â MGA5 EPISODE TWO ; JULY 4
#5008 HA SUNGWOON ; skills performance ( singer )
performance: sorry (ęł ë°ą) by yang dail (ěë¤ěź) ( 1:10 - 2:10, 2:20 - 3:15 )
perhaps one of the only perks of being a ha in this competition is that sungwoonâs survival is confirmed fairly early on. exhaling, he stumbles over a breath he didnât realize he was holding and sags against kenta in relief, his fingers automatically scrambling to grip someoneâs hand but finding purchase only in the fabric of kentaâs shirt. palms slick with sweat, he can only offer kenta a silent promise to take care of his laundry later while holding on for dear life.
sungwoon closes his eyes and waits until minhyunâs name is called, then danielâs, then woojinâs and even kentaâs before his face splits into a wide grin. is he allowed to feel relieved that he still has a future on this show? that they call do? that empty enigma survived the proverbial axe-blow? letting out a triumphant whoop, he tries to drape his arms over as many of their shoulders as he can (which is not many, admittedly, but he makes the attempt) and pulls them close. âweâre through!â
he doesnât know if itâs fate or the universe or just the force of their skill that ensured their survival, but heâs grateful they can continue on this journey together for a little longer. he feels like heâs getting greedier with each hurdle they crossâlet them get through just this round, just next week, just till the end of the showâbut sungwoon has never fully learned to curb his ambitions. with each victory, he allows himself to dream a little bigger and bolder, envisioning a future in which all of empty enigmaâ
win? but they canât. last year had two winners, which seemed like enough of a stretch. at the end of the day, this is a competition, and his beloved friends are his rivals. as if to drive the point home, the next challenge is one of skills: contestants are grouped together by their main talent, with eliminations slated to take place at the end. naturally, singers make up the largest category, with dancers following after, then rappers. conversely, this means the largest number of people eliminated will come from the singers, and sungwoon is not cocky enough in his own abilities to believe he doesnât have to worry about his own position.
minhyun and daniel are singers too, and while sungwoon is grudgingly impressed by minhyunâs skills, he canât say the same for daniel. as much as he loves daniel as a performer, sungwoon is aware just about everyone else in their group is a better singer than him. he can name five or six more skilled than himself, and he feels⌠dread settle in his stomach at the thought of daniel ending up near the bottom of the list. at the thought of, perhaps, him or minhyun making it through without daniel. sungwoon is less worried about woojin and kenta; woojin has an amazing talent for dance, and kenta⌠he believes in kenta with his whole heart and prays itâll be enough.
he doesnât want to compete against empty enigma yet, not one-on-one in such a cutthroat atmosphere, but part of sungwoon wants to embrace the challenge head-on; it was the skills performance which sent him home last time, when heâd been assigned to dance when all he wanted was to sing. this is his chance at redemption, and yet⌠he casts his gaze over his friends, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. not at their expense.
âiâm switching to rap,â sungwoon announces, climbing to his feet. itâs a snap decision, more of a joke than anything else, but in his heart of hearts, he wishes he could just so he wouldnât have to compete against his friends. the rap category is the only one an empty enigma member doesnât already have a claim to. one of the people sitting around them snarkily asks if he can even rap, and since sungwoon is committed, he asks someone to drop a beat for him. he does a small lap while pumping up the crowd before launching into an ill-thought out, terrible, no-good freestyle.
my name is ha sungwoon
i never sing out of tune
you will cheer for me soon
and then iâll fly off to the moon
by the end of it, those who arenât laughing are looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. âitâs just a joke, guys. donât worry,â he says reassuringly. âtrc wonât be picking me up any time soon.â sungwoon only intended for his performance to ease some of the tension around them, but then daniel announces heâs actually switching to rap. and all sungwoon can really think is, why, because he knows daniel has some experience with the skill, though surely not enough to be confident in for this stage of the competition? but daniel reminds sungwoon of the last time it was only his voice up on that stage, and sungwoonâs expression immediately clears in understanding. âyou know what youâre doing,â he says, giving danielâs shoulder a squeeze.
he still has some reservations, but sungwoon trusts daniel; only he knows whatâs best for himself. besides, sungwoon has enough to worry about on his own.
this is where it all becomes real.
