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ssivinee · 19 days

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❥ 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎

iland 2! Mai x 04! Trainee! F reader: Iland fans were currently waiting patiently for the sequel to the first. With the new faces involved, the fans love your interactions with the visual trainee.

Word Count: 4.2k

Author's Note: Ya'll this fic was killing me since i didn't entirely watch iland BUT TRUST AND BELIEVE I DID MY BEST. I'll be working on my next fic right after this tho🤓.

Clip #1 🎬

The large enclosure rotated for the next team to appear. Koko, Yuju, Yui, and Y/n grasp each other's hands tightly, and they cheer when they see the other trainees seated in front of them. Before exiting, the girls bow down slightly in confusion due to the new environment. Noticeably, the team seemed to be chic yet “cool” due to the outfits worn. Koko and Yuju wore leather jackets, Yui wore a black sweater, and you came out with a dark blue demin jacket over your outfit. “They’re total hot girls,” you hear one of the unfamiliar trainees say.

The four stepped down and took their seats as their profiles began appearing on screen. Y/n is the last profile to be shown, and many of the girls gasp when they see the facts and photos. “#All-rounder?” you hear from one of the trainees sitting below. You were ranked as one of the top trainees, and the room filled with many amusing sounds once the production showed many clips of you singing, rapping, and dancing exceptionally well.

“#Former HYBE trainee?!” the girl you recognized, Fuko, said in surprise. Despite not being a formerly known trainee like your friend Jeemin, who you knew was in the show, many of the girls under the company respected you due to your kindness. Although, that was usually never enough. With your talents, every trainee found you as a threat, which led to many fake friendships along your training journey. “#Dancing AI,” Koko, being a close friend of yours, giggled as she read it. “What does that mean?” Gyuri asks, looking at you with her big doe eyes.

“Y/n unnie can learn almost any dance within a few minutes!” Yui says, ecstatic about her teammate's skill. You nod, giggling at the younger girl's excitement. “I’ve been dancing since I was three, so it comes to me quickly.” The rest of the girls nod, and some clap slowly out of shock. “Sometimes it takes me four hours to get one dance right!” Nana, despite her shy demeanor, says in Japanese, and you chuckle.

As you were mentally preparing yourself for the show, it was time for the final team to arrive. Before you could even process anything, you see the enclosure turn open, finding four girls who ranked quite high… and are clearly going to be on the same team. You heard some girls calling them the Avengers, and you were aware that Jeemin wasn’t there yet, so you were ready to give her a happy welcome. However, that plan changed when you made eye contact with a girl whose feline-like eyes captured your attention.

If only you could show so much emotion right now, you probably would’ve fallen out of your chair at the sight of her beauty. She was absolutely gorgeous, and you almost couldn’t hold back the cheesy grin. Your eyes travel down to her name tag, reading ‘Mai’ in your head. Along with the other girls, you clapped for them but never kept your eyes off of her. Thankfully, the camera was focused on this last unit, or else you probably would’ve been flamed by everyone who was watching the show.

You shake your head slightly, trying to get your head back in the game without messing up your hair. Soon after NaSURI and the weird robotic lady voice welcomed you all and gave you the rundown of everything, performances were to begin shortly. All of the girls stood up at the sight of the countdown and shrieked in shock. We were asked to change and moved to another set.

Everyone sat down, anticipating and anxious with each performance that was called. The first was Unforgiven, performed by Minsol, Sarang, Jiwon, and Juwon. You weren’t one to react so much, so your eyes stayed focused as the girls showed their talents. When Sarang begins the song, your eyes widen slightly, and you are shocked by the younger girl's stability and presence on stage. It's a fierce song, and out of all the girls, you almost always nodded every time Sarang was center, somewhat giving your ‘approval’ as a long-time trainee.

