Ayoung woke up to silence.

For a brief, disorienting moment, she thought the electricity had gone out again—that the heater had shut off, that the walls would be cold and the room dim. But when she opened her eyes, light filtered in through clean curtains, soft and steady, and the ceiling above her didn’t have cracks spidering through it.

She lay there for a few seconds, staring.

The dorm was still empty.

No voices. No bags. No unfamiliar breathing through thin walls. The other trainees hadn’t moved in yet.

Right. They would move in later today.

She sat up slowly, her muscles already sore from yesterday’s nerves alone, and glanced around the room. Her things were still packed neatly in the corner—two bags, a box, and nothing else. Too neat. Too temporary. Like she could be asked to leave at any moment. 

Ayoung yawned, swinging her legs off the bed.

She washed her face, tied her hair back, and headed out to the company building for the first day of training.

The company building felt different in the morning. Brighter. Louder. Full.

Trainees clustered in the hallway, stretching, whispering, adjusting their clothes. Staff moved with clipboards and tablets, calling out names. The air buzzed with something sharp—anticipation and anxiety.

Ayoung stood near the wall, unsure where to put herself.

That’s when she saw Mina.

She was a few steps away, talking quietly to a staff member, posture straight, expression calm. Her hair pulled back into a low ponytail neatly. She looked… grounded. Like she wasn't stressed or worried in the slightest, unlike Ayoung who's heart was practically leaping out of her chest.

Before she could overthink it, Ayoung lifted her hand and gave a small wave.

Mina noticed.

For a fraction of a second, her eyes widened, then she nodded once in acknowledgment with a gentle smile, before returning to what she was doing. 

That was it.

And somehow, that was enough to settle Ayoung’s nerves more than she liked to admit.

“Phones, please.”

The voice snapped through the room. A staff member stood at the front, holding a clear plastic container.

“For today, we’ll be collecting all personal devices during training hours,” he said casually. “You’ll get them back after practice. This is to help everyone focus and adjust to the schedule.”

A murmur passed through the trainees.

Ayoung hesitated before dropping her phone in. The screen was cracked, the case worn. She watched it disappear into the pile where the other phones were.

Well, not like I have much use for it, she thought. 

Next came photos.

One by one, trainees were called into a small room—front-facing, side profile, neutral expression. No makeup fixes. No flattering angles.

When it was Ayoung’s turn, the photographer tilted her chin slightly. “Relax your shoulders.”

The shutter clicked.

She tried not to think about how strange it was to have her image captured like this—to be evaluated, archived.

After that, training officially began.

The mentor introduced a dance routine—short, sharp movements layered over a fast beat. Nothing flashy. Nothing forgiving.

Quite a large amount of the trainees struggled and performed terribly, Ayoung included, to some extent.

They went over it slowly at first, counts echoing through the room. She followed as best as she could, mirroring steps, watching reflections in the mirror. Her body lagged half a beat behind, instincts fighting unfamiliar structure.

Vocal training followed—light scales, breathing exercises. Her voice felt rough but steady. The mentor stopped her once, adjusted her posture, nodded.

“Your tone is good,” She said. “But you’re holding tension.”

By the time the end of the day evaluations began, her legs were already aching.

One by one, trainees were called forward.

Some were sharp. Some were shaky. Some recovered. Some didn’t.

When Ayoung’s name was called, she walked to the center, heart pounding.

She danced.

She missed a transition. Corrected it. Lost energy near the end.

Silence.

The mentor glanced at her notes, then sighed before speaking. “You have strengths,” she said evenly. “Your voice is distinct. You have rhythm. But today’s performance was not satisfactory.”

Her stomach dropped.

“You lack consistency. Your timing slips when you try to focus on the beat. And your energy— I have no words. I'll excuse you since its the first day and you aren't the only one lacking,” She got up and walked towards her then paused, looking at her directly. “A pretty face might have helped you get in..but it won’t be enough to last long here.”

The words landed heavier than she expected.

She bowed quickly and returned to her spot, face burning. 

Someone beside her let out a quiet breath.

“Hey,” a girl whispered. “At least we’re both terrible.”

Ayoung glanced over and saw another trainee her age, one who had got scolded right before her.

