In conclusion, that day I was used purely for bait and didn't get a proper appearance.
[Hello. I'm Won Yu-ha, a fifth-year trainee from KRM Entertainment.]
Just as the episode was nearing its end, and the me on screen was holding a mic and singing—
「What level will KRM trainee Won Yu-ha show?」
…The screen abruptly cut to the preview.
And in the preview, the version of Won Yu-ha shown was—
[-Within the Spectruma miracle newly discovered—]
He danced with minimal movement and sang.
[Won Yu-ha can't dance.]
[His skills are lacking.]
He received harsh criticism from the mentors.
[What should we do?]
[I think B– grade is appropriate.]
[I agree.]
[…Trainee Won Yu-ha's grade is… B–.]
[Thank you.]
…and the scene ended with me bowing with a faintly disappointed expression, edited in a distinctly negative way while still maximizing viewers' curiosity about what would follow.
The tense preview closed with the shocked expressions of trainees reacting to my grade.
'If it's like this, that's manageable.'
Depending on how the next episode was edited, the direction of my character could go very differently. That's what I thought as I left after finishing the reaction filming.
The production team would decide in the next episode what path to take with me:
Would they continue using me as bait because I'm from a major agency?Or, out of respect for KRM, would they give me a positive storyline?
Whichever it was, my screen time would probably be substantial either way.
'And any kind of screen time turns into recognition.'
In that day's episode, my presence wasn't large, and since my actual skills hadn't been revealed, the online communities didn't react strongly.
But as expected—when episode 2 aired a week later, the reactions changed.
[Fansite Master: Unnie, are you off work?? ㅠㅠ You said you had tons to do… are you done?]
[Office Worker Fan: ..Work? What is that?]
[Office Worker Fan: Today, I only see Won Yu-ha.]
The fansite master read the exhausted office worker fan's message, felt a strange sense of solidarity, and put her phone down. The TV was already past the commercials, showing the content rating screen for
"Haa..."
The fansite master let out a nervous sigh. She, too, had a mountain of tasks waiting, but none of that mattered tonight.
'A-Net… those bastards better not edit him dirty…'
Because in episode 1 of
'They have such a long history of garbage edits, I can't trust them.'
A-Net had produced numerous survival shows over the years and had mastered the so-called "devil's editing."
They switched attitudes quickly—one episode, they'd portray someone as a hardworking, earnest idol hopeful;the next, the same person would be portrayed as the villain of the group.
Their interview splicing was notorious—if it helped build dramatic tension, they didn't care what kind of image they destroyed.
And judging by the episode 1 preview, the main prey of
'Usually when they edit someone negatively in the preview, they treat them well the next episode but…'
That happened often—but there were also many cases where a negative preview led straight into an equally negative episode.She couldn't relax.
Episode 2 began, and the fansite master swallowed nervously as she focused on the screen.
Despite appearing at the very end of last week's episode, Won Yu-ha didn't show up at the beginning of episode 2.To maximize tension, several other trainees' evaluations aired first.
'Broadcast bastards… If you were going to do this, why show our boy at the end last week…'
The fansite master muttered familiar curses at A-Net while enduring the agony of waiting.
Roughly a third into the episode—
[Hello. I'm Won Yu-ha, a fifth-year trainee from KRM.]
He finally appeared, and she sucked in a breath.
'Please… please do well…'
The Won Yu-ha on screen looked calm as he prepared for the stage—and then showed an unexpected performance.
'Huh… that's Yoo A-yeon's "New Life," isn't it.'
A slightly plain song for an audition, and arguably a risky choice for a male trainee. The fansite master tilted her head.
But despite the questionable song choice, in the middle of trainees' expectations and silent rivalry, Won Yu-ha completed the stage with overall cleanness—start to finish.
'Hmm...'
But once the performance ended, she had to swallow her words.
Maybe because the emotion she'd felt at the on-site evaluation was too strong, the televised performance didn't hit her as hard.
And viewers felt the same.
