Queen, Heavenly Demon, Master, and Ha Yerin

The night before the second team evaluation began.

As usual, we gathered on the set and watched My Idol Academia together.

The show was already on its fourth episode, and Episode 4 consisted solely of the ranking announcement ceremony. Since it was the first ranking reveal, the production team had clearly wanted to put extra care into it.

Even though the “predicted rank” was nothing more than the seat she’d randomly chosen during seat selection, the production team edited it to look as if I had undergone some dramatic, explosive growth.

What really stole the show, though, was the footage of me walking up to take the first-place seat.

The way I climbed those stairs looked so majestic it really did match Park Yujeong’s reaction interview—like a queen ascending her throne.

Whether she was performing for the camera or that was her real face, she had her teeth clenched, looking as if she were desperately swallowing her disappointment.

At that moment I had been wearing a rather arrogant expression. I’d worried it might come off as unlikable to the viewers, but looking at it now, I was glad I’d made that face. Sitting on the first-place seat with a smile full of satisfaction… even I could feel the charisma radiating from the screen.

The growth narrative the production team had crafted, layered with that girl-crush edge—my fans couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying scene.

On screen I looked as if I were truly overwhelmed with emotion. With the background music the production team had laid under the scene, it felt like I might burst into tears at any second.

But that atmosphere shattered with my next line.

Shots of the startled contestants cut in with tense background music. They even included Yu Seol’s surprised reaction before the commercial break hit.

As soon as the ads started, Na Hanna, sitting beside me watching the broadcast, whispered,

“You spoke pretty boldly back then.”

“…You didn’t even know I said that?”

“Mm… that shoot was in the morning, so I was probably dozing off in my chair.”

“…”

No wonder her screen time had been so thin. It was ridiculous, but also so very Na Hanna.

Still, it worked out perfectly. Since she was seeing the scene for the first time, I decided to ask for her impression as a pure viewer.

“Hanna, then from the perspective of someone seeing that scene for the first time—how did I look?”

“Euum…”

Na Hanna hummed for a moment before answering.

“If it had been anyone else, it would’ve looked rude… but when Unni said it, it was somehow…”

“Somehow…?”

“Cool… I guess.”

“I was cool?”

At the unexpected answer I teased her playfully, and Na Hanna’s face flushed as she looked away.

“…From a viewer’s perspective, I mean. From a viewer’s perspective.”

“Right. Pfft.”

I supposed that was how it went when you worked on the same team long enough—even the annoying kind of affection started to grow. Just like how Seo Yujin, who had once been so loud and rude, had gradually started looking cute… I was beginning to find Na Hanna cute too.

And Na Hanna was a terrible liar. If even she called it cool, then the viewers must have seen it the same way.

The commercials ended right then, so I settled in and watched the rest of the broadcast with peace of mind.

If I had dominated most of the mid-to-late ranking ceremony, the very final stretch belonged to Yu Seol.

Unlike me, Yu Seol finished her interview with humble words. The expression she wore while saying them looked sincerely happy and, at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same time, sincerely bitter.

Watching that masterful control of facial acting that left me nothing but impressed… I turned my gaze from the Yu Seol on screen to the Yu Seol sitting right there on set.

And she…

…She’s smiling?

…A faint smile was playing at the corners of her lips, barely there.

By the time My Idol Academia Episode 4 was winding down, it was already past eleven at night. The second team evaluation would start filming first thing tomorrow morning. That meant we had no practice time left.

Most teams had finished rehearsing today and completed every preparation for the second evaluation, but…

Team 2 still…

No word had come that Team 2 had successfully wrapped practice. As if to prove it, Seo Yujin’s face right now was full of dark circles and worry, looking ready to collapse at any moment.

And yet, for some reason, Yu Seol’s expression showed no anxiety at all—only calm composure. When it was Yu Seol of all people… and a Yu Seol who carried that ominous “Darkening” trait… acting like that, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

That unease never left me, not even until ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the moment Episode 4 ended…

“Alright~ From this moment, the second team evaluation begins—!!!”

“Waaaaah—!!”

In the end, the anxiety remained unresolved as the day of the second team evaluation arrived.

