Yun-Seo scoffed, rolling her eyes. What could they possibly want now?

Oh, so that’s what the call was for. Evaluation day; Yun-Seo had forgotten. With that being the case, the call wasn’t her problem — not that she had any intention of getting out of bed for anything short of spending time in one of the AS Entertainment recording booths. Yun-Seo had performed at evaluations before, and if the people running this school still needed to evaluate her, then they needed medical evaluations to check their sense of sight and hearing, and probably one to just make sure their heart was still pumping blood.

She was still in her pajamas, and she saw no reason to get out of bed until it was time for food. She, and the managers, knew where they stood. Yun-Seo would do what Yun-Seo wanted; there was nothing left for her to learn here, and she was a trainee still out of sheer stubbornness, both on her part and the part of the powers that be. Yun-Seo wanted her way, and she wouldn’t accept anything else. She saw no reason to; she’d worked over half of her life with the sole goal of leading her own group in mind. If AS Entertainment didn’t want to give it to her, then fine. She’d be a trainee forever. Fine, whatever. She was prepared for that fate — it was her choice. Truth was? She likely could have left AS Entertainment by now, and went elsewhere with her ample experience and gotten her way, but that would have been admitting defeat.

Yun-Seo didn’t like to lose.

So, as a direct result of Yun-Seo outright refusing to join any suggested group that was led by anyone less than herself, while simultaneously refusing to leave the company, Yun-Seo and the administration of AS Entertainment had reached an unspoken agreement of ‘you don’t bother us, and we won’t bother you.’ Yun-Seo participated when she felt like it. Yun-Seo practiced when she felt like it. Yun-Seo had her own room. Yun-Seo used the recording studio when she wanted.

Yun-Seo was somewhat of a spoiled brat.

There was a reason that while the other trainees (beneath her, the lot of them) were scrambling to get ready to perform for their ‘evaluations,’ Yun-Seo was sitting on the edge of her bed holding a Nintendo Switch, with the door locked. She had been horridly distracted by the sound of the intercom, and as her opponent scored on her for free because of it, Yun-Seo decided then and there that her next outing would include the purchase of a pair of headphones.

Now she was losing, bastards. If Nintendo allowed her to chat with her opponents, she might have raged a bit, but… they didn’t. She wasn’t about to install an app on her phone to talk to people she was playing Mario Tennis against. It didn’t matter anyway, she was going to sink the shot and —

Yun-Seo’s eyes pulled away from screen just long enough for her to miss the shot, and the opponent closed the game, the match, and the tournament. Her mood shifted from somewhat frustrated with the sound of the intercom going off, to flat out furious with whoever was behind the knocking. How dare they cost her the match!? In one fluid motion, she (gently) slammed the Switch onto her memory foam mattress and leaped to her feet. “What!? What do you want?!” She snapped toward the door, wondering who it could have been that was daring to interrupt her while she was in her last sanctuary in this godforsaken building.

Yun-Seo tore open the door to stare down the staff member who’d knocked. “Yes? What could possibly be sooo important that you had to bother me? I’m in the middle of something very important.” She demanded, jabbing her index finger into the chest of the male who was standing there. Someone new, obviously. Why else would someone have the gall to interrupt her? Yun-Seo paused, waiting impatiently for a response from the person standing across from her. Rapidly tapping her foot on the ground, Yun-Seo let out a frustrated sigh, “well?”

Yun-Seo’s apparent frustration and anger seemed to affect the staff member, who took a step back after she jabbed him with her finger. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a voice that he tried to make confident. “Did you hear the loudspeaker? Trainees are to report to the Judgment Room to —”

“Yes, and? Get on with it.” Yun-Seo ordered, snapping her fingers in front of the man’s face to hurry him along. The staff member cleared his throat, and tried again. Under Yun-Seo’s imposing glare and the ever present sound of her tapping foot, his voice wavered some, losing some of the false confidence he’d given himself before.

“So that means that you should… head that way... or you might miss your evaluation? Shouldn’t you be ready? Why are you in your pajamas?”

