I wiped away the sweat coating my palms on the sides of my pink A-line skirt. My fingers were twitching, and I really needed to get a grip. Soon it would be my turn to show the judges and my fellow trainees my capabilities.

The room was stacked with powerhouses. A few of them have already debuted, and I recognized some from my own company and others from more renowned ones. 

Beom Giovanna had opened the competition with a fierce rap performance only she could deliver with that much sass. Her long black hair was styled for the day in a wavy waterfall of beach curls. The satiny black training pants, combined with a satiny black crop top, made her abs stand out and show off her fantastic physique.

I could only hope to show an ounce of her confidence when it was my turn. Yet, I already knew it would be impossible for me to shake away these nervous feelings. Especially since Gio raised the bar from the get-go and every trainee that followed, male or female, had been intimidated. She had, after all, won Rap Battle Star two years ago, having that experience of a reality competition making it even easier for her.

I guess she found out the solo life was not for her, and that's why she must be back to join a group.

The biggest shock was seeing Lux walk through the illuminated dome. She had been announced last, right after another big surprise had hit us with the appearance of Pentagon's Hui.

The last thing I heard about her case was that she won the lawsuit and could perform again. If I had been her, I wouldn't want anything to do with the industry ever again, but I guess I wasn't Lux and shouldn't be assuming things.

Somebody startled me out of my thoughts as a hand found my shoulder, tapping me softly.

"I think you are next," the boy said. A soft smile found his lips as she saw he had startled me. With trembling eyes, I gave him a short nod.

"Don't worry," he added. "I'm nervous too! Everyone is."

"Yeah, I don't think Gio was nervous and the girl talking to the judges now isn't either," I pointed at the beautiful girl standing in front of the judges' desks. She was wearing a red dress and soft make-up. She was so beautiful she didn't need any of it to stand out.

"Don't you know who that is?" another boy listening to our conversation said. I had noticed he was tall. His knees had touched mine briefly earlier because the seats were actually too small for him. It was now I noticed he was actually cute too. And he smelled like fresh linen and pinewoods.

We were all seated in boy–girl pairings, and this one on my right was my official boy counterpart for the day. I guess this was the concept they were going for. "That's Park Allison, the youngest Miss Korea ever," he continued.

Oh, right, I did know her. I think I even follow her on Instagram. That explains the ethereal looks. It was like looking at a mirage.

"I'm Han Yujin, by the way." My counterpart said, waiting for me to reply. When I didn't, I said, "Oh, sorry, My name is Song Choonhae. Nice to meet you!"

The other boy laughed and added, "She's really nervous!"

I gave that one an apologetic look.

"I'm Seok Matthew. Nice to meet you, Choonhae."

Right at that second, the female producer with a red bowl cut to the left of our seats, nodded at me to come over and prepare for my solo performance.

With shaking knees, I rose and left the seats for a quick make-up check backstage.

I wasn't sure how to survive this, but I needed to find a way.