-Not bad, but maybe I expected too much… kind of underwhelming-Feels familiar but the skill isn't great-Huh, this is someone who trained 5 years? lol did he even practice-Karma sending a trainee to a survival show? Turns out it was a fake listing lmao
'He's good, though…'
Since she remembered how good he was during the actual evaluation, the fansite master felt wronged—but the broadcast version of Won Yu-ha really did fall below the high expectations.
So she had to endure her frustration alone.
[Won Yu-ha feels like a blank slate to me right now.]
[He's really bad but interesting. I'm looking forward to how he grows.]
[But don't forget—he trained for five years. If basics are all he can show, he should reflect on that.]
At least the comments were mixed, not purely negative.That was a small relief.
'Was he in bad condition that day?'
Knowing his real skill was far better, she wondered, watching the broadcast.
Afterward, Won Yu-ha only appeared for short reaction shots, so it seemed like that was the end of his episode 2 screen time.
Until—
[How did you memorize the choreography already? It's not even an easy one.]
[…Re… peated practice.]
The fansite master couldn't help but cheer.
Once the grades and classes were assigned and everyone began practice for re-evaluation, Won Yu-ha shone with excellent choreography absorption and adaptability—quickly becoming D Class's dance leader, appearing constantly onscreen.
And the editing clearly favored him.He was designated as the essential survival-show trope: the growth character.
[How did you practice? Your delivery has improved. Did you stay up all night?]
[…Re… peated practice.]
Won Yu-ha showed more improvement each day, earning praise from both dance and vocal mentors.
That wasn't all.
[…Shall we try it once more in sync? I think you need to nail the choreography first.]
[For this part—]
With focus on his diligence, hard work, and gentle personality, Won Yu-ha took on a thoughtful leader-like role alongside Joo Dan-woo, a trainee in the same class.
Unlike leaders from other classes who were busy with their own individual practice, the D Class leaders did not neglect helping their fellow trainees.
Through cross-cut editing—showing the scattered, chaotic other classes versus the warm, cooperative atmosphere of D Class—the show highlighted the characters of Won Yu-ha and Joo Dan-woo.
Then came the trainees' interviews from D Class, reinforcing that portrayal.
["A trainee who looks like he'll move up in class?"]
["Dan-woo hyung and Yu-ha."]
["Those two really work hard."]
["They're so good that I don't even know why they're in D Class. No matter what we ask, they teach us."]
["I'm grateful. I've gotten so much help."]
Along with that, public perception of Won Yu-ha began to change in earnest.
[…"Are you okay?"]
[…"Hyung, have this before you keep going."]
It happened when the friendship between Won Yu-ha and his fellow D Class leader, Joo Dan-woo, aired.
The two looked after each other, worried for each other, and continued practicing together. Won Yu-ha took care of Joo Dan-woo, who often skipped meals to practice, and Joo Dan-woo helped Won Yu-ha whenever he struggled with muscle pain.
In that warm, matter-of-fact kindness, both seemed genuinely grateful for each other.
「We heard you went to the infirmary to get pain relief patches and recovery supplements?」
["Ah, yes… I wanted to give them to Yu-ha. He's been struggling because of us. Yu-ha memorized the choreography on the first day, but he keeps overworking himself to help us practice. I'm grateful and sorry."]
Right after, Won Yu-ha appeared for his interview.
「We heard your stamina isn't very good, but you keep practicing without rest. Is that okay?」
["Rest is important, but resting won't magically improve anything. I still have a lot to learn, and everyone's working so hard… and I'm grateful too. I didn't expect any of this."]
After the interview, the caption 「D Class trainees who feel grateful for small acts of kindness」 appeared, followed by scenes of Won Yu-ha: teaching the others, receiving water from them, attending lessons with them, and dancing together.
'Holy…'
The fansite master felt her heartbeat going wild.
'This is it.'
It felt like she'd invested in a stock that was about to skyrocket.
Anyone could see it—Won Yu-ha was the PD's pick.
The PD was practically funneling screentime toward him, and with how things were edited, Won Yu-ha was clearly becoming episode 2's biggest beneficiary.
And that wasn't the end of the "relationship-building" between Joo Dan-woo and Won Yu-ha.
["Hyung."]
["…! Yu-ha, aren't you resting?"]
