Terrence was up first. The moment he stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere shifted. The crowd quieted. The air thickened.
He chose the haunting track "I Am You" by Depeche Mode.
What followed was a masterclass in precision and intensity. Terrence fused krumping and locking with jazz elements, crafting a visceral descent into obsession. It began with small, gentle movements and calculated footwork, showing a man in love.
But midway came the turn. His fingers dragged the toy knife slowly across his palm, miming the act of carving a name into his skin with the toy knife. His movements turned frantic, jagged, and possessive. His body trembled, unraveling piece by piece, consumed by a love he could not have.
When the final beat struck, Terrence made a last carving on his chest, collapsing on his knees, head bowed, eyes manic.
The judges were stunned into silence. Only after Terrence got onto his feet and bowed did they finally speak.
"That…" Yoon Byeol exhaled, visibly shaken. "—was the first time today someone truly embodied their prop."
Judge Kim Do-yun, the eldest of the panel, nodded with a soft murmur. "It was chilling."
Terrence, ever composed, bowed again and walked off the stage.
Backstage, Kai immediately latched onto him. "That was disturbing," Kai muttered, eyes wide.
Terrence smirked. "Good."
***
Sean was next.
Backstage, Sean had been quietly doing breathing exercises, battling his nerves. But once he stepped onto the stage, he shed it all like a second skin.
He chose his strength: contemporary dance. But he surprised everyone by pairing it with a female idol song—"Impurities" by Le Sserafim.
Unlike Terrence's descent into madness, Sean's performance was like watching a poem unfold.
He began with a metaphor of a blind man, a lost and uncertain individual.
After that, he found the monocle.
With that one discovery, his movements transformed. Hesitation gave way to clarity. He moved with grace, strength, and aching vulnerability. Each step told a story of discovery, about how perception, insight, and truth can change a person.
By the time Sean finished, several judges were visibly moved.
"You felt that performance and expressed it very well. You used a wide range of movements and took advantage of the full stage. Outstanding!" said Min Jang, clapping gently.
"Truly shows how lost youth nowadays are," sniffled Kim Soojin.
"Exceptional storytelling," Judge Kim Do-Yun added with a solemn nod.
Sean bowed deeply and exited the stage.
Immediately, Daniel threw an arm around him. "That's my Seannie."
Sean shoved him off with a scowl. "Don't call me Seannie."
***
Kai took a very different approach.
Rather than chasing emotional depth or heavy themes, he dove into pure, kinetic joy. He went full freestyle, athletic, playful, and chaotic, using a jump rope as if it were an extension of his own limbs.
His song of choice: "Candy" by NCT Dream.
His routine was ridiculous and brilliant. He swung the rope around his waist, flipped over it, caught it mid-air, and used it to ricochet off the floor in ways that defied belief.
It wasn't profound, but it was entertaining as hell.
The judges took off points for the lack of emotional depth or narrative, but no one could deny his technical skill.
Kai skipped offstage, beaming. "I AM A GENIUS."
No one had the heart to argue.
***
Finally, it was Ben's turn. Unlike other times, Ben's mind was somewhere else, in a night that he did not want to consciously remember. He chose an unconventional song – My Love Will Never Die by Claire Wyndham – to tell a dark tale. It was a very slow and haunting song to dance to, but the song portrayed the feel Ben wanted.
The moment Ben stepped forward, something inside him shifted. He donned the mask and began to dance.
He began with pieces of modern dance, a style a friend once taught him in high school. His limbs moved gently. His expression, though hidden, felt visible through the softness of each gesture. He was portraying the perfect lover. His every movement was tender and intoxicating like a dream.
But as the song's bridge hit, the tone of the dance shifted. The tenderness evaporated, and the music swallowed him. His body surged with energy as he transitioned into sharp, street-style choreography. The dream crumbled. The lover became the threat. Power rippled through him. The mask, now resting on the back of his head, seemed to leer at the audience, as though a second self had taken hold.
It was haunting… almost creepy.
When he finished, the entire room was silent for a second before a tidal crashing wave of applause took over the stunned quiet.
Kang Ha-joon, infamous for being near impossible to impress, murmured, "I never imagined such a story was possible with just one mask."
Yoon Byeol rubbed her arms as she said, "That gave me goosebumps!"
While Ahn Ju-seon, with buzz cut hair and stern eyes, exhaled heavily, "That was unsettling in the best ways."
Ben bowed and slowly exited.