“Is that all you came here to say? You must be new here. When my door is shut, don’t bother me. Don’t knock, don’t call, don’t text, don’t interrupt me.” If Yun-Seo had a blunt object, she would have struck this man. “Though it’s none of your business, I’m in my pajamas because I want to be. They are comfortable, it’s that simple. Are you just going to stand there, looking like someone just told you that your breath smells? It does, by the way.” Yun-Seo paused, crinkling her nose to put emphasis on the fact that the man’s breath stank. “I don’t need to be evaluated. I already know how good I am — and so do your bosses, for that matter. Don’t ever knock on my door again, do you understand?” The man nodded.

“Good. Now, you’ve got two choices: option one, you run off and find someone who cares, or you go and fetch me some breakfast. Either way? Go get a breath mint.”

With the door slammed shut so hard it bounced back open just a crack, Yun-Seo returned to her bed, plopping down and picking up her Switch, muttering something about the state of the help in this place.

On the roof with one of the more well known faces at AS Entertainment, SunMi kept her heavy breathing to a minimum as her recent, very recent, tutor danced beside her to a Lee Hyo-ri dance routine for the song U-Go-Girl. A routine that would display all the things her instructors did not think she was capable of accomplishing. The red succubus assisted the desperate dreamer last minute, after SunMi begged her for help. The raw talent that was SunMi was exactly that, raw and unpolished, and she needed to bring out different sides of her or she'd get kicked!

Last eval, she was lectured on how she's been there a year and still hadn't shown improvement in confidence. No one wants to watch someone who doubts her every move. Confidence was key to the core of every idol. How else would they get someone to watch them? The more charismatic they were, the better off they'd be. More importantly, there was a higher likelihood they would become marketable and if anyone knew anything about this market, it was the daughter of AeRi from Three Wishes! So here she was, in a... red plaid skirt... dancing beside vanity incarnate. Just like AeRi.

Bliss.

Had she improved in the week? Was she getting the moves down? Did she like what she saw?

"Stop." The track continued, her phone connected to a small speaker, as the voluptuous specimen stopped her hips, that surely didn't lie, and spoke in clear, distinct English. "Get out of your head. If you want to nail this, stop thinking." Her voice was like... chocolate. Melting, delicious, chocolate. Hard to resist. Desirable.

Absolutely delectable... Wide eyed, SunMi blinked at the other idol, trying to decipher every fast word that just came out of her mouth. At last, her English was not good. Yet. It was only a matter of time, though. Although it was apparent she was confused, SunMi couldn't help but look at the cold diva with adoration. She was happy she gained the courage to ask for her help, like, two weeks ago! There was definitely more to this girl than she was revealing, but then again, there was more to herself that she had yet to show too. Maybe, just maybe, they weren't so different after all. Maybe, just maybe, their desire to become idols aligned in some way. Maybe... she could be her friend.

Rolling her eyes, Blissany went to the Bluetooth speaker on the floor, bent over, and pressed the pause button. After snapping back up, she turned on her heel, crossing her arms, and ending with an eye roll. Part of SunMi wished she was that... eye catching. It was incredibly hard to look away from the French Korean.

Going back to SunMi's native tongue, Bliss tsked, "Live in the moment. See this." She pointed to her own temple with her long, french manicure pointer nail, "That is your enemy. You're not getting trained to think, you're getting trained to perform. To be loved and liked by the world."

"I know..." Grabbing the ends of her skirt, SunMi looked toward the ground, swaying in place, "I just... I want to know if I'm good."

"Do you need me to tell you something you should be telling yourself?" Hearing her tutor's response, SunMi timidly glanced up, with a combination of shame and revelation, as she met the dark, enchanting gaze of Bliss. Those words. Harsh, but full of truth. The only person she needed validation from, truly, was herself. Sure, she needed to convince her instructors she was good, but before she could do that she needed to convince herself. Opening her mouth to respond, SunMi immediately closed it when she saw Bliss check her phone and mumble in a language she wasn't even going to try to understand. "Oh mec. Il est temps de les regarder devenir des imbéciles."

Perking up when the older idol's attention was back on her, SunMi carefully listened to the last piece of advice Ms. Monette would give her, "Just got a text. Time to shine, girl. The moment we walk into those doors, I want you to keep your head up. The act starts then, not when you're on stage. Got it?"

"O-ok, gurl. We do good. Good is... promise."

"Baby steps."

A rare sight occurred in the basement, right before Kang Hanseul was called on stage. Blissany, one of the bigger threats at AS Entertainment, at least as far as overall performance went, didn't walk in alone. She had the ordinary girl that some people didn't know her name yet, walking in beside her. Ryu SunMi. The girl who stuttered and choked on her words. The timid, bashful, cute girl. Who surprisingly walked in with a new type of 'look'. If she was going to perform, she was coming in ready. There was determination in her brown eyes.