“Hoo…”

This was only the second time I would be performing in front of a live audience. Naturally, the tension flooding my chest right before going on stage was beyond imagination. I stood up, desperate to shake it off somehow.

“…Huh? We’re about to go out—where are you going?”

“…Bathroom. Just need to hit the bathroom real quick.”

“…Okay.”

My face must have looked bad, because Na Hanna simply nodded without another word. I shoved open the waiting-room door and headed straight into the restroom.

I was in full makeup, so I couldn’t splash water on my face. I just stood in front of the sink, staring into the mirror, and let out a long breath.

That was when it happened.

Creeeak—.

The restroom door opened, and…

“Hm? Unni—!”

Park Yujeong from Team 3—looking completely free of any tension—bounced in with a bright, sunny smile.

“Ah… Yujeong.”

“Kyaa! Unni! You look so pretty today! But… hmm…? …What’s wrong? Your face…”

“Ah… just… nerves. And the styling is really intense right now too…”

The reason I was so tense wasn’t simply because I was about to go on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stage. The styling felt heavier than usual, and the rearranged atmosphere of the song was definitely going to be polarizing. I had no way of predicting how the audience would judge us, and that made the nerves even worse.

“Huum…”

Park Yujeong seemed to read my mind. She rested her chin on her hand for a moment, then spoke.

“I snuck a peek at your team practicing too. It’s definitely a stage that depends on taste. But Unni—your stages have clear demand.”

“…Clear demand?”

“Yes. And Unni, I think you need to make your expression a little stronger than it is right now. Unni, want to try copying me once?”

“Huh? Uh… sure.”

When I nodded, Park Yujeong put on a chilling expression and whispered low,

“You pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”

“…Yujeong, that’s the joke you pulled before. I don’t have time for—”

I thought she was just messing around again and tried to laugh it off. But her face was completely serious.

“This isn’t a joke this time, Unni. To match your styling and the song’s vibe right now, you need this kind of mind control, okay?”

“R-really?”

“Come on, try it. You pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”

“…Y-you pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”

Park Yujeong spoke with total seriousness, so I repeated after her. But from her perspective, my delivery and expression must have been lacking.

“You can’t make such a timid face… You have to look like you’re looking down on them, despising them. Hmm… Unni, try imagining there’s a cockroach right in front of you?”

“…A cockroach? …Why a cockroach? I’m actually really good at catching cockroaches…”

“…Okay, not a cockroach then. Think of something that gives you the creeps just by looking at it, and make the face.”

“…”

Something that gave me the creeps just by looking at it…

For that, I had a cheat key ready. I pictured Mom and Dad standing right in front of me and set my expression.

“…Oh. That face right now is amazing.”

Park Yujeong’s satisfied reaction came immediately.

“Unni, say it again with that face. You pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”

“You pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”

“Perfect.”

Clap, clap, clap.

Park Yujeong applauded and declared it perfect.

“It’s perfect, Unni. Keep that exact face on stage and keep repeating those words in your head.”

I couldn’t help but be flustered.

“…Yujeong. You’re telling me to make this face on stage and keep thinking ‘you pigs’ and all that inside my head…? No, how am I supposed to do that in front of our precious audience…”

“People are actually going to love that side of you, Unni. Just trust me!”

“…Haaah.”

It was hard to believe, but… nothing Park Yujeong had said so far had ever been wrong, so I nodded.

“…Alright. I’ll head back then, Yujeong.”

“Yes, Unni! Fighting!”

“Yeah, you too—fighting!”

From the moment I left the restroom until I reached the waiting room, I kept repeating the line and the expression.

You pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.

The second I opened the waiting-room door while muttering it…

“Ugh, holy—you scared me.”

Na Hanna, who had been about to step out, locked eyes with me and for the first time opened her sleepy eyes wide. She must have been startled by my face.

“Ah, sorry.”

“N-no, it’s fine. More importantly, Unni… what happened in the bathroom…? Your face…”

“…Why? Does it look weird?”

“No… not weird… mm… it actually fits our concept really well.”

“…Really?”

Was Park Yujeong’s coaching already working…?

