Yeonseo looked at her curiously through her round glasses as she asked in a whisper, "Did you really have those green eyes?"
As Elena nodded, feeling annoyed inside, Yeonseo asked further, "If you don't mind, can I see it? I mean, I have only seen those on the internet."
*Sigh* "We are going to spend three months together, either way. You can see them later."
Taking a seat, Da-in probed her about the same topic of her eyes, "Do you have European ancestry? I heard that those eyes can only occur in our people if any of our ancestors are from the West."
Reaching almost the limit of her patience, Elena spoke in a low tone, "My great-grandmother is from Iceland, alright."
Da-in quickly went silent and decided not to push it further, understanding it must be a sensitive topic. Meanwhile, curious Yeonseo asked other questions about Elena's previous trainee life at ZC, to know how the system works.
Going into her memories, Elena proceeded to explain some of the necessary things like monthly evaluations, strict rules regarding unhealthy food, bedtime, dating, usage of SNS, busking at certain locations during pre-debut, training opportunities with seniors, etc…
Evening 6 P.M.
After everyone finished their performances, the ones who were selected for the program on that day gathered on the third floor of the building.
Along with the remaining 21, Elena also took the seat in the mini theatre where actors used to train before. A man in his early forties, wearing a suit, arrived and stood on the stage with a mic.
"Hello, my name is Ro Jong-su. First of all, let me congratulate all of you for making it into our training program."
*Clap*Clap*
As everyone clapped along with him, Jongsu continued, "Before we go into details, everyone should know what this program is about. Can anyone answer?"
One of the contestants raised her hand and said, "Is it some sort of boot camp?"
"Close but not exactly," replied Jongsu with a charming smile. "This is only the third day of the final audition, and until now, we have selected over 50 contestants.
By the end of the 15th day, you can expect 250-300 competitors out of which only 21 will be selected as trainees for the top three companies."
While Elena nods as she already expected that much, the majority of the younger contestants gasped in surprise.
"Coming to the details, this program has four stages of training. The first stage is preliminaries, where you will be given basic training. Those who have prior training will be self-training.
After the first week, 100 girls and 100 boys will stay, and the remaining will leave the program.
In the second stage, you will be divided into three groups according to the preferred mentor you all have entered in the form earlier.
Your mentors will give you a 3-minute choreography and will be judged on it at the end of the month. Let me remind you once again that the trainees will be judged more harshly than newcomers.
At the end of the first month, only 50 girls and 50 boys will stay.
The third stage will start in the second month, and this is where the advantage of newcomers will disappear. Here, everyone will be treated equally, and groups will be formed according to your preferred category this time.
At the end of the second month, only 21 girls and 21 boys will stay, who will then proceed to the fourth and final stage, where everyone will be kept in isolation at an old training facility.
After the third month, 21 of 42 contestants will be selected for the finals, of which the top 11 can choose their own agency, and the remaining 10 will be chosen by the judges. The better your final ranking, the better the terms of your contract will be.
The winner gets a chance to appear in one of the MVs jointly produced by the three top companies.
Everyone should keep in mind that once you get into the fourth stage, you will be able to neither attend your schools nor you will be allowed to talk to your parents or friends.
So, discuss it clearly with your parents and school and make your decision before the 28th of this month."
Then, one of the staff handed out forms to each of them. "These are the consent forms. Those who are adults don't need their parents' signatures. You need to submit them at the reception on the ground floor.
Once you submit them, you can choose the rooms in the dorm. You will be provided accommodation, food, a gym, language, Vocal, acting, dance, and rap classes for free.
Oh, and you will probably hear about this again later, but let me give you a friendly reminder in advance. No dating.
Unless you are allotted into the same group for a task, you aren't allowed even to interact with boys."
Then, Jongsu glanced at Elena, Da-in, and others who were mostly above 16, and warned in a serious tone, "Breaking the rules will get you a warning, and three warnings will blacklist you, not only from the program but also from Genesis, Echo, and Signature… So, take it seriously."
As everyone nodded in understanding, Jongsu continued, "Finally, prepare yourself for performance on Day 1. There won't be a judgment about it. It's just a formality of introducing yourself to the judges, audience, fellow participants, and viewers.
It can be anything. Not just limited to dancing or singing. You can show your other talents too. Any questions?"
Da-in quickly raised her hand, attracting the attention of others.
"Yes?"
"If I sign it and submit the form, can I choose my room right now?"
As Elena stared at her in surprise because of the same doubt she had in mind, a couple of people let out a stifled laugh, thinking she must be a country girl.
Jongsu replied, "sure but you aren't allowed to live there until the 1st of November."
Upon hearing him, Elena didn't think much of it and quickly signed her form, keeping it in her pocket to submit it after this is over.
After exchanging phone numbers, Elena parted ways with the two of them and followed the intern to the female dorm, which is located just a few blocks away.
Looking at the six-floor building, with each floor housing a 2000 sq. ft apartment, Elena's face is filled with amazement, "Wow, renting the whole building for two months? That too, in a neighborhood like Hapjeong in this Mapo district? Looks like these guys aren't holding back with expenses.
But this won't be enough for everyone. In the end, there will be 100-150 members. I guess they will rent one more, later."
Entering the first floor, Elena saw a massive hall filled with furniture, looking all new. But then, as soon as she entered one of the bedrooms, Elena understood how they were intending to manage everyone.
Looking at three pairs of bunk beds on either side, Elena asked, "Are all rooms like these?"
The intern replied, "No. This one accommodates twelve people, while the other room accommodates eight people."
"What about the third one? Isn't this a three-bedroom apartment?" asked Elena.
The intern shook her head, "The last one accommodates four, but they were already filled until the fourth floor."
Since the room arrangement gets changed eventually after a week of staying, Elena went to the next room and pointed to the one that was available.
"A09." After noting down the number, the intern spoke, "You can collect the gate pass at the reception on the 1st."
Two hours later;
"Mom, I'm… home…" spoke Elena, taking off her shoes and pausing for a second, staring at the familiar shoes that weren't even kept orderly as if it were their home, "again? Do these guys have that much free time? Well, anyway, they are my little bro's teammates. Let's just meet them. Last time, I was too rude not say even hello. Can't let him be bullied by them because of me."
But then she stopped, walking a couple of steps as she suddenly remembered she literally knew nothing about Spark or the team members.
So, she quickly took out her Smartphone and typed on the internet.
"Group: Spark
Leader: Jeon Se-yul
Vocalists: Im Na-joon, Hwang Ye-jun, Han Eun-woo
Rappers: Han Dajun, Park Soo-hyun, Choi Ye-chan
Visual: Yoo Si-woo"
'Alright… Got it.'
Taking a look at the selfie camera and adjusting her hair and dress once again, but a bit deliberately this time to look good, Elena slowly walked into the living room, remembering their names in her mind.
There's a cameraman who was blacking her way, shooting the people who sat down in the living room, and playing mafia.
She tapped the cameraman's shoulders, "Excuse me."