Burning Flame (K.Sn)

| 14 |

I let out a deep breath I had been holding in, the moment I stepped down the stairs once more. I was the first one down and managed to turn around and look at the boys as they all walked down in their black and white clothes. The last stage was finished, there were no turning back now.

I was panting as I adjusted the black harness I had been wearing on stage as the other boys joined me down on the floor. Heeseung quickly rushing over to stand by my side.

"You did well," he spoke and I just nodded before looking over to the screen with anticipation.

"The voting starts now. Elimination will be in two hours."

"Two hours," I repeated to myself in a mutter before walking with the boys up to pack down our things. 

As I finished packing my bag I sighed and sat down on my bed and stared at the wall in front of me.

"You alright?" Sunghoon spoke up and I just nodded before stretching my neck up towards the ceiling.

"It's just... I either continue or end it today," I smiled slightly over at him and Jake, "but you know... I've had fun... and nearly become fluent in a new language... so it's alright."

"What do you mean it might be the end?" Jake frowned over at me, "even if you get voted out, you can return with global votes," he reminded making me smile softly at him.

"I'll tell you later," I assured before standing up and swinging my bag over my shoulder, "once we've seen the results."

Only an hour passed before everyone had gathered downstairs in each of their seats to hear which six applicants would be leaving. 

"We'll start with the self-voted applicants."

I took in a deep breath and unconsiously held it as I waited for the first card to flip over. I sat and stared at the ground as I listened to the amount of votes each eliminated contestant had gotten.

"Youngbin."

"Kyungmin."

"Jaebeom."

At the announcement of Jaebeom being the last eliminated applicant, through our own votes, I looked up in confusion. Each of the three boys sat with saddened expressions on their faces as they just stared at the screen.

"It wasn't me," I muttered in realization as I looked around at the other boys, who hadn't been mentioned yet. Then that must mean that the majority of them believed I belonged here more than any of the eliminated boys so far.

"We'll now reveal the produder picked eliminated applicants."

I must be going out now, for sure. I took in a deep breath and decided to keep my eyes on the screen for now. My heart were pounding hard in my chest as I intently stared at the screen. Something about me staying just wasn't right, I must be going out now.

"EJ."

"Choi Seon."

"Lee Geonu." 

Once all six pictures showed up on screen my mouth automatically hung open as I held up one hand to cover it, before I looked around at the boys in shock. I could've sworn I was going to be voted our or be picked by the producers.

"Eliminated I-Landers please move to the Ground."

The six eliminated boys all grabbed their bags and returned their nameplates before all of us got up to hug each of them goodbye. All of the boys were crying, but I just seemed too shocked to even get a tear out. It wasn't that I wasn't sad to see them all go, I just couldn't process that I wasn't one of them.

"We did it," Heeseung spoke to all of us as the egg began turning, and he carefully laid and arm around my shoulders.

"We did," Sunghoon nodded in agreement and let out a small sniffle.

"I wasn't voted out," I muttered in shock making all the boys look to me.

"Why would we vote you out?" K let out a small laugh at me.

"I'm the only girl," I replied.

"So?" he commented, "doesn't make you any less talented."

"But this isn't adding up," I shook my head and slowly stepped out of Heeseung's grip, "I am a girl, it would've been obvious for you to just vote me out, or for the producers to just hold me to a different standard than you. I would be the obvious choice, I don't get why it wasn't me. How come it not be me? "

"Translation... please?" Jungwon looked around at the other boys with a lost look on his face.

"Hey... okay... calm down," Jake slowly said before reaching out and softly grabbing my shoulders, "you didn't get voted out because you didn't deserve it... okay? "

I just stared at him in bewilderment. I really didn't understand this.

"Lin, it makes perfect sense," Jay spoke up, making me look to him with wide eyes, "if we didn't pick you and the producers didn't either, then it makes perfect sense for you to be here."

"Exactly," Heeseung nodded.

"Yes..." Sunghoon hesitantly added on and glanced at the other boys with an unsure look.

"Right... so just calm down. Lets go up, get our bags and hear what the staff tells us to do next. Yeah? " Jake questioned and I just hesitantly nodded at him, "so lets go."

The boys all just stared at me before Jake wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me upstairs to go get our bags, the other boys soon following us. As we returned downstairs a few staffs stood ready to tell us we would be taken to a training camp a few days before the other boys. The others would come within a few days and then we would all be having a training camp together before we would continue with part two of the show.

"I actually did it," I realized as I sat out in the van, making Sunghoon beside me let out a small laugh.

"You're still not processing it," he commented.

"How can you?" I questioned in disbelief as he just shrugged at me.

"I don't know. I don't think it has completely hit me yet," he excused with a wave of his hand, "but hey... look on the bright side, a few more days and you can get your hairtie back."

"He better still have it. A shoelace does nothing," I muttered making him let out another small laugh at me.

Even though I already had made it on to part two I didn't want to get my hopes up. Beforehand I've made it all the way to the finale just to be the last one sorted out from the rest. I was in no way secured anything right now.