In the end, Yeong-ho dropped a bomb before even arriving at the company. A heavy bomb was thrown onto the back seat of the van, where the morning's fatigue still lingered. Naturally, it was Tae-oh who calmly received this bomb.
As if to show that Sol’s worries had been unfounded, the expressions of the members who heard the news were more composed than expected. Only Deuk-yong sat quietly, his eyes and mouth wide open. Noticing that Deuk-yong, who was usually loud, was so silent, Sol kept glancing at him. In fact, Sol had expected Deuk-yong to react the loudest upon hearing the news. But Deuk-yong defied his expectations quite impressively.
Ji-ho, Tae-oh, and Ga-ram bombarded Yeong-ho with questions, their expressions neither overly bright nor particularly dark. They first asked about the program title and the format of the survival competition. Their personalities even showed in their questions: Tae-oh asked about the preparation period and schedule, Ji-ho about rewards and benefits, while Ga-ram wanted to know the program name and broadcasting station first.
As Sol looked around at the members, he was inwardly relieved that the penalty effects seemed diminished. If he’d heard this news while still under the trauma penalty, none of it would have registered, and he might not have remembered any of it later.
Yeong-ho said he’d explain in detail once they reached the company, but Ga-ram, apparently already aware of something, spoke up first.
“I’ve seen ads for it before.”
“For what? What kind?”
“They advertised it as a ‘joint survival’ with other agencies.”
Ga-ram’s response satisfied some of Ji-ho’s curiosity, implying that he still occasionally checked community sites or anonymous boards. Ga-ram pulled out his phone and showed them a teaser video, mentioning that only cryptic teasers had been posted so far.
In the dimly lit video, CG shapes appeared. As the screen brightened, the title Yeong-ho had mentioned, [My Idol Stars], surfaced in English. Then, with solemn background music, the screen rapidly shifted. Silhouettes of figures who were unmistakably idols flashed by, and text appeared at the center of the screen:
> OnMusicNet Boy Group Project
> Which team will stand on the glorious debut stage?
> Only one team, prove your dreams!
> Choose your idol.
As the grand music faded out, the video ended with the words “Coming soon.” After confirming the general nature of the project, the members remained silent. They simply waited, hoping the van that Yeong-ho was driving would soon arrive at the company.
As soon as Sol and the team members arrived at the office, they found themselves seated in the same conference room where they had previously filled out their profiles. It crossed Sol’s mind that perhaps the sudden profile request that day had actually been a part of pre-arrangements, as if everything had already been set in motion to lead to this point. This was, of course, Ji-ho’s theory. When Ji-ho mentioned it, Sol couldn’t help but nod, feeling that he might have a point.
People they hadn’t met before filed into the conference room alongside Chae Min-ju and the team leader they had seen before, as well as Yeong-ho. These strangers, who introduced themselves as the representatives from OnMusicNet's [My Idol Stars], made quite the impression. They emphasized repeatedly that the participating teams had already been finalized and that they had made a special effort to include YC Entertainment in the lineup. After the members thanked them about three times, they finally began explaining the purpose of the program they would be joining.
There was a lot of grand language—supporting the dreams of trainees from small agencies, helping idol trainees with fewer resources and less competitive advantage than those in larger agencies, and so forth. But in simpler terms, it was straightforward: they intended to broadcast the struggles of trainees from smaller agencies. With no choice in the matter, the members simply nodded in agreement, and later, they gathered together in the practice room.
“So, in short… the plan is to put together trainee teams from different agencies and have them compete against each other?”
“Putting it all together, yes.”
“And if we win, OnMusicNet will handle our debut stage and promotion.”
At Ji-ho’s summary, Tae-oh nodded, adding an important detail.
“The participating agencies are confidential, and we need to prepare an opening stage.”
“Right. There was that, too.”
“We’ll be wearing school uniforms, and we need to choose a song by D-Block to cover ourselves.”
The mention of “school uniforms” had come directly from the team leader. Sol felt a bit dazed, as if experiencing an out-of-body moment, watching the results of a decision he hadn't personally made being conveyed to him by someone else. Initially, it was the members’ responsibility to choose their own stage outfits and concept, but once the OnMusicNet representatives had left, the team leader quietly gathered the members.
The opening round was meant as an introductory stage to reveal which company each debut team belonged to. Naturally, it would be to their advantage to perform a representative song from their agency. The members belonged to the same agency as a well-known senior group D-Block, and they really had no other choice.
The team leader specifically instructed them to use a song by D-Block and to embody a concept that was as pure and passionate as possible, like earnest trainees. Sol habitually nodded at her instructions but found himself wondering how things would have played out if he hadn’t been selected for this project. However, it was too late to back out now, and even if he could, he swallowed nervously at the thought of the consequences that might follow.
