Chapter 113: When It's Time to Explode (13)
113. When It's Time to Explode (13)
The production team went all out to prevent Hajin from escaping—they even dug up an old internet photo of him and displayed it on the big screen.
'Seriously, please no.'
There he was, crouched in front of a subway station, sobbing uncontrollably in familiar clothes, striking a familiar pose, clutching a familiar phone. It was undeniably Kang Hajin. Faced with this unexpected dark chapter of his past, Hajin instinctively covered his mouth in shock (or was it horror?).
Seo Tae-il, who had been watching with amusement, nodded knowingly.
"Hajin has always been a bit of a crybaby, hasn't he?"
'Me?'
But he had no rebuttal. This wasn't a disaster of his own making—it was the System's doing.
Hadn't he bawled his eyes out during his first audition? And every time he ran into someone at the company afterward? During the first mission, the second mission—waterworks every time. Well, except for To You, where his tears were just part of the greeting, not real crying.
Already flustered, Hajin racked his brain for a way to salvage the situation when an unhelpful ally appeared out of nowhere, oblivious to his distress.
"Yeah, Hajin hyung cries a lot. He even sobbed in front of me once—!"
"Shh, quiet. Quiet, I said."
Won-ho immediately blabbed about Hajin's tearful episode. Hajin frantically dragged him backstage to shut him up, but it was too late. The audience was already in an uproar.
"Who was it?! Who cried?! WHO?!!!!"
Hajin returned to the stage, his face buried in his conspicuously large hands at the booming voice.
'Fine. If this is how it's gonna be, I'll just own it shamelessly.'
When he lowered his hands again, his usual shamelessness had returned.
"Actually, I..."
Hajin ducked his head slightly, his eyes glistening as much as Seo Tae-hyun's ever had.
"...am a bit emotionally sensitive."
"...You?"
Doha tilted his head, genuinely baffled. But some agreed with Hajin's assessment.
"Hajin hyung is actually really warm-hearted. Kind of a tsundere?"
"He's got a soft heart, this guy."
Eun-chan and Yu-geon.
Hajin hadn't expected anyone to back him up, and now that they had, he felt oddly embarrassed.
Ahem. Clearing his throat lightly, Hajin gripped the mic again.
"Anyway... that was me. The Subway Sob Story Guy."
"Aigoo. Why? What made you cry like that?"
Now that he had to explain, he felt a mix of embarrassment and something oddly ticklish.
Hajin scratched his cheek briefly before deciding—since things had already gone this far—to say what he'd really wanted to tell the DESTINYs.
"That was around... the time our performance video was first released."
The audience was already cooing sympathetically. Hajin waved his hands dismissively, laughing as if to say he was fine. He chose his words carefully, more nervous than he'd been during college interviews.
"I... actually quit being a trainee once when I was at another company. Then I came to Miro, joined Miro Maze, and... it had been so long since I'd been on stage like this."
Thinking back to before his regression, it really had been forever.
Maybe that was why he'd been so nervous? Hajin suddenly understood his own emotions better.
"And then... um. For the first time, I got to show you, DESTINYs, my performance. It felt... surreal. And..."
"Wow, this is the first time I've seen Hajin hyung stammer."
"Hajin hyung, are you nervous right now? Oh no, he's actually nervous."
"Shut up, you brats."
The trainees buzzed among themselves, fascinated by this unfamiliar side of Hajin.
Hajin playfully scolded them before exhaling sharply and continuing.
"I think... I was just happy. Happy that you liked the stage we worked so hard on. They were tears of joy. No need to worry."
"...Sniff..."
"And since we're here, there's something I really wanted to say. It's thanks to all of you, DESTINYs, that I've made it this far."
The sincerity in Hajin's words filled the venue with a warm, fuzzy atmosphere.
He couldn't tell them everything, but Hajin truly believed he owed it all to the people in front of him. Even as a trainee who hadn't debuted yet, he needed them to know this.
