Driving to Yeoju for about an hour with my friends inside a van is really a good way to wake myself up early in the morning for the first filming of the first episode of the show.
"How come you all have the energy to do whatever you are all doing now?" I question them while I park our vehicle.
"It's already afternoon, unnie; of course we have that much energy after sleeping like a baby last night," said Eun, while gathering her things.
"Yeah, sleep like a baby, you say. Like every hour you call me just because you can't sleep and are very nervous about the filming and seeing the other crews," said Bora, teasing Hee.
I just shake my head and let them.
I see staff waiting for us, ready to let us know where we need to go once we are inside the building that says the name of the show.
Scenes that are being shown in the show for the public. (Mostly Nyx's part and in Y/N's POV)
I hear my friends gasping because of the scale inside the building, and I can say the same because, really, this is amazing.
Walking proudly, with me in the very back, I see them stop and look at what they are looking at.
I see our crew's logo and name, Luster Nyx, with the others, and shit's really not a freaking dream. This is very real.
I let my friends gush about the crew names they know and say their feelings about the show as we made our way to our hideout.
The works of Nyx—choreos and battles they have participated in—are being played in between the scenes.
"I am Y/N, and I believe that I am the leader of Nyx, which was formed in 2013, so it's been a decade. Our group has different kinds of styles when it comes to dancing, and I can say that we have a lot to show while being in this show. I don't know what else to say, so you all just need to keep an eye on us."
"Just like what our leader said, you all just have to keep an eye on us, so we are not going to talk more but show more," said Hee.
We are inside the dressing room/makeup room, fixing our fits and, for the others, their make-up. I just observe my friends doing their thing, being loud and all. I was shaking my head with all the opinions they shared about the outfits that are inside the room and the make-up style they wanted to have when the show started giving us a mission.
Everything is chaotic with all seven of them together, and I can't even back out now.
They have been going around the room trying everything they see gush about everything someone does.
I just sit and watch them in amusement while they do their normal thing.
When they calm down and come back to reality, I gesture to them to go outside and continue to find our way to our hideout.
They just really didn't stop talking, and my social battery's already running out. Really props to my friends for their energy.
I just follow them till they stop at a midnight blue-colored door.
We stop before the door and hear a lot of ruckus inside the other rooms. I guess we're the last group to arrive.
"Can't wait to meet you."
"Are you guys even ready?"
"Annyeeoooonngggg~"
I heard JiA and MJ read what was written on the board while Nari laughed out loud, making me wince with the volume.
"Can't wait to meet you all," said Nari in a loud voice, wanting the other teams to hear it, especially for the one who wrote it.
My friends look at each other and nod before replying to the other messages, while I just wait for them to finish because I really want to sit on a comfortable couch for once.
Entering the room, I see a very comfy gray couch and throw pillows with my members sitting in a very "soldier"-like manner, as if they were not chaotic before entering the room.
Looking at the wall, I see our crew's name, Luster Nyx, making me proud and smiling at my friends.
"So, I'm assuming that reality hits now and the nervousness is acting up," I said when I found myself sitting on the floor.
So much for wanting to sit on a couch.
"You're right, unnie. I think I'm going to puke because of my nervousness. I still can't believe that this is it," said Eun while playing with her fingers.
"You all know what you are capable of. You guys are amazing dancers and have the proof for that, so let the nervousness go. We are going to rock this and let the others see that they should not mess with us, yeah?" I said, smiling in encouragement, and to my relief, all of them let loose and started being comfortable while sitting.
I think the walls are thinner than a normal room because I can hear the other groups talking, or they are all just really talking loudly, but I can't really complain because my friends are also talking loudly now.
We are just talking about our expectations about the other teams and the mission they are going to give us first when the screen inside our room opens, informing us that we need to go to the fight zone.
"Okay, this is it. Be confident, and don't cower under their scrutinizing gazes. We came here to let the world know about our group and crafts, not just us as individuals. Let's enjoy everything that will happen now and be the best version of ourselves with the experience we will gain here. With this, 1, 2, 3, Luster Nyx, ARRRGHHH!" I say our cheer with our hands in the middle on top of each other's hands before leaving the room.
It didn't take long for us to see the fight zone and descend the stairs to see all of the other eight dance crews already sitting in their respective places.
"That's Nari, oh my gosh!"
