The show goes back in time to the Columba homeroom right as Chaerin is about to explain the new mission.

"So for the first mission you're going to do a performance all by yourselves!" Chaerin picks up where we'd left them last episode. "But don't worry! There will be no elimination in this team this time! We just want to see you guys in action."

"Did she say we're doing it alone?" Chrysanthemum whispers.

"Like totally alone?" Yoonji whispers back.

"So just peel off the stuff on the board when production tells you too and good luck!!" Chaerin waves goodbye and exits the room, leaving the girls all by themselves. "Byeeee!!" 

The girls looks at each other a little perplexed as Chaerin leaves. Where to start?

"I didn't expect to see you here," Bitnarae says to Yoonji. "Didn't you only train at Woollim for a few months? You came in about half a year ago, right?"

Yoonji nods. "I thought I might make a better debut here than with Woollim," she says. "Certainly faster."

Bitnarae laughs with a tiny hint of bitterness. "You're probably right. Good for you."

Meanwhile Mariya looks so excited to be here. "Oh this is absolutely amazing!" Mariya grins as she goes around the room and checks out the camera and the producers. "So that's what it looks like from this side of the camera. We're really never going to be alone anymore, are we?"

None of the other contestants pay her much mind as she mutters to herself in Japanese.

It's Ari who is immediately attracted to the mysterious boards with their covered contents. "Don't you guys wanna know who's going to be what?" she asks.

"Well we know what Mariya is," Kaori jokes.

Mariya hears her name and does three ballet twirls to the front of the room. "Main dancer~" she sing-songs. 

"Are you guys ready?" Ari asks.

──────────

Kim Ari - Main Vocal

Lee Bitnarae - Main Vocal

Park Yena - Lead Vocal

Minh Da'O Chau - Lead Vocal

Chrysanthemum - Sub Vocal

Eta Mariya - Main Dance

Kang Yoonji - Lead Dance

Sakai Kaori - Lead Rap

Hwang Cheonsa - Allrounder

────────

Mariya cocks her head as she looks at the board. "There's no main rapper," she says.

"Does that make you the de facto main?" Yena wonders, regarding Kaori.

"You're too cute to be main rapper!" Yoonji proclaims, pinching one of Kaori's cheeks. 

"Rappers can be cute!" Kaori protests. "I will fight you!!"

"There's Cheonsa too," Yoonji says. "YG Allrounder! I'm sure she's an amazing rapper too!"

"Half the group is a vocal!" Chrysanthemum gasps. "Are we the vocal team?"

"Show us show us!" Yoonji chants.

"Let me get my shoes,"  Mariya grins.

https://youtu.be/vie8cx-z_pk

Mariya

https://youtu.be/bAFmIRbGR9s

Ari

https://youtu.be/zJizGl-yzpY

Chau

https://youtu.be/z0fl2ymSb-A

Yena

https://youtu.be/aVlGF91bGBk

Bitnarae

"Ahh, you did always beat me at sentimental ballads," Ari mock grumbles.

Bitnarae smiles timidly. "It's my speciality," she says. "And you always beat me at everything else."

Behind them half the team is in tears with Chau quietly dabbing at the corners of her eyes while Yoonji and Chrysanthemum full out snotty and gross.

"That was beautiful," Yoonji sobs.

"You can't just do that to us without warning," Chrysanthemum sniffs loudly.

"Chau, your voice is so unique too, it's so pretty," Cheonsa gushes.

"Thank you," Chau smiles.

Kaori claps enthusiastically. "Oh we're going to kick everyone's butts!"

"Let's find out what we're kicking everyone's butts with!" Ari says.

────────

Gfriend - Rough

────────

"But there's no rap in there," Kaori whispers in Japanese to Mariya. "What will I do."

Mariya shrugs. "Sing, I guess."

Cheonsa looks to Mariya as it dawns on her. "You're going to do amazing at the dance," she says in Japanese.

Mariya does a plié. "Yes I will~"

"I think you should be leader, Ari," Bitnarae says. "You always lead monthly evaluations well in the past."

"I'd love to," Ari replies. She takes over responsibility and starts handing out the lyric sheets. She and Cheonsa smoothly lead the group, an alliance between the oldest and the youngest.

