Chapter 125: Challenge
125. Challenge
The coffee vending machine stood right outside Belieber's waiting room.
Ji Soo-ho bought two cups of 500-won instant coffee and handed one to Belieber's manager as he spoke.
"By the way, I heard you requested a challenge with our trainees earlier...?"
"Ah, that. ...Yeah, I did."
Belieber's manager trailed off awkwardly.
At the time, he had suggested it thinking they could capitalize on Tae-hyun's buzz. But now, seeing how things had unfolded, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea anymore.
Team Leader Ji Soo-ho seemed to read his hesitation perfectly. He leaned in slightly and whispered,
"Look, we'd love to do a challenge with Belieber too... But as you know, we've been working hard to distance Tae-hyun from Boyhood Under Heaven. If we do a challenge with Belieber now, it might stir up unnecessary talk. That's what's worrying me."
"Ah... Yeah, yeah. I get it."
"But at the same time, if we meet Belieber and don't have Tae-hyun participate, that'd be a bit awkward too..."
Belieber's manager, who had been torn between needing Miro Maze's clout and not wanting to swallow Seo Tae-hyun whole, perked up at that.
Ji Soo-ho adopted a serious expression, as if consulting him on a difficult matter.
"So here's the thing—what if we have Tae-hyun participate alongside just one other trainee? We really appreciate the offer, and from our side, we don't want to miss this chance either. It'd be better for everyone if we frame it as juniors collaborating rather than anything tied to Boyhood Under Heaven."
"Oh, sure. For us, it's just promotional content anyway. So, which trainee were you thinking of...?"
The manager's eyes gleamed at the reasonable suggestion.
But if Soo-ho suggested that problematic trainee, he was fully prepared to refuse.
Something about that kid just didn't sit right with him. A manager's intuition.
"That guy over there. See the one not wearing a uniform? His position is dance, by the way."
Soo-ho pointed through the open waiting room door at someone.
Fortunately, it wasn't the trainee the manager had been worried about.
A blue-haired boy standing at the back, his arm slung casually over another trainee's shoulder, blending in without much presence.
"Ah... Sure. That works. We'd also prefer not to lean too hard into the Boyhood Under Heaven angle."
Belieber's manager nodded.
Even if Belieber's vocal skills were—well, severely lacking—their dancing was solid enough to hold its own anywhere.
Since Miro Maze couldn't have possibly rehearsed Belieber's choreography in advance, as long as they managed to divert some of the spotlight from Tae-hyun, this should be manageable.
Manageable. Under normal circumstances.
Kang Ha-jin genuinely believed that.
If Seo Tae-hyun and Lee Yu-geon had been just ordinary K-trainees, this wouldn't even be a contest.
No—even if Yu-geon had been in his usual "Lee Yu-geon Minus Mode," bogged down by debuffs, Ha-jin would've volunteered to take his place.
But floating before Ha-jin's eyes was Yu-geon's stat window, freshly updated after the third mission.
[Lee Yu-geon (Affiliation: Miro)]
—Debuff: All stats reduced due to inherent traits
Vocal: C (C+)
Rap: Measuring
Dance: A+ (S)
Expressiveness: B+ (A-)
Charisma: B (B+)
Special: Copy & Paste (A+)
—At a certain probability, fully assimilates the target of immersion
Appeal Points:
"There are still twelve ships left."
—Responsibility, tenacity, intense focus
Yu-geon was now in what could be called "Lee Yu-geon Zero Mode," with most of his debuffed stats nearly restored!
"All that effort paid off. Good call bringing him today."
He had resolved not to blindly trust the System, but moments like this reminded him how convenient it could be.
"While I can still use Skills, I should make the most of them and sharpen my judgment."
Just as he was thinking that, Ji Soo-ho returned to the waiting room and wrapped things up.
When the challenge was brought up, the Belieber members looked mildly annoyed but still glanced at Tae-hyun.
