The Rogues (4): Proven Wrong

The audience murmurs grew louder. Where was Yoona? The whole studio had gone dark, causing a sense of fear to arise amongst them. 

Cherry was watching the commotion from backstage. She frowned at the scenario. The stage assistants were not so bothered. Even Jinhyun was sitting at his spot calmly. It was hard to tell what he was thinking due to the darkness. 

Is this all part of the performance? She wondered. Her question was answered within seconds. 

Suddenly, a single spotlight shone brightly. It illuminated upon a breathlessly beautiful girl, standing in the middle of the stage, her back facing the audience. A sad, melodious music began to play. With that, her sultry voice hit everyone's ears. 

"In the midst of a forest

I ran and ran

Until I reached that castle" 

Yoona gracefully turned around, twisting her wrists in a wave of complicated moves. She sprang in her steps, twirling gracefully as she sang. 

"Up in your sky castle, 

You sat like a King

Graceful and beautiful" 

She slid along the tunes, going round and round like a skater. The audience gaped at her, enamored by the elegant beauty's dance. She twisted her whole body, not missing a single beat. 

"My eyes search for you

Wanting to possess you

You are so close, yet so far

Someday, we will be together

Even if I gave to rip you off from that throne" 

She kept on twirling until the very last note. There was not a hint of nervousness in her moves nor did she sound out of breath throughout her song. Her voice was sultry and alluring, attracting the viewers towards her. With her outstanding visuals and stable voice, she was becoming the most popular trainee. The social media sites burst up and her name trended everywhere. 

"Yoona is the clear winner" 

"She is such a talented one! Definitely my favorite" 

"She'd make a great idol" 

"Just give her the first spot already!" 

Yoona ended her performance with a high note which touched the souls of the audience. The whole studio was quiet. They were unsure of how to react to that soulful dance. They were so mesmerized that they forgot to clap. 

Soon one clap was heard followed by hundreds as the studio exploded into loud cheers. "Yoona! Yoona!" the audience chanted her name. They adored her and were driven crazy. 

Yoona smiled and threw a flying kiss at them before bowing deeply. She looked up to face Jinhyun. 

His face was unreadable. "Yoona," he said. "You did well. Your voice was stable and the dance was good. So, you made it to the next round." 

He flashed her a small smile but Yoona noted that compared to the other contestants, he was more straightforward with her. He had given Semin more thought while assessment but not her. 

Yoona nodded stiffly and bowed. A stage assistant showed her towards the make up room. Semin was there. 

"Unnie!" she exclaimed as she gave Yoona a big hug. "I knew that you'd make it! You were amazing!" 

"You were great too," Yoona replied. "You sing very well." 

"Nowhere as good as you!" Semin said. "You-" 

There was a knock on the door. Cherry entered the room. 

"Congratulations to you," she said, holding out a hand towards Semin. 

"Thank you, Miss Wang!" she exclaimed, shaking her hand. Cherry gave her a genuine smile before turning on Yoona. Her smile faltered a bit, noticing Yoona's cold expression. It was brief but Cherry felt a dangerous glare in her eyes before it vanished. 

"Congratulations to you too," she said. 

"Thank you," Yoona replied, shaking her hand. There was a strange tension between the two. Yoona still had not forgotten the slap but she also disliked Cherry's close proximity to Jinhyun. She had not given much thought about it before but seeing Cherry's young age and beauty, Yoona knew on an instinct that this woman was going to be a tough competition.

Cherry, on the other hand, was wary of Yoona's resemblance to Shuri. Not only in terms of looks but she had a feeling that Yoona also resembled Shuri's personality. Her lovely sister was perfect in everything except one area. Love. Shuri knew how to get what she wanted and she would possess it no matter what. Even if she had to kill for it. 

They let go of their hands. Thankfully, Semin was busy talking to her grandmother on the phone so she did not notice the animosity between the two women. 

"Yoona unnie, wanna grab some ramen after this?" Semin asked. "To celebrate?" 

"Of course!" Yoona replied. "Let's go to that new place across the street!" 

Cherry observed Yoona's expressions carefully. Maybe it was a habit she picked up while living with Shuri but Yoona looked so…sincere. She looked genuinely friendly towards Semin. If she did not look like Shuri, Cherry might have actually thought that she was being sincere. 

Or maybe she was being sincere? It was impossible to tell. 

This one is gonna be a tough nut, Cherry thought. 

…. 

Jinhyun was fairly satisfied with the first round. Out of twenty, five were eliminated and fifteen were selected. Next week was the second round after which, the audience will vote who will make it to the next round. 

Sekjong and Jumyeon were approaching him. The studio audience had left half an hour ago. Only the stage assistants were left, breaking the props. 

"Highest rating for a debut show!" Sekjong exclaimed. "The start was amazing!" 

"And the masses are praising the performances," Jumyeon commented, scrolling through his tab. "Especially your fair judgement." 

"Well, they are being too kind," Jinhyun said with a smile. 

"So who do you think will win?" Sekjong asked. "My bet is on Yoona. She's classy, smart and beautiful. Her singing and dancing are top notch. The social media is full of her viral clips!" 

"If she survives," Jumyeon muttered. 

"What was that?" 

"Nothing," he said hastily. "Who do you think will win, Jinhyun?" 

Jinhyun, who stood up to leave, merely replied, "Let the fates decide." 

With that he waved them goodbye. Once outside, he reflected on the performances. There was no doubt that everyone was talented. But if he had to put his money on someone, it would be Yoona. 

Despite his misgivings, he could not deny the fact that she was immensely talented. If he did not get a strange vibe off her, he would have called her a perfect idol. Even his gut feeling said that she will win. 

He sighed out loud. For once, he was hoping he would be proven wrong.