Lightning was a group where everyone had to survive on their own.
Nobody tried to work together—everyone only focused on their own tasks. A group with no loyalty, no time, no affection for one another. A team brought together purely for business, with no chemistry whatsoever.
Offering help was treated as meddling, and covering for someone meant you were trying to stand out. Everyone tried to guard their own territory and refused to blend with the others. And because of that, everyone was cautious of one another.
Once I realized the lines they had drawn, I stopped interfering unnecessarily. Instead of trying to do more, I focused on handling problems after they happened—cleaning up, caring for members, resolving issues. I believed that was what kept the group alive.
And in fact, once I stopped interfering and kept a reasonable distance, the fights and tension decreased. Or rather, it'd be more accurate to say everyone simply became indifferent to one another.
Either way, even while creaking along like that, Lightning managed to survive up to its fifth year. Without even generating any major "team conflict" rumors.
'Though really, we barely had the kind of relationship that could even create conflict.'
But in Lightning, that had been the correct answer. That was what kept the team alive—everyone just doing their own part well.
'…But now I'm being told that was wrong?'
It wasn't like I had trained carelessly. Even if a part of me wanted to get eliminated from
During practice, I only practiced. I never cut corners. I even contributed to the creation mission, and I didn't display any major shortcomings. I simply did the amount expected of me—no more, no less.
To maintain a safe line that brought me no loss and no gain.
"...."
But the mentors were telling me I needed to do more. That something was lacking—or perhaps something was excessive.
And clearly, Aiden Lee was thinking the same.
"Let's practice again~!"
Watching him rise from his seat with a cheerful grin, I swallowed down the frustration rising in my chest. I had the feeling that guy probably knew the answer to the problem I was struggling with… but I didn't want to ask him.
And with all that frustration still bottled up inside, I greeted the morning of the fifth day of dorm life.
"From this moment on, we'll begin the
Waaaaaah!
It was the afternoon of the fifth day. Alongside an ice-breaking purpose, a mini-corner meant to fill screen time began.
A mini-corner in the middle of our already-crammed practice and creation schedules felt out of place, but the trainees didn't seem unhappy about it.
"In the
Naturally—PR video rights were offered as the prize.
"Everyone stay sharp. If we don't win this, we're done for...."
Kim Taeyoung warned us with burning eyes. After staying up late practicing the night before, everyone had been walking around half-dead in the morning—but now, their faces were glowing with a strange competitive fire.
'Well, it is a tempting reward....'
I glanced at the text
Right now, the personal PR video was the most desired reward among the trainees.
And on top of that, this mini-corner came right after yesterday's harsh feedback from the mentors. Everyone seemed eager to take this opportunity to forget practice for a moment and catch their breath.
"The rules are simple! There are four categories for
With a wink, the MC gave us five minutes to choose. A giant timer appeared on the screen, and the auditorium instantly filled with loud chatter.
My team—Team 2—also dove into heated discussion to choose the members who could bring us victory.
"...."
"And now, let's begin the 'Plot-Twist King' trainee battle~!"
…And that was how I ended up competing.
'…Ha.'
Onstage, I stared blankly at the camera in front of me. Beside me, Joo Danwoo stood stiff as a statue, unable to look anywhere but straight ahead.
"Waaaah!! Won Yuha!! Joo Danwoo!!"
"Clear the way! Plot-Twist Kings belong to Team 2!!!"
Hearing my teammates scream themselves hoarse from below, I swallowed hard and forced myself to remain calm.
'At this point, this feels like a curse.'
Focusing on long-term gain rather than immediate screen time had led us to choose strategically.
If it had been an individual contest, everyone would've volunteered to appear on camera, and I could've blended into the crowd. But because it was a team competition with chosen representatives… Danwoo and I had been selected.
The reasons were as follows:
—Yuha is the definition of a plot twist. A Big Agency trainee who got a D-rank once, then jumped from D to A in the re-evaluation. On top of that, his expression is always blank so we all thought he was cold, but Idol Makers fell for his Pocari-fresh smile. That's, like, three plot twists already. He's basically the King of Plot Twists.
—Danwoo-hyung was honestly terrifying at first. But look at him now—gentle and shy smile. Total plot twist.
