After the first sneak peek video was uploaded and not long after the second competition ended, the atmosphere among the Noeuls was peaceful.
Thanks to The Dawn’s outstanding performance of “Easy Tempo” in the first competition, each day was filled with joy.
[Kim Seonghyeon ㅠㅠ So handsome and cute, I want to put him in my mouth;;;;;;;;;;;;
└Just reported this
└└Wait for me you fuckers]
[Seong Jiwon, it’s unbelievable that he practiced for 7 years with that holy face. If I were the CEO, I would’ve debuted Seong Jiwon on the spot screaming, “Oh my God, Oh my God”
└Seong Jiwon’s mole is just…. driving me crazy]
As Seo Hoyun had predicted, almost no one paired them with Lea Purple.
Furthermore, The Dawn captured the spotlight in this sneak peek video that compiled the highlights.
It was Seo Hoyun’s ribbon scene.
With a slightly furrowed brow and languid eyes, Seo Hoyun, pulling the string tied around his neck to untie the ribbon, was lethal.
Those watching were momentarily short-circuited.
[Seo Hoyun: Uh-huh~ I’ll kill you
Noeul: Uh-huh~ I’ll die for you]
[AhㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh you wanna get dirty and sticky with me, see you in court, you bastard, you’re gonna regret this]
As posts transitioned from various communities and SNS to Youtube, the speed at which they were uploaded significantly increased.
[Dear God… Thank you for sending this face genius, bunny god idol to me. It feels rewarding to have lived a good life]
[Seriously, these kids live with full of venom…]
[It means they’re going for the win… Now I see why they got second place…]
A stage worth agonizing over for the next 10 years, and not a bad rank to boot.
Knowing they were predicted to be last in the final preliminary rankings after the first episode aired, the Noeuls smirked and were satisfied, already widely spreading the results of the first competition.
However, their happiness didn’t last long.
[Hey, spoilers for the second competition are out]
This was because spoilers for the second competition appeared.
[The Dawn in 5th place?!?!?!???]
This revelation took everyone aback.
[Why though??? How could they drop to 5th place when they were 2nd in the first competition?]
[They were 1st in expert voting, how did they end up in 5th]
Piecing together reviews and stories from various sources led to a single conclusion.
[It’s a strategic pick]
That’s when the anger surged.
[Fuck, are we screwed? ㅠ]
[FuckㅋㅋㅋSeriously, are these people insane? Played their brains out ㅗ]
[Ah, really losing hope here…]
As speculations on rankings and spoilers circulated, a 30-second leaked fancam of The Dawn’s second competition, apparently shot secretly with part of the screen obscured, reignited the Noeuls’ fervor.
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠWhat do we do about Dajun panicking ㅠㅠㅠDamn, shatter that wheel]
[The one who made it that heavy, come out…]
[My babyㅠㅠ Still, he kept his mental strength till the endㅠㅠㅠ]
Not everyone was heartbroken and sad, though.
Trolls, a chronic disease in every fandom, wouldn’t miss this delicious opportunity.
Already sensitive due to being ranked 5th, trolls within the Noeuls confidently blew Jeong Dajun’s mistake out of proportion and pinpointed it.
[Ah shit, he just skipped a whole verse]
[It’s because of Jeong Dajun we’re in 5th place, right? We could see the mistake, so imagine the audienceㅋㅋMust’ve been so obvious]
[Dajun ah shit~~ㅠㅠ Told you to practice moreㅠ]
Jeong Dajun’s mistake wasn’t decisive, but the few haters clung on like crazy.
The issue of strategic picking in the second competition caused more division and backstabbing among the fandoms.
And then, the day of the next shooting came.
It was the third competition, the unit competition.
It should have been conducted in a warm atmosphere.
“Doesn’t it feel particularly tense today?”
It was like walking on thin ice.
No one dared to speak up easily but whispered instead.
One of the staff members, checking the atmosphere on set, muttered,
“It’s really scary.”
Even though the participating groups greeted each other with smiles initially, it became so quiet afterward you could hear an ant pass by.
