"…Trainee Won Yuha from KRM Entertainment!"
"What?"
"Tenth place?"
"Yuha is in tenth?"
The moment my name was called, a ripple of shock spread through the filming site. Amid everyone's murmurs—filled with disbelief, confusion, and surprise—I quietly rose from my seat.
No matter what the other trainees thought, as I walked up to the stage in response to the MC's call, I felt only one emotion:
'I survived.'
Relief—pure relief that I had somehow made it through this round, that I had not died, that I had earned a chance to reach the live broadcast stage and aim for debut.
The other trainees seemed unable to hide their astonishment at the result. Whether it was because I had dropped from 1st place to 10th, or because they had expected my ranking to fall even lower and felt it was an unexpectedly good outcome—I couldn't tell.
'This is… better than I expected.'
To me, this ranking was hopeful. It meant the fandom I thought had wavered during the controversy had held on more than I feared.
There had been many trainees besides me whose rankings had plummeted after sudden past scandals or unfavorable screen time. Throughout the show, the production team frequently assigned and discarded narratives however they pleased.
Trainees' pasts were also unpredictable traps. During the second ranking announcement, a trainee who, like me, had consistently stayed within the top ten was eliminated after it was discovered they had run a private social media account insulting senior idols—sending their fans fleeing.
'So dropping from 1st to 10th… is practically a miracle.'
Even as shocked stares and sighs lingered throughout the set, I felt more at ease than before as I moved to stand beside the MC.
"Trainee Won Yuha has never fallen out of the top five since the beginning of the show, and even ranked first at the last announcement. Naturally, today's placement is surprising. You may also feel this result is disappointing. Could we ask you for a few words?"
"Thank you. First of all…"
As with the previous announcement, the trainees from 10th place onward were given the chance to speak. I took the microphone handed to me by a staff member.
I paused to consider my words. What should I say first? The things that came to mind were the voices I had heard not long ago.
—Yuha, don't listen to the bad comments. Only listen to the good ones. We believe in you, remember that. We'll stay with you till the end.
—Let's see each other often, Yuha! Okay? Promise!
The voices of those who had believed in me, who had ultimately saved me.
"…I want to express my gratitude to all the Idol Makers who voted for me. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me in my journey toward debut. This ranking… feels precious—and I'm grateful for it all the more because of that."
Then another memory surfaced.
—Just say it, Yuha. That's all you need to do.
The series of events leading up to the third announcement flashed through my mind, and like Aiden Lee had said, I felt a sudden urge to spill everything that had been rising to the tip of my tongue.
'It's too early.'
I barely swallowed the words and kept my expression composed.
Not yet. I wasn't first place, I hadn't secured debut, and this wasn't a live broadcast. Anything I said could be cut or edited however the production wanted.
So now was not the time.
Suppressing the words I truly wanted to say, I continued speaking.
"I don't think this ranking is disappointing. But I don't intend to be satisfied with it, either. I'll work harder, cling more desperately, and give my all. I promise to continue improving so that you can be proud of the votes you've given me."
"Ah, I'm really looking forward to your future performances. Thank you for your words. Please take your seat."
Returning the microphone to a staff member, I headed up to the set. The teammates whose names had been called earlier gave me subtle gestures of encouragement, and I nodded lightly to each face I passed as I climbed toward the tenth-place seat.
The moment I finally reached my spot and sat down on the blue chair, a translucent window appeared before me.
『Quest Complete!』
You achieved 10th place in the third ranking announcement and succeeded in securing a debut-seat.
Reward: Luck +50, Random Stat Unlock
Linked Quest Unlocked
And it wasn't the only window.
『Main Quest: The Chair Toward Debut in
You successfully protected your debut-seat in the third ranking announcement of DEAR DOLL.
Secure a ranking within the top 3 and achieve your dream of debut.
Success Condition: Finish within Top 3 in the final ranking announcement
Success Reward: Guaranteed Luck Roulette Ticket +1
※However, if you voluntarily quit, double penalties will apply.
Failure Penalty: All current Luck is consumed
Luck: 60
※If Luck reaches 0, "Won Yuha" will meet death.
The next quest had been issued almost urgently—so quickly that it felt hasty.
When I saw the penalty written in the new quest, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
'So if I don't debut, I die. That's what it's saying.'
The penalties had been increasing little by little, as if testing me, until now it had finally cornered me with no retreat left. Seeing it, I fully understood:
The system never intended to let me go in the first place.
'Not that I'm planning to run anymore.'
With that thought, I leaned back in the chair. Somewhere below, the MC was already announcing ninth place.
***
There were several noticeable changes in this ranking ceremony aside from my own.
After I, the former first place, dropped to tenth, two of the trainees who had been high-ranking were pushed out of the top ten entirely and surrendered their seats. Among the trainees who had managed to hold onto the upper ranks, the competition for every spot was fierce.
Among the trainees who fought fiercely—those whose ranks had dropped or risen dramatically—
"Third place goes to… trainee Kang Hyun-jin from Dream Actors!"
—…!
There was Kang Hyun-jin, who had dropped once to fifth place but regained votes and rose again to third.
