"No hints at all… It’s not about the ‘Eastern-style’ concept being the problem—at this rate, aren’t we just gonna end up wearing last round’s stage outfits because we weren’t prepared?"
As Ji-ho spoke, the smile slowly faded from his face. Deuk-yong, who had been listening with a carefree grin as if it were someone else’s problem, also gradually lost his smile.
"Hyung, don’t say scary things like that. What if it actually happens?"
"Or worse—what if we end up wearing glitter or plastic bags last-minute because we have no outfits…?"
"Ugh, no way…"
Now that he thought about it, the possibility wasn’t so far-fetched. There had been past instances of neglect, and with Round 1 still unaired, they had no tangible results to show. The company had boldly promised full support, telling them not to worry—but how many times had they heard that before? A creeping unease settled over Deuk-yong, and he glanced at Ji-ho with uncertain eyes. Ga-ram, who had been quietly listening, also seemed to consider the likelihood and asked:
"Should we ask Yeong-ho hyung?"
As the three exchanged glances, Tae-oh suddenly leaned in, his deep voice cutting through the tension.
"Stop forgetting about the cameras."
"Gah! Right—we didn’t say anything weird, did we?"
Deuk-yong’s startled reaction as he looked up at the camera made Sol chuckle quietly. At Tae-oh’s remark, Ji-ho rested his index finger on his chin, eyebrows slightly furrowed. Even though they knew their practice sessions were always being filmed, it was easy to forget once they started chatting or joking around.
"...We really need to be more careful," Ji-ho muttered with a shrug, half to himself. Tae-oh nodded in agreement before addressing their earlier concern.
"Also, Yeong-ho hyung said he’d let us know by today."
The word "today" hit Sol like a lightning bolt.
Wait—was there a time limit?
As everyone had pointed out, they didn’t have much time left to prepare their outfits. What would happen if Sol failed to draw the concept gacha before "today" passed? It suddenly dawned on him that Tae-oh’s "by today" meant the deadline for Round 2’s concept draw. A rush of urgency tightened his chest.
'If ‘by today’ means exactly that—when is the cutoff? Before midnight? Or before the workday ends? Since Yeong-ho hyung said he’d let me know, does it mean it’s over once he clocks out?'
What if only outfits that clashed with the song’s vibe showed up? This wasn’t the time to idly fret over hypotheticals.
Sol checked the time. Today was a day for private lessons, and only a few hours remained until the official schedule wrapped up. Quietly slipping out of the practice room, Sol moved to the bathroom. Standing in front of the sink, the memory of collapsing there after failing the first quest prickled at the back of his mind. A shiver crawled down his spine.
'What if I really end up pulling some tacky vinyl outfit, just like Ji-ho said? Would we actually have to perform in something like that for this song?'
Not only was the idea of wearing it unbearable, but it’d undoubtedly hurt their stage evaluation. Concept draws were pure luck. But relying solely on "luck" felt like too big a gamble. Frowning deeply, Sol muttered under his breath like a complaint:
"Should I pour some water and pray or something?"
His reflection in the mirror looked dead serious. Well, why not? It wasn’t like there was any logic to this—everything hinged on sheer chance anyway. What were the odds of pulling a decent outfit card, let alone a gold one like last time? Or, beyond that, the exact card he wanted?
Sol plugged the sink drain and ran icy water. He couldn’t exactly climb to a rooftop under the moonlight to pray, so this would have to do. Once the basin was half-full, Sol clasped his hands tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. Then, in his mind, he pleaded: Please, just give me a suitable card.
As Sol stood there, eyes closed in prayer, a system window flickered into view.
[2nd ROUND: Harmony Star Edition]
★R-★SR Concepts Available!
[ Single Draw | 10x Draw ]
[ Use ‘Concept Random Ticket’? ]
[ Available Tickets: 22 ]
[ Available Gold Tickets: 2 ]
Luck. Sol had always felt that word was worlds apart from him. His life up to now had been too unlucky to believe in fortune. After crossing into this world and meeting the members, things had improved—but not enough to dig him out of this mess.
While agonizing over whether to use the tickets, an item suddenly flashed through Sol’s mind. Dismissing the prompt, he pulled up the details he wanted to see.
[Ability Grade Enhancement Ticket (S Grade): Upon use, raises one stat rank to S Grade.]
After double-checking the description of the "Ability Grade Enhancement Ticket" he had used once before, Sol also confirmed again that his status window included a "Luck" stat. If I use this to raise Luck to S-rank, could it affect the outcome of my concept draw?
