Don't Bother
“Hello, I'm Jung Chan-yang, leader of Lee:Spirit. It's a pleasure.”
“Hello, I'm Kim Dae-hoon of Lee:Spirit!”
The ones who showed up the next day for the surprise mid-check in Room 2—Ye-chan's room—were, of course, the original artists of the song.
Ye-chan poured every scrap of know-how he'd built up over years as an idol into keeping his expression from curdling on the spot.
Well, I pretty much saw this coming the moment the song got swapped. There was no reason for anyone but Ye-chan to go out of their way to stick their nose into Choose My Prince.
Since Don't Bother was a rap-heavy track, they'd brought the main rapper, Kim Dae-hoon, along with them.
“Oh, this is insane. The mid-check is already sudden enough, and now we have to do it in front of the seniors?”
“I didn't even wash my face today.”
While the production staff filmed the special judges chatting with the regular panel, the trainees muttered among themselves.
“But Ye-chan, doesn't it feel like Senior Kim Dae-hoon keeps looking at you?”
Afraid of being picked up by a mic, Nam Ji-yu dropped his voice to the barest whisper.
Ye-chan laughed it off with an awkward smile.
Unlike Jung Chan-yang, who maintained a poker face so perfect it was almost uncanny and never once glanced Ye-chan's way, Kim Dae-hoon had been sneaking suspiciously frequent looks at him from the moment he stepped into the practice room.
He must have remembered Ye-chan waiting at the entrance to the LEE Entertainment parking lot.
For an octopus, his memory's way too good. Wait—maybe that's why he can juggle eight legs at once.
Ye-chan turned his back completely and focused on stretching, determined not to lock eyes even by accident.
“Trainees, we'll begin the mid-check now. You've drawn lots, yes? Which team is first?”
Nam Ji-yu raised his hand.
“Then we'll start the mid-check with Team 1 of Don't Bother.”
At the staff's cue, the members moved into their opening formation.
“This team doesn't have a rap member?”
Jung Chan-yang's voice slid into Ye-chan's ear just before the intro kicked in.
It sounded like concern, yet somehow carried a thread of amusement—as if he were laughing at Ye-chan for landing in a ruined team lineup.
He's probably sitting there right now, looking forward to how badly I'll crash.
A smile tugged at the corner of Ye-chan's mouth as he stood in place.
Whether it was people, trainees, or items, there was always a perfect time and a perfect place.
And right now was that moment.
◈ Rap Stat +2 Stages
◈ Time Remaining: 00:29:30
Then the intro began.
When the prepared three-minute song ended, Ye-chan checked Jung Chan-yang's face first.
Is that what they call smiling because you can't cry?
He seemed to be trying for a gentle smile, but to Ye-chan's eyes the man's insides were boiling over, plain as day.
Beside him, Kim Dae-hoon was clapping without a care in the world—a stark contrast.
“Wow, is there anything Trainee Ha Ye-chan can't do?”
Mr. Pudding, the rap trainer for Choose My Prince, opened the evaluations.
“Right? I was worried sick because this team didn't have a single rapper.”
“This is why people like me can't catch a break—there's always someone who can do everything.”
The other trainers, who'd grown fairly close through the filming so far, each tossed in a comment of their own.
“The other trainees besides Ye-chan were in great sync too.”
“Looks like Chae-jin and Tae-rang practiced a lot. They always stood out in a bad way before, but this time there was none of that.”
“The choreography change in the hook felt a bit flat. It seems like you adjusted it to match every member's skill level, but that kind of passive approach makes it hard to win. You need more impact.”
“Is that so? I thought this level of group choreography was perfect if you consider overall completeness. In the first performance round, quite a few teams got burned putting in moves that were way too hard.”
“That's a different case. In my opinion…”
Somehow the trainers' debate caught fire and stretched on for quite a while.
“Haha, everyone's overflowing with passion again this time. As the original artists of Don't Bother, what did the members of Lee:Spirit think?”
The MC threw a lifeline to the two idols who'd been sitting there like decorative barley sacks.
