There must be magic in the written word because I coast through the next few days with everything moving  smooth like butter. 

I know it is foolish to believe some random letter from an anonymous person but I keep the hope it gives me locked deep inside, a secret I will never share with anyone but myself. The craziest thing is that it works. 

Believing the letter makes me happier, it makes me more invested in my lessons and I finally got the last verse in our dance routine right, earning a look of approval from Mr. Lee, the hard ass.  

Even Ms. Noh says I've improved although she still insists that I need more emotion when I rap. Her words do little to get me down, I'm still as motivated as ever and every night I come home, anticipating a new letter. 

So far no frilly, laced up ones have arrived but still I continue to wait. 

Tomorrow is our evaluation with Mr. Yang and the executives. It will be decided then who gets to perform at the showcase with Viva and the ones not chosen will be eliminated. I've done the calculation over and over again in my head. 

There are fifteen of us. Three will be lucky enough to be paired in duets with Viva members and management has decided that ten girls will be selected to dance the girl group number. Only five will be selected to dance with the boys. 

The chances of one girl getting chosen for all three performances are minimal so I've roughly estimated that there might be around two or three eliminations. Provided the executives are in a generous mood. 

If luck wasn't on our side then the maximum amount of girls they could get rid of is five. That would be the largest removal we've ever had.  

Today is the last day for us to practice and all of us have gathered in the dance studio, our vocal lessons and studies done for the day. Outside our tinted windows, the sun has begun to set but for us the night is still young.

I sit on the floor, legs splayed out in loose comfortable trainers and bend over to touch my fore head to my thighs. The familiar pull in my hamstrings loosens and I stay that way while the others do similar stretches. 

"Okay girls. Get into position," Mr Lee instructs the moment he walks in and I glance up at the door, heart beating in anticipation. 

We haven't seen the boys of Viva since the day I broke down before practice and I would be lying to myself if I said I didn't hope to see Jiho today. We heard they will be joining us for our last practice so I can't help the disappointment I feel when Mr. Lee walks in alone. 

It appears the other girls share my sentiment as well because I see JinJin, Rachel and a few others gaze at our double glazed doors longingly before it slides shut with a soft click. 

Mr. Lee walks up to the speakers and puts down his notes. He is wearing a long orange sweater today, with white pants and red shoes that match his glasses. Maybe this colour combination might have worked for someone else but it just makes him look like a street cone. 

We get into position and I put my hands on my knees, ready for the music to start. Once the beat kicks in my body goes into auto pilot, limbs and hips moving to steps I have practiced so often I could do them backwards. 

"Expressions girls! Engage with me! Engage with your audience." Mr Lee claps his hands, drawing my attention to him. 

"Good Binna. JinJin and Rachel doing good." 

I force all my energy into the next few steps, giving it my all. 

"Jina, more emotion. You look like a block of wood."

No, not again. I almost miss my next step after the criticism and I notice Mr. Lee's glare when I side step slightly slower than the others by about half a second. My confidence begins to crumble but the doors swing open, interrupting our performance. 

One by one the Viva members walk in with iced tea and coffees in hand, looking as stylish as ever with their long coats and branded sneakers. To me Jiho stands out the most, being one of the tallest. He wears a beige coat that reaches his knees with a black shirt and jeans that are ripped at the knees. 

He isn't wearing a mask or cap today so his features are on full display and the sight is doing weird things to my nerves. 

The music stops and we adjust ourselves. Shirts get tucked in, sleeves are rolled up and pony tails are re-tied. I smoothen my shirt and adjust my hair as well, trying not to look at the boy standing in front of me by the mirrors. 

Is it just me or does his dark brown hair look even softer today? And that earring, why does it stand out so much tonight? 

Mr. Lee clears his throat, clearly aware of the heightened pheromones in the room. "Okay, everyone settle in. We'll take it from the top." 

We do the routine a few more times and thankfully Mr. Lee is too busy engaging with Chan and the other members, he doesn't mention my lack of emotion again. Once we are done, he allows Viva to take charge of our training. 

"Hi everyone. Chan here," Viva's lead dancer greets us even though we know all our sunbaes name's by heart. He bows and we reciprocate quickly. Grace is standing next to me and I notice her blushing profusely as she looks at him. 

"Today's your last practice before evaluations tomorrow. We've seen your dance and I think everything looks pretty good. So I want you guys to ask us anything you want instead. Is there something you're struggling with? A move you can't seem to master?" 

Chan stands up and faces us with his back to the mirror. "Ask me anything. I'm all yours tonight." He smiles cheekily and most of the girls blush even harder at his innuendo. 

"How do I make this step smoother? More effortless?" I'm not surprised when Grace speaks first. It's obvious she has a crush on him. 

Chan shows us the body roll she refers to and we follow his hip dip and roll. Sure enough his innate talent makes something so simple look so attractive. The girls then fire a few more questions his way and the other members of Viva join in to help. 

"How do I deliver more emotion in my performance?" I ask once the others are done and Mr. Lee smiles at my question appreciatively. 

"Yes, many of them lack this skill." He adds, rubbing it in unnecessarily. 

