Elimination (3)
On the screen, her answer continued without a hitch.
A brief hush hung in the air before she went on.
"Wow…"
Someone's small gasp of admiration shattered the silence, and the trainees' reactions came flooding out all at once.
"How is Seo-yeon that good with words?"
"Is that something a person can just come up with on the spot?"
"Her mindset is so cool. I just fell for her again."
"Same. This is like my seven hundredth time this season."
Admiration and jokes tumbled over each other, and the broadcast moved on to the main stage. Before the performance had even begun, the camera closed in on my face.
"Waaaaah…"
"Oh my god!"
The trainees on screen and the trainees watching the broadcast reacted in perfect unison.
"She's so pretty it's actually unfair!"
"How do you never get used to that face?"
"No, the actually insane part is that this is her without even looking better on camera."
The first phrase began, and the shot cut to the trainers.
"It's over. Over."
The trainer drew a fingertip across his throat, the gesture sharp and final.
"Seo-yeon was the key."
Those scenes settled it. This episode had been kind to me in the edit. I was still basking in that warm little glow when I froze.
The camera swept across the audience, and my eyes went wide.
…What?
A familiar face. I knew who he was in an instant.
That's the composer of the song I can't remember…
Had he only looked familiar because I'd seen him on a broadcast? A cold shiver ran down my spine. On screen, he watched the stage with a look of quiet satisfaction, occasionally jotting something down — like a scout at a sports match, ticking off points as the play unfolded.
Is this really just a coincidence?
The stage ended, and the broadcast cut to the results. No vote totals appeared — only the ranks. First place lit up beside my name. Even then, all the camera caught was an awkward little smile. I hadn't reacted nearly as much as people might have expected.
That was when Eun-bi, sitting beside me, said quietly,
"It's okay to just be happy, you know."
I blinked. Then I took Se-ah's hand — she was sitting on my other side — and turned to Eun-bi with a wide, unguarded smile. The moment that image hit the broadcast, a wave of fondness rolled through the practice room.
"Why is that team so wholesome?"
"Eun-bi is actually so sweet."
"And Seo-yeon's consideration is maxed out, I'm telling you."
In that warm atmosphere, the broadcast moved on to Na-bin's stage. And, as always… my face went out over the airwaves. The face of someone who had completely lost control of her expression, staring at the stage like her soul had left her body.
…Ah. That's mortifying.
The practice room flipped into chaos in a single second.
"Seo-yeon, seriously, why does your face do that every time you look at Na-bin!"
"Stop getting so invested!"
"Do those two actually date? She's about to climb into the monitor."
No matter how many times I saw it, I could never get used to that. Even more than watching Lee Seo-yeon's face move according to my will.
Other times, even when I look awkward on the outside, it at least feels like something I actually did.
That, though — that really looked like my body and my heart were operating on two different frequencies. I looked like that? I was starting to understand Hye-in.
I was sure I'd kept my expression in check. But every time the footage rolled, there I was, wearing that same idiotic look.
Then I caught Na-bin watching the broadcast, laughing so hard she nearly folded in half, and a smile tugged at my own mouth.
If Na-bin's happy, that's enough.
Every stage wrapped, and the moment arrived when the first-place trainee in each position was revealed. Na-bin telling me I was amazing for taking first in vocal. Me congratulating Na-bin for taking first in dance. And from somewhere in the background, one trainee's dry, perfectly timed jab.
"What are you two doing?"
The trainees on screen and the trainees watching the broadcast burst out laughing at the exact same time.
"That's actually hilarious."
"The timing on that interjection was insane."
"What are they doing? Getting ready to date, obviously."
The cackling died down fast as the screen changed.
We will now reveal the trainees' current rankings, based on the combined vote totals so far!
In a hush of tension, the names appeared one by one, starting from the bottom. Park Hye-in's name surfaced at forty-fourth.
She went up, at least.
Hye-in nodded with a small smile. Whether she hadn't expected much to begin with, or whether simply moving up was enough, I couldn't tell. She took it in stride — and even so, I couldn't quite settle.
The moment the broadcast ended, the forums detonated.
And just like that, once the broadcast was over, Lee Seo-yeon had taken over the forums all over again.
The day of the ranking announcement arrived.
They'll start with daily-life footage again today. Obviously.
The viewers had already been trained. It was always the same pattern — tease a ranking announcement, then make everyone wait forever before actually revealing the ranks.
That prediction, however, was spectacularly wrong.
We'll be revealing the fourth mission first!
They were going to announce a new mission before the ranking ceremony? What was going on?
While the viewers were still reeling, an even more shocking fact dropped. This time, the ranking ceremony would be held in the middle of practice. Which meant some trainees were going to be eliminated while they were still rehearsing.
That's a little too cruel, isn't it?
The broadcast rolled on. Before long, it cut to practice footage of Lee Seo-yeon's team. Something about the atmosphere was off.
Why can't they get on the same page?
It looked precarious, like the whole thing might tip over. But the worry didn't last. The moment Seo-yeon stepped in, the situation snapped into place.
There it is. That's Seo-yeon for you.
Even at a glance, you could see her supporting Eun-bi so the burden would lift and the flow could settle naturally into place. And then, off to the side, a trainee practicing in quiet, stubborn silence caught the eye.
Park Hye-in is on the same team as Seo-yeon again?
A brow that had furrowed in distaste slowly smoothed out.
She's working harder than I expected, I'll give her that.
Before long, the broadcast moved on to the mid-evaluation. The trainers watched Park Hye-in for a while, then delivered their verdict.
"This time, she blended in well."
Hearing that, you could feel it — the greed really had receded. Park Hye-in, for her part, looked like the emotion had finally caught up with her. In a voice thick with tears, she offered her thanks. And then it was a sea of tears, trainees and trainers alike.
This doesn't look like she's just pretending to have changed.
At least in this moment, you could feel that Park Hye-in had genuinely been trying. Even the gratitude in her voice sounded real. The man watching the broadcast picked up his phone.
The replies kept coming, the conversation locking onto Park Hye-in.
He checked the comments, then turned his eyes back to the broadcast with a faintly uneasy look.
Park Hye-in's fate had already been decided.