~Han Jae-min POV~
"Next number! Candidate 087!"
The call echoed through the cavernous hall my heart slammed against my ribs, this was it.
I pushed my cap lower, tugged the mask over my face, and stepped forward the stage lights burned like interrogation lamps, exposing every flaw.
"Name?" the judge asked flatly.
"Han Jae-min," I replied, forcing my voice lower my throat ached from practicing that tone for weeks.
The three judges scribbled something on their sheets and one of them, a sharp-eyed woman in her forties, narrowed her gaze. "You look… young, what's your age?"
"Eighteen," I answered without hesitation.
There was silence my palms grew slick, behind me dozens of trainees whispered, sizing me up they saw what the judges saw... I'm too small, too delicate, a kid who shouldn't survive a single day in this brutal competition.
The male judge leaned back, unimpressed. "Eighteen? You barely look fifteen, and your physique... can you handle the training? This isn't a playground."
The words stabbed, but I bowed deeply. "Please give me a chance I'll prove myself."
A scoff came from somewhere in the trainee line. "He'll collapse before the first round."
Heat rushed to my face, but I kept my head down they shouldn't know my real identity, if even a hint slipped or if anyone suspected I was not only an omega, but also a girl.... everything would end here.
The woman judge finally sighed. "Fine, show us what you've got."
I exhale hard because this was the moment.
The music started with sharp beats, heavy bass and my body moved before my mind could falter, when the last note hit, I froze, breathing fast.
Silence, then, slowly, the woman judge leaned forward. "Unexpected." Her pen scratched across the page. "Your technique is rough… but your presence...." she glanced at the others, "there's something different about you."
"Different doesn't mean his bad," the male judge said.
"Or," she countered, "he's what this show needs."
My knees nearly buckled as she raised her hand. "Candidate 087, you pass the audition."
The hall erupted in murmurs some shocked, while some mocking but over the noise, suddenly I heard a calm voice from the trainee line.
"Interesting," he said.
I looked up just in time to meet his eyes, the alpha everyone whispered about, the one already topping pre-rankings. Tall, broad-shouldered, effortlessly charismatic his gaze lingered on me longer than it should have, sharp as a blade, but I composed myself not to look at him too long.
"Candidates, follow the staff to your assigned dormitories!"
The announcement boomed through the hallway, followed by a rush of footsteps and chatter. The line of trainees splintered into small groups, dragging suitcases and duffel bags behind them.
Everyone was filled with excitement, competition, I tugged my mask higher, gripping the strap of my worn backpack until my knuckles turned white.
"Han Jae-min, right?" A staff member blocked my path with a clipboard.
I nodded quickly. "Yes."
"Room 302 third floor, west wing."
"Thank you." My voice stayed even, but inside, my stomach twisted because dorm life meant no more hiding in the shadows, I will be sharing space, air and showers with strangers. One mistake and.... no, I couldn't think about it.
The staircase groaned under the stampede of trainees rushing to claim the best bunks by the time I reached the third floor, the hallway was chaos boys yelling, laughter spilling out of open doors, bags thudding against walls.
Room 302 was halfway down I slipped inside quietly, hoping to go unnoticed the the door clicked shut.
A tall figure was already there, unpacking neatly folded clothes into the wardrobe his broad shoulders moved with a relaxed confidence, every motion deliberate when he turned, I froze, it was him.
The alpha from the audition hall the one whose gaze had lingered on me, sharp as if cutting straight through me and for a heartbeat, we just stared.
Then he spoke, voice low and smooth. "So you're my roommate?"
My throat went dry. "…Yeah."
He smirked faintly, not unfriendly... just… assessing like a predator testing the air. "Name?"
"Han Jae-min."
"Mm." He zipped his bag shut, then extended a hand. "Kang Do-hyun."
I hesitated a fraction too long before shaking it, his grip was firm, grounding and my pulse spiked, and I snatched my hand back too quickly.
His brow arched. "Nervous?"
"…Just tired." I dropped onto the edge of the bed closest to the wall, keeping my eyes on my shoes.
He leaned against the wardrobe, arms crossed, gaze heavy on me. "You don't smell like the others."
Ice slid through my veins. "Wh…what?"
"Relax." His lips curved into slit amusement. "Most trainees reek of nerves, sweat, fear, but you don't. You're too calm."
I forced a hollow laugh. "Guess I'm good at hiding it."
"Guess so."
Then, casually, he tugged off his T-shirt, tossing it onto the bed.
I whipped my gaze to the floor so fast my neck ached and heat climbed my face no matter how hard I trained my voice, my posture, my disguise.... some things were impossible to disguise. The fact that I was a girl in a room with him. An omega hiding among predators.
The bathroom door clicked as he grabbed a towel. "Will you shower with me?"
"Huh?!" My eyes were wide open.
"I mean, can we shower together, since we are boys... or I should go ahead first?"
"Mmm... yes, we are boys... but I will skip, go ahead and shower on your own."
"Okay." He turned.
The door shut.
My body sagged against the mattress, trembling hands pressed to my chest because, how can he asked me such question? If Kang Do-hyun figured out the truth I'm hiding, my entire world would collapse.
Meanwhile, the shower ran behind the bathroom door, steam seeping into the small dorm. I sat rigid on the bed, fists clenched in my lap how was I supposed to survive this?
Then the door creaked open and Do-hyun stepped out, towel draped around his shoulders, damp hair falling into his eyes. The sharp line of his jaw caught the dim light, and his bare arms glistened with drops of water, he moved with careless ease, like the room already belonged to him.
"Your turn," he said.
I grabbed my toiletries too quickly, nearly dropping them. "Right."
"Wait." His voice stopped me mid-step.
My pulse faltered. "What?"
Do-hyun leaned against his bedframe, arms crossed, gaze fixed on me. "Why'd you avoid eye contact when I changed?"
Blood drained from my face. "…What are you talking about?"
"You acted like I was radioactive." He tilted his head, studying me. "You're not the first trainee to share a room with another guy, most don't react like that."
My nails dug into my palms as I forced a chuckle. "I just... respect privacy that's all."
"Mmm." His eyes narrowed, as if weighing truth from lie then he shrugged. "Fine, shower fast because lights will be out soon."
I slipped into the bathroom before he could say more, locking the door with shaking hands.
The mirror reflected my worst enemy... myself. The cap, the bindings under my hoodie my chest ached from the tight bandages, but loosening them was impossible here.
I ran cold water over my wrists, whispering to my reflection. "Stay calm just one night, then another.... you can do this."
When I returned, Do-hyun lay stretched out on his bed, scrolling his phone he didn't look up when I slipped beneath the covers, pretending to sleep.
"Han Jae-min."
I stiffened. "…Yeah?"
"Don't think you're invisible, I saw how you sneak inside."
The phone screen dimmed, leaving only his silhouette in the shadows.