When coming into iland, you had the mindset of being quite strict and stern with not only yourself but every other trainee. You were one of the oldest amongst the girls and had one of the longest training periods, so you thought it was only fair to think this way. After every performance, you felt that each performance had a ‘stand out girl’, and the rest didn’t seem to catch your interest in comparison to the rest of the teams. But your mindset of being a judge mentally came to a pause when it was your team's turn.

Knowing the stakes of getting into iland were very low almost lit a fire in your eyes. You, Koko, and Yui begin the performance by standing over Yuju, shaking your jeans as the music begins. After Koko’s intro, your deeper voice sang as you danced with much energy. The rest of the girls looked in awe as you and the girls performed such a heavy hip-hop dance. You and Koko shared the center during the chorus, and many of the girls watching were impressed with your facial expressions. Behind the scenes, Taeyong and Monika nod as they jot down their notes on you. “She’s very good at portraying the song through her facial expressions,” Lee Jung states, nodding as she points at the screen with her pen.

“It’s ironic, she’s a strong performer, but off stage, she looks like a puppy,” Monika says, making the other coaches giggle, and the production put a cute photo of you on screen. You guys were getting to the end of the song, going strong throughout the entire performance, even with the difficult choreography. As you guys hit the ending poses, you do your best to regulate your breathing as the camera pans to each of you. “How? Y/n unnie doesn’t even look tired?” Saebi says, looking at her teammates like she just saw a superhero flying in the sky.

Now, you believe your team did great. I mean, Monika and Lee Jung even gave you such high remarks. “Out of all the girls, you were one of the ones we had high expectations from, and you went above those expectations. We were impressed by your performance today,” Lee Jung finishes when the camera suddenly cuts to Monika’s face. “Your dance was strong, your voice was stable, and I definitely felt the charisma and stage presence. Just try to mellow down, depending on the rest of your team. Being too strong can sometimes make the team feel unbalanced in the fan's eyes,” you nod, understanding Monika’s warnings.

There were a few mishaps, but as you were the final girl to receive her iland votes, you were a bit anxious, especially with the unexpected vote for the rest of your team. Yuju held your hand, and you smiled through the anxiety that was literally about to consume you if they didn’t show your results fast enough. Thankfully, all the cards turned in one, showing the purple and pink design on all five, and you sigh in relief with hands over your chest. “I don’t think it was gonna be a secret for Y/n to make it in with 5 i-cards,” Jeemin says out loud, but almost saying it to herself, being so proud of her friend.

With everyone's focus on the current emotional team, no one notices Mai’s attention on your face. Through her team, she found out that many of the trainees found you extremely intimidating in spite of your sweet personality, yet all Mai could really focus on was how cute your face was with the bright smile after your success of getting into iland. Your cheeks puffed out, almost holding back the tears after the stress you felt for you and your teammates, and Mai cooed at the expression.

Once your team takes their seats, you take a deep breath for the sad and good results. You guys didn’t actually have time to think, as the Avengers team was quickly next. Now, after all the stress, you just wanted to enjoy the performance. Your eyes go the largest it's ever been through the show as you see the slices and red peeking out of the black stage set up. The outfits of the four girls gave the song choice away, but you were getting excited. Sure, you wanted to see Jeemin perform for the first time in person, but you also didn’t want to admit that you were about to be so focused on Mai.

As Jeemin starts off Drama, you smile widely, seeing your long-time friend start off VERY strongly. She then moves back smoothly, and Mai’s eyes truly captivated everyone and the camera. When hearing her tone going ‘ziggy ziggy zag, I’m new. Cause i go biggie biggie bad, it’s true~�� you were surprised at the nasally yet unique tone that definitely impacted the song. Mai’s facial expressions also added to her presence, which had your jaw hanging low. You weren't sure if Mai was just that good of a performer, but you weren't exactly someone who was easy to impress, yet here you were, staring at the girl with hearts in your eyes.

As the performance ended, you huffed out a loud breath and thought, ‘Well… this is just sooooo great for me.’

