Chohee and I gaped our mouths wide open as we entered the huge door that slowly swung open for us.

Our eyes roamed the place as we reached a small platform and what seemed like a large stage a few metres away.

On the stage sat the applicants who had entered before us. They clapped as they watched our arrival.

Still hand in hand, Chohee and I cautiously stepped onto the small platform as guided by the other applicants.

My heart almost jumped out of its' socket as the platform began to take us to the stage. Chohee practically jumped onto me as she squealed louder than ever before.

The other girls laughed out loud as they watched us as if we were clowns.

After getting taking our seats we comfortably watched as one by one each group of applicants entered the place.

Once every group had sat down, a booming voice echoed the space.

"Welcome to the I-LAND girls."

Everyone gripped onto each other and screamed in excitement.

"We will now proceed with the I-LAND/GROUND test.

Each group will perform a song and the other applicants will have to vote whether or not each individual shall either enter the I-LAND or go down to the GROUND.

There is a limit of 12 applicants permitted to enter the I-LAND."

Holy crap.

So we might not even get into the I-LAND yet?

Does the GROUND mean we're eliminated?

"Please decide which group will perform first."

The applicants immediately began discussing with their group members as chatter soon erupted the room.

"Soojin can we please not go first?" Chohee pleaded with innocent eyes.

"Do you really think I have the guts to go first?" I snorted making Chohee giggle.

Silence soon filled the room as a tall older girl stood up and stepped onto the platform.

Everyone gasped as praises soon erupted for her bravery to go first as well as be alone.

"Hello, my name is Kim Misun," she spoke with full confidence not even sparing a bow.

"I will be performing Sunmi's 24 hours'."

Music soon echoed the room as Misun began to dance.

Her dance was going smoothly until she began to sing the first verse and a voice crack escaped her mouth.

I heard some of the girls gasp as they muttered pitying comments.

i shib sa sigan (uh uh uh)

i shib sa sigan (baby ba baby)

i shib sa sigan (uh uh uh)

i shib sa sigan (baby ba baby)

Despite her vocal skills, her seductive dancing had me mesmerized. The way she whipped around her hips and ass would make you think she was a stripper.

Her performance soon ended and she returned onto the stage with a cold expression.

"We will begin the voting now." spoke the low tone voice.

"Please raise your hand if you think Kim Misun should enter the I-LAND."

All the girls looked around at each other for a while, too afraid to be the first to raise their hand.

Since Misun was the first one to perform, we did not have any standard or anything to compare her performance to. Because of this, it was tricky to determine whether or not she was capable.

After a few seconds had gone by, a girl in green suddenly broke the tension and raised her hand sheepishly.

Her act soon influenced the others into a chain reaction that eventually led the majority of the girls raising their hands.

"Kim Misun is safe to enter the I-LAND."

As the words were spoken, Misun's seat glowed green indicating her position in I-LAND.

•••

Applause and cheers erupted among the girls as a group of three bowed, finishing their performance.

"Woah, everyone is so talented." spoke Chohee as she clapped frantically for the applicants.

"We will begin voting now." announced the loud voice.

One by one each girl was individually singled out and voted on by the applicants.

The girls waited in trembling anxiety as they listened attentively to the results.

"Proceeding into the I-LAND is...

Hwang Jiwoo, Lee Jiha and Park Haewon."

The three girls celebrated in pure delight as all three have them heard the news of their advancement into the I-LAND.

"Yah, we need to stop voting everyone into the I-LAND." complained a girl, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Look there's only 5 more spots left and 10 more applicants that still need to perform." she explained as she pointed to the large number eight on the screen.

She's right.

If we keep passing girls into the I-LAND, there won't be enough spots for us who haven't performed yet.

"Chohee we need to perform soon, or else we won't get a spot in the I-LAND."

Chohee nodded firmly as she gripped my hand with full confidence.

Together we stood up and made our way to the platform.

My kneecaps felt weak as we got closer and closer to the performance stage.

I took one last look at Chohee with comforting eyes as we took our starting positions.

Leggo world i gonggan soge bimil (shimmy shimmy)

gakkaumeun gamyeon gateun gimmick (give me give me)

urin manjil su eomneun geol mitji

Woo neodo alji

urin algo itji woo

This was my first time ever performing on a stage, so feeling the loud bass boosted music pound inside my chest gave me an adrenaline rush I never knew I had.

Chohee and I slid our feet smoothly on the squeaky floor, hitting each beat of the choreo with all our power.

I know you want

naege gakkai dahabwa

The world is ours

World is ours

I held the mic firm against my lips as I released as much sound as I could from my chest, producing a surprisingly powerful voice.

Chohee smiled at me in approval.

Don't you know I'm a

naega neol ikkeuneun boss

Don't you know I'm a

naega neol umjigin player

Don't you know I'm a

Our bodies moved in sync as our voices echoed out of the speakers.

The song soon reached it's resolution as we performed our last few steps of the choreo.

Before I knew it, cheers and woops entered my ears as I looked up and watched as the other applicants praised our performance.

Smiling ecstatically, I glanced at Chohee giggling as she puffed heavily.

"We will now begin voting."

The lights dimmed as suspenseful music began to echo the room.

Shutting my lids tightly, I stood in stress as I waited for the results.

"Proceeding to the I-LAND is...

Park Soojin."

I flicked open my eyes as I covered my mouth in astonishment.

Did I really just make it into the I-LAND?

No way.

Still unable to process the announcement, I looked over at Chohee to meet her teary eyes.

"I'm so proud of you Soojin!" she whispered linking her arm with mine lovingly.

I stood in anticipation as I waited for her name to be called. However to my despair, the booming voice instead spoke words that shook my core.

"And proceeding to the GROUND is...

Kim Chohee."