Lee Hajun opened his mouth wide, cheeks stuffed with pizza, then quickly clamped his hands over his jaw in embarrassment.
He was the most visibly surprised, but everyone else’s eyes were also trembling with shock.
“How’s the pizza? I want some too…!”
“…Over here.”
It was Lee Jian.
Everyone had seen her from a distance before, but never this close.
No one could speak properly.
Amidst the silence, Lee Jian’s remark about wanting pizza spurred Kim Jaemin to hurriedly lift a slice with both hands.
Since he had been her fan even before joining the program, Kim Jaemin’s face turned red, like someone had poked him with a finger.
“…I’m on a diet.”
Hunters burned a lot of energy, so they didn’t tend to gain weight easily.
Still, eating high-calorie food without a care wasn’t exactly easy either.
Especially in the girl group industry, where thin figures were the norm—even a Hunter idol showing a slightly chubby side could be seen as a drawback.
Lee Jian pushed away the pizza Kim Jaemin offered with an expression full of longing.
“I was just passing by, but you were all enjoying the pizza so much I couldn’t help myself.”
As everyone looked at her cautiously, Lee Jian smiled apologetically.
Technically, they weren’t supposed to reveal that the next mission was related to a specific theme yet, but the news had already quietly spread among the participants.
“I feel like I’ve disturbed your meal. I’ll get going now. Good luck with the next mission!”
Without hesitation, Lee Jian stood up and walked away.
She was just as tired from the long shoot as everyone else.
Since she couldn’t eat the pizza, she’d at least have to grab a salad.
“Goodbye!”
Everyone stood up and bowed politely as she walked off into the distance.
Roy, his cheeks puffed out from shoving pizza into his mouth, bent at the waist in a clumsy bow.
***
“Let’s finish eating quickly and get moving. I’m starting to feel sleepy now that the tension’s gone.”
Kim Jaemin shoved the pizza he’d meant for Lee Jian into his own mouth as he spoke.
He had been so nervous when she was around that he couldn’t even taste the pizza—just chewed mechanically.
“I really thought you were gonna drop…”
Seeing Kim Jaemin’s teary eyes, Kim Chan was overwhelmed with emotion and hugged him around the shoulders, rubbing his face against him.
Moved by the atmosphere, Lee Hajun also clung to Kim Jaemin’s other arm.
“Ugh, gross. Get off me, all of you.”
Kim Jaemin, flustered, flailed his arms trying to shake them off and stuff the rest of his pizza into his mouth.
“Hyung, don’t talk while eating. You’re spitting on the pizza.”
Roy ducked over the remaining pizza to shield it.
He had just seen pieces flying out of Kim Jaemin’s mouth mid-sentence.
‘…Are you seriously choosing pizza over me right now?’
Roy didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes said, ‘Is that even a question?’
Kim Jaemin pouted in protest.
“You’re all so lively—it’s nice to see.”
Han Jihoo, eating his pizza with graceful gestures, quietly watched the scene unfold like a sitcom.
Lee Doha, full from the pizza, was already dozing off, his head slowly nodding forward.
Han Jihoo gently supported his back with one hand.
Lee Doha opened his eyes, muttered a sleepy thank-you, and began nodding off again.
“Let’s all survive the next ranking ceremony too.”
The noisy pizza party came to an end with Kim Jaemin’s loud voice.
No one realized yet how cruel the reality awaiting them would be.
They were still smiling as they cleaned up the trash and headed back to the dorms.
“This is seriously brutal.”
“Jaemin hyung…”
Just moments ago, while eating pizza, everyone had felt a sense of relief—happy to still be in the game.
But that happiness ended the moment they arrived in front of the dorm.
A cold breeze brushed against Kim Jaemin’s cheek.
“Everyone, please wait here. You’re not allowed to enter the dorm yet.”
The moment the staff stopped them from going inside, the participants felt something was off.
Murmurs spread through the tired group standing in front of the dorm.
Everyone was exhausted.
They desperately wanted to wash off their makeup, change into comfortable clothes, and collapse into bed.
“Starting today, dorms and class divisions for vocals and dance will be based on ranking. Participants ranked 51st to 70th, please come this way. This will be your new dorm.”
Originally, the participants had been split into classes based on skill evaluations, and their dorms had been assigned accordingly.
Now, rankings had become the sole criteria.
Kim Jaemin, now part of the Bronze class, followed the staff’s lead toward a wide, open field near the dorms.
He wasn’t the only one in shock.
Participants placed in the Bronze group, as well as others still waiting for instructions, stared wide-eyed.
“These are four-person tents. Please group into fours and begin setting them up.”
***
A chilly wind blew.
It was spring, but the early morning air was still cold.
Even though Hunters had stronger bodies than average people, sleeping in a tent was a completely different experience from resting in a cozy dorm.
Some participants, who had strong skills but low rankings and were now demoted to Bronze, wore grim expressions.
A few couldn’t hide their frustration, clenching their fists in anger.
“You’ll be given sleeping bags as well, so don’t worry. However, you’ll also have to use the temporary showers set up over here.”
To make things worse, they couldn’t even use the dorm’s bathroom facilities.
