ten.
. • -
《 cool with you 》
ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Cool With You - NewJeans
1:22 ───ㅇ───── 2:28
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
{ K-POP MISSION PERFORMANCE + ELIMINATION BATTLE ATTIRE HAIR }
STILL FLASHBACKING...
JIN stood anxiously alongside her crewmates and her two opposing crews, masking her nervousness with neutrality.
All three crews were standing in front of a TV screen, waiting to see Stray Kids' reaction to their videos.
Once the screen turned on, Han, Changbin, and Bang Chan were the members that were being displayed to the crews.
"TSUBAKILL, BEBE, and D-COY." Said Bang Chan.
"Oh my God." Yeong exclaimed as she placed her hands on her hand, walking a few steps away and doing U-turn back around while R.2 squealed.
The three members of the boy group displayed a few different reactions to the three videos shown to them.
They seemed impressed for the most part, especially with Yumeri's acrobatic moves.
They also managed to catch Tatter and Gigi's mistakes in terms of their landing during the handspring moves.
After all three videos, the boys made their decision on which group they would allow to make the choice of whether they go first, second, or third.
"We're going to choose TSUBAKILL." Changbin said as he held up a card that read TSUBAKILL's name on it, then he went on to explain the impact of Tatter and Gigi's mistakes on their entire choreography.
It was clear that both Tatter and Gigi were feeling bad about ruining their crew's chances at getting to pick their order.
"So we'll go first." Akanen said before her and her crewmates clapped their hands.
"We can still do better!" Bada quickly told her crewmates, but the way she said it had Jin resisting a chuckle.
The crews got a chance to rehearse a few more times on the actual stage before the crowd came in and of course, all three crews used it.
Each time, one crew would go up and rehearse while the other two crews spectated.
Jin couldn't deny that feeling of nervousness kicking in as she watched TSUBAKILL and BEBE. Tatter was definitely getting better.
Things went pretty smoothly for D-COY when it was their turn to rehearse. It was probably one of the best practice attempts they had ever done.
Gigi had spent so long working on the headspring and it seemed like at that point in time, she had finally gotten it down and touched it up to look perfect.
Jin was proud and despite her anxiety, she still had full faith in her crew and their first time performing as a team.
After the first run-through, Soul had went over to check on Gigi, just to make sure she didn't hurt herself. Again.
"Are you okay?" Soul asked her.
"Yeah." Gigi replied casually as she nodded as brushed a few strands of hair back.
"Your landing was great. I think that was our best go yet." Jin told her, Gigi smiling and nodding appreciatively.
This seemed to shake up the other two crews a slight bit seeing how D-COY had managed to pull through.
Jin then let out a heavy sigh as she placed her hands on her thighs before sinking to her knees and sitting down on the stage.
Bada had stepped a bit closer, leaning from left to right as if trying to get a better look at what was happening.
"Jin?" Yeong said as her and the other three went over to Jin, the moment striking the other two crews with confusion and concern.
"I'm fine. I just need a minute to breathe." Jin muttered as she wiped her forehead with her hand.
"Can you get her water please?" Soul told R.2, who quickly nodded and went over to go retrieve Jin's water bottle. "Are you sure?" Soul asked Jin.
"Yes." Jin assured her with a nod.
In all honesty, Jin felt immensely sore. What with all the muscle cramps and the over-straining of her body, she felt nothing but tension all over. It felt like she was going to pull or tear a muscle if she didn't stop and take a minute.
"Here." R.2 said as she returned and handed Jin her water bottle.
"Thank you." Jin said as she took a sip over her cold, clear beverage before pressing the bottle against her forehead.
She hoped that this wouldn't be a problem; that she wouldn't be the reason her crew didn't win. She was going to push through it and endure it until the end.
. . . . .
PRESENT MOMENT...
"The K-pop Deathmatch Mission, the JYP Match. D-COY's performance will now follow. Ready? Fight."
Jin sighed softly upon hearing the announcement.
TSUBAKILL and BEBE had already performanced as of now.
