Chapter 64 - CHAPTER 64

"What the…?"

"Fifth place...? Hyunjin-hyung?"

At the sudden, completely unexpected call-out, the trainees all buzzed in shock.

"...."

But unlike them, Kang Hyunjin, who had been sitting quietly in his seat, simply stood up and walked up to the set. The MC, wearing a troubled expression that was actually more intrigued than anything, spoke to Kang Hyunjin.

"Ah, trainee Kang Hyunjin, who had been the unshakable No.1, has suddenly received the unexpected score of fifth place. I imagine you must have complicated feelings about this. Let's hear your thoughts."

Kang Hyunjin accepted the mic and stared silently into the camera. And just before the trainees began to wonder about his prolonged silence—

"…Thank you to the Idol Makers who voted for me. I believe this ranking is far more than I deserve right now. I won't forget this earnestness, and I'll make sure to show you something good on the next stage."

Forcing the words out in a voice pressed down tight, he finished his comment.

As he ended his speech and went to sit beside Cheon Serim, I caught sight of his pale face. Then I shifted my gaze to Do Jihyuk.

Do Jihyuk was calmly watching Kang Hyunjin sit down. It was impossible to read any expression on his face.

—Aiden's team seems to have something Hyunjin's team doesn't.

Just one thing—seeing that relaxed air, as if he'd predicted all of this, I couldn't help recalling what Do Jihyuk had said during the second mission.

"Alliance votes, that's what he called them."

I reconsidered the image of Kang Hyunjin. What had I overlooked about the sudden change in a trainee who, in the past, had easily debuted as the unshakable No.1?

The first image that came to mind was anti-celebrity. The eldest son of top actor Kang Seokho and Yun Heyeon; a public figure who, since childhood, had appeared on numerous programs including childcare variety shows; the dance genius of , and in …

'…the well-dancing center.'

That was about it.

Only then did I realize the difference between the current and former Kang Hyunjin.

"There's no character."

Back then, Kang Hyunjin had been the trainee most heavily pushed by the production team. Because of that, he accumulated plenty of narrative—from screen time to the process of shaping stages and performances. I too had watched his clips from multiple times.

But the current Kang Hyunjin was not someone the production team seemed eager to push. He'd gotten some push in the first episode, but afterward his screen time had continuously dwindled.

"There was no reason to use Kang Hyunjin. More interesting narratives were everywhere."

While conflicts erupted left and right and different trainees surged upward unlike in the past, Kang Hyunjin failed to accumulate any meaningful storyline. And unlike before, he had not built any close relational dynamics with other trainees.

Meanwhile, as missions and voting intensified, the so-called "muggle votes" must have started to drop.

In , the number of trainees one could vote for decreased by half with each mission.

In the first mission, viewers could choose ten trainees; in the second, five; in the third, three; and in the finals, only one.

Given that, it was inevitable that Kang Hyunjin—who lacked narrative or relational development—would gradually lose votes. When remaining slots shrink, those casual filler votes people tossed his way would naturally dry up.

"If this episode had given him some storyline, who knows, but nothing like that happened."

Aiden Lee had a unique character, and thanks to that guy's reckless personality, it seemed various incidents happened during the team mission with his teammates. Visible conflict and entertainment meant all the screen time concentrated on them.

In contrast, Kang Hyunjin's team progressed smoothly. Without conflicts or growth arcs to draw attention, they merely produced a performance that was "decent enough."

And that wasn't what the production wanted.

"They dropped him."

I clicked my tongue. Meaning, this was the situation:

"The early-episode buzz has been milked dry, and now that better storylines exist, there's no need to keep pushing Kang Hyunjin."

A textbook swift pivot by a broadcasting station. And apparently Do Jihyuk had more or less grasped this from the second mission onward.

No wonder he felt confident about Aiden Lee's victory.

Sure, name recognition differences existed, but votes were cast by idol fans, not the general public.

In the early stages, prior recognition helps—but as the show progresses, without proper narrative or charm, it's hard to maintain those votes.

And so far, Aiden Lee had overwhelmingly more character and screen time within .

Add to that the "alliance votes" Do Jihyuk mentioned—additional votes based on relationships with other trainees.

Aiden Lee was bound to Do-minate completely.

"...."

That meant Kang Hyunjin's debut was no longer guaranteed. If the show continued like this, his votes would keep falling.

"And that guy must know it."

More than simply returning from this ranking, it was the future that was dangerous. Thinking that way, his dazed eyes finally made sense to me.

"Now, next is a trainee who, despite receiving the disadvantageous Reverse Position assignment during the last mission, managed to show a whole new side and win much praise from the Idol Makers."

At the MC's continued announcement, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked forward again. I could feel one trainee nearby flinch with tension.

"Fourth place is… trainee Yoo Chan-hee from DIO Entertainment!"