-
sitting through the first episode is excruciating, mostly because sungwoon cringes every time his face pops up on screen. of course they highlighted his height again, and of course his little stumble with his keyboard aired. he supposes he shouldnât complain; his edit wasnât malicious. mnet can (and has) done worse. at the end of it, heâs exhausted all over again, but it does give him more of an idea who to watch forâand who to worry about. keep your rivals close, as they say. or at the very least, stay informed. sungwoon refuses to be caught off guard.
his phone blows up with messages after the episodeâmost a variation of jokes on his height again (hyung, you grew .5 cm? ă
ă
ă
) or expressing shock over the fact that heâs in a band (empty enigma?? lol what kind of a name is that?). his sister calls to profess her love for minhyun and sungwoon yells NO ANYONE BUT HIM (and variations thereof) into his phone for a solid eight minutes before she sighs and tells him the heart wants what the heart wants.
one of his friends just sends him a quote: âthe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different resultâ. sungwoon is confused and annoyed enough to call him immediately and ask what the fuck heâs on about. âdo you really think anything will change this year?â his friend asks. âshit, dude, youâre doing this hellish show again and for what?â
âall of empty enigma is on it this time,â sungwoon says, throat dry. âiâm doing this for them. us. itâs notââ
his friend is quiet or a long time. âitâs okay to say you want it too, you know? you donât always have to hide behind other people. itâs alright to admit you just wantâto win, or to get a contract. whatever.â when sungwoon doesnât answer, he sighs. âgood luck, though. hope it works out.â the distinct click of the call ending fills his ear, but sungwoon doesnât move for a long time.
he hasnâtâwell. he hasnât thought about winning in those terms. with four other peoplesâ survival hanging on the line, sungwoon doesnât have the luxury to entertain thoughts of winning. his natural competitive edge wants to accept nothing less, but winning (or even placing high enough to receive something) comes with caveats he canât afford to think about yet. empty enigma is a unit, or have been operating as one so far, but as this stage (and every stage from now on) has been driving home, they canât be one forever. sooner or later, theyâll be pulled apart. sooner or later, one of them wonât make it through. and that day could come as quickly as thursday.
a full body shudder runs through him at the thought. not yet, sungwoon thinks desperately. heâs playing with fire by making so many demands of the universe, but what else does he have? not yet. weâve got a ways to go before iâm ready to say goodbye.
-
woojin and kenta are often absent during the week, busy preparing for their performances elsewhere. it makes sense; as dancers, they need a different kind of environment to practice in. thankfully, the acoustics arenât bad in their sharehouse, so sungwoon and minhyun can more or less manage here. daniel comes over during the week to hang out, though heâs secretive about his own performance. sungwoon guesses he wants to keep it a secret (daniel seems to be writing his own rap) so he tries not to pry too much. the curiosity really is killing him, however, along with the anxiety. but the snippets he manages to catch arenât that bad, and they go a long way in smoothing over some of his worries.
his own performance is, in some ways, equally as complicated to settle on as the previous round. sungwoon hoped it would get easier, but his tendency to overthink always comes back to bite him in the ass. this time is no different. after two rounds of songs in english, he knows he wants to sing something in korean, but the question still remains: what, exactly, is fitting for a performance of skill?
sungwoonâs mind wanders to their album tracklist again, or any of the songs buried in his laptopâthe ugly children that didnât quite make the cut. he wants to sing his own music up on the stage. he didnât realize how strong the desire was until he heard daniel perform his own song last round, and then joohyun sing for empty enigma. he too wants to stand up there and say, this is something i created. this is my work. this is something only i can sing.
as always, he calls his sister for advice. sunyoung is opinionated and drawn in easily by a pretty face, but she knows how survival shows work and is surprisingly shrewd for a thirteen year old with no musical talent whatsoever. sungwoon trusts her opinions. but once he tells her heâs considering singing an empty enigma song, itâs her turn to drown his eardrums out with a shrill NO! âoppa! your image!â when sungwoon doesnât get it, she explains long-sufferingly, as if it should be obvious, âyou just revealed youâre in some super weird band! you canât get up on stage and sing your angry music. youâre going to alienate people.â
âsince when were you using big words?â she may have a point. âbut thatâs my music, you know? i⌠we all worked hard on it, and i want toââ
âmom and dad watched episode one,â sunyoung cuts in, and for a split second, sungwoon seesâred and blue and pitch black in a sequence, his breath catching in his chest. this has to be a fucking joke, but sunyoung has never sounded so serious and solemn in her life. âthey didnât recognize you till your dumb introduction, but they definitely saw you after that. they were paying attention and⌠i donât think they were...â she doesnât say it. happy. of course they werenât happy. sungwoon wants to laugh. like he cares.
