"tonight, out of 10 I-LANDERs, 8 will be chosen as the debut unit. the last journey of I-Land will begin now."

"it's what i've been working for for 6 years. i want to be a person who fans can rely on, who makes others smile." NaRi's voice was heard saying as various clips from her performances and solo practices were shown.

she stood with the boys, watching the countdown come to it's end, signaling the time for their performance.

"the 113 days of a long journey to debut as a global idol in 2020. tonight, the final test to complete the journey will be broadcasted worldwide. at this very moment, 10 I-LANDERs have made it to the final test stage after the long journey. among them, only 8 who survive through the night will finally make their debut."

"the final test of I-LAND begins now."

she took a breath as their I&CREDIBLE performance began. don't worry NaRi. you should be okay. she harmonized with the boys, sang and danced her part as if her life depended on it— which to her, it did.

even if little thoughts of self-doubt clouded her mind, anyone and everyone watching could easily tell she was born to perform.

with the MC's statement, seven of the eight platforms which the debuting members would stand on lit up. those seven would be chosen by the global viewers' votes, the last by the producers' choice.

after the producers, Tomorrow X Together, and the past I-Landers introduced themselves, it finally came time for the 10 to return to the stage.

"now, let's meet the 10 survivors who are so close to making their debut. i will introduce the members in order of their rank based on last week's producer's evaluation...

..the second survivor, NaRi."

the I-LANDERs, producers, and TXT cheered for the girl. she appeared behind the moving screen, a determined expression on her face.

"NaRi, the widely-loved only female competitor, has been seen as the most feared I-LANDER, having ranked in the top 5 during every test, as well as having outstanding performances during the tests.

[Kim NaRi / 16 / Nationality: Korean-American]

she ranked second place in the last producers' evaluation test."

there she stood, significantly shorter than every other contestant— a hilarious sight for viewers around the world. when the first set of number one ranking votes from around the world were announced, Australia came up.

"who's the I-Lander with the most votes in Australia? Kim NaRi."

a smile threatened to spread onto her face, but she contained herself. HAHAH i beat Jake in his own hometown HAHAHA

[after the concept test]

"wow i finally get the first place bed!" K said after the four walked into the room.

"who am i gonna sleep with now. ugh." NaRi suddenly exclaimed, looking at the people in the room. "whatever," she then said, already jumping onto K's bed.

"hahahahaha. so glad i don't have to deal with that anymore." laughed Sunoo as he watched the eldests' struggle to fight off the girl.

she was then seen walking into the yellow room, where she found her favorite hyungie, HeeSeung. "K kicked me out." she said with a pout and crossed arms, making the boys laugh at her actions.

"10 I-LANDERs, who survived until now, congratulations. from now on, to determine the final 8 debut members, we are going to reveal the final test of I-LAND."

"finally!" NaRi cheered, excited the end was near.

"the final test is the last gateway to determine the final eight. seven people will be chosen based on votes from the global viewers and one person will be chosen by the producers. two people will be eliminated. only the 8 who pass the final test, can make their dream come true of debuting as global idols in 2020. the final test you'll be presenting will be watched live by the world."

her eyes widened at this, nervousness slowly beginning to rise.

NaRi's eyes returned back to the screen after the boys read out "calling", excitement rising as she saw it was a 10-person performance. she immediately fell in love with the song as she listened to the lyrics and watched the choreography, already excited to perform it.

as the 10 began distributing their parts, NaRi laughed as Jay started his rant over why he wanted part 4.

she let it go on for a while, eventually going over to cover his mouth with her hand. as three of the boys said they wanted the part as well, NaRi decided to add to the fire. "yeah i kinda liked that part, too.." she said, slowly walking back to her seat.

he looked at the girl with an unamused expression, already knowing she was clowning him. she eventually received her part, which happened to be the one she'd been eyeing the entire video.

as the 10 were deciding their "roles" for the final test, NaRi laid in her usual position on the ground.

