Chapter 21
Raised Idol
“Wow! Amazing! To sing for long periods, you really can’t neglect arm muscle training!”
The MC’s loud voice echoed through the studio.
Only then did the dazed idol contestants snap back to reality.
“…Huh?”
“What… is this?”
“W–wait, is this a prank show?”
“The cameras are rolling, right?”
A few idols looked around in confusion, unsure how to react.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Now, let’s ask our judge, Ms. Baek Seo-yoon! What muscles should you train to become a great dancer?”
At the question, Baek Seo-yoon eagerly grabbed her mic.
“The source of power is the legs! Lower body strength!”
Then, she leapt onto the judges’ table, striking a silly dance pose and shouting:
“The lower body is national power!”
‘…Has she lost her mind?’
From the waiting room, watching through the monitor, Ruha couldn’t close her mouth.
The overall PD of RE:VIVAL, Kang Yoon-seok—he must really be going through it lately…
She’d heard that the show’s ratings had dropped, but she never thought it would get this desperate.
And what on earth were Seorin and Baek Seo-yoon thinking when they actually went along with that script?
“That’s right! The stage order for the second round, <Position Battle>, will be decided by—arm wrestling and thigh wrestling!”
The MC barely held back laughter as he shouted. His cheeks trembled from the strain.
“……”
The idols didn’t react.
No—more accurately, they couldn’t.
“…Hyung, I didn’t mishear that, right?”
Ha Jin-woo looked at Kang Ian with a bewildered face.
“Wrestling…? In an idol competition?!”
Even the usually playful Kang Ian was too stunned to process it.
He glanced around quickly.
Fortunately, Lumis weren’t the only ones dumbfounded—every other group sat there gaping at the MC.
The MC cleared his throat and flipped to the next cue card.
“Now then! What’s the purpose of the rankings from the first performance?”
Faint hope flickered across the idols’ faces.
‘Maybe… a bye round? A special stage? Some benefit for the next performance? Something?’
But that was nothing more than wishful thinking. The broadcasting station was merciless.
“The first-round rankings grant the priority to choose your mini-game opponent!”
“…?”
…That’s it?
The MC said it like it was some huge privilege, but the idols exchanged puzzled looks.
Without missing a beat, the MC continued.
“For example, if Starbolt—our first-place team—chooses second-place Chrome, then the next pick automatically goes to third-place Beat12Y, and so on.”
The atmosphere in the studio shifted instantly.
The idols’ eyes darted back and forth—calculating.
“The game will consist of three rounds of arm wrestling and three rounds of thigh wrestling—six rounds total!”
The rules were simple:
Each group sent one representative for arm wrestling first.
Whoever won could then pick a new opponent for thigh wrestling.
After all six rounds, the team with more wins would move on.
If they tied 3–3, they’d select new representatives and start again from arm wrestling.
“Once all matches are finished, the winners’ bracket and losers’ bracket will each play another mini-game to decide the final stage order!”
“Ooh! Sounds fun!”
“Hey, you’re good at arm wrestling, right?”
“I was number one in my class in middle school.”
Excitement buzzed through the studio.
“Alright then! First-place team, Starbolt—please choose your mini-game opponent!”
The Starbolt leader stood up and took the mic.
“We’ll choose… ToyBox.”
“Waaah!”
“This is gonna be fun!”
“Starbolt vs ToyBox!”
Laughter and cheers erupted across the room.
The idols’ faces lit up like children again.
Next, second-place Chrome chose Spectrum, leaving the final matchup naturally between Beat12Y and Lumis.
“Eun-gyeol, what are you doing?”
Baek Do-ha asked, eyeing Cha Eun-gyeol.
“…I’m going to go out there and crush Jung Jae-yoon.”
Eun-gyeol rotated his wrists and slapped his thighs, psyching himself up.
“…Huh?”
“What? Why?”
“We have a physical specialist, remember?”
Do-ha subtly gestured to the side.
Just then, the MC’s voice boomed:
“Alright, each group—please select your representative and come to the stage!”
One by one, the idols stood up.
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight focused on center stage.
“First mini-game: Starbolt versus ToyBox! Starbolt wins and advances to the winners’ bracket!”
“Nice!”
Maybe the seniors went easy on them, or maybe it was sheer power difference—either way, Starbolt advanced easily.
Round 2, Chrome versus Spectrum, was close. After two rematches, Spectrum barely pulled off the win.
Now, it was time for the final round: Beat12Y vs Lumis.
“Beat12Y!”
Their representative turned and shouted,
“Fighting!”
“Let’s go!”