"Isn't that the one who won against Lip J two years ago?"
"She's tall and hot wearing that suit."
"What do their parents feed them? They are all tall."
"The youngest looks cute."
"They have a B-girl."
"Y/N-saem looks intimidating; it doesn't help that she is standing beside JiA," someone said, which caught my interest.
I look where I hear her voice, see Hyerim, and smile at her.
So far, I have three students currently in my class who are part of this show.
Interesting.
I hear different voices say their thoughts about us as we are walking around the fight zone.
We stop in the middle to just look around the place and the other crew when our evaluation video appears on the screen above the W sign.
(Imagine that the crew in the video, The Kinjaz, are the 8 members of Nyx and they choreographed it. Also, this will happen every time so just imagine the artists/performers/dancers that will be in the videos in the near future are the members of Nyx ^^)
〰✧☽
"Ooohh, what an introduction that is. That's tight," said Halo.
"So that's what they are doing," said Gooseul.
"I don't know, but I'm not a fan of this one," said Mina.
Well, that didn't sit well with me. I look around to find where Mina is and smirk at her. I don't know for what, but maybe because I just can't wait to let her eat what she said.
"I'm going to give it to this group because all of their members are talented and really stand out," said Kirsten.
"For a group of tall people, they are all doing great with the moves and turning their height into their weapon," said Funky Y.
"Y/N-saem, really like wearing button ups while dancing," said Harimu.
"Is this what they call performance?" said Yoonji.
After a few moments of watching the video on the screen, I find myself just staring at nothing—until Nari nudges me, letting me know that the video is finished.
I don't really care for what they have said, knowing that we killed and enjoyed doing that video.
I sigh when I see the troubled looks of my younger members. That really gets them, and this is their first time seeing them here officially for the show.
I pat their heads and head to our spot, in front of BEBE and beside LADYBOUNCE.
"What a nice way of greeting that is," said MJ, shaking her head.
"I'm freaking shaking; gosh, that's harsh," said Eun, making me look at her while taking her hand.
"Okay, what you all are feeling is normal; well, as far as this show is concerned, that is normal. Things are just going to get more interesting as the show goes on, so let's just be ourselves and show them the Nyx," I said while waiting for the next thing to happen.
Everyone is looking around. Observing and taking notes of everyone that they will come across and battle with in the future while I just listen to what my friends are saying about everyone, it did not stop them from fangirling with their favorite dancer who is in the show.
I observe everything that is happening. Every group's dynamic that they are showing. I'm familiar with everyone on the show, maybe not that much for the international group that only some I am familiar with, whether because we have competed before, waiting for our choreo to be picked, and whatnot.
I notice the "No Respect" stickers on everyone. Our group received a total of 8 no-respects. It feels like all of them talk about it and come up with the result of giving each one of us a no respect sticker, and I can't wait for the battle to occur. To see everyone's ability in its raw form battling with someone they are not familiar with in front of my eyes.
It didn't take long before the show's MC came out when the W sign split in the middle and saw Kang Daniel walking out.
This is really it.
Others express their giddiness, excitement, and awe because of Daniel's visuals, and I can really give it to him. He looks really good, not to mention talented.
"Hello. Welcome to the Mnet original dance series, Street Woman Fighter 2. I'm your host, Kang Daniel!" he said his introduction and bowed.
Screams, hollers, and claps resonate in the fight zone. We cheer for him, welcoming him and knowing that this is the start and things will only get better and more interesting.
"I was so happy to see him."
"He's an experienced show host who hosted "Street Woman Fighter" and "Street Man Fighter."
"I thought about who could replace him, but none came to mind."
"Street Woman Fighter 2. Not only the best dancing crews in Korea, but global-name crews have joined us, making this a bigger international dance competition.
You'll fight to crush all the other crews and reach the top. Only one crew can do that. Here's the first dance battle to determine the winner of this competition. The signature of the Mnet original dance series... No Respect, Battle with the Weakest Dancer," he said, making everyone excited for what will come and ready to battle and watch everything that will unfold in this very fight zone.
"All right then. Please get changed for the battle. We'll meet back here in the fight zone." Once he said that, I stood up and stretched my limbs. My friends are mirroring what I'm doing, getting ready to leave the fight zone.
We let the other crews go upstairs first while we talked among ourselves, and I noticed that BEBE was doing the same.