TSUBAKILL did great, as expected. They were smooth, clean, and their energy was up there.
The anticipation came from BEBE and seeing if they could pull off everything they had been struggling with before.
In the end, Tatter managed to successfully perform her moves for both TSUBAKILL's copying section and BEBE's copying section. She was stable, steady, and clean with her moves.
Jin honestly couldn't help but feel a bit proud. She knew it must've been difficult and she knew Tatter must've worked really hard during the time she was given just to be able to perfect those moves.
Now, it was her crew's turn to shine.
Upon getting on stage and positioning herself with her crewmates, she heard the cheers and shouts of the audience watching over them.
It gave her both confidence and determination. She felt the need to do her best-- to be the best.
Once the song started, everyone in D-COY began their choreography.
They had spent quite a while working on the perfect choreo. They really wanted to portray the styles of both ITZY and Stray Kids in their dance. They wanted it to look like something that K-pop idols could actually perform.
On stage, they managed to look clean, energetic, and charismatic, never missing a single beat and using their strength in ways they figured would fit best.
Every teammate got a chance to be in the center.
Their dance was free of mistakes and they had earned many cheers, even before they had finished up.
Jin couldn't have asked for anything more than what she got. In her eyes, her and her crew were perfect. They all did their best and that was the most anyone could do.
Upon going backstage, Jin was surprised to hear a soft "good job" coming from Bada.
"You too." Jin politely responded with a nod, her and Bada shaking hands before stepping away from each other.
Their hands had remained connected up until they were too far away to reach each other.
At last, all three crews were gathered onto the stage once again to hear the choices of the judges. Everyone was filled to the brim with anxiety and anticipation despite wanting to appear confident.
"We'll begin the live audience voting now. If you think TSUBAKILL did better, vote for number one. If you think BEBE, who went second, did better, vote for number two. If you think D-COY, who went third, did better, vote for number three." Daniel instructed the audience.
Jin and her crewmates all collectively held up three fingers toward the audience, encouraging the crowd to choose them as the winners.
"The JYP Match, TSUBAKILL versus BEBE versus D-COY. We'll close the voting now." Daniel eventually announced. "Let's find out who the judges think is the winner."
Jin wrapped one arm around herself, her free hand closing into a fist and pressing against her lips as she stared at the judges with nervousness in her eyes.
Everyone in her crew had worked really hard and did everything they could to show it. She hoped that their efforts would be recognized.
"Fight judges, open your cards." Daniel instructed the judges. "Three, two, one!"
Jin bit down on her index finger as she watched the judges turn their cards.
Shownu chose D-COY. Yoon-jung chose BEBE. Monika was the last one to reveal her card and Jin was practically begging for it not to say TSUBAKILL.
If it says TSUBAKILL, I'm gonna end myself. If it says TSUBAKILL, I'm gonna end myself.
At last, Monika had turned her card around.
BEBE had won.
The members of BEBE instantly began to scream and jump up and down happily. Bada had crouched down to the floor with her hands covering her face as she began choking up after seeing the results.
When Jin had seen the result, she squeezed her eyes shut and tilted her head down as a sigh of disappointment left her lips, to which R.2 patted her on the back to try and comfort her.
TSUBAKILL looked just as dejected and even confused as to why BEBE won instead of them.
"BEBE wins with a score of 2 to 1." Daniel announced whilst the members of BEBE engulfed each other in a group hug, some of them crying tears of joy.
Jin could feel her eyes beginning to sting. She fought the feeling of dejection and opened her eyes as she applauded BEBE for their win, her crewmates joining her.
TSUBAKILL also gave the opposing team a few claps.
Jin couldn't help but smile hearing the praise that Bada and the rest of BEBE got from the judges. They were true and genuine compliments and even though she would've loved to hear them directed toward her own crew, BEBE certainly deserved them.
She applauded BEBE with enthusiam despite the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
Once the crews were escorted off stage so that the next match could begin, they all returned to their waiting rooms.
Upon sitting on their couch, Jin could see that her crewmates were having mixed reactions.
"Well, we tried." Gigi said as she threw her hands against her lap.
