Chapter 110: What Explodes Will Explode (10)
110. What Explodes Will Explode (10)
Even after Team Candy Crush left the stage, the excitement among the audience showed no signs of cooling down.
'A collar?'
'A collar?'
'What's up with the collar?'
They had just witnessed Dan Ha-ru scattering flower petals and Seo Tae-hyun wearing cat-ear headbands in a wild performance—what could possibly top that?
A collar? And on Yu-geon, of all people?
Not everyone in the audience was a fan of Yu-geon, but the sheer visual impact of the words "Yu-geon" and "collar" combined triggered an instinctive reaction.
"Wait, what kind of concept even is this that they put a collar on him...?"
Soda (who hadn't even seen it yet) instinctively covered her mouth at the sheer shock of the mental image. But what stunned her even more was the thoughtful muttering from Gwajam beside her.
"Hey, listen. I told you guys I came with the trainees on their way here earlier, right...?"
"Huh? Yeah, yeah."
"But now that I think about it... the first car I rode with? All of them were just now in Team Candy Crush. So, like... that means...."
Gwajam's words trailed off there. She didn't dare finish that thought, knowing full well the chaos it would unleash.
But in Soda and Malanggom's heads, a logical sequence was already forming.
What was the one conclusion this logic led to?
"Holy shit. Wait, does that mean Do-hajin also—?!"
"Unnies, my hands are shaking right now."
"No, no, no. Guys, it might not be true. Calm down first."
Gwajam barely managed to rein in the spiraling excitement of Malanggom and Soda. Malanggom whined, "Ah, then what about our Si-woo?ㅠ" but the comment was quickly buried.
"Huh...?"
By the time the stage reset was complete and Seo Tae-il stood alone at center stage again, the audience was burning with a new sense of purpose (madness).
'...What's going on?'
Tae-il sensed something was off, but he quickly dismissed it—this energy wasn't disruptive to the recording. He adjusted his expression and, following the PD's cue from behind the audience, delivered his next line with perfect tone and timing.
"The time for choices has come once again!"
The cheers that erupted were an octave higher than before. Tae-il blinked in surprise, his eyes widening like a rabbit's before softening into a smile. He shrugged as if finally understanding the situation.
"Wow, the ripple effect of that collar is insane, huh?"
"AHHH!!!"
"The remaining two stages will be just as fun—enough to not disappoint you all. You'll keep your expectations fair, right?"
"Yeees~!"
"Great! Then let's reveal the next selection right away!"
The second choice didn't display the same keywords as before. Instead, new options appeared on the LED screens flanking Tae-il.
"These two keywords are the names of the remaining teams! Now, please choose which performance you'd like to see next!"
The murmurs in the audience grew louder.
The impact of "Yu-geon's collar" was undeniable, but it wasn't like they'd never get to see it—they were just deciding the order. Yet, the Desty fans were agonizing over the choice like it was life or death.
After a brief deliberation, the votes were in.
"Alright! Then, the second stage you've chosen—let's watch it together!"
'Who's up next?'
The stage darkened as the crew made final adjustments.
When the words <Silver Chain> appeared on the overhead LED, some fans reacted immediately—likely assuming "chain" meant "collar."
Drrrrr—Pam, Pam!
A fierce drum count-in erupted, followed by a dazzling electronic beat that pounded against their eardrums.
Yeah—!!
A piercing high note and an airshot explosion later, the trainees emerged under the bright lights.
But contrary to expectations, Yu-geon wasn't among them. And their outfits? Nowhere near collars.
"Whoa, who's the one doing ad-libs?"
"That guy, that guy—Gong Seok."
Gong Seok hadn't stood out much in Episodes 1 and 2. Though he was Team B's main vocal, Ha-jin had stolen all the spotlight.
His narrative only started gaining traction from the second mission onward. But since Episode 4, which covered that, wouldn't air until tonight at 9 PM, the Desty fans in attendance were completely caught off guard by Gong Seok's sudden high notes.
Let's go! C'mon!
"Gong Seok's actually good."
"This song's hype too, right?"
The second team's song was a hit from a male solo artist who dominated the '90s. Its bright, hopeful melody and lyrics made it a staple at sports events and festivals even today.
While the original leaned into a brassy, musical-show-tune vibe, Team Silver Chain's rock arrangement brought a sleek, exhilarating energy.
'Not bad.'
True to their '90s theme, the members wore goggles, puffer vests, and ski jackets—a nice touch. But...
"...Kinda underwhelming, right?"
"Yeah. Seok-i's the only one carrying it."
Malanggom nodded cynically at Soda's comment. The song itself was fun, but the trainees' vocals couldn't quite match the original's crisp, vibrant tone.
The oversized fits were cute, but a sportier look might've suited the song better. The contrast was especially stark after the previous stage, where even the trainees' attitude had been flawless.
For our life! To our life!
'...Huh?'
While lost in thought, Soda kept locking eyes with one trainee. He'd been staring her way since the song began, but upon closer inspection, he wasn't looking at her—but at the person beside her.
'Oh. Is it because of the slogan?'
