The last beat echoed faintly through the room before fading into silence.
Llana bent forward, bracing her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. She was completely exhausted. Her chest heaved with shallow, ragged breaths. Sweat streamed down her face and dripped onto the floor while she gasped for air. Her clothes were soaked, clinging uncomfortably to her skin, and she didn't even have the energy to wipe herself off.
Her legs felt numb and heavy. She reckoned she would definitely feel the pain tomorrow.
The others weren't doing well either, but their condition was still better than hers.
Among all of them, Llana had the lowest stamina. It had improved a lot since she arrived here, but it still wasn't enough to keep up with such intense practice.
The only reason she was still standing was sheer perseverance. Without it, she would have collapsed a long time ago.
Chaeyoung leaned against the mirror, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.
"Huuh… I'm dying," she muttered between breaths.
"Haah! I feel like my head is steaming," Jihyo said while fanning her flushed face. Her cheeks were bright red.
"Hahaha, you're boiling," Chaeyoung laughed weakly.
When Chaeyoung glanced over and saw how badly Llana was struggling, concern immediately appeared on her face.
She pushed herself off the mirror and walked over, placing an arm around Llana's back as she bent slightly beside her.
"Llana, are you okay?"
With a shaky breath, Llana straightened a little.
"…Yeah," she managed, forcing herself to take a deeper inhale.
They had been practicing for five hours straight without taking a single break.
The same choreography had been repeated over and over again. Each time they restarted, something would be adjusted or changed.
They also kept having trouble synchronizing several parts of the choreography, which only made the practice even more exhausting.
Llana desperately needed a break.
Honestly, everyone did.
Thankfully, Momo finally allowed them to stop this time.
Llana hadn't expected Momo to be such a perfectionist when it came to teaching. During practice, she was incredibly strict and serious, focusing on every tiny detail of the choreography.
Llana understood why, though. Momo simply didn't want to stop until everything was perfect. Unfortunately, that kind of intensity wasn't exactly good for Llana's body. Her stamina still couldn't keep up with such relentless practice.
After a moment, her breathing finally stabilized enough for her to stand properly.
She slowly walked toward the wall where her bag was placed and sat down beside it, leaning her back against the cool surface.
Placing her sling bag on her lap, she unzipped it and took out her tumbler.
The moment the cool water touched her lips, she drank greedily, savoring the brief relief as the dryness in her throat finally eased.
Chaeyoung soon followed and crouched down beside her.
"Do you still have a lot of water?" she asked hopefully. "Can I drink some? I already finished mine."
"Sure, if you don't mind," Llana replied without hesitation, handing her the tumbler.
"Thanks."
Chaeyoung tilted the tumbler and took several large gulps, clearly just as thirsty.
"You're welcome," Llana replied absentmindedly without looking up. She was already rummaging through her bag again.
After a moment, she pulled out a small towel and began wiping the sweat from her face, neck, and arms.
Her clothes were still sticking uncomfortably to her skin. Right now, all she wanted was a long shower.
She loosened the ponytail that had been pulling at her scalp and retied her hair into a messy bun instead. Her hair had grown long enough to reach her lower back, and during practice earlier it kept getting in the way, brushing against her arms every time she moved. The strands clung to her damp skin with sweat, and the constant distraction had been irritating her for a while.
It seemed she would need to trim it soon.
Chaeyoung finally finished drinking and handed the tumbler back before slumping against the wall. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a tired sigh, resting her head against the wall.
Her gaze drifted toward Momo. A small crease formed between her brows.
She understood why Momo was being strict, but five hours without a proper break was too much.
Chaeyoung clicked her tongue softly, irritation flickering across her face, though she kept the complaint to herself.
Even Jihyo, who was usually energetic, didn't have the strength to start a conversation. She had simply slumped onto the floor and lay there, too exhausted to move.
Llana couldn't help glancing toward Momo.
Across the room, Momo sat quietly with her arms resting on her knees, staring down at the floor. Sweat dripped slowly from the ends of her hair.
She looked frustrated, annoyed, and completely exhausted. It was clear the responsibility was taking a heavy toll on her.
