#BE:NGS1P2

[be-events]

CONGRATULATIONS on joining the cast of participants for the first season of NEXT GEN! 

the current judges’ rankings from episode one can be found on this spreadsheet. don’t worry too much about your ranking in this point of the competition; this will change over the course of the next several episodes! the rankings primarily serves as a tool to spark competition between participants. rankings are public information, posted on mnet’s website.

during the filming of this show, participants will be expected to uphold the following rules:

participants are expected to show up on set at 6am each morning for filming. there are no dormitories offered to participants and travel between home and the set is to be the participant’s sole responsibility.

practice spaces at the three participating companies will be made available to the participants; shuttles will be available from the set to the companies. participants are expected to treat the facilities respectfully and clean up any mess they make during practice. 

interaction with trainees and idols under the companies is forbidden on company property with the exception of the judges, mentors, or others who are directly participating in the show.

posting to social media is permitted during the show, however no posts about the show or images taken while on set may be shared until after the final episode has aired.

participants are expected to hold themselves to a high moral, ethical, and social standard while they are on this show. behavior not suitable of a public figure or celebrity will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the program.

failure to comply with the missions and assignments may result in removal from the program.

out of character, muses are also not allowed to redeem chance tokens during the show. if you earn any, please save them until after the finale!

all participants who appeared in the first episode of NEXT GEN may collect +2 REPUTATION POINTS and +5 RELEVANT PERFORMING OR ANCILLARY SKILL(S). no verification is required; you may link back to this post on your spreadsheets.

for the next episode of NEXT GEN, all participants will be learning to sing, dance, and rap to MY TURN. all participants will be practicing at the LIME ENTERTAINMENT building and are given special access to certain practice rooms for the week. YOOJUNG and other unnamed coaches will be assisting the participants in learning choreography, BOM with other unnamed coaches will be teaching and coaching the participants in singing, and J-YOON alongside other unnamed coaches will be training the participants in rap. independent practice will be expected of them and participants are welcome to work together to rehearse.

TASK:

this event is for next gen participants only. part 2 will run until march 3 at 11:59pm. any solos posted after the deadline will not be considered. please send in your submission before this deadline.

please use the hashtag #BE:NGS1P2 for all posts relating to this part of the event.

please write at least one 4-post thread with another participant preparing for the mission. NOTE: this task may be completed multiple times.

please write a 300+ word solo about your muse’s performance in front of the six judges

OPTIONAL: please write a 200+ word solo about your muse reflecting on their preparation and their performance in front of the judges. this should be treated as a verbal interview. what was the greatest challenge during this mission? was there another participant who was especially helpful? do they feel confident in their performance? etc. 

NOTE THAT THE WRITING TASKS FOR THIS EVENT ARE NOT OPTIONAL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. POINTS WILL BE AWARDED IN THE NEXT UPDATE.

please keep in mind that all threads and solos should be written with the assumption that cameras are on the participants at all times.

when you’ve completed these tasks, please send the following form to our events blog:

SUBMISSION TITLE: MUSE NAME - NEXT GEN S1 EP 2

preparation: link to thread *may be completed multiple times; please include multiple links if so

performance: link to solo 

reflection: link to solo *optional

[be-netz]

— NOW PLAYING: NEXT GEN EPISODE 2

the day of the evaluation… captions overlay the scene of six judges finding their way to their seats in a relatively plain set, a small stage before them obviously prepared for the contestants they’re here to judge today. YOON JIHUN is the first to enter with SEO RAN close behind, idly chatting with YOOJUNG who enters with her as they find their seats at the judges’ table. J-YOON is next to enter, greeting his ceo and the other judges before quietly taking his seat. is he the loner of the group…? the captions assume, though the thought is quickly discarded when YUNA and BOM enter together, arms interlocked as they whisper something between them before taking their seats as well.

“so,” jihun is the first to address the group as a whole, placing his attention in particular on the three judges who also helped train the idol wannabes during the last several days. “what should i be looking most forward to today? any surprises?” he clasps his hands together and leans forward against the table as if in anticipation.

a soft smile crosses yoojung’s face. “there’s a lot of talented dancers in this group. and a lot who are not, but made huge improvements in a very short time. i think some of them will manage to surprise you.” 

bom, on the other hand, simply scowls. she says nothing and instead, the editors add in a few clips of a similar glare on her face when working with the contestants during their lessons.

“there wasn’t a big rap part in this song,” j-yoon admits with a shrug. “i think it’s something anyone with a basic understanding of music could pull off. but i’m interested to see what yoojung and bom made of the dancers and vocalists too.”

“shall we see our first contestant, then?” RHEE JIAN appears on stage, ready to introduce the contestants one by one to the judges. “they’re all waiting so nervously backstage. after working so hard these last several days, let’s call them in right away.” though her words are surely part of a script, the judges all nod their heads as if giving approval for judgment day to begin.

“those who ranked low during their auditions have the most potential for growth, so today we’ll go in order from who ranked last to first place. which means the first performance of the day will be… LEE NOEL,”

a short clip of noel entering the stage and bowing to the judges is shown before being replaced by scenes of a practice room and noel rehearsing with other contestants. it’s group dance practice and the editing makes it seem as if noel is making mistake after mistake and the doom and gloom of the editing is punctuated by tense sound effects and music. “i placed last,” noel’s voice cuts over the sounds before the scene of him in the interview room takes over the compilation of his mistakes. “while it doesn’t bother me, i do want to prove that i deserve more than last place.” clips of noel practicing with other participants show then; practicing vocals with hyejin and dohyun, and dance with seojun.

the scene changes again, now back to the stage in front of the judges, and noel performs my turn in front of the group. no comment is made by either the judges or the captions and silence follows the conclusion of his performance, the only sound heard the breathing of the contestant who just performed.

“lee noel,” it’s jihun who picks up his microphone first to give his evaluation of the performance after the tense quiet, “do you really want to be here?” his words are harsh and his expression not much kinder. the camera zooms in on noel’s face for his reaction to the criticism.

“your performance isn’t memorable at all. aren’t you nervous? don’t you want to do well? your attitude doesn’t seem to reflect that. we invited you to participate in this show despite hundreds— no, thousands of auditions. do you even care?”

“he’s angry,” the microphones catch ran whispering to yuna.

yoojung picks up his microphone next, his expression rather serious though softer than the last speaker’s. “noel, you auditioned with dance and you definitely improved with practice over these last several days. it’s good to know that you can learn and make adjustments when we give you critique. but there’s a lot of good dancers in this competition. i don’t know if you can surpass them if you want to rise above your current rank.”

“you should understand that your place on this show is in danger,” bom, as usual, does not mince her words as she speaks directly to the young man.

“as a not very good dancer and far from a good singer, it felt like i had to learn two things at once,” noel’s interview comes back to the screen, sad music playing as if to garner sympathy for the young man. “i guess that was the most difficult thing, everything at once.”

it’s jian’s face that takes up the screen next, smiling to the camera despite the harsh critique from the last performance. “our next contestant is HWANG BADA,” she announces as the camera zooms in on the girl entering the stage, looking a bit nervous as she does so. ran tries to send her an encouraging smile from the judges’ table.

