episode one
" the qualification "

the three mentors sit around a table in a conference room, each equipped with a pencil and an ear piece to hear each trainee's raw vocals.

they are watching the trainee's first auditions, but of course, their faces have been blurred to protect their identities.

the scene is filmed in a timelapse, a montage of listening, pausing, writing, until...

SOLJI (MENTOR): is that the last contestant?

the second mentor stretches her arms above her head.

HYOYEON (MENTOR): i don't know if i could watch any more... we've been sitting here for hours!

MINZY (MENTOR): but next week we will get to actually train them!

SOLJI (MENTOR): yeah... some of them really need it.

HYOYEON (MENTOR): but potential-wise? they have the most spirit i've seen in a while.

MINZY (MENTOR): i agree, i'm really rooting for them to succeed.

SOLJI (MENTOR): shall we submit our rankings then?

[ PRE-RENAISSANCE RANKINGS ]

our two MCs hyewon and beomgyu have arrived to make the reveals.

caption: handsome as ever right?

caption: her eyes sparkle just like the talents of our trainees.

the MC duo make an odd pair— with beomgyu so tall, and hyewon so short— but the fill the stage with their endless charms.

BEOMGYU (MC): let's make some noise!

HYEWON (MC): from the safety of your own homes, we hope you are looking forward to the show, and staying safe!

BEOMGYU (MC): before the girls arrive, we will be sorting them into their first rankings.

HYEWON (MC): from these first rankings, the girls will have the opportunity to select the trainees they wish to perform their live audition for the judges and mentors.

BEOMGYU (MC): our twenty-six trainees have worked hard, and should all be proud of the effort they put in.

HYEWON (MC): the mentors had a tough time deciding, but of course only five trainees can take home the top honor.

BEOMGYU (MC): but what reward will these trainees have?

HYEWON (MC): the ability to select who they wish to perform with in the audition mission!

BEOMGYU (MC): a thrilling reward!

HYEWON (MC): what's the play here? impress the audience by strategically choosing the worst trainees to stand out? or build a strong team that could stick together until the end of the competition?

BEOMGYU (MC): remember that the final group will not be selected by individual votes, but rather, the highest ranked ENTIRE unit will get to debut!

HYEWON (MC): the first ranked trainee will have the opportunity to choose first. they may choose up to four other team mates, or they may perform solo. after the first ranked trainee has made their team, the second ranked trainee will choose and so on.

BEOMGYU (MC): for this mission, the rank of each trainee doesn't matter, meaning that the first ranked trainee could choose the rest of the top five as their team!

HYEWON (MC): however, the trainee selected must choose to ACCEPT the offer.

BEOMGYU (MC): and remember— the best team is not always the most talented, but the team that works the best together.

HYEWON (MC): now without further ado, let's reveal the top five!

[ RANK FIVE ]

BEOMGYU (MC): there are two foreigners in the top five.

HYEWON (MC): rank five is....

HYEWON (MC): not one of them.

BEOMGYU (MC): the mentors selected this former idol for her sweet, but power vocals.

HYEWON (MC): it's trainee KIM HAEWON!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ RANK #5 :: KIM HAEWON performs SPEECHLESS ]

[ RANK FOUR ]

BEOMGYU (MC): this trainee comes from the foreigner line, and has also already made a name for herself in the industry.

HYEWON (MC): the judges were impressed by her performance, and are looking forward to seeing how she rises to the challenge of renaissance.

BEOMGYU (MC): one could really say she "got it" when it came to the assignment—

HYEWON (MC): who gave you that pun, soobin?

BEOMGYU (MC): it's not important what is, is that our fourth rank is trainee ZHANG MEI!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ RANK #4 :: ZHANG MEI performs GOT IT ]

[ RANK THREE ]

HYEWON (MC): coming in at number three is another vocalist.

BEOMGYU (MC): one whose english is as good as her korean as her—

hyewon steps out in front of beomgyu and a little dancing star covers beomgyu's mouth as he gives the hint.

HYEWON (MC): shh— you'll reveal too much!

BEOMGYU (MC): they're going to find out in like two seconds anyways—

HYEWON (MC): you're right it's—

[ COMMERCIAL BREAK ]

HYEWON (MC): YAN MEILI coming in at rank three.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ RANK #3 :: YAN MEILI performs CHANDELIER ]

[ RANK TWO ]

BEOMGYU (MC): our mentors didn't just rank the trainees based on talent, but also their potential.

HYEWON (MC): for the top two trainees however, they impressed the judges with their youth, and confidence.

BEOMGYU (MC): second rank is also a vocalist.

HYEWON (MC): remember that judges didn't rank the top five as being the best team— but as the strongest trainees.