The person next to her, who'd been making constant eye contact with the trainee, stood out in an outfit that looked way too uncomfortable for a standing audience. Skin-tight black top, jeans, layered necklaces, earrings, bracelets—and heels.
'Who the hell wears heels to stand for hours at a recording?!'
Just as Soda thought this, the woman winced, clearly in pain. But she wasn't just complaining to herself—she was deliberately making a crying face at the trainee on stage.
'...Oh, fuck. I see it now.'
This was either his girlfriend or someone close to him.
Honestly, 99.99999% chance it was his girlfriend. But after the Yu-geon incident, Soda had learned to leave a 0.00001% margin for error.
'Well, could be his noona, or a super-fan who's tight with him... Ugh, Yoon Se-eun, stop jumping to delulu conclusions.'
But the evidence was undeniable. While other trainees dominated their center parts, this trainee subtly shifted his position to make apologetic eye contact with the woman (alleged girlfriend) beside Soda.
'Damn... What if there's an actual fan here just for him? Talk about ballsy...'
Soda's seat happened to have a clear view of him, but if any fans had come specifically to see him, they'd have noticed immediately. It was blatant. Probably the excitement of inviting someone to his first-ever stage had made him overdo it.
"Hey, Gom."
"Yeah?"
"The girl next to me? Might be Kyoungho's girlfriend."
"......For real?"
"She's been exchanging secret signals with him this whole time."
The trainee in question was Shin Kyoungho—the same one who'd been paired with Lee Do-ha for the second mission in Episode 3.
For the rest of the second team's stage and the following talk segment, Soda couldn't help but glance sideways more than she watched the actual performance.
'Where do these normie girlfriends even learn their playbook?'
They all acted the exact same way. If they'd just been a little more subtle, fans would've covered for them.
With that thought, Soda pitied the nameless Kyoungho fans who'd probably handmade and distributed the slogans his alleged girlfriend was holding.
"Wow, she actually left."
"Standard procedure, honestly."
Kyoungho's alleged girlfriend slipped out of the audience the moment the second team's segment ended, squeezing past the crowd without hesitation. Shortly after, an announcement declared a short break, so the three girls took a breather under a tree near the studio.
"Hey, come over here."
"Why?"
"That's the smoking area—people are gonna start flooding in to light up."
Gwajam led them to a quieter corner of the parking lot. They couldn't wander too far since staff would soon call everyone back for the next recording.
Once settled, Malanggom grabbed Soda with an excited flush.
"Wait, unnie, are you sure? He's my bias's one-pick!"
"I mean, I only saw it from the side—I can't say 100%. But my gut says yes."
"Then it's 100%. Your gut's sniper-level accurate when it comes to dating."
"Why only dating?"
"'Cause it fails at everything else—drunk driving, power abuse scandals, you name it."
"Ugh... Let's not talk about that, it's depressing."
But as Gwajam said, Soda's instincts about relationships were scarily precise.
Hadn't she known about her ex-oppa's shotgun wedding before the news even broke?
"They kept making eye contact on stage! And honestly, who wears heels to a standing recording?"
"Damn... You're gonna expose him, right?"
"Obviously. He's not my one-pick or a top-rank threat—why would I cover for him? His fans'll figure it out soon anyway. He wasn't subtle."
Since Kyoungho wasn't in any of their top rankings, the topic quickly shifted to "idols and their normie girlfriends"—a conversation too risky to continue around other fans. As they headed back inside, they settled on a safer, universally entertaining topic:
Bragging about their faves.
"So the remaining trainees are all in one team, right?"
"Yeah. Si-woo, Do-ha, Yu-geon, Ha-jin... Who else?"
"Eun-chan and Wonho. Isn't this basically the freaking Avengers team?"
"And Yu-geon's wearing a collar... Ugh, if Lee Do-ha reveals his abs, I'm done for."
"What do you mean 'done for'? You'll just scream 'Lee Do-ha, you cowardly K-pop idol!' with your eyes wide open."
The audience had fully reassembled. Usually, breaks like this saw a significant drop in numbers, but today, the crowd felt just as packed. Likely because the remaining trainees were all popular—and the "Yu-geon collar" hype had everyone on edge.
"Damn. Ha-jin's got so many slogans."
"But they're all kinda similar? Wonho's got a fair amount too. I was worried the gap would be bigger."
From the audience's view, Ha-jin's slogans dominated, followed by Si-woo and Eun-chan. Do-ha and Wonho's names popped up here and there.
Surprisingly, Yu-geon's name appeared quite a bit too—though not because his one-pick fans were out in force. More likely, people were holding his slogans alongside their main picks out of solidarity after the collar incident.
The same process as before repeated, and Seo Tae-il returned to the stage.
"Those who seek the sun, soar higher. The third journey to become Icarus of Miro."
The silence this time was deafening compared to before. Tae-il, as if fully aware of what that silence meant, smiled lazily and spoke.
"Finally, we've reached the last stage."
'Ah. I'm gonna faint.'
Five minutes until the ultimate bias wrecker arrives!