This time Jiho stands up and heads my way making my fingers tingle with nervous excitement. He stands next to me and faces the mirror so that the rest can watch him as well. He smells like fresh laundry detergent today and it's like a magnet drawing me towards him.

I have to consciously force myself to stay put and concentrate on his words instead. 

"This takes a lot of practice but it really helped me before my debut." Jiho does some facial exercises as he looks at himself in the mirror. I have to stifle a laugh because he looks so ridiculous. His face is miserable one moment and then elated the next. 

"Practice these expressions as you look at yourself. This is the only way you can control how you want to be seen," He says into the mirror, looking directly at me and then he dances a verse from our performance. He incorporates those same expressions and suddenly it all makes sense.

He is so good I could stare at him dance all day. 

"You're drooling," Binnna whispers from my side and I glare at her while simultaneously checking my chin in our reflection. I want to whack the girl for making shit up. 

"No, I'm not. He's just really good," I murmur and she nods, staring at him as well. 

We take a break around 10pm and Mr. Lee bids us goodbye, grumbling that the company doesn't pay him enough for his overtime shifts. Viva wishes us good luck and leaves soon after but I know we will be seeing them tomorrow during our evaluation. 

The thought makes me more nervous than I already am. 

The girls want to carry on practicing so I head to the washrooms for a quick break before returning. I also want to see Jiho leave for some stupid reason that I can't explain. 

He walks past me and stops. "Don't sleep too late. You'll be too tired tomorrow." 

The concern in his eyes comforts me like a blanket on a cold night.

"My expressions need work. Mr. Lee says I look like a block of wood," I say in a tired voice and he doesn't laugh or dismiss my words. In fact his expression is reminiscent, like he's remembering his trainee days when he looks at me. 

"You know all the steps by heart, right?" He asks and we have somehow ended up at the end of the hallway, tucked into a corner hidden by a row of vending machines. The bathrooms are right next to us so it's not like this is some sort of rendezvous but still, this, us here feels kind of intimate. 

I nod in response and he puts his hands into the pockets of his coat, leaning against one of the machines as he looks down at me. 

"Then think about what makes you happiest when you dance. Emotion can't be faked and experienced people like Mr. Yang can see through it immediately. You need to feel it from within." 

I bite my lip, deep in thought. What makes me feel the happiest? 

"Think about it tonight, okay? And don't worry you'll be great. I'm putting my money on you, don't let me down."

"You gamble?" My eyes are wide with disbelief, making him laugh. 

"Only with Monopoly money," He winks and then he rocks on his feet, looking hesitant. "I should go, before someone comes looking for you." 

I realise he's right. All I need is someone like JinJin or Grace catching us here and the rumour mill will start running. It's also nice that he cares about this kind of thing because it wouldn't affect him as much as me. 

He shifts on his feet not looking like he wants to leave and I hesitate as well. I realise in that moment that I do in fact want to see him again.

"Maybe if all goes well tomorrow you could sneak me some fried tofu during our next walk?" I whisper, casting a cautious glance at the empty hallway in front of us. The music in the studio blares, indicating the girls have started dancing again. 

Jiho's face lights up at my words and the sight makes a rush of warmth flood through my veins, leaving me giddy. 

"That would be great." He runs a hand through his hair, looking shy. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" 

"Yes, see you." I smile and my smile remains plastered on my face after he leaves, during practice and on the way back to our dorms. 

It only disappears when some of the girls march into our room and JinJin grabs my hair dryer. 

"Sorry need to borrow. Mines not working." The machine blares cutting off all our conversation and I ignore her as I get ready for bed. Grace and Rachel eye our room curiously even though they've been inside hundreds of times already. 

I see them stare at my childhood pictures with Dalia. My hand tightens around my pillow where I've placed the note, hidden under the covers. 

"You girls ready for tomorrow?" JinJin asks making small talk and wasting our time. 

"Yeah, we're really tired. Need to walk up early," I hint hoping she will leave. 

"True. True." She walks around and then runs her hand over the drawer with my fan mail inside. I make a mental note to never leave anything from anonymous there ever. Binna and I are already tucked in bed waiting for these girls to leave. I lie down and cover myself with my blanket. 

"Okay, then. Goodnight girls," She finally says and then she switches off the lights and leaves. 

"There's always something up with her. I think she was looking for something," Binna says from the bunk above. 

"Could be." I slurr, already drifting off to sleep. All that matters is she didn't see my mysterious letters that have become precious to me. "You set the alarm, right?" 

"Always." 

We fall into a tired bout of sleep and I wake up to Binna shouting as she jumps down from above. 

"What? What?" I sit up with hair and drool stuck to one side of my face.

"We're late. The alarm didn't go off and we slept in." She all but screams in panic. 

A bolt of terror shoots down my spine and I rush to the alarm clock which reads 8am. Evaluation starts at 9am and weigh in's start at 8.30. I can see four years of my life being flushed down the drain in that very moment. There is no way we will arrive in time unless a miracle happens. 

Hey it's time for evaluations and did you guys enjoy that little Jiho Jina moment. More to come and hope the girls make it in time :) :)