The day of the second weekend evaluation dawned. As if yesterday had been a fluke, naturally, Sol lost to sleep again today. Tae-oh had to drag him out of bed, and Deuk-yong, Ga-ram, and Ji-ho took turns entering the room to splash cold water on his face.
Yesterday, everyone had gathered and practiced at an almost extreme training level. They had to finalize the choreography and formations. Sol, who had woken up late after everyone had already finished preparing, realized the day’s dress code as soon as he saw the members. Jeans and hoodies, aiming for a bright and active appearance to match the refreshing and exciting song.
“Uh... hmm. I don’t have a bright-colored hoodie.”
Sol, with his hair in disarray, greeted the morning with half-closed eyes. Hearing his words, everyone dragged him into the small room they used as a dressing room. Seeing Sol’s meager belongings, Ji-ho sighed. Even to Sol, there weren’t any decent clothes.
“Have you been living without clothes?”
“I didn’t go out much….”
Sol trailed off, feeling embarrassed. It was as if he had confirmed his reclusive lifestyle himself. The state of his pitiful clothing left everyone speechless. After a long silence, Tae-oh spoke first.
“I’ll lend you mine.”
“Tae-oh-yah, will they even fit? Never mind, I’ll lend you mine.”
Ji-ho scoffed at Tae-oh’s words with a sarcastic expression. Although Sol wasn’t short, he was so thin that wearing the taller and more built Tae-oh’s clothes seemed impossible. Ji-ho was the closest in size to Sol.
“I always thought Sol hyung was constantly saying he was cold because he was really sensitive to the cold, but seeing his clothes, it’s no wonder he felt cold. Did you live in a hot country or something?”
“I didn’t pack well. I came to the dorm in a hurry.”
“...You know your luggage was sent ahead, right?”
Deuk-yong pointed out, and Sol made an excuse that wouldn’t hold. Sol silently scratched the back of his messy head at Deuk-yong’s remark. Who could have anticipated things would turn out this way?
“We need to find time to go shopping someday.”
“Yeah, let’s tell Yeong-ho hyung and go out.”
“But first, we need to do well in this evaluation.”
When Ji-ho spoke, Deuk-yong excitedly jumped up and down, causing Tae-oh to firmly hold his shoulder down. Tae-oh’s words made Sol snap back to reality. Yes, first, he had to succeed in today’s grand quest so that he could go out together with Ji-ho and Deuk-yong. If he failed now, he would die immediately.
Suddenly, Sol wondered how he would be seen and perceived by the members if he failed the quest. Based on his first experience of death in the bathroom, he would be unable to breathe, writhe in pain, and collapse.
Would he be showcasing his death in real-time in front of the members? His mouth turned bitter. It was a horrible thought in many ways.
“Oh, of course, I’m confident.”
“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
Deuk-yong shouted loudly, breaking Sol’s thoughts. Clenching his fists and shaking his shoulders, Deuk-yong looked truly confident. Was it because the choreography wasn’t that difficult? Deuk-yong seemed very assured. Even to Sol, who was an outsider, Deuk-yong’s rap part in the middle of the song fit perfectly and felt just right. Considering the time he had put into practicing, it was understandable that he was confident.
“What about Ga-ram?”
When Ji-ho suddenly pointed out Ga-ram, everyone turned to look at him. Ga-ram, like Sol on the first day they met, stood a step back from the members.
“Huh?... Oh, of course.”
“Sung Sol! Go wash up first. You woke up the latest...”
Although his response was a bit delayed, Ji-ho smiled, perhaps satisfied with Ga-ram’s answer. That strangely motherly, kind smile lasted only a moment before his round, arched eyebrows sharply lifted, and Ji-ho started nagging Sol. Pushed by the nagging, Sol quickly moved to the bathroom.
On the way to the company, Sol’s steps grew heavier. It seemed Ga-ram was also dragging his feet. Since yesterday, Ga-ram, who hadn’t been talking much, often seemed dazed.
When they were alone, Sol subtly asked if something was wrong, but Ga-ram just smiled and shook his head. It was hard to press further, so Sol held back, but Ga-ram’s demeanor continued to bother him. However, Sol couldn’t dwell on it too much. Today was the day his own fate would be decided.
As they approached the company building, Sol clutched his chest. Despite having steeled himself this time, facing reality made his heart pound and his stomach churn. He had to sing and dance in front of the people who would evaluate him.
When he left the dorm, he was joking around with Deuk-yong and feeling rather triumphant. But in an instant, that confidence plummeted. Feeling uneasy, Sol opened the system window for no particular reason.
<Steps toward debut. Let’s be properly evaluated!>
This time, a truly proper weekend evaluation! Get an A grade in choreography and at least a B grade in vocals on the weekend evaluation.
