The following morning, inside JYPE practice room.
Llana and Momo sat on the floor with their backs against the wall, waiting for Jihyo and Chaeyoung.
The four of them had left the Major's dorm together, but when they were already near the practice room, Jihyo suddenly asked Chaeyoung to accompany her to the restroom. Chaeyoung didn't even have time to respond before Jihyo looped her arm through hers and started pulling her toward the restroom.
Chaeyoung had no choice but to follow.
The two of them had been waiting for almost eleven minutes, and they still hadn't returned.
Momo, growing increasingly impatient, let out a long sigh, stood up, and brushed imaginary dust off her pants. "Do you want me to show you some of the other steps I came up with? Waiting for them is taking forever," she asked Llana.
"Sure." Llana nodded and stood up as well.
She was getting bored too, so practicing in the meantime sounded much better.
Momo stepped to the center, facing the mirrored wall, and began tying her hair into a ponytail. Llana followed, positioning herself slightly behind her.
As Llana settled into place, she couldn't help but stare at Momo's toned figure while she fixed her hair. Momo was wearing a short-sleeve round-neck cropped top that revealed her defined abs.
'Wow she's hot'
Llana slips her hand beneith her baggy shirt and rests it against her stomach. It's flat....for now, but one day it won't be. She can't help but feel quietly happy as she thinks about it.
Momo, who had just finished tying her hair, noticed her small movement and glanced at her through the mirror. "Why? Does your stomach hurt?"
"A–ah? No, I'm fine." Llana startled and quickly pulled her hand away, shaking her head.
"Sure?"
Momo turned fully to face her.
"Yes."
Heat crept up Llana's cheeks. Thankfully, the dimmed lighting made it hard to tell. She hoped Momo hadn't caught her ogling her toned figure.
Momo studied her for a moment longer, then nodded and turned back around to start teaching.
"Take a big step to your right," Momo instructed, demonstrating the movement. "Then drag your left foot in… left hand forward… and wave it out."
Llana nodded and followed, a half-second behind, watching Momo's every move in the mirror.
"Then," Momo continued without stopping, "turn your body to the right, but keep your head facing front."
"Yes, like that." She nodded in approval.
"Put your weight on your right foot. Keep your left foot on tiptoe. Lift your left arm. Then… slowly close your hand, one finger at a time. Pinky first."
"Like I'm pulling something?" Llana asked, lifting her arm. "Dramatically?"
Momo grinned and pointed at Llana's reflection in the mirror. "Exactly."
'This is like what's in the video,' Llana thought, feeling amazed as she followed Momo's movements. She pulled her hand down to her chest, then bent slightly, bringing both hands together as if cradling something. Slowly, she straightened, lifting her joined hands until they hovered just two inches from her face. Her body leaned back subtly to maintain the tension before a wave traveled from the top of her head down through her body.
Just as they were getting into the flow, the sharp sound of the door opening instantly pulled their attention away.
Chaeyoung and Jihyo stepped inside, their expressions a mix of annoyance and jealousy.
"Hey!" Chaeyoung protested, her lips forming a dramatic pout. "You didn't wait for us!"
"Yeah," Jihyo added, crossing her arms."Why is Llana getting special treatment?"
"You two took so long in the restroom, so I decided to let Llana learn the steps first while we were waiting." Momo shrugged, then looked at them curiously. "Have you heard the song already?"
"Anniyo~"
Chaeyoung and Jihyo answered in unison, shaking their heads.
"Wait, seriously?" Momo's eyes sparkled. "You haven't?"
"No! Where is it? Let's hear it!" Chaeyoung rushed forward. She'd been pestering Llana earlier to play it while they waited for Momo and Jihyo, who were having their lapels fixed by the staff, but Llana refused since they were still outside. That was why she felt reluctant to accompany Jihyo to the restroom earlier. The long line didn't help either—waiting there felt like torture.
"Ne, ne! Play it, ppalli!" Jihyo urged. She was just as eager to find out what song Llana had chosen for their performance this week. It was all she and Chaeyoung had talked about while stuck in line. They were itching to get back to the practice room, but the queue was barely moving and she desperately need to pee.
"Okay, okay! Give me a second." Momo hurried to connect her phone, barely hiding her excitement. She shot Llana a mischievous look.
She clearly wanted to see their reaction.
Llana only shook her head, amused, while Chaeyoung and Jihyo leaned forward in anticipation.
"It must be really good," Jihyo teased, glancing at Momo.
"You're acting like you composed it yourself."
"Yeah," Chaeyoung chimed in.
Momo didn't reply, letting the song speak for itself.
As the song began, Jihyo's eyes widened even more than usual. "Woah...This is something else. You really took the dark concept to the next level. This is literally dark."
"I'm getting goosebumps," Chaeyoung added, rubbing her arms to show the bumps rising on her skin. "I'm not even joking — I actually got chills."
She glanced at Llana. "Are we even allowed to perform this?"
"Ne."
Llana nodded calmly. Every song chosen by the participants had to go through the director in charge first. Nothing was allowed on stage without official approval. That was why she had prepared two songs—so if their first choice wasn't approved, they wouldn't have to go back to the beginning and start worrying all over again.
She had already gotten it checked the night before, and the staff had given the go signal, meaning it had passed the criteria.
"That's good then." Jihyo sighed in relief.
"This song is dope. I'm loving it already." Chaeyoung nodded her head rhythmically to the beat. It was incredibly catchy.
Momo and Jihyo nodded in agreement.
"Glad to hear that." Llana smiled at them.
"Here, let's practice the song first before moving on to the choreography." Llana took out four copies of the lyrics and handed them out one by one.
"I've already distributed the lines for each of us. But if you have any suggestions or don't agree with something, just say it openly."
The others exchanged glances but stayed silent. The lines were distributed fairly, and each part matched their vocal ranges well. They even felt a little touched by how accurately Llana seemed to understand their abilities...almost like a vocal coach.
As they practiced, Llana quietly observed the three of them.
This song needed them to look powerful and badass.
That concept naturally suited Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon, Chaeryeong, Momo, and herself. They all had that cool, confident and charismatic presence on stage.
Jihyo, however, didn't naturally lean toward darker concepts. She was usually more suited for cute and bubbly performances, largely because of her expressive face and cheerful nature.
But Jihyo's strong vocals?
That was exactly what this song needed the most.
Doubt flickered in Llana's mind, but she quickly shook her head, pushing it away. She couldn't let those thoughts take root.
"Chaeyoung-unnie, do you remember JYP PD-nim's evaluation of you?" Llana asked, focusing her attention on Chaeyoung.
Chaeyoung nodded seriously. Of course she remembered.
'I still find your performance lacking. I feel like you always perform at about 90%.'
The words replayed clearly in her mind. She used them as motivation, which was why she had been looking forward to this next
performance, to show him her improvement.
"This time, I want you to go wild. Show your rapper side and give PD-nim not just your 100%, but 200%." Llana grinned at her. She believed that this song would truly showcase and highlight Chaeyoung's talent.
"Ne! I'll show JYP-nim!" Chaeyoung shouted, feeling fully motivated.
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Jihyo cheered, raising her fist. "Let's show them what we've got!"
"YEAH"
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