The Zone's Vocal King

“Trainees of Vocal Team 5, please come up to the stage.”

At the MC’s call, Ye-chan rose from his seat and started toward the stage. Just ahead of him walked Jeong Ui-tak, the back of his head in clear view.

Unlike a few days ago, that back somehow looked solid and steady. A fleeting thought crossed Ye-chan’s mind—that he might have stuck his neck out for nothing more than someone else’s benefit—but it lasted only a moment. He felt no real regret.

Better to miss first place in vocals than to hear that the stage was trash. …… Well, I had my own realizations out of it too.

The thought left his head surprisingly clear.

Once every member of Vocal Team 5 had taken the stage, the MC launched straight into the announcements. Sixth place went to Kim Ju-young; fifth to Kim Su-young. At the lower-than-expected vote counts, Ye-chan glanced briefly at Kim Su-young’s face. Whether from the mistakes he had made during the performance or something else, the usual sharp edges were gone; he looked uncharacteristically meek.

“Next, in fourth place with 175 votes—trainee Park Na-gil!”

A small ripple of surprise ran through the trainees. An S-grade who had also been holding a solid spot in the online rankings had dropped outside the top three; the reaction was inevitable.

“Thank you!”

Park Na-gil’s expression had wavered for a second, but he recovered instantly and offered the bright, grateful greeting as if nothing had happened.

“Third place, with 204 votes—trainee Jeong Ui-tak!”

Ui-tak, who had been more shaken by Park Na-gil’s result than Park Na-gil himself, bent forward in an awkward half-bow.

“Thank you…….”

Is he actually crying……?

The end of Ui-tak’s trembling voice sounded suspiciously wet. Ye-chan politely suppressed the urge to duck his head and check the other boy’s face, keeping his own gaze fixed steadily forward.

“The remaining trainees are Woo Hwi-gyum and Ha Ye-chan. We will reveal the results for both simultaneously on the monitors.”

Just as with the earlier teams, first and second would be announced together. The MC drew the moment out, clearly aiming for tension.

Ye-chan, of course, felt none of it. He had no doubt about his own victory.

Given the recognition and image he had built so far, his current online ranking, and the part he had carried on this stage, there was simply no way he would lose to Woo Hwi-gyum.

The only question is the vote count. Whether I can clear 321.

The highest individual total among the vocal trainees so far belonged to Yoon Ji-woo of Team 2 with 321 votes. With roughly ten abstentions per team, about 560 votes remained.

After milking the suspense long enough to border on tedious, MC Andrew finally opened his mouth.

“First place! Trainee Ha Ye-chan, with 341 votes!”

At the shout, Ye-chan whipped his head around to the monitor.

Overall vocal first……!

The instant his eyes confirmed his own name at the very top, a familiar rush of exhilaration flooded through his veins.

“With this, the 30,000-vote benefit for first place among the vocal trainees goes to Ha Ye-chan!”

Ye-chan bowed his head politely at the MC’s words.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, an unwelcome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠window burst into view.

……I was starting to think these had gotten rare lately.

Even with the sudden intrusion of the choice window, Ye-chan did not panic. He calmly selected an option.

“I am the vocal king of this zone!”

“…….”

Ye-chan kept his gaze fixed stubbornly ahead. The silence that followed the bold declaration was so complete it was hard to believe more than a hundred people were present.

“It was a line I’ve always wanted to try someday, and I figured if I didn’t do it now, I might never get the chance.”

Ignoring the heat climbing up the back of his neck, Ye-chan forced a casual smile. In moments like this, shamelessness was the only way.

Back in his seat, the satisfaction of first place barely had time to settle before an uncomfortable feeling clouded his thoughts.

I used to write it off as just the system trying to get under my skin, but it’s been pushing me toward Woo Hwi-gyum for a while now.

Remembering they were still recording, Ye-chan smoothed out the scowl that had started to form.

Whatever scheme the system was cooking up, he hoped it would finally understand that no matter what garbage options it stuck beside the good ones, he would never pick a choice that drew him closer to Woo Hwi-gyum.

Next came the rap team results. No real surprises: first in Rap Team 2 went to Kang Hae-sol; first in Rap Team 3 to Shim Sang-rok.

“With the results through Team 4 complete, the individual first place in the rap position—with 428 votes—is trainee Kang Hae-sol of Team 2! Kang Hae-sol receives the 30,000-vote benefit!”

By a razor-thin margin of just two votes over Shim Sang-rok’s 426, the rap position benefit went to Kang Hae-sol. MC Andrew stretched a hand toward Hae-sol, who was seated in the waiting area.