***
Ben's heartbeat was still racing when he returned backstage. His hands felt clammy. His body carried the lingering weight of the performance like it was something he hadn't quite stepped out of yet.
Sean, Terrence, and Kai all looked at him, not just with admiration, but with realization.
Terrence was the first to speak; his gaze was sharp, unwavering. "That wasn't just a story you told on stage," he said. "It felt like you were living it."
Ben almost choked. He forced a laugh, shrugging as if it were all just part of the act. "I guess I got too immersed. I mean, I had to become Bluebeard to sell the story, right?"
Kai shivered. "Well, you sold it too well. That was honestly chilling."
Sean, as blunt as ever, narrowed his eyes. "You danced like you understood Bluebeard, like you… empathize with him."
Ben's stomach twisted. For a moment, he felt exposed. But before he could dwell on it, Kai suddenly interrupted.
"Okay, enough brooding!" he declared. "We need to focus because the 'Performance God' is about to take the stage."
Sean took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing himself. Daniel was unpredictable. He was over-dramatic, annoying, and exhausting.
But when he danced…
He was ART.
All their eyes turned toward the stage.
Ben, however, lowered his gaze. It was not that he empathized with Bluebeard, but rather, he just understood the feeling of having a side to you that you cannot show. His fingers curled into fists as his mind flashed back to that night, when he had been alone with Daniel, when his own desires stirred to the surface. That moment where everything inside him had tilted slightly off-center. He hadn't known what to make of it then.
So he had used dance as an outlet, a desperate attempt to express something he couldn't say out loud.
His breathing was uneven when Daniel's name was announced. All four of them leaned forward. That's when Ben saw the look on Daniel's face.
This wasn't the carefree, troublemaking senior they knew.
The moment he stepped onto that stage, Daniel became his character.
***
Before the music even started, Daniel's eyes welled with tears.
The audience stilled. The judges exchanged puzzled glances.
Suddenly, Daniel laughed. A soft, breathy chuckle, yet his tears still fell, as if his laughter and sadness were at war with each other.
And so the music began. Daniel chose — In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (instrumental version).
Daniel lifted his wrist, showing the handcuffs. For a moment, he simply stared at them, his expression unreadable.
He slowly lowered his hand and started moving. He expertly infused modern dance with breakdancing, showing a wide range of movement with complicated floor work, adding depth and layer to the emotions that he conveyed.
His body flowed with the music effortlessly. He rode the melody, his motions fluid yet jagged. He portrayed a conflicted struggle. His eyes flickered between confusion, desperation, and resignation. He fought against the cuffs, but not as if he were struggling physically.
No, this was mental.
It was the story of a man imprisoned by his own mind, trapped, not by steel, but by something far worse: his own thoughts, fears, and his own existence.
Every step showed his desperate struggle for freedom. His movements showed his hopelessness and yet his continued struggle. He reached out as if asking the audience for help, but…
There was no one to help. No one to see his pain. No one to save him.
And in the end, he lost the battle. His chains never broke. It kept him shackled to the agony. He was fighting a losing battle.
When the final beat stopped, Daniel ended with a final cry. His chest heaved. His eyes still glistened with unshed tears.
And for a moment, the world was silent. Ten full seconds passed. The judges sat motionless. The audience barely breathed.
After what felt like an eternity, a clap sounded, then another, and another.
Until suddenly, thunderous applause erupted. The entire room rose to its feet. Judges, contestants, and the entire audience.
It wasn't just clapping; it was an acknowledgment.
Sean, Terrence, and Kai looked like they had been struck by lightning. Their jaws were practically on the floor. Ben simply stared, his fist curling within his shirt sleeve.
The judges fumbled to find words.
Ahn Ju-seon finally spoke, voice unsteady. "You started performing before the music even began, creating an unsettling, almost terrifying sense of realism."
Kang Ha-Joon cleared his throat. He looked shaken, flipping through his notes, as if trying to gather his thoughts. He said, "I… have never seen internal struggle expressed so perfectly through dance. The expressions brought more truth to the emotions you were expressing."
Kim Soojin let out a breath, almost like a sigh. "The handcuffs weren't just a prop. They became a metaphor. You incorporated it in the dance, and your storytelling was brilliant."
The elderly judge, Kim Do-yun, looked speechless as he said, "It had been years since I last saw a performance that left me with no words. Absolutely stunning."
And just like that—
A LEGEND was born.