Seungsik has a vague answer for Hyanggi's question. "Hmm... It does have to do with music... What do you think?" The suspense is part of the game, so I don't make a big fuss about it again. It's pointless and will cause nothing but trouble.

He continues after two minutes of tense silence. "Drum roll... 3, 2, 1... Today, it's time for the Culture Fusion Challenge! I'll be quick to explain, I promise." Saeha and I roll our eyes. His definition of 'quick' is far from what the meaning of the word is. To put it in another perspective, he's excessively verbose.

"So, you'll be assigned a song and have to combine our amazing Korean culture with others that will be chosen randomly. You'll work in pairs, so make sure your chemistry is fully on point, okay?" Given that my general score has soared over the past two challenges, I'm confident I can keep up through my hard work and determination.

The board has revealed the pairs. I'm relieved to learn I'll work with Hyanggi. The "live audition" has reignited the spark of motivation in her, which has boosted her confidence. Saeha and Saesong will work together, much to their joy, while the remaining pairings consist of: Seoyoung and Daha, Hyewon and Boyeon, and Daneung and Mari.

Preparation for the round takes place in the usual two hours, but with a twist: we can only take turns staying backstage. This means that, when our turn is over, we have to find other spots where to practice. Hyanggi and I are the first ones to get our turn backstage.

I encourage her. "Let's make the most out of these 24 minutes we have, okay?"

"The challenge seems difficult—combining Korean traditional instruments and hip hop. How do we do so without the result being imbalanced?" asks Hyanggi.

Inspiration flows in my mind. "I think I have an idea. It's intricate, but I think it will work."

***

As I expected, my intuition has led me to a successful performance, combined with Hyanggi's powerful dance break and my fascinating rap verse on the delicate sound of the geomungo. 'Stand back, eyes shut, lips sealed, dark night / Here comes the witch, don't piss her off / Don't make a sound, don't make a move / Her kiss is poisoned, nails sharp like claws / A gift for you, ain't no Santa Claus / Ice cold winds and burning roses.'

The judges are so impressed that even Songbin and Seokgi let go of their bias against me and Hyanggi. Dohee points out that we were both able to create something new while respecting the assigned genres and cultures.

We take a seat as we watch the other performances. In this round, everyone gives their all and only minor flaws are present. Choosing a winner won't be an easy feature for the panel; therefore, the audience's live vote can make the difference.

When everyone is done, Seungsik closes the live vote and says, "As I mentioned before, from now on the points you earn will be crucial and weigh even more than before. Now, a commercial break and then I'll reveal the scores."

In the backstage, the relaxed atmosphere that has dominated in the middle of the performances is gone, replaced by a gloomy sensation of uneasiness. Daneung and Mari, upset by a detail in Saesong and Saeha's choreography, suspect they cheated. "You clearly copied us!" is Daneung's strong accusation.

The way she points the finger at Saeha, all while chastising her over the alleged lack of originality, makes me jump in to defend the latter and Saesong, followed by Hyanggi. I address Daneung directly by asking, "How can you be so sure Saeha and Saesong copied your choreography? We only took turns here, do you remember?"

Daneung doesn't care, though. She stands firm on her position. "They cheated, period. Have you even paid attention to how similar their choreography was to ours?"

Mari adds with a dry tone. "Anyway, Saesom unnie, learn to mind your own business for once and stop acting like a heroine. You sound pathetic!" Oh, shit. She's flushing her attempts to build bridges in the toilet with her nasty attitude. How could I be so stupid and believe she'd actually change? She'll always be the spoiled little brat I've worked with twice.

Saeha intervenes. "Daneung unnie, we didn't cheat! The fact you make such an assumption is bold of yours, to say the least."

Saesong insists, as well, emphasizing hers and Saeha's integrity. "If you have issues with that, take it with the panel. But that will only earn you a low score, darling—you and Mari are overhyped frauds!"

Daneung sneers at Saesong with a frown dripping contempt. "Please... You're the worst performer among us, you simply got lucky in the last round. Stay in your lane, baby."

I've had enough of Daneung. Why does she have to be so mean? What is even the problem with her? Doesn't she realize that her behavior is a great limitation to her career outlook?

Fortunately for all of us, the commercial break is over and Seungsik is back with the results. "Ladies, this time, choosing a winner has been particularly difficult. This is why, in this case, we decided to bend the rules, but only for this round. The judges decided to give 50 points to the best two pairs. The others will get 30."

Hyanggi and I hold our hands in hope. Our performance has been praised by literally everyone; hence, it'd be a shame if our efforts didn't pay off. On the other hand, Saesong keeps fiddling with her hair. She's so nervous that she'd scream if she could.

The score board reveals two pairs: Seoyoung and Boyeon, and Hyewon and Daha. They earned 30 points each, which leaves open room for other outcomes. I take deep breaths and blink before all results are out.

Saesong and Saeha earn 50 points, much to Daneung's disdain, who still believes they plagiarized hers and Mari's performance. Again, there's no solid evidence backing her stupid theory, so she should just accept her loss with grace.

To complete the picture of an episode where everything has gone well for me, Hyanggi and I also bag 50 points. She can't contain her joy as she hugs me while jumping up and down. "We did it, we did it! We won this round!"

Daneung and Mari's attempt to dampen the mood, rather than keep us grounded, doesn't work. The latter points out. "There are still four rounds to go. Don't let a small victory go way over your head." Hyanggi ignores her and rushes to Saesong.

I, on the other hand, shut that annoying brat with a wide smile. "I know, Miss Obvious." When the episode is over, she bolts out without waiting for anyone else, fuming in anger. Even Daneung shakes her head.

That girl has a lot of unresolved issues.

***

"Welcome back, girls!" As we enter the seventh challenge, I notice some weird tension among Saesong, Daha and Daneung. In particular, the latter keeps glaring at the other two. I know she finds them inferior, but the point is, she has to stop with her attitude.

For once, I'm grateful for Seungsik talking and keeping us focused on the main goal: winning. "Welcome back, girls! Have you slept well these days?" What an idiotic question. How could I even think of sleeping well with the repeated arguments within the group?

"I know you're the host, Mr. Park, but, for real, if you weren't, I'd tell you to fuck off. Seriously." Wow. Another instance where I agree with Boyeon. She has hit the head of the nail perfectly. That man needs to check his ego for once.

Of course, he replies in a theatrical manner that makes me want to bang his head against the wall. "Ouch! This hurts!" Can he just do his job without all his shit? I've had more than enough of his antics.

"Anyway, Boyeon, that was not nice of yours." She ignores his attempts to taunt her, which forces him to seek help from the production to be guided back to his script. "By the way, it's time to move on to the next individual challenge—and it's one where fans will be more involved than ever." Now I'm curious. I wonder what I have to do. I hope my fans won't ask me to do the unthinkable, such as... kissing Seungsik

Oh, please. Why do I give myself such stupid ideas?