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Chapter: 04
The moment Yechan tried to pull his hand away from Beom Sehyuk—
A hologram window popped up again.
<Body Sync!>
<You can now see the status window of someone you touch! Check the target’s status window!>
Grab!
Before even finishing reading, Yechan quickly grabbed the hand again that he had just let go.
Now he understood why the hologram told him to shake hands with Woo Huigyeom earlier.
“It wanted to show me this, but when I picked a weird option, it got startled and didn’t explain.”
It felt unnecessarily human, which annoyed him.
“…?”
Beom Sehyuk tilted his head in confusion, but that wasn’t important right now.
‘Status window!’
Idol Trainee — Beom Sehyuk
Visual: S
Vocal: S-
Dance: S
Rap: A
Speech: A+
Charm: A+
Status: Feels confused by the player’s actions.
It really showed another person’s status.
<First time viewing another person’s status!>
<Congratulations! You receive 1 point!>
No matter what the hologram said, Yechan’s focus was completely on the status window.
These stats were unbelievable for someone who had only trained for 6 months.
“Um… Trainee Ha Yechan?”
Maybe he held his hand too long while checking stats, because Beom Sehyuk started moving his fingers awkwardly.
Woo Huigyeom, sitting next to them, was also staring at Yechan suspiciously.
Yechan quickly let go and made an excuse.
“Ah, sorry. Your hand…”
What should he say?
<Choices appear!>
We’ll help you in your difficult situation!
- Your hand was warm, so I didn’t realize.
- Your hands are very pretty, wink☆
- Hands go here, hands go there~ If I keep singing, it’ll be PPL, right?
I wasn’t asking you.
To avoid looking crazy talking to himself, Yechan swallowed the words.
<3>
<2>
Not only were the options weird, but he had even less time than usual.
With no choice, Yechan raised his finger and smiled as harmlessly as possible.
“Your hand was warm, so I didn’t realize.”
“I have cold hands and feet.”
“…Ah.”
A deep silence fell between them.
Woo Huigyeom, who had been watching silently, raised his hand halfway and added,
“I also have cold hands and feet.”
…So what?
After a short break, the trainees continued with individual interviews.
Even though the main filming had ended and the mood was relaxed, Yechan stayed focused.
‘Min Entertainment Lee Yoonchul, independent trainee Park Taesu, Mirae Music Song Jaegyun…’
Linked Quest
— Memorize the names of all trainees participating in Chumap 99!
(Progress: 92/98, Time remaining: 7 days)
The number in the hologram kept rising quickly.
That “7 days remaining” at the end felt extremely annoying.
The next filming was in a week, meaning after today, he wouldn’t see the trainees again.
Profiles would only be released after the first camp, so for the next two weeks, there would be no way to check them.
In other words, the real deadline was today.
‘Once I bury Jung Chanyang, I’ll bury this hologram too. No matter what.’
After finishing interviews, trainees went home immediately.
(Progress: 97/98, Time remaining: 7 days)
His heart pounded as he anxiously waited for his name to be called next.
Yechan widened his eyes and searched desperately for the last unfamiliar face among the trainees.
“Ha Yechan!”
<Quest Complete!>
<You receive 1 point!>
<Level Up!>
<You receive 1 point!>
Cold sweat ran down his back.
At the exact moment he memorized the final name, the staff called him.
‘Still… I did it somehow.’
Hiding his slightly trembling hands, Yechan followed the staff into the interview room.
* * *
After many ups and downs, Yechan returned to his now-familiar one-room apartment.
Sitting all day and clapping like a robot had completely exhausted him.
After showering, he sat on the bed and gave in to the overwhelming sleepiness.
“I’m tired…”
Thinking about how everything he built through countless resets slipped away like sand made him feel drained.
As fatigue built up, negative thoughts started rushing in.
To escape quickly into sleep, he closed his eyes and began counting sheep.
‘One sheep, two sheep, three sheep… Jung Chanyang one hundred two… Jung Chanyang one hundred three… wait, what am I counting?’
He suddenly sat up.
Sleep vanished instantly.
Imagining Jung Chanyang building a grand sandcastle with everything he had lost made him want to destroy it immediately.
Energy surged back into his tired body.
Instead of lying down, he sat in front of his computer.
As soon as he opened iTube, the face he hated appeared without warning.
[Lee:Spirit – “Stare” MV]
Maybe because he had been checking what changed in the world, idol videos were being recommended.
Yechan stared at the thumbnail showing Jung Chanyang instead of himself.
He wanted to show the system what real life was like, but now wasn’t the time.
An unknown trainee attacking a top-tier idol?
‘That’s suicide. No matter the truth… their—no, that side…’
The moment he called Lee:Spirit “that side,” his veins bulged.
After calming down, he continued thinking.
‘If their fandom targets me, forget first place—I won’t even debut.’
Every word and action of his would be dissected and spread online.
At first it would be small complaints, but within a week, he’d become the worst person alive.
Even viewers who liked him would run away after seeing the toxic hate.
Instead of starting a pointless fight, Yechan imagined kicking a crying Jung Chanyang off a cliff and searched for songs to sing for his next quest.
* * *
“Hey, Ha Yechan!”
One week later.
As Yechan arrived at the dorm by taxi, another trainee greeted him cheerfully.
He turned around while pulling his suitcase.
“Nam Jiyu sunbae.”
“Oh, you know me! Haha, that’s embarrassing. Don’t call me sunbae—call me hyung!”
Nam Jiyu, who looked young enough to be a middle schooler, smiled brightly.
He actually debuted 7 years ago.
And judging by him being here now—his group had completely failed.
Fans blamed bad timing with Jupiter’s comeback, but Yechan didn’t think it mattered.
After barely lasting 7 years, the group disbanded.
Fans were angry that he didn’t renew his contract because of this show.
Despite all the hate, Nam Jiyu still smiled brightly.
‘Maybe he’s just simple-minded…’
“Yes, Jiyu hyung.”
Even though his thoughts were rude, his voice was polite.
“Wow, Yechan. You look amazing when you smile.”
“Thank you. Please speak comfortably.”
“Okay! You too!”
They walked uphill together with their suitcases.
Thanks to Jiyu’s friendly personality, there was no awkward silence.
“I got B grade and just blanked out in the bathroom during break.”
“I didn’t notice at all.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I need to do better in the camp…”
“You’ll do well.”
“Thanks—even if it’s just being nice.”
It wasn’t just politeness.
Nam Jiyu would later perform well and often rank in the debut lineup.
‘His old fandom might cause trouble… but it’s small.’
Even that died down later.
“Your praise gives me strength too.”
Yechan smiled gently at his future sub-dancer candidate.
He wasn’t aiming for just first place.
He wanted the best possible debut team.
At the top of the hill, the dorm building appeared.
Many trainees had already arrived.
“Yechan, I think something’s posted there.”
It was the room assignment list.
“I found my name! What about you?”
“I found mine too.”
Room 201
— Beom Sehyuk (Label)
— Sim Sangrok (GE)
— Woo Huigyeom (Independent)
— Ha Yechan (Independent)
All S-rank trainees.
“Wow, your room is insane.”
“Even just filming faces will be fun.”
But unlike Jiyu, Yechan wasn’t happy about being with Woo Huigyeom again.
‘If I were Jung Chanyang, I’d use this chance for sure.’
He decided to keep his distance from Woo Huigyeom.
Of course, things don’t always go as planned.
