Do Ji-hyuk created a "legendary fancam" during the last performance, drawing in an even larger number of fans and taking first place in the third ranking announcement.
The reason he had been able to give such a standout performance was not only because Do Ji-hyuk possessed exceptional qualities as an individual but also because of another underlying premise.
He probably didn't intend it that way… but because they were inexperienced, his teammates were, quite literally, crushed by him.
At the time, Do Ji-hyuk presented a performance that stood out sharply at the center of teammates who failed to highlight their own presence. Because of that, he succeeded in capturing the attention of the idol-makers.
What made that possible was the teammates who, due to their relatively low skill level, were unable to display their presence. Do Ji-hyuk's presence shone all the brighter by using those trainees as his background.
The same applied to Hwang Yeong-oh.
If one person is weaker among a bunch of kids who do everything well, of course he'll stand out.
Objectively speaking, Hwang Yeong-oh's skills weren't low. Even if he once fell to F-rank because of a mistake, he had originally received a B-rank in the first level evaluation. His vocal skills were strong enough to aim for a main position.
But people evaluate things comparatively. Standards aren't always the same.
So if Hwang Yeong-oh had been placed in Team 2, he might have been able to show some presence even if he only performed "adequately."
But in Team 1, that was impossible.
In this team, "adequate" doesn't work. Everyone is desperate to maximize their abilities however they can.
If, in the middle of that, he shows merely "adequate" skill, Hwang Yeong-oh will stand out as the one who falls behind. Whether or not his actual skill level is low, regardless of how he might look in another team.
And that will affect his debut prospects. Once an impression forms, it lasts a long time.
Since this is a live broadcast right at the threshold of debut, even more people will be watching. Any lack of polish in the final performance would become an image that follows him for a very long time.
What Hwang Yeong-oh had completely missed was precisely this point: that this stage would remain forever.
Therefore, if he wasn't ready to give up on debuting, he would have to somehow adjust himself to the level of his teammates.
"Hyung, um… could you show me this part one more time?"
Because that was the only way he could survive after
In other words, Hwang Yeong-oh never had a real choice from the start.
"Huh?"
After filming, when they returned to the practice room, Hwang Yeong-oh made that request, and Do Ji-hyuk looked genuinely surprised. Embarrassed, Hwang Yeong-oh added:
"Uh… it's just… this part of the choreography is really difficult… When I try it alone, it doesn't go well…"
"..."
"If you show me just once more… I think I can get it this time."
While Do Ji-hyuk stayed silent, Hwang Yeong-oh continued nervously. Since he'd run off when Ji-hyuk had offered to teach him earlier, it seemed he now felt awkward asking again.
If Ji-hyuk felt offended and indirectly refused, he'd have to ask another trainee, and that alone would make anyone anxious.
And it was uncertain whether other trainees—busy with their own private practice to survive—would help him.
"…Alright. Then let's go over this part one more time."
"…! Yes!"
Fortunately, Do Ji-hyuk nodded without hesitation. At that, Hwang Yeong-oh brightened noticeably.
"..."
For a moment, it felt like Do Ji-hyuk's gaze flicked toward me, but it quickly turned away. Since the two soon resumed practicing, I shifted my focus forward again.
Zixuan was struggling, staring helplessly at the lyric sheet densely filled with pronunciation guides.
"This is hard…"
"Think of it as breaking the sounds more. Don't let them flow. Don't connect—bite them off cleanly."
With teary eyes, Zixuan nodded and rolled the pronunciation around in his mouth again. Since the days of being assigned to D-class for the level reevaluation, Zixuan had been continuously struggling with pronunciation.
He'll manage it somehow by tomorrow.
But he had been working tirelessly, and compared to the beginning, his pronunciation had improved significantly. By the time we reached tomorrow's mid-evaluation, it should be polished enough not to sound awkward.
"Let's try again. The 'cast all fear far away' part."
"O-okay!"
Listening to Zixuan's clumsy pronunciation, I corrected him as we practiced vocals together and then finished the evening practice.
"…I get why they call you a vending machine, Yu-ha."
"…Huh?"
That night, while Hwang Yeong-oh was in the bathroom washing up, Do Ji-hyuk suddenly said that, and I looked at him, puzzled. He shook off the droplets from his hair with a towel and grinned.
"You were the D-class dance leader during the level reevaluation, right? They called you a vending machine back then, didn't they? Because if you pressed you, anything came out."
"..."
Ah… that did happen.
I gave Ji-hyuk a sour look. I had nearly forgotten, but in the very beginning of
As the D-class dance leader, trying to avoid a villain edit—and hoping to accelerate my use of the jump ticket—I answered every question my classmates asked, and by the end of the dorm period, that nickname stuck.
Back then, no one mentioned the nickname to my face, so I only found out later when the broadcast aired.
"I didn't think a few words would make that kid change his mind… How did you manage that? What did you do?"
Murmuring those words, Ji-hyuk looked me up and down as if genuinely curious. I hid just enough of the truth to avoid looking strange on camera.
"I didn't do anything. I just did some 'filming,' that's all."