"It's not over yet. We still have to get the audience votes and the global votes." Soul stated.
"Right. We might still have a chance." Yeong said, her voice slightly shaking toward the end of her sentence. She then chuckled and wiped underneath her eye with her finger. "It still kind of hurts though."
"It's okay." Jin reassured her as she patted her on the knee, sniffling quietly. "It's okay. Now, we finally get a break. So let's just sit back and enjoy the other matches, okay? We're going to be okay." She said, wiping her eyes with her hand.
Her crewmates all nodded and joined her in watching the screen in the room as the YG and HYBE matches took place.
. . . . .
Today was the day. The day that everyone dreaded.
The day of Street Woman Fighter 2's first elimination battle.
Every crew was gathered in the fight zone as of now to face the final results of their performances from the K-pop Deathmatch Mission.
Jin felt like she was going to burst from nerves at any given second. The wait was killing her.
"All dancers, great job on the K-pop Deathmatch Mission. As we had announced, a crew will be eliminated for the first time on Street Woman Fighter 2.
"I feel like I have heart burn. Like, it's not even funny." Yeong said as she chuckled a bit.
"The crew that must leave the fight club with the humiliating title of the first eliminated crew." Daniel said.
"He's always throwing salt in the wound, I swear." R.2 said with a nervous smile.
"Two hundred points from the Class Mission, a hundred and fifty points from the fight judges, fifty points from the live audience voting, and six hundred points from the global public evaluation. It will be a total of 1,000 points." Daniel explained.
"I still never know what that man is talking about." Yeong remarked.
"The winner of the Class Mission gets 20o points. From 2nd to 8th places, your points will vary. The 3 fight judges get 50 points each, making a total of 150 points."
"Are you getting it?" Soul asked Yeong.
"Barely." Yeong replied.
Daniel then went on to explain the impact of audience voting and how the fifty points go to whichever crew was able to get the majority of people in the audience to vote with them.
As for the global public vote, it involved a lot of complicated multiplying that Jin couldn't be bothered trying to understand.
"The crew that had an overwhelming number of views recorded 1,070,237 views, which was 1MILLION." Daniel mentioned.
Jin wasn't shocked at all by this. 1MILLION was very well-known, so of course many people would view them. Her and the other crews clapped their hands in acceptance.
However, Daniel mentioned that 1MILLION did not have the most likes, which was what mattered most.
"We really can't expect or predict anything. It's all in the number of likes." Jin remarked quietly.
"I will now announce the final result of the K-pop Deathmatch Mission of each match." Daniel said.
"The moment of truth!" Gigi shouted, grasping her thighs tightly as she stared at Daniel in anticipation.
"This is agonizing." R.2 commented as she held onto Soul's left arm while Yeong held onto her right one.
"We're going to be fine." Jin said as she clasped her hands together, but she couldn't tell if she was saying those words to convince her crewmates or herself.
"The K-pop Deathmatch Mission with the first eliminated on the line. Here's the result of Deep N Dap and LADYBOUNCE from the SM Match."
Jin then looked up at the screen and scanned the first few numbers that popped up.
Jin's brows rose up in shock at the large score gap.
LADYBOUNCE had won.
LADYBOUNCE had a total of 820 points while Deep N Dap only 490.
The members of LADYBOUNCE were overjoyed while the members of Deep N Dap were stressed about being at risk of elimination now.
"LADYBOUNCE wins the SM Match and survives." Daniel announced, the other crews applauding.
After Nob and Mina spoke their words about the result, it was time to discuss the next match.
"Next, we will reveal the results of the YG Match between Wolf'Lo and 1MILLION." Daniel said.
"I'm going to beat him like eggs when this is over because why wouldn't he say them in order?" Gigi questioned as she lowered her head and gripped her hair, stressed by the wait for her own results.
Jin did her best to comfort her by patting and rubbing her back.
Once the results of the match were revealed, Jin hissed through her teeth at the numbers shown on the screen.
The final result was 1MILLION with 850 and Wolf'Lo with 480. 1MILLION had won.