"Gasp…!"

Yoo Chan-hee, who had been frozen stiff with anxiety, leapt up the moment his name was called and hurried onto the stage. It seemed he had been expecting to be called around this point.

He took the mic and delivered his comment quickly, his face flushed with joy.

"I'd like to thank the Idol Makers first of all. And, and… I'm also so grateful to my 'Your Heart's Key' teammates who were with me in this mission. Thanks to you, we were able to put on such a great stage. I really want us to debut together. Thank you!"

After bowing over and over again as he repeated his thanks, Yoo Chan-hee quickly climbed up to the blue chair. Since he'd climbed three ranks from his previous 7th place to 4th, he now had to move to a higher seat than before.

I watched the remaining trainees. Only three top seats were left.

"Hoo."

"...."

And those three spots were more or less already set. Barring an upset, they would go to me, Do Jihyuk, and Aiden Lee.

The important part now was which exact ranking we three would take.

The results were announced quickly.

"Third place is trainee Aiden Lee from Ninehit Entertainment!"

"Ah!"

Aiden Lee stood with a slightly regretful expression, then approached the MC. Taking the mic, he delivered his comment in an effortlessly bright tone.

"To the Idol Makers who voted for me, thank you for all the love. I'll work hard so that next time I can receive even greater love—and become someone worthy of your trust!"

Then he high-fived Cheon Serim and Joo Danwoo, who were already seated in the upper tiers, before returning to his place.

"And now it's time to announce first and second place. When your name is called, please come up to the stage. Trainee Do Jihyuk from Bibest Entertainment, and trainee Won Yuha from KRM Entertainment."

And so began the long-awaited announcement of first place.

"Let's do our best."

"…Yes."

When Do Jihyuk extended his hand, I took it, giving it a brief handshake before we stepped onto the stage side by side. Just like during the first ranking ceremony, a blue light illuminated beneath our feet.

The MC approached the two of us and first asked Jihyuk for his thoughts.

"Standing here competing for the top spot with trainee Won Yuha, who showed great rapper chemistry with you in this mission— I imagine you're happy, but also feeling a sense of competition."

"Just being here together with Yuha, whom I grew closer to through this mission, makes me genuinely happy. Whoever ends up as No.1, I want to congratulate him. And I'd really love it if we could be on the same team again in the next mission."

"Thank you for that warm comment. Now, of course, we can't skip trainee Won Yuha's thoughts."

Saying that, the MC turned toward me. Just as I wondered if he would ask the expected question—

His gaze briefly shifted toward the ranking seats where the trainees sat, then lowered again and returned to me.

The pointedly intentional question followed.

"Trainee Won Yuha, last time you narrowly had to concede first place to trainee Kang Hyunjin. Now that the strongest competitor is gone and you're once again a first-place candidate, I imagine your feelings must be quite different. You created a legendary stage together with your previous rival, Kang Hyunjin—but now you're battling trainee Do Jihyuk for the top. If you were to say one thing to him, what would it be?"

I barely managed to suppress a laugh. The MC's intent was far too transparent.

'Forget warmth—he wants a rivalry narrative.'

The production team knew full well that Kang Hyunjin and I were awkward around each other, barely even holding a proper conversation. They also knew—those who needed to—that Kang Hyunjin harbored a subtle hostility toward me.

And now they wanted me to say something to a just-demoted Kang Hyunjin?

'How is that any different from instigating a fight?'

With how sensitive Hyunjin must be right now, who knew how he'd take any remarks?

It was so blatantly obvious what the production team wanted from me that I was momentarily dumbfounded. But with the expectant gleam in the MC's eyes, I couldn't exactly refuse to answer.

'What should I do?'

I needed to play along—yet letting this pass as-is didn't sit well with me.

After a brief moment of thought, I glanced again at Do Jihyuk beside me. He was watching me with a small smile.

And then the words he once said flashed back through my mind.

It provided the hint for what I should say. I brought the mic to my mouth and began.

"…First of all, I'm once again grateful to the Idol Makers for giving me such a precious opportunity. As Jihyuk-hyung said, we helped each other a lot in the last mission, so I'll be happy no matter which of us becomes No.1. And..."

I looked over at Kang Hyunjin seated in the debut-tier section. His face looked tired—yet he didn't look away and silently watched me.

I met that gaze directly and continued.

"Hyunjin-hyung and I haven't yet had the chance to be on the same team... and at this point, I feel like it's about time. When that day comes, instead of competing, I'd like to make the best possible stage together as teammates. And I hope things go well for everyone."

—Hope you don't become center. Though you probably won't.

—It's going to get tough for you after this anyway, so if you're already like that, it'll be exhausting later.

It might seem like nothing special, but two people here would have understood perfectly.

Exactly what kind of bait I'd been dangling with Hyunjin on Ainet.

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