"i guess i'll just have to stand here and look pretty.. again," she said, exhailing an "annoyed" sigh, when really she was wanting to get a reaction from the boys.

the boys laughed at the girl, the five oldest immediately going to where she was to attack her with tickles.

she laughed at the "tension team"s attempt at raising the energy levels in the room, running away from SungHoon as she watched him slap everyone's butts. she did, though, continuously help the Daily Life Leader, aka Jay. she helped him with the dishwashing, laundry, folding the wet laundry, and also gave herself the task of being in charge of everyone's mental health.

she was then seen in the small practice room, dancing her choreography alongside Ni-Ki, Jay watching the two dance team leaders

well, Ni-Ki being the official one and NaRi being the assistant after whining because she didn't get a team leader role,

dance the choreography after having just barely watched the video.

she then popped up on screen after the monster-dancer, Ni-Ki, with a bored-ish expression.

"hm? oh, yeah. i just watch it once and have the choreography memorized. then i go back to practice the small details." she said, still hardly any expressions on her face. she then bursted out into a small chuckle after an intense staring contest with the camera director.

she showed the choreography directors what she'd practiced during their midpoint evaluation, her performance being the only one that was praised by the two. once Jay mentioned their surprise delivery for the two, NaRi's face crinkled with happiness, excited to see what their reactions would be. her eyes turned to crescents as they received the papers filled with messages in their hands, lightly clapping for the two that'd worked so hard with them.

"they've always known how grateful i've been for them. they've definitely been a huge help during my time both here and while i was training. thank you both, i love you!" she said to the camera, sending little hearts to both Sung Deuk and Doobu.

NaRi gasped as she walked into the item room, her attention being caught by the random props placed on the tables. when the scene of the self-promotion video was shown, the viewers saw both NaRi & K's names under one square with 80 & 70 under them. the two played rock paper scissors to see who'd get to make an 80 second video.

... NaRi won.

she cheered loudly as her paper covered his rock, immediately running to jump up and down.

NaRi looked around at the different accessories and props they could choose from, still unsure of what her theme for he video would be. she laughed at the boy's drastically different themes, playfully gagging at some of them.

she sat on the couch, farthest from any of the boys so she would present her idea last. "okay, NaRi."

"as we all know, i am the official big-brain in I-Land-"

"doesn't she mean big head?"

"YA! *hehe* anyways.. i want to appeal to the global audience by speaking in all the languages im fluent in, or that i know the basics of." she finally finished off with an accomplished smile, feeling proud of herself.

"and, as we all know but for some reason refuse to accept, i am the official female visual of I-La-"

"that's because you're the only girl-"
Jay got cut off with a pillow flying to his head.

"as i was saying, i will also use my visuals to appeal to everyone, thank you! <3"

"dude how'd she say that out loud?"

as the boys all did their videos, NaRi acted as the female friend / female character for anyone who needed it. she also made herself in charge of "fixing their makeup" or hair mistakes, making sure they looked perfect for the camera.

finally, it was NaRi's turn to film her video. almost all of the boys gathered behind the camera to watch her process, all excited to see what the girl had prepared. she sat in front of a chic, minimalistic background, wanting her visuals to be the main point of focus for the viewers.

since the lovely girl is a bit of a perfectionist, she pressured herself into getting it right with as little tries as possible. once she felt she was ready and the lighting was perfect, she started.

"hello, my name is Mireia NaRi Arredondo Kim! i am 15 years old internationally and have been a trainee for over six years at BigHit! i can sing, rap, dance AND i speak a lot of languages, including Spanish! i am half Mexican, and half Korean! i was born in New York, and began training when i was nine! i also learned Chinese at a young age with the help of my hyungs, Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui of idol group SEVENTEEN! to our Japanese viewers, i have not forgotten about you! i am also close to fluent in Japanese, and i am always studying it! i would greatly appreciate everyone watching this to vote for me, it'd mean the absolute world if i could become someone for you all to look up to in the future! i promise everyone that i will continue working hard no matter what the outcome may be! this has been, NaRi. peace out!"

she finally finished her video with a peace sign and a kiss, covering the camera with her hand. the boys looked at NaRi as she finished her video after one take, now definitely understanding her when she said that YoonGi had helped her with her rapping skills.

she finally looked up at the stunned boys after watching the video back, taken back when she saw their wide eyes already on her. "uh... hi?"

when the sudden alarm went off telling everyone to go to the main lobby, NaRi was laying in bed along with HeeSeung. she refused to get up, ultimately forcing the boy to carry her downstairs.

she looked up at the screen with a drowsy smile after she was sat down, waiting for the announcement to be made.

if they called us down here for no reason i will-

"we will now announce the team name of the debut group."

