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Chapter: 03
“Why does he look like that? Is that even possible?”
Kim Sanghee, the writer of Choose My Prince 99, rubbed her eyes in shock as she saw the trainee who had just stepped onto the stage.
Ha Yechan.
An independent trainee.
He was someone she had personally selected from the applications and even interviewed beforehand.
He had no trainee experience and no notable awards, but his looks alone had made her expect a lot from him.
Even in his application photo, he looked like he could rival idol visual members—but in real life, he looked even better.
She had thought, “Yeah… he’s going to make it.”
…Though at the end, he seemed a bit eccentric. But honestly, that kind of personality was good for grabbing attention.
‘But… did he get even more handsome?’
In just one week, somehow, Yechan’s face seemed to be shining.
When the music started, he hesitated slightly, probably from nerves.
That small pause looked cute, making Kim Sanghee unconsciously clutch her chest.
She noticed the FD beside her glance at her suspiciously, but she couldn’t help it.
‘Calm down, my heart.’
He wasn’t someone to fangirl over—he was just someone from work.
Even though she had been an idol fan since she was a kid, she knew how to separate work and personal feelings.
Soon, the familiar intro began.
Before filming, she had checked Yechan’s song choice—and honestly, she felt a bit disappointed.
The pop song he chose was extremely famous. Everyone had probably hummed it at least once.
But actually singing it was difficult—the rhythm kept changing unpredictably, making it easy to lose control.
On top of that, the original singer danced while singing, hiding the fact that the song required a wide vocal range—from low to high.
And because it was so well-known, unless you sang it extremely well, people would just say you ruined a great song.
‘Looks like he doesn’t have much sense… Well, he doesn’t have an agency to guide him, so I guess… huh?’
As if he heard her thoughts, Yechan suddenly lifted his head.
It was a cliché expression—but truly, the atmosphere changed instantly.
The trainee who had just seemed like a really handsome guy now radiated the presence of a top-tier idol.
Everyone in the studio held their breath and focused on him.
Yechan smiled, as if this level of attention wasn’t enough.
Then he lightly pointed at the camera—
—and started singing.
“There’s something that doesn’t change when everything changes.”
The rearranged version preserved the original feel but was subtly different, perfectly matching Yechan’s mid-low tone and creating strong synergy.
‘Was he a dancer before…? His lines are insane.’
His steps looked effortless, but if anyone tried to copy them, it would be extremely difficult.
But the most unbelievable thing was his expression.
‘That’s… trainee-level expression?’
His facial expressions kept changing with the lyrics—never too much, never too little.
If she wasn’t working right now, she would have taken screenshots of every moment and made an album.
Kim Sanghee kept reminding herself that she needed to check the trainers’ reactions.
“Choices pile up and make it now.”
But in the end, she couldn’t take her eyes off Yechan even for a second until the performance ended.
The studio buzzed with excitement.
A performance from an unexpected independent trainee—with a professional aura.
One of the judges regained composure and asked the standard question:
“Ha Yechan, what grade do you think you deserve?”
Yechan smiled faintly.
The cold atmosphere suddenly shifted into something delicate—like a single fragile white lily.
“I sharpened my blade for today.
S-rank… you’re mine.”
…The way he said it was a bit ridiculous, though.
* * *
‘Yeah… doing what I’ve already done is easier.’
Yechan looked at the judges calmly.
While his mind had been busy figuring out how to deliver that line after selecting the option disguised as choreography, his body had performed perfectly.
It was a song he had done multiple times during resets—even in concerts.
He knew exactly which parts would make the audience cheer.
‘Good thing that bastard Jeong Chanyang hasn’t stolen this song yet. I only performed it after turning twenty.’
Then came the same question again:
“What grade do you think you deserve?”
It was time to face the result of his earlier choice.
He forced a smile for the camera and raised his finger confidently.
“I sharpened my blade for today.
S-rank… you’re mine.”
A terrible silence fell over the set.
<Choice Complete!>
<Congratulations! You successfully completed the choice. You gained 1 point!>
Only the clueless hologram window seemed excited.
Yechan suppressed his frustration and held his head high.
“…Ah, I see. Haha, it really feels like you prepared a lot. You’re really good. I even forgot I was judging.”