Seo Tae-hyun instinctively hunched his shoulders, so Ha-jin gave him an encouraging pat before whispering as everyone moved outside for filming.
"Hey. Don't freeze up. You're gonna win anyway."
"......"
"Just do your thing."
Tae-hyun shot him a "What the hell is wrong with you?" look.
But Ha-jin was certain.
There was no way they'd lose this challenge.
He didn't even need to calculate the stats to know.
"You didn't just laze around for three years. Just do what you always do."
"...You have a weird way of cheering people on."
Tae-hyun shook his head exasperatedly and stepped forward with Yu-geon for the challenge shoot.
While watching them, Ha-jin's phone buzzed with a short messenger notification.
Checking it quickly, he saw a welcome reply from someone he'd contacted before heading to the waiting room.
<Miro_Uvia_Seo Tae-il Sunbaenim ‖ LOLOLOLOLOL>
<Miro_Uvia_Seo Tae-il Sunbaenim ‖ Sure~ I'll send it soon>
<Miro_Uvia_Seo Tae-il Sunbaenim ‖ Break a leg today! Fighting~>
<Miro_Uvia_Seo Tae-il Sunbaenim ‖ (Emoji of someone cheering energetically)>
"...That's settled, then."
Now what?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Ha-jin gestured to the other trainees watching Tae-hyun and Yu-geon's challenge.
"Double-J, Sparkles. Come here."
"...?"
"Let's go de-puff."
"...De-puff?"
"We gotta look good for broadcast."
"But... filming's already over...?"
Nope. Wrong. We're gonna be on air again.
Smiling faintly at their bewildered faces, Ha-jin gave them a knowing grin.
Same time.
The internet, as always, was anything but peaceful.
After the morning's uproar over the "Shin Tae-pal Triple Crime Scandal," the online world had already regenerated its next topic of discussion.
And once again, Idea was the one to kick things off.
[Wait, Uvia's a candidate for first place today?]
The notice just dropped on the official board;;;
— ? We're first-place candidates?
— ?????US????
— Passing Idea fan, utterly confused
[Uvia didn't even know they were candidates LOLOLOL]
Nam Da-woon just posted on PopPop (paid message service) LOLOLOL The members just found out too LOLOLOLOLOL
— Let's go see Uvia's encore stage without Uvia
— So Idea didn't know, Uvia didn't know... about Uvia being first-place candidates...
— Who's the other candidate?
└ Believer, they just had their comeback today
[Hey, Miro Maze is on A-Countdown today too]
Today's A-Countdown is a Miro festival LOLOLOLOLOL If Choi Yeon-woo had kept hosting, today's NTV would've been Miro's buffet LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
— Miro's killing it
— Did Han Se-won save the country in his past life???
— Oh right, Team To-Me's on today too
└ Wait, I'm confused—why is Miro Maze called To-Me?
└ When they were deciding names, "To-Em" sounded weird, "Mi-Me" sounded weird, so since it's Miro Maze (=Miro), they just went with To-Me
└ So they just picked whatever? Got it, thanks
As news of Uvia's sudden first-place candidacy spread, people chimed in with interest.
Of course, there were also the usual trolls sighing dramatically.
[Am I the only one who thinks Joo-eun is overrated...?]
Honestly, they've had their time in the sun—do they really need to claw their way like this?
Shouldn't they start giving juniors a chance?
Aren't they too old to be begging fans via PopPop for a first place? It's pathetic and uglyㅠ
The other candidate just had their comeback today, but they're acting like winning would make them criminals... Can't Uvia just step aside this once...?
Needless to say, no one took the bait.
— Wow, even trolls think Uvia's gonna win... Got it...
— The "I" in Idea actually stands for "Insatiable." Did you know?
— So we're the ones suffering here... After 13 years, they're still fighting tooth and nail to stay in the top tierㅠ Ugh, disgusting... Guess we'll just have to keep clinging to first place. Thanks for the support!
