Chapter 43: Breaking the Top

Roy felt slightly comforted seeing the cold sweat rolling down Han Jihoo’s temple.

At least he wasn’t the only one trembling.

“[Participant Han Jihoo’s total score is now being revealed.]”

As Jihoo’s face appeared on the screen, someone among the contestants muttered, “He’s really handsome.”

The unexpected comment, dropped into the silence, brought a brief smile to several faces before vanishing again.

“Whoa, no way…”

“Is that even a possible score?”

Han Jihoo wasn’t just an S-rank Hunter—his vocal and dance skills were ranked Gold.

And his looks? They stood out even among the sea of contestants.

Everyone had expected him to score high, but the actual number exceeded expectations.

“894,561 points. Congratulations, Han Jihoo.”

“Thank you.”

Even Jihoo looked dazed.

His eyelids fluttered rapidly, and his long lashes trembled with each blink.

The huge score gap between him and the contestant ranked 79th made everyone anxious to know Jihoo’s actual rank.

“Han Jihoo, do you think you’ll be able to keep your current seat?”

Lee Jian directed the question to Jihoo, despite knowing that everyone was just waiting for his rank to be called.

It was all about screen time.

While the rankings revealed during the first announcement ceremony rarely stayed the same till the end, those in the debut zone usually didn’t shift too much.

It was essentially like starting the race on a different track.

Lee Jian had already been tipped off by the producers to maximize airtime for those in the top 10.

Even the script she held showed a proportional distribution—more lines for higher-ranked contestants.

“I’m not sure. But I’d like to stay seated here as long as I can.”

Jihoo answered humbly.

He didn’t know how the final edit would turn out, but since someone had just been eliminated right before him, he kept reminding himself not to look too happy.

To be honest, part of him had expected this outcome.

“You’re taking this calmly. Almost like you knew you’d score that high.”

Lee Jian’s comment had a sharp edge, as if she were peering into his thoughts.

Jihoo barely held back a cracking expression and raised both hands to wave.

“Not at all. I’m actually sweating buckets right now.”

He lowered his head dramatically.

The camera zoomed in on the glistening sweat on the back of his neck.

“I’m kidding. I was a trainee just like all of you, once.”

‘What kind of joke was that supposed to be…’

Jihoo swallowed the words he couldn’t say aloud and forced the corners of his mouth into a shaky smile.

He was oddly grateful for growing up in a household where expression control had been second nature.

“It seems like everyone’s dying to know Han Jihoo’s rank. Let’s reveal it now.”

Jihoo’s throat bobbed hard.

He didn’t think he’d drop out of the top 70, but where exactly he’d land—that was still a mystery.

“Third place.”

“I… I’m third?”

“Yes. You really do look surprised now.”

Lee Jian laughed brightly as Jihoo blinked in disbelief.

A buzz of murmurs spread among the other contestants.

“Third place? That’s insane.”

“If Jihoo got third with that score, what kind of scores do first and second place have?”

Everyone was stunned.

Roy realized just how nerve-racking this whole process really was.

“Han Jihoo, please move to the third-place seat.”

“Okay.”

Jihoo stood up with a soft smile.

His new seat was two levels above the one he was sitting in.

Only the second and third-place seats were on that level.

As Jihoo’s rank was announced, Song Doyoon stood up from the third-place spot.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Despite being bumped down, Doyoon didn’t seem disappointed.

He had come in aiming for first place from the start.

That kind of confidence was impressive.

“Then I’ll go take the 10th place seat for now.”

Unlike the still-empty 69th seat, the 10th seat was claimed immediately by Doyoon.

Lee Jian didn’t stop him.

***

“Let’s move on to the next ranking.”

Instead, she smoothly continued her announcement.

The noise in the studio died down as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the crowd.

“Fifty-seventh place.”

Now the rankings were moving into the back numbers again.

Roy tensed up.

He figured he needed to land somewhere in the 50s to survive this round.

But as the 50s filled up one by one, Roy’s name still hadn’t been called.

The set echoed with the sounds of rising hope and crashing disappointment.

It might have looked repetitive from the viewers’ perspective—

But for the contestants, every ranking announcement was a line between heaven and hell.

“Next ranking: 18th place.”

“Hrk.”

Hajun, who had been sitting in seat number 18, let out a strangled noise.

Roy silently reached out and patted his back.

Under the spotlight, Hajun looked even younger than usual.

His cheeks were trembling slightly from nerves.

“You’re the youngest contestant in this survival program, right? Hello, Hajun?”

“Y-yes, hello…”

Even Lee Jian gave a warm smile when facing the young Hajun.

