Chapter 53
“D-did you just say that to me… just now?”
Seunghye, usually cheerful and rarely stammering, slightly flushed and looked away.
Ayoung silently watched Seunghye with a content expression, then turned her gaze to Rin.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
By now, Rin had hummed along to the song twice without even realizing it.
“Can I call you ‘unnie’?”
“Yeah. I’m fine with that.”
“Can I speak casually?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe.”
Rin smiled broadly and gently rested her forehead on Ayoung’s shoulder.
“I’m glad I have a friend now.”
‘Friend…’
Sehee’s words echoed in her mind. Can they really be called friends in the current situation?
Moreover, she hadn’t even been able to properly respond to the talk about the “sisters” she had always thought would be with her forever.
Still. Even so…
‘Friend… feels nice.’
Without realizing it, Ayoung rested her head on Rin’s and closed her eyes.
Today, she missed her sisters more than usual.
“Looks like she’s asleep.”
“Seems like a good sister, too.”
“Right? I was going to suggest speaking casually too.”
Through the fading consciousness, Ayoung faintly heard Seunghye and Rin whispering to each other.
Seunghye licked her lips and then smiled lightly, as if nothing had happened.
“I guess she won’t be eliminated anytime soon, so I’ll tell her again later.”
‘How long did I sleep?’
When Ayoung rubbed her eyes and got up, the auditorium where participants were waiting had grown much quieter than before.
Apparently, after chatting for a long time while waiting, some had gradually fallen asleep.
When she slowly lifted her head, she realized that, without remembering it, she had been sleeping with her head resting against Seunghye’s.
On her lap lay little Rin, talking in her sleep in Japanese.
Should I wake her? she thought, but then shook her head at how adorably and peacefully Rin was sleeping.
Yet, Ayoung’s resolve proved futile when the staff came in and started loudly waking everyone up.
“Alright, everyone! We’ll be moving back to the set soon! The judges’ overall evaluations are finished, so please get up and prepare to move.”
“Please prepare to move!”
The clock showed it was around five o’clock. With filming about to end, the staff were visibly hurrying.
A reevaluation of the ratings… Did her grade go up? Or down?
With her heart pounding, Ayoung carefully woke Rin and Seunghye.
Holding their hands tightly, still drowsy, she whispered softly:
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
Rin rubbed her eyes and looked at Ayoung. Ayoung shook her head silently and quietly went toward her line, leaving the two behind.
As she walked, her heart felt considerably lighter.
It would be a lie to say Sehee’s words didn’t bother her, but above all, Ayoung knew better than anyone that Sehee wouldn’t be cruel without reason.
And more than that, Ayoung now had someone as precious as Sehee.
Someone far away, who looked at her with just as loving eyes and always made her feel cherished.
Her idol, and at the same time, her fan.
An Ji-hyun, the one who made her happy. She was always watching over her.
‘Ayoung!’
Meanwhile, having woken up refreshed herself, Jihyun, in much better spirits than before, waved at Ayoung with a bright, cheerful face.
Already knowing the results, Jihyun could smile at Ayoung.
A, B, C… There had been quite a few grade changes. Downward adjustments were naturally more frequent than upward ones, and there had been a number of drops even from the A grade.
Still, Ayoung’s grade hadn’t changed. Jihyun felt relieved at that fact.
‘I’m glad she didn’t fall to C.’
Ayoung, cheerful and bright, was also highly influenced by her surroundings.
Had she been graded C, she might have lost her pace in the group missions and received low scores.
If that had affected the team battles to come, she could have become a candidate for elimination after the team battle rankings.
She couldn’t be put in elimination danger from her very first competition.
‘You’ll be fine.’
Whether it was Jihyun’s gaze conveying that to Ayoung, or some other reason, Ayoung didn’t feel overly anxious or tense even as the rankings were announced.
On the contrary, perhaps feeling encouraged, she occasionally smiled warmly at Jihyun, as if saying, Don’t worry about me. I’m doing fine.
“…There will be no further grade adjustments.”
Seeing Ayoung visibly relieved after the announcement, Jihyun finally felt she could relax a little.
‘This girl is a bit unexpected.’
Aisaka Rin. Jihyun tilted her head in surprise that Rin, whom she had intended to drop to C, was still in B grade.
At least in the previous evaluation, she had thought Rin would unfortunately have to fall to C.
‘Maybe they kept her as a “good pick for broadcast, high potential” kind of choice.’
If the judges deemed Rin’s skills not to have dropped that much, there was no reason to question it.
Jihyun also highly valued Rin’s character and potential.
“Now, we will announce the participant selected as the center through video evaluation among the A-grade participants!”
Jihyun hadn’t been involved in this, but just from hearing the announcement, she could immediately guess who it was.
Other participants and judges were likely thinking the same.
Among the A-grade participants, the one capable of standing at the center and fully showcasing their presence…
There was only one person who had created a sensation for both participants and judges during the first evaluation.
“Trainee Jang Sehee!”
Thunderous applause erupted. Naturally, this was what Sehee deserved.
And aware of it herself, Sehee didn’t jump in joy but quietly placed her hand on her chest and bowed in gratitude.
There was also a center leading the B group, but unfortunately, it wasn’t Ayoung.
Still, Ayoung, receiving a decent evaluation, was placed in the front, making her quite visible in the full shot, and Jihyun was satisfied with that.
With the formation set, the practice for the first group stage performance officially began.
“That’s it for today’s filming.”
“Good work, Jihyun.”
As cameras slowly retreated, Seonghan approached Jihyun with water.
Jihyun took a sip and then looked back at Seonghan.
“Can I see the schedule?”
“Uh-huh, I have it.”
Seonghan promptly handed her the schedule.
The participants were given roughly three days to practice the group performance I Want You.
Afterwards, the judges would give feedback on unbroadcasted portions for about a day, then the stage recording would start immediately.
During practice, the judges wouldn’t intervene as mentors, so they had about three days of free time.
‘We don’t really need this kind of free time.’
In other words, it meant she wouldn’t see Ayoung for three days.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, nothing. It’s nothing.”
Jihyun shook her head slightly and looked back at Seonghan.
“Shall we head back for now?”
