You're Already Under My Feet

"You're already under my feet."

Step—. Step—.

The dark intro cut off, the song breaking for a brief beat as Ha Yerin tossed the whip in her hand aside and strode to the front of the stage.

"Whoa…."

The girl who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a Ha Yerin fan sucked in a breath at the sight.

Yerin's facial acting today was no joke.

Those already sharp, pointed eyes were honed even keener than usual, lending a vivid, living edge to the contempt on her face.

Th-this is weird….

If someone looked at you with that kind of gaze, you were supposed to feel unpleasant. Disgusted, even.

Thump—.

So why was her heart pounding like this?

With Ha Yerin holding every eye in the house, the stage began in earnest.

They had rearranged the original high-tension, bouncy pop melody of Magical Love☆ into something electronic and dark.

The audience felt the complete opposite of the original.

And on top of that….

Was Yerin's voice always this husky…?

The husky tone Ha Yerin unveiled in front of a live audience for the first time was more than enough to deliver a fresh shock.

No one cared anymore that the song's range had been lowered.

Then came the other members' parts.

Until a few years ago, the Ha Yerin fan had been a hardcore Strawberry Filter stan — the original owners of the song.

That was how she could tell Team 1's Magical Love★ barely rewrote the lyrics of the original Magical Love☆ at all.

And yet….

For the single reason that the atmosphere was different, Team 1's Magical Love★ now radiated a chilling dread that was the polar opposite of the original lyrics.

If the original felt like the fresh, fluttering crush of a teenage girl in love, this one felt like the hollow emptiness of a yandere stalker.

They barely rewrote a thing, and it still feels like this….

Before the awe could even settle, Na Hanna burst forward.

Originally the bridge had been built for a soaring high note, but Team 1 leaned into their specialty and replaced it with Na Hanna's breaking.

A short murmur. Then, with the electric tones pouring out, Na Hanna launched into a dazzling sequence of moves that left the audience's vision swimming.

Next, the chorus exploded.

The formation shifted…, and the protagonist stepped into the center.

Ssshh—.

The rest of Team 1 gathered at her flanks like the thralls of a queen.

Ssshh—,

Pop—!

As if to deliver a twist, the stage went black for a beat — then lights crashed down in a flood.

"Kyaaaaaaah—!!"

The audience screamed at the figure standing at the heart of it all: Ha Yerin.

"……!"

The original lyric had been "I'll capture you." They had changed it to dominate.

Capture and dominate.

Similar meanings — completely different feelings.

Especially in the chorus, Ha Yerin barely danced at all, and yet….

Ssshh—.

That ticklish, regal little hand gesture….

Ssshh—.

Those eyes looking down as if at insects, dripping with contempt….

Ssshh—.

That off-shoulder gothic dress she would never normally wear…! The bare shoulders…! That dangerous edge…!

The white ankles flashing every time the fabric fluttered with her movement…! The guilty thrill of stealing glances at them…!

"Haa…, hnn…."

It painted the Ha Yerin fan's face scarlet and set her heart hammering.

And the finishing blow came after the chorus: Ha Yerin's solo dance break.

Another rewrite here.

Originally it had been "in my arms." They changed it to "under my feet."

But most of the audience never noticed the lyrics had changed — because of Ha Yerin's dancing.

Rustle—, soft rustle—.

Watching Ha Yerin dance forced every sense to lock onto her and nothing else.

Whenever people watched her dance, they always fell into the illusion that only she and they existed in that space.

And layered on top of it: her facial acting.

Ah.

The single biggest reason the Ha Yerin fan could never quit stanning her.

That expression work that slipped you into a trance and painted hallucinations over your eyes.

By the time she came to, she was alone with Ha Yerin in a dark void.

Yerin looked down at her fan with contempt at first….

Step—.

Then she approached as if rewarding good behavior, stroked the girl's hair, and whispered.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Still dazed, the Ha Yerin fan accepted the caress — until she heard what Yerin whispered, and her mind snapped wide awake.

"……!"

When she came to, the stage was already over and Ha Yerin was holding her ending pose.

The Ha Yerin fan found herself on her feet without realizing it, staring at the stage.

P-pig….

Of course Ha Yerin had never actually said that…, but the girl felt as if she truly had.

Anyone who hears something degrading gets angry.

But she wasn't angry at all.

On the contrary….

"Ahh…."

Deep in the innermost corner of her mind…, she found herself having a filthy little fantasy about actually licking Ha Yerin's feet.

Thud.

Feeling a brand-new preference bloom inside her heart, the Ha Yerin fan dropped straight back into her seat.

Her friend — a hardcore Yu Seol fan — looked at her with mild pity at first….

