Chapter 61: Debut Team
“I will now announce the trainees starting from rank number six.”
My heart pounded like crazy.
The chair I was sitting in felt as hot as if it were red‑hot.
I took in ragged breaths and clenched my fists tightly.
There was only one thought filling my mind.
Please.
Please call my name.
“Please….”
Desperate prayers echoed around.
The playful expressions on the trainees’ faces just moments ago had turned cold.
Lee Dokyung ground his lower lip and raised his head.
He acted like he was going to HDN, but now we don’t know what happened to him.
If he really rejected the debut offer, he’d be desperate too.
But is there anyone here who isn’t desperate?
These were trainees who’d spent years chasing debut as their one goal.
They had persevered fiercely to get to this point.
I gave a faint smile and bowed my head deeply.
My heart felt like it might burst in this tension … but actually, I had no regrets.
I had done my best. And now I was certain.
I couldn’t let go of this dream.
So even if my spot wasn’t given to me, I’d challenge again and again, dozens or even hundreds of times.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Han Dawon, holding the script in his hand, spoke slowly.
“First, I will confirm the first Stardust member.”
“…….”
“The trainee ranked 6th is….”
That moment stretched out like forever.
Han Dawon hesitated for a long time, then exhaled.
“A private trainee….”
Ah.
“It is trainee Seo Ian!”
“Sobbing….”
With a flop, Seo Ian collapsed forward in tears.
“Waaaah!”
“Hey, congratulations!”
“Hyung, you worked so hard.”
I embraced him hard and patted his back repeatedly.
Trembling, Seo Ian walked forward.
“Huh… sniff….”
While the cameraman zoomed in on the tear‑streaming Seo Ian, MC Han Dawon continued smoothly.
“This trainee whose ranking steadily rose like soft tofu’s smooth charm. In concept evaluation, he showed solid vocals and received backing from many supporters as the debut team’s main vocal. Congratulations to trainee Seo Ian on your debut.”
“Sniff… sob…”
Afterward came his reaction—half broken‑hearted words, half tears.
He was a hyung who often cried anyway … but everyone here knew.
How much mental struggle he had gone through to reach that seat.
All those moments must be flashing through his mind like a slide show right now.
Somehow a proud smile escaped my face too.
After Seo Ian’s long reaction, Han Dawon walked back to the center holding the script again.
“Next, I will announce the trainee who will become Stardust’s second member, ranked 5th.”
As the tension‑filled BGM started again, sounds of swallowing could be heard here and there.
Hiding impatience, I shut my eyes tightly again.
“Total votes… 672,189 votes. Receiving tremendous love from sponsors, the 5th‑ranked trainee making debut is….”
Perhaps because of PD Lee Young-chae’s direction, Han Dawon’s delay in speech felt unusually long today.
“From Doubles Entertainment….”
Doubles Entertainment?
This time my face appeared on the monitor too.
Could it be… me?
My blood felt like it was going to dry up and die.
I had been secretly hoping for it, but the name Han Dawon spoke was different.
“It is trainee Jin Sehyun. Congratulations!”
“Yaaay!”
“Waaah!”
“Sehyun, congrats on your debut!”
Seo Haim ran over and began shaking Jin Sehyun’s shoulders in excitement.
The teammates who had shared struggle quickly gathered around him in a cluster.
Of course, I was among them.
I took Jin Sehyun’s hand and gave a bright smile.
“Hyung, congrats on your debut, really.”
“Seohan, see you at the top.”
With a joyful smile, Jin Sehyun walked forward.
His name “Jin Sehyun” written on placards was waving up and down like waves.
With the fans’ shouts, the studio felt like it might lift off.
“I vow to always be someone who doesn’t disappoint the fans—Jin Sehyun.”
Compared to early rankings, his position had dropped a bit, but he had originally been part of the original Stardust members and had consistently been within debut safe zone, so it was somewhat expected.
“Rank 4 is… with 752,303 total votes… individual trainee Seo Haim. Congratulations!”
“Waaah!”
“Chocoh‑Haim, congrats on debut!”
Then the name of Seo Haim, who was also an original Stardust member, was called.
“She’s a trainee who captured sponsors’ hearts with her bouncy, cute charm. In the concept evaluation she highlighted her innate cuteness, and on the final stage she revealed a surprising sexy side, proving she can handle a wide spectrum. We support trainee Seo Haim’s brilliant takeoff.”