"I don't know how to express how lucky I feel to meet you all like this today."
A stage he'd relive a hundred times without regret.
A stage that existed because they had protected it—he wanted them to know that.
"...Huh? Hajin hyung, are you crying?"
"Wait, for real?"
Hajin's eyes and voice were genuinely wet now—no acting involved. The entire Blue Flare team panicked, turning to stare at him.
As Tae-il urgently signaled backstage for tissues, Hajin laughed awkwardly and covered his eyes. Talking about it had choked him up, turning his nose red and blurring his vision in seconds.
This wasn't the System's fault. Not a penalty. Not even the Mental Care System acting up.
"Sniff... Don't cry..."
"Ugh, I can't handle this..."
"Hey, why are you guys crying now?!"
Won-ho and Eun-chan, both highly susceptible to tears, started welling up too. When Eun-chan suddenly hugged him, Hajin—now handed tissues by Tae-il—laughed sheepishly as he wiped his eyes.
"Come on, I'm not even crying anymore. Why are you all like this?"
Yu-geon's exasperated comment drew chuckles from the audience. But soon, murmurs erupted again—because Hajin, busy patting Eun-chan's back, had turned halfway, giving everyone another glimpse of his breathtaking silhouette.
"Alright, that's enough. No more tears on such a happy day."
"Right. The DESTINYs don't know whether to comfort him or admire his back at this point."
Finally, Si-woo and Yu-geon—who had been quietly observing—stepped in to restore order. Surprisingly, their teamwork was seamless, making fans briefly forget the rumors of their feud from Episode 2.
"Okay, let's move on to the next question. Joo Eun-chan?"
At Tae-il's prompt, Eun-chan sniffled and detached himself from Hajin.
The DESTINYs found the trainees adorable, but it also made them resentful—this was a survival show where not all of them could debut.
'How did I end up tangled in Han Se-won's net like this...?'
These kids had to be introduced to the world.
An unshakable determination bloomed among the DESTINYs.
For once, the online DESTINY community was peaceful.
They were leisurely passing the evening, waiting for Episode 4 to air at 9 PM.
[Have you seen this?]
(Video of Si-woo's past piano competition)
Si-woo's piano skills must've come from his mom, right?
Should we send her a flower basket for her next recital?
— Do you want to get dropped?
— Final warning.
[Any audience reports yet?]
I'm so curious TT_TT I wanna be there too TT_TT
— Some people posted about the commute!
— My friend went but isn't done yet. Once it's over, stuff'll start popping up, right?
— Recordings usually take all day, so we might have to wait until tomorrow.
[OMG S.R. sunbaenim mentioned our boys on YST!!!]
(Sa Rin's newly opened OneStargram post)
OMG TT_TT
She praised them so much TT_TT They did so well TT_TT
— Wait, is Sa Rin their mom or something?
— Sad Ending Team, but I'm so curious lol To You is one of my favorite songs.
The forum wasn't particularly active, and even the usually lively Bluebird accounts were silent—likely because they were all at the recording. Online DESTINYs chatted idly while waiting for the episode and audience reports.
Then, one hour before broadcast.
The first audience report finally dropped.
[Just got back from the recording]
K.H.J.'s sheer back
L.D.H.'s abs tease
That's it.
Short but explosive, the post sent shockwaves through the fandom.
— TEACHER, YOU CAN'T JUST DROP THIS AND LEAVE
— HAJIN'S BACK IS SHEER?! SHEER?!?!?!?!
— Lee Doha, you don't look like you'd be this dangerous... Keep it up, I dare you.
Faced with the sudden news of their boys' exposure, DESTINYs couldn't contain their excitement. As attendees trickled home, more spoilers and reports began surfacing.