When he thought of trying to do something different from what the system demanded, he felt a flicker of fear, wondering if it might bring back the pain he had forgotten for a while.
"...Yeah, and all this in just ten days. I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind."
At Tae-oh’s words, Ji-ho clutched his forehead and pretended to sway. Ji-ho, crouched down, leaned toward Sol and rested his head on his shoulder. Sol, who had just been nodding along with Tae-oh, was suddenly thrown off balance by Ji-ho's weight, causing him to fall weakly to the side. Like dominos, Ji-ho fell onto Sol, Sol onto Ga-ram beside him, and Ga-ram onto Deuk-yong.
Half-laying on each other, they rolled their eyes around in silence, until finally, Deuk-yong, who had been quiet for a long time, spoke up.
"But, isn’t it a bit much to say our company is small?"
"True. And our video got a good response…."
At his words, Ga-ram nodded and added his own comment. YC Entertainment had several well-known solo artists under its wing. Of course, as far as idol groups go, D-Block was carrying most of the weight, though they hadn’t had much success recently. Still, calling it a small company felt a bit off. The TEAM ONE videos uploaded to their YouTube channel had decent views, and as more types of content appeared, they even started organizing separate playlists on the channel.
Perhaps due to their concerns over what they needed to prepare for, Tae-oh and Ji-ho remained quiet, while Deuk-yong and Ga-ram seemed less than thrilled about this survival program.
"The name [My Idol Stars] is kind of lame, too. I don’t like it," Deuk-yong said, pouting. Tae-oh and Ga-ram had already gained a small degree of fame through a public audition, while Ji-ho, who had achieved a respectable rank on another audition show, hadn’t yet seen any real benefit or debut.
With the YouTube videos gaining traction and a subtle shift in the atmosphere at the company, they had all quietly started hoping for a debut. Then came news of the survival show’s participation requirement. It meant there would be no chance for a debut while they were on the show, and if their performance didn’t go well, a debut might be even farther off. Or, the current team might even be broken up.
Unaware of the worries and concerns weighing on the members, Sol looked around, sandwiched between Ji-ho and Ga-ram, as he glanced at each of them and cautiously asked, "Isn't this a good opportunity? Remember when we filmed the music video? We said it was a good thing, even if we only got a little screen time…."
Sol looked at each member’s face, his voice uncertain. At that, Ji-ho, who had been leaning on him, suddenly sat up straight.
“…Of course it’s a good thing! Yeah, like Sol said, it’s a good thing!”
Ji-ho sprang up, placed his hands on his hips, and shouted loudly. At that, Tae-oh also brushed himself off and stood up. Trying to lighten the mood, Ji-ho spoke even louder than usual.
"If we get on air, it’s game over. I mean, we already crush it with our visuals, don’t we?"
At Ji-ho's words, Deuk-yong quietly stood up as well. Then, as if he hadn't been sulking earlier, he started joking as usual.
"Visuals? Let’s just leave you out of that one."
"How about I leave *you* out, punk."
"I never said I was in! Tae-oh hyung and Sol hyung can take care of the visuals. I'll just blow them away with my skills."
"Anyway! What's the concept? Youth? High teen? School uniforms... Ha. Idol and school uniform, it’s like a classic combo. I always wanted to wear them while I still looked young—this is perfect."
"Hyung, you sound like an old man..."
Deuk-yong teased, making Ji-ho swing his arm in mock frustration, wanting to smack him on the head. Ji-ho’s arm stretched out wide but couldn’t quite reach the distant Deuk-yong. Despite the distance, Deuk-yong retreated, mumbling, "Oh no, the eldest hyung’s laying down the law." Ji-ho kept swinging his arm for a while before crossing his arms, shaking his head at Deuk-yong’s mischievous grin. Their playful banter lifted the previously tense mood.
“I think… everyone on our team is really talented. Of course, not counting me… Everyone dances well, sings well... I’ll work harder. That way, we’ll be fine.”
As Sol mumbled uncertainly, Tae-oh took a step forward, extended his hand to him, and spoke firmly.
"Why would you leave yourself out? Sung Sol, you’re good too."
"That’s right, Sol. You’re part of our team."
As soon as Tae-oh finished speaking, Ga-ram, who was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Sol, chimed in and extended his hand toward him as well. Sol looked at the two large hands reaching out to him.
"Exactly. The moment we’re on, we’ll be the talk of the town."
Ji-ho, standing with his arms crossed, nodded in agreement as if it were only natural. With that single, hesitant remark from Sol, the atmosphere completely shifted. Sol grabbed Tae-oh’s hand in a firm grip and stood up. Then, he took Ga-ram’s hand and pulled him up. Before long, everyone was standing in a circle together.
Seeing each other’s brightened faces, Tae-oh’s weighty words echoed through the practice room, his voice filled with unwavering resolve, as if it were simply a given.
“Let’s win and debut.”