WELP THERE GOES MY SLEEP!

her eyes widened as she awaited the announcement, anxious to see the group's name.

what if it's ugly and i actually get to debut? ugh i don't wanna have an ugly team name!

"the team name will now be revealed. the final debut group name is..."

her eyes once again turned to crescents as she read the team name, her mood boosting up as she cheered. okay yeah no i will NOT be mad if i debut cause she is pretty!

she crashed onto the ground after giving her all in their group practice, energy basically non-existent. as she laid in the practice room with some of the boys, the topic of their first impressions of eachother came up.

"NaRi's.." Daniel began,
"she was very intimidating when she first arrived. we all thought it'd be another guy but then we saw this tiny girl walk in and everyone went quiet like 'what?'.."

she laughed at his answer, remembering how she felt on the very first day. at the end, she stood in the middle of their group hug, sad their journey as I-LANDERs would soon come to it's end.

she was then showed dancing, her voice over the video. "i came to I-Land for one reason and one reason only." was all she said, feeling like no more words were needed to get her point straight across.

for the final stage, NaRi wore a black leather skirt with a red/burgundy-colored shirt. she also wore a black leather jacket and boots.

as the group's name, ENHYPEN, was announced, NaRi once again shocked everyone with her incredible visuals. she did nothing but simply stand on stage beside K— but netizens still fell in love with her looks.

behind the cameras, both BTS and TXT looked at their little princess with heart eyes, all feeling unexplainable joy after seeing the girl standing on a stage before their very eyes.

as the attention was put on BTS, NaRi swiftly looked up at her hyungies, sending a light smile at Jin, who she happened to make eye contact with. he returned the gesture with his famous endearing smile, making her nerves calm down.

"we'll now see the Final Test performance."

NaRi took a quick breath in as the usual countdown to their performance began, already in her 'performance mode'. she got in her starting position, ready to give it her all.

she performed just as she'd practiced, like always. her voice blended in beautifully with the boys, not sticking out in an unpleasing way. she danced with elegance, applying more energy wherever she needed to.

as the performance ended, she once again killed all viewers with her ethereal ending fairy. she was exceptionally pleased with her performance today— now all she could do was wait for the global viewers to think the same.

NaRi stood, intently listening as all nine boys received compliments and praises by the producers. she clapped for them, genuinely happy they were getting recognized for their outstanding talents.

"now, i know she's been waiting. NaRi," Bang started, making NaRi's head snap up at the man.
"you've never disappointed us with any performance. you've always been a very stable performer and have done incredibly well throughout the entirety of the show. good job today, especially." he said with a small smile, causing the girl to smile up at him as well. "thank you!" she lightly said as she bowed, hearing the claps from the viewers.

her attention was then switched to their sunbaes, aka one of her first group of hyungies. she smiled lightly as she listened to their advice, knowing if she got the chance to debut they'd tell her all of this later on.

[one day til the Final Test]

she lifelessly made her way up the stairs alongside the boys, body begging its owner for some type of food. she perked up a bit as she heard Sunoo's sudden exclamation, confused by what was waiting for them in the kitchen.

she made her way to the table, eyes widening after she saw their own individual lunch boxes placed on the table. she found her own, curiousity at its peak as she began opening the zipper.

the handwritten notes caught her eye, NaRi could immediately tell who had written one of the two letters in the bag.

hey this looks like Vernon-hyungies handwriting..?

IT IS? WHAT?

she decided to put both letters to the side, her stomach now begging her to open the food containers. she carefully lifted the first lid, eyes going even bigger.

there was a small container containing her favorite tteokbokki, another one with enchiladas, a tumbler with her favorite ramen, and another small one with now melted mint-choco ice cream (but she didn't mind, obviously.)

she immediately started devouring her food, stomach feeling satisfied after not receiving food for so long. she loudly laughed as HeeSeung read the note from his brother, barely being able to catch her breath. she pouted as SungHoon started crying, her heart breaking a bit more every time she heard one of his sobs.

as more and more of the guys around her read their parents' letters, holding her tears back seemed like the hardest task that'd ever been given to her. she cracked several jokes to try and help them, which all the boys were grateful for. she decided to go last, seeing as she was the only one with two letters.