I look in front of our spot and see their leader looking back at me.
Bada really has that presence.
I give her a smirk and bow before turning my attention to my friends, not waiting for her reaction.
"Let's smash the place."
"JAM REPUBLIC and TSUBA KILL seemed a little dazed."
"They're just excited."
"Exactly. Have fun. It's chill."
"Wolf'Lo is intimidating, really," said Bora.
"Everyone on Nyx got one of the stickers. I can't wait to see them battle in my own eyes."
"This is going to be really interesting, seeing that a lot of individuals get No Respect Stickers," said Nari.
"Audrey's pants are covered with stickers."
"This column will remain empty. Nothing will get on it. Only this column will be full."
"I'm really getting nervous. Reality's hitting me like a bullet train; it doesn't help that Y/N saem is chill," said Ji Woo.
- Behind the scenes that are not being played for the show -
We make our way to our room before greeting other dancers we passed by.
MJ and Hee are the only two who need to change their clothes for the battle. And we just chill inside our room.
I feel the tension and nervousness coming from my friends, and I just wish that once they are on the spot, they are going to do what they do best and don't let nervousness eat them up.
It didn't take long before a staff member knocked on our door, informing us that we needed to go back to the fight zone again.
I just noticed that the room beside us was BEBE, and when we stepped outside our room, they were doing the same.
"Hello, Y/N-saem," Sowoen greets me, making me smile.
"It's nice to see you here, Kwon. Good luck later and enjoy everything as much as you can," I said, patting her shoulder, waiting for the other groups to walk back to the fight zone, seeing that we are at the very far end of the room.
Some of my friends and other dancers from the other crew are having a conversation while waiting before going back to their respective groups.
- End of the BTS. Back to the parts being shown to the public -
We settled back into our respective seats and waited for Daniel to start talking.
"Now let me introduce the three fight judges who will be the judges of your dance-offs."
I hear the dancers voice their guesses on who it will be; even my friends are asking who they are going to be.
"Who are they going to be?"
"I can't wait."
"She's a dancer with unique moves who was born to be a woman of power. The leader of PROWDMON, Monika!"
Seeing Monika-nim, everyone is surprised and excited. Can't believe that the leader of a crew who participated in the first season will be one of the fight judges.
(Monika captivated us with her rough words and honesty in the previous season. She's the leader of PROWDMON, who creates unique colors for her crew with new ideas.)
"She's Beautiful."
"I can accept her as the judge."
And many more side comments are being thrown, knowing who is the first fight judge.
"The artist known for his powerful and sexy performances. The leader and main dancer of MONSTA X, Shownu!"
When I say scream, lots of them really scream, seeing who is the second fight judge. Clapping their hands and hollering their excitement for the second judge.
I see dancers doing the dance step for MONSTA X's song Shoot Out, making Shownu dance it himself.
(He's known for his solid dance skills and sexy performance. He's a talented artist with great energy and powerful moves. The main dancer of MONSTA X, Shownu)
Everyone's in high spirits after seeing the judges, including me. Things are just really becoming more interesting.
Now I am wondering who's going to be the last one. The anticipation is killing me, and though everyone's clapping and enjoying the introductions of the judges, I can still feel my friends' nervousness who are behind me.
I can't really blame them.
"From the perspective of both the public and pro dancer, he'll make a balanced assessment, and I'm looking forward to it."
"In this new season of Street Woman Fighter, we'll have a special judge for each mission. Let me introduce the special judge for this battle. The leader of the world-renowned dance crew, the Kinjaz, Mike Song!"
I smiled big upon hearing his name. My friends and I really like the Kinjaz and have been watching their performances, so it's really an honor for him to even see our performance and even evaluate it.
"Oh my gosh, unnie, it's Mike-nim. I don't know if I'm going to faint from nervousness or because I am seeing him here in person," said Bora dramatically, making my friends and I laugh.
Cheers and hyping up the third judge are what you'll notice in the fight zone.
(He's a legendary dancer who has participated in international dance competitions with dancers all over the world. Mike Song made sharp and witty comments as the judge.)
"He's a world-famous dancer."
"I think having an international judge makes the competition international, and it makes it on a higher level."
"This is an insane lineup."
Leaders of their own groups are the fight judges. Everything is set, and I'm just waiting for the battle to start.