“the cameras are a bit nerve-wracking, don’t you think?” bada’s voice plays over the scene of her very intentionally meeting the eyes of the judges. “before this, i just worked at my family’s store.” the scene shifts to bada in the practice rooms, rehearsing with hyejin, stevie, haein, and in the group lessons. “i’m going to give it my all. my performance may not be the best, but it’s definitely my best.”

unfortunately, no sooner does the music start does bada make a mistake. she misses the first beat and the camera focuses in on yoojung wincing at the error. the mistake is played again, though this time it shows she recovers and pushes through. she’s out of breath, her voice cracks, but she still continues on. the camera focuses on bom, whose expression is hard to read.

“bada,” it’s ran who speaks first this time her voice gentle and words mostly kind, “you know, right? it wasn’t a perfect performance. but what we’re looking for more than perfection is your potential. how much did you improve from the last time we saw you? were you able to take critique, to ask for help when you needed it? this is a program to discover talent we want to sign to our companies and continue to nurture. no one is expecting you to be ready to debut tomorrow.”

“your voice was better in practice,” it’s bom who speaks next, the editing of the scene alluding to tension as if bom will rip the girl’s performance to shreds. “but that’s to be expected. you have a lot to learn still. what i liked about your performance is that despite your mistakes, you did not give up. tenacity is an important trait to have as a trainee and an idol.”

“did you just say something nice to someone?” yuna picks up her microphone to tease bom, who just smiles and laughs a bit in return. “you worked hard bada,” yuna congratulates the girl despite the flaws in her performance. “like the others said, there’s still a lot to learn. but you seem eager to learn it, and that’s all we can ask for. great job.”

warm music plays as bada takes her leave from the stage before showing a short compilation of her last several days of training. most notably, a clip of her in tears contrasts a clip of a smiling, laughing face. keep working hard, bada! the captions cheer her on.

“up next, a mysterious man who tends to keep to himself, GEUN WONJAE,” rian announces. the scene changes to a series clips of wonjae sitting by himself during breaks in practice and rehearsing alone. 

“he looks tired,” j-yoon murmurs to no one in particular as wonjae takes the stage.

“was he up all night practicing?” yoojung wonders aloud, the other idols among the judges frowning seemingly in sympathy as they watch the young man ready himself for his performance.

wonjae makes the same mistake bada did, missing the first beat. his whole performance seems slightly off, as if his body is too tired and sluggish to respond the way he wants it to. he’s clearly frustrated by the end of his performance, the cameras catching the way his hands ball into tight fists by his sides.

“before we talk about your performance,” ran’s brow knits together as she speaks, seemingly genuinely concerned for the young man, “did you get any sleep at all last night? we know that everyone is working hard for this show but it’s important to get your rest when you can. when you’re tired, you can make a mistake and injure yourself.”

“i don’t think we can say much about this performance, to be honest,” jihun speaks next. “wonjae, we know that you did not show us your best side today. it’s not really fair to judge you based on this. i don’t think we can give you a very high score for this but i hope that you take better care of yourself going forward. we want to see the performer we recognized from your audition, not this.”

wonjae is dismissed from the stage and bom lets out a large sigh. “i wish we hadn’t started from the bottom ranks, actually. i think i’m wasting my time hoping for a big surprise.”

“next we’d like to welcome to the stage… SEO JUNHO!” jian is shown giving a small round of applause as the next contestant takes the stage. the cameras show him settling into position briefly before changing the scene, now showing his time preparing for this moment. he glares at himself in the mirror while he tries to perfect the routine. shots of the camera crews packing up and leaving while junho continues to practice late into the night are played with the caption he worked so hard for this moment… is displayed on the screen. a shot of his notes and annotations of the lyrics is shared with the audience. it’s clear that seo junho is one contestant who is taking this show very seriously. maybe bom will finally get the surprise that she’s hoping for.

junho’s performance begins without any long preamble. it’s immediately clear that his hard work has paid off; compared to the last contestants, his moves are much sharper, his voice much more stable. it’s not a perfect performance, but the editors show off his best moves multiple times, cut with the subtle impressed eyebrow raise from jihun himself. 

“i want to be the first to speak,” j-yoon hardly lets the music fade away before he’s picking up his microphone, “i feel like i need to apologize. i might have been to harsh on your during the last episode. you’ve absolutely made me eat my words since then,” j-yoon looks absolutely delighted to be proven wrong by the contestant, a smile lighting up his features despite his apology.

“i have to agree,” yuna speaks next. “i think your performance is the largest improvement we’ve seen in a contestant so far. it’s amazing, to be honest. you shone brighter here, with one chance to get it right, than you did in your audition tape with however many takes you put into that. great job, junho. we can’t wait to see what you do next.”

“LEE SEOJUN,” it’s not rian who calls his name but rather an unnamed staff member. the cameras are sure to pick up the way he jumps to attention, ready to take the stage in front of the judges. jian’s formal announcement is seen next, and after one more quick moment of seojun looking anticipatory for his turn on stage, finally he’s seen walking out in front of the judges.

“so many people have made this a lot of fun to be a part of,” seojun’s voice plays over clips of him practicing with wonjae, stevie, noel. it shifts to show several scenes with one person in particular, haneul. “my best friend, haneul, helped, since we practiced together as much as possible.” a soft filter and equally soft music plays as one last clip of the best friends practicing together is shown. a clip of seojun smiling softly in the interview room finishes off the segment.

with the week’s recap completed, it’s time to see the young man’s performance. it’s clear that he’s a confident performer on stage, his movements sharp and voice clear despite the choreography. even bom is seen nodding her head as she jots notes down about the performance. “i think we’re finally just getting to the better contestants,” she murmurs to her neighbor.

seojun’s performance comes to a close and a short round of applause is held for him. jihun picks up his microphone first. “to be honest, i think that this is the most complete performance that we’ve seen so far. you’re a strong dancer and while your vocals could use some work, they didn’t suffer terribly despite the dance. you did a good job.”

“i agree,” yuna nods along with jihun before chiming in, “there were a couple little pitch and support issues but nothing that some practice couldn’t fix. i think we judged you too harshly in the auditions. you definitely shine on stage, lee seojun. great job.” more happy music plays as seojun takes his leave from the stage and the judges look pleased with what they’ve been seeing so far.

the show must move along and jian is already announcing the next contestant to the stage: MOON CAMERON. he smiles as he greets the judges again and the camera focuses in on ran, who can’t help but smile back. “you think he’s cute, don’t you?” jihun teases her despite her pushing him away playfully and denying all accusations. “it’s interesting to have siblings on the show, that’s all,” ran insists.

scenes of a practice room where both siblings rehearse is shown before cameron’s performance can start. “i can’t let myself be too shown up by my little sister,” he says as the screen shows him playfully scolding his sister. “why did i find out you auditioned by seeing you on actual television?”

“seeing her throw her all into this has really pushed me to do the same,” a shot of cameron in the interview room is shown next, camera zooming in on that soft, brotherly smile he has on his face whenever he talks about his little sister.

cameron’s performance begins next, displaying excellent command over the stage that clearly comes from a place of experience. most notably, he sends a wink in the direction of the judges. yuna, ran, and yoojung all exclaim out loud at the gesture. “that was cute!” ran gushes and jihun only nudges her again to tease her lightly. the performance wraps up and all of the judges seem to have enjoyed it thoroughly despite it being the fifth time they’ve heard the same song. 

