"Well, that marks the end of the first-ever evaluations," Cat announced from center stage, hands clasped behind her back like a proud but exhausted mom. "Give yourselves a round of applause—seriously, right now. Do it. You all did great."
The applause echoed like a soft wave through the arena, everyone clapping with that "my body hurts but I'm proud of me" energy.
"That's it for today," Cat continued. "You must be exhausted. Rest well, because tomorrow… you will all be kneaded to perfection."
With that ominous promise, the trainees filed out of the arena as orderly as their shaky legs would allow. But the moment they stepped into the front lobby of the Jenga Building, a gigantic HD monitor flickered to life — blasting the trainee rankings across the screen in bold, unforgiving detail.
Tied at first: Kang Ian and Bobby.
Adel held fifth.
Isaac landed at twenty-seven.
The reactions were instant and varied — some glowed, some grumbled, some prayed internally to every god that tomorrow would be kinder.
And then there was Leo, dead last.
Brazilian sunshine boy, now feeling like his heart dropped straight through the marble floor. He let out a long, defeated sigh. He knew he could've done better — hell, he knew, everyone knew — but his nerves strangled him on stage. He'd even pushed his vocals so far out of range that, if Foca hadn't cut the performance short, his vocal cords might've waved a little white flag and quit the industry altogether.
The trainee beside him gave his back a comforting pat. "It's just the beginning, man. Don't be disheartened. You'll bounce back."
When the full ranking list finished scrolling, a new message flashed:
"Congratulations to Kang Ian and Bobby for ranking first!
A special prize will be waiting for you both at your accommodations."
The lobby erupted.
"Lucky bastards…"
"Yo, they got a prize?"
"I mean… they deserve it."
Then another message appeared — and the air practically vibrated with anticipation.
"Kang Ian and Bobby may each select up to two fellow trainees to share their prize. Choosing someone is optional."
Every trainee suddenly stood a little taller, like maybe posture alone would get them picked.
The staff called on Ian first.
"For my first guy… I'm choosing Mika," he said.
Mika — standing right beside him — let out a joyful bark and tackled him into a bro-hug.
Mikael (pronounced Mika-el), or Mika, is a 23-year-old from Australia who studied in Korea, which explained his perfect Korean and why he and Ian clicked so fast.
"And my second is… Aqua."
The shriek that tore through the building was illegal.
Aqua bounced in place, hands flapping dramatically."THANK YOUUUU!!!"
Everyone smiled—Aqua's joy was contagious as hell.
Aqua, 27, proudly gay and utterly unapologetic, came from Thailand. He'd trained for years in Korea, tragically familiar with homophobia in the industry. He'd been told he'd never debut because he was "too gay."— back when the industry was still allergic to flamboyance.
And yet here he was.
And the straight boys clapped for him the loudest.
Ian picked him simply because his humor and relentless brightness lifted everyone's spirits.
Then it was Bobby's turn.
"Um… I choose… Isaac," he said, startling the country boy so hard his accent fell out of his mouth like marbles.
"M-me?" Isaac stammered, pointing at himself.
"Yep." Bobby smiled softly. "Only if you want to."
"Yes! Yes, I want to." Isaac nodded, shy excitement written all over him.
"For my second pick…" Bobby hesitated. He kept to himself mostly and didn't have a ton of connections yet. After a moment of quiet thought, he said, "I'll go with Akash."
Akash — the stunning, sharp-eyed 22-year-old from India — bowed lightly. "Thank you."
The moment the selections ended, the lobby buzzed with mixed feelings — happiness, jealousy, disappointment, and the frantic internal math of trainees already plotting how to rank higher tomorrow.
****
And so, the production crew herded the trainees outside like 100 excited ducklings, chattering nonstop as the luxury buses pulled up in a sleek row. While most of the boys climbed aboard, Kang Ian, Bobby, and their chosen partners-in-prize were quietly pulled aside.