Hae-sol rose and bowed once more.

“Thank you.”

The greeting came out rather stiff. Ye-chan hoped the fans would quickly realize that the wooden manner was pure tension.

He’s the type who’s surprisingly easy to read once you start paying attention.

Turn him any which way and the conclusion was the same: this was someone who needed to be an idol. This time Ye-chan fully intended to debut with him even if he had to drag him by the collar.

Once the mild commotion settled, the final dance team results began.

All five teams’ vote totals appeared, and the expected outcome arrived.

“Individual first place in the dance position—with 681 votes—is trainee Beom Se-hyuk! Beom Se-hyuk has secured the highest individual total among all prince trainees and receives a total benefit of 130,000 votes!”

An absurd number sat proudly at the very top of the monitor. The vague goal he had been chasing suddenly stood out in sharp relief, and motivation flared hot.

Seeing that really drives home that I’m the one doing the chasing this time.

Being the pursuer rather than the pursued by Beom Se-hyuk was a role he hadn’t held in a very long time, and it was fun.

“Now we will announce the team vote totals.”

MC Andrew shifted the atmosphere and continued.

Still remaining were the 30,000-vote benefit for first in each position team and the 50,000-vote benefit for overall first among the combined teams.

They were running behind schedule; a writer whispered something into the MC’s ear and stepped back, after which the pace picked up. Ye-chan watched the other teams’ totals with little emotional ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠investment.

“Announcing second place!”

This was the important part. Ye-chan straightened and fixed his eyes on the screen. Letters and numbers flickered rapidly before locking into place.

Looking at the name displayed, Ye-chan felt a small twinge of regret.

Hae-sol hyung, close one.

442 was a number that could easily have contended for first. Judging by the totals, the gap with Shim Sang-rok’s first-place team was probably under fifty votes.

Well, I’m in the same boat.

Adding up every vocal and dance team total released so far, the vocal side still sat higher—unfortunately. Overall first among all teams would almost certainly go to Beom Se-hyuk’s “Mirror.”

“And now, at last, the long-awaited first-place announcement.”

Having already let go of any lingering attachment, Ye-chan turned toward the monitor with a calm face.

“First place is!”

“Huh?”

Ye-chan scanned the numbers starting from vocals, then found himself turning back to the top without meaning to.

“Overall first place, with a total of 576 votes, is Vocal Team 5, ‘Erased’! Every trainee of ‘Erased’ receives a combined benefit of 80,000 votes!”

Why?

Several possibilities raced through his mind before one landed: the dance stages had been last. A fair number of audience members must have left without lasting through the late filming.

Beom Se-hyuk’s personal total was so high it skewed things, but once you add the rest of his teammates, their overall count was clearly lower than the others…….

“Hyung!”

Ye-chan’s serious analysis got no further. Jeong Ui-tak launched himself at him.

Even with a lean build, nearly 180 centimeters of height hanging off his neck was a lot to handle.

“Ui-tak, hang on a second…….”

Before he could pry the other boy off, Park Na-gil dragged Woo Hwi-gyum over and the two of them piled on, turning the three into one tangled mass.

Kim Ju-young and Kim Su-young followed right after, wrapping their arms around the outside of the cluster so that Ye-chan, trapped in the middle, could not even get a word out.

He was so short of breath he could not even be startled by the hologram window that had appeared right on cue.

The surrounding trainees clapped for the pile of bodies; the production staff smiled warmly as they captured the moment on camera.

……I’m really being crushed so hard I can’t talk.

Ye-chan felt the same body-crushing pressure he had last experienced in the Lee:Spirit days, right after their first music-show win as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rookies.

It was stifling, but if he had to decide whether the feeling was good or bad right now……

Obviously good.

He managed to move just his hand, clenching it into a tight fist.

The taste of victory was always sweet.

Still, the balance isn’t bad.

Back home, Ye-chan coldly lined up several concept stages in his mind, placing himself, Shim Sang-rok, and Jeong Ui-tak together with Beom Se-hyuk, Kang Hae-sol, and finally Bae Sae-byeok.

Ui-tak becoming a party member wasn’t in the plan, but……

Two vocals, two rappers. Bae Sae-byeok was a bit ambiguous, yet within the program he was classified under dance, so that made two dance members as well. No risk of the lineup skewing hard enough in one direction to draw unwanted attention—an easy combination to promote.

