Chapter 52: Prophecy
No matter how much Kevin trembled with rage, he had no right to speak in this situation.
He had been officially removed from the Stardust Project, and within two days, all videos featuring Kevin were deleted from the official YouTube channel.
His scenes would likely be edited out of this week's broadcast as well.
There was a brief uproar among the staff, but that was it.
Because the production team was more determined than anyone to "erase Kevin," they managed to minimize the damage to the program.
Across various online communities, cases of selective amnesia began to increase.
“Stardust? Isn’t that the show that had that druggie? Was it Kevin? LOL”
└ “Who’s Kevin?”
└ “There was someone like that?”
└ “I don’t remember.”
“Aren’t there supposed to be 14 members in Stardust? Why do people keep saying 15? Did they all see a ghost or something?”
└ “Yeah, it’s 14 members ㅠㅠ why is everyone acting weird?”
└ “LOL this Kevin erasure is way too serious, I can’t.”
└ “This is a matter of life or death for the program;; If you don’t want ‘Stardust weed scandal’ popping up in related searches, erase him from your memory now.”
“Betters was such a legendary stage... ha LOL I can’t even watch it now.”
└ “Hey producers, while you’re at it, can you edit Kevin out of the Betters stage too? Please.”
└ “I was about to watch 1 Betters again today, but Kevin’s close-up popped up and scared me, so I turned it off.”
└ “If only he hadn’t been a druggie... I really... loved him to death...”
└ “Exactlyㅠㅠ and he just had to be my type, LOL”
“There’s a Kevin-free edit of the Betters stage here by a Junseo fan: https://www.neotube.com/sjdfk1243. It’s done really well to make it look like Kevin was never there. Sharing for the public good.”
└ “OMG bless youㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
└ “Give me back my Betters”
└ “From now on, I’m only watching this version”
└ “At least that’s some relief ha ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
And just like that, one of the most likely debut candidates was gone.
With the third ranking announcement approaching, the Stardust dorm was abuzz.
Even the trainees who had barely been in the debut range were now eyeing that open spot, their gazes sharp.
One of them was Lee Dokyung.
Close to the debut range, but with many variables affecting his rank.
Sure, I knew that Lee Dokyung would eventually debut someday, but he was probably on edge right now.
He must’ve been racking his brain.
If there were someone next to him, he’d probably grab them and start lamenting.
But still.
I didn’t think he’d come to me directly like this.
“Do Seohan, long time no see?”
“Doesn’t really feel like a long time.”
“It’s been ages since we had a nice little moment, just the two of us.”
What, “nice little moment”?
Dragging me all the way to this empty storage room just to say something so pointless?
Wasn’t he the one who used to speak informally? Now he’s suddenly polite again?
Lee Dokyung’s signature sly smile set off my inner warning radar.
Regardless of everything else, I just didn’t like the guy.
With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Lee Dokyung looked up at me. His eyes swept me up and down unpleasantly.
After a brief pause, Lee Dokyung suddenly said something out of the blue.
“Did you know?”
“If you’re talking about today’s lunch menu, I do.”
“I mean about Kevin.”
“Ah~.”
So that’s what this was about—Kevin.
What was his intention with that question?
I stared at Lee Dokyung, wondering if he had heard anything from reporter Lee Doyeon.
Didn’t seem like it.
Lee Doyeon wasn’t the type to talk, and Lee Dokyung’s expression didn’t show any certainty either.
He was just fishing.
“Kevin?”
I tilted my head and played dumb, and Lee Dokyung’s brow furrowed.
His usual fake smile had long vanished in front of me.
He must’ve figured it wouldn’t work on me anyway.
With a sigh of frustration, Lee Dokyung asked,
“We’re from the same company. Wasn’t there any talk going around inside Doubles?”
“No way. What trainee would have the guts to show that?”
That part was true.
If Doubles had known about Kevin’s drug use, they wouldn’t have sent him on the show in the first place.
Kevin had fooled the agency all by himself.
Still, Lee Dokyung didn’t seem satisfied with my answer and scratched his head.
“Really? I don’t know, it just feels like you would’ve known.”
So sharp, as always.
Like Cha Seongbin, he had that sly vibe, but somehow, this guy rubbed me the wrong way even more.
Lee Dokyung tapped his foot and let out a dry chuckle.
“My sister said you’ve got a sharp sense. If it’s that sharp, wouldn’t you have felt something off? Don’t you think?”
“No one in my family has spiritual powers.”
“Ha ha, you’re funny.”
Lee Dokyung let out a big laugh and continued.
“My sister talks about you a lot, Seohan. All in a good way, of course.”
Why would she do that?
I frowned without realizing, and then came something unbelievable.
“She told me to get close to you. Should we start being friends from today?”
Wow.
I really didn’t want to.
I was so creeped out that I subconsciously stepped back from Lee Dokyung.
Seeing that, his face soured.
“You really show your dislike openly.”
“Ha ha...”
Let’s say I’m on my second life.
Lee Dokyung, barely twenty, was acting like a centuries-old snake, so of course I didn’t like him.
The problem was, he seemed to trust me quite a lot.
“Setting everything else aside, I came to ask you for a favor.”
Might as well hear him out.
Lee Dokyung looked me straight in the eye and began.
“I wanted to borrow that amazing sense of yours.”
“It’s a bit expensive.”
"I'll pay you back if things go well."
