"Capture it, more SPARK! A brilliantly shining light in your burning heart—"
While I sang the chorus of the song a cappella, I could feel Do Ji-hyuk's gaze on me—an intrigued look, as if watching something interesting.
Do Ji-hyuk's eyes were relaxed from start to finish; he didn't seem to carry even a hint of tension about the situation. And I had a rough idea of where that confidence came from.
Ever since this round began and I was selected as Do Ji-hyuk's teammate, I'd checked his stats.
And I had no choice but to be shocked.
『Do Ji-hyuk』
Specialty (Vocal): B
Specialty (Dance): A+
Charm (Appearance): A+
Charm (Aura): A-
Talent (Expression): A-
Talent (Focus): A+
Stamina (Physical): S-
Stamina (Mental): S+
Buff: (Locked)
Status: Stable
'…His lowest stat is a B?'
The guy had stats that were frankly outrageous.
Up until now, the trainee with the highest stats I'd ever seen in Dear Doll was Kang Hyun-jin. He had a monster-like stat window with three S-grades.
But even Kang Hyun-jin had a clear weakness. Despite almost all his stats being high, his vocal ability was C+, barely enough to place him in the lower-middle range compared to other trainees on Dear Doll.
Do Ji-hyuk was different. All his stats were at the top. His lowest stat was a B.
And a B-grade in Dear Doll meant upper-middle level vocal skill.
'This guy… is already a finished product.'
There was a reason he could stay so relaxed at all times.
Someone like Do Ji-hyuk knows exactly how skilled he is. So of course he knows how far he can rise on Dear Doll, and how much he can accomplish.
But even so, I still thought I had enough to compete against him. My overall stats couldn't compare to his, but—
"Mmm..."
"This is hard."
—it didn't mean I had no chance.
Once the final center candidates finished their tests, the seated trainees fell into deep thought for voting.
There were six center candidates, so excluding ourselves, we had to cast a vote for whoever we thought performed the best.
And the result was—
"Ji-hyuk hyung: 5 votes, Yu-ha hyung: 5 votes?"
"Ugh, it was too hard to choose..."
A perfect tie.
I looked at the fingers pointing between Do Ji-hyuk and me.
The ones who voted for me were Do Ji-hyuk, Zixuan, Joo Dan Woo, Gyeong Ji-won, and Kang Hyun-jin.
Those who voted for Do Ji-hyuk were me, Park Won-hyo, Hwang Yeong-oh, Yoo Min-seong, and Cheon Se-rim.
"Then how about we all explain why we voted for Ji-hyuk hyung or Yu-ha hyung, and vote again afterward?"
At Cheon Se-rim's suggestion, the team nodded. The first to speak was Zixuan, who had been groaning the whole time before barely choosing me.
"Yu-ha hyung sings really well… and his dancing is clean too. And the, um, energy? I think he expressed that well."
"But I think Ji-hyuk hyung expressed the energy well too. And since he dances so well, he'd be good for creating impact in the center."
Following Zixuan, Park Won-hyo added that. And watching them, Kang Hyun-jin also spoke.
"But I think Yu-ha brought out the key points of the song a little better."
"I agree. Yu-ha hyung's facial expressions were more detailed."
When Gyeong Ji-won added fuel to the fire, Hwang Yeong-oh—who had voted for Ji-hyuk—countered.
"Facial expressions aren't the only thing that matters, right? I'd prefer the center be someone who provides formation stability."
"Formation stability can be handled by Hyun-jin hyung, our main dancer. The center should be the one who expresses the mood of the song itself. So the one who fits the song's vibe best and expresses it in the most detail should take the center."
"If that's the case, I don't think anyone can imitate Ji-hyuk hyung's groove and unique vibe."
No one backed down. As the discussion grew more heated, I silently listened.
Everyone made valid points. Which is exactly why the vote was so difficult.
Formation stability, skill, facial expression, aura, and interpretation of the song—these were all qualities required of a center. And Ji-hyuk and I each had different strengths among those qualities.
If you simply looked at dance and vocals, I couldn't beat Ji-hyuk in dance.
But that didn't mean my dance skill was bad. After consistent synchronization training and stat increases, my current dance grade was B+, upper-middle in Dear Doll.
Conversely, since unlocking my potential shot my vocal stat up to S-, Ji-hyuk couldn't beat me in vocals.
But his vocals weren't weak either, so it wasn't a simple comparison.
That was why I bet everything on my expression of the song. Ji-hyuk might not know his own stat numbers, but he had his own strengths too.
'My Expression is S-, Ji-hyuk's is A-. But his Aura is A- while mine is only B.'
Meaning I won in one area and lost in another. Of course everyone had differing opinions—each person prioritized different abilities.
"But what do you two—Ji-hyuk hyung and Yu-ha hyung—think the mood of the song is?"
At Cheon Se-rim's question, the team's gazes swept over Ji-hyuk and me. Ji-hyuk hummed thoughtfully before answering.
"Hmm… I thought it was refreshing with a bit of sexy mixed in."
"What about Yu-ha hyung?"
"…Passionate and refreshing?"
The competition song chosen by the idol makers' votes, SPARK, carried the meaning of moving into a new world—and that meaning could be interpreted in two ways.
'Do you see it as a lovers' story, or as a story about the trainees?'
Ji-hyuk likely chose the former, and I chose the latter—hence the difference in vibe.
