Iridescent: Produce 101 Season 2 fanfiction

Chapter 1

“Hello? Who is this?” I ask groggily without checking the caller ID.

 “It’s me.” A voice I have been listening to for about ten years speaks grimly. “What are you doing now?”

 Rolling my eyes, I glance at the clock above my table. “It’s only 4am, so I’m obviously sleeping. What do you want?” It has been five days since I had a good sleep, so I am irritated with my uncle interrupting  my previous nap.

 “I know Ji Hun’s condition is stable now, but your mother’s state is worsening.” There isn’t even a sign of concern in his voice for his little sister.

 My mother has borderline personality disorder, and her condition hasn’t been improving since my father passed away from cancer. In fact, it worsened to the point that I became afraid of her unpredictable temper. I know I should be by her side at the US, but how could I when she flares up the moment she lays her eyes on me?

 Naturally, my younger twin brother Ji Hun is her favourite kid. We are fraternal twins, so he looks almost like my father who my mom loved dearly. His only features that he inherited from my mother are his brown eyes and small ears. I look alike to my mother except for my black eyes which I have gotten it from my father.

 “Well, it’s her favourite son who had a car accident, not the daughter she hated,” I murmur into the phone sourly. “Did the caretaker take her to the psychiatrist?”

 Uncle Rick sighs loudly, and I hear some papers shuffling in the background. “She did. The psychiatrist sent her to the mental hospital just now.” No doubt he is worried that people in South Korea catch wind of the news and spoil his idol agency’s reputation. After all he had spent almost his entire life building Ethereal Entertainment’s name.

 Perhaps I should be worried about his company too, since I am a trainee there. But my mother and Ji Hun’s conditions are more important to me. I ruffle my hair in frustration. Everything was supposed to be perfect.

 Ji Hun and I were supposed to debut as a pop and R&B duo by the end of this year when disaster struck. While visiting my sick mother in the US, he got into a car accident and landed in a coma. Talk about the best timing.

 “Anyway, I'm more worried about something else…” Uncle Rick clears his throat awkwardly. “I have a favour to ask of you.”

 This is weird. Uncle Rick has never asked anyone for favours, let alone from a seventeen-year-old girl. “What is it?” I speak cautiously. What if he wants me to go back to the US to take care of my mom? I shudder as I recall how she used to treat me.

 “Well…” Uncle Rick mutters. “This was supposed to be a secret, but your brother had sent his resume to the survival show Produce 101.”

 I frown. “Isn't that only for female trainees?”

 I can imagine him shaking his head. “This season is for only male trainees. And the thing is...Ji Hun is granted an interview with the producers. If he gets through it he'll be on the show but…”

 But my brother is currently lying in the US hospital…

 My fists clutch and I grit my teeth. Damn it. Why did Ji Hun had to go to US at this time of the year?

 “Anyway, I hope you can attend the survival show in place of Ji Hun…”

 Wait a minute.

 “Didn't you say that the show is only for dudes?”

 Uncle Rick sighs again. “Yes. But we can't possibly pull out now. The company is at stake here. I've already wasted so much money advertising that Ji Hun will be in Produce 101. I have to get back something in return.”

 Anger flares in me. “If I attend this show and we got found out, wouldn't the consequences be worse?” I rub my temples as they begin to hurt.

 “No worries. I've paid the people at Mnet to keep their mouths shut,” he say as if we were going for tea. “We will only need to be wary of the public and the boys there.” Uncle Rock pauses. “I know there are a lot of handsome guys there, but don't let them sway you.”

 “Wait,” I hiss, jumping up from my bed. “I haven't say yes to this matter yet.”

 Uncle Rick lets out a chuckle that sounds evil in my ears. “Oh, you will.” I can almost hear him smiling over the phone. “You will, for your baby brother.”