"okay, i'll show you guys the emotionless NaRi again." she said, closing her eyes and slapping her face a few times to get into a stronger mentality. "this one's from SEVENTEEN hyungies!" she said, preparing to read their letter aloud.

to our precious baby, NaRi,
we are all so proud of you! from always being you when you were a little kid to watching you perform on a survival show, we feel nothing but pride. all 13 of us gather around our TV to watch the show, we're all cheering you on as we've always done. we miss dancing with you, singing with you, rapping with you, and Woozi even misses producing with you. we can't wait to see you soon, stay strong!

— coupsie-hyung, hannie-hyung, shua-hyung, gēgē moony, horangi-hyung, woo-hyung, tiny hyung, kyeomie-hyung, gyu-hyung, xuxu, boo-hyung, hansol, baby-hyungie <3

she finished reading the letter with a firm voice, a stray tear finally escaping her eye. "aish, hyungs.." she said, rubbing the tear off her face. she decided to keep the other letter to herself, seeing as it was from her mom and brother.

"hearing from the 13.. especially after not seeing all of them for so long helped me regain the confidence i'd lost along the way. they're one of the groups of people i don't want to disappoint... so i'll definitely work as hard as i can to achieve my goal."

as the group of ten recorded their thank you video to send their parents, she sat beside SungHoon, a bright smile on her face. she barely spoke, letting the boys have their moments.

the screen then showed the past 13 I-Landers walking down the path, on their way to I-LAND. the group of 10 were practicing as usual, all startled by the sudden alarm sound.

she turned towards the window to look outside, stunned by what she saw. when she recognized the first contestant to show their face, she let out a scream. "THEY'RE HERE!" she yelled as she ran out with the other nine boys.

she dodged out of everyone's way, immediately running into EJ's arms. "i missed you so much," she said, pouting. he lightly caressed the girl's head, both happy to be around eachother after what felt like forever.

she then walked around, giving a quick hug to those she was sort-of comfortable with during part 1.

when she got to where Seon was standing, though, she hesitated. he looked down at the young girl, obviously able to read her mind. he opened his arms, signaling the girl to come to him. she cautiously came closer to the older boy, still not sure about what she was doing. they finally collided, his arms wrapped around her smaller figure. "i'm sorry for everything." he softly apologized, making the girl smile and return the apology.

"I-Landers, please prepare to perform 'Into the I-LAND' with 13 contestants for the live broadcast performance." "WHAT?" NaRi said, eyes bigger than normal. she looked around the room, noticing all 13 of their faces smiling bigger than before. "you all knew about this?!"

NaRi stayed back as she watched all the boys run around the building, happiness bubbling inside of her. i missed this. as she witnessed Seon and HeeSeung reenact their first ever interaction, NaRi laughed, gagging. "that was honestly one of the worst things i've ever experienced." she said, side-eyeing the two boys.

on the couch with the boys, she sat between HeeSeung and K. she laughed along with the boys as SungHoon said he 100% believed he was the number 1 visual, completely believing him.

once the boys calmed down a bit, they asked NaRi the same question, knowing how highly she thought of herself.

"now NaRi! do you really believe you'd deserve #1 visual position OR face of the group if you were to debut?" she thought for a moment, hand on her chin. "well, first of all, it's when i debut," she began, the boys all bursting into laughter. "and, uh.. no? i think there are way more attractive people here that'd deserve it more than me." she said with a straight face. the boys looked straight at her, half of them believing what she'd said while the other half wanted to laugh right then and there.

K suddenly pulled her face to meet his, "do you really think that? cause i think that's a lie. we all know you're lying." he said teasingly, keeping direct eye contact with the girl. she took a deep breath in before chuckling, "of course not. i'm prettier than all of you." she said, sticking her tongue out at all of them.

when the image game started, she once again laughed loudly.

"best looking I-Lander?"

while everyone was guessing it'd be SungHoon or Sunoo, NaRi simply laughed— knowing she'd bribed the boys to write her name for their answer. once Kim NaRi popped up as the answer, she simply got up and bowed repeatedly, ears filling with the roar of the boys laughters.