“you have much more experience than most of the other contestants in this show,” j-yoon speaks first, struggling to be serious despite the lingering smile from enjoying the performance so much. “to be honest, i think we’re holding you to a higher standard than the others. i’m not sure if that’s fair but we do want to see your max potential. you still have room to grow.”

“i think i speak for everyone when i say that we thoroughly enjoyed your performance,” yuna speaks next. “it’s fun to watch a performer who looks so at home on stage. there’s some issues with your singing that i’m sure bom will want to address,” the camera shows bom nodding briefly before returning to yuna, “but overall, a good show.”

as cameron is dismissed, the judges check their cue cards for who comes next despite jian’s announcements. “YEOM SARANG,” the emcee announces and the judges begin murmuring among themselves.

“i think he’s the best looking of the male contestants,” yuna comments.

“yes, but a pretty face does not an idol make,” bom’s stern manner never takes a break.

that said, it’s clear that sarang is popular among his fellow contestants. clips of him practicing with others rather closely are played and the captions and editing seem to be jokingly implying that even his fellow male participants have a crush on him. they show him winking at matthew, working closely with jinyoung. “i really enjoyed learning not only from the coaches, but from the friends i’ve made here as well,” sarang’s voice carries over the compilation of clips.

more important than friendship is his turn to perform, however. he captivates the judges, even jihun neglecting to write too many notes as he watches and listens to the young man give his all into his performance of my name. “i’m confident in what i showed,” sarang’s voice can he heard again as he holds the finishing pose.

“let me be the first to speak,” yoojung is the first to pipe up once the spell has worn off. “sarang, you clearly have a lot of untapped potential and i think this particular song was a great opportunity for you. it suits you well. however,” the camera zooms in on sarang’s face for a reaction, the sound effects tense as if yoojung is about to drop a bomb on the situation. “you dance style did not suit the choreography at all. if you’re going to debut in a group someday, you need to be able to mold yourself to the concept. i didn’t always feel that i suited all of a.maze’s concepts, but they needed me to, so i did. you need to learn the same,”

“while i agree with yoojung,” yuna adds to the conversation, “i do want to make sure we commend you for your stage presence and performance overall. a great job, truly.”

if sarang was popular, then PARK STEVEN is basically a celebrity among the trainees. jian’s voice can be heard announcing his turn to perform as the camera shows him going around and greeting all of his friends backstage still waiting for their turns. next gen’s social butterfly, reads the captions. various scenes of steven working with other trainees, comforting them, crying with them can be seen.

“i’ll give it everything i got. no regrets from me!” stevie’s voice plays as he takes his place on stage. he begins his performance when prompted, the camera occasionally cutting to yoojung who nods, j-yoon who scribbles something down, and yuna who seems fixated on the performance with rapt attention. he finishes with a large smile and ran can be seen smiling back.

someone who is not smiling, however, is bom. “steven,” she speaks first among the judges, “i said it before and i’ll say it again. you need to take this competition more seriously.” she fixes him with a rather stern look and doesn’t stop there, “this is not daycare. we’re not here for you to have a playdate with your friends. when we scold you, it’s because we know you can do better. you should be doing better than this.”

a clip plays of stevie in the practice room, trying to lift his leg behind his head when he should’ve been rehearsing. suddenly his social butterfly tendencies don’t seem to be as much of an asset as they are a distraction.

“i have to agree with bom. you’re a good dancer. if you want to be a backup dancer and support our idols on stage, that’s fine. but that’s not what this competition is for. i hope to see more improvement from you moving forward,” yuna explains to the young contestant.

after so many male contestants, finally another female contestant is ready for her turn in front of the judges. “up next,” jian announces, “we’ll see RYU EUNKYUNG,” a shot of the girl raising her fist and mouthing a silent cheer is shown as she takes the stage. 

“over and over we’ve worked on this and you’re still getting it wrong,” the scene changes to eunkyung getting scolded by one of the coaches. in the next series of clips, it’s shown how many times she’s forgotten the lyrics or made a major mistake. “somehow it all goes out of my brain when i start to dance,” eunkyung’s own voice is heard as she makes yet another mistake on screen. will she be able to pull it off? the captions question her abilities, drawing tension as once again she’s shown on stage in front of the judges.

her performance begins. it seems that the whole world is watching with their breath held as they wait to see if she’ll make a mistake again or not. what she does instead is make little modifications to the choreography. she cups her hands against her face to send a heart instead of the “v” pose and a shot of ran cooing at the modification is shown before returning to eunkyung’s performance. the line she struggled the most with is coming, though. j-yoon leans forward in his seat, eyes narrowed as he waits. not only does she not flub it, she nails it. a sigh of relief seems to fall and j-yoon sits back, nodding his approval.

“you had me worried, eunkyung,” he speaks after her performance is finished, smiling now that it’s all over. “i’m glad you were able to work out your issues with the lyrics. overcoming obstacles is an important part of breaking into this industry. you’re going to have much more difficult challenges than this going forward.”

“to be honest, i think you’re center material,” ran speaks up, “i know, i haven’t said that to anyone else yet. you’re confident and while your skills could use some work, you’re doing an excellent job all things considered. keep up the good work.”

“so many cameras,” the translation of SATO KOU’s statement is shown in subtitles on the screen. the scene changes this time to kou in the interview room, where he once again says the same thing: “this is a lot of cameras.” is he camera shy? the captions question.

“we’re looking forward to kou’s performance,” jian announces. earlier that week… the captions interrupt the performance with a scene of the boy in a practice room, clearly frustrated even before he exclaims “i can’t do it!” clips of kou’s mistakes in dance practice play one after the other, highlighting all of his many errors. “i just wasn’t born with the ability to dance, you see. see? my arms just won’t listen to my head.”

“i’ve been practicing like crazy,” kou’s voice is heard while the camera returns to the scene in front of the judges. “i think i’ve improved a lot. at least i won’t look like an idiot on stage… i hope.”

the boy’s face lights up as he begins his performance and the judgest watch, paying careful attention to him. yoojung in particular seems anxious, having seen the boy in practice not all that long ago. “please don’t mess up,” he murmurs, barely loud enough that the microphones can pick it up. thankfully, kou doesn’t make a mistake and completes the performance without any major catastrophe.

“you had me so worried,” yoojung laughs the tension away as he addresses the contestant. “i’m glad that you were able to pull it off in the end and i hope that this is the end of your dancing woes. it’s a skill that you absolutely need if you want to be an idol. please, keep practicing.”

“i would’ve liked to see more improvement from you, though,” jihun remarks, a slight frown on his face. “you’re a decent singer, kou. but i feel like you just got lucky with your dancing here, based on what yoojung was telling us earlier. i hope that you can prove me wrong and show that it truly was skill.”

a scary contestant is next, the captions, in cold, shivery effect, appear on screen. “if i’m making you cry, you should quit now,” LEE NAYOUNG’s voice can be heard. “have you been practicing outside of lessons at all? do you even have your sheet of the lyrics? what are you doing here?” clips of nayoung confronting various contestants are played on screen. she’s scarier than bom, the captions claim, showing a side-by-side shot of bom’s glare compared to nayoung’s.

“please welcome lee nayoung to the stage,” jian announces the contestant dutifully. unlike the scary clips from earlier, nayoung is all smiles to the judges as she greets everyone politely. it turns out that she has a reason to scold the other trainees, her performance goes off not quite flawlessly but clearly more skilled than many of the contestants before her.