"Monika, our fight judge. What will be your criteria today?" asks Daniel to Monika while we all look at the judges.
"Honestly, some of the crew leaders here have been a dance contest judge for a long time. So I dare say I'll be cruelly objective and consider only what I see here. I won't consider my senior's achievements in the past but only the results," said Monika, with transparency, and I can't agree more.
"Based on what I've learned in my music career and my sincere love for this show, I'll evaluate your dance honestly."
"Everybody here is a professional. I don't need to tell you that. And it's going to be whoever's day it is today. I have much respect for all of you guys. I'll do my best to be a perfect judge for you today."
Cheers erupt after the three finish what they are saying.
"Now, lastly, it's our DJ who'll play music for the battle. DJ SOM!" Daniel introduces DJ SOM; all of us acknowledge him and look at him upstairs.
Daniel explains the rules for the battles that will happen.
"No Respect, Battle with the Weakest Dancer. We'll begin Round One," Daniel said, making me look at my friends and give them a pat for encouragement.
"The battles are going to start now. My nerves are killing me," said Nari.
"The first dancer for the first battle is... from 1MILLION, Redy," he said, announcing who's going to start the journey to hell.
The members of 1MILLION cheers Redy on for her battle.
Hee heaved a deep sigh of relief, not wanting to start the battle with her, and I chuckled hearing that.
"Redy has distinctive characteristics."
"It's so unique."
"She has her own unique style."
"I bet she lives in her own unique world."
"She has unique vibes, and she dances like a cat. A cat well in control of her body."
"She's one of the hottest dancers on 1MILLION right now. She gets amazing numbers of views."
"Redy of 1MILLION. Please pick a dancer you think you can beat," said Daniel, making others anticipate who she is going to call.
The opinions of other dancers start pouring out. Making assumptions if they are going to be the ones who will battle Redy.
"I always stand up for myself. That's who I am."
"Well, the No Respect Dancer, I choose... It's Bada of BEBE," she said after making rounds in the fight zone, making others think they are the one she's going to pick.
Cheers started coming out. The members of BEBE cheered their leader on for the first battle. Other dancers are excited for what will happen in the battle.
"Do you know, Bada?" Monika leaned towards Mike to ask him.
"I've heard of her name."
"She's a famous choreographer."
"A choreographer, I see."
"She's currently the most popular one," said Yoonji in her interview.
"Most dancers will know who Bada is."
"Which dancer makes the most choreographies? The most popular one among entertainment agencies," the staff asked the BEBE team in their interview.
"Me?" Bada confidently answered, "No one else can dance like me in the dance world. I think I'm pretty good too," she continued.
Bada's credentials started popping out. The choreographies she created, for sure, became a trend.
"It's safe to say that Bada-saem choreography has become a whole genre."
"She's trendy."
And many more praises about her work flood.
It didn't take long for me to hear things about the past between Redy and Bada. How the two were on the same crew once.
"Bada unnie and I were on the same team, and it was called Cupcakes."
"I thought so. Because they were in the same crew," said Capri.
"Are they on bad terms?" asked Mina.
"We used to dance together. We were best friends. We practically grew up together," said Bada in the interview.
"We relied on each other when we were on the team. I used to like her. We were pretty close back then, but not so much right now," said Redy, chuckling a little bit.
"I used to greet her by her name. Now we're so awkward that I use honorifics."
"When I see her get on the elevator, I hide and wait for the next elevator."
The tension in the fight zone was high, and I could see and feel it. I can see that things didn't end well between the two of them as members of the same crew before.
"Redy of 1MILLION, you chose Bada of BEBE as your No Respect Dancer," said Daniel.
"I don't respect you, unnie," Redy honestly said without looking at Bada, but I can see some hurt behind her eyes.
Bada just nodded at what Redy said, leaving the other dancers shocked and amused by what was said.
"Not Redy. Soo Bin-ah! You're still an eighth-grader to me," said Bada, making me smirk at her comeback.
If this is what's going to happen in the upcoming battles, I am fucking excited and can't wait for it.
Things are slowly getting exciting, and the battle will start any minute now.
"Redy of 1MILLION will attack first," said Daniel when the bottle pointed to Redy. "Bada of BEBE will attack next. The two dancers' battle begins now.
You guys ready? Fight."
As Daniel made his comment, stating the start of the fight, DJ SOM instantly put music on for Redy to dance to.
