Chapter 8: It Was Summer
12 years into fangirling.
Even if Han Yooyoung couldn’t dedicate herself to one idol, survival shows were an irresistible opportunity for someone constantly busy discovering rookies.
That’s how survival shows were.
Sure, you might see yourself being worn down in the midst of hardship, sabotage, and emotional turmoil...
But the thrill that comes with it was just as intense.
The satisfaction of personally raising your pick to the top.
That addictive rush was the reason you couldn’t stop watching.
Of course, this time it felt a bit lukewarm.
Honestly, when she heard it was a survival show hosted by an agency, her first thought was that it would flop.
She thought of the usual bland promotional shows with boring plots.
The problem was—the agency in question was Doubles.
She couldn’t bring herself to skip any of the songs released by Doubles Entertainment.
She loved that distinct vibe.
And so, while searching through YouTube, her algorithm eventually brought her to the Stardust Project.
It was inevitable, she told herself.
“Fine, I’ll just check if there are any decent ones. Just that.”
If it wasn’t her thing, she’d move on without hesitation.
Still, despite muttering that, Han Yooyoung’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Thirty-four contestants?
With a survival show of that size...
Surely there’d be at least one who suited her taste.
That was the mindset survival shows thrived on.
“No, Han Yooyoung. This time, hold yourself back. They might not be your type!”
She swallowed hard, thinking of her bank account that was about to run dry.
Her hand naturally reached for the center evaluation video.
An idol needed not just looks, but character and skill too.
If they were featured in the center evaluation, that meant they had some level of talent, so of course she was interested.
And then—
Five minutes into the center evaluation video, Han Yooyoung instinctively realized.
“......”
Ah, she’d already found them.
Her one pick.
“Who is this kid?”
Lee Dokyung and Cha Seongbin were fine—neither their singing nor dancing was bad.
But the one who kept catching her eye was the last trainee, Do Seohan.
For starters, he looked every bit the youngest.
Shy and hesitant, yet seemed like he’d always say what he needed to say.
But his dancing was anything but timid.
His round eyes, the kind that looked like they should be nibbling on sunflower seeds, turned piercingly intense once on stage?
Where else could you find a contrast like that?
And didn’t he say dancing was his specialty?
He wasn’t at a pro idol level yet, but the potential was already there.
He stood out with his innate sense of rhythm and dynamic control.
And his expressions were so skilled, like someone on their second life.
If he improved, he could dominate the stage.
—That was it. Thank you.
His eyes were timid but determined.
The way he carefully chose his words—he looked like a born idol in Han Yooyoung’s eyes.
—I may still be lacking, but I’ll work even harder! I’ll become someone worthy of the center!
After saying his piece, he quietly backed away.
Even as the camera turned to Lee Dokyung, Han Yooyoung’s eyes were fixed on Seohan.
Blink, blink.
When she saw Do Seohan giving a small, nervous smile to the camera, Han Yooyoung finally slammed her fist on the keyboard.
“So cute, I can’t take this….”
I guess I’m into hamster-types.
Han Yooyoung covered her mouth, screaming silently inside.
She’d only watched the center evaluation, but if she was already like this...
There was no way she could stop now.
Her hand clicked on the next video faster than her brain could think.
This time, it was the personal talent segment of the center candidates.
Since she wasn’t interested in Lee Dokyung, Han Yooyoung scrolled straight to Do Seohan’s turn.
—I’ll be doing an impression now.
“Yeah, do whatever you want.”
Seriously.
If he did a hamster impression, she’d probably pass out on the spot.
With personal talents, even if they weren’t good, as long as they were cute, they deserved applause.
But then—
—I’ll now impersonate the sound of a junk truck making rounds in the alleys in the early 2010s.
“Junk truck?”
What was with that specific scenario?
Meanwhile, a strange sense of déjà vu hit her—it sounded like something from her school days.
A hamster impersonating a broken-down junk truck.
What was this bizarre act?
—Next, I’ll impersonate a cicada caught in an insect net, flipped over and screaming.
No, this can’t be right.
—MEEEEEHH! MEEEEEHH!
Han Yooyoung’s face turned pale.
“S-stop…”
And yet, from her computer, the loud cicada cries continued relentlessly.
—MEEEEEEHHHH!
...It was summer.
—I was fine with the junk truck, but the cicada impression killed me LOL is this a try-not-to-laugh challenge?
⨽Who else does cicada impressions as an idol?
⨽Right here, folks.
⨽Looks like a mammal, acts like an insect… I’m so confused.
⨽I died at that proud look on his face after finishing.
⨽He probably thinks he nailed it LOL
⨽No, he really did nail it.
⨽Weirdly good at it;;
—I swore I’d never watch this show… Sorry, noona was wrong. I signed up for TBN Plus because of you...
⨽I couldn’t resist voting.
⨽Why is Mam-Seohan so freaking cute?
⨽His character is solid AF LOLLLLL
⨽You’re the only contestant who started off the premiere by crying like a cicada, Seohan...
⨽MEEEEEEHHHH!
⨽MEEEHH!