— Meanwhile, Miro's junior trainees are killing it on A-Countdown's special stage today
Idea, a fandom seasoned in 13 years of sabotage and slander, was already satisfied with the unexpected first-place candidacy.
But they never backed down from a fight.
Their years of experience told them that if Uvia didn't win this A-Countdown, the trolls would feast on them mercilessly.
[Let's get them that first place]
I wasn't even that invested, but seeing these trolls pisses me off LOLOLOLOL
I'll spend my entire paycheck if that's what it takes to get them first place today
The awakened Idea fans began rallying for paid votes.
Of course, this first place mattered to Believer too, so their fandom wasn't sitting idle.
Believer had released their album last week but only started music show promotions this week due to a member's health issues.
This was effectively their second week, meaning they had to secure first place now, while their comeback momentum was strongest.
Who would take the crown?
What had started as a simple competition had now become a battle of pride between two fandoms.
And in that tense moment, both Believer and Miro Maze's official YouTube channels uploaded new content simultaneously.
[Believer vs. Seo Tae-hyun challenge just dropped]
A freshly filmed challenge video.
— Omg this reminds me of Boyhood Under Heavenㅜㅠ They're like Cocktailzㅠㅠㅠ
— ? Why is Lee Yu-geon here? Isn't he from To You team?
└ They're filming something for To-Me, pics of them together are up on the official board
— Boyhood Under Heaven's output is insaneㄷㄷ
Believer's two members, decked out in stage outfits, stood in stark contrast to Tae-hyun and Yu-geon in casual short sleeves.
Believer's choreography for this comeback was sultry and vampiric, dripping with decadent sex appeal. At first glance, the youthful visuals of the 19-year-old trainees seemed mismatched.
But that impression lasted less than three seconds.
[Seo Tae-hyun & Lee Yu-geon just destroyed Believer's Run or Mine challenge]
@tae_day
#MiroMaze #SeoTaehyun #LeeYugeon
Believer — Run or Mine Challenge
(Video of Tae-hyun and Yu-geon demolishing Believer's choreo)
DEBUT THEM RIGHT NOW
— They haven't debuted yet??
└ Yep, still on the survival show...
— What the hell, did Han Se-won save the nation in a past life...?
— Look at that core strength LOLOLOL The way they hit every detail
— I need to see them debut and tear through every challenge
— Kang Ha-jin, Joo Eun-chan, Kim Won-ho—you're next. Bring on your challenge ASAP
The moment "Miro Maze" replaced "Boyhood Under Heaven" next to Seo Tae-hyun's name, Ha-jin knew they'd won.
His confidence wasn't unfounded.
Believer, though rookies, had long since shed their newbie energy after their B-Light days.
Meanwhile, Seo Tae-hyun—still young, still desperate for debut—and Lee Yu-geon, whose sheer physicality and stage presence overwhelmed even Believer's adult members...
The stark contrast between the two groups made it obvious who would steal the spotlight.
People always gravitate toward something new.
Idol fans chase dopamine and catharsis.
There's a reason survival show trainees and rookies have such dedicated fanbases.
"...And Believer's fans are no exception."
A-Countdown's live broadcast had begun.
As Ha-jin put in his in-ear monitors, waiting for their turn, he scanned the audience.
Fans waving Believer's light sticks, fans of countless other idols packed into the venue...
Not a single Destiny was there to cheer for them.
Soon, they'd hold the mic as first-place candidates during the closing, but that glory would belong entirely to Uvia and Idea.
But Ha-jin didn't care.
"Sad Ending Team, focus."
"......"
"What's our goal today?"
"Make Destinies!"
"Don't slack off just because we're not being broadcast. Give it even more than you did during pre-recording. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Sad Ending Team, stage IN! Let's go!"
The vigor of rookies?
No.
They'd show the desperation of trainees who hadn't even debuted yet.
