I Became the Group Project Leader
I became the group project leader.
Maybe it was because I'd taken first place, but my name sat at the very top of Team 1.
And the name right beneath mine was…
Ha Yerin(1st)
Na Hanna(4th)
"…Huh?"
Granted, it wasn't as if Na Hanna and I were close. Even though we'd both been A-rank during the final grade evaluation, I'd never managed so much as a proper conversation with her.
But the real problem was…
They're putting first place and fourth place on the same team?
If they were going for a "please get along" concept, pairing me with Na Hanna wasn't entirely out of bounds — but still. Putting first and fourth together had to be a problem, didn't it?
Of course…
31st.
39th.
48th.
63rd.
81st.
Judging by how low the remaining five members ranked, the producers had clearly scrambled to balance things out. Even so—
A team with two top-tier contestants still has the advantage.
Even accounting for that, our team looked far stronger than the rest.
And it wasn't just us.
"…Holy crap."
I looked at Team 2's lineup next to ours and had no choice but to be shocked all over again.
Yu Seol(2nd)
Seo Yujin(3rd)
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Over there, Yu Seol and Seo Yujin were stuck together.
About thirty seconds after the rosters went up…
"What the hell is this?"
"The balance is completely off…!"
"Why are first and fourth on the same team…!"
"And the team next to them has second and third…"
Naturally, discontent started bubbling up among the contestants.
Well… I like my team just fine, but…
From everyone else's perspective, Teams 1 and 2 — which between them held first, second, third, and fourth place — must have felt like a natural disaster.
Contractually and hierarchically, the contestants had no standing to protest the production staff. And yet, with survival on the line, the mood among them turned rough fast.
"No, this is seriously…"
"It's so blatantly favoritism it's pissing me off."
That was when the open grumbling hit its peak. Sensing the voices, Han Siwoo gestured for the contestants to settle down and kept talking.
"Haha, of course I don't expect the current teams to satisfy everyone! And no, the balance across all eight teams doesn't look particularly even either! But don't worry!"
"……?"
What Han Siwoo had just said was essentially an admission of the production staff's blunder. I tilted my head for a moment — then froze at what came next.
"Because this second team performance on My Idol Academia is a one-on-one team match! Team 1 versus Team 2! Team 3 versus Team 4! Each team will face the team right next to it!"
"……!"
So what he was saying was…
Team 1 — me and Na Hanna — against…
Yu Seol(2nd)
Seo Yujin(3rd)
…Team 2, which had Yu Seol and Seo Yujin on it, in a one-on-one team match.
…Damn it.
I'd been hoping this second team performance might go a little easier. Of course the production staff would never let that happen.
No matter how I looked at it, the opposing lineup seemed stronger than ours.
Seo Yujin.
She was self-absorbed, complained constantly, and had a special talent for saying things that didn't need saying and wrecking the team atmosphere — but she hadn't landed third in the individual vote for free. I'd been on a team with her before. I knew exactly how good her stage composition and execution were.
And Yu Seol.
I'd taken first at this ranking announcement, sure, but she was still a cut above me in raw skill. On top of that…
That unlocked trait…
Blackening.
Yu Seol had already been a broken character. Now she had one more broken trait stacked on top.
Should I just write off this second team performance…?
No matter how I sliced it, our odds of beating a Team 2 that had both Yu Seol and Seo Yujin looked slim. And so, even though we'd barely set foot into the second team performance, I had no choice but to let out a quiet sigh.
"All right, from this point on, please gather with your teammates! You'll have five minutes of bonding time!"
With the production staff's team selections complete, we got a chance to meet our own teammates.
And once again, I got a firsthand look at just how capable the My Idol Academia production team really was.
"……."
"……."
"……."
It was awkward.
True to the "please get along" concept, the atmosphere on our team was mind-meltingly awkward. I was the type who never spoke first to begin with — a bit of a loner by nature — but…
"Um…"
I couldn't take it anymore and broke the ice myself.
At which point…
"Y-Yes—!"
"Please go ahead, Yerin!"
"We're listening—!"
…the rest of the team jumped like startled rabbits and scrambled to respond.
What are they, handmaidens to a tyrant queen…?
That was when I finally figured out why the mood was so stiff.
It was because of me.
My ranking was so much higher than everyone else's that they were completely cowed.
"You'll be center, right? Or leader, too?"
"We'll follow whatever Yerin decides!"
…Or maybe they were just planning to keep their mouths shut and freeload on the bus I was driving. My head started to ache — and then I remembered.
