PD Kwon gestured toward the massive screen as it transformed into a detailed floor plan.
"Let me show you where you'll be living for the next several weeks."
The S-rank accommodations appeared first—spacious individual suites with king beds, walk-in closets, and marble bathrooms. Actual marble.
Cheers erupted from the front rows where Haejun, Hyunki, and Doyun sat.
Three rooms. Three kings.
"A-rank trainees enjoy modern comfort with a single roommate."
The screen revealed sleek rooms with twin beds, shared desks, and clean private bathrooms. Still luxury compared to my trainee housing back home.
Applause scattered through the A-rank section as trainees high-fived their potential future roommates.
My stomach clenched as the B-rank layout appeared.
Four beds crammed into a space barely larger than an S-rank bathroom. Shared everything—closet, desk, single bathroom down the hall.
Groans spread through our section. Someone muttered a curse in three languages.
"Four people? How are we supposed to sleep?"
"At least we're not C-rank."
The screen shifted to reveal the C and D accommodations.
Bunk beds lined dormitory-style rooms housing eight to ten trainees each.
Communal bathrooms. No privacy whatsoever.
The reactions grew louder—some trainees already sidling up to higher-ranked competitors, whispering desperate proposals for alliance.
"Please, just mention me positively in interviews—"
"I can help with your choreography—"
Finally, the F-rank holding area appeared. Bare concrete floors, metal cots, fluorescent lighting that screamed institutional despair.
Silence fell over that section like a funeral shroud.
"Now, before anyone gets too comfortable—or too discouraged—"
PD Kwon's voice cut through the murmurs rippling across the auditorium. His tablet gleamed as he tapped the screen, that calculating smile never wavering.
"These accommodations will shift after every elimination round. Improve your ranking, upgrade your living situation. Fall behind?"
He gestured toward the F-rank concrete wasteland still glowing on the massive display.
"Well. You'll become very familiar with those metal cots."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. S-rank trainees straightened in their seats, smugness replaced by wariness.
Even Haejun's perpetual composure cracked slightly—a barely perceptible tightening around his eyes.
Meanwhile, desperate energy crackled through the lower ranks. C and D trainees leaned forward like hunting dogs catching a scent.
"Every performance matters. Every vote counts. Today's king becomes tomorrow's peasant faster than you can hit a high note."
My hands clenched in my lap. Four roommates in a shoebox room suddenly seemed manageable compared to the constant threat hanging over everyone's heads.
"Remember, only seven of you debut. The rest go home with nothing but the memory of how close you came."
PD Kwon clapped his hands twice, sharp sounds echoing through the auditorium.
"Production assistants will escort you to your new homes. Follow the colored cards—S-rank gold, A-rank silver, B-rank blue."
Staff members materialized along the aisles, holding laminated signs that caught the studio lights.
The separation began immediately.
Haejun rose from his front-row seat, not bothering to look back as he followed a gold card toward what I assumed were elevators backstage.
Hyunki and Doyun trailed behind him, though Doyun's steps carried less arrogance.
The A-rank section buzzed with nervous energy as silver-card holders paired off, already negotiating roommate preferences.
I stood with the cluster of B-rank trainees, blue card in hand, stomach churning with anxiety about whoever I'd be stuck with for however long this lasted.
The assistant led our group down a narrow hallway lined with identical doors marked with simple number placards. Room 304, 306, 308—
"Room 312," the assistant announced, checking her clipboard.
"Trainees Han Jiwon, Park Yuhyun, Oh Jisoo, and Lee Jinwook."
My breath caught.
Yuhyun appeared beside me, that familiar warm grin spreading across his face despite the cramped circumstances ahead.
"Guess we're roommates after all these years."
My smile felt plastic, stretched too thin across my face.
Yuhyun's presence should have been comforting—childhood friend, familiar territory—but his alpha scent made my nerves spike despite the blockers coursing through my system.
He was the only one here who might remember my disappearance, the awkward questions about why I'd suddenly stopped hanging out, why my mother had become so protective.
What if he'd figured it out?
"Looks like fate brought us together again," Yuhyun said, oblivious to my internal panic.
"Yeah, fate." The word tasted bitter.
"Oh wow, B-rank roomies!"
A voice cut through our reunion like a hyperactive buzzsaw.
A trainee with messy blonde hair and an oversized hoodie practically bounced toward us, clutching his blue card like a winning lottery ticket.
"I'm Oh Jisoo! This is so cool—I thought for sure I'd get stuck with some scary alpha types who'd make me sleep on the floor."
Behind him, a taller figure approached with measured steps.
Sharp features, cold eyes, the kind of controlled presence that radiated Alpha authority without a single pheromone leak.
"Lee Jinwook," he said simply, voice flat as concrete.
Two alphas, one beta, and me—an omega pretending to be what I wasn't.
The dynamics hit me like a slap.
Yuhyun's familiar warmth, Jinwook's intimidating silence, and Jisoo's chaotic energy swirling in a space barely large enough for privacy.
I bowed politely, keeping my voice steady.
"I'm Han Jiwon. Please take care of me."
"Oh my god, Jiwon!" Jisoo's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"I loved your performance! When that backing track cut out and you just kept singing? That was so brave!"
Heat crept up my neck. "Thank you. I just did what felt natural."
"And Yuhyun's original song was incredible too!" Jisoo bounced between us like an overexcited puppy.
"You guys are so talented. I can't believe I'm rooming with B-rank legends!"
Yuhyun chuckled, that easy laugh I remembered from childhood.
"Legends might be pushing it, but thanks."
Jinwook remained silent, studying our group with calculating eyes that made my skin prickle.
His alpha presence pressed against the edges of my consciousness despite the blockers.
Four walls, four beds, and three people who could unravel everything I'd fought to hide.
This was going to be hell.