“did you know that people are saying you’re scarier than i am?” bom addresses the girl with the slightest hint of a smile on her face. “i was worried that you would be all bark and no bite. i’m pleased that you have the skill to back your words up. you could practice your stability more. but overall, good job.”

“i would caution you to try to get along better with the other contestants,” ran frowns into her microphone, “we understand this is a competition. but if you’re going to join one of our companies, we need to know that you’ll be a good fit with our current trainees. if you can’t get along with anyone, we’ll have reason to be concerned.”

LEE JINAE’s performance is next. it seems to breeze by with no context at all. “it was entirely unmemorable,” jihun points out to his fellow judges, who seem to agree. no one can even remember what she practiced all week.

completely on the opposite side of the spectrum is MIN HYEJIN. as jian announces her name, clips of her practicing with several different contestants play across the screen. matthew, noel, haein, bada, nayoung, saea, kou, and of course stevie are all seen practicing with the girl at different times. if stevie was the social butterfly of the boys, hyejin takes the title for the girls. “there were so many helpful participants and so many i made sure to lend a helping hand to as well,” her voice is heard over the clips.

her performance starts. there’s hiccups, like every contestant so far, but the cameras seem to focus on them much more than the others. the judges faces don’t look as excited about hyejin’s performance as they had about others.

“hyejin,” yuna sighs before continuing, “i understand that you worked with a lot of different people and spent a lot of time helping them. that’s great, and we love to see that sort of teamwork, but i think your performance suffered for it. you should have spent a little more time on yourself.”

“i want to remind you to mind your expressions too,” j-yoon adds. “you had moments where you were really good. but then you’d lose that and it was such a shame. i agree with yuna, i think you overextended yourself helping others. you should be more mindful of your time in the future.”

the scene cuts away from hyejin, indicating her segment is over, and instead focuses on jian again as she announces the next performance. “our next contestant ready to show you his skills is CHO HANEUL,” the young man is seen taking the stage and giving a polite bow to the judges. jihun smiles and nods approvingly; it seems he cares very much about the manners and attitude of all of the participants.

“if i’m really honest, i almost didn’t audition,” haneul’s voice is heard as he waits for the music to start. “i keep thinking if i should have done this or not,” clips of his practice sessions, including a sweet hug with stevie, play across the screen, highlighting all of the highs and lows of the last several days. “but might as well do my best while i’m here, right?”

the music starts and haneul’s performance begins. he’s an adept performer, singing and dancing solidly until the short rap part of the song comes up. when his pronunciation is slightly off on one word, the cameras zoom in on j-yoon scribbling something down in his notes.

“haneul,” j-yoon is the first to give his critique once the music ends and the contestant relaxes from his ending pose, “first of all, i want to praise you for trying something outside of your comfort zone. it’s clear you know how to sing and dance but rap was something new for you. that said, to be completely honest, i don’t think it’s something you should do anymore.”

ran’s eyebrows raise at the unexpected harsh critique from j-yoon, who ignores the looks he’s getting and continues. “let me be clear. you’re a good singer and dancer. i don’t think you need to rap. i understand it was part of this evaluation but i think going forward it would be better for you to focus on the things you’re already good at.”

“i get what j-yoon means,” jihun nods along as he speaks, “instead of wasting your time and energy trying to perfect something that honestly doesn’t really matter, focus on your other skills instead. i think that will take you farther in this competition. good job, haneul.”

the young man bows politely as he’s dismissed. “i like him,” jihun says aloud.

“don’t go picking favorites this early,” yuna warns playfully, “i might like him too.”

a shot of the waiting room takes over the scene. after a slow pan of the remaining contestants waiting for their turn, the camera zooms in on the next one up: PARK DOHYUN. he seems to be staring off into space. is he awake? the captions question as a sped-up shot of his fellow contestants and staff zipping around the waiting room plays while dohyun himself simply sits still. “learning the lyrics and dance… it was kinda like a bootcamp,” dohyun’s voice speaks over the scene. the editing makes it seem as if he’s a bit dazed and confused, as if the hard work of the past week has completely robbed him of any remaining branpower. 

in the next moment, jian is welcoming him to the stage in front of the judges. as the music starts, it seems that he hasn’t fully snapped out of his trance and misses his cue. he’s flushed in the face when he does get back on track. “is he alright?” ran whispers to yuna, who frowns in concern at dohyun’s performance.

when he finally reaches the end of his performance, he’s out of breath. a few silent moments pass before yoojung speaks. “dohyun, you’ve learned a lot in a short time,” he praises the contestant first, smiling encouragingly, “but to be honest, i’m concerned about you. are you feeling alright? are you ill?”

the camera zooms in on dohyun’s face as if looking for any ailment.

“this is a competition but you can’t be reckless with your body. i understand desperation to be signed and to debut. but certain injuries can’t quite be recovered from. you’re just starting to learn dance. don’t make it harder for yourself by getting hurt.”

“yoojung is right,” yuna speaks next. “we see your improvement, dohyun. i can’t say you’re a good dancer yet, to be honest. but if you can stay healthy, i think you can become one.”

with dohyun’s performance complete, the scene goes back to the waiting room. the crowd is getting smaller and smaller as more and more contestants take their turn in front of the judges. finally, it focuses in on the next performer: MOON JINYOUNG. he looks nervous or at the very least restless as he gets to his feet to pace, to practice the song and dance one more time, humming the melody as he runs through the movements.

he’s seen walking on stage as jian announces his name. “i’m fine. it just hit me, you know? this is real.” his voice is heard as he looks at the judges with his chin held high, masking any fear that he might have had going into this. jinyoung tests his voice once, twice, before assuming the starting position and waiting for the music to start. unlike the last performer, he doesn’t miss his start. but the problems start when he sings. the camera cuts to bom who can barely disguise a rather repulsed expression as she scribbles notes down in font of her.

jinyoung is red in the face much like dohyun had been by the time his performance comes to an end. 

“i heard that you’re a big fan of yoojung,” it’s ran who speaks first, not yet critiquing jinyoung’s performance but holding a conversation instead. a clip plays of jinyoung and sarang in a practice room together. “i want to be yoojung when i grow up,” jinyoung had said then. the scene returns to ran, who’s smiling at her fellow judge as she speaks to jinyoung. “it’s clear that you’re a talented dancer. maybe the best we’ve seen today. but dancing alone isn’t enough to be like your idol. yoojung is a talented singer too. to be honest, you have a long way to go in that area.”

“i’m disappointed, to be honest,” bom speaks up, barely looking up from her notes at the young man she’s addressing. “you did better in practice. there’s no excuse for what you showed us on stage today. if you want to continue in this competition, you need to be much better.”

the humiliated contestant bows as he says his farewell to the judges, bright red in the face. even he doesn’t look satisfied with his performance.

“up next,” jian is the center of the screen again, smiling as she reads the name off her cue card, “MOON SAEA, our little sister.” the scene changes to saea in the practice room, first bickering with her actual brother cameron, then hanging out with stevie, calling hyejin ‘unnie’, and even pouting in the interview room rather cutely. children’s music plays in the background, painting the girl with a cute, childish image.

however, that childish image changes abruptly when she’s shown standing in front of the judges, seemingly more cool and collected than the playful girl they had already shown in practice. as soon as the music starts, the performer takes over. yoojung can be seen nodding approvingly at her performance and even jihun seems to be impressed, brows raised as he scribbles a note down in front of him.