To be precise, I just reminded him once again that we were "on camera." I knew he would be sensitive to that.
This is already the third time Hwang Yeong-oh and I have been on the same team in
Because of that, I know very well how sensitive Hwang Yeong-oh is to how others perceive him—and how good he is at adjusting himself to a situation. I've even taken advantage of that before.
All Hwang Yeong-oh needed was the right situation. He could make the judgment himself. Which is why all I needed to do was drop a few lines disguised well enough to hide their baiting nature.
Besides—
"We all want to look good, right?"
The trainees participating in
The reason is simple. Once an image forms, it's hard to erase—especially if it's negative.
I want to debut so I can erase my "household breadwinner" image too.
The image the public has created for me is that of a pitiful household breadwinner, a boy who chases his dream despite hardship. I want to debut so I can rewrite that image—sell well and make it vanish.
Hwang Yeong-oh is the same. If he were to fall behind the other trainees in this performance, he wanted to avoid receiving the negative image that would inevitably follow.
And the reason I was able to lure him into changing his attitude like that was because someone before me had already set the stage.
"You formed this team for that reason too, didn't you, hyung?"
"..."
Do Ji-hyuk had been ambitious when forming this team. The reason was simple: he probably wanted to present the best performance he was capable of.
"For the 'after' of
Yes, as a performer he had ambition, and as an artist he had desire. But more importantly, this performance would remain forever and become something that defined us.
Even if we failed to debut through
Because of that, if this final stage turned out well, every member of the team would benefit.
For trainees aiming to debut, this was the perfect opportunity. They would become a pillar of what people would later call a "legendary" performance.
In other words, whether or not Do Ji-hyuk intended it, this team was heading in the best possible direction for the trainees.
Since we hadn't debuted yet, every single performance—every bit of attention—was precious to us.
"…Oh."
At my words, Do Ji-hyuk let out an impressed sound, looking intrigued. Then he randomly said:
"Now I get why every team you've been on ends up making a stage people call legendary. You're good at leading people. Maybe I should hand the team leader role over to you."
"...."
What kind of nonsense is that?
He sounded half-joking, but because it was Do Ji-hyuk, I had the uncomfortable suspicion he might actually follow through. I answered firmly, keeping a straight face:
"You're the one who's in first place. The team is literally called the Do Ji-hyuk Team."
"We could just rename it to the Won Yu-ha Team."
How would that make any sense?
I didn't bother hiding the sour look on my face as I sighed.
"…How would it look if the no.1 team was named after someone who's not even ranked first, but tenth?"
"Hm, that's true."
"What, were we almost about to become the 'Do Ji-hyuk team where Do Ji-hyuk isn't the leader' just now?"
"Haha, as if~."
From the bed, where she had been quietly listening to our conversation, Cheon Se-rim chimed in teasingly, and Do Ji-hyuk responded likewise.
Then he muttered something chilling:
"If it weren't for the rules… It's a shame. It'd be perfect."
…Yeah, nope.
Ignore him.
If I said anything more, I'd only end up bleeding metaphorically. So I slipped under my blanket and turned my back to him.
"Oh, going to sleep already, Yu-ha? Good night~"
"Night, hyung~"
Two voices followed behind me. I replied half-heartedly and closed my eyes, but—
"I hope we can debut like this, right?"
"Then Yu-ha would be the leader, huh?"
"Wow, the position suits him freakishly well. Isn't he totally leader material?"
"Actually yeah, that fits. He has the 'born-to-be-a-leader who flips the stage' vibe."
"Hoo! Top-tier leader potential!"
"So we should hand it over..."
Realizing I disliked the idea of being leader, Cheon Se-rim and Do Ji-hyuk teamed up behind my back and kept poking at it, until I finally whipped around and glared at them.
Watching the two of them snicker and bump fists, only one thought crossed my mind:
Same major…
Debuting with those two would be exhausting.
***
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
The next day, we all gathered in a practice room for the mid-evaluation.
The atmosphere between Team 1 and Team 2 differed starkly as they stood on opposite sides.
"Who wants to go first?"
"We'd like to try first!"
Team 1—knowing exactly how much they'd practiced—already looked excited.
"Really? Then shall we start with Team 1? Is that okay with Team 2?"
"…Mm, yes."
"Yeah~."
Team 2, clearly still struggling, looked oddly drained.
With a hollow expression, Yoo Chan-hee patted the shoulder of the scowling Aiden Lee, then went to sit with the other members beside the wall of mirrors.
Even the way Team 2 sat showed a split: Chan-hee, Aiden, and four trainees who were closer to the upper ranking clustered together, while the remaining six sat slightly apart, as if opposing them.
The trainees weren't the only ones who noticed the atmosphere, but the mentors held their tongues. Then they cheerfully opened their mouths toward us.
"Alright, shall Team 1 start?"
"Yes!"
Soon the intro blasted loudly across the room. Standing among my teammates in our formation, I quietly steadied my breath.
"You guys really gritted your teeth for this, huh?"
By the end of the performance, we received a standing ovation from the entire panel of mentors—something we had never heard once throughout the entire
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