Cherry Blossom @ch_blossom
(Preview photo of Seo Tae-hyun holding a pink rose bouquet)
(Preview photo of Seo Tae-hyun wearing a cat headband and nodding)
Miro Maze 3rd Performance
Seo Tae-hyun Previews
#MiroMaze #SeoTaehyun #CherryBoy
Peepo @piipo
#AudienceReport Writing this now before I forget lol CR Team was fresh and amazing, SBTC Team's song was great, BRPL Team was holy-shit insane.
[Miro Maze 3rd Performance Heavy Spoilers]
(Wristband photo from recording)
Too tired rn
Just listing what each team killed at:
Candy Crush Team
Seo Tae-hyun, Dan Ha-ru, Yuki, Yi Parang, Park Jae-young
Skit—Tell Me Straight
— Dan Ha-ru was the main vocal. His voice is so pretty, clear, and refreshing—like human lemonade.
— Seo Tae-hyun is an angel. Even the cat part was his. If this guy doesn't debut??? K-pop might as well die that day.
Silver Chain Team
Gong Seok, Shin Kyoungho, Yoon Tae-won, Kim Hee-geon, Kim Min-wook, Jayden
Highland—Happy Ever After
— Same outfits as Skit Jump.
— Gong Seok sang really well... but tbh I don't remember much sorry.
Blue Flare Team
Kang Hajin, Jung Si-woo, Lee Doha, Joo Eun-chan, Lee Yu-geon, Kim Won-ho
Spear—Set Me Free
— Joo Eun-chan sang, Lee Yu-geon rapped.
— The spoilers about Hajin and Doha's outfits are legit. But everyone else killed it too—especially Yu-geon. Gotta rewatch. Honestly, he owned the performance.
— And yes, the Subway Sob Story Guy was definitely Hajin. (He cried when he saw the audience's reaction... from happiness... and then Eun-chan and Won-ho cried too and it was chaos.)
— Personally, this team was the best. No weak links—perfect balance.
Overall, I had a great time.
Voting was based on which stage you liked best + picking your favorite trainee. We even got to choose the performance order lol They showed us options and it was so intense. No idea how it'll look on broadcast.
Gotta go watch the episode now... if there's an issue, circle the wagons.
— (Anon1) Damn, that team balance is insane lol.
— (Anon2) Yeah, I was there too and agree. Team 3 was best, then 1, then 2. Team 2 was kinda underwhelming.
└ (Anon3) Hey, can I ask you something? TT_TT
└ (Anon2) Sure! I'm on the train so I can reply.
└ (Anon3) How was Yu-geon? TT_TT I'm a GeonP and was too scared to check reports TT_TT But you mentioned he did well TT_TT
└ (Anon2) He was great!!! Everyone around me only talked about him lol First time seeing him rap, and his chemistry with Doha was chef's kiss. His dancing was insane—like possessed. And he wore this chain choker??? So sexy... My top outfits were Doha, Hajin, Yu-geon!!!
└ (Anon3) OMG thank you TT_TT Was he in good spirits? TT_TT I've been so worried TT_TT
└ (Anon2) Yeah, don't worry!!! He smiled a lot and kept saying he was fine!!! When Hajin and Eun-chan cried, he was like, "Why are you guys crying when I'm not?" So he's good!!! Stop worrying TT_TT
└ (Anon3) Sobs TT_TT That's such a relief... Thank you so much.
— (Anon4) Wait, the Subway Sob Story Guy was Hajin?! For real?! LOL
— (Anon5) I turned into the 😳 emoji at the back spoiler, then burst into tears at the subway story. My baby cryboy TT_TT
DESTINYs who couldn't attend screamed as they read the reports.
They desperately wanted more detailed descriptions and fanart previews, but no further reports surfaced. Attendees were either rushing home, stuck commuting, or preparing to watch Episode 4.
'Well, it's better for Episode 4's hype if reports come out later.'
Even so, DESTINYs kept refreshing SNS for updates. Soon, Miro Maze, Audience Report, Hajin's Back, and SeoTaehyunMustDebut were trending.
And then, finally—
— Guys, Episode 4 is starting.
Miro Maze Episode 4 began airing.