Following the individual trial, the production team gives us the rest of the weekend off. I think it's an effort to let us relax before the "five weeks of hell" begin. During lunch in the cafeteria, Nam JiHo suggests showing me some parts of Seoul I haven't seen yet. Cat jumps into the conversation and offers to join us. Then JunHo decides to come along too. I take the opportunity to ask Isidora if she wants to join, and she accepts. Just as we are finalizing the time to meet on Saturday morning to head out, Lovro, JunHo's dance rival from the intermediate trial, interrupts us out of nowhere to ask if he can come.
_Uh, sorry to interrupt. Can I come with you guys? I've wanted to look around since I arrived, but I have a terrible sense of direction, so I haven't gone out. He asks in English, looking slightly embarrassed about crashing our group's plans. I look at the others for confirmation, and they all nod in agreement.
_Yes, we don't mind. You can come. I smile.
_Your name is Lovro, right? Isidora asks curiously.
_ Lovro Kosir, I'm 20 years old. He smiles, crinkling his eyes.
I didn't have time to observe him properly earlier during the trial because I was focused on his dance moves. But Lovro is also a very handsome young man. Tall, blonde, with dark brown eyes and many freckles on his face. He looks a bit like the classic image of a Prince Charming from books, but with the air of a delicate flower. He reminds me of The Little Prince. If he had said he was younger, I would have believed him. His voice is soft, and he has a lovely smile.
We end up as a group of three girls and three boys going on a sightseeing tour of Seoul. We take the bus and the subway to get around. We visit several tourist spots like Changdeokgung Palace and its Secret Garden, or the Bongeunsa Temple. Cat, the only Buddhist in the group, took the opportunity to pray there, while the rest of us just enjoyed taking photos. We also stop several times along the way to taste new snacks that JiHo and JunHo introduce to us. We use the time to get to know each other a bit better. We discover, for instance, that Lovro has a rock collection and can't eat quickly. Cat has a terrible sense of direction—something I already knew. On the contrary, JiHo is a living GPS; she navigates perfectly and never forgets a place she's visited. JunHo eats tons of food and is very clumsy, except when he dances. Isidora is sensitive to smells and can't go to public restrooms, or at least not alone. And they discover that I ask way too many questions in museums.
On our way back from N Seoul Tower, we stop at a massive shopping mall where we see a crowd gathered. It's a random dance event where fans dance to various K-pop songs. Seeing this, Cat grabs my hand and tries to pull me toward the crowd, but I stay firmly in place.
_ Phi Ana! I want to go, please! He pouts and gives me a cute puppy-dog look, and I almost crack.
_Alright, but we have to ask the others.
I turn to the rest of the group only to realize they are all excited about the idea of participating. Even Nam JiHo is casting excited glances toward the crowd.
_Okay, let's go. I sigh.
Our small group approaches the crowd and stays to the side. Cat and Isidora join the fray immediately, dancing to the songs they know. Each song lasts a minute before changing. JiHo and Lovro wait at least five rounds before joining in. Only JunHo and I aren't dancing. Me, because I find it more fun to cheer the others on, but Nam JunHo isn't dancing out of shyness, I think. His feet are moving subconsciously, but he doesn't dare to jump in.
_Do you want to go? I've seen your feet moving this whole time. I smile at him.
_I'm a bit shy, so when I need to dance, I have to prepare myself psychologically.
I nod to show I understand.
_You should try to go into hyperfocus.
_How do you do that? He asks, curious.
_Personally, for it to work, I just clear my mind and tap gently on my leg. But you can do it anywhere on your body. It's like a kind of hypnosis. The important thing is to have the rhythm. It can be a random sound or the beat of a song that calms you. And while my mind focuses on my goal, I subconsciously mute external distractions. I explain to JunHo.
He nods, running a hand through his hair.
_I see, thanks. I'll try.
Nam JunHo takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He begins tapping his index and middle fingers on his temple. I recognize the notes of a Vivaldi classic, Four Seasons: Spring. His breathing becomes calmer and calmer. When he opens his eyes, his gaze is firmer, more focused. He turns to me and smiles softly. For the first time, I notice that JunHo has a dimple on his right cheek, the same one JiHo has on the opposite cheek. I feel like I've been struck in the heart by his beauty. While I was shocked by how cute he was, JunHo grabs my hand and pulls me toward the crowd to join the dance floor.
