Bora yawned as the eighth performance of the night finally cto an end.

"Gosh," she muttered. "I didn't think this would be such a snooze fest."

Jia pursed her lips before nodding in agreement. As much as she hated to say it, the girls all lacked the teamwork that would make their performance more dynamic.

"They're too...aggressive," Jia said. "Somehow, that makes their performance even more boring."

"Yeah," Bora said. "I could feel the tension within their teams, and it's not giving their performance a good taste."

"Let's hope the next one is better," Jia said, having high hopes since her favorite trainee was yet to perform.

"I told you—you should have applied for this show," Bora teased, making Jia chuckle out loud.

"You're right. I would have devoured them all," she jokingly said before turning her attention to the front once more.

She yawned, getting infected with Bora's sleepiness, and closed her eyes for a minute.

However, they quickly snapped open when she heard the loudest screams of the night.

She jumped up, startled, and was immediately greeted with the sight of a new team on stage.

"Wow," she couldn't help but exclaim as she saw the pretty and mature-looking trainee right in the middle.

"She's so pretty!" Jia muttered, feeling like she was on a different level.

However, as she glanced to her right, she saw someone looming in the shadows.

Jia couldn't help but stop and stare. Even though she didn't get as much spotlight as the rest of the trainees, she still shone the brightest among all of them.

Jia had always thought that Mei was pretty—especially when she cto the show with a near-bare face and a very simple outfit. It made her stand out from the rest of the trainees, for sure.

However, seeing her in real life was another story!

"She looks like an actress," Jia said, turning to Bora, who was also looking at Mei with wide eyes.

Then, she finally met Jia's gaze before nodding her head in recognition.

"I get it," Bora said.

"I get you."

The others seemed to think the sthing, as those who didn't even like Mei were amazed by her appearance and charisma.

She hadn't even said anything yet, but they were already captivated!

That didn't take away their dislike for the pretty trainee, though. In fact, it just made them resent her further.

They believed that she was only getting great results because of her good looks.

However, the haters were devoured by her fans, and the room erupted into cheers as she was illuminated on the LED screen.

Her teammates were confused by the sudden commotion, but when they turned around to see Mei's face on the screen, they quickly understood.

She was the type to get such a reaction from the audience.

Nonetheless, Mei stayed calm and went to her position like the rest of her teammates.

The lights dimmed, and the stage was bathed in a soft pink glow, setting the scene for the performance that was about to unfold. Mina stepped forward, her heart pounding with excitement as she prepared to start the song. With a deep breath, she began to sing, her voice clear and steady, filling the air with the familiar melody of 'Fly High, Butterfly.'

Fly High, Butterfly was a famous song by DOJAMS, a popular soloist in the 2010s. She was an unknown singer at first; however, the song quickly beca hit as it was released during school entrance examination season.

It served as the hope and strength of many students who were afraid of stepping into the unknown. So, until now, the song has been played once entrance exam season rolled out.

"In the darkness of the night.

We hide away, out of sight.

Afraid to spread our wings and fly.

But there's a world beyond the sky."

As Mina's voice echoed through the venue, the audience's attention was captured immediately. The hopeful energy of the song seemed to lift everyone's spirits.

She was the perfect choice for the intro since it set the tone for the rest of the performance. Somehow, the audience was already in a good mood because of Mina, and they watched the performance more openly.

Yeri was next, her voice slightly shaky but filled with determination. It was as if she was embodying the nerves and anticipation of a student facing their entrance exams.

The rest of the group joined in, their voices blending together in harmony. They moved with grace and precision, their movements simple yet impactful. Each member wore the viral butterfly tops that every idol seemed to be wearing this year, which added an extra layer of visual appeal to the performance.

As the trainees exchanged lines, the audience began feeling more at ease.

Somehow, it made them enjoy the performance as one—since the team was also performing as one.

At one point, they even wondered if they were divided into two subteams because they felt like a whole team instead!

Then, it was Mei's turn.

As the pre-chorus approached, she took her position at the center, which elicited loud cheers from the audience again.

June shook his head as his sister's visuals caused a frenzy among those watching. He couldn't really blthem. She definitely had a timeless beauty appeal to her, which also made her appear 'unattainable.'

Meanwhile, the audience already began with their speculations.

"Goodness, she's going to ruin the performance."

"They shouldn't have given her any lines and just let her dance in front."

"Yeah, she's actually decent in dancing now. Still stiff, but definitely better."

"Well, of course, she should do better. She's got so many fans already that it's ridiculous."

It was a well-known fact that Mei wasn't the strongest singer in the group, so all eyes were on her—sof them even wished for her to mess up to add to the entertainment aspect of the show.

Jia was nervous, too, being aware of Mei's reputation and her past performances.

With a small breath, she finally sang her lines, one of the two that she was given for this song.

"Life's too short to stay in one place.

So break free, break even, and embrace the race."

The crowd was silent as she sang her lines, internalizing the tone of her voice and evaluating if she had messed up.

However, after a while, they cto a conclusion.

"She's not bad at all!"