Chaeyoung's heart sank the moment she heard her groups line-up.
The lineup was weak when it came to vocals, something none of them could really cover.
She was a rapper, Momo was a dancer, and while Tzuyu could sing, her voice still wasn't stable enough. High notes were out of reach for all three of them.
But then JYP continued, and the three of them couldn't help but sigh in relief.
They can choose one major to join their group. Of course they won't missed the opportunity to choose a vocalist that can cover their flow and balance their team.
The three of them glanced toward the Major side, eyes lingering on the silhouettes of Llana, Jihyo, and Somi. Each radiated presence, enough to tip the balance of the upcoming performance.
JYP gave them a few moments to talk among themselves before asking for a decision, so the three of them didn't waste a second.
Chaeyoung leaned in, her voice low but serious. "Right now, what we need is a main vocal. That's our weak spot. Jihyo-unnie, Somi, and Llana are all strong, but our best bets are Jihyo-unnie or Llana. Somi's stable, but we need someone who can really carry the song if it gets tough."
Momo bit her lip, twisting her hands nervously. "Llana has the best vocal. She can handle any song, she can compose, and she's the most popular. But we haven't seen everything she can do, we don't even know if she can dance. Picking her is a huge gamble."
Chaeyoung nodded thoughtfully. "Jihyo-unnie is safer. Her vocals are steady, her dance is solid. If we want to play it safe, she's the one."
"…If we pick wrong," Momo muttered, barely audible, "we're done."
Tzuyu stayed quiet, letting the two discussed. Her eyes were calm, unreadable, silently watching the Majors without judgment.
After a tense pause, the decision was made.
Chaeyoung drew in a sharp breath as she looked up at the Major group, voice steady, carrying all the gravity of their choice.
"…We choose...." she paused, letting the words hang.
Her eyes locked on Jihyo.
Jihyo's throat tightened.
She swallowed hard and muttered under her breath, "Oh no… not me."
If this wasn't a competition, she might have felt flattered. But she had just returned to the Major side and hadn't even had time to settle in. Being sent down to the Minors again, Right after moving up was enough to make anyone's blood boil.
Then Chaeyoung finished, voice ringing clearly.
"Llana."
The room shifted. Llana froze, surprise flashing across her face. She had expected them to choose Jihyo, the safer, more predictable choice. She hadn't expected them to gamble on her instead.
"Llana, please come out and join your new team at the center," JYP announced.
Llana nodded, walking toward them. Chaeyoung offered a peace sign; Llana only sighed quietly.
She failed the task, no new system function this time.
"Why did you choose Llana?" JYP asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
Chaeyoung laughed nervously. "Well… actually, we really wanted to choose Jihyo-unnie because she's the safest option. But Llana always surprises everyone in her performances. She's… enigmatic. Picking her is risky, sure, but bigger risk, bigger reward."
The three smiled at each other, a mix of pride and nervousness.
JYP added, "And remember, the higher you climb, the harder the fall."
JYP turned his gaze to Llana. "And you? What can you say about that?"
Llana blinked, speechless. Thank them? Thank them for bringing her down to Minor? Her thoughts tumbled over themselves.
"…Thank you?" she finally said, unsure.
The room erupted in laughter at her awkwardness.
"Llana, welcome~!" Dahyun shouted from the Minor side, delight in her voice, echoed by the others. They had all wanted her there—she was the strongest presence in the Major team, and everyone was excited to see her join them.
JYP chuckled at Llana's reluctant expression and decided to clear things up. "Relax. You're just joining them, you're not moving to Minor. If your team wins, everyone goes to Major. If your team loses, the three of you stay Minor," he explained to Chaeyoung, Momo, and Tzuyu. "Llana stays in Major."
Llana exhaled, relief washing over her. The weight pressing on her chest lifted.
The three minors nodded, relief flooding them as well. Now they didn't have to feel guilty for "dragging" Llana down.
"The remaining Majors will form the second Major group," JYP announced.
"Are you okay with that?" he asked, glancing toward Jihyo, Somi, and Natty.
"Ne."
They all nodded. The three of them were already strong and unique in their own ways, and they felt satisfied with their group—even if it only had three members.
"The last group from the Minor side is Sana, Minyoung, Jiwon, and Dahyun."
"Ne."
They all nodded in acknowledgment, but a quiet disappointment settled in Sana's chest. In her eyes, the lineup felt like the weakest one. They had two strong vocals, and Dahyun could handle rap, but compared to the other teams, they lacked standout dancers.
What made it worse was the unfamiliarity.
Sana had never really worked closely with any of them before, and the realization made the air between them feel slightly awkward, as if none of them quite knew where to start.
_____
The recording had already wrapped up, staff moving around to pack equipment and guide the trainees out.
Llana was about to leave when a PD approached her.
"Llana-ssi, can I ask you something?" he said.
"Yes?" She stopped.
"For the next challenge," the PD continued, "are you planning to use an original song? Your own?"
Llana nodded. "Yes."
She was really planning to use a song from the system.
"Alright," he said, making a quick note.
"Since the next episode will be a live performance with an audience, we won't be able to edit or cut the song like we do for broadcast episodes. Because of that, we'll need to clear and register the song for copyright before the performance."
"I understand,"
"It's an unreleased track, so we need to make sure it's properly protected," he added. "As for your other songs, those can be handled later once your schedule is less tight."
Llana nodded.
"The company will coordinate with you regarding the paperwork," the PD said. "Someone from the legal team will reach out."
"Ne, Kamsahamnida," Llana replied, bowing politely.
The PD gave her a brief nod and walked off to rejoin the staff. Llana picked up her things and followed the others out.
Looks like I'll be alone again, Llana thought as she walked out of the studio.
Her friends were all in the Minor group now, leaving her on her own.
"You're here."
The soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Llana looked up to see Mina leaning against the wall near the exit.
"Mina-unnie? Were you waiting for me?" she asked, surprise clear in her voice.
"Nae. You looked like you didn't have anyone to walk out with, so I decided to wait," Mina said gently, meeting her eyes.
"Oh—thank you, Mina-unnie. I hope I didn't make you wait too long," Llana said with a small smile, warmth spreading through her chest..
"Anni~ I only waited three minutes," Mina laughed softly. "The others are already on the van. Let's go."
"Ne," Llana replied, nodding as she followed her.