Round 2 (Part 2)
"We'll now call the teams to grace the first stage of Round 2."
A flashy graphic bloomed on the massive screen at the center of the stage, displaying the rosters of two teams.
"Group A and Group E! Please come up to the stage!"
I scanned the participants' names listed below the screen, arms crossed. Group A was made up of practical music majors and former vocal trainers. Group E, on the other hand, consisted of working musical theater actors.
Musical actors, huh. They had the edge in stage presence and vocal power, no doubt.
"The called teams, please prepare on stage. The rest of the participants, gather by team in the waiting seats on either side of the stage."
Following the MC's instructions, we headed to the seats on the left side of the stage.
"If we lose here, we pack up and go home right away...! This is way harsher than Round 1."
Naeun's voice trembled faintly.
"Well, maybe there's a super pass or a losers' revival round or something?"
Doyun chimed in consolingly.
Survival shows are all like that. They slash the numbers around Round 2 to ramp up the tension for viewers. Then the PD fishes out star contestants with screen presence amid the chaos via super passes or pads the narrative with revival rounds. In the end, all this brutality is just part of a tightly scripted drama.
That was when it happened.
"Excuse us for a moment."
A calm, restrained voice spoke as a group settled right next to our team. Group B. The team packed with ace trainees from major agencies.
Impeccable posture, instinctive awareness of camera angles, and above all, that overwhelming confidence. Naeun shrank back, intimidated by the dazzling visuals of the Group B members beside her, and ducked her head.
Definitely the textbook prep kids.
I glanced at them indifferently before turning back to the stage. A showdown between technicians (Team A) and clowns (Team E).
"Alright! Let Round 2's first deathmatch begin!"
With the MC's declaration, the studio lights dimmed.
Team A's vocalists seized control from the outset. True to their trainer roots, their pitch-perfect projection and soaring highs drew gasps from the audience.
But as the song hit its midpoint, I furrowed my brow.
...Too greedy.
The proverb about too many cooks spoiling the broth rang true. With five skilled vocalists, they were too busy showing off. One launched into flashy ad-libs, so another smothered it with an even higher note. The emotional arc crumbled, the sound tangled into dissonance—like desperate screams trying to trample each other rather than harmonize.
Team E, by contrast, was smart. As musical actors, they crafted a complete theatrical piece. Their individual vocals might not match Team A's raw power, but they knew how to fill the stage's empty spaces and hold their breath to lift their teammates' voices.
The result was as expected.
"The winner of Round 2's first deathmatch... is Group E!"
Silence blanketed the studio at the MC's call. The entire much-hyped Group A eliminated.
Singer-songwriter Park Jinwoo grabbed the mic first.
"I don't know what you made with such fine ingredients."
His sharp tongue lashed like a whip.
"Individual skills were top-notch, sure. But music isn't a sport. This isn't a contest to see who screams the highest."
Terry Oh adjusted his crimson-tinted sunglasses with a sigh.
"Survival or not, this is a team mission. You have to function as a unit, but you treated each other like rivals. Everyone vying to stand out wrecked the balance. Such a waste of talent. Truly regrettable."
The defeated Team A members slunk offstage, heads bowed. Watching their retreating backs, the waiting contestants swallowed hard.
"Sis... they all got sent home. Those were some seriously talented people..."
"That stage just showed what's more important than raw skill."
I replied coolly, turning away.
The next stage didn't follow immediately. Under the guise of adjusting the massive set and easing tension, we got a ten-minute break. Amid the bustling staff and lighting crew clambering up and down ladders, I closed my eyes.
I was just starting to run a mental stage simulation when a rude hand landed on my right shoulder.
"Hey."
I turned to find one of Group B's members staring me down. Fitting her ace trainee title from a major agency, she had striking features—but her cat-like eyes were razor-sharp. Blunt and prickly in one word. And why the slicked-back hair?
"Got a question. You really close with Velvet Night's Ria?"
My senses sharpened the instant she spoke.
"Why do you ask?"
In my peripheral vision, a red light flashed. A gimbal camera crept toward us, its operator zooming in from the corner.
Of course.
The PD must've instructed the writers—or gone straight to it. Stirring subtle rivalries among contestants for juicy teaser footage. The infamous devil's edit.
"Just curious, that's all. Rumors say you got booted from Luminus. Then you pop up in Ria's Insta story outta nowhere—everyone's wondering."
Naeun, sitting beside me, glanced at me in panic. Doyun outright turned away.
"Instead of wondering, maybe worry about your own stage?"
"What'd you say?"
"Ria's personal life got nothing to do with your skills. Unless... jealous of our friendship?"
"Uh, yeah? Jealous as hell."
She shot back with a sneer, twisting her body toward me.
"More importantly, you were in and out of the Luminus building prepping for Round 2, right? Colluding with CEO Kim Taesung? Or is the winner already rigged to be you?"
Sudden acceleration out of nowhere?
Practically strangers, yet she dropped banmal bombs and trash-talked without a care for the rolling cameras. A trainee should at least mind her post-debut image, but was this an over-the-top concept or just zero backing?
The PD's playing dirty to this extent?
Naeun fidgeted beside me, mouthing silently as she clutched my sleeve. I pinched her chubby cheek, stretching it out, eyes still locked on the girl ahead.
"I went to the building to practice choreography with our team member Naeun. Weird for teammates to stick together on a team mission?"
"Choreography practice?"
She snorted derisively, eyeing me up and down.
"What, aiming to be an idol?"
"Idol or whatever, you gotta show everything you've got on stage, right? You're a trainee—don't tell me you don't know that basic?"
My calm retort made her eyebrow twitch.
"Talk big, huh. Think dancing's easy? We've slaved in practice rooms for years just for one debut shot. You think a few days with a perennial flop like Naeun lets you fake it?"
Chilly venom laced her glare.
"Don't care if you bomb your stage, but don't mock the likes of us grinding desperately. Coming here playing protagonist off one viral song? Disgusting."
The vitriol escalated. I released Naeun's cheek.
"See for yourself on stage if it's disgusting or not. Oh, and look after your own team first. No matter how many years you've trained, if you can't prove it onstage, what's the point? Isn't that more pathetic?"
"You little—!"
As she shot up from her seat, the mic speakers boomed with the MC's voice.
"Alright! Break's over after that long wait! Time to call the teams for the second deathmatch!"
Perfect timing. I smirked leisurely at her fury.
"Fix your face. Cameras probably caught that venomous look."
She glared, fists clenched, before reluctantly moving at her team's call.
"Sis, you okay?"
"Of course. Think I haven't dealt with her type before?"
"That unnie's always kinda like that. Don't take it to heart."
Naeun added cautiously, gauging my mood.
I nodded toward the retreating figure.
"Who is she? You know her?"
"Yusia from Aura Entertainment... Pretty infamous among trainees. Skills are top-tier, but her prickly personality tanked her debut three times right before it happened."
Not a concept— the real deal?
I clicked my tongue inwardly. I'd pegged her as a sly vixen playing villain for screen time, but nope—just couldn't rein in her temper, making enemies everywhere. Must be genuinely skilled, but in this industry, shitty personality always bites you back.
"Next up for the second matchup!"
The MC's finger pointed at the screen.
"Group B! And... Group G!"
Group B's members froze mid-rise from their seats. Yusia, who'd just ripped into me, went pale in an instant.
Naeun and Doyun's breaths caught.
I rose slowly from my seat. My eyes locked dead-on with Yusia's.
"Looks like I get to shut that mouth sooner than expected."