[Use ‘Ability Grade Enhancement Ticket (S-rank)’ on ‘Luck’?]
[ Yes | No ]
His hesitation didn’t last long. Right now, in the practice room, the other members were probably fretting over their outfits, waiting for Yeong-ho to show up with news about the costumes. Sol gulped loudly and used the item. The moment he blinked, his updated status window appeared.
Name: Sung Sol
Age: 20
Stamina: C
Charm: S+
Vocals: A
Dance: A (S)
Acting: D
Luck: S
Traits: Eraser in the mind, Four-wheel Skeptic, Unlucky Genius Dancer, All-around Performing Arts Prodigy
Unlike last time with his vocals, there was no immediate way to test the effects of his newly boosted Luck stat. The only choice left for Sol was to leap blindly and trust the process. Strike while the iron’s hot, he steeled himself and rolled the gacha.
The moment he selected "10x Draw," ten cards materialized in the air above the mirror in front of him. Unlike before, there were no shimmering gold cards—just dull, lifeless gray ones. But the contents mattered more than the packaging. One by one, the cards flipped, revealing images of himself dressed in various outfits.
Result: Total failure. There wasn’t even a shred of justification to rationalize it. Frayed, ripped jeans. A hoodie. A garish tracksuit. A floral-patterned suit he’d seen once before. Every single outfit was utterly unsuitable for this stage.
As Sol took another look at the image drawn on the card, an absurd remark slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with regret for impulsively choosing the "S-rank Luck" option. No matter how hard he stared, there wasn’t a single decent card in sight, and his legs began to tremble nervously. Was this luck really… luck at all? Swallowing his rising anxiety, Sol wiped his damp palms on his thighs.
Only twelve tickets remained. There was no turning back now. Clenching his eyes shut, Sol selected the 10-draw option again.
Even with his eyes closed, the cards floated into view against the darkness. This time, however, one card gleamed gold, catching his attention. As the cards flipped one by one, Sol clasped his hands tightly and screamed internally, "Please… please!"
The golden card revealed a uniform—a pure white one, the kind often called a navy dress uniform. Sol hesitated briefly. A navy uniform… while holding a fan and dancing? This wasn’t some comedy show. As much as he could chalk it up to his own rotten luck, he couldn’t afford to turn his members into laughingstocks. Desperate for something—anything—normal, he scanned the remaining cards, but they were all baffling.
Absurdly, one card even featured nothing but a skimpy swimsuit. Now, only two random concept tickets and two gold tickets were left. Using them one by one meant four more chances. But what if even these failed to give him a suitable outfit? The thought made his vision swim. The harder he wished for something, the further it seemed to slip away.
Yet retreat wasn’t an option. With a grim expression, Sol selected 1-draw. He figured he should save the gold tickets for last—after all, anything with "gold" in its name had to be better than the standard ones. They’d be his final gamble if all else failed.
A gray card materialized above the mirror. The brief moment it took to flip felt agonizingly slow. Just as the image was about to reveal itself—
"I wondered where you’d gone all of a sudden… Sol, is something wrong?"
Ga-ram’s voice shattered his focus. Sol’s eyes flew open as he whipped his head toward the door. Ga-ram, who had entered the bathroom after noticing Sol’s abrupt disappearance from the practice room, studied him cautiously—Sol, standing rigidly in front of the mirror, glaring at his reflection like it held the answers to the universe.
"No! No, it’s nothing."
"Then why are you standing like that?"
A gray card hovered over Ga-ram’s face, which was twisted in confusion as he stared at Sol. Sol’s gaze was unfocused—neither fully on Ga-ram nor the card—as he muttered the first thing that came to mind.
"I was practicing my wink."
"We agreed to ban winking."
"Right."
Sol nodded absently, his eyes glazed over as if entranced. With every bob of his head, the card floating above Ga-ram’s face wobbled up and down.
"Sol? What are you looking at?"
Ga-ram’s expression grew increasingly unsettled by Sol’s distant stare. He was just starting to worry about Sol’s odd behavior—wondering if he should call the other members—when suddenly, Sol lunged forward and yanked him into a tight hug.
On the gray card plastered over Ga-ram’s face, the image of a hanbok flickered into view.
T/N: Sorry, I actually messed up chapter 112. I posted what was supposed to be chapter 113 on chapter 112, so when I posted chapter 113, it looked like I repeated a chapter. Which I did. But the chapter I messed up was actually 112, not 113. I already fixed that and the real 112 was already posted. I'm sorry again. And thank you to those who reminded me. ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
