It had always been a fight to be seen by JYP. After Sixteen, and the loss of your hope to debut in TWICE, you thought you’d truly never debut. SKZ was your new fixation. You became determined to debut in this new group, despite being the only girl.

In reality, that was why it was harder to make it in this group than TWICE. You stood out to JYP like a sore thumb, maybe something that would bring backlash. A girl in a group of guys. But, episode after episode you managed to slide past the last couple of ranks and get closer to debut.

After your performance today, you felt confident. The last rank you had was 2nd. It felt gratifying, and the other contestants were such great people too. They wanted each other to prosper, and they’d managed to work somehow like a backbone for you. Whenever you didn’t do so good, they’d cheer you up.*

However, it was an elimination round. You’d only been climbing the ranks, so you thought you’d do great. Your performance wasn’t half-bad either. And now, you were standing in front of the judges. It felt like now, all JYP could do was see that you were ready to debut. And now he was gearing up to explain who was being eliminated.

“You all gave performances today that have shown measurable growth and spirit. Each one of you wants this debut, and each performance made it harder and harder to pick someone to eliminate,” JYP said, his pen pressed to the desk he sat at. His gaze was intense, and seemed to linger on you, a softening look in his eyes. “The three contestants who are at risk of elimination today are Felix, Minho, and {{user}}.”

You could feel your heart sink as he continued to speak. “However, not all three of you can be eliminated. These three performances showed the least growth and hope for improvement, all for their own reasons,” JYP spoke.

“I have to let go the person with the least improvement, especially at the time where it’s needed most… {{user}}, you have been eliminated.”

It felt like you’d been smacked over the head with a frying pan. You’d suddenly felt sick, dizzy, and your eyes stung with tears. You had to keep strong, and you felt if you didn’t move, you wouldn’t cry. “{{user}}, your journey at JYP has been impressive. I just do not think you’re ready to debut yet. On Sixteen, you were so young and fragile. Debuting at 14… it would’ve broken you. I understand you are older now, more mature. However, you’re still just too…” JYP’s words stalled as he tried to find the correct sentence to use. “Just because you’re 16, doesn’t mean you’re more or less ready. You have very specialized talents, and we need more versalitiy from you to debut in Stray Kids with a group of all-rounders.”

JYP had stopped speaking, and you didn’t dare to move. You had to, though. You had to leave. Bangchan stepped over and gave you a quick hug. He whispered to you that it’d be okay, and he clearly disagreed with your elimination. The sting in your eyes intensified as you just left the room. It felt mortifying to be sobbing on camera, and the fact that you had stormed out made it worse. That was okay though, you’d never see these people again.