“first of all, i want to say that you put on an excellent performance,” jihun’s praise has been increasingly rare for the duration of this show, so the other judges are shown with rather surprised expressions as he compliments saea. “i think you already know and bom will likely say more than me on it but your singing still needs work. still, you held your own. learning these things in such a short time is difficult but you proved today it’s far from impossible.”

“you’re doing well at rap,” j-yoon adds as well. “is this your first time practicing and performing it? i think with practice and training, you might have a future in it. i’m excited to see what you’re capable of in the future.”

“we’re getting closer to last week’s number one,” jian takes over again as the show transitions to the next contestant. “next to perform for our judges is MATTHEW LUONG.”

“i’m very grateful for being ranked in the top ten, let alone the top five,” matthew’s voice is played over a scene of him in the waiting room, anxiously anticipating his turn. “i just was worried that i was going to let people down.” a shot of him approaching the stage is cut off by a practice room scene, matthew attempting to sing the song perhaps for the first time. it’s clear that he’s not yet a vocalist, making many mistakes during his attempt. “i don’t know if i want to go for the first place spot,” his voice is heard again, “i’m so nervous that i’m just going to disappoint everyone.”

the scene cuts back to matthew on stage, the judges staring at him expectantly. as the music begins, so does his performance. while his voice doesn’t compare to some of the stronger vocalists in the competition, he’s not all that bad and his top five spot isn’t undeserved. he seems to lose a bit of strength as the performance wraps up, and yoojung’s sharp eye is sure to catch that. the camera focuses on the judge after the music ends.

“how long have you been practicing singing?” yuna is the first to speak up despite the initial focus on yoojung. “was this your first time performing it seriously? you did a good job,” she smiles as she praises the contestant. “it was fun to watch you. it looked like you were genuinely enjoying your time on stage and as an audience member, that makes such a difference. i hope you continue to love performing. that will take you farther in this industry than anything.”

“your voice needs work,” bom can never seem to just give a compliment. “but you improved a lot in a short time. you need to work on your control and pitch. keep this in mind.” her words are short but at least they don’t seem as harsh as she’s been on others.

matthew is dismissed and the next contestant is called to the stage, announced by jian with another glowing smile. ZHOU AREN RENYI is looking rather pale in the face as he stands before the judges. “i know that people expect a lot because i was ranked so high. but truthfully, i don’t know why i’m ranked so high,” ren’s voice is played over a zoomed-in clip of his trembling hands.

“are you nervous, renyi?” jihun speaks before the performance begins. the camera just zooms in on the boy’s nervous face as an answer.

renyi’s performance begins. there’s obvious mistakes, he stops singing at one point entirely, and bom is seen scowling and writing notes down. ran leans forward in her seat, brows creased in concern. the judges all saw potential in this contestant; they just hope that he can live up to it. and in parts, he does. his expressions are good despite the obvious nerves, even biting down on his lip as the camera catches his face just right. but perhaps most surprising is when he stops dancing entirely near the end, instead singing the high note with full strength. bom’s brows raise in a way that’s hard to tell if it’s a good or bad thing. he continues the dance for the last bit and all the judges scribble something in front of them.

“you made an… interesting choice,” ran puts it more nicely than some of the other judges might have as they begin their verbal evaluation of renyi. “i understand that you’re not very experienced as a performer yet. but halting your dance so you could sing… it’s something that we incorporate into choreography for main vocalists at times, though it wasn’t part of this routine.”

“others were able to sing and dance during that part just fine,” bom’s harsh critique doesn’t soften for the clearly nervous boy, though perhaps she’s not as mean as she could be. “if you want to keep up in this competition, you should try to mimic the good parts of your peers and be better than their flaws. i’m not sure we saw a top three performance from you today.”

when renyi bows, he lurches forward, falling to a knee as he loses strength. immediately, all six of the judges spring to their feet. “are you alright?” yuna calls out to the boy as yoojung tries to escape the judges’ table to help the contestant to his feet. however, ren excuses himself and skitters away before anyone can reach him. “can someone go check on him?” yuna asks the staff. someone follows renyi out to make sure that he’s unhurt.

the judges still look somewhat unnerved by the nearly collapsed contestant when jian is announcing the next one up to perform, JUNG JOOMI. “his skillset is similar to renyi’s,” jihun points out, a small frown still on his face. unspoken worry seems to mingle through the group of judges.

it seems that the boys also have similarities in temperament as well and the scene changes to a practice room, captions explaining that this is the first day of practice for the mission. joomi is crying, stevie comforting him as best as he can. “i honestly… i didn’t know i could sing before coming on here,” his voice is played over the shot before it transitions to him in the interview room looking at anything but the eye of the camera. “i’m not confident but i’m glad i made it through.”

joomi’s performance is… well, it’s hard to say it’s anything close to good. his dance is a mess, his voice falters for the energy put into dancing, and overall it’s rather a disappointing performance from the second place winner. there’s a long silence between when the music ends and the judges start to verbalize their evaluation of the contestant.

finally, bom is the first to speak. and despite her harsh reputation, her words seem to be a bit softer. “i feel like we should apologize to you, joomi,” she holds the microphone with both hands as she looks directly at the contestant. “you’re a very talented singer but second place put a lot of pressure on you. i don’t think you were ready for that pressure. and we didn’t see the singer we all fell in love with today. i’m sorry for that, too.”

ran’s lips press tightly together as if she’s struggling to find the words as she raises her microphone as well. “today’s performance wasn’t good. but i’m sure you already know,” she has to be honest with him though it seems that the judges are treating him more gently than they’ve treated others. some contestants require tough love, some require gentle encouragement. “i hope you feel proud of what you’ve learned in the meantime. i think you have a lot to learn and a long way to go but i think you can get there eventually. we’re cheering for you, joomi!” she raises her fist in a silent fighting! and yoojung, j-yoon, yuna, and even jihun do the same to encourage the boy in front of them.

as joomi leaves the stage, jihun sighs. “that was a shame,” he sinks in his seat a bit. “i think you hit the nail on the head, bom. we put too much pressure on him before he was ready. part of developing talent is knowing when and where to apply the right amount of pressure.”

“our final contestant is our number one place,” jian takes over the screen and transforms the dull mood into something more anticipatory, more exciting. “please welcome to the stage our defending first-place, OH HAEIN!”

the girl’s smiling face is seen bright and cheery as she takes her place on the stage. jihun straightens up again and the rest of the judges shake off their dreary moods to watch with rapt attention. this is the defending champion, the most anticipated performance of the episode. next gen’s ace, the captions claim as clips of haein helping other contestants learn and perform their skills play across the screen. she seems adept in everything she does. the editing really hypes up her upcoming performance.

without making the audience wait too much longer, haein is shown again in front of the judges, the music starting. unlike some of the last contestants who didn’t live up to their placement, haein does. she smiles through her performance, she seems to shine on stage. the judges are thoroughly engrossed in the performance, watching closely and even forgetting to write down any notes as they simply enjoy the song and dance despite seeing it over twenty times already.

as the music comes to a close, the six judges give the contestant a small round of applause.