All of us are making noise with excitement about how the battle will turn out.
Music started signaling for Redy to start.
Pretty nice movements and flow. Hitting that part in front of Bada
40 seconds feels like a short time, but I kind of want to see more from her.
The countdown for Redy started, and now it's Bada's turn.
The song for Bada hits differently and has more impact, in my opinion. I smirk when I see her standing very close to Redy, as if she can't see who she's battling with.
I hear other dancers making noise because of it, because it really is worth the hype just for that move.
I look around, seeing the reactions of others, and I can just smirk. Nari specifically hit me because of that, making me snap my gaze at her in a playful glare.
As the music progressed, Bada started to dance, hitting every beat of the song and making other dancers cheer.
She's good. She really is.
After Bada's turn, everyone was calming down and waiting for the results on who won the first battle that started Street Woman Fighter 2.
As I expected, the three judges voted for Bada.
It's not like Redy is not good; for me, it's just that her routine doesn't have that much of an impact compared to Bada's.
BEBE celebrated their first win while 1MILLION comforted Redy for her defeat.
"I was impressed by both of you. Redy of 1MILLION shocked me. But I reckon that Bada's moves suited the song more, and she was more relaxed," said Shownu.
"I'll be honest to help you improve. You're still an eighth-grader, even from my point of view. But Bada is certainly out of this league," said Monika without flattery, making others shocked about the harsh comment, but I can agree with what they both said.
Seeing the winner's chip on the Win column of BEBE makes me eager to battle with my friends and to show the ones who picked us as their No Respect Dancer that they will be in for a ride.
"Monika-saem will really not pause with her honest comments, it makes me just more scared of her," said JiA.
"I don't know who I am going to be scared of more, Monika-saem's comments or Y/N unnie's nonchalant attitude towards it," said Eun, making me snort, for that is totally not true because that comment is not what I wanted for her to say to any of us.
A little break was given to us after the battle. And I am thankful for that because my butt hurts now from sitting that long. It didn't help that Nari was basically leaning her whole weight on me.
I stand up to stretch, getting their attention.
"What's their height? The heck did her parents feed her to grow that tall?" I didn't know who said that particularly, but when I look around, I see Redlic looking straight at me.
I chuckle at what she said and smile at her in recognition because it's not a lot of time you'll see tall female dancers in a group.
- Behind the scenes that are not being played for the show -
Comments about me are thrown around. I don't really know why they can't wait to know who picked me as their No Respect Dancer and how my members will battle; they are really anticipating our battles. I don't really know why.
But one comment caught my interest when I was drinking water, "She's hot."
I almost spit the water in my mouth hearing that, taking the attention of my members.
I look forward, seeing Bada looking down and the blonde one hiding behind her back. I don't know who said it, but I know for sure that it is from BEBE because of their reactions, which make me chuckle.
- End of the BTS. Back to the parts being shown to the public -
I notice that most of the dancers and even the judges are looking at Kirsten. I can't deny that Kirsten is really a dancer for dancers.
I had the opportunity to work with her for a joint class back in the States, and she is really good—like fucking good.
Her rhythm is out of this world, and I am hoping that I am not the one she's going to have to battle because I know for sure that that is going to be a hard and energy-draining battle.
I still don't have the chance to have a conversation with her, and seeing that most of their attention is on her, it didn't help me at all.
My introverted self didn't want more attention.
I know for sure that when they know that Kirsten will join the show, screams, gasps, and shocks will be the basic reactions one must have. That's just how much her influence is on our scene.
Time passes by, and a few battles have been fought, but our team name didn't get called until Wolf'lo was called.
"The dancer that is going to battle next in the 1-on-1 is Halo from Wolf'lo," said Daniel, making most of the dancers don't look at the spot where Wolf'lo are sitting. Not wanting to battle any one from that team.
I can say that Wolf'lo is really a great competition because they are very much battlers and very seasoned when it comes to it, so the experience will be very worthwhile, whether one wins or loses.
Halo-nim walked beside Daniel in the fight zone, and all of us are anticipating who she's going to pick.
"The No Respect dancer that I chose is..." She looked around all of us when her gaze stopped at our spot.
Well, here comes the first battle we are going to be part of.
"... Nari of Nyx," Halo finished her sentence, making everyone cheer.
〰✧☽
-
C.
(10/27/23)