The Beat12Y members chanted in unison.
Lumis, in contrast, stayed quiet.
“Lumis, no cheers from your side?”
The MC turned to them.
Kang Ian raised his hand, laughing.
“Our cheer captain’s out there!”
“Your what?”
“Our Si-an hyung’s the Lumis cheer captain!”
“Oh, I see!”
The MC chuckled, nodding.
“Alright then, both teams, take your positions!”
Following his cue, the Beat12Y member and Ryu Si-an headed to the stage center.
“Please say a few words to the viewers.”
Beat12Y’s rep went first.
“We’ll show you the passion of rookies!”
“Woo!!”
“So cool!”
“Beat12Y fighting!”
The room cheered.
Then Ryu Si-an took the mic calmly.
“Be the light—Lumis. We’ll show you the strength of seniors.”
“Lumis! Lumis!”
“Let’s shine, Lumis!”
More cheers filled the air.
“Alright, great energy! Contestants, get ready!”
The two took their places at the arm-wrestling table.
And then—
“Whoa!”
“What are those arms?”
“Is he for real?”
“Crazy!”
The audience stirred as Si-an removed his jacket, hanging it neatly on a chair.
Broad shoulders, solidly built arms—his physique was on another level.
Beat12Y’s rep wasn’t bad either, but the difference was obvious.
If Baek Do-ha’s dancer’s muscles were lean and refined, Ryu Si-an’s were carved by pure strength training.
He looked like a prince—but with the body of a cage fighter.
“Is that physique for real?”
“The proportions don’t even make sense!”
“He looks like that and has that body?”
“Someone’s going to get hurt!”
Some idols began worrying for Beat12Y.
“Place your arms.”
The MC guided their hands together.
At that moment, Si-an leaned closer and muttered quietly:
“Sorry. Nothing personal.”
His gaze flicked briefly toward Beat12Y’s waiting area—where Jung Jae-yoon sat watching.
“You understand, right?”
“Huh? What—?”
Before the confused rookie could respond—
“Ready… start!”
The MC’s hand dropped.
BAM!
“…L–Lumis wins!”
The first round ended instantly.
“Holy—! Si-an hyung, you’re so freaking cool!”
“Hyung! We’re on air, watch your language!”
“Ah—oops!”
Ha Jin-woo quickly covered Kang Ian’s mouth.
Si-an just smiled faintly.
Round 2—same result.
Round 3—same.
Right hand, left hand—it didn’t matter. Si-an didn’t even flinch.
“Arm wrestling—Lumis wins in a clean sweep!”
The MC’s voice rose over cheers.
“Now, Ryu Si-an—please choose your next thigh-wrestling opponent!”
Si-an took the mic, exhaled lightly, and said:
“…I choose Beat12Y’s leader, Jung Jae-yoon.”
“Ooooh!”
“Lumis! Lumis!”
“Beat12Y, come back strong!”
The competition had long turned into a variety show.
Jung Jae-yoon slowly stood up, rolling his shoulders as he walked to the stage with a showman’s smile.
“Let me show you the spirit of a rookie group.”
He handed the mic back to the MC, who grinned.
“Excellent! Please take your seats.”
They sat facing each other for the thigh-wrestling round.
Jae-yoon raised a hand for the mic again.
“Oh? Jung Jae-yoon has something to say?”
“Just letting everyone know—I used to be in an athletics club before I became a trainee. I’d hate for you to waste your strength unnecessarily, sunbae-nim.”
A sly grin crossed his lips.
“Apologies in advance for winning.”
“Whoa! Beat12Y’s confidence!”
“Cool!”
“Beat12Y! Beat12Y!”
Laughter and cheers filled the room.
Si-an let out a quiet chuckle and held out a hand.
“You quit sports because you were bad at them, right?”
Jae-yoon froze for a moment, then forced a smile.
“Nope. I got street-cast because I was too handsome.”
He winked at the camera.
“Ugh.”
Si-an turned away, pretending to gag.
“That face is all plastic…”
“R–Ryu Si-an, fighting!”
“Si-an’s still hotter!”
Lumis members shouted hastily, trying to cover him.
Even pretending to gag would cause a stir online.
‘That face is all plastic!’
If that aired… chaos.
“Wow, the tension’s electric already!”
The MC laughed, patting both on the shoulders.
“Round 1—Lumis attacks first!”
The rules were simple:
The attacker spread their legs; the defender had to resist being forced open.
“Alright, both players ready… set—!”
Their eyes locked.
“Start!”
Their thighs trembled simultaneously—
and the real showdown began.