The next song is Maniac by Stray Kids, and my body follows automatically. All six of us start dancing like a group that had already debuted together. We are in such perfect harmony that the other dancers stop. I don't know if it's the aura we're giving off, but most people start filming with their phones. The crowd gets hotter and hotter, the songs being played are more and more dance-heavy. Blackpink's Kill This Love, Le Sserafim's Smart, Enhypen's Drunk-Dazed, ATEEZ's Crazy Form, NCT 127's Kick It. At one point, I even hear people start shouting JiHo's, Lovro's, and Cat's names. Those two were already famous in South Korea. But I was surprised to hear someone start shouting my name too.
_Anael, you rock!!! The person screams.
I immediately turn my head to meet the gaze of a blonde young woman smiling and waving her hand violently in the air at me. I send her a smile and a wink. She's the first fan I've met; I'm so happy. I've never felt so encouraged and appreciated by a stranger to this extent. My family has always supported me, and my sister was always my biggest fan, but seeing a total stranger lose her voice to cheer for me warms my heart like never before. I was starting to get winded from the multiple high-energy dances we were performing, but I wanted to show this stranger the best of myself. I'm starting to understand why the participants work so hard. Beyond our personal goals, we all have a desire to show people the best version of ourselves.
We dance to Stray Kids' Thunderous and BTS' Mic Drop before I signal to the others that it's time to leave because the crowd is getting bigger and bigger. People had likely contacted others to share that Stardom contestants were dancing. I saw that the introduction videos had a lot of views and had gone viral, and the show's trailer had reached seven hundred thousand views, but I didn't think it was to this extent.
I take Cat and Isidora by the hands and pull them off the dance floor.
_Phi Ana, just one last dance please! Cat pouts in broken English.
_Yes, please! Isidora pleads in turn. She rarely agrees with Cat, but it seems she was having a lot of fun too. I see that everyone else wants to stay a bit longer as well. I'd love to too, but if a larger crowd gathers here, it could be dangerous.
_ No, we can't stay. I say firmly. There are more and more people. If the crowd builds up too much, it can be dangerous. We won't be able to handle it. I sigh.
They finally notice that the number of people had doubled since we started dancing. They nod, we bow to the cheering audience, and then we leave. People are a bit disappointed, but they understand. We finally head back to the dorms at 9:00 PM.
_That was really fun. I loved hanging out with you guys," Lovro smiles.
Isidora throws her arm around his shoulder.
_What are you talking about? You're part of the group now, so of course you're staying with us! she exclaims.
_You're stuck with us forever. JiHo says in a serious tone.
_Until death? Lovro asks.
_Until death. Isidora replies.
I laugh because JiHo was trying to scare him, but the opposite happened, he just matched her energy.
_It would be nice if this group could debut together. JunHo murmurs.
_Hey! I tap his shoulder. Don't jinx the group. Don't you know that's when the bad news starts?
_Oh, sorry. He apologizes, smiling softly and scratching his head, embarrassed.
_You can think it deep in your heart, but don't say it out loud. I sigh.
_In any case, in survival shows, it's rare for contestants who become friends to debut together. JiHo interjects, rolling her eyes.
Isidora jumps on her back, laughing. JiHo instinctively catches her by the legs and lets her hang on. It seems they've grown closer during this outing.
_Guys, stop killing the mood. Isi starts. Whether we debut together or not, I think we can all stay friends. Okay?
We all nod. I look around and notice their morale is a bit low.
_Do you guys want to watch Singer together? I started it, but I didn't have time to finish. I turn to Cat and translate what I just said into Thai. He immediately agrees. The others are on board too.
_Perfect! I clap my hands. Everyone go take a shower, change into pajamas, and we'll meet in Dance Room 8 with our blankets. Okay?
_Okay!
_Yeah!!!
_I'm so excited, I've wanted to see this show for a while. Says Cat.
_What's Singer? Lovro asks Isidora.
_No idea, probably a singing show, but it must be fun. She smiles.
_You're going to love it, I'm sure. JunHo replies.
___
References
_ The Little Prince is a French novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
_ Changdeokgung Palace is one of the five grand palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. It is located in the heart of Seoul.
_ Bongeunsa Temple is a Buddhist temple founded in 794 during the Silla Dynasty. It is located in Seoul.
_Melody: Four Seasons: Spring by Vivaldi
_Maniac by Stray Kids
_Kill This Love by Blackpink
_Smart by Le Sseraphim
_Drunk-Dazed by Enhypen
_Crazy Form by ATEEZ
_Kick It by NCT 127
_Thunderous by Stray Kids
_Mic Drop by BTS
_Singer is a Chinese singing competition show formerly known as I AM a Singer that premiered in January 2013.
_This chapter is partly inspired by the song Sucky Love by ECTRU and Dark BKK (Thai Fusion version). You can listen to it while reading if you like.
Thank you and have a nice day.