I listen to Hyanggi pleading for comfort with a mixture of unease and anger as she says between one sob and another, "I'm tired. Tired of feeling useless, being treated like shit here." Even though she's only twenty points behind front runner Seoyoung, she isn't in a good mood.

I try to guess what caused her to be do distressed. "Mmm... It has to do with Songbin's criticism, right?" I pass her a tissue to wipe off her tears and continue. "Color me surprised, honestly. I hate her now."

"What do you mean with 'now,' unnie?"

"I used to like her somehow. I'd watch performances of hers and try to copy some of her moves for practice. That'd help me a lot preparing my busking activities," I explain, regret filling my voice as I realize that the last thing I'd expect from a respected artist is her being a total piece of shit.

"Oh, wow. Reality must've hit you hard like a punch on your teeth." Her simile is painful, but efficiently describes how I feel about Songbin. What sucks is that I can't antagonize her because she's part of the judging panel. At the same time, though, I can't let her keep getting on my skin.

Still, Hyanggi's rant is about two of the other panelists, Sara and Seokgi. I've never liked them, especially the latter, from the very beginning of the show. "Please tell me you also think he's a prick," says Hyanggi in a pleading voice. Oh, God, how I hate him is something I can barely describe.

"Look, I..." I take a deep breath. "He's always nitpicked on my performances. He's also biased as fuck. How Hyewon manages to suck up to him without consequences is beyond disgusting-" Uh-oh. I've talked too much. Hyewon has already found me, and in a matter of seconds, I can feel my left cheek turning purple. She's just thrown a punch at me.

I try hard to retain my tears, but she yells, "Now you'll learn your place for once, useless midge. Now, shut up or get out of this competition!" I've had enough of this grown up bully, I can't stop repeating it.

Hyanggi intervenes, grabbing her closed fist tight. "Stay away from Saesom, asshole. And, while at it, go fuck some low level staff, Hyewon unnie." Her face is dark red, darker than blood. "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have wasted honorifics with someone like you. Fuck off." She lets go of her and takes me away from that spot.

Hyewon is furious. Understandably, I say, but I can't be empathetic to someone who resorts to sleeping around to earn privileges. I hope she at least didn't actually fuck anyone from the panel to earn more favorable scores.

So much time has passed with all this drama, yet I haven't prepared anything yet. I'm doomed, unless I'm called up last.

***

What I feared has just happened. I'm the next one. Only four other contestants have been called before me: in order, Saeha, Daneung, Boyeon and Daha. I have to come up with something quickly or improvise if I want to come out alive of that stage.

The one to greet me is Seokgi in his cold yet slimey tone. "I hope you have prepared something worthy of this stage, Saesom, because I'm under the impression you've been carried by your partners in the previous challenges." This is pure bullshit. Why aren't the other judges stopping him? Can't anyone present actual facts? Who has managed to kiss his ass for him to be so biased?

Never mind. What matters now is that I have to perform. An idea blazes in my mind, but I'm not exactly sure it's the right one.

I improvise a freestyle about the show and the other contestants. 'Believe me, I'm in for the show / I'm not here to play, so fight back or go / New friends I've met, glad they're here with me / But I've got some trouble, too, from one, two, three, hey!'

Believe it or not, Seokgi's cold expression vanishes, being replaced by a smile. I don't know if it's genuine or just an illusion to make the possible future disappointment more painful, but I think it matters. He's joined by more enthusiastic reactions from Dohee and Sara, who seem to encourage me to continue.

'Saeha knows the art of deal / Seoyoung is a masterpiece / Saesong spreading joy and laughter / Hyanggi coming just right after / Then there's Daha with her crown / Mari running to the throne / Boyeon's ready to turn that page / While Daneung wants to set the pace.' The freestyle may not make a lot sense, but the judges love it so much that they let me continue.

'Lastly, there's Hyewon / It's so clear she stands alone / But do we know why? / All we know is that she aims high / Her stare gives me the chill / Yet, I'm all in for the thrill / If you want some more, more, more, more / Don't tell me to stop, no!-'

None of the panelists stops me. Seungsik does. "Okay, Saesom, we've heard enough. Next!" I leave the stage quickly before he can call the security to usher me away. I'm met by a jubilant Saesong, who points at one of the screens. "Your freestyle is going viral!" she exclaims. This clearly means I can hope for a high score, but there are still five other contestants to be judged.

***

Back in the dorm, I revise the scores, watching the rank change again. Because of several of the others keeping telling me about how my freestyle has made my popularity skyrocket, as well as Hyanggi's confession about the panel, I haven't kept up with the other performances.

'Cha Saesom: 100 points
Yoon Saeha: 90 points
Kwon Seoyoung: 80 points
Kang Saesong: 70 points
Shin Hyanggi: 60 points
Park Boyeon: 50 points
Heo Mari: 40 points
Kang Daneung: 30 points
Kim Hyewon: 20 points
Bae Daha: 10 points.'

Wow! I'm surprised. I never expected to climb the general rank so quickly after a poor start. This experience is helping me improve in ways that make me feel more complete, one small step closer to my ultimate goal: to become an idol. I'm also pleased to see Saesong and Hyanggi regain their confidence with a good score. They've proven they can handle and pass hurdles, even the biggest ones.

On the other hand, while I'm happy that karma punished Daneung and Hyewon with poor performances, I'm scared for Daha. She'll be the next target from the panel and audience. She's a strong contender; therefore, learning she got the least points from this challenge makes me think that she needs a boost in confidence.

But what I can do to raise her spirit?

***

Getting in the second half of the show means that points will have an even higher value. No mishaps are allowed. Mistakes will be an even heavier burden in case we fail. I've come this far through the competition, but I have to raise the bar even more if I want to have a chance to win and make my dream come true.

Instead of taking us to the usual studio, the staff take us to what to seems to be a theater. When I try to ask why, one of them answers quickly and in a dry tone, "Just some ordinary maintainance. Nothing you should worry about."

Boyeon and Mari both glare at me. Maybe my question wasn't really appropriate, after all. This, however, doesn't make me cower unlike earlier in the competition. The staff guide us inside the theater and has us sit on the first line of the orchestra.

Seungsik looks even more flashy than usual. His hair is pulled back with tons of hair gel, while he matched a golden chain shaped necklace and a black shirt with his burgundy suit. Honestly, he looks like the main villain in a mafia movie.

"Welcome back, girls! Are you ready for another exciting challenge?" We all answer yes with varying degrees of enthusiasm. "Great, because we've just entered the second half of the competition. Every point you conquer from now on will weigh even more."

"Is this going to be a musical acting challenge?" asks Hyanggi. "I love musicals. In fact, I-" She's surrounded by deadly glares from Daneung, Boyeon and Hyewon. Always the three of them. What is their problem with her?

I'm not letting them attempt to dim their light again. They should focus on their slipping ranks instead.