Then, when it's time to start drilling the choreo, the first obstacle presents itself: Chrysanthemum is a complete and total rookie when it comes to dancing.

"You've really never danced before?" Mariya asks, exhasperated.

"Only in my bedroom with my plushies as audience," Chrysanthemum admits. "But it's ok! I'll work super duper hard to catch up, I promise!"

"Is this going to be okay?" Yena asks. "Rough is not an easy choreo."

"I'll work with her," Cheonsa says.

Thus starts the Chrysanthemum masterclass. She does her very best but Cheonsa soon starts losing patience with how long it takes her to grasp each dance move. "Stop stop stop," she snaps when Cheonsa attempts one of the spins and almost falls over. "Come on, I've showed you how to do this."

Chrysanthemum frowns. "I know but it just doesn't stick. No no I'll get it, could you just show me one more time?"

"Okay but one more time-"

The scene fast-forwards as Chrysanthemum practices and at one point Cheonsa gives up and goes to sleep. Chrysanthemum keeps going through the night through, spinning and nearly falling and spinning and nearly falling. She has a look of determination and absolute exhaustion.

Then, early in the morning, the door to the practice room opens and a very disheveled Ari comes in. She has her hair in what is clearly bed-time braids and a set of pyjamas on with so many clashing colours and patterns it could be mistaken for a clown's uniform.

"Ari?" Chrysanthemum is startled. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Ari rubs her eyes. "I couldn't sleep," she says, a little crankily. "Not when the bed opposite remains empty."

"Sorry! Sorry! I promise I'll go sleep soon, I just want to nail this one part so Cheonsa doesn't have to show it to me again."

"You're not going to get better when you don't have someone showing you how," Ari says. She joins Chrysanthemum in front of the mirror, taking a position of perfect professionalism even with ridiculous pjs. "I'm not the best dancer but I can at least show you this. Okay, so this is what you've been doing wrong-"

The two practice together in the off-hours and when the rest of the group is resting and during the days Yena joins to help while the rest of the team works on helping Yoonji and Kaori.

There's one shot of Ari and Chrysanthemum and Yena resting and drinking water, Chrysanthemum covered in sweat. "Thank you for all the help, unnies," Chrysanthemum says.

"Of course!" Yena says quickly. "I always did this for the trainees back in RBW. A team is only as good as its weakest member so we all have to band together to help you for our own good." 

"Yeah yeah," Ari waves it away. "Look, I'll be damned if we're not going to be the absolute best team performing tomorrow even if it means I have to stay up all night for our silly gyopo. My team is going to be the best no matter what."

── ⋆⋅💬⋅⋆ ──

"Really, the practice went so smoothly," Chau┋🕊️┋says. "I think we all just kind of knew what to do, aside from Chrysanthemum and Yoonji, and so we could devote our time to helping them catch up. The dance was hard but we worked on it together. It was really nice."

"Just like old times," Park Yena┋🕊️┋smiles proudly.

── ⋆⋅/💬⋅⋆ ── 

The girls enter the stage in their school uniform inspired outfits.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"They look so cute!" Seo Hyejin┋🐦┋squeals. "Look at them in their uniforms!"

"That's Kim Ari isn't it? From SM Rookies?" Na Eunsun┋🦢┋whispers.

"I can't wait to see what they do!" Gong Aecha┋🦚┋says. "They look like a unit already! I might not know much about idol groups but I know that's what they're supposed to look like!"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

https://youtu.be/cH9AcFlbZco

────────

Ari as NCA
Bitnarae as Han Seoin
Yena as Genie
Kaori as Eunji
Mariya as Shin Jihoon
Chau as Chahui
Chrysanthemum as Hyunjoo
Yoonji as Gaeul
Cheonsa as Joohyun

────────

Chaerin is grinning from ear to ear as the music winds down. She gives them a standing ovation. "Wow! That's my team, y'all!! You guys did amazing!"

"Now for some specific feedback," she says as she sits back down. "Ahh this is hard you were all so good!! I noticed Yoonji and Chau mess up a little in the final chorus where Yoonji is supposed to come from behind Chau and they collided. Just a small moment but stay aware of your team members! 

