39: Practice before debut

After editing the video and syncing the audio tracks, I took a look and felt it wasn't bad; the camera transitions had a good feel to them.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! Not bad at all!”

Kim Jennie stroked her chin, feeling very good after watching the MV. It showcased each person's unique characteristics while also making everything feel very coordinated.

“It's really hard to imagine that this is your first time directing. Your talent for directing isn't weak. Do you have any plans to develop in this area?”

“Show Ge, what are you doing? Don't look at me like I'm a piece of meat. Even though you're very pretty, I'm straight.”

“What are you thinking? I mean, if you become a director in the future, look for me, you know?” She even winked at her, putting on a shy act.

“I don't know!”

“Yah!”

“Look, look, this is your attitude towards a director. With an attitude like yours, you still want to be in movies? Dream on?”

Kim Ji-soo snatched the lemon juice Park Chaeyoung was drinking, wiped off her lipstick mark with her sleeve, and offered it to Xu Zhiyou's lips.

“Here, have some lemonade to cool down. I'll fan you.”

Park Chaeyoung watched her bold move, speechless. She had already drunk from it. Was it appropriate to offer it like that, taking credit for something that wasn't hers?

Xu Zhiyou looked at it with great disdain, “I don't drink saliva.”

“Wait, I'll go get you a fresh cup.” She casually tossed the cup back to Park Chaeyoung, who almost didn't catch it and nearly spilled it all over herself.

“Yah! Do you think I don't have a temper?” They really weren't treating her like a person, ignoring her like that.

“Show Ge, that's enough. Stop pretending. Pack up and go back to hand in the work, then practice your dance. Look at how you've been stepping on Chaeyoung; she's almost bald.”

“You're bald! Can't you speak properly?”

Xu Zhiyou ignored her. All the equipment would be collected by the company's staff. She copied the finished MV onto a USB drive, put on her bag, and left.

After handing the USB drive to Yang Hyun-suk, she still had to undergo an evaluation. Only after passing the evaluation could it be used as the final debut MV, but it shouldn't be a big problem.

When she returned to the practice room, Yang Hyun-suk had only one thought after watching the MV: this was truly a bit of a prodigy. Xu Zhiyou had only studied for half a year and could produce such high-quality work.

Although there were still some flaws, this was an MV, not a movie. He would let her film more in the future; who knows, she might actually become a director.

Back in the dance studio, she began her rigorous training. Last time, time was too tight, so they only practiced for half a month. The dance moves were too rusty; it was fine for filming an MV, but for live performances, it would definitely be a disaster.

“Lisa, maintain your arm movements. This is good. Pay attention to your facial expressions, and there should be no problem.”

“Okay!”

When Xu Zhiyou got down to business, the four of them never argued. Who could blame her? She was strong, and that was the power of talent suppressing everything.

“Dumpling Ni, you also need to work on your facial expressions; try to be a bit more aloof. Both of your movements are very good.”

“Chaeyoung, when you're dragging the floor, stay in the center. Don't try to dodge; it looks very awkward. Haven't we stopped stepping on you?”

“Uh! It's a habit, a natural reaction.”

“Then practice. This won't do. Long shots are fine, but in direct fancams, you'll be criticized for poor work ability. You must change it.”

“I'll definitely change!”

“Finally, Show Ge, don't be afraid to step on Chaeyoung. It's not like you haven't stepped on her before. Why do you always like to glance sideways? Just follow Lisa, making her your center, and don't look at Chaeyoung.”

“OK!”

“Let's continue then. Slowly find the problems. First, solve the dance issues, then practice the songs.”

A week later, the company approved her MV. She didn't pay much attention to it, but Kim Ji-soo and the other four were very happy.

This meant more time to practice dance and songs. Spending another half month filming an MV was not only exhausting but also stressful.

Their leader's eyes were too sharp; she could find even the smallest problem, followed by a series of targeted training sessions. They couldn't help but admire her; the visual effects produced were indeed better.

This training continued until the end of July. Tomorrow was the day their debut teaser photos would be released. Not only were the four of them nervous, but even she herself felt a little dazed.

She never thought that she, Xu Zhiyou, would have a day of debuting in a group. Truly, life is full of unexpected turns.

“Zoe, do you think I'll have fans?”

Park Chaeyoung was always criticized by Yang Hyun-suk during her time as a YG trainee, being told she wasn't good enough in this or that, a suppressive education style. It was not surprising that she would think this way now.

“Definitely. After all, everyone enjoys playing with idiots. No worries!”

“Yah! I'm being serious. Why are you always like this?”

“I'm serious too! Don't worry, my personality probably won't appeal to fans, but you guys can. With me attracting all the firepower, what do you have to fear?”

“So, you also have moments of insecurity?” Kim Jennie seemed to discover a new continent.

“I'm serious. I don't expect anyone to like me. Living the way I want to is the most important thing.” Wasn't she becoming an idol to fulfill a dream?

When the time comes, if she wants to continue, she will. If not, she can be a producer, singer, or director—anything is possible. There's no need to package herself into someone she dislikes just to be liked by others.

“Is it really appropriate for you to be so laid-back? We still need to work hard.”

“Work hard for what? Am I not working hard enough? I'll do what I need to do. I'm not creating a persona; who am I putting on a show for?”

Hearing her words, the four of them remembered that in the nearly year she had been there, she loved to sleep in but still woke up at a fixed time every day for studying and training.

She could lock herself away for days to write songs, and she could research choreography day and night. There was nothing to say against her.

“Don't practice like this anymore. Relax appropriately. Don't injure yourselves right before debut.”

These things needed to be prevented. It was clear that the four of them were very nervous, and practicing like this wouldn't achieve much. It was better to let them relax.

The BLACKPINK project had always been shrouded in mystery. YG had hinted at the existence of this group but had never revealed any of its members.

Tonight, they released their five-person practice room version, but it was all in dark tones, making it impossible to see faces. YG played a new trick with creating suspense.

Senior groups like Bigbang and 2NE1 also intentionally and unintentionally built hype for them in interviews and variety shows, so the anticipation was at its peak.

As for whether they could handle it, he wasn't worried at all. With Xu Zhiyou in the group, none of these would be problems.

Except for Xu Zhiyou, the other four had all collaborated with these senior groups.

They had appeared in their MVs and featured in songs. They were all familiar faces and were very willing to build hype for the five of them.

Xu Zhiyou, despite seeming reckless, knew how to conduct herself. Her popularity at YG was quite good, provided it was a personal matter. Otherwise, it was iron fists all around. Her nickname 'YG Honey Badger' wasn't for nothing.

On YouTube, passersby or YG family fans watched the practice room version of the dance.

“Is this the girl group YG has been hiding? Their dance skills are so strong.”

“Putting everything else aside, just with this dance, each person could be a main dancer!”

“I remember GD saying that we could eagerly anticipate the company's next girl group, but he absolutely refused to say how many members there were.”

“If you knew everything, how would they build anticipation? But isn't YG afraid they won't be able to handle the pressure with all this promotion?”

“Park Sandara also seemed to say that there was someone she really wanted to work with in the company's next girl group. I'm looking forward to their debut.”

“So, after all that talk, why won't they show their faces? They're not going to continue focusing only on skill and not caring about visuals, are they?”