Clip #2 🎬

After spending time with many of the iland girls, you gained many friendships. You and Jeemin became closer as time went by, and you even found yourself getting closer to other trainees like Fuko, Sarang, Jiyoon, Sujung, and Juwon. The girls gave you a sense of comfort, but due to past friendships, you never wanted to keep them too close. Once you all got close, feeling hurt was inevitable, especially on a survival show.

In the upcoming weeks, it was finally time to prepare the signal song, Final Love Song, and Jungeun appointed you as the center of the stage after much consideration. The younger girl believed you and Juwon were the best candidates for the job, but in the end, Jungeun picked you.

Now, it felt as if every day, you were in that practice room dancing and singing every moment you could. You were aware that you had to take care of your body, but you wanted to guarantee your center position was safe. Every day was nine hours in the practice room, only taking five-minute breaks for water and a quick stretch.

You were, unconsciously, training much harder than usual. The title of center was something you believed you were capable of. Yet the judges had put an insane amount of pressure on you and another trainee. It seems as though the producers needed to keep the viewers entertained. So, behind the scenes, staff brainstormed new ideas, and they finally came up with something.

Now, all of a sudden, the new topic was ‘Y/n versus Saebi.’

The judges created this narrative on the show that the two of you are similar, have great centers, star quality, good expressions, good dancing, and are tall in height. Viewers even noticed the comparison was beginning to affect them. It was a mental warfare in your mind, and it was quickly physically draining you. At first, it was a friendly competition, a common thing amongst trainees, but it seemed like every comment the coaches said to the two of you was blatantly pitting the two of you against each other, and it seemed like Saebi was on the winning end of it.

It was now nearing the day of the performance, and you sat in the upper-performance room alone. The rest of the girls were loud and enjoying each other's company on the lower floors, dancing and singing with loud music on. Unbeknownst to you, the Japanese beauty was looking for you, and out of all the girls, you were the only one missing. The two of you may not have been as close as the others, but throughout every practice, it was like a silent trade of care. You would give Mai water and little smiles while Mai gave you vitamins, snacks, and comfort every time you were compared to Saebi.

She finds you in the far corner of the practice room, staring off into space, and she softly knocks to get your attention. Startled by the sound, you snap out of it to find Mai staring through the window, mouthing if it was okay to come in. You nod and try getting yourself together, comb your hair with your fingers, and rub your eyes lightly.

“Why are you all alone up here?” Mai asks, sitting next to you. You sat there, not knowing how to respond to the question. Yet it felt like Mai understood you even if you didn’t say anything. You guess it’s a blessing in disguise as she was the first to approach you this time.

“Why’d you leave them?” Mai chuckled briefly at your question as she shook her head, “No deflecting the question, Y/n. Why are you here alone?” You sighed, feeling tired all over again at the thought of the situation. “I needed to ‘think’ about everything because of the coaches this week,” you say with your face distraught, tucking your head into your knees. “About… you and Saebi?” You just stayed quiet, and the lack of response gave Mai the answer. “Y/n, they just wanna create drama and stress. You don’t actually believe you and Saebi are that similar… right?” She asks in a concerning tone, not a single hint of disdain.

“At first, I thought that was the case, but it feels like I'd just be compared to Saebi every single time for everything I’ve said or shown, no matter how good it is. Don’t get me wrong, Saebi is great, and it’s kind of a good thing that she’s now my ‘rival,’ but it’s just messing with my head. They make me feel like I’m chasing the wrong dream for myself,” you express, tearing up as Mai rests her arm around your shoulders.

Your brain wasn’t even processing that you and Mai were getting closer or rather that she was even holding you. You just needed someone to listen and stay. “Y/n…”

Mai began but paused, “hm?” You asked and looked up at her. “Every person here brings something special to the table,” you nod, and she continues, “You're special, one of the most talented people I know on this show. Just because the judges create this rivalry between you two doesn’t mean it's bad. Saebi is Saebi, you are you. No one can exactly compare to you.”

