The trainees are made aware of No.Mercy
Jane hid her face behind her bangs as the flashes from all the cameras seemed to come from every direction. She was barely listening to the words K.Will was speaking, trying to get used to the camera flashes. They had been told they were going to be participating in Starships new survival show: No.Mercy and that whoever won would be able to debut. They didn't know how many spots were open or if it was a solo debut, but everyone was excited and nervous at the same time.
Jane had been shocked when they asked her to participate on the show, since the whole point of it was to debut a new boy group and she was very clearly, not a boy. However, they had told her that it would boost their ratings to have a female trainee and even if she didn't win, it was fine as long as the ratings were good. She couldn't say no, despite how crappy the reason was. It was good exposure for her and if she didn't make it, at least people would know her name and who she was. She jumped a little as she felt someone's hand subtly brush against hers and give it a gently squeeze before the warmth left. She looked up at a smiling Wonho and smiled back at him.
The press conference was over and they were sitting in the practice room, waiting for their monthly evaluations to start. They had been told they were going be ranked by number: 1 thru 13 and that's what they'd be known by on the show. Jane had scoffed at the obvious dehumanization Starship was trying to use, but she had signed the contract and couldn't argue. She wasn't to worried about the ranks as the other trainees were, just wanting to do her best and let whatever happens, happen. She had ranked 9th, a spot away from Minhyuk. They had all gathered in the middle of the room again, waiting to start their training for their first mission.
"I can't believe this is really happening," Hyungwon said and Jane bumped his shoulder, comfortingly. "It's happening and we're living," she retorted and he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Let's just all do our best," Hyunwoo said. "And remember, we're friends. We're all here to support each other but it is a competition." Everyone sighed at that comment. They had all been training and practicing together for so long, they couldn't imagine not being with one another. "We'll all stay in contact," Seokwon said and everyone else smiled and hummed in agreement. "Fighting everyone!" Kihyun said and everyone place their hands in, throwing them up.
Jane was nervous of course, but tried not to let the nerves get to her. She wasn't the greatest singer and she couldn't rap if her life depended on it, but she was amazing at her dance. She had wanted to surprise the judges with a contemporary piece she had choreographed herself and her dance teacher thought it would help them look past her shaky vocals. However, she was more than willing to work hard on her vocals. She knew her looks weren't getting her anywhere anytime soon and her dance could only take her so far. She chose to sing Heaven by Ailee.
There was numerous times throughout the week where Jooheon had seen Jane practicing even after the rest of them had left for the night. Sometimes, she wouldn't even come back to the dorm. And if she did, she was always gone before any of them had woken up the next day and he would find her aggressively practicing her dance performance or her vocals. One day, Jane had looked particularly exhausted and everyone had noticed but said nothing. They were all exhausted and working just as much as she was; they understood. But Jooheon was worried. He hadn't seen her eat a proper meal in a week.
Jane had sat next to him in the van bringing them to their first mission. She had her head leaned against his arm and was quietly snoring. Jooheon didn't have the heart to wake her up, knowing how exhausted she was. When they got close, she had woken up and was stretching her limbs. Jooheon heard her stomach grumble and he laughed, pulling out some snacks from his bag. "Hungry?" Jane shook her head. "Not before the stage. I'll vomit everywhere." Jooheon frowned. "Jane-ah. You need to eat. Even if it's just a bite. There won't be a stage if you pass out." She sighed, knowing he was right and grabbed a granola bar, scarfing it down and sipping some water.
"Thank you, oppa." She said quietly, leaning her head back on his arm. He smiled, at least she had something in her stomach. When they finally arrived and were all in the back waiting for their turn, Jane noticed how much water Jooheon was drinking. She was pretty sure he'd gone through a whole case just watching Hyunwoo's performance. She sighed, standing up and moving to the empty chair next to him and placing her hand on his knee to stop it from bouncing. "Joohoney, you're going to great. You're already amazing with your skills." He smiled, grabbing her hand and gently squeezing it as a silent thanks. And she was right; he killed his stage and received nothing but positive reviews.
Jane bit her lip and fiddled with the buttons on her dress as she waited for GunHee to finish his performance. He was amazing, as were all the other trainees before her. She didn't think she could match up and the thought made her sad. She wanted to debut, more than anything, but she could be happy if her friends reached their dreams before her. It didn't mean she wasn't going to try just as hard as the rest of them, if not harder because she was the only female and felt like she needed to prove the company and viewers wrong; she was not just a rating, she deserved it just like the rest of them did.
She jumped when she felt someone lay their hand on her shoulder, moving away from the contact. Kwanji stood behind her, a soft smile on his face. "You're going to do fine, Jane. Don't worry too much." She took a deep breath, offering a small smile. "Thank you, oppa." He smiled, pushing her towards the stage with a "fighting!" She took a deep breath as her shaky hands gripped the mic and she introduced herself to the judges she would be seeing so much of the next few weeks. "How does it feel being the only girl?" Hyolyn asked her and she chuckled nervously. "I mean, I've trained with most of them for almost five years. It doesn't feel much different for me. It's comfortable."
Hyolyn offered a big smile, nodding her head for her to start her performance. She started with the song and everyone looked surprised, including herself. Sure, there was times her voice would be a little unstable, but for the most part, she sang it almost perfectly. She moved on to the dance and this was what she loved most and the judges and the other trainees could tell. She almost floated across the stage as she danced, completely lost in the music and expressing everything perfectly. "That's our Jane," Wonho smiled admiringly and the others agreed.
Jane finished, breathing heavily as she came back to the center. Her criticisms weren't all that bad and what she was expecting. Work on her vocals more, try and make her movements during the performance a little sharper. She collapsed into her chair back in the waiting room, absolutely exhausted. The others congratulated her on her performance and she thanked them quietly. When they all went back up for the rankings, Jane had to admit she was nervous. She didn't want to be eliminated, she wanted to debut. Her legs shook a little, but she hid it well, smoothing down the skirt of her dress.
"Fifth, YunJae." Her eyes went wide with shock. She really moved up four ranks? She walked up to the number, Jooheon, Shownu and Kihyun giving her wide smiled. Her heart almost broke as Minhyuk dropped down one rank and he started crying, but she held her composure and quickly gave him a hug after. "This is just the beginning." GunHee said, proudly showing his number 3 pin around to everyone and anyone.
"Promise to debut with me?" Minhyuk whispered to Jane, clearly annoyed with GunHee and she smiled, gently grabbing his hand and squeezing it.
"Promise."
