To be center was something the trainees had to really work for, but the way BoA explained it only made the situation more pressurizing.
As the trainees sat in rows on four different seating areas, BoA explained that only one person would be the center of the performance. The twist it... only candidates from Team A would be chosen as center. Daiyu felt the weight on her shoulders as BoA finished what she was saying. She gave an hour for Team A to practice and make a one minute performance.
Daiyu got up quickly when their time started to practice their own things. They would have to make up their own raps and dances to the instrumental of their title track 'Nayana'.
Of course it was nerve-wracking, but Daiyu had the secret weapon of being able to do freestyle rap really well. She learned it from her dad who had been really good at it during a young age of his life. Daiyu, being the kind person she is, decided to use the last five minutes of her practice to help the others around her.
She didn't help them with lyrics or dance, but she helped them with something way more important. Their feelings of being nervous, she wanted them to gain confidence so they didn't embarrass themselves.
"Woojin! Are you ready?" Daiyu asked the young boy who was standing next to her.
"No." Woojin said with a small laugh followed behind his words.
"You have to have some confidence if you want this center role." Daiyu said as she looked around.
"Don't you want the spot?" Woojin asked.
"Of course I want the spot, but I'll be fine if I don't get it. I think Daehwi oppa or Daniel oppa will have a good chance." Daiyu said as she pointed to the two boys.
Woojin nodded and continued to practice a little bit more before having to perform.
After practice was over, the trainees in team A were rounded up and seated once again. The other teams piled in the room and sat down again, looking at Team A with nervousness.
The performances were good. Especially Woojin, the older one who was in Team A as well. He had confidence and didn't really mess up a lot, his voice wasn't shaky and his dance moves were on point.
Daiyu was up after him. As she walked onto the center stage, she heard the claps from the trainees who were getting ready to watch her. She bowed slightly and the music started quickly. She didn't have a rap she wrote down, nor did she practice any type of rap. Daiyu was counting on her freestyle skills to help her.
Which they did. She just rapped what was on her mind, which was success. She danced along to the music as she rapped, which worked out in her favor. BoA liked that Daiyu was able to rap/sing at the same time she was dancing, keeping that stable voice.
The trainees clapped when she was done and that's when Daiyu just walked off the center stage quickly, handing the mic over to the next person who was up.
[ interview ]
"What was it like performing in front of the others?" A female asked behind the camera.
"It was something. Definitely something. I was nervous at first but I think when I saw the faces of some people who liked what I was doing, I gained my confidence." Daiyu explained.
The small performances were over and it only meant that the candidates for center position were sitting in their seats anxious as ever to see who earned their position. First, it was voting.
Daiyu went into the voting area a few minutes after the first couple people. She walked in to see the people who were in Team A on the board, a box for where the names of the votes would go. She looked at the board and made she decision easily.
She grabbed the paper and looked at the camera. Writing the name and explaining.
"I'm picking Seongwoo oppa. Why? Because his dance was really good." Daiyu summarized her explanation in a short and simple one.
She walked back out into the crowd of trainees and sat down next to her young friend, Woojin. Both nervous of wether they would be the center or not, it was something they both had no control over. As Daiyu watched trainees go in and out of the voting area, she counted all of them until it was over.
BoA came back out onto the center platform and started to explain that the votes were in and all of them were counted. She was going to call out the two top trainees.
"Lee Daehwi."
Daiyu clapped softly as Daehwi went up onto the platform just like she predicted. Daiyu and Woojin, the youngest, held hands out of nervousness.
"Lee Woojin."
Daiyu let go of the boys hand as he went up, she clapped for him the loudest. She was a bit disappointed that she wasn't able to be center, but she did get to stand in one of the front spots for the performance.
"The trainee who will be center for the performance... please reveal it." BoA said as she pointed to staff.
Daiyu looked up at the screen which quickly displayed Daehwi's name. She clapped, happy for the boy who earned center and then went on to comfort Woojin when he came back to his original seat.
She was ready to practice harder, as well as be on the stage to perform for the first time with all the boys.
The whole performance ended up being a success. The representatives loved it, fans across the world loved it, and the trainees who performed loved it. The group as a while received a lot of good comments from people.
Daiyu loved it because she somehow had a way of fitting right in. Her glasses had to be off for the performance which only made her scared since she wasn't able to wear contacts, meaning she wouldn't be able to see well. In the end, she made no mistakes, no one made any mistakes.