"i wasn't about to lose to SungHoon." she deadpanned, making the boys laugh even harder.

when the 'who would you want to try to speak informally' question popped up, NaRi laughed harder than ever, considering she was one of the youngest competitors, and the only girl. i know what i have to do

after three of the boys had their turn and NaRi felt as if she'd waited long enough, she decided to speak up. "oppa~" she suddenly whined with a pout, catching everyone off guard. some screamed while the others just looked at eachother. she shoved her face into a pillow, screaming. "im never doing that again." she deadpanned, feeling a mixture of both embarrassment and humor in the situation.

she looked around the practice room, it was filled with people. it's never been this full. when the song started playing, nostalgia filled the room. NaRi danced the choreography in the corner of the group, lightly singing along. a smile stayed on her face as she watched the big group of boys dance after so long of not being around one another, happiness filling her heart once again. she danced along to the BTS songs that were played— even if she hadn't performed them.

she listened as the past contestants began the performance, nostalgia once again filling her heart. she then walked onto the stage with her fellow survivors, a small smile placed on her face. she harmonized with the boys, also doing the background voices, bringing a pleasant experience to viewers.

the time for the debuting groups' announcement was slowly approaching as the seconds ticked by, NaRi's nerves starting to get the best of her. she tried calming herself down by listening to BTS' encouraging words, instantly being helped when she heard their roar of mocking laughter.

when V began explaining their food situations as rookies, NaRi had to physically hold back her groan. this didn't go unnoticed though, because Jimin looked at her right as she rolled her eyes, pretending she was gonna fall backwards as she did. he laughed a bit, moving JungKook's attention to the girl on stage. "i'm not saying 'in my days...' NaRi, you can stop complaining- i'm just describing the time." V continued, also noticing the girl's annoyed expression.

even as the group of 7 continued giving their words of encouragement, NaRi couldn't seem to focus. negative thoughts ran through her mind, not letting her hands stay still. she smiled as RM gave his words, i practically live with you guys sometimes of course we'll see eachother in the same building.

"of the ten that survived I-Land, who will be the eight that will debut as global idols in 2020? we will now start the announcement of the eight debut members."

oh gosh. okay. here we go, i guess.

she said a silent prayer, begging that somehow, someway viewers around the world had liked her enough to let her debut as a member of ENHYPEN. although there was some serious doubt running through her mind, she knew she had to keep strong and believe she could make it through.

"i'll announce the first debut member decides by global votes..."

she held her breath as the first survivor was being announced. okay, it's either SungHoon, HeeSeung, or Sunoo. not bad at all. 6th place with so many votes?! i'd be so happy with it.

"6th place I-LANDER... the first debut member is... Lee HeeSeung." oh my fuc- her jaw fell to the ground, immediately going to HeeSeung's place to pull him into the tightest hug she's ever given. "you did it, you did it." she whispered in his ear as she caressed his hair, feeling nothing but happiness for her best friend. a few tears threatened to escape her eyes as she listened to his thank you speech, knowing exactly what he could feel.

"the second debut member who placed 5th in the global ranking... Ni-Ki." her mouth, once again, on the floor. like before, she moved to where he was, bringing the younger into a hug. "i told you!" she let him cry on her shoulder as he processed the information, tears once again threatening to escape from their prison.

"4th place I-LANDER, Jake."
"3rd place I-LANDER, Jay."
"with 1,417,620 votes, 2nd place I-LANDER, Yang JungWon."

NaRi congratulated all three boys, happy for her friends achieving their dream. the time finally arrived for the 1st place I-LANDER to be announced, NaRi's heart was beating out of her chest. the negative thoughts from earlier hadn't stopped running circles through her mind, her hands slightly shaking at this point. she knew it'd be a stretch to hope for first place in global votes... but she could hope?

maybe they don't like me? maybe they finally decided they didn't want ONE girl with SEVEN guys.. yeah, maybe that's it. i'll just get eliminated and go back to being a trainee? that might work?

"the first place I-LANDER received 1,417,621 global votes, just barely achieving first place." oh wow, hahahaha it'd be funny if it was me again.