The problem was that Hajun was so overwhelmed, he couldn’t even tell whether Jian was smiling or expressionless.

“Is there a special reason you chose seat 18?”

“Ah, well…”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Hajun couldn’t hide his flustered expression.

He had originally meant to sit somewhere else, but when Jihoo called Roy over, he ended up sitting next to Roy without thinking. He had no idea how to explain that.

“I just… wanted to sit next to Roy hyung.”

“Really? That’s not a reason I expected.”

Only then did Hajun realize what he had just said.

His cheeks turned bright red.

“It’s an honor.”

Roy added casually.

Hajun’s cheeks showed no sign of cooling down.

“Now, let’s take a look at Hajun’s total score, shall we?”

The blush on Hajun’s face quickly drained to pale white.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the numbers rising from zero on the display.

His first stage ranking had been higher than expected.

He hadn’t placed first, but in terms of the audience vote, he’d ranked third.

Thanks to that, he’d earned a lot of points on stage.

Even though he only placed mid-tier in the courage mission, it was still better than being in the lower ranks—he got a decent amount of benefits from it.

Clasping his hands together, Hajun silently prayed.

The more the numbers slowed down, the more his inwardly curled lips trembled.

“Congratulations, Hajun. Please move forward to your new seat.”

“Wait… are my eyes playing tricks on me?”

“Hajun’s total score is 456,398 points. He’s in 15th place.”

Hajun stood up and walked to the 15th seat with a dazed expression, blinking in disbelief.

The contestant already sitting there stood up and extended a congratulatory hand.

Even while receiving the handshake, Hajun couldn’t quite believe it and pinched his own cheek.

“It’s not a dream. This is reality.”

Lee Jian smiled and brought him back to his senses—then called out the ranking of the next contestant, Kim Chan.

***

“Kim Chan, it’s your turn.”

“I… I can’t breathe.”

Kim Chan froze, unable even to close his eyes.

The contestant beside him looked flustered, and Roy quickly got up and approached Kim Chan on his knees.

“Get a grip. Don’t forget to breathe.”

Roy bent down as much as he could, but only Kim Chan’s seat was lit while the rest of the room remained dark.

Roy squinted against the spotlight’s brightness, then gently tapped Kim Chan’s hand.

“Oh dear, it looks like Kim Chan is extremely nervous. In that case, we’d better reveal his score quickly, right?”

At Lee Jian’s signal, the numbers beneath Kim Chan’s photo began to fluctuate wildly.

With Roy’s help, Kim Chan came back to his senses for a moment, eyes going wide as he stared at the display.

“Let’s reveal his score. Kim Chan’s total is…”

Still holding his breath, Kim Chan stared fixedly at the screen.

He looked like he might actually pass out, so Ber flew over and climbed onto his shoulder, nuzzling under his chin.

“Beeep.” (Hey, contract buddy, pull yourself together.)

“Thanks, Ber…”

Just as Kim Chan managed to mumble his gratitude, the score locked into place.

“543,321 points—11th place. Congratulations.”

“No way…”

He’d placed even higher than Hajun.

Kim Chan had mentally prepared himself for the worst-case scenario after he underperformed in the first evaluation stage.

He’d even created a whole internal script for ranking near the bottom.

But now, confronted with an unexpected result, Kim Chan got up—then promptly sat back down.

“Looks like his legs gave out. Could someone nearby help him?”

Seeing Kim Chan struggling to keep his balance, Roy quickly stood up and helped him over to seat 11.

“Congrats.”

“Roy hyung…”

Kim Chan’s eyes trembled.

Among his close friends, only Jihoo, Hajun, and himself had been called so far.

Doha hadn’t been mentioned yet, but it would actually be strange if he ranked low.

From the reactions Roy had received, it was clear he was just as well-known as Hajun.

Still, because nothing was certain, Kim Chan couldn’t relax.

Now that his own ranking was revealed, worry for the others—especially Roy and Jaemin—swelled up in his chest.

“Ber, come here.”

Roy gently patted Kim Chan’s shoulder as if to say ‘don’t worry,’ then called Ber back.

With a chirping sound, Ber flew up and settled on Roy’s shoulder.

“Half of the chairs have now found their true owners.”

Just as Lee Jian said, Kim Chan was the 35th contestant to be called.

“Why don’t we take a short break here?”

The contestants whose rankings had already been announced looked visibly relieved, while those still waiting looked even more anxious.

The process of waiting for results was absolute agony—the phrase “blood runs dry” had never been more fitting.

Roy also wasn’t sure how to ease the growing tension.

And just then…

“Let’s use this break time to interview our hot topic spirit—Ber!”