âyou expect me to give a shit about what they think?â and once again, sunyoung doesnât say what they both know. he does. after everything, after all their crap, the little boy inside him cares, craves their approval, wants to still make them proud. the pragmatist in him knows that time is long past; his parents would be horrified to learn of what heâs done, what he dreams of doing, who he lovesâhis angry music might be the least of it. and yet so much of who he is in empty enigma is their doing. the long-simmering rage he holds inside his chest is for them. they should know.
âno angry metal songs, please,â sunyoung repeats, her voice small. âtheyâre going to watch episode two with me.â her tone turns pleading. âjust sing something nice, oppa.â
âfine,â he says, and his sister heaves a sigh of relief. the blood still roars in his ears, drum beats in his mind gearing him up for war. but sunyoung is not an enemy, not an opponent, not a rival. sheâs a teenager caught in a difficult place, and some days sungwoon wishes this wasnât her burden to bear. that she didnât have to play middle-man like this. none of this is her fault, he reminds himself, rubbing his temples. âiâm sorry,â sungwoon adds a moment later. a poor substitute for a hug or anything remotely brotherly, but itâs all he has to give.
âtalk to you later?â she phrases it as a question as always, accepting the apology with more grace than sungwoon could ever possess. he says yeah before hanging up and throwing his phone onto his bed. he wants to believe this is all a sick joke, but it was naive of him to think he could somehow skate through another year of the mgas without his parents finding out he was on the show. sunyoung did inform him they were keeping a closer eye on her after last semesterâs grades, and thereâs no way she was going to miss the mgas for anything.
it would be easier if sungwoon knew why they wanted to watch him. they havenât cared about anything heâs done for a long time. they havenât cared about him in general, not once they pawned him off on his grandparents. it took sungwoon a long time to come to terms with that fact, and heâs not going to pretend it was easy. neither is he going to pretend that coming to terms with it means forgiveness or letting go or any of that feel-good bullshit. what he feels is closer to resignation, a dull acceptance of the status quo and his role as the unwanted child.
maybe itâs as simple as them wanting to make sure sungwoon doesnât embarrass them. keep up appearances and everything. he wonders what they tell people heâs doing, if they mention him at all. he imagines itâd go something like âmy son goes to snu! heâs pre-med!â because they always hoped heâd become a doctor. or heâs being too charitable in assuming they even tell people they have a son. that sounds about right. either way, heâs not pre-medâheâs a singer! surprise and sorry for bringing shame to the family and all that. he dares them to chastise him either way. dares them to say anything, knowing they wonât.
if it werenât for sunyoungâs request, he wouldâve said fuck it and sung one of the extreme songs heâs written about his parents over the years, consequences be damned. it might be his only chance to make them listen to him. theyâve never had a good track record with that. sungwoon remembers being five years old and clinging to his momâs skirt, begging her not to leave him behind only to be met by a blank stare. or being eight and waiting next to the phone on his birthday for his parents to call (they donât). or even to be nineteen, wrapped in his own grief and coming face to face with strangers who are supposed to be his parents and findingâno recognition, no sympathy. he stopped trying after that, figuring it was no use. and he sang, because he couldnât do anything else, praying one day theyâd listen.
god. his unfulfilled hopes stack up one by one, and heâs surprised to find they still hurt when what sungwoon wants is to feel nothing at all. âguess that takes find yourself out of the running,â sungwoon says out loud. it isnât funny.
after spending the rest of the day in bed rebuffing any concerned inquiries by his housemates, sungwoon throws himself into preparations with renewed vigor. sunyoung asked him to just sing something nice? he can do that. it only takes a quick search to land on a fitting song. a ballad, of all things, but one he thinks can showcase the strength and beauty of his voice. itâs a risk, in a way. the real challenge of this stage is to captivate the judges, to deliver a performance worth remembering.
the temptation to resort to a flashy stage or a gimmick is strong; after all, theyâre competing against forty nine other people all hand-selected by the judges as worthy contestants. you need to stand out somehow. sungwoon can already imagine the influx of remixed songs and girl group choreographies, the original songs meant to impress even though theyâre unfamiliar. desperation mixed with a desire to win means the performances will be⌠interesting.
but sungwoon is not a gimmick and doesnât want the world to see him as one. he canât pull out a metal song and hope itâll work out, all for maybe a minute of screentime. the balladâjust sungwoon and his voice up on that stage with no instrument to hide behindâis the perfect way to make this all about the singing, the way heâd wanted it to be last year during the skills stage. no fancy tricks, no showing off on the keyboard, nothing else. the lone spotlight on himself stripped down to his bare minimum should scare him, but all he feels is anticipation. itâs finally time to be heard.
