Chapter 112
“I think that’s about all I can say for now.”
“Wow… Unnie, you really feel like a senior.”
“Of course. Because I am a senior.”
Seunghye playfully poked Eunseo’s side. Yet, her eyes when looking at Ayoung weren’t playful at all. They held awe, and a confidence that she would somehow take those words to heart and showcase herself well on stage.
Well, Seunghye had always been brimming with self-belief.
‘You’ll definitely do well.’
For some reason, that thought came to mind. This kid probably would make it into the debut group.
“Shall we practice a little more?”
Ayoung suppressed her excitement and placed her hands on Lin and Seunghye’s shoulders. The guerrilla fan meeting was just a few days away. The announcement must have already gone out, but the problem was that it happened to be on the day of the dance ability evaluation.
They’d been hyped up so much, but if they were eliminated tomorrow, the disappointment would match that excitement.
“So tomorrow, we absolutely cannot fail.”
Ayoung was an A-grade, while Seunghye and Lin were B-grade, but anyone could make a mistake, and grades could always drop unexpectedly.
The three of them, having agreed on this, practiced late into the night again—enough to prevent any issues in tomorrow’s competition.
‘Finally, the day has come.’
Jihyun, appearing at the filming site, unconsciously tensed and caught her breath at the changed atmosphere from the entrance. The guerrilla fan meeting announcement made the air feel even more intense. Everyone must have practiced hard to avoid elimination.
‘It’s a bit cruel to tell us in advance…’
But it couldn’t be helped. It was a competition.
Jihyun lightly clicked her tongue while looking at the sheet Yeongjun had given her. This time, there were ten participants in total. About one team’s worth would be eliminated, leaving forty participants. Compared to the number of eliminations so far, this was quite a lot, and the thought that they wouldn’t all get to participate in the guerrilla fan meeting made her heart ache a little.
“You came earlier than usual.”
A tone that wasn’t exactly welcome, directed at Jihyun lost in thought on the set. She turned to see who it was and realized there was only one person who spoke with that kind of half-teasing tone. Without looking at him, she replied coldly.
“Yes. I just couldn’t sleep.”
“Not worried, I see?”
Jihyun’s cold reaction seemed to amuse Heecheol, who smirked crookedly.
“Seong Ayoung, our participant, is walking a difficult path this time, isn’t she? I guess that’s why you couldn’t sleep.”
“…And if that were the case?”
Hearing that, Jihyun felt irritated. She turned to Heecheol with a sharp expression.
“Does that matter to you?”
“Not to me. Honestly, I don’t think highly of An Jihyun.”
“What did you say?”
“Didn’t we discuss something like this before? About idols?”
Hearing that reminded her. He must be referring to the time she got upset when he called idols something dismissive.
“My opinion hasn’t changed much even now. I acknowledge your achievements, but I still consider you in the same category.”
“Why suddenly say something so unhelpful?”
“That’s separate from the participants and viewers. If it shows, it might not be good.”
Jihyun thought it over and finally realized what he meant. Ah, if such impatience shows on the broadcast, it could reveal that she’s secretly rooting for Ayoung. And if it’s discovered that the judging was biased, controversy over unfair judging would be unavoidable. Heecheol must have wanted to warn Jihyun about that.
Even so, she couldn’t easily say thanks. But she had something she wanted to say.
“Why…”
Why tell her these things?
“I don’t know.”
Heecheol glanced around lightly, as if checking for anyone recording or listening. Then, after a while, he muttered softly:
“Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong, now that I think about it.”
“Excuse me?”
“My values haven’t changed, but after all, this is a place where kids have gathered to succeed. You have to have some sense of responsibility about that.”
Heecheol took a sip of water, slightly embarrassed, and left, leaving a single remark:
“Think of it as a thank you for what you learned back then.”
‘…What a strange person.’
Jihyun muttered while watching Heecheol’s retreating figure. He was a bad person, yes, but not entirely. She didn’t know his true intentions, but this time, he had at least been helpful.
‘I must never show impatience. Be careful with every word.’
Especially this time. With the potential for controversy over biased judgment between Ayoung and Jihyun in the broadcast, her attitude was crucial. As Heecheol said, a single word or action could dramatically affect someone’s life. She had to take responsibility.
“Everyone gathered? Then let’s start filming.”
After the participants and judges had assembled, the staff’s announcement marked the start. Jihyun briefly met Ayoung’s gaze right before filming began. The exchanged glance was reassuring—Ayoung’s eyes were full of certainty.
No doubt Sehee had given some advice. But looking at Sehee instead of Ayoung made Jihyun uncertain. From the participants’ entrance to just before filming, Sehee didn’t seem happy. Jihyun swallowed her unease and focused on filming.
“Now, the dance ability evaluation. The curtain rises on the third official competition!”
The MC’s words made her involuntarily tense.
This was the first performance by the group led by Ayoung. It was exciting and made her anticipate even more.
Ayoung wasn’t the first to perform.
‘Not much impact at the start.’
After watching the first two teams, Jihyun quickly formed her thoughts. Her expectations were accurate. Even though the members hadn’t changed, the participants selected as leaders had all performed well in the vocal evaluation immediately prior.
It really made her realize how important it is who takes the lead.
So that aside… when would Ayoung’s stage appear?
“Great performance.”
After saying that three times, finally a noteworthy stage appeared. Not Ayoung’s, but Sehee’s.
‘Sehee’s stage, not led by Sehee…’
She hadn’t even imagined it, but it seemed fun in its own way.
As the stage began, Jihyun couldn’t believe her eyes.
It felt like something kept going wrong throughout the performance. Sehee’s team’s panic was obvious on their faces—not across the whole stage, but in certain parts. Specifically, when Sehee performed a noticeable choreography segment.
‘Why is that?’
The overall stage quality was high. Sehee stood out, but that was normal. The song choice wasn’t strange—it was a slow dance with a subtly sensual performance, matching the groove well.
It wasn’t exactly a song that fit Sehee’s identity of powerful choreography, but Sehee could perform almost any dance at a top level, so it wasn’t a problem.
The other team members were also dancing properly, yet why couldn’t they hide their panic?
‘Could it be…’
