CEO Choi's first impression of Song Noah is that he resembled a certain girl group member from his past; RYONA from “Queen-V” during her prime. Truthfully, CEO Choi was surprised when he first saw him handing out flyers in front of a restaurant during one of his filming. 

He immediately had a casting staff track him down the very next day, inviting him for an audition. 

Seeing him up close,  the resemblance was undeniable. While Noah had thinner lips, and slightly thicker eyebrows, he had a similar heart shaped facial structure, and his eyes were upturned like a cat’s.  However, unlike RYONA who gave a mature and sultry vibe, Noah had a more innocent look. The biggest difference between them can be seen on their facial expressions and the way the two carry themselves. 

Was it the resemblance that made Choi Ji Yeong interested in having him in his agency? While it did play a part, it was mostly due to his radiant smile. 

If it turned out that he had no talent or skills required for an idol, another option he had in mind would be having him signed as a model, or having him attend acting classes to become an actor. 

His vocals were a pleasant surprise. 

The boy naturally had a wide vocal range, and he had a lot of versatility as a singer. His vocal techniques weren’t the best yet when he first auditioned, but a lot of it had been corrected through training. 

CEO Choi had only watched videos of his previous evaluations, but from the few observations that he had during his occasional visit to the trainees, he could tell how much his skills had been refined for the past two years. 

And right now, Choi Ji Yeong is about to see how much he has grown. 

Song Noah’s fingers were visibly trembling, but he held on the mic tightly in order for it not to be noticeable. 

When the melody finally began, his smooth and gentle voice filled the room. Despite the gentleness of his voice, it carried a feeling of resignation, and so did his gaze. There was a slight shakiness in the beginning, but it eased as he continued to sing. 

‎’Your thorns that pricked my heart, 

Left a mark that won't close

‎I remain constricted, 

‎Yet there's no warmth in my arms

I’m the fool undoing the stitches

I’m a fool, who fell deeper for you’

The acoustic track became accompanied by a percussion of a heart’s beat as the tempo of the song gradually changed. Noah’s voice transitioned into a more raspy voice, singing each word with desperation and pain. It was raw and powerful, in contrast to how he sang the first part. 

The sound of it had taken CEO Choi by surprise. He was aware of the trainee's versatility, but he didn’t expect his voice to be perfect for this genre. While he did perform various genres in the past, he hadn't performed a rock ballad. 

‎’Ah my rose, your love

‎Your thorns cut me deep, 

‎Please hold on to me

‎Even if I bleed

Please hold on to me

Cause you know I’d rather die

Oh I’d rather die,

Than watching you leave’

The instrumentals in the track had momentarily stopped, leaving only Song Noah’s voice to be heard. The rapiness and the texture of his voice sounded full and emotional, while still remaining controlled. There was desperation in his eyes, as he gripped tighter on the mic, holding onto it as if his life depended on it. 

‘I only have nothing but an ashen rose, 

And the heart you broke

What can I do?

What can I do?

You turned your back 

Leaving me alone’

When the anticipated 10-second C5 note came, Song Noah sang it impressively with vocal distortion, ascending it until F5. It was higher than what was in the original song, leaving both the trainees and judges in the room in awe.

‘I only have nothing but an ashen rose, 

And the heart you broke

What can I do?

What can I do?

‎I’ll only fall deeper for you,

‎My rose, your love…’

Song Noah hesitantly gave a small bow when the track ended. It wasn’t a perfect and flawless performance if you were to compare it to the technique and the stage presence that Ha Yullei displayed when singing Joyful Parade, but the power and emotions in Noah’s voice was impressive. It had a nice amount of texture and grit, and he sang as if he truly experienced the pain and desperation that the composer of the song felt.

Ashen Rose; a song that was written by L.O.C.K’s main vocalist, Lei Yujun. If he were to see this performance, how would he react?

CEO Choi made a note to send him a video copy.

For his dance evaluation, Song Noah danced with swift and elegant movements. It was a bit lacking in sharpness, and the execution of the steps had room for improvement, but it wasn’t bad.  He could tell that the trainee worked hard to even reach this level. ‘Soaring’ is a difficult dance to perform, but he’s managing well enough.

When Song Noah first became a trainee, the boy couldn’t dance at all. His body was stiff, and he was slow on his moves. 

If looks and vocals alone were just enough, Choi Ji Yeong would have debuted him already. While CEO Choi wasn’t looking for trainees to have perfect skills, they should at least be capable of executing the choreography properly. 

Is he ready to become an idol?

If you were to judge his facial expressions in his performances, it was consistent too. He was smiling and maintaining eye contact with the judges throughout his performance. The problem was in his eyes. He was just an open book.

The trainee didn't look emotionally well. But, you can’t criticize a smiling trainee just because he had a sad look in his eyes even when he’s smiling and doing his best.

Once his dance performance ended, one of the judges asked him a question, “Was switching songs with Trainee 17 intentional?” Instruction Kwan questioned him.

Song Noah hesitated for a moment, but nodded his head.

“Yes, we discussed it beforehand.”

That’s a lie, isn’t it?

Even Yullei looked surprised with his response. 

CEO Choi was a bit concerned that there may be conflicts among the trainees, but seeing as he’s covering for him like this, it didn’t appear to be the case.

Instructor Kwan, who also questioned Yullei earlier, narrowed his eyes. 