Lee Dokyung fiddled with his phone, then showed me a text message on the screen.
HDN Entertainment.
Among the first things that caught my eye was the name of the company, just as well-known as Doubles in this industry.
Ah, I see what's going on.
"Do Seohan."
Lee Dokyung swallowed dryly and dropped a bomb.
"I'm thinking of quitting this program."
What Lee Dokyung showed me in the text was just one name: HDN Entertainment.
It was a rival company to Doubles, the host of Stardust, so ethically it was a bit questionable...
But since Lee Dokyung was an individual trainee, there was nothing particularly wrong with him talking to another company.
I did wonder why he was showing it to me, though.
Lee Dokyung got to the point in a calm voice.
"HDN made me an offer."
"To put you in the debut team right now?"
"...You catch on disgustingly fast. Am I really talking to an eighteen-year-old?"
"Excuse me?"
I hurriedly made an innocent face.
The face of a pure hamster that might only care about sunflower seeds.
"..."
Did it work?
"Ha… I need to stay calm."
I could hear Lee Dokyung’s blood pressure rising. I awkwardly nodded.
"Ha ha... please go on."
"They offered me a debut. Just as you guessed. I'm grateful, and it's a great opportunity, but as you know, the timing is a bit tricky."
"Did they tell you to drop out of the program?"
It was already a well-known rumor that Lee Dokyung had received an offer from HDN Entertainment right before the finals.
They would put him in the debut team right away.
In return, he had to quit the Stardust Project immediately and join their company.
At the time, Lee Dokyung chose to stay.
In the end, he debuted through Stardust, so it wasn’t the wrong decision.
Still, the fact that he came to me like this meant there was something bothering him.
After the last concept evaluation, the fans’ reactions had been extremely turbulent.
The most notable example being Seo Ian.
He was expected to see a huge jump in rank at the third ranking announcement.
At this point, Lee Dokyung was on the edge of the debut range, so every trainee climbing up was probably a threat.
It wasn't strange if he felt anxious about possibly not making the debut team.
Lee Dokyung continued in a voice that sounded impatient.
"They say they won’t give me any more time. The debut is confirmed within this year... well, I understand. It could be a clever tactic to make me nervous enough to join, or maybe they really don’t have time before the debut. Either way, I don’t have much time."
The moment of choice had come.
Lee Dokyung’s gaze turned to me.
"Do you think this group will make it big?"
He was weighing the chance of debuting through Stardust versus joining a pre-set debut team and succeeding there.
Right now, he seemed more inclined to quit the program.
But who knows?
He might just follow the same path as in my previous life.
I looked back at Lee Dokyung and stroked my chin.
"Well... here's what I think."
Lee Dokyung possibly quitting...
He wasn’t about to get into any scandals, but in many ways, he was the kind of guy I didn’t like.
If someone like that wanted to leave on their own...
Why would I stop him?
"That’s weird. Your eyes are sparkling."
"No way."
"You’re really bad at acting."
"Was it that obvious?"
Anyway.
I decided to be honest with him.
"Yeah, I think it'll go well."
It wasn’t quite at Stardust’s level, but the group had done well enough to be considered a rival in that era.
After all the scandals at Stardust, they eventually overtook us and had a long run.
"If HDN's behind it, they’ll at least manage the basics. Whether you take that to heart is up to you, Lee Dokyung."
Whatever choice he made, it was his.
Still, I had no desire to be in the same group as a notorious Casanova.
If we did end up debuting together...
I’d make sure to block all your dating.
Third Ranking Announcement.
No matter how much you try to ignore it, that day always comes.
The faces of the trainees, gathered in the studio after a long time, were filled with gloom.
"Ah... I really didn’t want to come here."
"Yeah, me neither."
Kang Siwoo sighed deeply as he clutched his hair.
Seo Ian, sitting beside him, silently patted Kang Siwoo’s shoulder.
Two people who seemed like they’d never get along had grown closer after being on the same team.
Because of Kang Siwoo’s vibe, he felt like he was older, but in reality, they were both twenty, the same age.
As soon as I sat next to Seo Ian, Kang Siwoo weakly waved at me.
"Do Seohan, you're here?"
"Why does it feel so gloomy over here?"
"Me? I feel like I’m going to get eliminated."
Kang Siwoo looked like a cactus that hadn’t been watered in ages.
At the last ranking announcement, Kang Siwoo barely made it up, just like Seo Ian.
So I knew exactly what he was worried about.
"You’ve got bonus points. Don’t worry too much."
One of the big reasons I gritted my teeth to win first place was that.
Our whole team.
No matter what, we’re going to the finals.
I looked at Kang Siwoo and carefully opened my mouth.
On the last stage, Kang Siwoo in “Touch Me” was perfect.
He shed his usual tough image and successfully showed a completely different charm.
The comments were positive, so the fans must’ve liked it too.
"You did great, hyung."
"Did I...? I really don’t want to get eliminated..."
Kang Siwoo, who had been pulling at his hair, looked over at an empty seat.
It was where Kevin used to sit before he left the show.
His gaze seemed to say:
I need to take that empty spot.
I understood him so well, I couldn’t say a word in response.
I could only hope we’d all make it to the final safely, and keep my mouth shut.
Still, twelve trainees would go on to the final round.
Only two would be eliminated.
While the trainees sat nervously, praying for their names to be called for the final,
MC Han Dawon entered.
“Hello, shining boys.”