Chapter 25: Dream
[On air] I think I’ve more or less finished analyzing this group.
Jin Sehyun: The original nasty one.
Choco Haim: Drains your energy.
Do Hamjji: Gentle on the outside, strong on the inside.
Ha Junseo: Hueeng.
Lee Junhyeok: Backstabber, probably.
Did I analyze their characters well enough?
Ah, seriously, every single one of these is a gem ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why can’t they even write the kids’ names properly?
└ Starting with calling Seo Haim “Choco Haim” is just so annoying.
└ Do Hamjji’s gentle but strong, Jin Sehyun’s the original nasty one—agreed.
└ The moment “Body Wish” came out, it confirmed Jin Sehyun’s character.
No but seriously, forget everything else—what the hell is “Lee Junhyeok backstabber” ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ That’s the one that made me laugh the most tooㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Please also look at “Ha Junseo hueeng” ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ He really looks like he’d go “hueeng” with those sparkly eyes.
└ Junseo’s just too much of a living teddy bear, it’s making me lose my mind.
└ Hueeng, hueeng~
└ Junseo-yah, damn it, noona loves you ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
This place is a goldmine for character analysis.
└ It’s infuriating how I can understand all of it.
└ 222 Please, author-nim, write the next one too.
└ What the hell is going on with Lee Junhyeok’s character analysis.
Gentle but strong, Seo Han—marry me.
└ Do Seo-han: I’m gentle but strong.
└ Why am I strong? lmao ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ The comments here are absolutely insane.
“I’m gentle but strong…”
Ah.
I wondered what that was about.
“Crazy.”
Are these people secretly attending some kind of joke academy?
Cough-
I nearly choked while reading the comments.
Ha Junseo glanced back at me coughing and asked,
“Good response?”
“Yes, thankfully everything seems okay.”
Since the previous broadcast had shown some tension between Lee Junhyeok and me, I was a bit worried there might be another round of bad editing, but perhaps because the outcome was good, there was no special editing to create conflict.
Especially this comment.
“Lee Junhyeok backstabber…”
It was a post I deeply sympathized with.
I nodded and put away my phone.
Seriously, there are so many wise people in the world.
The next morning.
The trainees, seated around the familiar set, all had stiff expressions.
It was the studio used for the grade evaluation shoot.
Which meant that today also held an important shoot.
Camera on.
Lights on.
The staff bustled around the busy studio.
“Yes, we’ll start filming in a moment! Please get ready!”
As the red light on the camera came on, I shoved my phone into my pocket and stared straight ahead. Jin Sehyun also swallowed dryly and straightened his outfit.
Honestly, the enjoyment lasted only until yesterday.
The first ranking announcement, more important than watching the live broadcast. Even the smile at the corner of my lips had vanished.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Han Dawon, the MC, smiled and picked up the mic.
As he walked over from the other end, applause broke out in various spots, but the solemn atmosphere didn’t disappear.
Clap clap clap….
Amid applause that sounded like it was directed at empty air, Han Dawon continued, trying his best not to sound too stiff.
“You probably didn’t get much rest during the break, but were you able to rest well anyway?”
“Yeees!”
A loud and sudden reply rang out, and laughter erupted from all directions.
They had stepped up to give a reaction, but must not have expected to be the only one to answer. The person who yelled “Yeees” lowered their head, face flushed.
MC Han Dawon smiled and responded to the trainee.
“That’s a relief.”
However, the next words were anything but a relief.
“But, I’m here today with some unfortunate news for you all.”
“…….”
A cold air settled over the studio.
Trainees who sensed their potential elimination let out deep sighs, and groans rang out across the room as cameras spun to zoom in on each of their faces for reactions.
“Today, someone will have to leave Stardust World and take a step away from their debut dream.”
The first ranking ceremony was expected to eliminate many.
Han Dawon paused briefly before continuing.
“According to the results of the first evaluation, the number of people who can remain in Stardust World is… twenty-one.”
“Gasp…”
I could hear someone gasping from here.
Aside from me, who already knew this, everyone looked shocked.
Understandably so.
It was only the first ranking announcement, and already only twenty-one would remain?
Even a rough count showed it was a significant cut.
“Only twenty-one?”
“From thirty-four down to twenty-one… Wow, that’s a lot of cuts.”
Jin Sehyun did some quick math in his head and sighed deeply.
Thirteen people would be eliminated just from the first evaluation. Nearly half the contestants were expected to leave.
At the same time, the expressions of those in the mid-ranks, now at risk of elimination, stiffened.
At that moment, my gaze drifted to Lee Junhyeok, standing across from me.
He stared straight ahead without the slightest twitch in his expression. Unlike the emotional personality I had seen until now, today I couldn’t read his face at all.
After all the drama, I thought he would voluntarily withdraw, but surprisingly, he was holding on.
