1. Project IZ*ONE

Chapter 4 - Intentions Matter

Things have been getting intense during the training sessions leading up to the first test. Everyone wanted to make an impression on the trainers to be able to make the final team. 96 trainees had been assigned here, but only 12 would be recruited. Though everyone had their reasons, the prize at the end was still the same. It'd be like a dog-fight.

Yena was alone in her dorm thinking about her observations the past few days. Is my motivation enough to get me through this? She thinks to herself doubtfully. Underneath the energetic and electrifying persona Yena had was a nervous and scared wreck. Being loud and sociable was like her coping mechanism for her fears. She didn't think she was a natural like Yujin in that regard, being able to say things with real confidence instead of putting up an act. She was always so hard on herself, but in times like these, she felt like she needed to be. No one else here is going to care about if she makes it or not. They see each other as competitors. It was clear as day to her from the times she'd try to make friends with people outside her dorm. This included even Sihyeon and Yiren who she came here with. They hadn't really known each other for so long. Was I just feeling close with them? As she gets lost in her thoughts, she dismisses the noise of the door opening and someone entering. Probably Goeun or Juri. She thinks.

"Hmm? What's with the brooding look over there Yena-unnie?" She freezes at the familiar husky voice.

"Oh, uh, hi Yuri! Nothing much, ha-ha. Don't worry about it." Yena tries to play it cool, but the look on Yuri's face shows she clearly didn't believe her.

"Don't play dumb with me, unnie. Even I can tell something's off. C'mon, we're roommates, why do you act so differently around me?" The question catches Yena off guard. Was she really that obvious?

The hesitation and pause from her makes Yuri continue. "Whenever I see you from afar, you're always so jumpy and fun, but once I show up, your whole demeanor changes. Did I do something to you in our past lives?"

"Uhm, No, no. You've done nothing wrong. It's just that I get nervous around new people" Yena mumbles

"Really? Don't go telling me you know everyone here, almost half of them are from another country for crying out loud. What is it really?" Yuri says as she rolls her eyes continuing to pester her.

"Fine, I guess it's because of your power, the whole charm-speak thing. Maybe I was nervous that you'd make me do something silly if I upset you." Yuri considers this for a second, nodding to herself. Yena lets go of the breath she'd been holding, her lie seeming to do its job.

"You already do silly things as it is." Yuri says flatly, but before Yena could respond, she keeps going on saying, "I guess we got off on the wrong foot. I don't really use my power unless I absolutely need to. I didn't even force you to tell me that. Hmm, I guess people would be wary if they knew someone like me." Yena nods along listening intently to her.

"If that's the case, maybe we should get to know each other, we may end up being teammates one day. Who knows?" Yuri says with a slight giggle.

"I'll start. My name is Jo Yuri, and I'm from Busan, but you probably already guessed that from the accent. I was brought up and raised there, and things were going great, to be honest. But I guess that's when I started to realize I had powers. Things were going too well." Yena had been captured by the girl's interesting background but was curious as to why she just stopped.

"Are you not going to continue?" Yena asks.

"Where's the fun in that? If you want more, you're gonna have to say something about yourself. It's your turn now." Yuri responds cheerfully.

"Oh okay, fine. My name's Choi Yena. I guess you could say my life had an interesting beginning. I was actually born with a type of cancer. I shouldn't even be here to be honest." Yuri's eyes widen at the girl's statement. "My parents really worked hard to get me treatment while I was young. We weren't exactly the most well-off family, so it was tough. Things only got worse for them when my powers showed up. They tried to hide it from the neighbors for so long that I was the cause of a power outage, and not just a simple wiring accident..." Yena concludes. "Your turn again."