(the bitter part of him wants to say, look, mom and dad! at least a ballad singer is presentable, right?)
practice keeps his mind off the mess that is his life. heâs grateful for it keeping him occupied through the lonely hours. sungwoon sings himself hoarse, then spends hours nursing his throat back, reminding himself he has better technique than this. he knows heâs pushing it too far this time, but itâs do or die. with just his voice highlighted, he canât afford to make any mistakes. no going off tune, no voice cracks, absolutely no observable strain. when he begins feeling restless, he practices in the mirror to make sure he doesnât grimace or look ugly while hitting the high notes.
sungwoon feels something akin to ready by the time thursday rolls around, if not fully confident he could sing this song perfectly in his sleep. he just hopes everything will go off without a hitch during the actual stage. everyone will be watching, he thinks before bed. and damn if that doesnât fuel his desire to give the best performance possible.
-
when they arrive at the venue on thursday, sungwoon is momentarily taken aback at the sight of the reduced chairs. last weekâs elimination didnât feel like much, but looking at the stage now drives home just how big of cut the judges made last week. he wonders if this week is going to see their numbers halved as well. twenty five sounds too low for this early in the competition, but with all the changes, sungwoon canât predict anything either way. he has no idea what to expect.
what he does know is that he does not want to be sitting in the same place as last time; the row behind them was emanating hostile intent, while the one in front had dumbass energy. neither are vibes sungwoon wants to be surrounded with at the moment, not during this round, and heâs glad daniel seems to feel the same. after exchanging a look, daniel directs them to sit across the room and sungwoon happily follows, already feeling lighter than last week. daniel (rather forcefully) tells him heâs sitting next to him this week, and sungwoon holds back a laugh. âyou want to hold my hand that badly?â he asks teasingly, but with real warmth as he thinks, i do too.
of course, the peace is shattered when kenta waves over their loud seatmates from last time. sungwoon considers getting up and moving in a game of impromptu musical chairs, but danielâs hand on his arms roots him in place. maybe it wouldnât be fair to abandon daniel to thisâor maybe sungwoon is just easy when it comes to him. regardless, he sighs and covers danielâs hand with his own before settling back into his seat. âthe things i do forââ oh, cameras. remembering them a moment too late, sungwoon presses his lips together and shakes his head. not love, not out loud.
thankfully, the performances begin sooner this time, though itâs a double edged sword. with the singers performing first, sungwoonâs name is called all too soon. he doesnât have much to measure himself against, no room to adjust his performance accordingly based on what heâs seen so far. that might end up being a good thing, but for now, he feels the tiniest bit nervous as he approaches the stage. will he be good enough? no, he thinks. fuck that. he is good enough to stand here among this group of talented individuals. heâs not doubting himself.
he bows once heâs on stage, mic in hand. âhello! this is the still-growing sprout ha sungwoon!â his introduction is cheerful and a little cheeky; he is a good few centimetres taller thanks to his insoles, but no one has to really know that. âiâll be singing sorry by yang dail today. i hope you enjoy my performance.â maybe he shouldâve made a joke about how itâs no toxic and he hopes it wonât put people to sleep, but if heâs doing his job right, it shouldnât.
taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes as the first notes of the music wash over him. itâs a pretty balladâbut not a love song, which feels strange to sing after two rounds of the same thing. sungwoon is better at embracing heartbreak, however; itâs been a constant companion in his life and hasnât fully left him even now. he channels that heartache, the weariness into his tone during the first verse.
your cold face
our fights that come all the time
all the scars that were sent and received
sometimes, we feel bad
and it builds up for a while
so now none of you
remains in me
it feels strange to do this without playing an instrument, but this is what sungwoon wants. his voice and his voice along. beginning gentler than he normally would, he keeps his voice smooth throughout the verse, lingering on notes where required. the song tells a story of a love crumbling apart, but sungwoon thinks in that moment of his parentsâthe scars sent and received, the guilt he still feels in his weakest moments for his own emotions. now none of you remains in me, he thinks, eyes fluttering open at the line. he wishes that were true. maybe it can be. heâs certainly all himself, with nothing of his parents in him.