In this third mission, Kang Hyun-jin had produced a "legendary fancam." His performance radiated such overwhelming presence that it crushed the other trainees, and that power was captured on camera intact, becoming a hot topic.
On top of that, thanks to the conflict narrative and the generous screen time he received this episode, it was fair to say that his jump in ranking had been practically guaranteed.
There were several other trainees whose ranks shifted depending on the storylines the broadcast created, and one among them was Aiden Lee.
Aiden Lee fell from his previous third place to fourth. Despite showing explosive potential by competing with Gyeong Ji-won in vocal skill during the third mission, our team's storyline focused heavily on the tension between me and Kang Hyun-jin—so Aiden simply didn't appear on camera very much.
"Thank you! I'll take this as encouragement from the Idol Makers to push even harder. Next time, I'll show you an even more impressive stage!"
Perhaps he had anticipated the drop; his reaction wasn't shaken. But from the change in his eyes, it was clear he intended to claim the main vocal position in the finale no matter what.
Similarly, Joo Dan-woo—who had been in the same team as me—couldn't avoid dropping from eighth to ninth. There were simply too many standout trainees this round, both on stage and narratively, and Dan-woo didn't stand out by comparison.
'Dan-woo will probably get more desperate in the finale too.'
I couldn't afford to let my guard down either. Everyone would be coming for blood.
And then—
"Second place goes to trainee Yoo Chan-hee from DIO Entertainment!"
"Thank you…! Thank you! Ah, I… I have so many people to thank, and so much I want to say… Everyone on my team, those who helped me—thank you, truly… And my hyungs from the previous team… I hope we can all… all debut together."
Second place went to Yoo Chan-hee.
A rise from his previous fourth place into the top tier—an emotional result that would leave anyone overwhelmed.
Chan-hee, who had been in the same team as Cheon Se-rim, stood center for their stage and brought out the song's tone and mood perfectly. It was the first time he truly showcased the abilities he hadn't been able to reveal during Reverse Position.
The stage was polished, his short-form video ranked second, and his overall visibility was strong.
Riding that momentum, his teammate Cheon Se-rim maintained his previous ranking of sixth. Barring something unexpected, he seemed almost guaranteed to debut comfortably within range.
And finally, the empty first-place seat—who claimed it?
"I'm grateful to stand once again on a stage I thought I'd never stand on again. Thanks to the Idol Makers' love and support, as I stand before another performance, I will do everything I can so that stage won't be my 'last.' I will always work to be the Do Ji-hyuk you can trust. Thank you."
It was Do Ji-hyuk.
Throughout the broadcast of DEAR DOLL, except for a single week, Do Ji-hyuk had hovered in second place so consistently that he was jokingly called "Rank-2 Ji-hyuk." Now he had finally broken the curse and taken first place.
Ji-hyuk was one of the trainees who produced a "legendary fancam" this mission, right after Kang Hyun-jin.
Although his short-form video scored only middling results and his team's stage didn't receive overwhelming support from the Idol Makers, Ji-hyuk himself drew massive reactions.
'That song was practically made for him.'
The track matched Ji-hyuk perfectly.
And unlike our team—which had scrambled desperately to raise the tension and match the mood to chase Hyun-jin—there wasn't a single trainee on Ji-hyuk's team whose presence could compete with him. That made his fancam even more sensational.
"'A veteran disguised as a newbie massacring the lobby'… something like that, right? The video title that went around."
On top of that, his hair, makeup, and outfit all suited him perfectly that day, increasing his visual appeal. In short, he had skill—and luck on his side.
Of course, that luck might have been something he engineered intentionally.
'His teammates were inexperienced.'
They had memorized the choreography, but it hadn't fully become their own. Their timing matched, but the details of their movements were slightly off.
Do Ji-hyuk had been both the team's leader and the creator of the choreography. If the timing was right but the details were lacking, that meant Ji-hyuk prioritized unifying the group over perfecting each member individually. And I believed that choice revealed his intentions.
Whether it was due to time constraints or a deliberate choice, it seemed he had given up on polishing his teammates. In the end, that worked entirely in Ji-hyuk's favor.
Of course, he had no obligation to fix them. DEAR DOLL was a competition. As long as the team performed cohesively, he had fulfilled his duties as leader.
But I still felt Ji-hyuk had acted very rationally.
'He divided perfectly between what to give up and what not to.'
He made it his top priority to ensure the group didn't look sloppy as a whole, focusing on synchronization, and then boldly abandoned the details.
In other words, what Ji-hyuk gave up was—
'His teammates.'
Matching the choreography timing was one thing, but raising each member's individual skill was up to their own determination.
Although Ji-hyuk shone with sharp, deliberate movements thanks to personally creating the choreography, the other members lacked that same level of detail. Perhaps aside from group practice, they had slacked on individual practice.
Ji-hyuk didn't seem to have bothered pushing them further. That difference between them became stark in the final result.
He did his part without being swayed by his team's performance and used the others practically as background. From that alone, I could tell Ji-hyuk was dead serious about DEAR DOLL.
"I choose… trainee Won Yuha."
…And that was why I never imagined Ji-hyuk would pick me for the finale.
As I walked toward the smiling Ji-hyuk, I had no choice but to rack my brain, wondering why he had chosen me at all.
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