War of the Flowers
War of the Flowers.
The moment I set foot on the set for the first time, I froze.
The stage was far larger than I had imagined. And there were so many contestants.
Dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto me all at once — how could I not flinch?
And more than anything else…
There are only two seats left…?
Only first place and ninety-ninth place remained empty.
I scanned both seats in a hurry, weighing the pros and cons of each.
First, the number-one seat.
…It was dazzling. In design and in placement, it stood apart from every other chair. Highest point, dead center — guaranteed camera time.
Then the ninety-ninth seat.
Bottom row, tucked into a corner, and the chair itself looked pitiful next to the throne above.
…Perfect.
I finished deliberating in a heartbeat and started walking.
Click. Click.
Thud.
My choice was, of course… the ninety-ninth seat.
The first-place chair looked tempting at a glance, but anyone who knew how these shows worked could see it for what it was — a trap laid out in plain sight.
Sit there, and every single moment becomes a test. Slip even once, and you plummet straight into hell.
The ninety-ninth seat, though?
If things went well, you could spin a growth narrative and snag screen time. And more importantly, even modest improvement looked like a breakthrough from down there.
So I didn't regret sitting in the ninety-ninth seat for a second.
No — I actually liked it.
And yet…
"…?"
Why did the atmosphere around me turn so strange the second I sat down?
More than that — the cameras were rolling. Why was nobody reacting?
Something felt off, so I offered another greeting to the contestants nearby.
"I look forward to working with you all…?"
"Ah… yes! We look forward to working with you too…!"
"N-nice to meet you, haha. Let's do our best…!"
The replies only came several seconds after I'd spoken.
I tilted my head at the awkwardness in their voices.
"Aww~ so she went for the ninety-ninth seat after all."
"Right? She's got less guts than I expected."
The moment Ha Yerin sat in the ninety-ninth seat, the production staff of My Idol Academia let out a collective sigh of disappointment.
Shin PD especially.
"Aah~, if she'd just sat in first place, the shot would've been gorgeous."
The concept he had planned to give Ha Yerin was Queen.
He had even asked the stylists to put extra work into her makeup, intending to frame her overwhelming presence as she claimed the first-place seat.
But reality audition shows never go according to plan.
Contrary to everything Shin PD had hoped and expected, Ha Yerin took the ninety-ninth seat instead of first.
Still, a professional among professionals like Shin PD wasn't about to fall apart over her choice.
A girl who so clearly belonged on the first-place throne choosing the ninety-ninth seat instead — that was a twist in its own right, and perfectly usable as broadcast material.
And besides…
"…Send the next one out."
…There was still one contestant left for My Idol Academia.
Ha Yerin was the production team's secret weapon — their ace in the hole, their asymmetric force.
But she wasn't the only trump card they had prepared.
Flash—!
At Shin PD's signal, the letters lit up on the electronic board…
Click.
And then another asymmetric force stepped into view.
"JJ Entertainment…?"
"Another one from the Big Three…?"
The stage began to buzz the moment the agency name appeared on the board.
Fair enough. The major agencies — the Big Three — usually hated sending their trainees onto audition programs like this.
There was already one SAV trainee here, and now JJ too. That meant every Big Three agency except YW had entered My Idol Academia.
"…Who do you think it'll be?"
"No idea. JJ's famous for keeping their trainees under lock and key."
The contestants huddled with their friends, whispering guesses about the JJ trainee about to appear.
I, on the other hand, stayed silent amid the noise.
I didn't know a single person around me… and more importantly, I already knew who was coming out.
So that's where she was. The final contestant.
My Idol Academia — the show that had once whipped up a frenzy and posted sky-high ratings.
In my previous life, I had never had time for TV programs, so I didn't know exactly who these hundred contestants were, or which six among them would debut.
But there was one contestant I did know.
Not only would she debut as the overwhelming first-place finisher of My Idol Academia… after the girl group formed on the show eventually disbanded, she would go on to become a massive solo hit.
Click.
At last, the soft sound of small footsteps approached, and the JJ Entertainment trainee who had captured every contestant's attention stepped into view.
"……!!"
The hall filled with sharp intakes of breath and the sound of people forgetting how to breathe.