TEW, who won first place in the second competition, had a proud face throughout, while High Five showed no expression.
The other groups seemed to just watch cautiously.
Apparently, everyone had been briefed about the overall situation through their companies, so the atmosphere was chilly.
“Did you expect a survival program atmosphere to be warm?”
In the current state, the ratings were guaranteed.
It wasn’t that Kim Heeyeon had replied with the wrong words.
Yet, Kim Heeyeon’s heart was not at ease.
Are they mentally okay over there?
While giving instructions to the surrounding staff, Kim Heeyeon sneaked a peek at The Dawn’s designated seats.
Seo Hoyun didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
Even if the whole world cursed at him, he seemed like he would just respond with a nonchalant, “Oh, is that so?”
As her gaze shifted, she caught sight of one in bad shape.
It was The Dawn’s maknae.
Well, if he saw the internet reactions, he wouldn’t be in their right mind right now…
TEW members sitting next to him were also caught whispering about Jeong Dajun.
Though the details were unknown, something felt off.
Watching that shot on the monitor, Kim Heeyeon brushed her bangs back.
What’s this? Did they fight? It would be a bit much to include this as is.
But she had no time to ponder further.
The shooting soon began.
MC Ha Seoyeon appeared to the sound of applause.
“Thank you for your hard work in the second competition.”
After lightly asking for their impressions, Ha Seoyeon efficiently extracted content for the broadcast, followed by an introduction to the third competition.
“The third competition consists of vocal and performance units.”
Kim Heeyeon, having already seen Ha Seoyeon’s script countless times, could recite it without listening.
This face-off was divided into two main categories.
Performance units and vocal units.
In the performance units, one member from each group participated in individual competitions.
The vocal unit selection process was a little different.
From each group, only one member was chosen, forming two teams, A and B, each consisting of five members.
Votes were allocated to individuals, with the team having the highest total individual scores declared the winner.
The winning team received additional points.
Moreover, within the winning team, the member with the lowest individual votes had to pass their points to the individual with the highest votes from the losing team.
In other words, it was a devilishly designed competition that intensified both team and individual rivalries, requiring constant vigilance and strategic thinking.
So, depending on who becomes a team member, the strategy has to change.
In any case, there were people who had to be recruited by the team to win.
Seong Jiwon is a must-have.
In the competition, being a safe bet meant you could at least secure a middle ranking.
“First up, the vocal unit. The top rankers from the last round, TEW and High Five, will select their team members as leaders of Teams A and B, respectively. TEW gets the first pick, followed by High Five, with selections alternating between them. Please, TEW, come forward.”
The members of TEW huddled together, whispering for a moment before the main vocal stood up with a grin.
Ha Seoyeon asked the TEW main vocal, who stood in front of a pre-installed stand microphone,
“Team A’s Jeong Wonha, you can pick whoever you like. Do you have a member in mind?”
“Ah, yes! Of course!”
Despite his relatively young appearance for his years in the industry, the TEW main vocal showed off a practiced smile.
“I have someone in mind!”
It would either be The Dawn’s Seong Jiwon or High Five’s main vocal.
There was a big chance that the other team might pick Seong Jiwon first.
“Oh~, is that so? Then who is this lucky person?”
“I choose—!”
Jeong Wonha’s head slowly turned toward The Dawn.
It must be Seong Jiwon, after all.
“The Dawn’s—!”
Just as Kim Heeyeon was about to turn away, bored, expecting the obvious scene…
“I’ll choose Seo Hoyun!”
“…?!”
An unexpected twist occurred.
The camera caught everyone’s surprised faces.
Even Ha Seoyeon, who had been calm throughout, seemed a bit flustered.
Only Seo Hoyun was calm as he leisurely stood up.
Ignoring Jeong Dajun, who stared at him with shaking eyes, Hoyun walked over to a delighted Jeong Wonha.
“You really chose me right away?”
“Hey, it would be disappointing otherwise~.”
…Since when was it disappointing?
They whispered to each other.
Clearly, TEW implied something with their glance at Jeong Dajun.