Internally, though? Hiding behind the mask that was her face, SunMi was screaming. Before SunMi scurried to a seat, she turned her head toward one of her role models, "What will you perform?"

"You'll see. Now go." Bliss cooed. With subtle nervousness, SunMi nodded and made her way to a seat. One of the closer ones to the stage, to get a better view of the performances. Biting on the bottom of her lip, the shy girl knew she needed to be confidant, but it was hard to do so while she wasn't on stage. So! She'd just smile and fake it until she made it.

Sounds about right.

As for Bliss, she chose to sit in the furthest seat from the stage and decided to look at her Twitter feed, in boredom. Another eval, another day. Same-o, same-o.

Good luck, newbie.

For those aware of how Blissany performs, she does not stray away from being dangerously risque. She puts the hoe in all the hoe anthems, and most, if not all, of her collegues can imagine her in various fantastical scenarios, like being one of those side chicks in Jay Park's MOMMAE. The trainers believe her to be a necessary evil at evaluations because of the pure intimidation she emits while she performs. Just another tactic to scare the 'weak' ones. And fortunately, she's more compliant than YS and Becky. Sort of.

Bliss was a child machine — the moment she could walk was the moment her life was completely over. A life signed to the path of stardom, for better or for worse. All because of her mother's crazed obsession with the idol world. Her last evaluation was literally sex on stage, as she performed Paradise Lost by Gain. It was unforgettable and completely on point, but it didn't change that she arouse feelings within her entire class. It also didn't help she wore black lace, which never failed to make her a wet dream. That simply was her 'stick'. She couldn't be cute even if she tried because it was forcibly instilled in her mind that sex sells, and as such, she would do exactly that. Use her body as a marketable asset.

Sure, she had talents. Her voice improving over the course of four years, her strength showing more when she sings in English than anything else, and her dancing being the greatest gift she was blessed with... she'd be better off as a choreographer than an idol. But, at the end of the day, none of that matter if it wasn't for her body. Not in this industry. For her, that is all that mattered to her trainers. Her body that sells.

Even if everything she showcased was a destined Star-in-the-making, just like her mother, that wasn't what they focused on. What they cared about was her iconic red hair, with cherry lipstick to match. Outfits that formed around her curves sensually. Today being more of a secretary look, with a white blouse unbuttoned low enough to reveal cleavage and a gray skirt with a slit to display her refined, smooth legs. It didn't matter if it went with the song. It was hot.

Complimentary to her outfits, she wore high stilettos that looked like the edge could stab someone. Honestly, the only time she didn't wear heels was when she exercises at the gym, or participates at a photo shoot where they preferred her wearing something other than these death traps and hardly comfortable shoes. There was a high chance they were going to make her perform in heels, so it didn't make sense not to wear them. Lastly, her moves that didn't give her gift any justice as a dancer through and through was major to her becoming the best her she could be. In their standards. They preferred dance moves that enhanced her sexuality and made people desire her. Nothing more, nothing less. Without that desire, she was nothing to them.

Contrary to common belief, Bliss is not the most predictable with her evaluations. If anything, her last performance was the most expected yet unexpected because she went with her stick but notched it up to max level. Yes, she was undoubtedly the ice cold 'hoe' of AS, but that didn't change the fact that she was an artist and didn't want to completely comprise her art for a bloodthirsty industry. She knew that everything would reach her mother and if they weren't pleased, she would hear a mouth full from the wench, but inside of Bliss was a raging war of wanting to do what she wanted and her doing what she was told to do.

People came and went on the stage, Bliss silently noting to herself the pros and cons of her competition. Yuzuru was her male counterpart, in her opinion, and his performance didn't fail to show that. Maybe, one day they would be paired to dance together. Though, she did catch the brief sullen look on his face, the moment he realized he was just in the basement. Not yet a worthwhile star. The bitter side of AS Entertainment. Be careful what you reveal to them. This industry loved the hopeless. Hopeless people did exactly what they were told.

