'Would they get more… or even less than Nayeon-unnie's?' Minyoung wondered as she watched Momo step forward and slowly remove the cover.
So far, her team held the highest number of votes.
She just hoped it wouldn't be surpassed.
"How could it be…" Llana murmured from the side, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Huh?!" Chaeyoung let out a small, startled gasp.
The other teams exchanged looks, disbelief clear on their faces as they stared at the box.
"…How do they have that many?" Minyoung muttered, her gaze fixed on Major A Team's box. 'What did they even do to get this much?'
A sliver of doubt crept into her thoughts.
'Is this even real…?'
The box was nearly half-filled with blue balls. Far more than anyone had expected.
"Wow…," Chaeryeong said quietly, unable to hide her amazement as she looked at Llana's group.
"Major A Team got 207 people." JYP let out a small, impressed laugh. "As you can see, they have the highest count, doubling the other teams' results. Good job, Major A Team."
"Kamsahamnida!"
Llana and the others bowed, then immediately broke into quiet cheers among themselves.
"Daebak…" Chaeyoung said, still in disbelief.
Llana smiled brightly.
All their hard work had paid off. Every bit of exhaustion, every effort they poured into inviting people… none of it was in vain.
Knowing their efforts had finally paid off made all her exhaustion fade away.
Jihyo smiled just as widely, glancing at her members with pride.
They hadn't simply approached people during promotions—they had given it their all.
They didn't just hand out invitations and leave. They talked, connected, and made people feel seen. Maybe that was why so many had actually come. People must have felt their sincerity—and that sincerity made them want to show up.
Out of the 250 people they invited… only 43 didn't come.
"I can't say much about how you invited people since I didn't witness that part," JYP continued, his tone turning thoughtful. "But when it comes to performance…"
He paused, letting his gaze sweep across each team. The room fell silent once more, everyone watching him in anticipation.
"The team that really caught my eye today was—"
Every team waited, hoping to hear their name. Being praised by JYP for their performance was one of the things they had been longing for.
"Major A Team."
Llana and the others immediately bowed again.
"Your performance was very unique," JYP said with a slight nod. "You didn't just stick to the usual cute, bright, or sexy concepts, You chose something others normally wouldn't, even something risky. That kind of concept would definitely suit men, but you removed those stereotypes"
A small smile formed on his lips.
"Especially the cover you used. Considering that you yourselves are idols, I hope you're prepared for the kind of reactions that might bring."
His words lingered in the air, carrying both praise and a subtle warning.
"By the way," he added, tilting his head slightly, "what language did you use at the beginning of the song? Was it Latin?"
Llana blinked before answering, deliberately sounding a little unsure. "Yes… it's a Latin chant about Judgment Day… I think?"
Llana pretended it wasn't hers. Of course, she wasn't that naive to say 'Your Idol' was hers. This time, there wasn't a movie. K-POP DEMON HUNTERS didn't exist in this world yet. And Your Idol's lyrics aren't good for her image, especially since she herself is going to be an idol. So saying it's a cover is important to protect her idol image.
"If translated into English…" Llana continued, "it means: 'That day of wrath will dissolve you into ashes, cursed master, into eternal flames.' "
"Jinjja?" JYP nodded slowly, a smile forming as he looked at her, clearly impressed.
"Individually, if I had to pick someone from SEVENTEEN who improves a lot since the beginning is...Tzuyu-ah"
Tzuyu froze for a second.
Me?
"I said this during your last group performance, but I'll say it again," JYP continued. "Every time you perform, I can clearly see your improvement. At the start of the program, I ranked you at the bottom, but now, you've risen to the middle."
He then turned to Chaeyoung.
"Chaeyoung, today you really seemed like…"
He paused, making Chaeyoung stare at him nervously.
If he said her performance was still lacking, she didn't know what she would do anymore. She had already done her best. If that still wasn't enough for JYP, she felt like she would go insane.
"…a celebrity."
"Kamsahamnida."
Chaeyoung let out a sigh of relief. A small smile formed on her lips, her eyes slightly reddening.
Llana smiled as she looked at Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. Being praised and personally mentioned by JYP was a huge achievement, especially in a group where fourteen talented members are competing. Standing out meant your hard work had been recognized.