i know it canât be helped
but i donât want to let you go
but when i call your name
i donât feel anything
iâm just here
the chorus builds and sungwoon rises with it, his clear voice growing louder and more powerful before easing back into something softer and fragile. he finds it surprisingly easy to shed his personas from the first and second stages in this competition to emerge onstage as a versatile vocalist who lays it all up here. bares it all, because he sings every song like itâs his own, like the lyrics belong to him. he doesnât have to sing his own music to connect and to make other people feel it too. he doesnât need his crutchesâhis instrumentsâor even squall to feel like heâs soaring, to feel like heâs doing something worth doing. and he doesnât need anyoneâs approval to be here.
sungwoon hopes his parents are listening, not for their sake or even his own; he just wants them to get the message. this is him, this is what he can do, and here is what he thinks of their interest and their disapproval and their olive branches: i donât feel anything. whatever hopes heâs secret held ontoâhe lets go. the final lines of the chorus are a soft admission, equal parts resignation and acceptance, and in the pause between them and the bridge, he looks at the judges without seeing them at all. maybe heâs not singing for them in this moment but himself. still, the corners of his mouth lift slightly as he makes eye contact with katie lee before turning away.
i used to draw you out every day
now i canât
i donât want you anymore
the bridge reminds him of climbing a staircase; as the music swells, so does sungwoonâs voice, his head tipping back as he pulls the microphone away from his mouth by the slightest amount. he doesnât want his words to get muffled or slurred, and thankfully, his pronunciation remains clear as he sings. instead of embracing anger, he sings the song like a goodbye, a farewell with years and yearsâ worth of sentiment behind it. kinder than his parents deserve, maybe, but sungwoon is tired of it all and thinks he could, for once, afford to be kind. with the final line, he transitions easily into the vocalization and thinks, this is the end.
the end canât be helped
but youâre trying not to let go
but even that is meaningless to me
here is where he unleashes his voice fully, emotion mixing with power and control to deliver an impactful chorus. the high note comes easily, and sungwoon holds it with little effort. he feels his voice come from deep inside, bursting out of him with a force that surprises even sungwoon. but he can do this much. he can show this much if he wants to get any further. as sungwoon sings the final lines of the song, he feels none of the triumph of last weekâthis is a denouement and the soft epilogue, the vulnerable action of saying, iâve done enough and now iâm spent. he is spent. heâs said all he needs to.
feels like something iâve procrastinated
now i think i should tell you
he stays on stage for a few seconds following the end of the song, waiting for the music to fade away. sinking into another bow once heâs done, sungwoon gives the judges a smile before returning to his seat. he feels lighter, like he left the weight, the pain, the sadness all on stage. unlike his empty engima performances, he doesnât carry any of the emotions off with him to brood on later. heâsâfree. buoyant for once in his life, sungwoon nearly skips back to where empty enigma sitâonly to realize how bad of an idea it is when he suffers a slight shoe malfunction. also known as: the slow-motion horror movie moment when his shoes fall off and his insolesâ
sungwoon scoops them up and hugs them to his chest as he sits down, noticeably shorter. kenta doesnât let it go without a comment, and sungwoon bristles because he doesnât need this from his fellow shortie, of all people! âyou canât judge me for this,â he huffs. âyou know what itâs like.â heâs pretty sure kenta is also wearing considerable insoles. maybe not as much as sungwoon, but then again, heâs also not sandwiched between the freakishly large daniel and minhyun. âexpose your shoe lifts right now,â sungwoon continues. this is a matter of pride. but kenta protests even as sungwoon says, âtake off your shoes if you have nothing to hide!â
and kenta, being kenta, says something extremely weird which has sungwoon wanting to rub his temples. âyou donât put⌠you donât put makeup on your feet?â theyâre feet. which is, admittedly, a very strange hill to die on, so he accepts kentaâs explanation without comment because he wants this to end. after fixing his own shoes, sungwoon straightens up and thinks about asking kenta to elaborate on his point when daniel squeezes his hand, a soft you did well bringing a smile to sungwoonâs face. daniel pulls away too soon, but sungwoon doesnât chase his warmth, not willing to ask for more than he can give right now. heâs lucky he gets this much.
sungwoon endeavors to pay attention to as many of the other performances as he can, but his attention starts to wander near the end. though he tries to keep his muttered asides and bad jokes to a minimum, it feels natural to share them with daniel, like theyâre back in 2018, being⌠well, dumb and happy. god, he loves it.
