Chapter 104

Baek I-hyeon looked down from the audience seats on the second floor, watching the stage unfolding below with an intrigued gaze.

Won Yu-ha, who had instantly immersed the audience with a confident declaration, began the choreography with movements that flowed like water.

— A stage that will amaze everyone

Now that imagination has become reality

Don’t hesitate, bring out everything

Between the two groups of trainees divided into large formations, Won Yu-ha walked forward, securing distance with big arm movements.

From the smoothly raised corners of his lips flowed a firm tone. His eyes, lowered languidly yet burning intensely through the gap, met the camera head-on.

— The main I’ve always longed for, anywhere

You hear it—our music

The one who came bursting out behind him was Cheon Se-rim. As the formation closed in again, Cheon Se-rim led them with a dazzling display of facial expression performance.

— The adrenaline spilling in my head

The next step I take

— There’s no need to hold back anymore

Showtime has begun!

While the trainees in the back formation performed group choreography, Park Won-hyo and Yoo Min-seong stepped to the center and showcased a paired routine. As the two brushed past each other and split in different directions, the formation soon divided once again.

Following the rhythmic melody, the formation quickly separated into two lines. When the trainees in the front row knelt and crept forward like beasts in motion, the members behind them surged through the gaps.

— We’ve been waiting for this moment

There’s no way we’re losing your dream

This moment we’ve wanted

— Inside my heart

A sound like sparks crackling mixed into the shifting melody as the formation spread out with distance. Between the members who surged forward with an upward wave motion, Hwang Young-oh stepped out with a desperate expression and sang softly. At that moment, Do Ji-hyuk smiled from behind.

— (Sparks fly)

As Do Ji-hyuk nodded and whispered with a confident expression before pulling back, the formation shifted into an arrow shape. The next to step out was—

— Capture it, more spark!

In your heart that’s burning up

A brilliantly shining light

Won Yu-ha burst forward with a high jump and a dazzling turn.

Clean dance lines, powerful vocals that soared. The atmosphere of the stage climbed higher and higher on Won Yu-ha’s voice.

Under the scattering lights, his expressions changed moment by moment. Delicate acting that brought the lyrics alive, followed by light, rhythmic steps.

Odd- and even-numbered members crossed paths as choreography with powerful bouncing movements followed. The vocals, carrying the exhilaration of the stage, drew the audience further in.

— Feel your spark!

Intensely—boom boom

— Catch your fire

At this moment the sparks fly

Just as the formation rapidly shifted again with no time to breathe, the trainees split into a W-shape. Kang Hyun-jin, standing at the front with the beat marked by his left foot, guided the flow with flexible movements and a sensuous vocal.

After Kang Hyun-jin raised his hands and crossed them in a popping-inspired motion, showing a gesture like a beating heart, Joo Dan-woo and Do Ji-hyuk each added depth to the song with their low voices.

— Run with no mark!

Shake off your fears far away

Fill it with our heat

— Gazing straight on

At last the flames spread

— Feel the spark

Spark the fusion

Right after that, with the refreshing rock beat, Gyeong Ji-won stepped out and delivered a soaring high note.

With the booming bass, the choreography transformed again. The members exploded upward from the floor with powerful motions, showcasing an intense group routine.

The point choreography—arms bent as if running, crossing sharply—along with the staggered timing in their movements and the perfectly aligned spacing, created a stage that fit together like precision gears. The crowd roared at the clean, powerful performance that clearly displayed the sheer amount of practice.

— Shout louder,

— (speak!)

— In the moment we’ve dreamed of

Throw ourselves into the world

Shock—

— (Electric Shock!)

Joo Dan-woo stepped out front, his chic expression matching his striking features, and delivered a powerful rap.

Between the three-way divided formation, Joo Dan-woo kept up his rhythmic rap, followed by perfectly timed ad-libs.

Park Won-hyo on the right and Do Ji-hyuk on the left each touched Joo Dan-woo’s shoulder, showing smooth wave motions as they threw playful glances into the camera.

— (Whatever—do this do this)

— (Raise a toast—drink it drink it)

— Blaze each other up!

The word “give up” is a warning

Timing comes without notice

Don’t stop your dream

Walk forward without hesitation

Never stop

After Park Won-hyo and Do Ji-hyuk were drawn into their respective split formations, Yoo Min-seong and Cheon Se-rim brushed past Joo Dan-woo next. As Joo Dan-woo delivered the final line and stepped back, the formation naturally reassembled with the trainees gathering once more.

— After the new sun rises

Even if tomorrow repeats itself

There won’t be anything to regret now

— I can’t explain it in words

But on the path my heart leads me

— In this story, I’m born anew

The protagonist of the happy ending is—

Together forever!

Another flourish of turns and jumps, another group dance. As the choreography connected seamlessly into the verse of the second chorus, Baek I-hyeon’s eyes glittered with a sharp gleam.

“It’s almost strange how much he’s improved.”

There was simply too much he knew to feel pure admiration as he watched Won Yu-ha flawlessly execute the stage without a single misstep.

Baek I-hyeon had always paid far more attention to Yu-ha than Yu-ha ever imagined.

It was only natural that he requested Yu-ha’s past evaluation videos from KRM Entertainment.

Won Yu-ha’s skills had consistently ranked near the top, proving that he hadn’t been considered a candidate for the next debut lineup for nothing throughout his five years as a trainee.

