The Unspringing Trap
The audience at Invasion from Seoul was buzzing too, but the real uproar came from the bands themselves. No one had expected Echo Stones to pick Group Sound.
And that was only natural. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear had pegged Group Sound as a top contender for the win from the start. Sure, they'd scored 62 points from the audience in Round 1 and scraped through Round 2 in 16th place... but scores and rankings like that didn't reflect true skill. The kind of real skill that couldn't be measured by numbers alone. Among the competing bands, Group Sound had long been recognized as its owner.
And that wasn't just other bands saying it—Echo Stones' own members knew it too.
"Hyung, are you insane? What the hell are you thinking?"
Shooting had paused, an outcome the PD hadn't anticipated. In the meantime, Echo Stones huddled in a corner of the set, arguing fiercely. Their leader, Jeong Woojin, had unilaterally chosen Group Sound as their opponent without consulting anyone. His bandmates couldn't wrap their heads around it. How could he pull this stunt in a loser's bracket revival round, of all places?
"Go cancel it now, say it was a mistake."
"No, fuck...! You think that's even possible?!"
"It's done. We gotta figure out how to handle it, not just rage like this."
The guitarist snarled and lunged at Woojin. Hwang Eunji—the bassist and Woojin's girlfriend—pulled him off and tried to talk sense. But even she looked utterly baffled by her boyfriend.
"Anyway, oppa. What the hell were you thinking? You said earlier you had something in mind. This is it? Screwing us over? Then why bother prepping for the loser's bracket at all?"
Eunji's words hung in the air. But Woojin looked away and muttered,
"I do have something in mind."
"What 'something'? Just charging blindly into the audition and getting wrecked? Hyung, snap out of it! We heard the format. It's straight-up 1-on-1. Like Eunji noona said, go beg the PD now. Say you misspoke!"
"You guys remember that time?"
Jaemin was on the verge of exploding when Woojin tossed out the random question. All eyes snapped to him as the timing stole the momentum.
"Which time?"
"With Band Pioneer. When they got booted."
"...That ended up being baseless rumors, didn't it? What's your point?"
The drummer shot back at Woojin's words. Woojin just grinned in response before speaking again.
"I do have something in mind. Witnesses, a plan. I'll probe it soon enough."
"Hyung. Get a grip."
But the guitarist doused his mood. Woojin glared at him, but the guitarist pressed on, unfazed.
"Whatever it is, why keep banking on some lucky break? What if it flops? You wanna face them and get crushed?"
"It won't flop."
"No, what the— that's bullshit...!"
The guitarist yelled again but got yanked back by Eunji. Amid the worried stares of the remaining members, Woojin kept muttering to himself.
"No way it flops."
It felt less like reassuring them and more like convincing himself. His bandmates froze, staring at him. He'd been fine before Band Pioneer. Something had broken in him after that.
Recording resumed. To set up the new scene, the staff had the opposing bands reshoot the same moment.
"We choose Group Sound."
"For real?!"
The MC jumped in exaggerated shock, just like before, despite already hearing it. Is that what pros do? Myeongjeon thought, scratching his head.
What the hell is he thinking?
Echo Stones. Forgettable band, nothing impressive. Iseo had said, "They were in Band Pioneer too! And at By Taylor'd!"
Which meant he'd seen them and still didn't remember.
"First up, 2MAJOR versus COTRA! But before that, a word of resolve from each?"
Ignoring the MC, they followed staff directions down from the podium toward the back of the stage. Echo Stones trailed behind.
"Why'd they pick us?"
"No idea. Me neither."
Myeongjeon gave Iseo's whisper a bored reply and eyed the opponents. Echo Stones flinched. But the leader stared back with the same fierce intensity as before.
Did I do something?
Myeongjeon racked his brain, but nothing came up.
"Now! For the showdown song...!"
The MC shouted, and the stage screen spun a roulette wheel before landing on a track. A pretty famous idol song.
"Song selected! 2MAJOR and COTRA will now duel with this one. Who will survive? The audience? The bands? Mentors? Online votes? Which band will they choose?"
Recording continued. The MC kept things moving, prior bands reacted. Comments of resolve, gratitude to fans for getting this far. Even as they traded words, the two loser's bracket rivals sized each other up. The tension reached all the way back to Myeongjeon, waiting his turn.
"Alright!! Next up... the rising stars, Group Sound!! And their challengers from hell, Echo Stones!! Let's meet them now!!"
"Head to the front and line up~"
Staff ushered the bands at the MC's call. With both leaders in the middle, they formed a straight line on stage as the screen played footage. Hastily prepped clips of Group Sound and Echo Stones' performances. Myeongjeon stifled a yawn, desperately schooling his face. Fine in the band seats or behind the set, but not with everyone watching.
