The intro played—one they had heard hundreds of times.
Their bodies moved on instinct, the choreography so familiar they could perform it with their eyes closed.
With every synchronized movement alongside his teammates, the chains hanging from their bodies clinked with a rhythmic jingle.
The original performers of this song, group UU, had created a powerful stage wearing military-inspired outfits and executing perfectly synchronized choreography.
Roy and his team preserved that powerful precision, but they subtly transformed the mood of the performance.
“Is that… a haegeum?”
“Sounds like some kind of East Asian fusion.”
The stage was draped in vivid red cloths from end to end, setting a dramatic tone.
With crimson eyeliner drawn across their eyes, the members resembled ancient Eastern warriors—almost like Hwarang from the Silla dynasty.
“Under the bright sunlight, the wind blows… and a smile blooms—”
Roy opened the stage, drawing the attention of every viewer in the audience.
Knowing how important the first impression was, he had spent every spare moment watching reference videos to perfect his expression—soft, wistful, and just seductive enough to pull people in.
“What kind of man… looks like that…?”
Maybe the effort paid off.
A young woman sitting near the front blushed furiously as she stared at Roy.
“I have nothing to offer. All I can do is run toward you—”
Roy stepped back, and Kim Chan took his place at the center.
His usual gentle features were hidden beneath bold makeup, exuding the fierce aura of a warrior.
When he sang solo, there was a soft sorrow in his voice.
But with the rest of the members dancing in sharp, coordinated movements, it felt like watching a sword dance come to life.
Though no one held a weapon, the choreography created the illusion that invisible blades were in their hands.
“Totally different vibe from the last team. They stuck to the standard version.”
“Yeah. Their style was very masculine. This one’s… something else.”
***
Audience members fidgeted with the buttons in their hands—tools they could press once during each stage to vote if they liked the performance.
Many seemed to have pressed it the moment Roy appeared, captivated by his looks alone.
But Shin Jimin decided to wait until the performance ended before making her choice.
It was the final performance, after all—she wanted her one vote to count.
She had been deep into Hunter Idol fandom until half a year ago, when a scandal landed her favorite group on the front page of every tabloid—for all the wrong reasons.
She had nearly quit following the scene entirely, until a friend pointed her toward K Entertainment’s “Vote for Your Hunter Idol!” project.
“Lots of new fresh faces,” her friend had said.
They applied together for the live audience, and luck was on their side—they both got in.
Now, her friend was already choosing favorites, listing more than five contestants she was ready to stan.
‘The first one to appear really stood out…’
Black hair that contrasted sharply with pale skin—it was a direct hit to her heart. Like a male version of Snow White.
When she focused on just that contestant, she noticed that his dance and singing weren’t perfect.
Overall, the team looked good, but he occasionally showed awkward moves here and there.
Only one thing stood out.
His expression.
It blended perfectly with the song, with the dreamlike atmosphere of the stage.
He really did seem like someone who had stepped out of an ancient past and descended into the modern world.
“That kid looks really young. Is he a middle schooler?”
It was a few minutes into the performance when her friend spoke.
Despite the heavy stage makeup, the next contestant’s baby fat was still visible.
A very young-looking member had stepped to the front.
“A feeling I’ve never known before. A heart pounding out of control. Everything is so confusing, this vision is hard to grasp. In a world that wants me to kneel, I won’t collapse—I’ll run forward. It’s you and me who will turn illusion into reality.”
“Ooh, not bad diction.”
Despite his round, cute appearance, the young contestant rapped surprisingly well.
Compared to a previous team whose rapper had stumbled through his lyrics and caused a minor disaster, this was a major improvement.
“Gasp—it’s Lee Doha! I knew he’d take the main dance spot.”
Her friend’s favorite finally appeared.
The vibe of the stage shifted instantly.
***
A booming drumbeat echoed across the stage, vibrating through the air and reaching all the way to the standing area of the audience.
From the ceiling, long red cloths descended.
Each member grabbed one in unison.
“This atmosphere is insane.”
Their once-withered hearts began to pound again.
In the center of the stage, Lee Doha held the red cloth in both hands, covering the lower half of his face as he stared straight into the void.
He kicked upward with a sharp motion, breaking through the tension of the stage.
The other contestants, positioned in a circle around him, spun their bodies half a turn to follow his lead.
They knelt on one knee, gazing at the floor—and then all rose at the same moment.
Between the fluttering red cloths, they appeared and vanished, leaving a vivid impression in the minds of every viewer.
As the dance break ended and the music climbed toward its climax, Shin Jimin’s mouth slowly fell open.
“Whoa. How many octaves are they going up?”