Because he had already pushed Ui-tak as center thanks to their strong vocal blend, the vocal tones meshed well too.

Their individual faces worked together, and their personalities did not overlap, which would help pull in a wide range of interest.

None of them had any excessively sharp edges either, so controversy was unlikely.

That makes six.

It would be easy to think the lineup was almost set, but they were still far short.

The group that debuted through Choose My Prince would have nine members.

In an industry where, once you debuted, you were expected to stick together through thick and thin until the end, there was no shortage of cases where people shed tears of blood dragging dead weight who could not pull their own weight.

Ye-chan clicked his tongue, recalling the Lee:Spirit members who had bounced between the entertainment pages and the social pages. This time he had no intention of carrying even one person who would hold the group back.

The remaining three will be the absolute best choices too.

Just as he renewed that resolve, the phone he had left on the desk buzzed.

The message was from Shim Sang-rok.

It was a solid suggestion; Ye-chan was just about to send an accepting reply when another notification chimed.

Of course both of them wanted the day after tomorrow.

After a brief moment of thought, Ye-chan began typing his replies.

“To successfully finishing the second joint training camp!”

“Cheers!”

Inside a quiet little shop, glass clinked with a bright, clear ring.

“Sour!”

Beom Se-hyuk downed the drink in one go, squeezed his eyes shut, and shouted.

Jeong Ui-tak, wearing an expression that Confucian society would never allow toward a hyung, clicked his tongue at him.

“That’s why you shouldn’t order lemonade.”

“Hey, the photo looked way too good.”

Ye-chan casually fixed the hair that had been flattened by his hat.

They already knew one another’s faces well enough that meeting separately felt pointless, so he had called Beom Se-hyuk as well; now the four of them sat facing one another.

Shim Sang-rok wore an unreadable smiling expression, waiting until the bickering between the other two died down before speaking.

“Nice to see you like this outside of the broadcast, Ui-tak.”

“Yes…… uh, I’m sorry about the call back then.”

“Ah, you mean when I was talking with Se-hyuk? Haha, don’t worry about it. Of course it can feel awkward.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Those two aren’t the type to stir up trouble, so if I leave them alone they’ll get along fine…… the problem is this one.

Ye-chan turned his gaze toward Beom Se-hyuk, who was still frowning over his lemonade.

How do I get him into the party?

From the very beginning Ye-chan had marked him as someone to debut with, yet there was still no sign of those three syllables appearing in the party window.

Maybe this bastard just doesn’t want to work with me?

He shook his head almost at once.

It’s less that he dislikes me and more that he simply hasn’t thought about it either way.

They had not been talking long, but Ye-chan already knew Beom Se-hyuk was absolutely not the type who could skillfully hide dislike.

Without a word, Ye-chan swapped the green-grape ade in front of him with Beom’s lemonade. Beom’s eyes lit up with pure delight.

It would have been nice to know the exact conditions for becoming a party member, but the hologram window remained stubbornly silent. The system was not that kind, so the only option was to keep meeting face-to-face and try various approaches.

“Next time it would be great to be on the same team as Ui-tak too.”

“Huh? Ah, me too.”

Shim Sang-rok offered the remark with a good-natured smile; Ui-tak answered stiffly.

Unbothered by the awkwardness, Shim simply smiled again and turned to Ye-chan and Beom.

“Of course it would be nice to work with Ye-chan and Se-hyuk again as well.”

“Me too! Practicing the theme song together at the start was really fun.”

“I hope the four of us end up stuck together like this.”

Beom answered first, full of excitement; Ye-chan followed with ready agreement.

“Vongole pasta is ready. Which side should I put it on?”

“Over here!”

By the time Beom had finished about half his lemonade, the food began to arrive.

Ye-chan looked down at the appetizing bowl and picked up his fork.

The shop is pretty and the plating is clean—it’ll look good from any angle.

Eating well mattered, but so did whether the photos turned out well.

Conscious of the gazes that had followed them since they entered and the occasional soft shutter clicks of phone cameras, Ye-chan cast a satisfied look at the shop’s sunlit floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Should we order a bit more?”

At Shim’s words, Ye-chan glanced at his own plate—already empty without him noticing—and blinked in surprise.

He must have been hungrier than he thought. Even after each of them had finished a full pasta, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it still felt insufficient. Confirming that the extra pizza and salad were also gone, Ye-chan nodded.

“……On a day like this, you’ve got to eat a little.”

“Right? Everyone thinks so, yeah?”

The four of them cheerfully opened the menu again and began choosing what to order next.