A petite frame. Stylishly dyed platinum-blonde hair. Pale skin. And above all… a delicate face that triggered every protective instinct in the room.
"…U-um, h-hello…"
"……!"
Everyone was staring at her as if entranced, and the weight of it must have been too much — she lowered her head with eyes that looked ready to cry.
Only then did people snap out of it and greet her.
"Ah, hello—!!"
"Nice to meet you—!!"
"W-wow…! I've never seen a JJ person in real life, haha…!"
They forced smiles as they welcomed her, but awkwardness sat plain on every face.
Of course they're rattled. Someone this overwhelming just walked in as a rival.
When you were competing for six debut spots, her presence was the last thing anyone wanted to see.
"Um… where might my seat be…?"
"Ah, the seats……"
Someone pointed up at the first-place seat at the top of the pyramid.
"Th-there's only one left, so…"
The moment she saw it, she seemed to grasp the situation — and panic set in.
"U-uh… ah… how could I possibly…"
She stood there for a long while, fidgeting and reading the room, until she finally decided there was no other option…
"Then… if you'll forgive my shamelessness…"
Step. Step.
Thud.
She climbed straight to the top of the pyramid and sat in the first-place seat.
Once she was there, she looked embarrassed and out of place, as if she knew she didn't belong.
But…
…It suits her.
Everyone must have been thinking the same thing.
Because the girl sitting in the first-place seat… was radiating an overwhelming presence that fused perfectly with the throne.
Her small, delicate features against that glittering seat of power created a picture that could only be described as…
A princess.
Yes. A princess.
Still a little clumsy… but a princess who commanded the room with nothing but charm and the promise of affection.
I looked at the name tag pinned over her chest, where her agency and name were written.
Yu Seol.
The name of the girl who would win My Idol Academia.
I was the only one who knew she would take the championship in the future… but looking at her presence, everyone seemed to sense it on instinct, staring up at her from below.
In those contestants' eyes, there was admiration — and sharp, calculating wariness.
The girl who had claimed the second-place seat for herself was no different.
She's SAV too, so agency-wise she shouldn't fall short of Yu Seol…
Her name was Seo Yujin. I couldn't remember whether she had made the debut lineup or not.
But…
The cameras are rolling. How can she manage her expression that poorly?
What really bothered me was that she was staring at Yu Seol in the first-place seat with zero attempt to hide her feelings.
Anyone could see the jealousy and envy packed into that look.
She looked younger than me, so maybe emotional control was hard for her — but if the cameras caught her like that, a free fall into hell was only a matter of time.
Even with SAV behind her, she might not debut at this rate.
I looked at her with a touch of pity.
And then…
Swoosh—.
"……!"
As if she had eyes in the back of her head, the girl who had been staring at Yu Seol in first place suddenly turned and looked straight at me.
Her seat was second place. Mine was ninety-ninth.
We were far enough apart that our eyes shouldn't have met by chance.
Which meant she had deliberately shifted her gaze toward me.
It was startling enough on its own — but the truly strange part was…
She was looking at me with the exact same eyes she had used on Yu Seol.
…Huh?
The moment I saw those pupils full of jealousy and envy, I couldn't help but be thrown.
Looking at me like that meant she saw me as a rival on Yu Seol's level…
She's putting me on the same line as Yu Seol?
I tilted my head for a second…
"……"
"……"
…and only then realized that I, too, was drawing just as many stares as Yu Seol.
…Ah.
Right now, none of the contestants knew each other's singing or dancing ability.
Which meant the only metric available for ranking each other was appearance.
And I… was beautiful.
I had a habit of occasionally forgetting that fact about myself.
So I took another look at the faces around me… and, from a third-party perspective, compared my looks against the other contestants.
The result didn't take long.
On appearance alone… I was equal to Yu Seol — the projected winner of My Idol Academia — or better.
And unlike Yu Seol, I carried a strong, cold image. Being at opposite poles only made us both stand out more.
More than enough reason for the other contestants to watch me with wariness and envy.
Get a grip.
There were no allies here.
Everyone was smiling, but every one of them carried a sharp blade under the surface.
That went for every single person in this room. They had all staked everything they had to be here…
"Alright, then — we will now begin the grade evaluations—!!"
And our war finally announced the raising of its curtain.