"What are you talking about?"
"Team 3 yesterday. They were insane."
"They did well, Team 3? I guess they changed their center?"
"No, the center is still Hyunjin."
"…Hyunjin did well?"
At Jane's astonished question, Do-Min nodded brightly. He had been the most distressed after Hyunjin's condition collapsed, and now he finally looked relieved.
Although the judges avoided openly talking about their personal favorites, there wasn't a single mentor who didn't know who Do-Min's pick was.
Back when he was still a rookie, Do-Min had appeared with Kang Hyunjin on a parenting variety show, so his affection for Hyunjin was special.
"I knew Hyunjin would overcome it."
"It was surprising. It wasn't a condition he should've been able to recover from so quickly. But once he centered himself, the team's formation looked completely different. I think we can look forward to their stage."
Rio—who had been certain that Hyunjin wouldn't recover during this camp—added after witnessing his collapse earlier. Their reactions naturally piqued Jane's curiosity.
And she wasn't the only one curious.
"Team 3, right? The one with trainee Kang Hyunjin."
"Yep. Oh, and one of the trainees who covered an Orchid track is in that team too—the one from the fancam you uploaded, Lee-hyun."
"Trainee Won Yu-ha, right?"
A man looking over the cue sheet lifted his head, showing interest in their conversation.
"He was really good in the previous performance too. I'm looking forward to it."
It was Baek I-hyeon, the center of the group Orchid, now in his sixth year since debut. He was serving as a special MC for the 3rd evaluation and had entered the monitoring room with the mentors.
Jane glanced at Baek I-hyeon. When their eyes met, he greeted her with a subtle gesture, and she nodded in return.
'It's my first time seeing him.'
As a vocal trainer, Cha-mina had helped train Baek I-hyeon before his debut; Do-Min was his senior in the industry; Rio had choreographed Orchid's title tracks multiple times; and even Bridey had run into him at award shows. Most of the current mentors had some kind of connection with him.
But Jane had never once collaborated with Baek I-hyeon. She essentially had no personal impression of him.
To Jane, Baek I-hyeon was simply the celebrity who had supported her pick, Won Yu-ha, on Stargram—and whatever rumors she had heard within the industry.
And those rumors, unexpectedly, weren't positive.
'They say he's like a black hole.'
Baek I-hyeon was a top-tier idol—an unrivaled combination of charm and recognition.
He had appeared in a survival program by a mid-sized agency to select a new debut lineup and became one of the final debut members. After debut, Orchid quickly rose to top-tier status.
Among them, Baek I-hyeon was the center—far more popular than the other members. He had never once been caught in a scandal and was known as that "lucky" entertainer who had never failed.
Circumstances always favored him.
Trendsetting tracks, viral advertisements, amusing happenings at fan meetings—down to the cast lineup of variety shows.
Everything about Baek I-hyeon's path was smooth. Luck accompanied him at every moment.
Of course, behind all of that was Baek I-hyeon's own overwhelming charm and charisma.
'His starting material is just too good.'
Even his narrative was extraordinary. Since trainee days, fans had been captivated by his handsome face, refined aura, and the melancholy backstory that suited it.
According to what he shared on the survival show, he now lived as the beloved son of a well-off couple who were both teachers—but he had originally come from an orphanage and was adopted at twelve.
Fans were drawn to the contrast between his elegant, privileged appearance and his difficult past.
And when he was asked, "Why do you want to become an idol?" his answer made viewers unable to resist voting for him.
—It's a profession where you're loved. You receive love, and you give it. For me as a child, that was the biggest dream. If that dream comes true, whether it's the people who look at me, or even myself—I'll never disappoint anyone. Because I know how precious it is.
After debuting with huge buzz, Baek I-hyeon lived up to that promise, maintaining flawless discipline and becoming known as the idol who never disappointed fans—who never failed.
But unlike him, those associated with him weren't so lucky.
Big and small failures, slumps, accidents… As if he absorbed others' luck, Baek I-hyeon's surroundings were always full of incidents.
'"Birds of a feather" doesn't apply to him at all.'
Even as those around him suffered misfortune, Baek I-hyeon always remained untouched. And that contrast made him seem unsettling.
It was as if he knew—almost intentionally—when someone would cause trouble or fall apart, and he cut ties just before it happened, keeping his image clean.
Some said that made him a professional with impeccable boundaries. Others whispered that he spread his bad luck to those around him.
Either way, despite his clean public persona, his industry reputation was not great.
Not that it harmed his popularity.