He had supposedly gone through a slump in the middle, one that caused his skills to collapse for a time, but judging by the way he was soaring onstage now, he seemed to have overcome even that.

“But… something’s strange.”

— Let’s fall down together

I want us to stay together endlessly

— This brightly shining moment

The time we shared

I want it to be unforgettable—

Even so, there was something jarringly out of place about how skilled Won Yu-ha looked.

When Won Yu-ha, together with Gyeong Ji-won, filled the bridge of the song with a chillingly high note, screams erupted from the audience like shrieks. At the same time, Baek I-hyeon’s eyes narrowed.

In the videos he had reviewed, Won Yu-ha had always shown excellent skill. But the current Won Yu-ha had something the old Won Yu-ha didn’t.

— Capture it, more spark!

In your heart that’s burning up

A brilliantly shining light

Dominance over the stage, seasoned expression control, and refined stage manners.

Those aren’t things you gain from practice.

They’re things built from standing on stage for a long time, accumulating that sense. Which meant Won Yu-ha—whose real stage experience was limited—shouldn’t have it yet.

He’s good. Too good.

Yet Won Yu-ha had it now. And that was what stirred Baek I-hyeon’s sense of wrongness.

— Catch your fire

Burn even hotter now

— Feel your spark

Fill it even more intensely

— Run with no mark

Shake off your fears far away

Fill it with our heat

— Gazing straight on

At last, the flames spread

While Baek I-hyeon watched him, the Won Yu-ha on stage scattered a refreshing smile as he sprinted toward the end of the song.

During the powerful synchronized group choreography, dazzling ad-libs filled the space behind it. The song grew richer and richer, and the exhilaration swept across the audience like fireworks bursting open.

Then the music began to slowly fade, the trainees gathered toward the center, and harmonies layered. Just like at the beginning, Won Yu-ha sat back down among his reunited teammates.

— Feel the spark

Spark the fusion

— Ohh, ohh…….

Won Yu-ha hummed lazily, as if recalling the beginning. Without a single tremble, his eyes burned with the strong afterglow of the performance as he stared into the camera. And with that, the stage came to an end.

And then—

“AAAAAAAH!!”

“Yu-ha!! Won Yu-ha!!!!”

“Ji-hyuk!!”

“Young-oh!!”

“Hyun-jin!!”

Whether in the audience or watching on TV as idol-makers, people screamed the moment the stage ended.

Those screams were exactly what Team 1 had expected.

Which was why the breathless members of Team 1 instinctively understood.

— Kill me already, guys

— I am pressing charges against ten men for setting my heart on fire

— Let’s just… debut as Team 1 only

— I swear I’m not lying, I think I’m gonna throw up—my head is getting slammed repeatedly right now

— Are you kidding me LMAO how is this a trainee stage in any universe

— I did tell them to practice hard if they want to debut but I didn’t know they’d grind their souls down like THIS…

— Kids who haven’t even debuted are setting the entire K-pop industry straight

— What did I just watch

The stage they created would remain a “legend” for years to come, and with that stage, they themselves would also be remembered for a long time within the K-pop fandom.

***

“Huuu… huuuh….”

“Hey, no—don’t cry. We’re not even done yet—if you cry now….”

“Y-you’re crying too, hyung… huuuh….”

As soon as they stepped offstage, Zixuan burst into tears. Park Won-hyo, who had been watching him, felt his own eyes redden. The members, watching their teammate tilt his head up to fight the tears back, all showed faces that were both refreshed and complicated.

We really worked hard.

They understood the feeling. This was truly the last stage they would show on <DEAR DOLL>.

“I kinda feel… regretful.”

“…Feels like we could’ve done even better.”

“That p-pronunciation was weird—”

“It was more than good enough. Don’t cry. You all know you did well, so why are you regretting it now?”

“Mmm… yeah, it was good.”

Even as he agreed with my words, Do Ji-hyuk glanced back at the stage they’d already stepped down from. At the same moment, Kang Hyun-jin, who had also been staring toward the stage, murmured:

“…If only we could’ve practiced a little more….”

“……”

Even though from the moment they received the final mission song, they hadn’t rested for even a second.

Still, I understood what Kang Hyun-jin meant, so I didn’t bother arguing. If anything, they felt regret because they’d worked so hard.

…It’s really over.

And I, too, was feeling the same complicated emotions.

After finishing a stage I could honestly say I’d poured almost everything into, my knees nearly buckled for a moment. It was the release of tension.

The reason was simple. Only now did it truly hit me that the long-running competition of <DEAR DOLL> was finally over—that there was nothing more I could do.

There was still one more stage left, but that was more like a finale for the show’s broadcast. The stage where I could really show something through <Design Your Idol> was now completely finished.

“Waaaaah!”

“…Let’s go.”

All that was left now was to wait.

I stared blankly toward the set where Team 2’s stage had begun, then quickly walked with the members toward the dressing room.

My heart was still pounding, and all of us were still absorbed in the afterglow of the performance we had just finished.

“Once you change clothes, please gather backstage immediately!”

Since the broadcast was still underway, we had to stay focused. The most important part was still ahead.

For not just me, but for every trainee, this was the most important step of all. The true final moment of <Design Your Idol>—the results announcement—was right in front of us.