SPARK contained a story about the stage while giving off the feeling of leading and tempting someone. It could be interpreted either way. But the reason I chose "passionate refreshing" was simple.
'Because this is Dear Doll's final song.'
As Ji-hyuk said, I could have expressed more of a romantic angle. But I believed the reason this song received the highest number of votes—becoming the final performance song—leaned more toward the latter.
—Let's fall down together
I want us to be together endlessly.
—A brightly shining moment
The time we spent together
So that we can never forget it
Just as the lyrics say.
—Let's stay together for a long time, okay?
And just as the fans said, the reason this song became the final performance song was likely because the idol makers wished that the final stage wouldn't end up being the trainees' last stage.
"Then should we vote between 'sexy refreshing' and 'passionate refreshing'?"
After hearing our answers about the song's atmosphere, Cheon Se-rim organized the situation and proceeded with another vote.
"…Oh."
At last, we were able to reach a conclusion.
"Se-rim, you changed your mind?"
By a vote of 6 to 4, Cheon Se-rim—who had chosen Do Ji-hyuk in the first vote—changed his mind and voted for me, making me the center.
"At first, I was kind of swept up by hyung's vibe, but in terms of interpretation, I liked Yu-ha hyung's better. I also have things I want to express in that direction."
"Passionate refreshing is nice too."
"So our positions are all set now, right?"
Park Won-hyo, exhausted from a full day of position planning, let out a sigh of relief. Do Ji-hyuk nodded refreshedly.
"It's a bit disappointing, but I'll accept the result. I'm actually looking forward to the passionate-refreshing interpretation. So, should we wrap it up by confirming the last position—center goes to Yu-ha?"
"Congratulations, Yu-ha."
"Hyung, I'll be expecting great things!"
After Do Ji-hyuk said that, Joo Dan Woo and Zixuan clapped with bright laughs. As I unexpectedly received applause from the team, Do Ji-hyuk lightly tapped my shoulder and grinned.
"Do well, Yu-ha. If you don't, I'm taking the center spot from you."
It was a joking remark, but looking at his face, I realized one thing.
'…He means that.'
Do Ji-hyuk genuinely intended to take the center position the moment I slipped even a little.
***
Practice afterward seemed to flow smoothly.
Not only was I already determined not to slack off, but with someone who would snatch the position away the moment I slipped—even as the leader—I had no choice but to push myself in both group and individual practice.
Of course, I wasn't the only one giving my all.
"Yu-ha hyung, this pronunciation… can you help me with it?"
"For that part..."
"Our move timings don't match. Can we practice it a bit more together, hyung?"
"How do I do it? Like… this?"
"For this pathing, wouldn't it be better to change it like this instead of the current flow?"
"Then how about adding a variation to the choreography along with that path?"
"As long as we don't break the big picture… sounds good. What do you all think?"
"I like it! The moves look flashier."
"It's a bit tough, but I like it."
Every team member was pouring everything they had into this final performance.
That was why I couldn't help but look at Do Ji-hyuk with new eyes. All the members he chose weren't falling behind even a little—if anything, they were frustrated they couldn't push ahead even faster.
'Unlike Yoo Chan-hee's team.'
I immediately recalled Aidan Lee and Yoo Chan-hee, who complained whenever we met lately.
—This isn't fun… No one's focusing.
—Hyung… I'm sorry about last time. I didn't realize how hard it is when even one person goes off-track...
Yoo Chan-hee, who came along with a thoroughly dissatisfied Aidan Lee, looked exhausted these past few days. It seemed leading his team was too much for him.
'He looked like he suddenly had some religious awakening.'
He probably felt a sudden surge of guilt over trying to avoid me and skip practice during the 2nd round. Most likely because of how his team was doing now.
—I think they just want to get it over with. No one's thinking at all. I hate how they're not actually doing the work, just trying to get by.
Team atmosphere is important. Even a well-performing team can instantly lose tension when the mood turns bad.
That's why a team needs a mix of different personalities. If one person is lazy, you need someone diligent to balance them out. If someone is boring, you need someone lively to add chemistry.
But Yoo Chan-hee's team didn't have that balance. Most members were guys who did everything "just enough."
'If there had been even a few more hardworking ones, they would've matched the atmosphere…'
Right now, Yoo Chan-hee's team included several trainees whose rankings had fallen, and who had practically given up on debuting. Because they dominated the atmosphere, even the members trying to work hard were getting dragged down.
'Aidan Lee and Yoo Chan-hee must be losing their minds.'
Neither of them could stand people who don't work hard, and yet they had to face the final round with them. It must have been maddening.
This was what you'd call a complete collapse of balance. Our Team 1 was desperate to do more, while Team 2 was trying to finish Dear Doll halfheartedly.
If Do Ji-hyuk had compromised on the lineup a bit, things might have been different, but...
'No—he filtered deliberately.'
I stared blankly at Do Ji-hyuk as he discussed pathing adjustments with Kang Hyun-jin.
"Ji-hyuk hyung really did craft a great team, didn't he?"
At Cheon Se-rim's comment, I looked at him. Still catching his breath as he drank water, he exhaled lightly and continued.
"We're a team he built with very specific intent."
"…Yeah."
I nodded lightly and shifted my gaze back to Do Ji-hyuk.
Because I had a pretty good idea of why he assembled this team—ignoring the opposing team's balance, and even giving up the spotlight he could've taken.
And just how dangerously close to the edge the team he created really was.
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