"Oh! Mariya!" Chaerin says and Mariya snaps to attention. "That spin was phenomenal! Such technique behind it!"

Mariya glows at the praise.

Yoonji is standing awkwardly next to her but not just because of Chaerin's comments.

"You seem to be missing something," Chanhee says with a grin.

Yoonji giggles and glances to the side of the stage where one of her shoes lies abandoned. It had torbedoed off her foot during one of the many kicks in the choreo. "Oops!"

"I hadn't even noticed!" Chaerin exclaimed. "Oh, many points for not messing up the choreo at all while missing a shoe!"

"And she still perfectly executed the windmill kick," Sunhee adds.

"Girl, go get your shoe!" Chanhee says and Yoonji quickly scuttles off to put the missing shoe back on.

Eunha takes the mic next. "Ari, you were just phenomenal the way you were both confident in performance and vocals. Simply a joy to watch.

"Bitnarae, you were completely invisible next to Ari," Eunha continues. "Even though your high note was even harder than Ari's, it was difficult to remember when Ari had so successfully captured everyone's attentions. I get it, she has so much charisma and experience, you will need to work hard to compete with her."

Bitnarae nods seriously.

"I want to compliment Chrysanthemum as well," Sunhee says. Chrysanthemum looks up in surprise to have been singled out positively. "The first lines of a song are so important for setting the right vibe and, despite your inexperience showing through, your charisma made us all forget your rough edges."

"I also want to say that Chau, you have to work on your stage presence," Chanhee continues. "You looked and sounded very pretty when it was your part and the spotlight was on you but as soon as that was gone there was no more reason to look at you. Make sure you're not just on when it's time for your lines."

── ⋆⋅💬⋅⋆ ──

"It feels so good to have my skills acknowledged!" Eto Mariya┋🕊️┋glows as she speaks in Japanese to the interviewer. "Such a good start!"

"Oh my god when my shoe left my foot I thought I was going to die!" Kang Yoonji┋🕊️┋ buries her face in her hands. "I was trying so hard not to slip on that sock!"

Lee Bitnarae┋🕊️┋looks very shaken in her interview. "No matter how well I sing, somehow it still isn't enough. Just as when I was a trainee. Ahh, it's so frustrating!"

"It felt absolutely invigorating to be back on stage," Kim Ari┋🕊️┋ says. "It's been so long! But really is like riding a bike, isn't it?"

"I was disappointed that there were no comments about me," Park Yena┋🕊️┋ admits. "But it's a big group and it's more important that we do well as a group than that I stand out on my own. There will be plenty of chances."

── ⋆⋅/💬⋅⋆ ──

"That was such a solid performance!" Chaerin gushes when the trainees have already left the stage. "Such a promising team."

Chanhee nudges her. "What were you so worried about, again?"

"Nothing," Chaerin smiles serenely. "Everything is perfect."

"I do have some concerns about some of them," Sunhee says. "They performed well today but from a few of them I don't really feel that youthful bright energy that I would want to see from a Columba performance."

"Hmm, I see what you mean," Chanhee says. "Mariya and Ari had excellent skills but I'd love to see them in a more traditionally youthful song and see if they can keep up with the likes of Cheonsa and Kaori."

Chaerin pouts. "Are you doubting my song choice?"

"Well to be honest," Eunha says. "Rough was a song I had contemplated for Cygnus as well."

"They wore school uniforms! That's a cute concept!" Chaerin sputters. 

"We knew starting this that not all songs fall squarely into one concept or the other," Chanhee mediates. "Rough straddles the line but it counts."

"Next time they're gonna be so cutesy, just you wait," Chaerin promises.

── ⋆⋅💬⋅⋆ ──

"The thing is," Chaerin says to the camera in an interview segment of her own. "I feel like there is a lot of prejudice against cute concepts in that they're either childish or they're just uncle fan bait or they're plain boring. I want to show how versatile it is and I think a song can be a 'bright' concept as long as it makes the viewer smile and feel happy. The aim is to connect more so than any other concept. But don't worry, next time I'll be more careful choosing my songs."