["Can you dance the point choreography of the chorus with me one more time?"]
After all the trainees had returned to their rooms, the broadcast showed these two practicing alone in a darkened studio.
The camera never moved.It appeared to be late at night—every camera inside the room was off except the recorder, so the only functioning camera was the hallway camera outside the practice room. It captured the doorway, and silhouettes moved behind the glass.
First came Joo Dan-woo, quietly slipping inside.Then Won Yu-ha followed with a flashlight.Under that dim circle of light, the two whispered and practiced.
["What are you guys doing? Night study?"]
["Aiden hyung said we should go look for Yu-ha hyung."]
Two A Class trainees joined them, and the situation changed again.
The so-called "Room 102 roommates," who all shared the same room, came together—giving each other advice, practicing as the night deepened, all the way until dawn.
Muted voices, sneakers brushing the wooden floor, and a time-lapse of the hallway, shifting from night into the blue of early morning—with shadows and silhouettes constantly moving.
The scene gave the fansite master a strange sense of pressure and emotion.
With emotional BGM and captions like 「Trainees working together for each other's dreams」 framing the segment, it created an unexpectedly warm, touching moment.
Then came scenes of other trainees practicing in their rooms, in the early morning studio, on the staircase landings.
The emotional final stretch of
["We all worked really hard. Everyone will be able to move up."]
["I'm grateful for so much, really. Even in competition, I realized how much we can look out for each other. I'm thankful."]
["I hope everyone debuts."]
After finishing the episode, the fansite master quietly opened her phone to check the reactions online.
Unlike the mockery and sarcasm after the individual evaluations, public sentiment had shifted.
-So Won Yu-ha wasn't a scam… Karma had a reason for sending him-I knew it. He must've been in bad condition during evals. He improves insanely fast—this must be his real skill-Joo Dan-woo's oldest-brother energy… I'm losing my mind. Cold face, warm core?? Michelin-level gap-Did A-Net repent??? Why is the editing so wholesome; I was confused but okay it fits the narrative-They're too warm to edit evilly-I thought low-grade trainees were just lazy, but that was my prejudice. They work their asses off. I almost cried. They go beyond grades and rivalry—they're genuinely good kids-D Class leaders WHAT are they?? Let's call them the Healing Duo ㅠㅠ Their bond is built on painkillers and bread. These two must debut together-Joo Dan-woo is truly a Benz-dol… If you disagree, meet me at 4:44 AM tomorrow at XX Station Exit 1. I just want to calmly explain face-to-face why he's Benz-dol~ but fasting tonight would be wise! ^^-The kids practicing until dawn ㅠㅠ I cried-Aiden Lee's chaotic energy omg lol why is he obsessed with Won Yu-ha?? They're not even in the same class but they're besties??-Cheon Se-rim and Aiden Lee too… mega admirable. Talented people have their reasons-At the press conference, those four kept sticking together… now I get it ㅠㅠㅠ
'Haa...'
The fansite master closed the community and opened her Won Yu-ha Whisper account.She scrolled down to the photo she took at the press conference—four trainees smiling, each doing a different heart pose.
The photo of the four who would soon be known as "Roommates" and "Night Study Squad."
Quietly, she saved it to her alt account and wrote a mention:
「Let's vote for Won Yu-ha and lead him to the light @yuhayadebuthaja
rs) Roommates are about to blow up
Won Yu-ha will debut
Whisper 0, Heart 1」
The first person to like it was, of course, the office worker fan.
'He's going to make it… our boy is going to make it.'
It was unmistakable PD pick energy.The fansite master shed tears of joy imagining Won Yu-ha's rising popularity.
And just like she'd predicted, Won Yu-ha's recognition started growing from that very day.
But during that time, the fansite master encountered an unexpected incident.
「Title: Isn't this kid ㅇㅇㅎ from Dear Doll?(photo)???? I think I met him at a barbecue restaurant once—can someone confirm if this is ㅇㅇㅎ;」
Her one pick, Won Yu-ha, had become a topic again—not for his skills or character from the show, but because someone discovered he was apparently the "part-time job master trainee idol."