If it was captured on camera and visible to her eyes, there was no way Seo Hoyun didn’t notice.
Yet, at this moment, Jeong Wonha treated Seo Hoyun like a close hyung he truly trusted.
And Seo Hoyun accepted it as if it were a matter of course.
“Now, High Five, please step forward.”
Without any hesitation, Kang Yeonhu, not High Five’s main vocal, stepped forward.
“Kang Yeonhu, please choose a member for Team B.”
“I will pick Seong Jiwon.”
Kang Yeonhu chose Seong Jiwon for a sure victory.
After Jeong Wonha picked Try’s main vocal, it was Kang Yeonhu’s turn again.
As Kang Yeonhu carefully surveyed all the idols, he smiled and said,
“I’ll pick TEW’s Joo Hyungjin.”
He was an idol whose name often popped up in various communities, YouTube, and SNS due to controversies over his skills.
“…!”
It could have been a risky move, and the atmosphere turned restless, not knowing on what basis he was chosen, but Kim Heeyeon’s lips curled up.
Targeted.
Things were getting interesting.
The High Five leader was sharper than expected, quickly grasping the rules.
“Now, Teams A and B are complete.”
Kim Heeyeon looked over the ten vocal unit members evenly picked from each group.
Team A, containing Seo Hoyun and Jeong Wonha along with High Five’s main vocal, was strong in its own right, but couldn’t compare to Team B, which had Seong Jiwon and Kang Yeonhu.
If it weren’t for Seo Hoyun, Jeong Wonha’s selection criteria wouldn’t be too hard to understand.
“Let’s do our best, Jeong Wonha.”
“We’ll definitely win~!”
…Why did you choose Seo Hoyun first?
After the vocal unit teams were formed, it was time to select members for the performance unit.
Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun of The Dawn were seen discussing for a while.
“The Dawn’s performance unit—”
An unexpected scene unfolded as Kim Seonghyeon pushed a dispirited Jeong Dajun forward.
“—Jeong Dajun will participate.”
“…??”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward The Dawn as they were expecting Kim Seonghyeon to participate.
“Jeong Dajun?”
“Whoa, I thought Seonghyeon would come out…”
But soon, everyone seemed relieved.
Considering Kim Seonghyeon’s fame in the dance scene since his high school days and as the biggest beneficiary of Shining Star Season 1, his not participating was a relief.
More so since Jeong Dajun was considered the weakest link in The Dawn.
For the other groups, this was more of a gain than a loss.
“…Wow, look at the relieved faces of the contestants. This will hurt his pride.”
The AD muttered so quietly that only Kim Heeyeon could hear.
True to his word, Dajun bit his lower lip hard for a moment, then stepped forward to line up with the performance unit.
“Jeong Dajun has entered… I’ll choose ‘Ride with you’.”
“Yes, thank you!”
Seo Hoyun, who had been laughing at Jeong Wonha’s whispers, kept his eyes on his team’s maknae the whole time.
What is he thinking?
Just then, as Seo Hoyun turned his head, their eyes met.
“…”
Seeing Kim Heeyeon flinch slightly, Seo Hoyun playfully rolled his eyes.
Kim Heeyeon realized then.
He knew everything, after all.
She was confused whether she was filming an idol survival show or a modern-day palace intrigue.
Fine… do as you please.
It would be nice if it turned out to be interesting.
After all, she knew well that one couldn’t guess the thoughts of a madman.
***
“Hoyun-hyung! So, we start practicing this afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“Should we start a group chat?”
The red light on the camera went off, and while I was casually replying to the excited TEW’s main vocal, I felt a piercing gaze on me.
When I looked up, Kang Yeonhu from Team B was, as usual, smiling at me.
“Let’s work hard.”
I nodded and took the members back to the dorm.
Seong Jiwon couldn’t have missed this strange atmosphere and deliberately started a conversation with Jeong Dajun.
“Dajun, are you going to practice?”
“Ah, yes… With Seonghyeon-hyung.”
After the second competition, Dajun had become noticeably quieter.