“as expected of our first-place,” yuna smiles into her microphone like a proud mother. “haein, you’re a very talented performer. any critique we have is relatively minor, which is a huge compliment to you and your abilities. i would just say to mind your expressions a little better. you were smiling but i’m not sure you were engaged the entire time. don’t forget the audience in front of you. they’re the ones you’re performing for.”

“we had a lot of talented performers today,” jihun cautions, “i’m not sure if you can maintain your number one position and be our female center but you’ve certainly made it a difficult decision for us. great work today. we’ll be excited to see your next performance.”

with that, the last contestant is dismissed and the judges are tasked with ranking all of the performers from first to last yet again. their discussion starts, clips of them moving photos around and commenting on various performances playing while tense music plays in the background.

finally, all of the contestants are called to the stage to reveal the rankings and centers for the mcountdown performance. “first, we want to congratulate all of you on completing the mission successfully and safely,” jian addresses all of the participants with a smile. “as much as we’d like to award all of you for a job well done, the judges do have to rank you accordingly and pick our centers. please turn your attention to the screen.”

on a large television screen at the back of the stage, the rankings are revealed one by one, starting by counting down from the top fifteen until they get to number five. then, ranks sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty are revealed. six contestants remain, five of them at the top, and the remaining in dead last. one by one, five, four, three, and two are revealed until just first and last place are left. both ranks are revealed at the same time.

“congratulations to SAEA and JUNHO, our official centers!” jian announces the rankings. time is given for the contestants to react to the news and congratulate the winners before the show continues. the contestants are told that the entire group will be performing on mcountdown next thursday, march 9th, and that some of their practice this week will be devoted to running the routine as a group and nailing down the blocking for the various parts. all contestants will record the male or female parts in full and the final song will be released for digital download on the same day as their performance.

“and of course, we have to introduce your next mission as well,” jian smiles at the contestants while the screen on stage changes from their rankings to a title card that reads teamwork evaluation. “you’ve shown us the talents you’re most confident in already but so far, all of our missions have been independent. we want to test how you work together in a team. our judges have split you into six groups based on what they feel your strongest skill is. this evaluation will be our first elimination round with two teams of the same skill going head to head. the winning team will be safe from elimination while the losing team will risk sending some of their members home.”

each team is announced and the songs they’re expected to perform introduced to them. jian explains that they’ll continue to have lessons with the coaches and that bom, j-yoon, and yoojung will be staying on the program as skill coaches for the remainder of the season.

“good luck to all of our contestants! remember, we’re looking at you to be the next generation of kpop. show us that you can shine!” the main theme of the show begins playing again as the episode ends.

[benayoung]

* ❁┆older but just never wiser

nayoung has some questions, but she doesn’t have the time to ask them. maybe later, she’ll run into cameron moon and have the chance, but practice is far more important than her curiosity, or maybe...longing for camaraderie. 

it just turns out her coworker at the convenience store she recently started working at is more than meets the eye. then again, so is she. maybe along the way, he figured out she was a trainee once upon a time, but how did she not know he was a former idol? she thought she kept a close eye on the industry, but apparently not close enough.

she only found out when she watched the first episode of next gen herself. it was shocking enough to see him in the contestant lineup at all, let alone to learn that much. who knew they had so much in common? it’s a strange coincidence. she knows multiple people on this show already though, which is also strange; thousands of audition tapes sent in, and what are the odds of so many people that know each other gathering together in one place?

nayoung isn’t a conspiracy theorist, but if she was, she might think next gen was some social experiment by the government. they tracked them and their phone and internet activity, finding out who shared friend circles and enough talent to feasibly make it on a “show” like this. she doesn’t know what it’s a social experiment for, but she figures pitting a bunch of people that already know against each other for a goal they can’t all achieve makes for better television than a bunch of strangers. probably, anyway. 

she doesn’t really believe in fate or god or anything of the like either, but the amount of coincidences are far too fucking strange, especially when she returns to her favorite practice room after a bathroom break only to see cameron moon himself.

she almost says you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, but if nayoung knows anything it’s how to be aware of cameras. he looks like he’s just warming up, and nayoung is already taking a break, so...it’s not a bad time to talk, is it?

“hey,” she greets him first, and falls into some familiar stretches herself, even if she’s already been practicing for a couple hours. it just feels better to be doing something opposed to just standing there. “you were an idol before?” she doesn’t beat around the bush. she’s not really one for small talk anymore. “they said on the episode,” she clarifies, just in case he forgot and thinks she’s weird for knowing, let alone asking about it on camera.

* ❁┆ @bexcam

[bejun]

{ duck and cover }

𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓. 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌, Seoul, SK Mid February , 2023 w. 𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐄𝐋

Rage is and entirely too familiar a feeling to Jun. It bubbles and boils in the pit of his stomach, tearing away at his insides, little by little, until it builds up, and up, and up and explodes out of every orifice. It’s the frustration, the impatience, the stress of every little thing, eating away at him until he can’t take it anymore. It’s someone leaving a cupboard open, or leaving a single second on the microwave. It’s someone stopping right in front of him as he walks. It’s the last minute assignments, the not knowing what his best friend is thinking, the uncertainty and worry. But right now, above all else, it’s Noel not taking this seriously. 

Jun’s been trying so hard to manage his temper, and up until right now, he’d been doing well. Being shoved into a situation where he had to go up against multiple strangers, and even a few people he’d met before, puts Jun on edge. He likes to be in charge, or at least in control in some capacity, but without a person officially leading, it’s hard for him to take over and step into shoes that no one asked him to fill. Even so, he’d been unable to not give advice, or chastise those who weren’t pulling their weight. He’d been a little snippy, but he’d tried his best to befriend everyone at least to some extent. 

Thing is, Jun already knows Noel, he already likes Noel—he’d even go so far as to say Noel is a close friend. They’d hung out only a few months ago, getting tipsy and trying not to fall on their asses on the ice. But now, he’s trying Jun’s patience and he hates it. “Are you even taking this seriously? Do you even want to be here?” He finally snaps after noticing Noel once again not paying as much attention as Jun though he should be. 

[bexcam]

growing pains | @besaea

cam feels a little breathless, not so much in anxiety but a need to get where he's going as soon as possible and can only focus on that. the episode had aired and it took a while for cam to get over his nerves to watch it, not wanting to see how much of a fool he'd made of himself and definitely not wanting to hear any backlash surrounding him getting back into being an idol again. if anyone insinuated he was taking a place of someone more deserving he would probably cry, in private.

he needs to find charlie. having to go through the first bits of training was hard enough, having to focus in order to process the song and choreo they would do when all he wanted to do was talk to his sister was painful. she had placed so high, his chest felt like it was going to burst from pride. it felt so silly like he was her dad or something, ew, but he'd witnessed her grow up and learn things and she'd always been such a pillar in his own life and journey through music that watching her on a tv show was a little insane.

cam's truly not expecting to catch her so early in the day, expecting to go grab some flowers and show up at her place and congratulate her, but luck is on his side for once and he catches a flash of her going into a studio room.

"miss charlotte charlie saea moon." he leans against the doorframe and pouts at her. "miss showstopper, dancewhiz, yoojung in the making" he continues the obscene pouting and blinks dramatically. "why did i find out you auditioned by seeing you on actual television?"