“Waaaaa! Thank you!”
With a bright face, Seo Haim stepped forward to give her remarks and then …
“Bwaaah… I… debut… sob… can’t… believe… this… sob…”
Yes, she had said she would speak cheerfully.
And sure enough.
With sobs that wouldn’t disappoint the fans, she hugged Jin Sehyun, who had already taken a seat first.
They were two people who bickered but looked good together.
After clapping sincerely in celebration, my mouth felt dry again.
Now it was time to call the 3rd‑ranked trainee.
Thinking of last week’s real‑time 5th place results, I felt it was almost time my name would be called.
Until now, I thought I had stayed quite calm.
But I felt blood chilling bit by bit from my toes upward.
Grinding my lower lip, I stared straight at Han Dawon.
“Phew…”
Then came another long delay.
As anxiety made my innocent fingers wiggle this way and that,
Han Dawon, holding the script and stalling, spoke again.
“I will announce the trainee ranked 3rd. With a total of 832,013 votes, a trainee who received substantial support from many sponsors.”
“Wow… look how the vote count jumps.”
“Who could it be? Seohan?”
“Maybe Cha Seongbin…?”
This time they mentioned my name too over there.
And of course on the scoreboard my face flashed alongside the top‑ranked trainees as well.
3rd place… please.
I hoped it would be my name.
“…….”
But, contrary to that hope of mine.
My name was not called again either.
“It is from Doubles Entertainment… Ha Junseo.”
Junseo is being called here?
The trainees in the back seats muttered in surprise.
“3rd place is Junseo hyung?”
“Wow… so who are 1st and 2nd?”
“The rankings have shifted a bit.”
“I will announce: ‘Hyung, congratulations!’”
“Since Kevin’s departure, you’ve consistently been in the top two, so I naturally assumed you’d be candidate for first place.”
“At this rate… what will happen to the remaining ranks?”
“The words that final survival rankings are absolutely unpredictable floated through my mind.”
“After all, the final live broadcast is 100% text voting.”
“The possibility of a variable was considerably high.”
“My real‑time ranking last week was 5th.”
“Honestly speaking, that wasn’t a comfortable position.”
“N YouTube’s analysis that Do Seohan’s one‑pick core was weak… I couldn’t help but recall it in this situation.”
“With a nervous face, I turned my head, and just then my eyes met Cha Seongbin’s.”
“Cha Seongbin smiled awkwardly and asked in a soft voice.”
“‘Are you nervous?’”
“‘Ah… I’m… a bit… trembling.’”
“It was more than a little.”
“In fact, I was shaking so much I felt like I might just lose it.”
“Except for 7th, there were only two spots left.”
“If my name didn’t appear among the first‑place candidates, I didn’t even want to think about what came next.”
“I want to debut.”
“I really want to debut.”
“‘Phew….’”
“I gathered both hands and took a deep, rough breath.”
“Cha Seongbin, who had protected 2nd place last week, seemed relatively calm, but I couldn’t stand there comfortably like that.”
“Cha Seongbin softly spoke with a hint of suggestion.”
“‘I think they’ll call you.’”
“‘…….’”
“Please.”
“I closed my eyes tight, hoping that when I opened them, my face would be on that screen.”
“And at that moment.”
“Han Dawon shouted with a booming voice.”
“‘Here are the first‑place candidates!’”
“Oh.”
“I survived.”
“After seeing last week’s real‑time ranking, fans who felt a sense of crisis poured all their firepower into the live text vote.”
“Seohan had safely landed among the first‑place candidates and was waiting for the final first‑place announcement.”
“Only then could the relieved fans breathe easily.”
“The real‑time chat surged.”
“-What? Do Seohan has no core? LOL even a passing dog would laugh.”
“-Our Seohan will be number one if the fans just wake up ^^”
“-Center Seohan for sure”
“-Congrats on debut Seohan, Cha Seongbin ㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“-Ah, with those two standing side by side their faces are harmony incarnate”
“-They are two visual centers”
“-Ah debut team is so exciting lol they’re all debuting”
“MC Han Dawon passionately explained the benefits the first‑place trainee would receive.”