Jung Chan-yang, who had been watching the situation unfold behind a fake smile, was just about to open his mouth when—
“Uh, so the name is… Trainee Ha Ye-chan! You're not even a rap position? Is that for real? I was completely shocked!”
Kim Dae-hoon, having checked the name tag on Ye-chan's chest, spoke first.
Ye-chan caught the faint tremor at the corner of Jung Chan-yang's eye.
Well, look at that. Kim Dae-hoon actually came through for once.
“The arrangement had such a great feel, and the choreography was cool too! More than anything, I think you rap better than I do! Hahaha!”
“You're too kind.”
The smile on Jung Chan-yang's face beside him grew even thicker.
Can't manage his expression, so he's just laughing full blast, huh.
With a fellow team member laying down praise like this, it would be hard for him to tear Ye-chan's team down now.
That would be the same as trashing Kim Dae-hoon's own judgment.
“Right, Chan-yang hyung?”
Kim Dae-hoon drove the nail in with pure innocence.
Jung Chan-yang looked at Kim Dae-hoon, who was grinning at him, and nodded with a benevolent smile.
“…Yes. You really expressed our song beautifully.”
In all seven of his resets, Ye-chan had never found Kim Dae-hoon this satisfying.
After tacking on a few more empty compliments, Jung Chan-yang turned a meaningful gaze on Ye-chan.
He held a silent staring contest with Ye-chan, who refused to look away, then spoke in a soft voice.
“…I've been a devoted viewer of Choose My Prince since episode one, you know.”
“Wow, a program that popular idol Jung Chan-yang watches regularly? We should get that into an article right away.”
At the MC's banter, Jung Chan-yang's smile deepened further.
What the hell is this bastard about to say?
This time Jung Chan-yang's gaze shifted—not to Ye-chan, but to Woo Hwi-gyum.
An ominous chill ran down Ye-chan's spine.
“The chemistry between Trainee Ha Ye-chan and Trainee Woo Hwi-gyum has been really wonderful to watch. Seeing you in person, you two seem so close, and now that you're on the same team again, I'm truly happy you'll create another great stage.”
…I'm screwed.
From the moment Jung Chan-yang had walked in today, Ye-chan hadn't exchanged a single word with Woo Hwi-gyum.
But the second that one line aired, their relationship would be welded into inseparable best-friend status, no way around it.
Woo Hwi-gyum is done the moment this performance round ends…!
At the smug smile that said he'd landed a clean hit, Ye-chan's fist clenched on its own.
With a brief comment from the MC, Team 1 of Don't Bother's mid-evaluation came to an end.
The second they switched seats with Team 2's trainees, Nam Ji-yu pounced.
“But Ye-chan. What even are you? No, how can you suddenly perform that much better than morning practice?”
“Oh, so it wasn't just me. This guy's a real clutch player, huh.”
“As expected of Ye-chan hyung!”
Im Chae-jin and Gi Tae-rang piled on, and the team's three chatterboxes started buzzing around Ye-chan in the middle.
Ye-chan briefly checked the item still radiating its presence above his head: The Pass Necklace That Falls Into Your Hands.
His sudden growth would vanish in about seventeen minutes.
Paying to win really is nice.
Ye-chan finally understood how his former colleague who'd blown an entire apartment on gacha games must have felt.
Right now, with the two-stage boost, Ye-chan's rap stat sat at A+.
It was still below Shim Sang-rok's S-, but high enough that no one could claim he couldn't rap.
At the very least, it's definitely higher than Lee:Spirit's Kim Dae-hoon.
Ordinarily he would have saved a consumable item like this for the actual performance instead of the mid-check, but rather than sit through Jung Chan-yang's harsh critique, he would have used it even if it cost twice as much.
If he'd only been able to buy the item once, he might have looked for another way—but the points required had only gone up a little, and repurchase was possible, so Ye-chan had used it without hesitation.
As a bonus, I also confirmed that Jung Chan-yang can't see the holograms.
The way he never once glanced at the arrow flashing cheerfully overhead made that crystal clear.
In the meantime, Team 2 of Don't Bother finished their stage as well.
“Both teams here are just too good.”
“At this rate it's going to be a real photo finish.”
“Earlier with Last Circus, both sides were genuinely solid too. The way I see it, the winner's coming out of these four teams.”