“Your expression’s good right now, so let’s go. It’s our turn on stage.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Team 1 headed straight to the backstage area. A final short wait before we entered the stage.

And right before the production staff’s cue fell…

“…Unni.”

“Yeah, Hanna.”

Na Hanna spoke to me briefly.

“…Sorry for being so rude this whole time. And… preparing for this evaluation was fun…”

“…”

Her eyes looked a little more awake than usual as she said it.

“Let’s… finish this well too.”

She looked somehow cute enough that I wanted to ruffle her hair, but we were about to go on stage, so I couldn’t. Instead I gave her shoulder a solid smack.

“Yeah. Let’s kill this stage.”

“…Okay.”

The moment I finished speaking, the staff gave the cue.

“Team 1, enter now.”

“Fighting—!”

“Team 1 fighting—!!”

Someone among the members shouted “fighting,” and we all shouted it together as we walked inside.

The second team evaluation that had been full of trouble and problems…

It was time to show the results.

“Team 1’s stage is about to begin! Please welcome them with a huge cheer!”

“Waaaaaah—!!”

“Kyaaaaaaah—!!”

The moment the stage for Team 1—featuring Ha Yerin and Na Hanna—drew near, an enormous roar erupted from the audience.

“Waaaaaah—!”

One female audience member was screaming her throat raw just the same. She had come to watch the first team evaluation as well, and this time she had brought a friend to the second evaluation too.

Of course…

“Hey, why are you screaming so loud! You’re planning to vote for Ha Yerin again instead of Yu Seol, aren’t you!”

“N-no…”

…Unlike her, who was a Ha Yerin fan, her friend was a hardcore Yu Seol stan.

“I’m already pissed enough that Seol only got second at the ranking announcement! You know how hard I worked to get us seats right in front of the stage, right? This time you have to pick Yu Seol no matter what! If you pick Ha Yerin, you’re dead!”

“O-okay…!”

While the two friends bickered, Han Siwoo announced the start of the stage.

“From this moment—Team 1’s Magical Love★!”

“Waaaaaah—!”

Team 1 performing a song by Strawberry Filter, who boasted an enormous female fanbase… another wave of cheers exploded from the seats.

But at the same time, voices of disappointment rose as well.

“Magical Love☆? Then the concept overlaps with the first round…”

The bright atmosphere of Where is my first love!, which Ha Yerin had performed in the first team evaluation, overlapped in many ways with Magical Love☆. Fans who had been hoping for a stronger girl-crush concept from her couldn’t help but let out sighs of regret.

“I wish our Yerin had gone for a fierce concept this time…”

Even the Ha Yerin fan herself was clicking her tongue in disappointment—when it happened.

♬♬♬♪—!

The stage began, and…

“…Huh?”

…a lower, darker intro than expected began to play, and the audience couldn’t help but freeze in confusion.

The register was lower than the original Magical Love☆, and the entire atmosphere was the complete opposite.

Then the lights came up on the darkened stage, and Team 1’s members revealed themselves…

“…!!”

…and people could not close their dropped jaws.

The moment anyone heard the title Magical Love☆, only one image came to mind: pink-on-pink colors, somewhat childish outfits, magic wands, and a bright mood.

But Team 1 right now…

A dark backdrop, all-black gothic dresses. And instead of magic wands, they even held small whips in their hands.

At the completely unexpected styling and atmosphere, the Ha Yerin fan stared blankly at the stage… until…

Swoosh—.

…her eyes met those of Ha Yerin, standing dead center.

Every Ha Yerin fan knew it.

That even though Ha Yerin possessed a cold, haughty beauty, she was actually timid on the inside.

But the expression she wore now as she looked down at her fans…

“…”

…was so cold it looked as if she were gazing down at something that wasn’t even human.

That sharp gaze—beyond haughty and arrogant, carrying actual contempt—might have felt unpleasant if it had come from anyone else…

Thump.

Ah.

…but for this Ha Yerin fan, it instead awakened an entirely new taste and impulse.

It must have been the same for everyone.

The Ha Yerin fans in the audience… could only stare blankly, as if time itself had stopped under the force of her overwhelming presence.