The members of 1MILLION looked incredibly relieved while the members of Wolf'Lo kept their composure despite now being at risk of leaving the fight club.
Jin admired it honestly. They always kept it together even when things weren't working out for them.
"Next, we will reveal the results of the JYP Match between TSUBAKILL, BEBE, and D-COY."
"Oh, God!" Gigi shouted aggressively before giving a nervous laugh.
"I can't take it anymore." Yeong said as she squeezed Soul's arm.
Gigi then looked over at Jin, who was fully focused on the big screen. Despite trying to play it off, Gigi could see the worry and fear in Jin's eyes, which caused her to place her hand on top of Jin's and interlock their fingers.
Jin's fingers tightened around Gigi's in response. She just couldn't look away from the screen. She had to face it.
"We will now reveal the results of the JYP Match."
Jin's mouth fell open.
TSUBAKILL had 440. D-COY had 770. BEBE had 930. BEBE had won.
No one knew what to be more shocked at; the smaller gap between BEBE and D-COY or the larger gap between BEBE and TSUBAKILL.
D-COY definitely got close compared to the other losing crews shown before them and that was surprising. But it was also very shocking to see how little points TSUBAKILL had truly ended up with.
The moment Jin saw the results and saw the big red 'LOSE' beneath her crew's column, her eyes shut and her head sunk down.
She did everything she could to hold her composure. It hurt undoubtedly, the sensation like a strong pang to her heart. It hurt coming in behind BEBE once again. However, that wasn't BEBE's fault. All Jin could do now was better herself.
She sighed and buried her face into her hands as exclaims, expressions, and gasps of shock came from the other crews and even her own crewmates.
"Oh my God!" Yeong exclaimed.
"Is that really the score?" R.2 questioned in shock.
Gigi felt when Jin had released her hand and she immediately started to rub her back, Jin running her hands down her face but keeping her head down.
"BEBE is the final victor in the JYP Match between TSUBAKILL, BEBE, and D-COY, and their survival is confirmed."
Jin tensed up entirely at Daniel's words. Now, there was a chance that her crew might be eliminated.
Bada was then asked how she felt by Daniel and her words caused Jin to look up again.
Bada expressed how grateful she was and she thanked not just her own crewmates, but the members of TSUBAKILL and D-COY as well for being great competition.
Jin liked that about her. Her sportsmanship.
Jin and her crewmates clapped along with the other crews after Bada's statement, her eyes never leaving Bada's, not until it was her to to speak after Akanen.
She gave a few short and simple words about accepting the results, thanking her opposing crews for being such good competition, and preparing for the elimination battle.
The HYBE Match between MANNEQUEEN and JAM REPUBLIC.
When the results were being shown, it came out as a rollercoaster. But ultimately, JAM REPUBLIC ended up winning with 750 while MANNEQUEEN had 710.
The results caused everyone to go into shock. The score gap was so little. It had been a close call for JAM REPUBLIC.
Now was the time to get into the elimination rounds.
"Street Woman Fighter 2. We've announced the result of all K-pop Deathmatch Missions. Deep N Dap, Wolf'Lo, D-COY, TSUBAKILL, and MANNEQUEEN lost their Deathmatches, so they are all equally at risk of being eliminated." Daniel stated.
Jin's heart was beating harder than it ever had. She hated the feeling she was experiencing. She hated all that pressure.
"Of these five losing crews, only two will go face to face in an Elimination Battle. Which crews will face off in the Elimination Battle?" Daniel spoke.
Jin closed her eyes while Gigi held onto her shoulder, her expression filled with worry. She didn't want to hear her crew's name get called out. She really, really didn't.
"The two crews heading to the Elimination Battle are the ones in 8th and 9th place. The crews heading to the Elimination Battle are Wolf'Lo and TSUBAKILL." Daniel announced.
Jin let out a relieved breath as her upper body lowered toward her lap, her crewmates letting out noises of relief along with her.
"We made it!" Gigi exclaimed as she squeezed Jin's shoulders, Jin quickly sitting up straight again.
