On the evening of their first Sunday at LEAVEN, the trainees gathered in what used to be a colosseum-style stage — the kind where performers stood dead-center and the audience wrapped around them in a full circle. Now it had been reborn into a beautifully crafted amphitheater, all sleek lines and artistic flair. The production team had transformed the space into something that looked like a modern art museum: bold geometric shapes, abstract installations, all tied together with just enough minimalism to make it classy instead of chaotic.
When the trainees entered, Cat was already waiting onstage, standing beneath the lights like some kind of Greek goddess who traded her laurel wreath for a headset mic.
"Welcome, trainees. How was your first week?" she called out.
Most shouted back with a generic, exhausted "Good!"
A few others gave brutally honest reactions that made Cat snort.
"Leo, sweetheart, you look like you're dying," she teased.
Leo nodded because he truly did feel like a reanimated corpse being held together by sheer willpower and sports tape.
"Now," Cat continued, "with training week wrapping up, that means it's time for evaluation week."
A wave of murmurs shot through the crowd.
"For this evaluation, you still have total freedom," she explained. "You can perform solo or form groups. How many in a group? Sky's the limit — go wild."
The trainees erupted into cheers.
"But," she added, raising a finger, "remember: you're evaluated individually, not as a group. So maybe don't pick someone who'll drag you down like a brick tied to your ankle."
A few trainees winced. A few side-eyed their friends. A few very obviously recalculated their alliances on the spot.
"As for song choices," Cat said, "originals are welcome. But if you're not doing an original, we've prepared a list of songs curated by the evaluators. Want to hear them?"
"YES!" the room roared.
A playlist of roughly sixty tracks blasted through the amphitheater. Some were fresh hits everyone recognized, others were deep cuts only music nerds knew. The range was wild: pop, R&B, country, rock, broadway, classical opera — and yes, even girl group bangers.
The trainees vibed hard to familiar songs, swapping excited whispers about who might pick what. When the more unexpected tracks came on, some just stared at each other in total confusion, while others broke into laughter because what the hell was that doing on the list?
Then came the girl group songs.
The first was from a globally beloved five-member K-pop group. The instant the track started, the trainees lit up — but no one reacted harder than the gays. They screamed, cheered, and started hitting the choreo like their souls demanded it.
A little later, another girl group song appeared, this time from an eight-member P-pop group from the Philippines. Huge in their home country, now rapidly blowing up internationally. The track was tropical, breezy, and had big "dance at Koachella wearing glitter and questionable life choices" energy.
Aqua went absolutely feral.
"Y'ALL BETTER KEEP YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF THIS SONG!" he declared, pointing around like an unhinged flight attendant. "THIS ONE IS MINE. If any of you bitches take it from me? Sawadee ka. FIGHT me."
His besties echoed him with matching chaotic energy.
The others wisely backed away.
****
Once all sixty songs wrapped up and the theatre quieted, Cat clasped her hands like the elegant menace she is.
"Was there a song that you liked?"
A chorus of yeses, maybes, shrugs, and internal screams filled the amphitheater. Some trainees still looked like they were trying to calculate probability like their debut depended on Bayesian statistics.
"It's good you found something you like," Cat continued, "but that won't help the ones who don't get it. Because once a song is picked…" She paused, letting the panic marinate. "…that's it. Only the first person who grabs it gets it. If they're forming a group, you better pray they want you. If not… well, tough."
A trainee lifted his hand—so polite it almost hurt.
"How will the order work?"
"Excellent question." Cat beamed. "And nothing says fair like… pure, merciless randomness."
Half the room groaned so loudly you'd think someone told them practice hours doubled.
Then came the clear box of doom—rolled in like a lottery machine that destroyed dreams instead of granting jackpots.
Cat plunged her hand into it like she was searching for Narnya. A few trainees started muttering prayers. One dude straight up clutched his chest like he needed divine intervention.
Cat unfurled the slip. Her brows shot up.
"Well, what can I say… he was the first to perform last evaluation, and now he gets to choose first."
Every trainee turned to Kang Ian.
A beat of stunned silence.
"Dude… you can't make this shit up."
"That is some stupid luck."
"I really hope he's making a group."
"What makes you think he'd pick you?"
"Shut up—hope is free!"
Kang Ian walked to the stage with the calm dignity of someone who either meditates or simply never suffers.
"So," Cat asked, "what's your pick?"
"I choose… this one."
The reaction was instant.
"You're kidding."
"BRO."
"He's insane. I respect it."
Gasps, whispers, half-suppressed screams. Kang Ian had chosen the K-pop girl group song.
"Why?" Cat asked, genuinely stunned.
Ian didn't flinch. "Girl group songs are hard for guys to do well—especially iconic ones. But if I want people to see how much I want this, I need to take risks."
Cat actually looked proud. "Fair answer. Now… solo? Or group?"
Kang Ian turned to the crowd.
"Who wants to be in a group with me?"
Hands shot up like a zombie apocalypse.
"For this one, I want to honor the original. So I'll only pick four others."
You could feel the tension. Someone might've stopped breathing.
"For my first pick… Mika, wanna sing a girl group song with me?"
Kang Ian fully expected a no.
Mika did not give him one.
"Hell yeah. Let's turn this girly shit up."
The whole theatre tilted sideways in shock. Kang Ian blinked like he wasn't sure if Mika was trolling him or ready to slay.
With that chaotic energy set, he filled the remaining spots, giving the viewers exactly the girl-group-cover boy-group lineup they didn't know they needed.
Then the rest of the picking frenzy began.
Aqua and his three besties secured the sacred P-pop girl group song and immediately started vibrating like they'd been plugged into a wall socket.
Bobby? Original song again. Because Bobby is Bobby and nobody is surprised.
Adel and Akash formed a squad of seven to take on a massive pop collab—complete with diva vocals, a former boyband heartthrob, and a rapper who is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythmic style.
Leo and three trainees chose a track from their favorite gacha game—because apparently half of them were gaming addicts and this was the hill they'd proudly die on.
Isaac got scooped into a group of four tackling a movie soundtrack song—high notes, drama, cinematic vibes.
Ryu and Corsair found three others and claimed a 2000s British band banger—nostalgia, guitar riffs, vibes immaculate.
And just like that… evaluation week was about to serve chaos, slayage, tears, and at least three existential crises.
****
PS - Music mentioned
"Red Flavor" by Red Velvet (Kang Ian's pick)
"Bikini" by Bini (Aqua and co's pick)
"4 Minutes" by Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland (Adel, Akash and co's pick)
"Wildfire" from Honkai Star Rail (Leo and co's pick)
"Rewrite the Stars" from The Greatest Showman (Isaac and co's pick)
"It's the way you make me feel" by Steps (Ryu, Corsair and co's pick)