But I'm not the only bus driver on this team.
I shifted my gaze toward the other bus driver: Na Hanna.
Except…
"Haaawn…"
"……."
"…Sleepy."
She was yawning with an expression that said team performances were someone else's problem.
Swoosh—.
Shift—.
Once the teammates realized she had no intention of leading them, their eyes lit up and locked onto me alone.
"Haa…"
Thanks to that, I — someone who'd never even been to college — finally understood what it felt like to become the group project leader.
I was going to have to give up center for this performance. We hadn't assigned ranks yet, but I already started proceeding under the assumption that I was the leader.
"W-Well then, how about we introduce ourselves first? I'm Ha Yerin, from Hyeongje Entertainment."
"Ah, yes! I'm…"
The one silver lining was that the teammates followed my lead without much resistance.
Until…
"Okay, next introduction, please."
"……."
"Um…"
"…Ah. Is it my turn."
It died at Na Hanna.
"Um… I'm…. Yeah…"
All she had to do was say her name, and yet Na Hanna kept blinking her sleepy eyes and dragging it out. The frustration was lethal.
"……Na Hanna."
For fuck's sake.
If you're going to give a one-word answer, why waste everyone's time?
"W-Wow…"
"N-Nice to meet you…"
Thanks to Na Hanna tanking the vibe, the team atmosphere sank even further.
"……."
"……."
I missed Park Yujeong so badly it hurt.
No… even if it isn't Yujeong, I'd take Yujin at this point…
I could barely believe myself, but in that moment I genuinely missed Seo Yujin. If I could swap Na Hanna for Seo Yujin, I wouldn't have hesitated for a second.
So I sat in that suffocating silence and prayed for the five minutes to end as fast as possible.
"……."
"……."
But no matter how long I waited, Han Siwoo didn't move on to the next segment.
Damn it…
If I didn't say something, the team was going to implode. So I gritted my teeth and opened my mouth.
"Um, does anyone know their blood type?"
"I-I'm type B!"
"I'm type O…!"
Ah, crap — I'd meant to ask about MBTI and fumbled it. But words once spoken couldn't be taken back…
"I-I'm type A…"
"…Wow, so you're the timid type. Haha…"
And so a group of us with an average age of eighteen ended up killing time with an untimely blood-type conversation.
It was truly hell.
"All right! Time's up. Did everyone bond nicely?"
Bond, my ass.
The only thing that got fortified was my mental fortitude — enough that I was starting to wonder whether this team could even put on a proper stage.
"Then from this point on, we'll begin song selection!"
"……!"
At the words "song selection," I had no choice but to focus even harder.
I'd already concluded we couldn't beat Team 2 by normal means. That meant we needed to grab a good song in the selection process and seize the high ground.
"I'm sure you're all wondering how the song selection will work! And as for song selection…!"
"……."
"We'll proceed after we relocate from here!"
"…Huh?"
Relocate? To where?
It was a first, and I wasn't the only one thrown — the other contestants looked just as confused.
"Everyone, this way, please—!"
Still, we followed Han Siwoo's instructions and the production staff's guidance out of the set.
"Two teams to a bus, hop on!"
"Wait, we're taking a bus now…?"
What on earth were they planning that required all this?
I boarded the bus with a dubious feeling and went wherever the production staff took us.
The place they unloaded us was, on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province…
"…A stadium?"
…a track-and-field stadium.
Everyone was tilting their heads at a venue so mismatched with idols when—
"…Wait. That."
Someone pointed, and we spotted a banner that looked like it had been slapped together in a hurry.
My Idol Academia
1st Sports Day
"…No way?"
"Yes way!"
While everyone was still refusing to accept reality, Han Siwoo appeared. At some point he'd changed clothes — gym uniform, sunglasses, and a sun visor on top. The classic PE teacher look.
"Is there any better event for building camaraderie than a sports day? Please welcome it with a round of applause! My Idol Academia's First Sports Day!"
"…Wooow."
"…I barely put on any sunscreen today."
Being all girls, they predictably made faces at the words "sports day."
But then—
"The song selection game for the second team performance… is this sports day—!"
"……!"
Of course it wasn't just a sports day.
"Based on your results in this sports day, you will earn the opportunity to select the song you want! So give it your all!"
"……."
The moment they heard that sports day results would determine song selection, the earlier disgust vanished like a lie. Contestants' eyes started blazing.
And…
What kind of windfall is this…?
…my eyes lit up brighter than anyone else's.