She was tearing up again and she wasn't sure why. She wasn't sure if it was out of relief that her crew wasn't at risk of leaving or disappointment that another crew was going to soon.
Both crews were good at battling, so the results were unpredictable.
This was further solidified during the actual battles.
Unlike the first season, an audience was allowed inside the fight zone to watch the battles live, but the results were still decided by the judges.
It was five rounds, best three out of five. However, both crews had won two battles each and had to participate in a fifth one.
Ultimately, TSUBAKILL ended up losing to Wolf'Lo, meaning that TSUBAKILL was the first crew to get eliminated.
The result had truly changed the atmosphere of the room. Everyone was filled with shock and sorrow.
When Jin saw those cards flipping over in Wolf'Lo's favor, her mouth went slightly open.
Her eyes began to water, but no tears spilled. Her chest suddenly felt empty for a quick moment. It felt like her heart had stopped beating for the smallest of seconds.
It felt surreal. TSUBAKILL was actually leaving. Their experience on the show had been cut short and their time at the fight club was over.
Hearing each member of TSUBAKILL share their words with their tearful voices absolutely broke Jin's heart.
While Jin was still in a state of tearful shock, R.2 had her face buried into her hands to hide her tears.
Soul did not bother to hide the fact that tears were streaming down her face.
Gigi was doing her best to wipe the tears flowing out of her, still holding onto Jin. Jin was using one of her hands to hold her as well.
Yeong was trying to gain support from Soul's presence while she sniffled quietly at the speeches given by TSUBAKILL.
It really hurt to see TSUBAKILL replacing their chip on the scoreboard with one that was more dull.
"TSUBAKILL, you may leave the fight zone."
The members of Wolf'Lo immediately went over and began to embrace the members of TSUBAKILL.
Other crews took the chance to do the same and got up from their seats, approaching the crew that was soon to leave.
Everyone shared tearful goodbyes with TSUBAKILL, one last time.
Jin and all of her crewmates made sure to get a good hug in with each member.
Jin went to Akanen first.
This time around, Jin couldn't stop herself from sobbing quietly as she went to Akanen and hugged her tightly, tears running down her face like rivers displaying her sorrow.
She gave the girl countless compliments about her dance and the sparks of fun her crew brought to the show.
"You did such an amazing job. You really did. You've been doing incredibly this whole time and... you really made the atmosphere feel so much lighter. You made things feel fun and enjoyable. I look forward to seeing more from you. Thank you." She told Akanen, who thanked her and smiled sadly in returned.
The first person R.2 hugged was Rena and by God, was the girl crying.
"Hey, tell Akanen not to book your flight yet. I still want to go out with you somewhere. There's so many things we can do. I don't want you to go yet." R.2 sobbed as she held Rena's hands, Rena nodding quickly before hugging R.2 again.
Gigi went over to Yumeri first and Yeong went over to Momo.
Yeong have Momo some comfort about the situation and assured her that her and her crew were amazing.
Gigi gave Yumeri many compliments about her skills and told her to hit her up on Instagram, saying that she would love to keep in touch even after they go home.
Soul approached Sayaka first, thanking the woman for coming to the show and for making the her experience a great time. She also complimented Sayaka's dancing and told her she hoped to see more of her in the future.
After all the farewells were exchanged, TSUBAKILL went back to their hideout to change and pack up.
However, none of the crews could resist speaking to them just one last time.
They all just needed a few more hugs and cries before letting the crew go.
Once they were gone, they were gone.
Now, every crew was in their own hideout, thinking about how there was one less crew participating.
Jin's crewmates were still a bit tearful after TSUBAKILL left.
Soul was silently holding and comforting R.2, who was already missing Rena a great amount.
Jin eventually ended up deciding to step out into the hallway, telling her crewmates that she needed a moment to be alone.
She passed by some women from other crews but eventually resided at the top of the staircase leading to the fight zone.
Her eyes were a bit red from crying, but her tears had already dried up.
Jin hadn't thought about what an emotional weight such as this would truly feel like when she agreed to bring her crew onto the show. Not that the experience wasn't enjoyable regardless.