She felt genuinely happy for them.
"What I'm looking for today is passion," JYP continued. "And one way to measure that is through change. Seeing how much you've improved shows how much you love this."
He looked at Tzuyu, then shifted his gaze to Chaeyoung.
"You used to seem like you didn't want to be on stage. But now, I can see your passion."
"Now, let's move on to the second result."
Everyone tensed again. This round of voting would determine which teams would face elimination that week. The first and second voting results would be combined, and those with the lowest total would be at risk.
Unlike the first voting, which was based on invitations, this one reflected the audience's evaluation of the performances. They could vote for whichever team they believed did the best, even if that team hadn't invited them.
This twist hadn't been revealed to them beforehand. They had all assumed that the results would depend solely on the number of people they brought in. They only learned about it earlier, when JYP addressed the audience.
"The team that received the most votes is, once again, Major A Team. They got 211 votes."
"Congratulations."
Everyone applauded, congratulating them with a mix of admiration and envy.
"Major A Team performed excellently on this stage. I agree with the audience this time," JYP said. Then he frowned slightly. "But Jihyo… your dancing looks dull."
His words may have sounded harsh, but they weren't without reason. Jihyo was already someone he had in mind for his future girl group, even though the competition wasn't over yet. Jihyo already had a seat. That was exactly why he couldn't afford to sugarcoat things.
"The moment you gain weight, your movements slow down. Self-care is important—you can't take it lightly."
"The team in second place is Major B… with 106 votes."
"Kamsahamnida!"
The group bowed.
"After adding the first and second round scores, Major B team has 195 votes, placing second." JYP paused, then looked toward the remaining teams. "Which means there are no changes among the Major teams today."
"Minor A team, Minor B team—please step forward."
Both teams walked to the center, their steps a little stiff. The difference in their first round scores had been small, and it only made the tension worse.
Dahyun kept her head down, fingers tightly intertwined. She couldn't stop the doubts creeping in, 'Am I cursed?'
The feeling was too familiar—like déjà vu from the last group battle.
'Is our team going to end up last again?'
'Am I the one getting eliminated this time?'
A bitter feeling settled in her chest. Still, she held on to one small hope.
'Please… just not us.'
"I will now combine the results from the first and second rounds. The group with the lowest total score will face elimination."
"Minor A team has 188 votes. Minor B team has 199 votes."
JYP lifted his gaze to Minor A. "Minor A team has the lowest score."
The air turned heavy.
"I will now announce the person who will be eliminated today…" JYP took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly. He really didn't want this person to be eliminated, but…
"Minyoung."
Minyoung felt like her world was crumbling. She couldn't believe it.
Did she really just hear her name?
"…m-me?"
She asked unconsciously, in disbelief. The word came out weak, almost like she didn't mean to say it
"I'm sorry, Minyoung… I had high expectations for you. But some parts of your singing were unstable. And when you danced… it felt like you were on your own. This is a team performance—you have to move with everyone."
Minyoung bowed her head, covering her eyes with her hands. She didn't want anyone to pity her. She didn't want to see them.
"I said this mission was about passion… but yours came across the least."
'Please… stop.'
"You have talent. But you need to improve faster. Time won't wait."
'Please...just stop.'
She didn't want to hear his explanations. She didn't want to hear his lectures.
Why?
Why her?
Is she really not good enough?
Is it because she's not as pretty as the others?
The questions kept piling up, louder and louder in her head as tears fell. Her chest felt tight...too tight, filled with something she couldn't even put into words.
It felt so unfair.
She was supposed to debut.
Everything had already been planned—with Nayeon, Jihyo, and Sana. Their group even had a name: 6mix.
So why… is she the one being eliminated now?
She couldn't accept it.
She refused to believe she was less talented than Mina or Natty.
'Why does it have to be her?'
_____
Hello everyone, sorry for the late update. I'm not sure why I had such a hard time writing this chapter. It was supposed to be finished on March 30, but I wasn't satisfied with it, so I ended up rewriting it three times, which caused the delay.
Honestly, I'm still not completely satisfied with this chapter either. I keep feeling like something is missing, but I can't quite figure out what it is. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about it right now since my schedule is really tight.🥲
I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway💙.