BEOMGYU (MC): yeah i hope so otherwise we have 1 dancer and 3 main vocals so far—

HYEWON (MC): and main vocal she certainly could be. rank two is—

BEOMGYU (MC): SEOL HYEJUNG! congratulations, bestie. 

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ RANK #2 :: SEOL HYEJUNG performs INTO THE UNKNOWN ]

[ RANK ONE ]

BEOMGYU (MC): the judges really had a hard time choosing rank one.

HYEWON (MC): this trainee has to really show the best that renaissance can be.

BEOMGYU (MC): but this trainee really stood out to the mentors. and they think she can handle it.

HYEWON (MC): the honor of first rank goes to—

BEOMGYU (MC): KIM HANEUL!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ RANK #1 :: KIM HANEUL performs MAMA ]

all of the ranking announcements were sent directly to the girls. many of whom have not met each other yet.

[ REMAINING RANKINGS ]

#6 — YOON EUNMI
#7 — PHEOBE HAN
#8 — NOH TAEHEE
#9 — JUNG MINJIN
#10 — SEOL YURI

#11 — ISABELLE CHOI
#12 — PARK SOHEE
#13 — FUJIMOTO AKARI
#14 — CHOI LIYEON
#15 — SOO EUNHYUN

#16 — CHEN DAIYU
#17 — BAE CHAERI
#18 — KYUN SOHEE
#19 — YONG JIJE
#20 — MISHA GHIM

#21 — NAM CHORONG
#22 — CHO KYOUNGMI
#23 — KIM YUNHEE
#24 — AVHYN JUNG
#25 — LIU ESPERANZA
#26 — KWON JIAH

[ LIVE CAM WITH KIM HANEUL ]

KIM HANEUL (U5 // 1): so i just... open it?

she stares at the camera quizzically.

KIM HANEUL (U5 // 1): did you send a whole camera crew like this for everyone?

caption: kim haneul seems quite chatty for so early in the morning.

KIM HANEUL (U5 // 1): is it because i'm rank 26?? because i won't cry.

she takes a deep breath, flipping the envelope over so she can open it.

KIM HANEUL (U5 // 1): ok enough stalling, just rip off the bandaid.

she opens the crips envelope to reveal her first place rank.

KIM HANEUL (U5 / 1): HOLY- NO WAY?? First?? i ranked first??

the staff in the room can be heard quietly cheering for her.

KIM HANEUL (U5 / 1): ok i lied— i might cry a little.

the tears in her eyes seem to make them shine even brighter.

KIM HANEUL (U5 / 1): i can't believe this! wow!

a staff whispers something to her.

KIM HANEUL (U5 // 1): i have to choose my team now? well— i haven't met anyone yet?

caption: will haneul be able to make a good judgement?

the girl starts to write something down to give to the staff.

the scene changes to several other trainees reacting to their ranking. some with joy, some with disappointment.

[ LIVE INTERVIEWS ]

JUNG MINJIN (U5 // 9): nine is not the top five, but some of these girls have trained seven or eight years. this is only my start. i'll rise from here.

-

FUJIMORI AKARI (U3 // 13): i'm just flat out the middle. not the best, not the worst but... i expected more from myself. it sucks to be the one regressing after improving so much after produce 48.

-

the twenty-sixth ranked trainee's eyes are red rimmed.

KWON JIAH (U2 / 26): i'm just— so. so. so upset with myself. i feel like a joke. please just— don't film anymore.

[ END INTERVIEWS ]

caption: in the end, someone must win, and someone must lose.

but this is not the end.

fin.

[ 1.1 ACTIVE CHECK ]
what did u think of part 1.1? how is the length? are you excited to see this show begin?

[ MISSION ONE TEAM SELECTION ]

rules:
—starting with the highest ranked trainee, there will be the opportunity to form your audition team.
—the choosing trainee may go solo, or pick up to four other team members (total: 5)
—the rank of the team members do not matter
—the selected team member must choose to accept the offer to join the team. the selected team member has 24 hours to accept before it's an automatic acceptance.
—to make it easier to access auditions/basic info i will comment a document with every trainee and their audition. i will also be using this doc to write down the teams.

because i don't know everyone's time zone, the start time will be
12/13 8 AM PST

if you need a time conversion let me know.

the mission selection will occur in the comments of this chapter. i'm going to comment three threads in-line so hopefully they do not get lost. they will be

(1) selection thread — this is the thread where official decisions are made. you should only comment here when i tag you.
(2) discussion thread — to discuss the decisions being made in the selection thread
(3) question thread — for me to answer questions you comment

IN-LINE THREADS HERE