"Idols need charm and talent. But everyone, there's one thing you're forgetting. During grueling activities, what's actually the most important is…."
To make the broadcast more entertaining, the MC paused for a moment, then looked into the camera and delivered the next line.
"Stamina."
"Gasp."
"Oh… no way…"
"Everyone who lost—what do you think the reason for your loss was? Isn't it because your bodies weren't agile enough, and because you lacked the stamina to support that?"
The MC spoke playfully, swept a teasing gaze over the trainees, then moved on to explain the detailed punishment.
"To build exactly that stamina, the losing trainees will receive a special PT session as their penalty. Director Chi hyung, famous as a tiger trainer, will be waiting for you tomorrow at 5 A.M. with a special lesson."
"Aaaaaah…"
"Don't forget to arrive on time. If you're late, Director Chi hyung will gift you… an even deeper PT of love."
As if savoring the trainees' groans, the MC continued speaking, then turned toward the winning trainees standing on one side.
"And if there's a penalty, there must be a reward."
The MC explained that the winning trainees would receive an individual short-form filming as their reward. After showcasing each team's point choreography one more time through individual shots, they'd also get a second opportunity: a personal ten-second video that would be released to the idol makers.
"Now then, this concludes
When the MC finished speaking and left the stage, the trainees who still hadn't drawn their Life Graph trudged with regret toward the desks. Because of the five-minute chase game, all the papers had fallen to the floor and were scattered everywhere.
Cheon Serim, Do Ji-hyuk, and I had already finished our Life Graphs and submitted them, so we didn't need to stay in the auditorium anymore. But out of decency, we remained to help clean up.
While picking up the scattered papers with the other trainees and returning each one to its owner, it happened.
"…?"
I picked up one sheet of paper and frowned at the contents written on it.
But only for a moment.
Tak!
"Ah."
"…Pretty sure that's mine. I'll take it."
Kang Hyun-jin had approached at some point and snatched the paper from my hand. I awkwardly withdrew my hand.
As if retrieving the paper had been his only goal, Kang Hyun-jin turned his back immediately and headed toward the desks.
"Hyung, let's go."
"Ah. Yeah."
I watched Hyun-jin for a brief second, then left the auditorium first with Cheon Serim and Do Ji-hyuk.
As we exited the auditorium and walked toward our respective practice rooms, Cheon Serim glanced back toward the auditorium and asked,
"Hyung, did you and Hyun-jin hyung fight? You two seemed to be getting along for a few days, but now it feels cold again?"
"…We didn't fight."
We'd only clashed over opinions about who should take center position. It was still a conflict, but since we hadn't actually argued directly, the atmosphere between us remained ambiguous.
And in any case, I couldn't explain all that in detail to these two, so I let the sentence trail off. At that, Do Ji-hyuk let out a small "hmm" and muttered,
"Feels like he's getting pushed to the edge again. I'm worried he might quit midway."
"…Quit midway? Hyun-jin hyung?"
"Like in
It was the first I'd ever heard of it.
"Didn't he just get eliminated back then?"
"Mm."
Do Ji-hyuk looked around. Aside from a few cameras installed in the hallway, most were currently focused on the auditorium where the trainees were gathered. Even if our voices were picked up, the broadcast staff would likely cut anything too sensitive.
Judging the situation safe enough, Do Ji-hyuk continued in a calm tone as he faced forward again.
"I heard he voluntarily dropped out of
"Hyun-jin hyung quit on his own? That's unexpected. He cried a ton when he got eliminated."
"No idea why. It could've been acting, or it could've been real… but either way, the voluntary dropout was true. The survival rounds got more intense toward the end, so maybe he was mentally pushed to the edge and gave up. Or maybe…"
Realizing the broadcast was rigged and bailing before he got dragged further—Do Ji-hyuk added that to answer Cheon Serim's question, and by then we had reached our practice rooms.
After exchanging brief good-evening greetings with Cheon Serim and Do Ji-hyuk, I entered my room. The practice room was empty. While waiting for the others, I played the music and stood before the mirror to lightly run through the choreography.
"…Hoo."
But I couldn't focus easily. Do Ji-hyuk's words—and Kang Hyun-jin's Life Graph—kept circling my mind.
"Hyun-jin joined Catch Talent at nineteen."
And on the Life Graph he drew himself, nineteen was rock bottom.
For about two years afterward, the graph stayed flat at the bottom… and only around the time he joined
"Why would nineteen be such a complete crash for him?"
If he had voluntarily quit, it wouldn't make sense for his Life Graph to hit rock bottom like that. And I had no other theories.