“Sounds like the harmonies are hitting overdrive.”
Two members stood facing each other, raising their notes higher and higher.
The combined force of their voices struck the audience like a shockwave.
“Even today, I’ll spend my whole day thinking of you. Like a meteor shower, I’ll run straight toward you—”
Two contrasting vocal tones blended perfectly together, filling the entire performance hall.
While they sang, the rest of the members moved around them in fluttering yet sharp motions, making the stage shine with energy and coordination.
“Even in this very moment, run, run—”
***
The song finally ended.
The stage lights shut off with a snap, plunging everything into darkness.
The same silence settled over the audience as if the performance had drawn all breath from the room.
“Waaah—!”
Three seconds of silence passed before the crowd erupted into cheers.
It wasn’t the loudest out of all the performances, but it was definitely among the loudest.
Shin Jimin was especially screaming her lungs out.
She had been keeping an eye on a particular contestant from the beginning, and right before the stage lights went out, she caught a glimpse of him sweeping back his sweat-soaked hair.
It hit her heart like a massive boulder falling from the sky.
A love-at-first-sight accident with no way out.
“I think I found him… My one-pick.”
“Roy! Watch out!”
“Thanks.”
Roy had burned himself out.
In just a few minutes, he had exhausted every ounce of energy and finally stepped down from the stage.
As he descended the steep stairs one step at a time, his legs suddenly gave out.
If Kim Chan, who was right behind him, hadn’t caught him with an arm around his waist, he might have tumbled all the way down.
Breathing heavily, Roy patted Kim Chan on the shoulder.
There were moments during battles when he could move in perfect sync with his comrades, as if they shared the same breath.
In those moments, he could forget the crushing fatigue and instead feel an electrifying thrill running down his spine.
‘Just now… I felt that same thrill.’
Even now, cheers could still be heard from the audience.
Just like when he returned victorious from war, people who didn’t even know Roy personally were now cheering for him after seeing his performance.
The hair the stylists had worked hard on was now drenched in sweat.
Not just Roy, but everyone else was dripping and struggling to catch their breath.
“That was the best performance I’ve ever done. Thank you, everyone—really.”
Cameras waiting below the stage naturally gathered around the team.
Kim Jaemin looked at each of his teammates, trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.
“I’m just… really happy I got to meet you all.”
The youngest, Lee Hajun, eventually burst into tears.
Sensitive Kim Chan rubbed his eyes too, then quickly lowered his hands, remembering he still had makeup on.
“Since we pulled off the performance safely, how about a group cheer?”
Roy held out his hand, and the other teammates smiled and stacked their hands over his.
Their team shouted a powerful “Fighting!” so loudly that even the production staff holding cameras nearby were surprised.
Then, following the staff’s guidance, they began to move.
***
Roy’s team had performed last. Before the voting began, all contestants gathered on stage to greet the audience.
During the performances, the audience could cast a single vote if they liked what they saw.
Then at the end, they had one final vote to choose their favorite team overall.
All the contestants standing on the stage wore desperate expressions.
The MC introduced the teams in order of performance.
Being the last team meant that Lee Hajun was so nervous he clung to his older teammates like a puppy about to pee itself.
“That last performance was from Team ‘Hunting’! The stage was incredibly intense. But your team name seems to contrast with that a bit. Can you explain what it means?”
The MC handed the mic to Kim Jaemin, who stood at the center.
“Ah, yes! We named our team ‘Hunting’ because we want to hunt the hearts of our fans!”
“Ohh. So not the kind of hunting I thought, but actual ‘hunting’ as in catching things. Got it.”
The MC gave a sheepish smile.
Roy stood awkwardly among his teammates, who were actively greeting the audience below the stage.
Kim Chan, in particular, was going all out.
He even made a cheek heart and threw a wink, causing Roy’s eyes to slowly shift away in embarrassment.
“Hand hearts! Do the hand hearts too!”
“I wanna bite him, he’s so cute!”
“Heart! Pew pew!”
‘Was this what it meant to become an idol—to endure this kind of public humiliation?’
As the cheers grew louder, Kim Chan shot finger hearts into the crowd and even added his own sound effects.
The smile on Roy’s face froze mid-expression.
His face felt like it was heating up.
“Your fan service is already top-tier! With that, we’ve introduced all our teams. Audience members, have you decided which team you’ll vote for?”
“Yeeees—!”
“Then please head to the voting stations now!”
Just like the audience was reluctant to leave, the contestants on stage also seemed unwilling to step down.
Roy mustered his courage and gave a small wave to a woman in the audience who seemed to be cheering especially hard for him.
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