when the performances switch over to the dancers, with joohyun leading the group, he grows more alertâenough to see her stumble even with his untrained eye. wincing, he turns to daniel on instinct; seeing wrestle with indecision, sungwoon touches his arm, his voice dropping low. âgo see if sheâs okay.â and daniel bolts. maybe some other day heâd feel something. even a week ago, he wouldâve felt something. but none of that is joohyunâs fault, and sungwoonâwants her to be okay as well. so he swallows whatever else he couldâve said and waits for daniel to return.
his attention is split until woojin takes the stage, and once again sungwoon is awestruck by how powerful and precise each of his movements are. kenta follows shortly after, putting on a cute performance that has sungwoon grinning and cheering the whole time, even if he and kenta did beef earlier (for like five minutes, over something very stupid. itâs how they roll). once the dancers are done, the rappers begin taking the stage one by one. at some point, sungwoon realizes daniel is holding his hand again. itâs probably the nerves coming through, and hell, sungwoon is nervous too. he doesnât know what to expect, but daniel has never had a bad performance, soâ
âgo kill it,â he tells him seriously, before daniel has to take this stage. and because itâs daniel, he does light the stage on fire with his self-written rap. itâs a lot better than sungwoon ever expected; once he picks his jaw up off the floor, heâs cheering along, playing the hype man for daniel. every single line packs a harder punch than before, and by the time daniel is done, sungwoon is pumped, and all he can see is daniel. the proud smile on his face doesnât slip as daniel returns to his seat. âso,â he says. âthat was a lot better than my freestyle.â but heâs joking and lacking the words to tell daniel just how much he loved the performance and hopes his excitement says enough.
once the rappers are done, sungwoon runs his eyes over the fifty left, all of them having given it their best up on that stage. thereâs no way all fifty of them can move on even if they all deserve to, but he hopes that empty enigma are some of the lucky ones. they have been so far, right?
weâve got a ways to go yet.
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Hello, my dear readers!Â
So, Iâve been a little missing in action this week, havenât I? Well, I canât say much on the topic without losing my job... Letâs just say, there may or may not be a debut in the works for a few of the kids at the company I work for. This means Iâm spread out fairly thin and working at weird hours of the night on minimal sleep, so please be patient with me as I try and balance my job and this blog!
Enough about me. Itâs been almost a week since the MGAâs episode four, and boy do I have some things to say.
Letâs start with Team A as usual. I had mixed feelings about this team, mostly because Iâve never tried to hide my disliking of a certain member here. While he turned me off of the group, I still do especially enjoy the rest of the members! In the last episode, we really got to see Jinhee shine as a dancer and leader, but with this performance, I realized that her vocal ability is really average⌠I guess itâs okay because sheâs such an extraordinary dancer. I was shocked with her wig though; was she trying to be Hannah Montana or something? It was kind of lame. If youâre going to go for pink hair, commit to it like Junmyeon and Jonghyun did instead of doing some odd wig show. Iâll be honest, a lot of this team didnât leave an impression on me, which is sad because last week I mentioned how amazed I was by Jeno and Hyunjinâs dancing. There was nothing special about the choreography. I have to say though, Hyunjin articulates very maturely for such a young kid. His speech inspired me, and if he were to grow older and join an idol group, thatâs some leader-worthy pep talks right there. He also pulled off a tough rap decently, so I think I like this kid. I was relieved when Jeno was eliminated rather than him (sorry, Lee Jeno!) I thought Jonghyun should have been the one to go home instead, but Iâm not exactly going to she tears over the decision.
Team B was⌠such a mess. While Guanlin was cute with his heavy accent, he impressed me with how much his pronunciation while rapping had improved. It wasnât perfect, but it was certainly better than before (and maybe even better than my Korean had been within the first few months of moving here).  Kim Bora really deserved the leader title here, and I hate this whole âleaders canât be repeatedâ because obviously, if you appoint someone whoâs unfit to lead, your team is screwed. God, my blood has never boiled more than when I saw Junhoeâs attitude. Being a group leader is no joke, but he treated it as if it didnât matter? I wanted to slap him and send him off the show. When youâre an idol, you canât act like that, especially in the public eye. Thereâs a fine line between being mysterious and being a dick, and he crossed that by miles. Iâm happy Bora whipped him into shape, but even then, to me it felt like he was trying to have all the spotlight. Besides that, I felt bad for Donghyun and I hope his foot is okay. He really canât dance though, so thank God they did an easier choreography (yet he still managed to mess that up but whatever). Oh, I almost forgot to mention Wonwoo LOL! Seriously, he got no screen time and he has negative stage presence, so can you blame me? I was hoping for him to get eliminated this week, but then this team ranked 3rd⌠I was disappointed. I donât think that weak performance deserved to rank that high. The song choice was fun though.