"So was it really because he realized the show was rigged and chose to quit?"
If he understood he had no hope no matter how hard he tried, that could cause some level of depression. Though the fact that it lasted two years was strange.
Still, many people remember their trainee years as miserable. If he became a trainee after
And since he apparently went through a slump, those two years could simply represent that slump.
The only thing I couldn't figure out was why the voluntary dropout from
"Ah, Yu-ha! You started practicing already?"
Lost in thought, I was hitting the steps to the chorus when the door opened and the other team members entered. At the back of the group was Kang Hyun-jin—who, the moment our eyes met, immediately looked away.
'…Asking would just be meddling.'
I was debating whether I should just leave it alone like that.
"Yu-ha."
"…?"
While the other team members were getting ready for evening practice, Aiden Lee approached me—uncharacteristically hesitant. I looked at him, puzzled.
"Do you, um… have claustrophobia?"
"…What?"
His sudden question left me confused. Especially because he'd used an English word I'd never heard him say before.
"Ah, I mean… uh… I don't know the exact word…"
Scratching his head, Aiden Lee tried again, stumbling over his explanation.
"You know… are tight spaces hard for you?"
"…Ah."
I finally understood what he was trying to ask. I'd clearly reacted weirdly while hiding in the supply closet earlier—anyone would've been suspicious.
I averted my gaze and answered.
"…Yeah. Only if it's so tight I can't move. I'm fine normally."
"Elevators and stuff are okay? Is it something from an accident, like… aftereffects?"
"No, it's not from an accident or anything."
I wondered whether I really needed to explain this much, but remembering how persistent Aiden Lee could be, I decided to give him something.
"When I was little, I got stuck somewhere for a bit. Since then, I just can't handle places like closets or tiny storage rooms. I'm fine with most places though, so you don't need to worry."
"..."
Even so, Aiden Lee still looked unconvinced. But when I fully turned my body away, he didn't ask further.
He was a bit reckless, but he still knew where to draw the line. He probably wouldn't pry more than this.
"Should we start practice now? With Hyun-jin hyung at center again…"
So I forced myself to ignore the clingy stare he kept throwing at me.
***
After finishing all our practice and returning to the dorm late at night, Aiden Lee and Joo Dan-woo fell asleep instantly.
I wanted to knock out as well—my whole body ached from the hard practice. But even lying in bed, I couldn't fall asleep.
Because of the status window I saw for Kang Hyun-jin in the practice room.
『Talent (Expression): S (Debuff: C) ↓』
'It dropped another tier.'
Whatever happened today must have shaken him. His expression stat had dropped yet again. Because of that, he kept stumbling all the way until the last practice today.
Maybe because he wasn't satisfied with his own performance either, he stayed behind to practice until dawn.
Effort was good. What worried me was that I didn't think that practice would help.
'Hyun-jin's already lost his sense.'
If he practiced like that in his current condition, he'd only reinforce a broken pattern—not improve it.
It was the same as with Yoo Chan-hee, yet different. Yoo Chan-hee simply didn't know what to do. Hyun-jin knew what to do—his body just couldn't execute it anymore.
That made Hyun-jin's case even trickier. Untangling a twisted program is harder than feeding in new information.
'Then the only option left is… replacing the center.'
But was that really the only solution?
While I was agonizing over it—
"…Hah…"
The door opened, and Kang Hyun-jin entered the dorm. He stood still at the entrance for a moment, quietly scanning the sleeping trainees.
Worried he might notice, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. Hyun-jin went into the bathroom, then came out with damp hair and collapsed straight onto his bed.
Feeling the weight of his presence on the upper bunk, I made my decision.
『Kang Hyun-jin』
Detailed Traits
Specialty (Vocal): C+ (Debuff: C-)
Specialty (Dance): S- (Debuff: B-)
Charm (Looks): S-
Charm (Presence): A
Talent (Expression): S (Debuff: C)
Talent (Focus): B- (Debuff: C-)
Stamina (Physical): A+
Stamina (Mental): C (Debuff: D-)
Buff: (Locked)
Status: Despair (Check available)
→ Trigger (CHECK)
When I pulled up Kang Hyun-jin's status window, more of his stats had dropped since last time.
But what caught my attention more than the wrecked stats was—
'…Despair.'
His current state.
Worse than the pressure he'd been under before. And beneath it, the trigger glowed, as if begging to be opened.
This time, I didn't hesitate.
I selected the trigger.
Then—
—Hyun-jin, I'm truly ashamed of you.
A cold voice pierced my ear as Kang Hyun-jin's trigger unfolded before me.
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