[noelxbe]

ask advice

        the fact that this was all a competition was something noel had already almost forgotten, they were being evaluated and being ranked. the fact that he ranked last could’ve hurt him, could’ve bothered him, but it did neither, noel was just happy to be here, having this opportunity was more than enough. his interest in dance was something he’d kept secret, not fully on purpose, he just never brought it up and nobody had ever asked him his opinion on dance. he didn’t let anyone know he auditioned, in the case that if he didn’t make it through then people wouldn’t know of his interest in dance.

when he figured he’d made it through, he’d like to keep it hidden a bit longer, but apparently that wasn’t something he could do, because everywhere he went there was familiar faces. it had it’s positives though, it was a lot easier asking the other participants for help. he could go around asking strangers for advice and tips, but it was easier sticking to those you knew, so that’s what he did. matthew ( @bematthew​ ) was someone he knew, and someone who ranked quite highly. “matthew ” he taps the other one on the shoulder “there’s some moves i can’t figure out, do you think you could help me?”.

[behyejin]

ʟᴇᴠᴇʟ ᴜᴘ

for @bexstevie

getting to be apart of a show like next gen was still something hyejin never expected. she had only been a trainee in the past so just getting this chance to not only work alongside others but having coaches helping with learning a choreography in a short amount of time was helpful. the song was already on her mind since it seemed in her nature to pick up on singing and rapping easily. as she continues to make sure she knows the words, she lets herself stretch a bit before dancing but someone catches her eye easily. a bright smile spreads across her lips as she makes her way over once they are free to practice on their own.

“why hello there!” she beams as she looks at stevie before stretching again. there were a few people around that she knew that made her giddy about being here even more. she couldn’t help how overjoyed she was when it came to seeing the male. “i’m glad we’re here together and it seems we’re doing well today.” sure some had other aspects they had to work on but it seemed everyone was getting the hang of the choreography at least. “now i feel i need a catch up with you and to give you all the compliments when it comes to your audition. you did so good!” she gushes at the other easily.

[bejoomi]

* ♪ – the waves roll over

it’s too much.

joomi didn’t even sing in front of other people until a few weeks ago, and apparently, bom thinks he has an incredible voice. that alone is too much to process, let alone the fact that they actually brought him on this stupid show to be a contestant. then there’s what that entails: at least six hours of practice every day, barring sundays, but even then, there’s the unspoken expectation that they don’t really get any time off. they should practice, and practice, and practice, until this stupid song and choreography is in their very bloodstream.

he’s not built for this. he doesn’t want this, and he is surrounded by people that do. he can see it in their eyes, when his own wander from the form of yoojung when he teaches them the choreography, or his own blundering limbs.

second place. he doesn’t want this and he’s in second place. he doesn’t understand it. it makes him feel kind of sick, too; the pressure, the confusion of filling this spot when others want it more, like he’s stealing something that doesn’t belong to him. the judges want him to run with it, but joomi is paralyzed here, by this overwhelming feeling of how wrong it is. this isn’t mine to take. i do not belong here. i want to go home.

these are the thoughts that repeat in his head, but for some reason he still practices. he wants to quit, but he doesn’t, and he doesn’t know why. maybe he’s afraid of disappointing stevie, or the other people that know him on this show and are happy for him. he can’t dance or rap at all, though. he’ll certainly lose his ranking and fall near the bottom, and hopefully he’ll be eliminated soon. but what if he isn’t? what if he makes it to the end, and for some unfathomable reason, one of the companies wants to sign him? he isn’t cut out for this. he doesn’t want to be a kpop idol or a trainee or anything.

he just wants to go home, but he tries not to think about it too much. he can’t bring himself to tell anyone on the production team; to ask to be eliminated. he doesn’t know why that’s the case, either. he hopes if he makes it farther, he gathers the courage. the idea of getting one of those sought after contracts in his hands makes him feel sicker than anything else. please no. 

he takes it one day at a time. maybe he shouldn’t try so hard if he wants to go home. maybe he should just accept his fate as a terrible dancer and rapper and let it do him in without wasting anyone’s time; his own, trying to learn any of this, and the instructors’, trying to teach him. for some reason, though, he can’t do anything else. maybe it’s because he’s on camera, and he doesn’t want to be known as the guy on next gen that threw the competition instead of just bowing out for personal reasons. 

maybe part of him wants to want it. maybe that’s why he stays: because he’s here and people believe in him and it would be nice to have some sort of dream other than just surviving another day. could it be his dream?

he doesn’t know. he has a headache and feels a little dizzy. probably needs more water. he knows it’s because his body isn’t used to being pushed so hard. even two hours of dance lessons would be bad enough, let alone how many more times he’s gone over the choreography by himself tonight only for it to end in more frustration.

he’s alone in one of the practice rooms now, but not really alone. he knows the cameras are still rolling, and that anything he does here could be broadcasted to kpop fans all over the world. he doesn’t even know what time it is, but he’s exhausted, so he lays down on the floor after another failed run through of the choreography, sweat making his hair cling to his forehead.

he feels like crying, and he’s too tired to unpack why. it’s just all too much, and maybe that’s all the reason he needs. he feels like crying but he doesn’t want to, especially on camera, so he covers his face with his palms just in case.

–– @sarangbe

[beseojun]

ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴍɪɴᴏꜱ

for @behaneul​

was seojun happy where he fell on the ranking? no. and hearing that he had to rap made him feel defeated honestly. sure the waking up at 6 am to practice was a whole different thing but he was used to it since gom loved to make sure he was up at early hours of the morning to feed him or even just to get attention from him.

so stepping into the practice room at the early hours didn’t affect him like it seemed to others. he just tosses his bag aside as he gets into the groove of things but makes sure he’s focusing on his rapping more again. instantly, he notices a familiar face among the other contestants that has him grinning from ear to ear. once there’s a free moment, he knows he’ll end up meandering over to be close the other.

once the chance arrives, seojun rushes over to his best friend, engulfing the other in a hug. “look at us! we’re both here together. i’m so happy!” he exclaims with a bright grin on his face though then he leans in close, keeping his voice low so only haneul could hear him. “the rapping though... still unsure about it. i’m a dancer first and vocalist second. i’ve never even attempted to until being here.” he pouts as he looks over the other.

“how are you feeling though? i’m glad you decided to audition to do this.” he locks eyes with the other, his eyes bright as he moves away a bit so the other has some space but still staying close to him. he instantly felt more comfortable with his best friend being there plus he needs a bit of cheering up.

[besaea]

— tomfoolery

a next gen starter for @bexstevie ✨ taking place in a lime entertainment practice room

      “do you know what i really want to do right now?” she asks in english, from where she had laid down on the wooden floor while stevie was doing ... whatever he was doing right now. she had stopped paying attention, only vaguely paying attention to my turn playing on repeat in the back. she had thought she would be sick and tired of the song after practicing it and listening to it repeat for so long, but surprisingly she still likes it. when she had first heard it, she had been pretty happy about getting it as their theme song. 

     “go skateboarding.”

     she stretches her arms over her head, eyes closed and stretches her back. saea regrets it almost immediately after because it hurts her head, having pressed it harder against the wooden floor and she sits up, rubbing at it dramatically. 

     “like humour me, but wouldn’t it be fun to skateboard on these floors?” she asks, knowing they definitely wouldn’t be allowed but she also kind of wishes that they had been asked to show off some of the extra talents they had written down. maybe in the future they’ll get to, and it’ll be fun. but for now, it’s just a distant dreaming.

     “also, what are you even doing right now?”