Seeing that made Llana feel a pang of guilt.
Maybe asking Momo to handle the choreography had been a little rash. She hadn't really thought it through at the time. Perhaps she had overestimated things.
Not everyone had a system like hers.
Creating choreography alone might have been easier for Momo, but working in a group was different. She wasn't just learning it herself—she also had to guide everyone else through it, and that made things much harder.
The steps Momo created were far more difficult too. They were powerful, sharp, and flashy—much more impressive than the choreography given by the system.
But performing it live would be incredibly exhausting. It required so much energy that it could easily drain their stamina halfway through the performance.
Her Vocal Limit Breaker might help her maintain stable vocals without cracking, but her breathing would still be heard. And if she ran out of breath, she wouldn't be able to sing anyway.
And she had that cheat ability…What about the others?
She could feel it. Everyone was starting to grow irritated and dissatisfied, which wasn't good at all.
Llana leaned closer to Chaeyoung and pulled a protein bar and a small bottle of electrolytes from her bag.
"Here," she said softly, offering them. "This will help you recover your strength faster."
Chaeyoung blinked in surprise.
"Aww!! Thanks." Her irritation instantly faded as she gave Llana a sweet side hug. "Oh, it's strawberry flavor. Strawberry is my favorite."
"Really? What a coincidence," Llana said with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind and get you more next time."
She then stood up, taking two more bottles of electrolytes and a protein bar for Jihyo and Momo.
She had prepared them for everyone.
Llana first approached Jihyo. It looked like she was asleep, so Llana gently tapped her shoulder.
"Jihyo-unnie, are you asleep?" she whispered softly.
Jihyo suddenly opened her eyes and laughed lightly. "No, I just had them closed. Why?"
She sat up and looked at Llana.
"For you, unnie." Llana handed her the items.
"Uh? What's this?" Jihyo asked in surprise. When she looked closely at the protein bar and electrolytes, she immediately understood.
"Ah… You're so sweet, Llana-ya. Thank you!" she said with a bright smile, hugging them against her chest.
"You're welcome, unnie." Llana smiled warmly. "I need to go."
She showed Jihyo the remaining items in her hands, and Jihyo nodded in understanding.
Jihyo admitted to herself that she had lost a bit of patience with Momo earlier. She hadn't said anything, but it was probably obvious. She knew she would need to apologize to her later.
Llana slowly approached Momo and knelt down in front of her.
Momo was sitting on the floor, staring blankly into space, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Llana kneeling right in front of her.
"Momo-unnie?" Llana called softly.
No response.
"Momo-unnie," she called again, a little louder this time.
"Huh?" Momo blinked and finally snapped out of her reverie. Her eyes focused on Llana. "Llana? Why?"
"Hahaha." Llana couldn't help laughing at her confused expression—it was unexpectedly amusing.
"Yah, why are you laughing at me?" Momo raised her fist, pretending she was about to bonk her.
"Nothing." Llana chuckled before holding something out to her. "Here. Take this. It'll help you recover some energy."
"Oh… thanks." Momo accepted it, but then she noticed Llana's hands were now empty.
"Wait, where's yours? Did you give it all to me? Come on, share with me." She held out her hand, clearly wanting to split it.
"No, I have one too. Wait here."
Llana shook her head lightly before jogging back to where she had been sitting earlier. She grabbed her own bar and returned. Just as she sat back down with her, another voice chimed in.
"Hey, you're leaving me out?" Chaeyoung said, following Llana and plopping down besides her.
"Yah, you three didn't even try to call me!" Jihyo added in mock complaint as she walked over and sat beside Momo and Chaeyoung, lightly patting their thighs.
Llana smiled and held out her protein bar, the wrapper already half-open but the bar still untouched. She raised it toward the center like a small toast.
"Let's eat together."
The three quickly caught on to what she meant. They exchanged warm smiles and raised their snacks as well.
"Let's eat!"
The tension from earlier slowly melted away, replaced by a warm and relaxed atmosphere.
Watching them, Llana couldn't help but smile.