Your eyes tear up at the statement; for the first time since you got into iland, someone was able to calm you down and alleviate your nerves. You let out a shaky breath, wiping the tears away as you give her a small smile. “You didn’t answer my question, though,” you say as you straighten your posture. Mai looks over, eyes enticing you like always, “I couldn’t imagine having as much fun as them without you around.” Your heart was close to bursting out of your chest at the statement.

You already had many Mai + Y/n fans, but especially after this moment, you both just gained an entirely new fandom.

Clip #3 🎬

All the remaining girls were excited about the newest mission, the 1:1 position battle. You were currently in the room with Team B and decided your positions together. After several challenges and showing your strengths, you decided to go for the main vocal position. The girls agreed, and as excited as you were, it became another rivalry with the main dancers becoming the main vocalists this mission as Sujung became the main vocalist of Team A.

This mission didn’t put much stress on you, though. You were confident in your skills, and since the signal song test, there hasn’t been much stress put on you. As time passed after your interaction with Mai, the two of you seemingly got closer. Many fans noticed the several interactions and how close you’ve gotten to the point that your duo was trending on Twitter, and many edits began circulating tiktok.

When these videos started, it was due to the last episode when Mai got extremely happy with you staying in iland and gave you a small kiss on the cheek. You were seen blushing and smiling hard as you gave her a hug, and this clip went viral amongst the community.

Fans began calling you “star-crossed lovers” because it seemed as though the two of you were never on the same team on this mission. That didn’t seem to stop your bond, though. No matter what mission it was, no matter what team you both were on, the two of you would take breaks and visit each other when you could. Everyone loved it and didn’t know how much better it was going to get for them until today.

As confident as you were, the situation was riskier as you were sharing the main vocal position with Jiyoon. So not only was it a 1:1 battle, it was a 1:1:1:1 battle for you, Jiyoon, Sujung, and Gyuri. Leading up to the performances, the practices had been great for you. There were no mistakes, nothing stressful, and it was an exciting mission overall. Yet a strike of bad luck hit you like a truck. On performance day, you find yourself waking up feeling very sluggish and weak.

You were sick and had a fever.

Getting out of your room was a difficult task in itself. You practically dragged your body out to get ready with the makeup team. Sitting on the tall chairs, the artist applied makeup to your face as you drifted in and out of sleep, taking little cat naps.

Mai, who was sitting right next to you, takes a glimpse at you, brows furrowing a little at the look of your paler complexion. “Y/n? Are you feeling okay?” You truthfully shake your head, “I’ll push through it, though.” Mai winces, listening to the rough and groggy voice you let out. “But your throat sounds and looks painful for you to even talk,” she stares as you massage your throat a bit. “I’ll rest after the mission,” you nod at her, face painted with pain.

You changed into a light blue top, and rehearsal began. Your hoarse voice was too noticeable, and many girls told you to rest instead. Jiyoon was kind enough to give you candy that helps with sore throats, and Koko made a small cup of tea for you.

So when performance time came for team B, you could imagine how bad it went for you. Dancing caused slight dizziness now and then, which caused you to lose balance at times, and you were evidently in pain as you pushed through the performance. Mai watched with the rest of her team, her eyes looking very uneasy. The camera would cut to her, and every time it was right after showing you, her hands were clasped together tightly, almost wishing you were going to finish strong.

You couldn’t as the performance ended; you collapsed on one knee as the exhaustion weighed on you like a ton of bricks. Mai jolts up from her chair, wanting to run to you immediately, yet holding herself back. The result wasn’t shocking, but you lost hard in that mission and were sent to the grounder level.

The next time Mai sees you, you are slouched over, paler, and sweating as you walk in, and Mai does her best to not hug you. As much as she wanted to, you likely needed space and just someone to support your body. The camera followed the two of you as she took your arm and supported your weight, leading you to the bedroom area and settling you into bed. She let you rest while running around getting medicine, water, and some snacks as she had to go back to filming with the other girls.