[bexstevie]

pressure.

< w. @behaneul >

practice is tough that day. the deadline for the next episode is steadily approaching, so the coaches are working them extra hard. while it’s been kinda fun-- being around his friends and enjoying the atmosphere when it’s nice, now it’s beginning to get a little tense. stress and worry levels are on a rise, and stevie finds himself bouncing between people to offer a bit of ease the best he can. 

when the coaches are finished with lessons and reviews, free practice is available. filming staff are beginning to leave, outside of the already placed cameras filming for free practice. stevie’s busying himself by resting, downing a water bottle. enjoys the moment of relaxation, knowing he’s gotta push in a few extra hours to feel like he’s up to par with everyone else. 

he brightens a bit upon seeing haneul though, and stevie scrambles up, capping his water bottle and tossing it back in his bag before he meanders over. he throws his arms in a surprise hug from behind the other, letting out a happy laugh. “hey,” he greets cutely, resting his chin on the other’s shoulder the best he can. “are you staying for more practice today?”

[behaein]

✦ * ·  ˚ @badabe​

what had surprised haein when she first stepped into next gen was the number of familiar faces. perhaps it’s because she came to korea as a trainee, but she had a lot of acquaintances who had the same goals as her. on one hand, it was super comforting to know that she had some friends around. however, on the other hand, it almost made her feel too comfortable, and that wasn’t the best mindset to have, especially on a program like this one.

it’s why she was pretty determined to try to start a conversation with everybody. the group lesson had learned, and they were left to practice on their own when haein caught someone in the corner of her eye. walking up to the female, she cleared her throat before offering a friendly smile. “hey, that group practice went by really quickly, don’t you think so?” letting out a chuckle, she rolled her ankles, beginning her cool down. while she was going to stay behind for more practice, she still needed to relax her muscles a bit before she started over.

“i feel a little overwhelmed, if i’m being completely honest.” her voice had gone down to a whisper, considering the many cameras that were around them. the last thing haein wanted to do was appear less confident in herself, but she also felt like she needed to let that out. sometimes, it was easier to talk to strangers than friends, and this felt like one of those moments.

[benayoung]

* ❁┆the show is free

nayoung is sufficiently warmed up. it’s a strange feeling: being a trainee for four years then not practicing at all for several months, then returning back to it as if nothing happened. it’s a little like being thrown to the wolves, but nayoung hasn’t cracked under pressure since she was six years old. years of figure skating competitions ensured that much. she isn’t scared of any wolves. she is the wolf now. she has always been the wolf. she just took some time to...hibernate. 

now she’s back and better than ever, ready to take on the world. that’s what she tells herself, anyway. she knows, at least before she auditioned, that she was out of practice. she was rusty and slow and a little out of shape, but since then, she’s been singing and dancing and rapping every day. even here, the first few days took some getting used to, but now, a week before their performance for the judges, she’s ready.

she has the choreography and lyrics memorized. when she looks in the mirror during their dance lessons, she keeps up exactly as she should, executing the moves to a t. they aren’t perfect yet. she can’t do all of it in her sleep yet, so she knows her performance is a little lacking, but that’s what the next week is for. perfection.

she tries not to let her eyes wander to the others in the mirror. she spent two other survival shows worried about being better than everyone else, and how everyone else was doing, so she could see how she stacked up to them. this time, she just focuses on herself. they have the judges for a reason, and she isn’t one of them. 

she can’t help it sometimes, though, like when someone keeps stumbling over moves out of the corner of her eye. 

she may only be focused on herself, but she still memorized the names of all the other girls on the show, at the very least. she’s still getting the boys down. okay, so maybe she’s not entirely focused on herself, but she only does it so she knows how she can be better. it isn’t about making anyone else do worse than her anymore.

so she knows the terrible dancer in the mirror is bada. she’s ranked near the bottom, isn’t she? if she’s not, she should be, if this is how she dances even after a week.

dance lessons are dismissed, the contestants given free time to practice, and nayoung grabs her bag. she spots bada again, and walks over to her. she can’t help it. she has a few choice words.

“have you been practicing outside of lessons at all?” she questions, though it sounds more like an accusation. she should probably just let bada do herself in, but they are performing as a group eventually, and anyone as bad as her will undeniably draw attention away from the people who actually know what they’re doing (like nayoung, of course.)

* ❁┆ @badabe

[bematthew]

@behyejin

matty was glad that he found someone to help him out a little bit with the singing and rapping bits. because while he didn't mind helping other people he also needed some help. he had some experience in trying to sing and dance at the same time and even less experience in rapping and dancing.

he'd agreed to help as best he could with the choreo if hyejin would give him some tips and tricks with how to rap and sing. so he stretched a bit as he waited for the other contestant. he had no illusions about suddenly becoming the best singer and rapper with the little time that they had before the first evaluations. as long as he could make it at least presentable he'd be satisfied though.

he smiled when the door to the practice room door opened. "hi!" he chirped jumping to his feet. "i'm all warmed up but feel free to take your time getting ready. and thanks for helping by the way."

[behaneul]

* once again

for @benayoung​ 

​     6am wakeup time is something that he hadn’t thought he would miss when he quit being a trainee the first time. it’s familiar, almost, to practice until he’s exhausted, fall into bed, and wake up to do it all over again the next day. it’s familiar and it’s routine, and he feels like he thrives in this. it’s bringing back thoughts of what he used to do, at the old company. 

     honestly, the memories don’t bring back waves of nausea anymore, and he feels okay about the thoughts of becoming a trainee once more. it’s a step forward, he thinks, and he tries not to lose himself in what would his mother think? because he knows that that will actually get him to spiral into a rut that he didn’t want to find himself in. 

     no, he needs to focus on improving his rap.

     after filming is over for the day, he goes to find an empty practice room as it has been his custom since filming first started. it’s not hard to find one since there’s an abundance of them open to all the participants on the show. he’s walking slowly through the building, peeking in all the rooms he passes, just checking to see if they’re empty. 

     but he stops in the doorway of one, the girl inside familiar. when was the last time he had talked to nayoung? probably when he had left their company? he remembers texting her and their conversation dwindling off, since they had nothing to say. 

      “fancy seeing you here,” he comments after opening the door, looking vaguely amused. “i wasn’t sure if it was you, but i should’ve known.”

[noelxbe]

my own voice

          the thought of being an idol was something that had barely crossed noel’s mind. his interest in dance had been there for a while, but that was what it had been, just something he found interesting. he was in his last year of university and he had so many jobs, he barely had the time for any hobbies, so at first when he had come across the ad for next gen he ignored it. but it kept showing up, felt like everywhere he looked there was something about next gen, and at last he decided, he would most likely regret if he didn’t at least try.

he wasn’t confident in his dance, nor was he sure that was what he wanted to use his life on, but he also didn’t want to go in the future regretting not taking the chance, so he talked to a lot of people and found the time to join, and his audition went well enough for him to get into the show. then of course, there was just one detail he’d forgotten: this wasn’t just a dance show. and while he wasn’t very confident in his dance, he was even less confident in his singing. and while noel didn’t know dohyun ( @bedohyun ), he’d heard him sing, and the worst thing that could happen from asking advice was dohyun saying no, so he walks up and pokes the shorter. “dohyun? you’re a good singer… could i ask you if you have any advice on how to sing while dancing?”.