next person’s name was being called up to perform.

[rksakura]

NOVA AUDITION!

🔊: かけてあげる 0:10~2:03 kakete ageru (lyrics & trans.) covered by 💖 sakura miyawaki!

the grace of her soft voice brings a different flow to her rapping abilities, she isn’t a hardcore or necessarily a ‘badass’ vibe but carries the elegance that is within herself. sakura has never thought of herself as a professional rapper of some sort, but she had to take this opportunity to enhance her experiences to sharpen her musicianship when it comes to the public. bonus, she’s taking on a huge risk that seems to be out of her standard—sakura normally doesn’t present any of her skillset out there, where the whole world can watch. in fact, it’s kind of nerve-wracking. however, if she’s managed to see another day and not pass out from her previous performance at the triple threat competition, then she isn’t doing so bad as she thought.

starting off with some greetings and a polite bow, “hi there! my name is sakura miyawaki. it’s a pleasure to be here~” not to mention, a bright smile on her face. she doesn’t expect amazing results at the end. she wants to expand her horizons and learn about her weakness once she’s received feedback from the table. so, if they have any sorts of negative criticism for her, sakura wouldn’t wind up in such a weak position where sadness overflows her heart. she’ll take it as words to get stronger, explore around the possibilities that music can gift her with when the time comes.

it refers back to what some of her friends that are trainees have told her about her capabilities, she’s multi-talented but will blossom with the art of music gradually. sakura acknowledges that she isn’t the ‘perfect’ rapper so she’ll stick to what she’s comfortable with by rapping in japanese, which is without a doubt, out of the norm for a south korean company like nova ent. but she’s got a steady pace of rhythm with the instrumental as it’s playing, her high-pitched but not so screechy and low voice speaks out as she’s got the mic in her hand steadily. she doesn’t shake up or try to get lost along the track, it comes with ease as she’s finding peace in the melody of the tune.

she raps through the snippet effortlessly (as she’s not having any struggles thanks to japanese being her first language) then bows once again before she takes her leave, thanking the staff for their time and for even being in the building. others could’ve been considered but she doesn’t see what’s the starlight inside her. sakura knows she has to work on her rapping some more as she’s still barely able to have the confidence to rap in korean. that’s the obstacle that’s always stood in the way was her struggles with the culture barrier and learning another language. it would’ve been easier if she grew up with a korean heritage but sakura embraces her japanese roots, shared by influences from australia. she wouldn’t trade anything else for who she is.

though, she can’t stop contemplating the results thoroughly. she’ll just have to see in a week or two if she’s worthy enough to get a response from the company. but.. when it comes down to it, what if she’s offered a contract? even though she’s done with the audition, she still lies on the unsure lines. she’s heard all sorts of stories about being a trainee, most brutal and rarely ever pleasant.

she just might not be ready for that hardship yet.