The judges' praise continued once more.
They really were solid. Honestly, if we're talking about today's quality, it's not even close—that side wins.
Main rapper Shim Sang-rok held the entire team together as its center, while Jeong Ui-tak and Seonwoo I-gyeong served as rock-solid pillars for vocals and dance respectively, delivering a stage with real completeness.
Unlike Ye-chan's team, which had Gi Tae-rang reliably filling the hole in both singing and dancing, Team 2's lower-ranked members might not have been popular, but their skills weren't bad.
Thanks to that, a noticeable gap opened up in overall dance difficulty.
“I feel like I just saw the ideal stage I had in mind. I was especially impressed by the dancing.”
“Chan-yang hyung's praising them this much—he must have really liked it.”
Sure enough, Jung Chan-yang started gilding Team 2's faces with gold.
With a slightly fed-up-looking comment from Kim Dae-hoon, Team 2's evaluation also wrapped up.
“Thank you for your hard work, judges!”
“Thank you for everything!”
At the signal that filming was over, Ye-chan stood up immediately.
“Are Chan-yang and Dae-hoon heading straight back?”
“Yes, we have another schedule after this.”
“If there weren't more teams to evaluate, we could've grabbed a meal together.”
Ye-chan glanced at Jung Chan-yang, who was briefly chatting with the other judges, then slowly started walking.
The moment he stepped outside, Chae Eun-seong from the Girl's Prayer team jumped in surprise.
When their eyes met, he tried to look elsewhere, but it was painfully awkward.
This bastard… he's a Lee:Spirit fan, isn't he?
Ye-chan's eyes narrowed.
Chae Eun-seong had been a Lee:Spirit fan in past cycles too.
If that had been all, Ye-chan wouldn't have thought much of it.
— Of course I love every member, but especially Senior Jung Chan-yang… he's just so incredibly cool!
After monitoring that interview, Ye-chan had felt genuine betrayal.
You never said I was your favorite, did you?
From that point on, Chae Eun-seong had been quietly branded as unlikable inside Ye-chan's mind.
He probably came hoping he might catch a glimpse of Jung Chan-yang and Kim Dae-hoon… Hmph. What dedication.
Ye-chan snorted and deliberately took his time walking to the bathroom at the end of the hallway.
He was washing his hands at the sink when, not long after, footsteps approached from beyond the door.
“It's been a while.”
Jung Chan-yang stepped into the bathroom and offered a greeting.
Ye-chan met his eyes in the mirror.
Jung Chan-yang waited quietly while Ye-chan finished washing his hands and dried them with a handkerchief.
Only after leisurely folding the handkerchief and tucking it into his pocket did Ye-chan cross his arms at a slant and turn.
“So, how was the view after crawling all the way here like a pathetic stalker?”
“Your mouth is still as rough as ever. I almost wonder how you manage to hold it in front of the cameras.”
“Cut the crap. Your cheap little smear campaign got demolished, so now you can turn right around and go back the way you came.”
He even helpfully pointed at the bathroom door, but Jung Chan-yang showed no sign of leaving.
Wearing an unpleasant smile, Jung Chan-yang spoke.
“Yeah, you already know, but I'm the one who changed the performance song. I figured someone like you would weigh every option and pick number two. So I specifically requested that Don't Bother get slotted into number two.”
That son of a bitch.
Ignoring the grinding of Ye-chan's teeth, Jung Chan-yang continued at a leisurely pace.
“But there are two things I don't understand. First is your rap skill. When did you get that good?”
Ye-chan studied Jung Chan-yang's face.
It wasn't a probe—he genuinely didn't know and was asking.
Jung Chan-yang had no idea that a new hologram window had appeared for Ye-chan.
Vowing to keep it tightly hidden and use it to screw him over for a long time to come, Ye-chan opened his mouth.
“Oh, that? Because I'm a genius.”
Even at the blatantly provocative tone, Jung Chan-yang showed no particular reaction and simply continued with what he wanted to say.
“And the second is the production staff. How did you stop them?”
“Stop what.”
“Why play coy. I'm talking about the entire production team gambling as a group.”