He no longer ran around or joked.
He was just busy observing his hyungs.
Dragging my tired body, I flopped down on the sofa, and Jeong Dajun came over, hesitating.
“Um, hyung…”
“What?”
“It’s… nothing.”
He seemed like he had something to say, fidgeting with his fingers, but then shook his head and abruptly stood up, saying he was going to the practice room.
“We’ll go too. To look after Dajun.”
Excluding Kang Ichae, who said he had things to pack and would follow later, Seong Jiwon and Kim Seonghyeon headed to the practice room after Dajun.
I smirked looking at the closed front door.
“So, he’s grown a bit, hasn’t he?”
I thought he would whine, but it seemed Dajun had learned to pull himself together after being down for the past few days.
I was about to check the item shop when the system window suddenly popped up.
[Seo Hoyun.]
[I’ve been admiring the skill with which you’ve completely won over TEW’s main voca these past few days.]
“…”
[Why???]
[Why on earth did you join Jeong Wonha’s team? Almost like you volunteered???]
I was about to ignore it out of annoyance when…
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
…!
The alarm kept ringing.
“Ah, my ears.”
[Why??? Is there some benefit?]
Why wouldn’t there be?
I never make a move without reason.
It was thanks to Kim Heeyeon, of course.
It seemed like she wanted to spice things up with the third competition.
Thanks to her, a scenario where I could not only score generously but also take care of the narrative fell right into my lap.
That is…
Seong Jiwon and I each taking first place in our teams.
In this third round of competition, securing first place meant no loss, whether our teams won or lost.
Even on a losing team, securing first place meant we could take points away from the last-place member of the winning team.
And I knew this even before the competition was announced.
“Hyung! Did you know??”
This came from a call the day before the shooting, from Jeong Wonha.
In truth, my acquaintance with TEW’s main vocal, Jeong Wonha, was a lightly forged connection to lay some groundwork.
But I didn’t expect this guy to call me so casually.
“Our members think this way.”
It seemed like he got information ahead of time through the power of his big agency, and he told me about the third competition’s format.
He suggested we team up.
His plan was simple: given that TEW’s score wasn’t bad so far, and as long as one member from each team gets in, we’ll get points, so let’s just not finish last.
“So, let’s team up!”
“Would that really be okay?”
TEW’s members thought I was the main contributor to the first competition.
Apart from High Five, there weren’t many well-known people in Shining Star, so it was an appropriate choice.
What was a bit funny, though…
“Yes! Hyung, you’re a pretty decent person!”
…Was how easily Jeong Wonha trusted me.
Without knowing what I was thinking.
Well, I might let that slide but—.
‘Kang Yeonhu was a problem.’
—It was quite irritating that Kang Yeonhu had the same thought as me.
Singling out a member in TEW who had taken all sorts of abuse showed his intentions quite clearly.
It seemed like he arranged his team that way to make up for falling to second place in the last competition, confident that he could still win.
Well, as long as I do my part, that’s all that matters.
Seong Jiwon had nothing to worry about.
The problem was me, who had to dominate with my skills in Team A.
“Hey, show me.”
I unwrapped a candy on the table and rolled it in my mouth.
The system window came up, filled with noise as if grumbling.
Still, with the slots empty, the few items that were up didn’t seem to be of much use.
Then, one item highlighted with a sparkling marker caught my eye.
That’s appropriate.
It was a self-improvement item that could be used just right, but one thing bothered me.
[※Warning: Use may cause vomiting, gastritis, cold symptoms, and other adverse effects.]
“…Hmm.”
Some jerk in our group who looked like a ruffian was particularly sensitive about the members’ health issues.
I kept mulling over the text in silence when Kang Ichae came out of the room while plugging in his earphones.
“Hyung, I’m going ahead too~. To cheer up Dajun, who’s down because of the hyungs~.”
“…”
Humming a tune and speaking jokingly, Kang Ichae saw my expression and narrowed his eyes.
“Hmm?”
“…”
“Why are you being cautious?”
Hey.
“…When did I?”
If I use this, would it kill you?