"this survivor is one of our Korean-American contestants— either Kim NaRi, or Daniel. will it be the young and talented Daniel? or will the only female contestant, who has been the most feared trainee for years, Kim NaRi, debut as a member of ENHYPEN?...

the first place I-LANDER... Kim NaRi."

she hadn't noticed at first, her mind was still running circles. it wasn't until she felt K's grip around her body that she realized she'd survived.

she was going to debut.

she looked around, still not sure if this was a dream. she saw all seven members of BTS standing up, all holding little homemade signs with her name on them; she then looked over and saw TXT, all yelling her name. the emotions finally overtook her, tears clouding her vision. the producers also cheered for her, Bang looking prouder than ever. her face never left K's chest, not wanting to look like a crybaby in front of the entire world. this cannot be real.

"debuting member Kim NaRi, please come forward and speak."

she exhaled a shaky breath, not wanting to break down in front of everyone again. she took the mic in her shaky grasp, mind still running circles. she closed her eyes as she stepped onto the platform, everyone still cheering for the young girl.

"uh.. wow. honestly, i didn't think i'd be called." she took a breath, "thank you so much. to the producers who've been here for me during all my training days, all of my hyungs and unnies who've helped me, all of the contestants that've been here even if we never got along,"

she paused as everyone chuckled, knowing she was likely talking about Seon, "and to the viewers who believed in me and have been here every step of the way. uh, i promise to not let you guys down. thank you a million times for giving me this incredible opportunity. you can always count on me. always. i'm excited to grow as ENHYPEN's NaRi. thank you."

she finished, hands still shaking as she sent a deep bow. she then walked to the debut zone, immediately tackled into a hug by the rest of her new group members. "i can't believe i beat you by one point," she told JungWon who just laughed at the girl.

she cheered and received the final global vote survivor, Park SungHoon, as he went to the debut zone. she was anxious to see who the producers would choose, mind filling with questions. she looked at the three candidates, maybe it's Sunoo? i think the producers like him enough to let him debut..

"chosen by the producers, the last member of ENHYPEN to debut is...

congratulations. Kim Sunoo."

she watched as the boy's eyes widened, not believing the news just as she'd done before.

as she heard K and Daniel were automatically eliminated, though... her heart broke. her 'little twin' and her 'Japanese hyungie' as she'd called them... were gone. she'd lost the chance to watch them debut- no, debut alongside them.

she received her last group member with a hug, wiping the tears that'd slipped from his eyes.

she watched as the two, now eliminated contestants, gave their final remarks. her heart hurting for them. she'd spent so much time with them, she'd started to consider them some of her best friends.

she couldn't hold back her tears as she listened to K's final words, heart breaking at the fact she wouldn't get to be in a group with him.

she did, although, find a glimmer a hope when he said he wishes he'll get to perform together with ENHYPEN someday. yeah, you will.

"now, with 7 chosen by global viewers and one chosen by producers, 8 I-LANDERs have been decided for their debut. the final 8 shall now proceed to the center of the stage."

NaRi slowly made her way down with the 7 boys around her, about to be announced as the next debuting group.

"i will now introduce the 8 members of ENHYPEN.

Kim NaRi, Yang JungWon, Jay, Jake, Ni-Ki, Lee HeeSeung, Park SungHoon, Kim Sunoo."

"these 8, who made their dream to debut as 2020 global idols come true, are ENHYPEN."

"the final 8."

NaRi jumped at the sudden confetti cannon, gold now flying over them. she looked to the viewers in the studio— she was watched by two of her favorite groups, and the ones she competed against for three months.

like always, she was in the middle of their first, official debuting group, group hug.

"we all did it. i'm so proud of you guys."

she smiled up to the groups as they gave their final remarks, sincerely congratulating the debuting members. nothing could replace the feelings NaRi felt inside of her.

"I-LANDERs have ran endlessly for 113 days only for this moment. dear global viewers that have sent love and encouragement to I-LANDERs, thank you. although I-Land is over, please keep encouraging ENHYPEN that begins a new chapter and all the trainees who've surpassed their own limits."

NaRi ran up to EJ, the boy already congratulating the young girl on her success. she went around the entire group, hugging every single one of the past contestants.

as she talked with Seon, she felt a tap on her head. she turned around, confused as to who it was. she was met with 12 pairs of eyes— all belonging to the two BigHit groups. she gasped, already being embraced by the guys. she received various compliments and head kisses, finally receiving a big bouquet of flowers from Jin.

yeah, nothing could top this.

"closing the I-Land system."

[thank you for watching I-LAND.]

🦇  ...  I-LAND, 끝.