The girl had her hair tied low, eyes tired but kind. “I’m Lee Soojin,” she said quietly. “Other dorm.”

Ayoung chuckled despite herself. “Seo Ayoung.”

Soojin smiled. “Atleast we survived Day One.”

They laughed softly, the tension easing just a little.

Across the room, other performances unfolded.

Ayoung spotted a girl who moved with striking confidence. Not perfect, but impossible to ignore. It was the girl she saw clinging onto Mina the other day, Han Yura. The room seemed to bend toward her.

Mina performed next. Clean. Controlled. Balanced. No wasted motion. She recieved nothing but praise.

Ayoung watched, unreadable expression on her face.

By the end of the day, her body ached all over, and all she wanted was to jump into her bed and drown into the blanket. One day of training felt like months of endless physical strain. 

Seriously Ayoung, you're only 18 yet a single day of this is making you act like a grandma in her 80s, get it together... Ayoung thought to herself as she walked out of the company building. 

On the walk back to the dorm, she spotted Mina again.

“Hey,” Ayoung said, falling into step beside her. “How was practice?”

“Tiring,” Mina replied. “But productive.”

They walked in silence for a few seconds.

“What happened at the evaluation? Saw you getting yelled at,” Mina asked.

Ayoung shrugged. “Messed up a bit. Still lacking.”

Mina glanced at her. “Then you’ll need to focus. It only gets harder from here.”

Despite her words being strict, her tone had softness to it.

“But,” Mina added after a pause, “if you want help… or extra practice, you can ask. I'm always free to practice together if you want.”

Ayoung blinked, a bit caught off guard. Then laughed, short and sharp. “No No- Its alright...I’d rather not waste your time. I’ll train on my own. I'll ace the evaluation by tomorrow.”

Mina chuckled softly and didn't argue as she walked Ayoung to her apartment. 

“Goodnight,” Mina said, as she walked to the elevator.

“Night.”

When Ayoung opened the dorm door, two voices greeted her.

Two suitcases lay open in the living room.

One girl stood among them, short hair framing sharp features, clothes scattered everywhere. She glanced up and waved.

“Park Ji-ah,” she said flatly.

Then she walked into one of the bedrooms, headphones already on, not bothering to pick up her belongings all over the floor.

The other girl beamed. “Oh! You’re Ayoung, right? I’m Lee Chae-in!”

"Ah..It's nice to meet you.." replied Ayoung. 

"Ayoung-ssi!" Chae-in's voice turned high pitched as she spoke like an overexcited child who just recieved a new toy. "I was so excited when I heard you were my roommate! I saw you at practice and the auditions and you are just the prettiest person I've ever met like how do you keep your skin so beautiful?! Did you get plastic surgery done?"

Ayoung lightly touched her face unsure of how honest this girl was being, knowing her skin had old scars on it and was slightly rough. "Thank you- ahaha- I'm flattered...but I didn't get anything done.."

Chae-in gasped in surprise as she continued, "Really?! But you're so pretty....you know I've always wanted to be friends with someone who was as pretty as me. Ayoung-ssi...we should be besties." She paused, then continued with a grin, "Can I call you unnie?" 

Ayoung hesitated, just wanting to go to her bed already. "Hahaha...uh...I-I'll think about it", she replied with an awkward smile. 

Lee Chae-in talked. And talked. And talked. 

“Practice was crazy today, right? The mentor said my turns were clean! I mean, she also told me to work on stamina, but still—”

Ayoung nodded, her body aching even more.

“I heard you got scolded though,” Chae-in continued cheerfully. “You should really push harder. If you want to debut, you gotta aim for the top!”

Ayoung forced a smile. “Yes...I know....Chae-in ssi..I’m… really tired.”

“Oh! Right, right—”

“I’ll talk tomorrow,” Ayoung said quickly, walking to retreat to her room, before she was interrupted.

“Hey,” Ji-ah called out in an annoyed voice, sticking her head out of her room, the room she would share with Chae-in. “If you wanna swap rooms, let me know.”

Ayoung nodded awkwardly, before closing her door and leaning against it.

Her body hurt. Her head hurt.

But she was still here.

And tomorrow, it would start all over again.

And she could already tell, these two were going to be another headache.