"Ha Suyeon-ssi."
It was a perfect ambush. On stage, eyes on them. No managing expressions, no dodging. Had to take it full force.
"You were infamous as a delinquent at Han Seung High, right? Bullying kids, school violence."
Jeong Woojin spat it out. It has to land. He thought, watching Suyeon's face. Carefully timed. He'd studied last season's loser's bracket, watched prior teams' moves. Calculated her response too.
First: denial. "Never happened," or "What are you talking about?"
Or second: anger. "You crazy?" or "What the fuck, asshole?"
Either worked. Any answer worked. They were recording.
Deny? Call her a liar and press. Rage? Counter with evidence.
If it flowed well, threaten with witnesses to force a forfeit. Resist or snap? Use the recording as proof, tighten the noose.
That was Woojin's plan. Offstage or on the street, she could dodge. But here? React, and she's caught. Even if not, she'd make her own evidence. A perfect spiderweb.
Woojin waited smugly for Ha Suyeon's reaction. None came, so he threw another.
"Hey, Ha Suyeon-ssi. Ex-delinquent, right? School violence, then shamelessly on TV. Yoon Jimin, Kim Jiwon, Lee Seoyeon, Sung Juhee. Why pretend you don't know?"
Still nothing from Suyeon. Staring ahead like it had zero to do with her.
How? How can she?
Woojin thought. Bully who tormented others, now pretending to reform and crawl into music. Classic scum who believed they did nothing wrong. That's what he saw in "Ha Suyeon." Plus, she'd been booted from Band Pioneer, so resentment should boil. She had to react.
"Already got caught once and dropped out. Think you won't this time?"
He prodded again, expecting curses, denial, anything. The typical bully who got off on tormenting kids in their teens.
Just more silence. An outcome Woojin hadn't imagined. His face hardened.
Yeah. Woojin was just an ordinary guy with ordinary imagination... so he overlooked one key thing about "Ha Suyeon."
She wasn't the old "Ha Suyeon" anymore.
This asshole?
He'd brushed off the first mention as nonsense. But the second confirmed it for Myeongjeon. This was the guy who'd whispered to the Band Pioneer judges.
Suppressing his initial reaction took superhuman effort—not from Seo Myeongjeon's experience and gut, it would've been impossible. The old Ha Suyeon would've snapped for sure.
He's testing me.
Lightning insight flashed through his mind. Why bring it up now, here? Why keep poking?
Myeongjeon strained not to react, no matter what he said.
This isn't working.
Woojin could think. That's why he knew when threats worked best. Threats land when the target fears your weapon. Shove a gun and yell "Bang!" Stab with a knife and scream "Stab!" Victim dreads what's coming; threatener gets what they want via fear.
Paradox: the threatener doesn't actually want to use it. Nothing left after pulling the trigger or stabbing.
So what they fear most? Someone fearless.
This was that moment. Woojin had brandished his "I know what you did" weapon. But no visible reaction.
What now? Explode it? Yoon Dong-wook PD might cheer "Perfect!" and drag Group Sound through it for ratings. Ratings fiend.
Plus, unless forfeit or intentional loss, they'd just swap opponents. Pointless.
What mattered: Echo Stones advancing. Justice wasn't Woojin's goal.
Don't explode? Maybe better. Save for later.
Then how do we beat them and advance?
The thought hit Woojin. He knew it too. Their skill couldn't match Group Sound. That's why the plan: rattle her into forfeit or tank, advance easy. Board set that way from the start.
Not dropping the bomb pre-revival, waiting till matchup reveal... all for this timing. Shake her solid for the win.
But now... what?
Suddenly, Woojin's vision widened. Tunnel vision expanding, endless openness.
"Jeong Woojin-ssi?"
"Y-yeah..."
MC's voice cut in.
"A word of resolve on picking Group Sound."
"Uh..."
Woojin stared ahead. Vast stage. Bands looking down. Hidden audience in dark. Puzzled opponents, bandmates eyeing him like what the fuck are you doing?
Sloppy plan, really. Assumed she'd react. But he'd thought it perfect. Why? Why assume she'd fall right in?
"We'll... give it our all."
He couldn't answer right away. Forced out those two words instead.
Do our best.
"Exactly! To win the loser's bracket! To prove championship potential by picking the strongest foe—that ambition!"
MC spun it positive. Roulette followed. Woojin prayed last-second for a favorable song.
"Selected song is... this one!!"
Opposite. Iconic 1970s Korean psychedelic rock. Woojin knew it vaguely, but no confidence nailing its vibe. He felt his bandmates sigh without looking.
Woojin glanced sideways at Suyeon, head high. Her signature blank face. To him, it screamed mockery.