The Rival Cohabitation Mission
"Contestant number one, Han Jiyoung. Who will you choose?"
At the MC's question, I reached out without a second of hesitation.
"Yoo Sia."
The MC's eyes narrowed as he scanned his cue sheet.
"Oh! So you've chosen Yoo Sia, who returned through the wildcard round! Picking the main vocalist from the team you already faced in Round 2… this is going to be a fascinating rematch."
Suddenly, the giant screen at center stage shifted.
The stiff labels that had been locked in place until now—Contestant Number 1, Contestant Number 25, and so on—vanished, replaced by a new list.
1st Place Han Jiyoung VS Yoo Sia
From Round 3 onward, the names that had been hidden behind contestant numbers were being revealed.
The nominations that followed moved at lightning speed.
"Next up is the second-ranked picker. Kang Minhyuk, the former musical actor! Who do you want to face?"
Kang Minhyuk. The powerhouse who had led Group E in Round 2 with overwhelming vocal power and stage presence.
He hesitated for a moment, then pointed at Naeun.
"I'd like to compete against Kim Naeun."
Third pick went to Lee Seo-jun, the leader of the R&B team.
He named Han Doyun.
Just like that, the top ten nominations wrapped up in a clean sweep. A taut tension filled the studio.
All ten matchups were set. I stood side by side with Yoo Sia, waiting for the next announcement.
"Alright, every Round 3 opponent has been decided. As they say—know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated, right?"
The moment those words hit me, a bad premonition flashed through my mind.
No way.
"For the next two days, the two of you will stay together in lodging prepared by the production team. Two people to a room—a rival cohabitation mission where you'll spend twenty-four hours a day glued to the person you're competing against!"
"……?!"
The studio exploded into pure chaos.
"What is this supposed to mean? Sleep in the same room as my opponent?"
"They didn't even give us advance notice and drop this on us the day of? What are we supposed to do?!"
"I didn't pack anything! I don't even have spare underwear or toiletries!"
Protests erupted from every direction.
I glanced sideways.
Yoo Sia was staring at me too, eyes wide with the same shock.
"Now, now! Everyone, please calm down!"
The MC waved both hands, trying to settle the uproar.
"Of course we'll give you time to pack your personal belongings. Please gather back here at the studio by nine tomorrow morning. From there, production vehicles will take everyone together."
Nine a.m. tomorrow. Only then did the contestants' stormy expressions ease a little.
"And the Round 3 performances will take place right after the cohabitation ends—one week from now, here in the main match hall. Starting this round, some very special people will be joining us. Our live studio audience!"
Bold letters announcing the introduction of audience voting filled the screen.
"Judging will be seventy percent from the judges' scores and thirty percent from the live audience vote. Whoever captures the public's heart will seize the ticket to the next round!"
Okay. At least they're not completely unhinged.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
No matter how ratings-obsessed a survival show got, they weren't about to declare, "Congratulations, you're being kidnapped starting now."
A nine a.m. departure tomorrow meant enough time to pack and get my head on straight.
But the situation wasn't equally generous to everyone.
"Hey! I came up from Busan—how am I supposed to get back here by nine tomorrow morning?"
"I'm from Gwangju! All that back-and-forth is going to kill me. They should've announced this in advance!"
Contestants from the provinces vented their frustration from every corner.
One guy from Busan in particular let out a hollow laugh of pure disbelief and started grilling the production staff.
The MC, failing to hide his fluster, hurried down from the stage and huddled urgently with Kang PD and the rest of the crew.
After a few minutes of tense conversation, the MC climbed back onto the stage looking considerably more relaxed.
"Alright, settling the floor! We're rolling again."
The slate clapped and the cameras' red lights blinked back on.
"For contestants whose homes are too far for easy travel, the production team will provide nearby lodging, pickup service, and a modest travel stipend. We apologize once more for the sudden schedule change and ask for your understanding."
Faced with the crew's quick response, even the grumbling contestants reluctantly nodded.
Free lodging plus travel money left them with little ground to keep complaining.
Once filming wrapped and I was heading out of the studio toward home, I heard hurried footsteps catching up behind me.
I turned around—it was Yoo Sia.
She stopped in front of me, a little out of breath, and spoke with a faintly awkward expression.
"Thanks for choosing me. Unnie."
"……I'm unnie?"
I echoed the unexpected title without thinking.