“‘The first‑place trainee will debut as Stardust and take the center position of the debut song.’”
“There was also a prize of twenty million won.”
“Of course the reactions were quite cold.”
“-20 million won…?”
“-Broadcast station guys should have spent more money LOL embarrassing”
“-20 million… yeah… it’s a lot to me… but is it a lot to idols?”
“-Fuck LOL given their awareness they could make billions per member with just a few albums”
“-Give that 20 million to poor me~~~”
“-If it’s just giving a center spot, stop dragging time; if they announce 7th first, I’ll die of tension”
“However, the stalling didn’t stop there.”
“In TBN special broadcasts, watching ads before the 1st‑place announcement was a national rule.”
“PD Lee Young‑chae kept signaling from afar to stall time, and even MC Han Dawon looked exhausted… luckily the camera focused on Han Dawon again.”
“He swallowed dry saliva and smiled.”
“‘The first‑place trainee, with a total vote count of 1,012,458 votes, will debut supported by overwhelming sponsorship.’”
“‘…….’”
“‘From Doubles Entertainment….’”
“‘Kyaaaa!’”
“By the time that was said, the fans’ cheers already pierced the studio ceiling.”
“Doubles Entertainment’s Do Seohan and the private trainee Cha Seongbin.”
“Just hearing that opening line revealed who the first‑place winner was.”
“‘Doubles Entertainment trainee Do Seohan! Congratulations!’”
Bang
“Fireworks exploded above their heads.”
“Seohan looked up with a startled expression.”
“-Ah LOL Hamjji got surprised”
“-Not surprised at winning first place but at those damned fireworks”
“-Do Hamjji must’ve suffered so much internally, congrats center ㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“-Oh that must’ve been Byo‑Seohan’s parents caught on camera”
└ “Gasp mother, I’m greeting you as your daughter‑in‑law”
└ “LOL”
“-ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I feel like I gave birth to him”
“‘Congratulations.’”
“Cha Seongbin hugged Seohan tightly and offered congratulations.”
“At the moment his debut was finally confirmed, Seohan, eyes swelling, accepted Seongbin’s greeting.”
“‘Huh… sniff….’”
“-Ah Hamjji really looks like the youngest”
“-Look at his face turning bright red as he clings to hyung ㅠㅠ”
“-Really… Do Seohan is… such a… cute creature”
“-Damn Seohan how are you going to survive this harsh world being so cute”
“I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t hold back the tears.”
“Because it was a dream I met again after living another life.”
“‘I didn’t know I’d end up debuting.’”
“It was just a longing tucked in a corner of my heart.”
“A childhood goal I thought would remain at that.”
“More than becoming first place.”
“Just.”
“To sit in that seat down there that I used to only look up at… in the previous life.”
“I was simply grateful.”
“‘It truly… feels like a dream.’”
“A trembling voice spoke.”
“That emotion was happiness.”
.
.
.
.
“After the Stardust members from first to sixth were announced,”
“An atmosphere far heavier than the earlier first‑place announcement settled over the studio.”
“MC Han Dawon turned the page of the script with a tense face.”
“‘…….’”
“Fans, trainees’ parents too.”
“During the ranking ceremony, everyone at the site was drying up.”
“Everyone was completely exhausted from the stalling.”
“‘Only one debut spot remains.’”
“The quite cruel statement echoed.”
“Han Dawon checked the script and spoke calmly.”
“‘We will now announce the one trainee who will become Stardust’s final member.’”
“Six trainees were left who had not yet stepped onto the stage.”
“The six trainees stared at the floor with pale, churned‑out faces.”
“If they failed to debut here, they had to return home.”
“That applied equally to Doubles–affiliated trainees and private trainees alike.”
“After debut as Stardust, Doubles had no further boy‑group launch plans for years, so it was time for each to find their own path.”
“In some ways this could be the last opportunity.”
“And only one person here could seize that chance.”
“Cruel, but that is survival.”
“Han Dawon began in a low voice.”
“‘Now then…. Please reveal the three 7th‑place candidate trainees.’”
“A triple‑split image appeared on the screen.”
“‘Ah….’”
“‘Uh, uhoh.’”
“‘That happened.’”
“Kang Siwoo, Lee Dokyung, Choi Han.”
“The three faces appeared on the scoreboard.”