When the participants saw the tented shower area, many shut their eyes in dismay.
Even though civilization had advanced significantly using monster cores after the monsters appeared, the production team had deliberately provided outdated facilities.
“Hurry up! We won’t be helping you!”
Cruelly, the staff even instructed the participants to build their own tents.
“Participants ranked 31st to 50th, please come this way. We’ll assign your new dorms. You are now part of the Silver class until the next ranking ceremony.”
The production crew had even meticulously removed the luggage that had originally been in the dorms.
It had all been prepared while the contestants spent the entire day filming on set.
The contestants assigned to the Silver class let out sighs of relief as they stepped into the dorm.
Though the rooms had gotten smaller, they were grateful they wouldn’t have to sleep outside.
“Contestants ranked 11th to 30th! Please follow me!”
Roy reluctantly dragged his feet forward.
He’d been feeling a pang of guilt ever since watching the Bronze-class contestants struggle to set up their tents.
Once again, Roy was assigned to the same group as Kim Chan and Lee Hajun.
“Jaemin hyung gets cold easily…”
Kim Chan spoke with concern.
Lee Hajun also kept glancing back in the direction where Kim Jaemin had gone as he walked forward.
“You’ll be sharing rooms in groups of four. Your names are posted in front of the room doors, so please find your assigned room. Your luggage is over here.”
The dorms were noticeably bigger this time.
However, Roy ended up being separated from Kim Chan and Lee Hajun.
The two of them were lucky enough to end up in the same room again.
Roy picked up the luggage labeled with his name and stood in front of his room door.
The unfamiliar names listed on the door made him hesitate to open it.
Beep! (Contractor, are you… nervous by any chance?)
Ber covered his beak with one wing, trying to mimic a human smile—but failing to lift the corners of his beak properly.
Roy let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
“Who’s nervous?”
As if his hesitation had been a lie, Roy opened the door without any further delay.
“…Ah, I’m sorry!”
But the moment he opened it, he locked eyes with someone who was shirtless.
The other person seemed just as surprised.
His eyes widened, and he quickly began putting his clothes back on.
“It’s fine. I was just about to change, but I guess I startled you.”
The contestant had a gentle, honest-looking appearance.
Roy checked the name tag on his clothes.
[Yoo Juwon.]
There were so many contestants that it was difficult to memorize everyone’s names, but Roy vaguely remembered locking eyes with him a few times in passing.
“I think I’m older than you, so feel free to speak casually. Just call me Roy hyung.”
Yoo Juwon was outgoing and friendly.
Roy, who tended to be shy around strangers, simply nodded and placed his luggage on one of the empty beds.
“The others haven’t arrived yet. So… would it be okay if I shower first?”
Apparently, the reason Yoo Juwon had been changing was because he wanted to wash up quickly.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Though still a bit awkward speaking informally, Roy nodded without hesitation.
***
After Yoo Juwon disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes, Roy took a look around the room.
“It’s way bigger.”
Though it still had two bunk beds and a single bathroom like the previous room, the size difference was noticeable.
The beds were larger, and each contestant had access to a spacious wardrobe.
On one side of the wall, there was a round table and four chairs.
While Roy was sitting on the bed and looking around, the door opened again, and two more contestants—his future roommates—entered.
“Hello.”
“Looks like you got here first.”
Ji Hyunwoo and Kim Sunwoo.
Roy quietly repeated their names in his head to memorize them.
Ji Hyunwoo had sharp eyes that angled upwards, giving him the look of a cold, aloof pretty boy.
Kim Sunwoo had a rounder face that gave off a more soft-hearted impression.
Of course, Roy reminded himself not to judge anyone’s personality solely by their appearance.
Still, Kim Sunwoo looked like the laid-back type.
“Looks like someone’s already in the shower?”
“Yeah.”
***
After placing his bag down on the floor rather than the bed, Ji Hyunwoo looked around the room.
Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, he made a face that clearly said, ‘Damn, I missed my chance.’
“Were you waiting to shower next?”
“You can go ahead.”
Ji Hyunwoo’s face made it clear he really wanted to shower, so Roy decided to yield.
“Thank you. Then I’ll take you up on that.”
He pulled out his clothes and walked straight over to the bathroom to wait.
Roy figured he must really want to clean up.
Just then, Roy turned his head when he heard something.
“You’re going to sleep already?”
“Yeah. I’m just really tired…”
Kim Sunwoo, having only taken off his socks, climbed into one of the beds.
Roy and Yoo Juwon shared one bunk bed, while Ji Hyunwoo and Kim Sunwoo naturally ended up sharing the other.
[The atmosphere is kind of… chilly, huh?]
‘Yeah.’
It wasn’t the same lively, noisy energy they had felt during mealtime.
Now, it felt like someone had poured cold water over the whole room.
Everyone was being polite and using formal speech, but it was as if an invisible wall stood between them.
‘Not like we need to be best friends or anything.’
Roy figured there wouldn’t be any major issues.
After all, it was a survival program—everyone here was technically a rival.
Getting too close might actually be a disadvantage.
But then… an incident occurred later that night.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.