Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Roommates and Resolve
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"Hyung, do you happen to know where Moon-gyeol hyung's room is?"
On the way back to our rooms after a late dinner, I asked Ban Yo-han, who was from the same agency, Seed Entertainment.
The answer came right away: Room 303. Without a moment's hesitation.
"...No way. You don't have all the room assignments memorized, do you?"
"What?"
Jing Xiao yawned hugely, looking exhausted, and asked.
"Gyeol? Who's that?"
"That handsome guy from Seed who came out with Yo-han hyung. The rapper. Seo Moon-gyeol."
Kim Jun-woo chimed in, pretending to know.
"Oh, that handsome one. Already on a nickname basis like 'Gyeol'?"
"What are you talking about? His name is Gyeol, so I call him Gyeol."
Kim Jun-woo and I exchanged baffled looks.
Ban Yo-han, who'd been listening, let out a low chuckle and explained.
"His surname is Seomun. Name's Gyeol."
"Ah, whoa. That's so unique. Two-syllable surname and a one-syllable name? Wild. Like some insert lead character setup."
His visuals totally screamed insert male lead, too.
"But how'd you know that? Even the mentors called him Moon-gyeol earlier, and with his personality, he wouldn't have said it first."
"Good question. Why did I think that?"
Ban Yo-han and Kim Jun-woo stared at me in disbelief.
"What? You didn't know either?"
"You said that without knowing? Dude, you're..."
"Yeah. It just felt right. Seomun's a real surname, and Gyeol sounds cooler than Moon-gyeol. Suits him better."
And if I'd been the one naming characters in the game, I'd have gone with 'Seomun Gyeol' over 'Seo Moon-gyeol' for sure. Way cooler.
They nodded, saying it was totally something I'd do. Never mind how they knew me well enough already—didn't feel bad, though.
"But why his room?"
"He lent me a towel earlier."
"No way?"
Ban Yo-han raised one eyebrow and muttered, "That's interesting," before turning to Nagase Ritsu, who'd been itching to ask him something all along.
The two of them started chatting in Japanese, too fast for me to follow, and we arrived at the room before long.
"Man, I'm beat."
"Totally."
With permission, I flopped onto Ban Yo-han's bed.
I spotted the bedding for the floor mat neatly stacked in the corner. Looked like someone was getting bumped to the floor before we left.
"You guys practicing more?"
Kim Jun-woo asked, popping open a cold vitamin drink from the vending machine on the way.
I'd splurged most of my meager funds on an energy bar to repay Seo Moon-gyeol.
"Gotta..."
No more schedule for the day, at least.
The practice rooms by team in the next building were open till dawn, so practice if we wanted—something like that, half-heard through yawns earlier.
Heard it, but...
"...Let's rest exactly thirty—no, one hour."
Everyone nodded eagerly at Kim Jun-woo's suggestion.
"Yeah."
Ban Yo-han and Nagase Ritsu headed out to shower first.
They'd sweat again practicing anyway, but couldn't stand feeling sticky right now. You get it.
So Jing Xiao and Kim Jun-woo—who'd practice then shower—and me, fresh from a shower, stayed in the room.
"......"
Everyone was too wiped to talk.
An awkward silence settled in.
Felt even more awkward since we'd been chatting nonstop till now, like we weren't total newbies.
Kim Jun-woo, sprawled on his bed peering at his lyric sheet with half-closed eyes, suddenly asked in a hoarse voice.
"How many years you guys been trainees?"
Such a loaded question out of nowhere?
All I knew was that 'On Raon' had trained three years at True Entertainment. I just blinked.
Could've been somewhere else before True, too.
Jing Xiao answered first.
"Me? Uh, came to Korea a year ago."
"Your Korean's great, though."
"Thanks."
"Pfft. Me, five years."
"Whoa."
Five years wasn't short at all. Hearing his basics were lacking and landing in Muk Hye-seong's team must've stung.
Luckily—or not—Kim Jun-woo had been super enthusiastic so far.
No clue if he'd debut final, but if he kept this up, he'd see real progress by survival's end.
"Raon hyung?"
I swallowed dryly.
Had to give an answer safe for cameras.
Even casual talk like this could get edited into the broadcast later.