Team C⌠Okay, this is going to sound real bitchy, but like, has anyone else noticed how weirdly Yoongi talks? It stuns me every time, and I know itâs not his fault, but sometimes I just want to plug my ears when he opens his mouth. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see him evolve from an awkward guy begging Hyuna for help, to a proper leader. Though, she carried him through it like a baby, but still, he was standing on his own two legs by the end. Speaking of Hyuna, can she just stick to rapping instead of mediocre singing? I know people were freaking out about it but sheâs really just⌠LOL. Iâm really glad Minhyung got eliminated this week. Compared to the rest of his team, heâs so lacking, and I hate using age as an excuse, but he was too young and immature to be in the competition. There are others around the same age, but they have mental maturity, whereas this kid runs out when he gets frustrated? He would never last long in the industry with that mindset. I hope he fixes that before trying again. Other than that, you know I just have to comment on Kim Doyeon. She looks like a natural on stage, and she really has it all: a pretty face, perfect proportions, charisma, vocal ability, and sheâs a good dancer. Share that, please, Doyeon? As for Moon Bin, I think he deserved more screen time. Maybe heâs just boring, I donât know, but I was sad. He has a lovely voice and stage presence. MNET, do the kid some justice!
You guys probably know that one of my least favourite contestants was in Team D. Yes, Iâm talking about Minatozaki Sana, and this episode really didnât give her a redemption arc in my heart. She still has an attitude about losing out to someone else on her team and doesnât even try to hide it. It just makes the whole team atmosphere feel awkward when she sulks, and it made me uncomfortable to watch. Even when Haknyeon tried to cheer up (so sweet, by the way, and was he flirting a little or am I imagining things?) she was so⌠I donât want to dislike her. Sana is a good dancer, but she just feels really fake and bratty. Pfft, and MNET tried to edit Yerim to have that personality but they edit Sana so you feel bad for her. I wonât be fooled though. This team also had another case of poor leadership. Jungkook had the title, but he treated it exactly like thatâas if it was only a title and didnât hold any responsibility. Iâm pretty sure I said this last time, too, but he has no stage presence whatsoever! As a dancer, thatâs so vital, and itâs probably the biggest flaw to have. I wasnât surprised to see him eliminated. Oh, and Choi Youngjae⌠Heâs such a good vocalist, but he canât dance, so I wonder why the team chose such a dance-centered song. On a happier note, Longguoâs cat is so cute. Him and Haknyeon being cat ladies made me smile because itâs so relatable and their friendship is adorable. I really like Joo Haknyeon. Heâs a flower, quite fitting with the concept. Not only was he a sweetheart to every contestant on the team, but he also gave his best. Even though his nose bled, he kept practicing by himself to make sure his performance was perfect. Iâm amazed.
I donât really have much to say about Team E. They barely had any screen time. There wasnât anything memorable from these participants (whether scandalous or not), despite the fact that they chose such a powerful song. Maybe thatâs where they went wrong. Choi Yoojung danced and rapped well, Kyungri held her own while dancing and singing. Lee Luda was really naive at the beginning, thinking the dance would be easy. At least she wasnât the worst dancer in the group thoughâI think sheâs rather average, enough to blend in. Plus, she doesnât need to dance when she can sing like a goddess. Taehyung was really lacking. He was an okay leader, but all he can do is rap. His dancing was atrocious; why did he agree to such a hard choreography anyways? Personally, I think he should have been eliminated instead of Juyeon, because out of everyone, Juyeon was the most well balanced in every aspect. Iâm sad to see him go, and I wish him the best of luck.
Can we just talk about Team Fâs introduction? Ha Sungwoon called himself âbananappaâ and that made me cringe so hard. Was he on crack? LOL kidding, but seriously. Thatâs so weird. His nickname aside, I think he made a really good leader. The thing with Sungwoon is that he really supplied a positive atmosphere with the group. Watching their interactions, you could see they were genuinely happy and friendly, whether they were practicing or not. It was quite refreshing, really, which I guess is why they gave themselves the name âFresh and Fruityâ or whatever it was. Iâd like to see this group of people debut together, in all honesty. They have a good balance: Sungwoon as the main vocal and leader, Mingyu as the main rapper, Jinsoul and Yerim as lead vocals and dancers. Itâs also a perfect ratio of females to males, so they could be kind of like the co-ed group KARD? Anyways, thereâs not much to say about them because they were so good and I really enjoyed the performance (another story within a choreography, Sungwoon seems to be good at that). I definitely think they could have been third place; I donât know whatâs wrong with the CEOâs. The dance to Shine isnât all that hard. Rather than being a good dancer, you just need charisma to pull off the trendy moves in the chorus, and everyone in this team (especially Jinsoul) have enough. Shout out to Yerim, though, who MNET decided not to evil edit this time, instead cutting her out completely. We see you and your hard work. All in all, I thought this team was doomed since Lee Minhyuk pulled out of the competition last minute (youâre really going to let your group members down? Okay), but they did well.