The one who broke the silence was Lee Gawon, main vocalist of Jupiter, now in her 9th year since debut.
She was known for harsh criticism, but she was kind to skilled trainees.
“Thank you.”
Yechan bowed deeply.
He had to be careful—Jupiter had extremely passionate fans.
Better to show respect to seniors.
“Your singing was amazing. You could debut right now. If you had said anything other than S-rank, I would’ve thought you were joking.”
“The arrangement was really good. Who did it?”
“I did.”
“You did?!”
As expected, the judges started calling him a genius.
Yechan accepted the praise with a confident but modest attitude.
“The concept is interesting too. A handsome guy with such a unique personality.”
“Thank you.”
But inside, he was cold.
‘Of course. Do you know how many years I’ve done this?’
If you included resets, no one here was qualified to judge him.
After finishing his greeting, Yechan walked to the S-rank seat.
The flashy chair was a bit tacky—but very comfortable.
He sat down properly and opened his status window.
Player – Ha Yechan Lv. 2
- Visual: S- (1/10000)
- Vocal: S-
- Dance: A- (4/100)
- Rap: F
- Speech: B
- Sparkle: C
- Title: Player Who Finished Resets
- Points: 1
Still far from perfect—but a huge improvement compared to before.
This was the result of one week of effort.
He had completed endless repetitive quests:
10 times → 20 times → 30 times…
Some quests required drinking water, running distances, or singing specific songs.
He spent all earned points on Visual.
But once it reached S-, the requirement exploded.
10,000 points.
Not 1,000—10,000.
So he tested another stat.
Dance: B (1/10)
Only 10 points needed.
He quickly pushed it to A-.
Now, at least he wouldn’t look clumsy.
The “Sparkle” stat couldn’t be upgraded, which bothered him—but this was good enough.
Now, he needed to memorize trainee names for the linked quest.
If he failed, his hard-earned stats would decrease.
That was unacceptable.
Time passed. Trainees performed one by one.
So far, Yechan was the only S-rank.
‘That’s about to change.’
A tall trainee stepped on stage.
“Wow, he’s huge. What’s your height?”
“188 cm.”
“Even his voice is good.”
This was Woo Hwigyeom.
A trainee Yechan knew well.
The only one who had briefly rivaled Beom Sehyuk.
Same age. Vocal position.
Sharp-looking—his character overlapped with Yechan’s.
But—
‘What’s the point of talent? He’s a school bully.’
Woo Hwigyeom would later be exposed and forced to leave due to bullying controversy.
After his performance:
“What grade do you think you deserve?”
“I did my best. I believe my best is S-rank.”
Same exact answer.
Yechan held back a scoff.
Before knowing the truth, he had once thought that answer was cool.
Woo Hwigyeom got S-rank and sat beside him.
Unpleasant.
Then—
<Choice Appears!>
Shake hands with Woo Hwigyeom and greet him!
- “Hwigyeom, you’re a bully—what are you doing here?”
- “I think I fell for you! Can I call you Hwigyeom hyung?”
- “Great performance. Let’s do well together.”
The gap between choices was insane.
Yechan extended his hand.
And smiled brightly.
“I think I fell for you! Can I call you Hwigyeom hyung?”
<Choice Complete!>
<You gained 1 point!>
Even the system seemed confused.
Woo Hwigyeom blinked awkwardly.
“…I thought you said you’re twenty?”
“We’re the same age. That was a joke.”
Yechan instantly turned serious.
“…Ah… a joke…”
Awkward silence.
Yechan let go and pretended to watch the next performance.
After many performances, the final trainee stepped onto the stage.
The tired atmosphere instantly became silent.
This was intentional.
Probably why he became known as the Ending Prince.
Beom Sehyuk.
His performance began.
Overwhelming.
Soft face—but powerful choreography.
Every movement was perfectly controlled.
Even his hair seemed intentional.
“I think I’m S-rank.”
Not confidence—just fact.
He got S-rank and walked toward Yechan.
This time, Yechan acted on his own.
“I’m Ha Yechan. That was impressive.”
Beom Sehyuk smiled warmly.
“Same here. Let’s do well.”
That bright smile—
In that moment, Yechan realized something.
He looked forward to destroying the past with him.
But also—
To defeating him and taking the throne.
A competitive fire ignited inside him.
