Chapter Text
When Jia first received the email notifying her that she got in, all she could think of was that this show would be her shot in the dark to make her dream finally come true. Or at least, one step closer to it. She spent many nights watching talent shows and survival reality shows before to know enough of what might entail for her. If she was being honest to herself, the thought of going through it scared her to the bone, but she has already made up her mind.
The door was already open, waiting for her to step into it.
When the next email came in, it contained the song that she will perform for the Demo stage.
An NCT song, huh? A difficult one, along with every other song which the boy group was notoriously known for. Jia was confident enough in her skills to know that she could pull this off. As she read through the rest of the email, something else captured her attention. A very important detail.
She was not going to perform ‘Kick It’ alone. This would be a stage performed as a duo.
Included in the email was the name of her partner:
Seo Youngeun
Jia stared at the unfamiliar name.
She wondered what kind of girl she would be. Hopefully, she could get along with her.
When Jia finally met her partner, she was expecting someone who was on a similar wavelength with her.
Youngeun was anything but similar.
Just by introductions alone, Jia could already tell that there was something special in this girl standing confidently before her. Her bright, upbeat personality. Her posture. Her wide and cheeky smile. The way her voice seemed to light up the room and shatter the ice between the two of them.
“I hope we will get along well!” The shorter girl puts out her hand, her eyes looking expectantly up at Jia.
“Me too,” Jia’s lips curved into a (hopefully) friendly smile and reached out to the other girl. “Let’s work hard together.”
Jia had a lot of thoughts running through her mind as they shook hands. One of them was more prominent than the others.
Youngeun was everything that Jia isn’t, and that worried her.
When Jia started practicing for their Demo stage, one of the first things she noticed was that Youngeun's demeanour completely changes when she's in the zone. The upbeat and cheeky demeanor from before instantly changed to a serious and cool one the moment the music started. She observed her partner through the mirror, matching her movement to the beat of the song.
Damn, she's really good.
They kept on practising for hours in the shared hall with the other trainees, maximising as much of their time to perfecting their performance. When they have both exhausted themselves enough, the two mutually agreed on a much-needed break.
Jia was still reeling from the drastic change in her partner's aura, even as they sat down to eat the snacks provided by the staff. She could definitely keep up with Youngeun. Heck, she was probably a much better partner to work with than she gave her credit for. They took turns to lead each other, gave advice on things that could be improved on, and most of all, the vibe between them was… good.
Better than good, if Jia had to be completely honest.
"Jia…"
The taller of the two turned her head towards Youngeun, breaking the reverie. "Yes?"
"Do you think we'll make it?"
Jia blinked. That definitely surprised her. The bright and confident girl she met just a few days ago suddenly looked unsure as she fiddled with the wrapper of her energy bar.
"It's still too early to say," Jia carefully replied, "but I think our chances are good."
Youngeun looked up from her wrapper to level her gaze with Jia. "You really think so?" she asked again, her voice unusually soft.
Staring back into her partner's eyes, Jia gave her a confident smile. "Yes, I'm sure of it."
It was the right thing to say. She could literally see Youngeun gaining back the confidence she somehow lost with just a few honest words. Not forgetting the bright fox-like grin that returned on her glowing complexion.
Jia liked it better this way.
As they finished up their food, Youngeun tapped on Jia's knee to get her attention and raised her pinky finger. "Let's make it to the finals and debut together," she proudly said.
If Jia was surprised before, then this declaration definitely got her taken aback. The drastic change on her normally stoic face must have been really obvious, judging by how amused Youngeun looked at her.
"Too soon?" the shorter girl quipped.
Jia shook off her initial surprise and tried composing herself again. "N-no."
Well, she tried her best. At least give her credit for that.
"I won't force you then," Youngeun gave a light-hearted chuckle.
Jia could have been imagining things, but she swore she heard a slight twinge of disappointment behind the other girl's voice. Was she actually being serious about this?
They've only just met and yet...
Somewhere deep in Jia's heart told her that she shouldn't leave it hanging like that.
"Wait," Jia quickly said, stopping the other girl from getting up. "I promise." She raised up her pinky and stared expectantly at her. The flash of surprise on Youngeun's face appeared just as quickly as it went, replaced with a wide smile barely containing her excitement.
In the middle of that crowded practice room filled with other hopeful trainees, their promise was sealed on that day.
When Jia stood behind the stage awaiting their turn to perform, her heart pounded against her chest heavily. Deep breaths and constantly rubbing the ridges of her knuckles did little to calm the insistent beats. This wasn't her first time performing in front of an audience, but the stakes were definitely higher than all her past auditions combined. The cameras, the stage, the other hopeful trainees competing with each other, the panel of Planet Masters there to judge and scrutinise her every move…
It was scary.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. The hold was light yet strong in a way.
Jia already knew who it was.
"I'll… I'll be fine," Jia raised her head to meet her partner's concerned eyes as best as she could. The last thing she needed was Youngeun worrying about her. "It's just my nerves getting to me."
Her hands were then pulled apart, followed by another pair of hands cradling and holding on to them, almost protectively. They were warm compared to Jia's cold and clammy ones.
"I'm nervous too," Youngeun lightly chuckled, trying to hide her true emotions. "Man, there's so many pretty and talented girls here. I'm kinda feeling overwhelmed."
Jia's gaze softened as she listened closely to the shorter girl before her. They both had a lot at stake here, and they understood that fact really well. Taking in another deep breath, Jia inched closer to Youngeun and intertwined their fingers. "I don't know how it will be like later when we step on that stage, but I'm sure we can pull it off," Jia spoke and gave her the most reassuring smile she could muster despite her own nervousness. "If I have to pick who out of the two of us will make it to Top 9, then it would be you, Youngeun. I think you'll make it."
It was a genuine opinion. One that Jia gradually formed leading up to this day. The Planet Masters would have to be blind to not pick Youngeun. The girl oozed talent from the minute they started filming for this show. It was hard to admit it, but Jia knew that her partner was on a whole other level compared to her.
"Jia," Youngeun answered back firmly with a determined look in her eyes. "You will make it too. Please don't sell yourself short like this. You've been doing really well and your hard work will pay off! I’ve seen what you’re capable of, and I’m really glad that you are my partner.” With that said, she pulled both of Jia’s hands up to her lips and gave a quick kiss to each of them. “For good luck,” Youngeun grinned.
The taller girl tried keeping it cool, but she couldn’t deny the flush of red slowly rising up to her cheeks. She was already accustomed to Youngeun’s frequent shows of affection. They were difficult to reject, very comfortable, strangely addicting, but most of all, they made Jia feel like she could take on the world.
“Thank you,” Jia smiled tenderly at her partner. “I needed that.”
“Do you feel better now?” Youngeun asked.
Her body has relaxed. Her heart lulled to a steady, calm beat. Her hands were warmer now. Jia already knew the answer. “Definitely.”
As the duo continued with their final prep and standing by for their turn, the time for their performance was finally here.
“Hot Sauce team! Please proceed towards the stage!" One of the staff in the filming crew called out to them.
The two hopeful girls gave each other a silent nod, a last message of support and reassurance before they went towards the spotlight, all eyes on them in anticipation.