"Longer than Xiao."
"Right, three years at True."
"Yeah."
I nodded casually. Moments later, Jing Xiao opened his mouth, puzzled.
"But why now..."
"Hey! That mermaid thing earlier—is it for real?"
Kim Jun-woo cut him off loudly.
Jing Xiao glanced at him like what? then realized, mumbling a small "sorry" to me.
"Nah, it's fine."
I waved it off nonchalantly, but trainee exits from agencies weren't usually pretty stories.
Like flopping monthly evals and getting cut, or aging out waiting endlessly for debut.
Me included... Nah, don't think about it.
"So, real? Or made-up? A concept?"
Kim Jun-woo pressed before the mood tanked.
I played along, shrugging it off lightly.
"Oh, totally real."
"Heard ancestors giving lotto numbers in dreams, but a mermaid teaching dance? First time."
"Lotto numbers sound crazier."
Whose ancestors? Hook me up.
Trivial chatter continued till Ban Yo-han and Nagase Ritsu returned, faces refreshed. Then everyone crashed.
One hour flew by. Kim Jun-woo's watch alarm beeped.
No one budged, so I clung to my last thread of sanity, dragged my leaden body off the bed first.
"Time to practice."
I nudged Ban Yo-han awake beside me.
He sat up, staring at me with sleepy eyes, and rasped.
"Didn't peg you for the strict type."
"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
His lazy tone and grin made him look like a cheeky kid.
Made me wanna smack the back of his head.
"Anyway, get up. Gotta cram this before time's up—no sleep tonight."
We headed out in practice gear to the room marked "Hye-seong Team" on A4 paper, complaining about the cold.
A few familiar faces were already there.
Eye contact: "Hey." "Hey." Awkward greetings.
"Watch the choreo vid on this."
"Thanks."
A trainee handed over a tablet PC. Another group had one too.
Hit play: the choreo vid we'd watched endlessly in the studio.
"Oh, here we go."
We watched from start to finish, laser-focused.
Tomorrow's lesson: full song, not just verse one. Dance AM, vocals PM.
Song mastery impossible too—Intelligence and Wisdom too low for normal methods.
'Catalena meta it is.'
Catalena meta: like registering "Dancing Catalena" earlier—practice naturally to auto-master.
That's when I spotted another mastery path.
First: hear/see full song/choreo, probabilistically attempt mastery.
Second: practice normally, less system reliance—auto-registers to lists.
'Says attempts impossible, not mastery itself.'
So, practice.
Tough, but not hating it. Moving to beats was kinda fun.
Was I this active? Nah. Quit ring×fit after two days.
"Hyung, join me."
Jing Xiao sidled up beside me, matching steps while looping the tablet vid. Kim Jun-woo and Nagase Ritsu joined next.
Soon merged with nearby trainees into one group.
Sneaker soles thumping loud on the floor.
"Yo-han hyung not coming?"
"Wanna watch this bit more. Not getting it."
Ban Yo-han sat against the wall, glued to the vid—obviously memorized already.
Big talk about no age limit for dreams, but Zero enthusiasm.
"Hyung, slack off and Muk ssaem'll wreck you tomorrow."
Only then did he haul his heavy butt up, joining the back of the line.
Even then, half-assing it to avoid sweating.
Really didn't wanna be here. Why join the show?
Didn't seem like early-elim fodder. Hidden backstory?
Handsome, perfect SAT score, top S Uni admit—buzzworthy. Big program impact. Same team, same room. Could be...
Glanced at him gulping water. Eyes met.
"What?"
Whoa. Suspects me? What'd I do?
I'm the one with system reading minds, yet I flinched like he saw through me.
Hid my startle and shot back.
"Huh?"
"You were staring."
Suspect everyone you lock eyes with? Words rose to my tongue. Sharp or perceptive?
Guilty conscience, though.
At this rate, Ban Yo-han was F-bound.
His learning speed screamed A potential.
...Alright. Let's do it.
"Hyung, I've decided."
"On what?"
"Let's hit A-rank together."
"What?"
"Trust me once. Go for A."
Mentor-drag-to-A arc plus save-classmate-and-rise-together arc.
Ban Yo-han's feelings? Not my problem.