A subtle tension crept into the previously friendly atmosphere.
Only Roy, Lee Hajun, and Lee Doha, who had no intention of competing for the main vocal part, sat blinking in silence.
That tension continued even after the game ended and the official discussion time began.
Everyone stared thoughtfully at the sheet music for “RUN” that the production team had handed out.
‘I’ll have to pick something from the sub parts.’
Roy was fully aware of his own level.
Even though he’d gained experience points by practicing dance and vocals for over twenty hours each week during the missions, he still wasn’t anywhere near being able to compete with the Gold-grade contestants.
Kim Jaemin was definitely a seasoned veteran.
As the others hesitated to voice their opinions, he naturally opened the discussion.
“The vibe of the original song is super powerful. The label UU-sunbae is signed under is also well-known for hip-hop. While ‘RUN’ doesn’t have a ton of rap sections, its vocals still carry a strong boom bap feel.”
“That’s true. But wouldn’t it be hard to stand out if we just go with the original concept? It seems like the other teams are also trying to remake their songs without losing the charm of the originals.”
Teams that had picked girl group songs had little choice in the matter.
Unfortunately, the members of those teams were all built too solidly to pull off a delicate, innocent concept.
Adding to Kim Jaemin’s point, Kim Chan spoke up.
He’d overheard some of the other teams talking while getting bottled water during practice and shared what he’d picked up.
“Then maybe we should first decide on the direction for our remake. Since the original is in the electro-trap genre, I think we should keep that vibe. But rather than going all-out powerful, maybe we can adjust it to better show off our own appeal.”
Roy gave a small nod.
He knew his image didn’t quite suit high-impact songs.
Watching the music video and live stage of “RUN” that Lee Hajun played, the team noticed all the performers had tons of piercings on their eyebrows, lips, and even earlobes.
Their outfits were full-on military style.
Just then, an idea suddenly flashed through Roy’s mind.
“What do you guys think about this concept?”
“Oh? That’s actually not bad. It’s originally a female solo song, but if we mix this vibe into ‘RUN,’ I think it could work.”
“Really?”
“Yeah!”
As Roy played the video on his tablet, Lee Hajun nodded enthusiastically.
The other team members followed Hajun’s lead and also voiced their approval.
“Then let’s set our arrangement direction based on this and move forward.”
It was a relief that Lee Doha had arranging skills.
They still hadn’t decided on a main vocalist, but everyone looked more relaxed and optimistic.
***
Nailing down the arrangement direction wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
They could’ve ended up with no good ideas at all, or someone might’ve suggested something that didn’t sit well with the others.
Luckily, Roy’s flash of inspiration had gotten unanimous approval.
Considering that over half the teams still hadn’t figured out their arrangement direction, this gave them a huge head start.
And so, full-scale practice began.
“First, I’ll break down the original choreography. I’ve practiced this song a few times before, so it shouldn’t take me long.”
Even when sleepy, once Lee Doha started dancing and singing, the light in his eyes returned.
Having won unanimous support from the team and secured the main dancer position, Doha was more energetic than ever.
“While Doha works on the choreography, why don’t the rest of us start thinking about how we’ll split up the vocal parts?”
Kim Jaemin brought up the topic they hadn’t finished discussing earlier.
After proper introductions, the team had agreed to speak more casually with one another.
Originally, Kim Chan had used formal speech with Roy and Lee Doha, but now they’d decided to call each other hyung and drop the formalities.
Only the youngest, Lee Hajun, insisted he couldn’t possibly speak informally to his hyungs and stuck to honorifics.
***
The main dancer and rapper positions were quickly filled.
The real issue was deciding the main vocalist and how to divide the remaining vocal parts.
Thankfully, Lee Hajun turned out to be surprisingly good at rapping.
He hadn’t planned to be a rapper, but his skills were solid enough to handle the basic parts without issue.
Even better, Hajun didn’t join in the war over the vocal parts, which made everyone breathe a little easier.
“Honestly, I’m fine with taking whatever’s left. My singing ability is the weakest anyway.”
Roy spoke up first.
With so many strong competitors, he knew he couldn’t afford to be greedy.
If his vocal grade were even a B, he might’ve tried, but with his current grade, it was out of the question.
“Then we’re back to square one. The three of us clearly aren’t giving up the main vocal spot.”
Kim Jaemin rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, and looked around at the team members.
He had the most ordinary appearance among them.
On top of that, he was also the oldest.
Lee Hajun’s looks were about the same level as his, but Hajun had the unique advantage of being the youngest contestant.
With his cheerful personality, Hajun seemed likely to get a good amount of screen time.
Viewers might even feel a sort of maternal affection watching a young kid working so hard.
