- Oof. At least she's self-aware.

- Well, she is pretty real. I have to give her that.

- But it's literally not her fault that she has a high rank. Is it her problem that she's just too likable?

- Mina is likable too. However, you have to consider the factors surrounding her massive popularity. She's the peak definition of pretty privilege.

- Which isn't her fault once again.

- Sure, it is. She must have gotten plastic surgery.

- You need plastic surgery.

June raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Mei looked dead serious, and June was quite afraid of what she was going to say.

'Please, reduce your bluntness,' he said in his mind.

"You might wonder why I'm even in the top five."

"However, don't worry. You're not alone," she continued. "I'm asking myself that too."

Casper couldn't help but chuckle, causing June to click his tongue.

"I'm not really good at dancing."

"I'm not good at singing."

"Rapping is something out of the question."

"So, why am I even here?" she asked with a chuckle.

"There's just one answer," she said, looking straight into the camera. "It's because of you, guys."

"The more you talk about me, the more my ngets out there," she smiled.

"I'm grateful for all the attention, but frankly, I don't deserve it. There are plenty more girls here who deserve such attention because of their pure talent."

"So, I suggest you stop talking about me," she said.

- She's pulling that reverse psychology shit.

- She's a genius. Now, people are going to talk about her even more!

- I think she's playing with us.

- Somehow, this makeswant to talk about her more.

"Because I don't want to be the talk of the town with my looks or even my personality—although these are important aspects of me," she calmly said.

"Stop talking aboutbecause of these."

"Then, when you're all silent, I'll cback and make you talk about my talents instead," she smiled at the camera, the room suddenly appearing brighter.

"Before that happens, I'll make sure to work hard...so you won't have any choice but to talk about my skills and talents instead."

- Mic drop?

- Ngl. She is pretty cool.

- Scoff. I wonder when that would happen.

- She was mediocre during the Team Kill Mission, at best. The only reason why her team won was because people set the bar too low for them

With that, she placed the microphone back on the stand and bowed at the audience before walking up to her seat—where the debut line started.

The debuting line's chairs were different than that of the others. Instead of the usual transparent chair with the glittery pink number on the front and back, the debut line had cushioned chairs that appeared almost like a throne.

However, the first-place chair was definitely the most royal-looking out of all of them.

Casper and June stood, and the former nudged June's side as they walked back to the front.

"She has you beat in the speech department now," Casper teased.

"But don't worry—I still like you better," he assured.

June shook his head and stood at the center with Casper to announce the last few trainees.

Somehow, Mei's speech made him feel a bit at ease. It seemed like Mei wasn't too affected by all the attention that she was getting.

However, that still doesn't take away the fact that June didn't want her to debut.

The announcement of the other top five trainees was pretty expected, with Heemin taking the top spot.

And just like that, the first elimination had now ended. The girls went to their eliminated friends, shedding tears and saying their last goodbyes.

Casper and June watched them from above, and it also made them reflect back on the times when their friends got eliminated. With that, the two of them left the girls to give them stto gather their feelings.

However, as expected, Azure was cruel. So, as soon as the cameras stopped filming, Yena announced that they were going to have an outdoor race at the open parking lot to determine the next teams and songs.

The girls, still with their teary eyes, reluctantly left their friends to go outside the venue.

Meanwhile, Casper and June went to their waiting room, where they got dressed and had their makeup removed.

Casper was already done, and he was now waiting for June to finish getting his makeup removed.

Then, he glanced outside the window before frowning.

"The girls are filming this late at night?" he muttered.

June chuckled. "Azure's insane. They're going to work them to the bone. Their next live show is on Wednesday, so they're not giving them any tto rest. They need to churn out more content, too, since the show is already so popular."

"I know," Casper said. "It's insane how we went through it too."

June closed his eyes and felt himself dozing off as the makeup artist removed his makeup for him. The feeling of something wiping your face was quite relaxing.

However, Casper's next words led him to snap his eyes wide open.

"Huh?" Casper muttered. "I didn't expect it to rain today."

June turned to Casper with furrowed eyebrows.

"It's raining?" he asked. "The forecast said it would be sunny all throughout."

"That's what I thought, too," Casper said. "However, sometimes, forecasts are wrong. It's raining quite strongly."

Then, he chuckled in amusement. "Look, the girls are all running away."

June froze when he realized something. He stood from his chair despite his makeup only being half removed.

"June," the makeup artist exclaimed in shock, but he ignored her words and went to where Casper was standing and pushed him slightly so he could take a better look at what was happening outside.

June's eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw a lone figure in the middle of the parking lot, already drenched in water.

Although it was dark, June couldn't be mistaken.

It was Mei Ling.

Then, from afar, he saw a car speeding down the road, almost as if he was targeting to go to Azure's parking lot.

He wasn't sure if it was just his delusion, but June knew that Mei's life was in danger as soon as she went to Korea.

So, without any hesitation, he ran out of the room, ignoring the shouts from Casper.

"Shit," he whispered continuously.

He felt his heart racing inside his chest as he thought of all the possibilities of what could happen.

Fortunately, it didn't take him long before he reached where she was.

As expected, it was Mei Ling, standing in the middle of the rain—

appearing to be out of it.

"Mei Ling!"