“Is there a special reason?”

“Because… no, there’s none.” 

The judges didn’t seem to believe it, but they didn’t push the trainee any further. 

Choi Ji Yeong proceeded to give him his evaluation.

“I thought I’ve already seen what you’re capable of, but apparently, I’m mistaken. I like that you’re also bold enough to increase the difficulty of the song! ” he started, “I can tell that you’re a bit nervous in the beginning, but regardless, it was impressive overall, Trainee Noah. You have a voice that can both sound calm and soothing, but also raspy and powerful. If there’s one thing, your moves could’ve been sharper, but you’ve already improved a lot in dancing. Just keep it up.” 

To end his remarks, he gave him a thumbs up. It was also an attempt to lighten him up.

“I will continue to work hard, CEO Choi. Thank you.”

“Your voice is versatile, and you know how to use it well. It’s the type of voice that would sound good with pop, ballad, electric, rock, jazz– Have you tried rap? ” there was excitement in Daseo-P's voice, as if struck with inspiration.

Song Noah shook his head as a response.

“Where was I? If given a chance, I’d like to hear you sing more songs in the future. You did a great job, and you applied nice vocal techniques. It isn’t easy to sing with vocal distortion without straining your voice, but you did it excellently!”

“Thank you.”

After Daseo-P's remarks, the last judge began her comments. 

“It’s true that your vocal performance was impressive, Trainee 18, but… I’m quite disappointed. Your eyes used to sparkle before, but I didn’t see that today."  Lim Yun Hee took a deep breath, “The strong emotions you expressed when singing ‘Ashen Rose’ was appropriate, but during the group and the dance performance, your eyes looked dull. When an idol performs, there will be fans who’ll notice things like that. It makes the performance less enjoyable when the idol isn’t enjoying it.”

Worried at the trainee who already looked unstable, CEO Choi checked on Song Noah’s expression. But somehow, it seemed like it was a response he was already expecting. 

There was a blank look on his face, and he nodded his head.

“Thank you, I’ll be keeping it in mind.”

With all groups and trainees being done with the evaluation, the staffs began wrapping up for the day. The company also instructed the trainees to return to their dorms.

Since it was the end of the week, the trainees would have two days to rest before resuming their training schedule. The results for the evaluation would be provided in three days, and a meeting between CEO Choi, the judges, the company executives, and the shareholders needed to be done first for deciding half of the debut line-up.

It would be a tough decision. 

==========

Song Noah didn't know if he was still good enough to be considered, but since the performances were already done, he had to prepare himself for the results. 

He also had to slowly get used to returning to his lifestyle as a trainee. 

Not having danced for four years, Song Noah felt more tired than he usually did. After tidying himself-up and lying down on his designated bed in the dorm, he was immediately fast asleep. 

It was impossible not to be anxious when a lot had already changed, but the tiredness in his body had overcome any thoughts and worries he had. 

The good thing is that it was the weekend. It meant that he could sleep longer than he would be sleeping for the next following days. 

That's what he thought.

But the very next day, he was once again shaken awake by one of his roommates in the dorm. 

“Psst, Noah, wake-up it's already noon. Louie hyung is looking for you outside.” the other trainee, whose name was ‘Theo’ told him. If he recalled this trainee would join a survival show next year and debut there. 

With his eyes barely opened, Song Noah blinked at him. 

“It's noon already?”

“You used to wake-up very early.” Theo commented, “Get-up now, Louie hyung is asking about you.”

“Did he mention why?”

“Didn't ask, but Yullei is outside as well.”

Having just woken-up, Song Noah was only wearing a comfortable tank shirt and some shorts for indoor use. He quickly wore jeans and changed into a v-neck shirt to at least look presentable. 

When he got up and opened the door, despite being aware of his leader’s personality, he was still surprised when he saw Cipher dressed up in stylish clothing.  

His former leader was dressed in a turtleneck shirt, topped with a black blazer that matches his slacks. He had his neck-length hair tucked on the side with a clip, and his long nails were also done and painted with a nude colored polish.

Those same nails were also almost digging on Yullei's forearms, dragging him. 

“Ci– Louie hyung?” 

“Have you slept well?” Cipher asked him.

“I slept well, hyung, but why are you and Yullei here?”

“About that,” to his surprise, Cipher turned his head to Ha Yullei, speaking in an authoritative tone, “Apologize to him. For stealing his song.” 

“...”

“There's no need, hyung… It was something we discussed.” Noah lied. 

“Is that really true? It's not just a cover-up?”

Ha Yullei didn't respond, but Song Noah nodded his head. It wasn't the truth, but even to him, making him apologize like this is a bit too much. There were trainees eavesdropping from behind the door, and the hallways. 

“Okay, if he said anything bad to you, let me know, okay?” Cipher told him, it was only then when he finally released Yullei’s forearms, “Since we have no schedule, do you want to get some fresh air? The three of us can shop a bit in the market.”

Shopping a ‘bit’ doesn't usually end like it does when Cipher is involved. Seeing as Yullei also isn't immediately saying any words of protest, it meant that he's fine with coming too. 

“I need to get ready first, would it be fine?”

“Got it, take as much time as you need.”

He wanted to avoid Yullei for now, but after everything Cipher had done for him in the past, Song Noah couldn't bring himself to reject his invitation.