To be experiencing it herself after having watched other women in the first season experience it was a crazy feeling.
Eventually, she heard footsteps in the distance slowly getting louder, meaning that they were coming toward her.
Jin didn't turn her gaze up until she noticed someone sitting beside her from her peripheral vision.
It was Bada.
"Hey." Said Bada.
"Hi." Jin replied as she rubbed her eyes with her fist. "What's up?" She asked.
"I saw that you left your room and I got worried since you didn't seem too well." Bada replied honestly.
Jin looked down upon hearing that.
"That was... intense, right?" Bada asked her, Jin nodding her head a few times. "How are you feeling now?"
"I don't... really know. I mean, fine, I suppose. We get a break now. We get a pool party the next time we come here." Jin mentioned, Bada chuckling softly. "It just... It sucks to see them go."
"I know." Bada agreed as she nodded.
"And then... Never mind." Jin mumbled.
"What is it?" Bada asked her, waiting a few seconds to see how Jin would respond and how she should react.
"Just... the mission itself." Jin quietly spoke. "It was very..."
"Stressful?" Bada asked her, Jin nodding. "I get what you mean. My crew was putting in a lot of hard work and effort and... it took a lot out of us to get past everything we were struggling with. But we did, and I'm proud of them." She said, looking down briefly.
Bada then looked at Jin again. "I know your crew had some problems as well. But you guys did great on stage and you still got a very good score. I hope that you're proud of your crew too."
"I am. I always am." Jin told her. "I don't regret anything."
"Good. You shouldn't. Nobody should be leaving here with regrets." Bada said, Jin humming in agreement.
Despite her words, she could tell that Jin was still a bit dejected and she wished that there was something she could do to make her feel a bit better. Then, she thought of something.
"That kiss on the cheek offer still stands." She mentioned, Jin tensing her brows at her.
"You said you'd do that if I let you win. I didn't let you win." Jin stated.
"Well, I still won." Bada stated as she smiled a bit.
"Suffer." Jin muttered as she looked away.
Bada huffed quietly before tilting her head. "You don't want?" She asked.
Jin glanced at her after hearing her question, unsure of how to answer.
Jin then clasped her hands together, her thumbs playing around with each other. "I mean, you can..." She mumbled, dragging out her words.
Bada didn't hesitate. With evident happiness, she leaned over and pecked Jin's cheek.
Jin let out a small hum as she looked off toward the side, her heart skipping a beat the moment Bada's lips touched her cheek.
Bada tilted her head slightly as if trying to look at Jin from a different angle, then she kissed Jin's cheek again.
Jin had been trying to hold it back, but she just couldn't stop herself from smiling from Bada's actions.
Bada grinned and chuckled softly as she clapped her hands. "That's better." She said before kissing Jin's cheek once more.
Jin gave a groan of fake annoyance as she placed her hand on Bada's shoulder as if trying to push her away. "Hey, hey, hey." She exclaimed.
Bada could see right through it and she decided to take the girl by her face, cupping her cheeks in her hands so that she could turn her head toward her.
Jin froze almost instantly at the touch of Bada's soft, warm hands, her eyes staring directly into Bada's. She didn't break the eye contact this time around, continuing to smile as Bada kissed her cheeks a few more times.
Bada could feel the way her thumbs were pressing into Jin's cheeks, almost like a cushion.
She then began to use her hands to push Jin's cheeks up and down, grinning at how squishy she felt in her hands. Bada's eyes went downward and she couldn't help but start giggling at the way Jin's lips would go upward as well.
Jin instantly began to let out some quiet giggles of her own, as Bada's little laughs had triggered her to let out the same sounds.
Jin then abruptly leaned over and kissed Bada's cheek in order to reciprocate her affection gestures, Bada exclaiming quickly before laughing softly.
Happiness was radiating off of Jin. She was beginning to love the way she felt when she was with Bada.
Jin chuckled as she leaned more forward, one of her hands going on Bada's knee as she pecked her cheek again, and again, and again.
✾
𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