Following him was the Chinese duo. Mò Chóu seemed like she was harder on herself than anyone else and any mistake would ruin the rest of her week until she corrected it. Something AS would surely abuse until they broke her. Her style was the concept that Bliss could never be, cute, but it was refreshing to see her explore outside of her box and do ballet. Mentally, Bliss would critique her but as usual, if said person didn't come to her for her opinions, she would keep them to herself. Bliss did wonder if she gave the girl pointers would it go on deaf ears? Chóu came off a bit 'spoiled', and not necessarily someone she was sure she wanted to associate with. Then again, she probably came off as the same to her.

Next was Chóu's brother, Chéng Léi. He chose to make the song his own, which meant putting it in the range he could handle. A smart choice for singers like him, and herself, who didn't belt like YS or even SunMi. Her new pupil, who didn't realize how strong her voice was. Léi was the funny guy, but his choice of song, wasn't for his strengths. It was for his weaknesses. For that, she would note his courage and continue to break him apart in her head, along with everyone else she watched with careful eyes. Finding the areas where they could work on, and areas where they're better off leaving alone. Master something, rather than focus on trying to get good at everything under the sun. At least with one mastery, the idol becomes a little less expendable.

This was just how her mind was trained to be. Judgmental, but for the betterment of herself and her colleagues. She hoped they'd judge her just as harshly. That was the only way they'd survive this company. Breaking themselves apart before someone else did it for them. With no surprise at all that she was called next, near the beginning of evaluations rather than the end, Bliss silently, with no emotion written on her face, stood up and sauntered to the stage. Before going on the platform, she gave one of the staff members her phone. They'd know to record her. She needed it for reference. But, she'd also make sure she'd get a copy of the recording that was being done for staff members use.

The song she was going to do was You Think, from Girls' Generation. However, for the first time in her four years, she was going to do a complete English cover. Her inspiration deriving from SAARA's version. The Finnish singer and songwriter who wrote the song for the KPOP girl group. The song was a hip-hop friendly song that featured trap beats, as the arrangement focused on high-pitched belts and brassy horns to bring out Girls' Gen's 'subtle, siren tones'. Bliss, however, preferred how SAARA portrayed it and since her voice was strong in English, she thought it was time to take creative liberties and inspire her classmates to take risks and do what's best for themselves. This song would show her vocal skills properly and the attitude that the song had, which she loved, was the vibe she wanted to go for. Bliss was more than just sex.

The dance for You Think was fluid and meant for a girl like Bliss, but for her version, she would make every move hard-hitting, to give her performance a more western feel, not straying from the aggressive nature she wanted to give off. Think Ciara hip-hop style, with a mix of floating, popping, locking, and even some robotting. Prior to the song playing, she did the unthinkable! She kicked off her heels. She wanted to dance and heels would prevent her from going all out. Yeah, her mom was going to hear about this.

The start of her performance she gave off the vibe she was a mannequin and for the first 20 seconds, her dancing was creepily subtle, every joint unnaturally moving as she sang, but then when the first chorus chimed in, she 'came to life' and let the flow take over her.

The song was about a woman warning her ex, that was spreading rumors about her after a bad break up. The song was better this way than the way SNSD did it. Of course, this was all in her opinion. She chose to tread the bold decision of not going off the choreography for the song. Since she was too focused on helping SunMi for this evaluation, Bliss chose to improvise and because dancing was her strength, it wasn't anything she'd sweat about. Her personal trainer realized awhile ago that whatever he told her to do, she'd change things up last minute for herself. It was a silent rebellion, but a rebellion nevertheless. What would they do? They knew she was good and that's the one thing she hoped her classmates came to terms with. Once they realized their worth, they could fuck with the people that were trying to fuck with them.

Blissany was an enigma and her performance came and went, like everyone else's. The one time people saw emotion in her was when she was dancing. Yet, once the music stopped she was back to being expressionless and without emotion. Before walking off the platform, she picked up her heels and went to the staff member who had her phone. A smile crept on her face as she offered her hand for her phone. The staff member looked at her with mild concern as she simply responded with a shrug. Her eyes went to the manager, who watched her pridefully walk back to her seat, without the sound of clicking heels. Dropping her heels on the floor, she leaned back in her seat and returned to browsing her social media on her phone, ignoring everyone else around her.

Truthfully, this was all becoming more and more mundane for her. The little changes she did helped her tolerate the industry.


There was a hint of annoyance in the manager's voice at Bliss exhibiting 'free will'.