"I-hyeon, your pick is Yu-ha, right?"
"He's really good. Trainee Won Yu-ha—I was genuinely moved by his 'same and different' stage. I didn't expect him to cover it that well."
"Yu-ha takes initiative and plans well. He's been improving fast. Compared to the first level evaluation, he's completely different now. He digests any concept well, so honestly, when Hyunjin collapsed, I pushed for Yu-ha as center."
"I saw the short-form video—he was great. I think the team would've done fine even if they kept Yu-ha as center."
"But Hyunjin is just… he's another level. His condition collapse was disastrous, but now he's completely changed. You'll see in today's stage—everyone in that team will have to fight not to get overshadowed by him."
"Wow, I'm really looking forward to it. Mm, but as the special MC I shouldn't show favoritism, right? I personally wanted to meet the trainees who covered our song."
"You can before the show starts. They gather all trainees before filming; we need to introduce you as the special MC too. Many of them have Orchid as their role model, so you can cheer them on."
"Shall we move? Looks like the trainees are ready."
In the warm and lively atmosphere, the mentors left the monitoring room. The trainees—finished with hair and makeup and dressed in their stage outfits—were already gathered on set, before the Idol Makers had entered.
"Did everyone sleep well?"
"Yes!!"
Greeting the trainees, who were brimming with energy, the mentors lined up in front of them. As Jane took her place, she glanced toward Team 3, standing in a row.
At the very front of Team 3 stood their leader, Won Yu-ha. And right behind Yu-ha, Kang Hyunjin stood closely. The moment Jane saw the two of them, she couldn't help tilting her head.
'…Their atmosphere is good?'
Unexpectedly, Yu-ha and Hyunjin looked warm and comfortable around each other.
Throughout
One was Yoo Chanhee of DIO, the rival agency of Yu-ha's KRM.
The other was Kang Hyunjin, whose hostility toward Yu-ha not even the production staff could explain.
Chanhee's case could at least be justified by agency rivalry. But nobody knew why Hyunjin was so intent on competing with Yu-ha.
However, because both boys had high rankings and distinct backgrounds and personalities, their conflict made for good television. The production team wanted to highlight their rivalry even more.
'When Rio said to switch the center during the mid-evaluation, half of it was his genuine opinion… and half was a producer request.'
Rio's remark had been effective. The relationship, which had been relatively calm early in the camp, broke sharply soon after.
And once Yu-ha replaced Hyunjin as the center for the short-form shoot, Jane was certain the two would only grow further apart—not reconcile.
But unexpectedly, Team 3 looked relaxed. No one seemed wary of Yu-ha and Hyunjin anymore, and those two themselves appeared comfortable with each other.
'I don't know why, but… that's good.'
Even if it made for fun broadcast content, she didn't feel good about encouraging fights between kids so young. With that in mind, Jane turned her gaze away from Team 3.
While Jane was assessing the mood, Do-Min, who had been giving the trainees a few encouraging words, finally introduced the special MC.
"All right, then—today's special MC, please come on out!"
"...!"
"Gasp…!"
"B-Baek… Baek I-hyeon sunbaenim…!"
With Do-Min's introduction, Baek I-hyeon, who had been waiting behind the stage, entered the set—and the trainees erupted in excitement.
It was natural; nobody expected a top-tier active idol—and the number-one role model for most of the trainees—to suddenly appear as MC for a survival program.
'…Come to think of it, that's true.'
Watching the trainees' reactions, Jane finally felt something strange.
Baek I-hyeon had no real reason to appear on
Not with his level of fame and career.
'It's not because of his connection with Rio, either.'
Even though Rio had choreographed Orchid's title tracks before, Baek I-hyeon wasn't close enough with him to accept a guest MC offer solely on that basis.
He also wasn't in a position where he needed to bargain with AINET through end-of-year stages—his group Orchid was big enough to secure good stages without any negotiating tricks.
Nor did he need
—Personally, I wanted to meet the trainees who covered our song.
That left only one explanation:
the reason Baek I-hyeon himself had said.
'Did he really appear… just for that reason? Why?'
"Hello, trainees of
Puzzled, Jane looked toward Baek I-hyeon as he introduced himself.
And when his gaze, which was sweeping across the trainees, suddenly stopped at one particular spot—Jane followed his eyes and found herself staring at a very unexpected scene.
"…?"
At the end of his gaze was Won Yu-ha—but unlike Baek I-hyeon's gentle smile, Yu-ha's face was frozen in a cold, rigid expression.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE: https://shinchan1.podia.com/