"Hey, why are you overreacting so— wait? Hey! You…!"

She saw her friend's face and yelped in shock.

"You— blood! Your nose is bleeding right now!"

Because blood was streaming from the Ha Yerin fan's nose.

The friend scrambled a tissue out of her bag and pressed it to the girl's nose.

Even while her friend wiped the blood away, the afterglow still lingered on the Ha Yerin fan's face.

"Hey…."

"Wh-what…! Are you hurt somewhere? Should we go to a hospital right n—"

Her friend fretted like she was about to die, worried she might actually be sick….

"I'm sorry…. I don't think I can vote for Yu Seol…."

"…Huh?"

"Our Yerin…, I can't stand not voting for her…. Our queen…, even one more vote…."

"You little—"

"Eek!"

Even mid-nosebleed, hearing her still going on about Ha Yerin, the friend shoved her away.

"You ungrateful brat! Who do you think got us these audience tickets?!"

"But…, what am I supposed to do when our Yerin just killed that stage…."

"…Hmph."

The hardcore Yu Seol fan clicked her tongue — but she couldn't exactly disagree.

Ha Yerin's stage just now…, had been polished enough that even a die-hard Yu Seol fan had to admire it.

Still, that didn't mean….

"Even so, our Seol's team is going to win this round!"

She wasn't about to stop cheering for Yu Seol.

Right after Team 1 came Team 2's stage — the one Yu Seol was on.

The afterglow of Ha Yerin's performance still hadn't faded, but….

"…We can do this!"

She clenched her fist tight, certain that this time Yu Seol would finally beat Ha Yerin.

"Waaaaaaaah—!!"

"Kyaaaaaaah—!!"

"Ha Yerin—!!"

"Yerin—!!!"

After the stage ended and we returned backstage…, listening to the enormous roar of people calling our names, I realized the performance had been a success.

Even setting the audience reaction aside…, this stage had been personally satisfying.

The rest of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠team seemed to feel the same — every face was slack with that drained, spent kind of joy.

"Wow…, everyone worked so hard…!"

"We did amazing, right?"

"…We all worked hard, that's true, but…."

Just as the whole team was celebrating a successful stage, someone cut in.

"Honestly, Yerin unnie did the most work, right? Being leader and center at the same time? And she came up with all the ideas too…."

"……."

Na Hanna suddenly butting in to talk about me made the air go awkward for a second….

"Ah…, haha. She's right! Yerin unnie did everything!"

"Unnie. You worked so hard!"

Then everyone rushed me with cheers.

"No, no — you all worked hard too."

I waved them off as they piled on….

"Hanna."

"…Yeah?"

"This."

Poke.

I casually hooked an arm around the neck of Na Hanna, who had been trying to slip off to the waiting room first, and whispered in her ear.

"Where do you think you're running? You dumped both leader and center on me because you said it was too much of a hassle."

"……."

Na Hanna flinched, clearly caught.

That was right.

Na Hanna had just needled the other members — but the truth was she had only been looking to hop on the bus I was driving.

Whether it was because I'd called her out, or because she actually felt guilty….

"That's…."

Rarely for her, she hung her head and apologized.

"…I'm sorry. …I was wrong."

"……."

"Unnie was right. This idea too…, I was actually too scared it would fail to bring it up first. And the reason I didn't work hard before…, was because I figured if I tried hard and it still flopped, it'd hurt even more…."

Maybe because Na Hanna's contribution on this stage had been so big, I didn't find her honesty all that annoying.

"Next time we're on the same team, I'll really work hard. I promise."

"Same team, huh…."

Among the My Idol Academia contestants, the only debut member I knew from my past life was Yu Seol. Beyond her, the only familiar face was maybe Park Yujeong.

And Na Hanna….

I have no memory of her.

Had past-life Na Hanna even made the My Idol Academia debut lineup?

Based on her skill alone right now, she was more than good enough to claim a spot without shame….

But somehow I had the feeling that the listless Na Hanna in front of me had never made debut.

Now, though….

It was a tiny difference, but compared to the past, Na Hanna's eyes were a little more awake.

Maybe one of those six seats will end up being hers.

Na Hanna's listless laziness was a flaw — but she was also skilled, and her ideas were good.

And sometimes she's kind of cute….

So when she said she'd work hard next time we teamed up, I nodded without hesitation.

"Alright. Next time, you're doing leader or center."

"Yes…!"

And just like that, our Team 1 stage for the second team evaluation was over.

It had been a team full of headaches…, and plenty of problems…, but I found myself thinking it had been pretty fun.

We returned to the waiting room in that warm atmosphere, and then….

"Oh…, Team 2's about to start."

"…!"

Our opponents — Team 2 — were getting ready to take the stage.