"Uh… where are we going?" Isaac whispered, clutching his guitar case like it was a flotation device.
"Are we in trouble?" Aqua asked, already prepared to blame someone else.
"No," the staff member replied, smirking. "You're VIPs today. You're riding that."
That, meaning…
a full, glossy, stretch limo parked like it owned the street.
When the rest of the trainees caught sight of it, the reactions were immediate and violently varied.
"Bro is that a limo—"
"WHAT THE FFFF—"
"Why are they getting picked up like k-pop royalty??"
"I'm not jealous, YOU'RE jealous—shut up—don't look at me—"
"Wait, real question: do they get champagne? Should I have ranked higher??"
Aqua was already posing beside the limo door like it was his prom night.
Mika was touching the paint job like it was a fragile newborn.
Isaac whispered a shy "dang…"
Akash simply nodded, like yes, this is acceptable. This aligns with my aura.
And then they slid inside.
Meanwhile, the Main Group…
The buses drove off first, and the trainees couldn't stop screaming as the dorm complex came into view.
It didn't look like dorms.
It looked like NASA decided to open a luxury resort.
Rows of identical three-story buildings sat on either side of a long path, like sci-fi mansions copy-pasted with love. Smooth metallic finishes, geometric frames, soft glowy ambient lights—everything looked like someone dumped a billion dollar design budget into Penterest and pressed "go."
The trainees all collectively lost their shit.
"DUDE I FEEL LIKE I'M ON VACATION—THIS IS INSANE!"
"WE LIVE HERE?? FOR FREE??"
"If I rented something like this in the real world, my wallet would sue me."
"Bro this feels illegal."
"No for real… I feel like I should sign a waiver."
Dorm assignments were simple:
Each building fit ten people.
Pick who you want.
Don't kill each other.
Try not to start a cult.
They were free to choose whoever they vibed with. Naturally, people started forming clusters already—friends, language buddies, the "we bonded over trauma" group, the "we bonded over food" group, and the "we bonded because we were both confused" group.
But the chosen six?
They weren't staying here.
THE VILLA. THE PRIZE. THE MOMENT.
The limo dropped off the six boys at a hidden road wrapped in lush greenery. At the end stood something that made all six of them collectively forget how to breathe.
It wasn't a house.
It was a modern masterpiece.
A villa so expensive it looked like it charged rent just for looking at it.
Concrete, warm wood, and glass perfectly balanced.
Open design.
Recessed golden lighting.
Floor-to-ceiling windows that made the whole place glow from within.
Nature pressed right against the architecture like a hug.
And the water garden?
Slate stones floating over glass-still pools, huge smooth stones placed like art, soft echoes of running water—it was so serene that even Aqua whispered,
"It's making me calm just by looking at it..."
Mika's jaw dropped so low it nearly hit the path.
"We—We get to stay here?" Kang Ian asked, voice cracking like a teenager hitting puberty again.
"Yep," the producer said casually. "This is the prize for ranking first."
"Holy SHIT," Mika barked, absolutely feral.
Aqua clapped his hands. "THIS IS A GAY MAN'S HEAVEN, OH MY GOD."
Isaac whispered, "I feel like I'm trespassing…"
Akash looked like he was mentally furnishing the place already.
Bobby just stared in silence, processing.
The producer pushed open the door and gestured in.
"Enjoy, boys."
And escaped immediately, not wanting to see what six gobsmacked trainees would do inside an multi-million dollar villa.
Inside, the boys moved like archaeologists afraid to break ancient artifacts.
"Touch nothing," Isaac whispered.
"Baby, I wanna touch everything," Aqua replied, palms already spread like starfish.
Mika sniffed the air. "This house smells expensive."
Bobby just exhaled slowly.
"This… doesn't feel real."
****
PS -
Drom inspiration (https://pin.it/2qil0Cdus)
Housing inspiration for the winners (https://pin.it/5qvG9wYJD)