—If Yuha and Danwoo-hyung don't win Plot-Twist King, something is seriously wrong.
…In other words, the accidental storyline I'd built had backfired.
"Uwaaaah, Team 2!!!!"
"Best!!! Team!!! 2!!!!"
My teammates screamed like their lives depended on it, all hoping for the PR video. I slowly turned my head away.
Somehow, I felt like something terrible would happen if I returned empty-handed.
'…So my options are: slack off and get hated, or try hard and get attention.'
Either way, it was a disadvantage for me. I swallowed a heavy sigh and stared silently ahead.
When the cheers from the trainees below finally settled, the MC swept a glance over the contestants standing on the platform and began speaking with a playful tone.
"Plot-twist charm is essential for an idol. Idols who can show many different sides—not just one fixed image—are the type fans truly fall in love with!"
With that, the MC gestured toward the screen.
"Now then, what were these trainees' charm points?"
A flashy transition played across the screen. The moment the image appeared, murmurs rippled through the trainees.
"Huh?"
"Wait, that's…?"
Listening to the whispers around me, I looked up at the screen. Displayed there were the application forms we had all submitted prior to joining the show.
'…Why that?'
My face stiffened as I stared at the forms. Each form was shown with the photo and most details blurred out except for one circularly highlighted section—the question asking, "If you could describe your charm in one word, what would it be?"
'I think Team Manager Kwon wrote most of that…'
I barely remembered. I had filled out part of it myself, but Manager Kwon had dictated the rest. At the time, I was reluctantly accepting my participation in
'What did I put? …Refreshing?'
Just as I looked away from the screen and tried to remember, someone shouted.
"Ah—! Ahhh!"
"Wooooo!"
The trainees below suddenly erupted in noise. I quickly turned back to the screen—everything was swirling around in chaotic motion.
The charm words we'd written were being randomly reassigned to different trainees onstage.
"Now, everyone—you will be displaying not your own charm, but someone else's! A true all-rounder idol, which
When the words finished reshuffling, the final list appeared.
I immediately searched for my name, and next to it… found:
"Cuteness♥"
…as my assigned keyword.
'W-will he be okay…? Yuha-hyung?'
From below, Zixuan looked up at Won Yuha with a worried face. Yuha had been standing woodenly ever since spotting his new keyword, looking like his soul had left his body.
'Hyung is… really, really far from cute.'
Zixuan respected Won Yuha deeply.
He admired him for being from the prestigious KRM Entertainment, for rising from a D-rank to an A-rank in one evaluation, for proposing the team concept, and for handling the bulldozer-like Aiden Lee with ease. There was nothing not to admire.
'Even if the two of them seem a bit distant lately…'
Still, within Team 2, the only person who could control unpredictable Aiden Lee was Won Yuha. And that presence felt charismatic to Zixuan.
Which was why it was hard—nearly impossible—for Zixuan to reconcile the words "Won Yuha" and "cuteness."If it had been "refreshing" or "melancholy charm," he might have understood. But cuteness was a trait that Yuha had never shown.
'He's cool, not cute…'
Something like "tough" or even "sexy" would've made more sense!
Zixuan anxiously watched Yuha. No matter how skilled Yuha was, could he really pull off such a mismatched keyword?
Worse, the two trainees from Team 1 who went before them had already struggled badly. One had received "cuteness," just like Yuha, and the other got "charisma"—both failed miserably and drew pity from the trainees.
After their flustered performance, it was soon Team 2's turn.
The MC held out the mic to Won Yuha and Joo Danwoo.
"…Team 2, Won Yuha. I'll begin."
Yuha glanced at the stiff-as-a-board Danwoo, then took the mic first. After announcing, he placed the mic down at his feet.
Right on cue, the production team played a cute, children's-song-like BGM.
Zixuan sighed as Yuha simply stood there listening to the music, motionless atop the platform.
But then—
A thunderous burst of cheers and applause exploded from the trainees below, loud enough to shake the hall.
"…Huh?"
Zixuan blinked, stunned.
Because Won Yuha—who moments ago had looked utterly lifeless—was now smiling with a bright, clear, confident expression, flawlessly performing a relay of adorable heart gestures like he'd been born for it.