But Kim Jaemin couldn’t rely on that.
He had to fight to secure his own airtime.
Fortunately, singing was one area where he was confident.
Even though Kim Chan had surprised everyone with how well he sang—despite having received only a Bronze grade in vocals—Jaemin wasn’t about to let himself get pushed aside.
Even if I wasn’t chosen for the final debut lineup, I at least wanted to make it to the last round.
If I got eliminated in the first evaluation, I’d be trapped once again in the hopeless cycle of waiting endlessly for a debut that might never come.
And it was worse because my agency had neither influence nor money.
“I’m really desperate. As you all know, I’m older than most. If I get eliminated in the first evaluation… I’m planning to quit being a Hunter Idol.”
“Jaemin hyung, don’t say that…”
Kim Chan’s brows drooped in concern.
Seeing Kim Jaemin already picturing such a bleak future made his heart sink, even though this reality wasn’t unique to Jaemin.
Many of them felt the same pressure, and the taste it left behind was bitter.
“I know I’m good at singing and dancing, but you all know the truth. There are so many trainees who are even better than me. But you two—you’re skilled, good-looking, and you’re still young… To be honest, I wish you’d give me the main vocal part.”
Jaemin spoke plainly, but near the end, he bit his lip hard.
He knew it was a shameless request.
He had poured out his heart, but there wasn’t a single person in that room who didn’t feel desperate to move on to the next round.
“…Then I’ll just take a sub part instead.”
***
After some hesitation, Kim Chan was the first to raise the white flag.
There were still sub-part lines that could show off his charm.
“Hmm…”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Han Jihoo, who let out a quiet sigh.
With his arms crossed, he stared silently at the floor of the practice room.
“Let’s decide with a vote. I’ll sing the main vocal part, and so will Jaemin hyung. Then the rest of the team can vote.”
“Sounds good.”
It was a tough thing to say to Jaemin, but Jihoo had no intention of giving up the main vocal role either.
Even though he had received gold in both singing and dancing during the evaluation, the overall feedback had been lukewarm.
This stage was his chance to prove his vocal skills once and for all to both the judges and the viewers.
“Alright, let’s each take a turn. I’ll play the MR for you.”
Roy got the MR ready on his tablet.
“I’ll go first.”
Jaemin took a sip of water, then took a deep breath.
He was only singing in front of his teammates, but with the main vocal part on the line, his heart pounded like crazy.
“Even today, I’ll think of you all day, and rush toward you like a meteor shower—”
It was the most iconic highlight of the song.
His high note soared effortlessly, without even a hint of strain, and the others gave a small round of applause.
Next, Han Jihoo sang the exact same part.
After hearing both performances, the team members had conflicted expressions.
“Let’s do the vote… anonymously? Just the rest of us, not those two.”
“Okay.”
Kim Chan quickly made slips of paper for the vote.
Even Lee Doha, who had been working on the choreography, joined in to write down who they thought best suited the main vocal role.
“I’ll open them one by one.”
Roy opened the neatly folded pieces of paper.
“It’s a tie.”
Of course—it turned out the number of people voting was even.
“Jaemin hyung sang better overall. But Jihoo’s voice fits the concept we’ve planned.”
Roy voiced what everyone had been thinking but hesitated to say.
Both Jaemin and Jihoo nodded—each had sensed this already.
“I think Sub Vocal 1 has just as much screen time and is just as challenging. Right now, because you two haven’t decided on the main vocal part, the rest of the team can’t finalize their parts either. How about settling it between you two now?”
Everyone knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they were running dangerously low on practice time.
The trainers were scheduled to do a checkup the next morning.
Factoring in choreography practice, even an all-nighter might not be enough.
“Then I’ll take Sub 1. Like Roy hyung said, I think I can make it shine too.”
The one who stepped back was Han Jihoo.
After singing it, he realized the range was higher than he’d thought.
Once on stage, nerves would be high, and if he missed a note, it would be over.
“Really? I swear I’ll do my best! Thank you, guys!”
Jaemin jumped up from his seat and gave everyone a deep bow.
His reaction was unexpectedly intense, so unlike his usual calm image.
Chan and Hajun got up as well and bowed to him in return.
“Alright, let’s get to practicing now. Doha, did you finish the choreography?”
“Yeah, I just need to drill it now.”
“You already finished learning it? Whoa, that’s amazing.”
Things seemed to be going smoothly as they began their dance practice and divided up the remaining parts.
Especially for Roy, who—thanks to Earth’s surprise mission—managed to fully memorize the choreography just as dawn began to break.
But when it came time for the trainer’s evaluation, they ran into an unexpected obstacle.