Yoo Sia nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah. I'm nineteen."
I stared at her hard.
Judging purely by vibe, I had assumed she was my age or older. Turns out she was the same age as Naeun.
I pictured the two of them standing side by side.
If Naeun was a golden retriever bounding over with her tail wagging, Yoo Sia was a freshly adopted street cat still hissing at everything.
I gave a short laugh and answered.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. I was stuck wondering who to pick. The PD's going to love this."
Yoo Sia tilted her head.
"Why would the PD like it?"
"……Are you seriously asking because you don't know?"
She just looked at me with completely innocent eyes, like she genuinely had no idea. I swallowed a disbelieving laugh.
"You and I had that whole blow-up in the waiting room during Round 2. You lost to me, got eliminated, then clawed your way back through the wildcard. Now the two of us are facing off one-on-one again. You think a ratings-obsessed PD is going to be anything less than thrilled?"
"……Oh. It works like that?"
Yoo Sia let out a small sound of realization, as if the pieces had only just clicked.
……Is this girl actually dumb on top of everything else?
I barely managed to swallow the words that had risen all the way to my throat.
Looking at her now, the venomous barbs she'd thrown at me last round felt a little different.
Aigoo, Sia…
But honestly, this was better.
Someone this transparently dense was way easier to deal with than the type who sharpened knives behind your back.
"Nine o'clock tomorrow. Don't be late."
"Yes! You get home safe too, unnie!"
Back home, I opened my suitcase right in the middle of the living room.
Two nights and three days. Not long, not short.
I packed toiletries and a towel, a few changes of clothes and pajamas. Chargers and a power bank. And then the most important item of all.
My latest portable game console.
If I didn't spend an hour or two wandering through a game world before bed, my body simply refused to fall asleep anymore.
Cohabitation, huh…
As I packed, I sank into thought. I fully agreed with the production team's stated goal of knowing your enemy.
The problem was time. Burn two days on cohabitation and the actual stage prep window got uncomfortably tight.
That's why they made the theme free choice.
Covers were fine. Originals were fine.
With only a week to pull the highest possible quality, the calculation was clear: bring whatever you do best.
I sprawled across the bed and stared at the ceiling.
The song was already decided. There was nothing to deliberate over.
On the Road.
It had circulated in chopped-up YouTube Shorts and broadcast clips, but after the reverse chart run I had never once performed the full version on a proper stage.
And with audience scores counting for thirty percent, there was no better song for the job.
A live stage…
I leaned against the headboard, closed my eyes, and a massive stage unfolded in my mind.
There I stood, guitar slung over my shoulder, in front of a stand mic.
"……Haa."
A deep breath slipped out on its own.
I could feel my heartbeat running a little faster than usual.
Beep-beep—
The cheerful chime of the door lock disengaging shattered the imaginary stage like glass. I jolted upright.
"Oh—Mom?"
She had texted earlier that surgeries were backed up and she'd be late, but she was walking into the living room much earlier than expected.
Mom peeled off her coat and spotted the open suitcase sitting in the middle of the floor.
"What's all this? Jiyoung, are you going on a trip?"
"Ah, no, it's…"
I quietly explained the rival cohabitation mission starting tomorrow. Mom nodded in understanding.
"Alright. Go do well and come back. I'm just worried my girl won't sleep comfortably in an unfamiliar place."
"Come on, it's only two nights. By the way, Mom—reporters still camping outside the hospital?"
I asked casually. Mom snorted and set her bag down.
"They show up sometimes, but it's fine. The real problem is inside the hospital. Every single person I run into only wants to talk about you. It's exhausting."
Her complaint made me feel a little guilty.
"Haha, if it's that bad, just quit being hospital director! I'll support you with the money I earn from now on. You can just rest easy at home."
At my bold joke, Mom came over and gently stroked my hair. The warmth from her hand spread through me, drowsy and soft.
"My goodness, is my daughter putting her mother into retirement? Just hearing it makes me feel secure."
She studied my face, then smiled warmly.
"Jiyoung, you've looked so happy lately. It makes me glad. At first I worried you were only doing this because you were pushed into it… but in the end, starting music again was the right call, wasn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Good. You know Mom's always rooting for you, right?"
In her arms, I pictured tomorrow's cohabitation and the stage one more time.
There was no fear.
I just wanted to show them as soon as possible.