*Starlight - Dreamer Choreography Proficiency 100%
Vocal Proficiency 100%
Success: Stability Potion X2
Failure: System Shutdown (or equivalent pain)
Sol clenched his fist tightly. With the special training yesterday, he had achieved 100% proficiency in both choreography and vocals. At least in the practice sessions among the members, there was widespread praise that he would be complimented. If the evaluation was conducted with this team, there would be no problem.
However, the thought of a stranger entering made him anxious. Especially ‘Representative Baek Yoo-chan’ who was remembered with a dark face in his memory. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall Baek Yoo-chan’s face from that day. There must have been a reason why he wanted to forget it so much. Fortunately, this time, Yeong-ho had informed him in advance that the representative would be absent due to Eun-gyeom’s matter.
Just before entering the practice room for the evaluation, Sol took a deep breath and calmed himself. Fortunately, the arranged chairs were modest. It seemed that all the personnel were focused on Eun-gyeom’s solo project. While warming up, Sol continued to tell himself internally that he could do it. He wasn’t sure if it was effective, but it felt like something he needed to do. Sol stared straight at his reflection in the mirror.
He wore his old jeans, borrowed Tae-oh’s bucket hat, and Ji-ho’s beige hoodie, making his appearance unfamiliar. As Sol gathered his thoughts while looking in the mirror, Tae-oh approached him. Standing beside Sol, Tae-oh, as always, looked at him in the mirror with a straight gaze.
“Your hand is trembling.”
Tae-oh whispered softly, so only Sol could hear. At Tae-oh’s remark, Sol raised his hand to look at it. As he slightly rolled up the sleeve of the hoodie, the hand hidden underneath was subtly trembling. It was such a slight tremor that Sol himself hadn’t noticed it.
“.... It is. Why is this happening?”
He thought he was in better condition than last time, but it didn’t seem to be the case. Sol forced a smile and massaged the tips of his fingers. The fingertips were cold as if no blood was flowing through them.
“......”
“Don’t collapse this time. It would be such a waste if you do.”
“Okay.”
Sol couldn’t say that he was okay and just kept fidgeting with his fingers in silence. Seeing Sol’s face grow darker, Tae-oh carefully continued speaking. His gaze remained fixed on the mirror. At Tae-oh’s voice, Sol lifted his head.
Though the voice came from right beside him, Sol didn’t turn to look at him directly. It felt more comfortable to look at him through the mirror. Tae-oh’s expression reflected in the mirror seemed a bit odd. He looked like he was trying very hard. Finding it a bit awkward, Sol gave a faint smile to show he was okay.
“But if you happen to collapse again, I’ll catch you. So you don’t get hurt.”
“I should be thankful, right? That’s encouragement, right...?”
“......”
After confirming Sol’s smile, Tae-oh made a rare joke. Sol glanced at him and went along with the joke. It was amusing to see Tae-oh, who was usually so stern and serious, making such a light-hearted comment, and it made him laugh softly.
Unlike Sol, whose expression had relaxed as the tension eased, Tae-oh’s face in the mirror looked even more serious. Regardless of Tae-oh’s reaction, Sol, feeling a bit more at ease, looked around the practice room through the mirror. He noticed Ji-ho and Deuk-yong busy with their warm-ups and Ga-ram sitting alone in a corner, looking spaced out.
“Ga-ram, he...”
Sol cautiously brought up Ga-ram’s name to Tae-oh.
“What’s wrong with Kang Ga-ram?”
“He seems a bit off. Didn’t you notice?”
“.... Let’s focus on this for now.”
“Okay.”
Though he didn’t answer, Sol could tell from Tae-oh’s resolute expression that he had an inkling of what was going on. As Tae-oh said, the evaluation was a more pressing matter for Sol at the moment, so he nodded. Just as they finished talking, Yeong-ho opened the door and entered, followed by the trainers and the rookie development team who took their seats.
Standing guard at the door, Yeong-ho silently clenched his fist towards the members. Ji-ho and Deuk-yong quickly found their places. As everyone got into formation to start, Ga-ram, lost in a daze, was finally pulled into place by Tae-oh.
“Hello!”
Now, their greeting was perfectly synchronized. After briefly introducing themselves in order, Sol finally looked like a real idol trainee.
“We’re busy, so let’s start quickly. Hello everyone. This time, you’ve all managed your condition well, right?”
“We’ll quickly finish the group choreography and then proceed with individual vocal evaluations. Everyone, start.”
With the sound of two claps, the life-or-death quest began once again. Sol took a deep breath and swallowed hard. He felt dizzy, as if a haze was rising before his eyes. Just as he felt a wave of nausea and clutched his chest, he sensed warmth from behind.
As they formed the practiced formation, Sol and Tae-oh’s shoulders touched, transmitting warmth. He could feel Tae-oh’s every breath and movement as his chest heaved. With the warmth and breath transferred through their touching backs, Sol erased his tension and anxiety, confident that he could successfully complete this quest.
The chime rang, and Sol, opening his slightly closed eyes, uttered the first line.
“Stop whining.”