Maybe he came hoping he could sneak into the top 21.
Although, his mental state did seem completely shattered.
I didn’t know how he managed to hide his expression, but the restless eyes didn’t lie.
I didn’t have the desire to comfort him, so I looked away from Lee Junhyeok.
At that moment, Han Dawon slowly looked around at the trainees and pulled out his cue card again.
No matter how much we tried to delay it, the time had come.
It was time for the ranking announcement that would determine the fate of the trainees.
With a trembling voice, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Then, we’ll begin announcing from 20th place.”
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing could be heard from everywhere.
The teens rankings were the hope for the lower-ranked trainees.
“19th place, trainee Choi Wonseok.”
“18th place, trainee Chae Taehyun.”
With each name called, a mix of relieved sighs and soft groans rang out, and some lowered their heads without even checking the monitor.
And then.
“17th place, Seo Ian.”
“Thank you….”
From over there, Seo Ian sat down with a flushed face.
Originally, he was someone expected to survive the first ranking, but he had climbed two spots compared to what I remembered.
Probably gained some sympathy votes after what happened with KJ was revealed.
If the voting period had lasted just a few more days, he might’ve climbed even higher.
I gave Seo Ian-hyung a small smile.
I knew just how desperate he was, how hard he worked for that desperate dream.
If it was Seo Ian, I wanted to support him all I could.
But.
The smile didn’t last long. My name hadn’t been called yet.
This was my second audition, so I thought I’d be calmer.
But my unsettled heart was proof that I was still deeply anxious.
“Hoo….”
Each time a trainee’s name was called, it felt like my throat tightened bit by bit.
The result of my first ranking announcement in my previous life, 15th place, had already passed.
“13th place, Choi Han.”
Above that, the name of a trainee who was a father was called,
With each rank going up one by one, more familiar names began to reach my ears.
Trainees who didn’t make it to the final Stardust lineup but had ranked far above me.
Among them were names like Kwon Taewon and Song Youngbin, who debuted in other groups and did well.
I clapped reflexively when I heard those names,
Nodded my head diligently,
And sometimes just sat dazed, spacing out.
I felt like quite a bit of time had passed.
But.
Why hadn’t my name been called yet?
“Seohan-ah, when will our names be called…?”
“Ha, I feel like I’m going to die from nerves….”
Even Seo Haim, who normally wouldn’t shut up, mumbled in a barely audible voice, and Ha Junseo kept rubbing his face dry.
Those two would surely pass the first ranking with high placements.
But I wasn’t in a position to expect such a high rank, was I?
Before I knew it, Han Dawon was announcing the single-digit ranks.
I bit down on my lower lip and tried to steady my anxious breath.
“9th place, trainee Jin Sehyun.”
“8th place, trainee Choi Junwoo.”
From 7th place onward was debut range.
At some point, I clasped my two sweat-soaked hands and waited for my name to be called.
Since I had secured the center position, if I had done better than I thought—
I might’ve aimed for 7th place.
But the name that came out of Han Dawon’s mouth was someone else’s.
“7th place, trainee Lee Dokyung. Please come forward and take your seat.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
Trainee Lee Dokyung, who was sitting in the front row, ran up with a moved expression.
He had made it into the debut ranking in the first announcement, so of course he was happy.
“I think the rank I received today is truly an honorable one. I’ll work really hard so I won’t disappoint anyone….”
Even as Han Dawon continued a brief interview, I couldn’t focus on a single word they were saying.
They called it the Stardust Project, yet I felt like I was drifting through space.
Like I was all alone, sitting by myself in this vast studio.
Even after Lee Dokyung’s interview ended, the names in the debut range continued to be announced.
“5th place, trainee Seo Haim.”
The seat beside me emptied,
“4th place, trainee Cha Seongbin, please come forwa—”
And the seat in front of me also became vacant.
The seats once filled with thirty-four trainees were now emptying, gradually becoming completely vacant.
Even with so many names called, my feet remained frozen in place.
At some point, I couldn’t hear anything anymore.
‘He’s already called up to 4th place. Hoping for anything higher is just greedy.’
Realistically, I sensed that my name wouldn’t be in the remaining four.
Even though I struggled and managed to grab the center position.
There was no meaningful progress in this life either.
Where had it gone wrong?
I never foolishly aimed for a debut spot from the beginning, but was my rank really low enough to be on the verge of elimination?
If not that…
If not that…
Then when exactly would my name be called?
“3rd… trainee… congratulations…”
“Hey!”
Shake shake.
Someone called me urgently,
And my dimmed vision suddenly brightened.
MC Han Dawon looked toward my stunned self and shouted with strength.
“3rd place, trainee Do Seohan! Please come forward!”
What?
3rd place?
“That’s right, get out there!”
Ha Junseo gave my back a firm push.