The stage plunged into darkness.
I found my position by muscle memory, trusting the hours Yuhyun and the others had spent drilling the choreography into me until three in the morning.
The opening piano notes of One More Time echoed through Olympus Hall.
Behind us, the LED screen flickered to life. Footage from the first episode appeared: 101 trainees filing through the compound gates, nervous faces and uncertain steps. I spotted myself in the crowd, head down, trying to disappear.
A spotlight found Jisoo at center stage. He had been crying only minutes earlier, but when the camera settled on him, he drew a steady breath and lifted his head.
He stepped forward, his voice softer than usual, stripped of its exaggerated brightness.
"Remember when we first walked in?
A hundred dreams and nervous grins."
The screen shifted to the initial evaluations. My B-rank audition flashed past, followed by elimination footage and faces I hadn't seen in weeks.
Sejin joined Jisoo.