Buckle in for the wild ride that Team G will take you on. I really wasnât ready. So, thereâs an obvious elephant in the room: Lee Sungyeol. In my last post, I talked about how I thought he was too old to be an idol now, and I still stand by it. If anything, this episode only solidified my opinion. Really, what kind of an aspiring idol has a fucking kid? And he so shamelessly showed it off on television for the whole nation to see. Has anyone ever seen an idol thatâs freshly debuted, have a toddler? Itâs insane! If you have one, at least try to hide it. Already, his age sets him apart from everyone else, along with his lack of skill (Sungyeol is an average singer at best, he canât dance, and he barely has stage presence). But like, dude, you really want to pursue a career as an idol when you have a kid to take care of? Youâll have no time for the kid, will barely see them, and idols donât exactly make the most money unless you hit it big, which he definitely canât do. You need a steady, reliable source of income or else your kid will suffer. Kick him out of the show already!
Now, weâll tackle the next problem of this team: Kim Chungha. I was really rooting for her, but sheâs not much different from Sungyeol. She so blatantly exposed her relationship with Koo Junhoe, as if she wanted to brag? I know she was crying and all, but at least call a female friend and vent! Or if itâs a male, let it be someone whoâs not a contestant! Or vent away from the camerasâthis is ridiculous. Iâve never been so speechless. And all this after seeing Junhoeâs slacking off makes me wonder, was he late because he was fucking Chungha in the bathroom or something? LOL! They both lost my support. Soojin was my favourite leader out of this episode; she showed dedication to helping Sicheng with his vocals, while still keeping it light and fun. She can dance and sing as well, which we all know I love a woman with many talents. Sicheng was a really good dancer as usual, and Somi too (both their vocals are still lacking though so I hope they work on that). The performance was good overall, so Iâm okay with them ranking second. By them, I mean Sicheng, Somi, and Soojin: the three Sâs. The other two are such a big NO from me.
I canât dwell too much on Team H. Not only am I exhausted and sleep deprived, but my heart broke with this team (I think you guys know why). Yongsun seemed to be a really good leader. Sheâs very funny and likable, not afraid to make a joke out of her weakness in dancing. Plus, sheâs one of the best female vocalists on this show. Her and Daniel dancing together was hilarious, I have to admit. They have good chemistry as, like, the Beagle Line of a group. I was also surprised that everyone on this team can play instruments? Itâs a coincidence you donât really expect, and the fact that they utilized this surprise is so surreal to me. I donât know why. I think itâs because I have a thing for bassists and Kang Daniel plays the bass (what fate is this)? And the bass line for Deja Vu is so sensualâcontrol yourself, Naomi! Can you imagine my reaction to Hyunjung and Daniel acting all cute and flustered together like some puppy love? I almost cried. Almost. Maybe if I learn to play an instrument he will love me too? No hard feelings though, Hyunjung. Youâre too talented for me to hate, and youâre pretty. If you make Kang Daniel smile and I get to see that smile, thatâs all that matters. Anyways lol that hug and his blush. Wow, the kids on the MGAâs are really acting wild, arenât they? I hope they all clean up their acts, or at least make it less obvious, by the time they become idols. Overall, this teamâs performance was good and faintly reminiscent of H.A.M, so I believe they deserve their title as first ranked for this week. It was something new, something unexpected, something covertly sexy that I really enjoyed (rest in peace to Minho, though, who got no screen time despite killing the rap, the dance, and being super attractive).
I guess thatâs all for now, guys! Iâll try not to be as late with my next post, though I canât make any promises with how hectic work is at the moment. This was also fairly rushed, but I hope it was worthwhile! If not⌠Well, then, feel free to exit my blog. To those that enjoyed my thoughts, feel free to follow me on twitter @naomiwj and send in your reactions, opinions, and/or fangirl with me !!!
Thanks for reading, fellow netizens! See you next week!
â Naomi Wang â
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