⨽I’m dying LOLLLLLL
—An idol who asserts dominance with cicada cries. Who started calling him Mam-Seohan already?
⨽My heart can’t take it
⨽WTF AHAHAHAHA
⨽Cicada-Seohan, are you insane LOLLLLLL
⨽Let’s debut him so we can hear that sound every summer, you all get it right? Vote now
⨽ㅠㅠ Mam-Seohan must debut.
The video of Do Seohan’s center evaluation was already making a fuss due to the personal talent talk.
The legendary cicada incident became an eternal dark history, but it turned out to be a huge boon for the center evaluation vote results.
The number of votes wasn’t revealed, so all we could check was the view count. For now, the trend looked satisfying.
‘Was it a week from now?’
Standing on a real music show stage with the signal song would be a week later.
A conclusion would be reached by then. I swallowed dryly and scanned through the comments before putting my phone away.
Click.
The red light on the camera lit up, and full-scale filming began.
“Waaaaaah!”
And I stood at the center of it all.
“Trainee Do Seohan?”
“Yes!”
“Why do you think you were called out?”
MC Han Dawon asked with a gentle smile.
Behind him, signs covered with stickers, trainees grouped according to their ranks turned to look at us.
Of course, I wasn’t the main character eight years ago, but I remembered this scene.
The moment where the winner of the wake-up mission got to pick the song.
Of course, knowing that detail would be strange, so I gave a different answer.
“Not long ago, the center evaluation video went up, and maybe my personal talent left an impression.”
“……”
“Wow, you’re full of confidence.”
“Keuhup.”
Trainees were caught on camera trying not to laugh, almost out of breath.
‘Why?’
Even the comments were positive. Was it that ridiculous?
I scratched my head and added.
“Ah, maybe not.”
Han Dawon couldn’t hold back his laughter at my embarrassed expression.
It was because I had acted so seriously during the center evaluation, yet now I looked shy in front of everyone.
Han Dawon smiled and answered instead.
“That was really great too. But the reason you’re here is because you won first place in the wake-up mission.”
“Ah!”
I knew that, but widened my eyes as if surprised.
“You were really good at popping balloons.”
“At the night market… I practiced.”
To be honest, it was actually at a drinking party, but since I wasn’t a 25-year-old college student now, I couldn’t say that.
The current Do Seohan, sadly, couldn’t mention that kind of thing.
“A night market, he says.”
“Even the way he talks is cute.”
My dorm mates, unaware of the truth, smiled fondly and added their comments.
“But he seemed kind of nervous.”
“Yeah. He’s getting a one-shot from the camera too.”
“Do Seohan, fighting!”
Cha Seongbin cheered with a bright smile. The other trainees followed, shouting encouragement.
“Fighting!”
“Wooooaaaah!”
Some were definitely acting for the camera, but it still felt reassuring.
Han Dawon turned his head with a soft smile.
“We said the first place from the wake-up mission would receive a small gift. Aren’t you curious what that is?”
“Yes, I’m really curious.”
I nodded firmly while looking straight ahead.
Han Dawon placed a cue card in my hand.
‘What’s this?’
“First, please announce the teams on my behalf. The teammates for your first group evaluation are written there.”
With a nervous expression, I cautiously opened the card.
And then.
I almost failed to keep a straight face.
“Ah.”
The teammates were basically revealed from the beginning.
I already knew, but seeing it in person felt different.
My dorm roommates were placed in the same group as me.
I cautiously opened my mouth, unable to hide my surprise.
“Trainees Do Seohan, Seo Haim, Lee Junhyeok, Jin Sehyun, and Ha Junseo are Group 1.”
So they really arranged it this way?
How many future Stardust members were in this lineup alone?
If you included Lee Junhyeok, this was practically an Avengers-level team.
The problem was that Lee Junhyeok, despite his skills, was a total jerk.
‘Is this a disaster? Or maybe it’s actually a good thing.’
At that moment, many thoughts flashed through my mind.
‘I need to take down Lee Junhyeok.’
The first group evaluation was like a first impression event for viewers.
It wasn’t just about skills or visuals.
They would choose their one-pick trainee based on personality, after seeing who survived the countless bad edits.
In the end, it was a process to judge whether someone was a lifeline to hold onto or a rotten rope.
In fact, there were plenty who couldn’t help but show their terrible character due to their real personalities.
That’s how it usually went.
Everyone skilled and ambitious was gathered here, and you had to grab even a little screen time to survive.
If attention-seekers full of ambition clashed…
It would be utter chaos, the hell of a group project.
If I just triggered Lee Junhyeok’s personality, I could easily drag him down.
Even without relying on editing, his basic character was already flawed.
‘This could be a real opportunity.’
I swallowed and blinked as if nothing had happened.
Han Dawon’s gaze shifted to me again.
“Please gather with your teams. We will now reveal the mission songs for your group evaluations.”
“Okaaaay!”
“Trainee Do Seohan?”
A special privilege for winning the wake-up mission.
I turned to look at the wall covered with stickers.
Swoooosh.
Following the PD’s signal, the mission songs were revealed all at once.
“Which song would you like to choose?”
The moment I had been waiting for.
My eyes sparkled brightly.