Blessing in Disguise

Chapter Twenty

Yunjin

8/18/2018

Yunjin sat in the dim light of the dressing room, her heart heavy and emotions tangled. She hadn't made the cut—her dream of standing on the Produce 48 final stage had just slipped through her fingers. At first, sadness washed over her, but soon, it twisted into anger, bubbling up from a place deep inside her that had been simmering for weeks. She had given everything—her voice, her time, her soul—and yet here she was, being torn down by something so far beyond her control.

The "Into the New World" center position controversy had turned her life upside down. It had started as a simple misunderstanding, but once the internet grabbed hold of it, it spiraled into something she couldn't outrun. It didn't matter how hard she worked or how many late-night practices she pushed through. The truth didn't matter. People saw what they wanted to see. They caught a glimpse of her reaching for something, and suddenly, she was painted as the villain—selfish, greedy. It was as if the internet needed a target, and she had been standing too close to the line.

She clenched her jaw, the anger rising like a wave inside her chest. The reality of what it meant to be a public figure hit her like a slap in the face—one wrong move, or even the perception of one, and everything you built could come crashing down. The worst part? They didn't even care about her side of the story. No one cared that she had asked politely, no one cared that Nako had agreed willingly, no one cared that her team supported her. All they saw was an opportunity to attack, to turn her ambition into something ugly.

Her hands trembled as she looked down at them, feeling overwhelmed and powerless. Her fingers instinctively found the cool, familiar metal of the promise ring she wore, the one Y/N had given her before she left for Korea. It was a simple thing, silver and black bands intertwined, but it held so much meaning. It was more than just a promise of love—it was a reminder of their shared dreams, of the future they both longed for. She fiddled with it absently, remembering the day he had given it to her.

She had seen him once, months after they exchanged the rings, tying his basketball shoes before a game. His promise ring had been threaded into the laces, a quiet yet powerful symbol of their commitment to each other and to their dreams. It had warmed her heart then, seeing how much it meant to him, how much they meant to each other.

And now, even in this moment of confusion and hurt, that memory grounded her. As her fingers turned the ring around and around, the anger began to dissipate, replaced by something else—something bittersweet, but filled with hope. She wasn't ready to give up. Not yet. Giving up meant breaking the promise she had made with Y/N, and she couldn't bear the thought of that.

She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the ring in her hand. The metal was cool against her skin, but it gave her warmth all the same. Y/N believed in her—he always had. He never doubted her, even when she doubted herself. She could still see the way he looked at her when they made that promise, the way his eyes lit up with pride and love.

This wasn't the end. Yunjin clenched her fist around the ring, drawing strength from it. She wasn't done fighting—not for herself, not for her dream, and not for the promise they made.

Y/N

Y/N sat in stunned silence as the news of Yunjin's elimination sank in. He couldn't believe it. She had come so far, pushed through so much, only to be taken down by something so trivial—a controversy blown out of proportion by people who didn't even know the truth. Anger boiled beneath the surface, frustration that a few seconds of manipulated footage could ruin his girlfriend's dream. How could something so small be enough to destroy everything she'd worked for?