“I’ll come back as fast as I can and help you settle into bed, Y/n; just change into your pajamas first,” Mai says out of breath as she lays your pajamas on the edge of your bed, nearing your arms. She gave you a quick hug and dashed out. You changed at such a slow pace and felt your body going sore as you finished and laid back down.

After eating the crackers Mai left, you took the medicine and were knocked out instantly. Your eyes flutter open as you feel a wet feeling on your forehead. You see a bare-faced Mai with a bowl of soup in her hands, stirring it as she blows the steam away. “Mai?”

Mai looks at you, a bit startled, but smiles at your cute-looking face. You were still in a daze from the medicine, so you didn’t really mind the cameras being still on… not that you were even aware at the time. “Are you feeling any better now, sweetie?”

Not feeling sure if you just felt even worse at the moment, but you feel your body heat up at the pet name. “Uhm, yeah yeah, I’m feeling a bit better,” You stutter out and Mai nods as she stirs the warm bowl, “good good.”

She begins feeding you spoonfuls of the delicious soup, “how was the mission,” you asked. Mai gives you a sweet yet regretful smile, “it went okay, I won the one v. one.”

You do your best to sit up and give her the widest smile you possibly could in your current state. “Mai, that’s great! You can be happy for yourself,” you tell her softly, grabbing her hand with a small smile. “Your win makes me happy enough,” you said with much more sincerity as you made eye contact with her. She smiles wider, “I am pretty happy about it,” you giggle at her happy face, and she continues feeding you as you keep looking at her beautiful face.

It was a week before the finale, and the girls decided to have a final get-together in one of the bedrooms. Some of the remaining girls huddled up on the three beds as they shared snacks and sipped one drink. The room was filled with sounds of laughter.

Mai, Jiyoon, Jeemin, Gyuri, and Yuju decided to heat up some warm snacks while the rest stayed back. You and Koko were giggling, and Jungeun gasped at the video on her phone. “Y/n unnie~,” she calls out and walks over to your bed. You and the other Japanese look at the younger girl, and she flips her phone to display it to the two of you. Once you see Mai’s face, you take a closer look and softly take her phone. Suddenly, you hear a squeal beside you, “Unnie~, an edit of you and Mai unnie?!” Koko asks, shaking you as she looks so giddy.

You just laughed and continued watching. It was a video comprised of all the hugs, small kisses, and sweet moments. Your face couldn’t hold back the blush when you saw the clips of the first episode, with you staring at Mai with lovey-dovey eyes. Koko and Jungeun slap your arm playfully, and the girls from the kitchen start pooling back into the room. Mai sees the interaction between the girls. “What’s going on?” Mai sets the food down on the side table and swiftly lays in your arms. You hold the phone down to her face and show the video.

Mai watches as IWALY plays as the songs edit, and she wiggles in your arms, hearing the addictive tune. Jeemin takes a peek at your phone and giggles, “Only if all your fans knew; they would probably be the happiest fanbase in the world. " You nod and laugh as Jiyoon looks at the three of you confused. “Knew what?” she asked, and Jeemin pointed at the two of you, “That the two of them have BEEN together all this time.”

Mai sits up a bit, staring up at you as she pouted. You gave a quick peck and squeezed her tighter, not being able to handle how cute she was. “Hold on, when did you guys even meet?” Gyuri asked, laying on the end of the bed. She kicked her feet like a child asking their parents about their first interaction.

“It was two years ago at a modeling gig here. We worked together for three days and started hanging out of work, and we found out we were both trainees. A year later, I asked her out, and here we are,” you summed it up as Mai squeezed your hand and kissed the back of it. “You can say the rest is history,” Mai giggles as you pat her head, and the girls tease their unnies for the rest of the night.