prove it • stray kids

34 | mission six: part one

su-wei lin

[english]

It is finally the day of our final mission: the live broadcast. Other than the busking mission, this will be the first time we perform in front of a real audience. Unlike busking, however, the feedback we get from this performance decides how we debut.

"I can't believe this is actually happening right now," Riley says, pacing through the waiting room backstage of the stage for our live broadcast.

There is a monitor in the waiting room displaying a live feed of the audience and the stage, so we can see the seats of the venue filling up with people. Nyla blankly stares at it, her hands shaking in nervousness.

I place a hand on Riley's shoulder to stop her aimless walking, "Don't worry. We've been practicing nonstop. All we have to do is show our teamwork and put on a great performance."

"Okay, but in the event that doesn't work, what do we do?" Nyla asks.

Riley nods, "I really want to keep performing and making music with you guys, but what if I can't?"

"Well, take that as more motivation to perform the best you possibly can today. We are going to stick together, alright?"

The two nod, feeling better but still anxious. Distracting us from our worries, the sound of a phone ringing echoes through the room. I grab my phone and look at the contact.

bang chan
would like to facetime...

➣ slide to answer

[korean]

Sliding the button across the screen, I answer the call.

"Hello!" Nine boys energetically shout.

I laugh and bring the camera to face me, Nyla, and Riley, "Hey, everyone."

"We wanted to wish you guys good luck on the live broadcast. We'll be watching from the dorms," Woojin smiles at the screen, giving two thumbs ups in the process.

"Yeah," Jeongin adds, "We remember how stressful it was on the day of our live broadcast and just wanted to let you know that you have our full support!"

"Thank you all so much," Riley says, happy to hear their encouragement.

Hyunjin takes the phone from Chan and brings only the 2000 liners into view, "I know how hard you've all been practicing. You have nothing to worry about."

Changbin pops his head into the camera's view, "Absolutely. Don't forget that you're doing this because you love music, and PDnim will see that you three are meant to be together."

"Just like he saw with the nine of us!" Minho's voice exclaims in the background.

Chan takes his phone back and speaks to us, "We shouldn't hold you up any longer, so good luck!"

The boys all start saying goodbye or good luck and we say goodbye to them, ending the FaceTime call.

"Alright," I sigh, putting one arm around Riley's shoulders and the other around Nyla's, "Let's do this."

»

The three of us stand beside the MC of the live broadcast on the stage in front of a table with PDnim and an audience ready to judge our performances.

"Today we will find out who will end up debuting from JYP Entertainment. I'm sure the audience would like to know how you are feeling," the MC turns to me, "What do you expect will happen today, Suwei?"

I take a breath and bring the microphone up to my lips, "After seeing all the performances, I'm sure everyone will see why we are better as a group of three."

The MC smiles, "That's great. Nyla, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous, honestly," she says, avoiding eye contact with PDnim who is almost directly in front of us, "But as Suwei said, I'm sure our teamwork will prevail."

I smile at her, and the MC continues, "How about you, Riley?"

"We've practiced so hard. I'm confident we will show the audience our energy as three," she confidently states.

"I hope you guys can successfully debut with three," the MC pauses to look at his script, "For those in the audience and watching at home, voting will work by texting to the number displayed on the screen. The following numbers correspond to each possibility of their outcome."

He proceeds to explain what to text in order to vote and finishes, "However, the votes are only for consideration. The final decision will be made by PDnim himself."

The MC introduces each of the performances as they happen: We each perform solo; I do a duet with Riley, another with Nyla, and the two perform together; and finally, we all perform as three.

With the final performance, we put all our energy into it. Regardless of the outcome, I am really proud of how we all did today.

Coming back on stage, the MC speaks again, "That was the last of the performances. Good job to you three. For the viewers, voting will now close."