The cafeteria felt like a tomb.
We filed in with our usual chatter, but it died the moment we saw the Category Three tables.
Trainees sat motionless, staring at untouched bowls of watery soup and plain rice. Their faces looked hollow, carved from stone.
"Death row dinner, anyone?" Jisoo whispered as we collected our Category Two trays.
Nobody laughed. Even Jisoo's smile flickered.
We found a table near the middle section, but the familiar routine felt foreign.
Jinwook picked at his kimchi without eating. Yuhyun kept glancing toward the Category Three section.
"Stop staring," I murmured.
"They look terrified."
They should be. F-ranks faced elimination tonight unless fan votes saved them. The cameras knew it too, zooming in on trembling hands and bitten lips.
Just then, the screen flickered to life, casting blue light across hundreds of anxious faces.
PD Kwon emerged from the shadows like the twisted game show host he is, that predatory smirk spreading wider than usual.
