The Breaking Point
The intermediate evaluation continued without pause.
“Next team, please come forward.”
At the master’s command, the waiting team stepped forward to the judging table.
Yoon Hyun-min, a member of the team, stood at the end of the line, only rolling his eyes.
‘Still, with some awareness, he avoided the upper teams where he’d likely face backlash. After all, even if he went, he’d probably be eliminated.’
“Show us what you’ve prepared.”
Not long after the evaluation began, the masters’ exclamations followed.
Ultimately, the song was cut short in the middle, and as soon as the evaluation ended, the masters unleashed a torrent of scathing criticism at Yoon Hyun-min.
“Yoon Hyun-min trainee. What on earth do you think you’re going to do with that kind of skill?”
“Why are you dancing so sluggishly? Too sluggish, in fact, that even the seaweed in the fridge could battle you.”
“Hah, if you can’t sing, why did you come for the rap part? At least rap well or read a Korean textbook? What are you even trying to do? If that’s the case, get out.”
The plummeting reputation and public opinion.
Yet, the price for his decision to persist in performing despite the fall was steep.
The masters’ determination to crush Yoon Hyun-min seemed unyielding.
Although they were still young trainees, the sense of duty to comfort them warmly did not apply to Yoon Hyun-min, unfortunately.
“Hic… hic…”
In the end, Yoon Hyun-min broke down emotionally and burst into tears once more.
But the masters showed no sympathy. The trainees felt the same. After all, they now knew Yoon Hyun-min’s true nature.
“Yoon Hyun-min trainee?”
“Yes?”
“Crying won’t solve anything.”
Rayz said firmly.
“With your low ranking, now you understand, right? How the trainees in that position felt.”
This was criticism directed at all the trainees Yoon Hyun-min had ignored in the past, in his place.
“Yoon Hyun-min trainee. Hearing this kind of feedback from me makes you feel bad?”
“……”
“And why did you give such feedback to others, Yoon Hyun-min trainee? Wake up. With this level of skill, who are you qualified to judge? You lack self-awareness?”
As the scathing words continued, Yoon Hyun-min began to sob even more violently.
“Looking at Yoon Hyun-min trainee now, you can’t even pick and choose who to deal with. At least approach with humility now, thinking you’ll learn from everyone.”
After the evaluation, Yoon Hyun-min returned to his seat without receiving any comfort.
‘If it comes to that, it’s elimination.’
Then, the probability of him joining our team would increase.
‘Ah, damn…’
Honestly, he did look a bit pitiful. But joining our team was a different matter.
‘Why isn’t he quitting…?’
The fans were already in an uproar.
Why was he forcing the trainees to endure the same dorm life and missions when he was clearly the perpetrator who had bullied his own trainees?
In fact, the production crew and company had suggested he be eliminated, but Yoon Hyun-min resisted.
‘Is this just stubborn foolishness…?’
Anyway, with this, the probability of Yoon Hyun-min joining our team had risen.
‘Actually, I was prepared for this from the moment I joined the unpopular team…’
Still, it seemed like it would be more talked about in a different sense. Becoming a team with the worst villain in survival show history.
***
After the intermediate evaluation, the time came to decide on the eliminated trainees through final voting.
Soon, four trainees would be added to our team.
‘Who will come?’
It was when I was staring at the tightly locked door. The door opened, and someone entered.
“Ah.”
As expected, the first to enter was Jeong Hui-min.
“Hello.”
Jeong Hui-min appeared with a somewhat expressionless face and bowed.
“Hui-min!”
“Welcome. Let’s fight hard from now on.”
The other trainees were trying hard to greet him brightly, but they couldn’t hide his dark aura.
Still, Jeong Hui-min forced a smile and tried to match the atmosphere as much as possible.
“…Hello.”
Next, Yoon Hyun-min, who seemed to have lost his mind halfway, entered.
The trainees who had greeted Jeong Hui-min brightly earlier were stunned, not knowing how to react this time, and offered an awkward, lukewarm cheer.
“Wow, waaa! Hyun-min hyung.”
“Welcome.”
Yoon Hyun-min crouched in the corner and said nothing.
Then, one by one, the next trainees entered. The rest were all extras.
‘Their expressions were as if they were being led to the slaughterhouse.’
Since they had come not because they wanted the song but were pushed and chased out, their expressions were inevitable.
But they couldn’t break down like this. They had to stake everything on this stage. Even to save Won Ji-an.
In fact, from the outside, our team looked strange. A top trainee, a trainee who had fallen from second to tenth, and the worst villain, a bottom trainee, all in one team.
‘…But it’s worth trying.’
I approached everything with the thought that anything was worth trying.
So, I wasn’t particularly afraid. After all, playing the best hand with the worst cards was something I’d always done.
‘To utilize the cards I have well. First, I need to…’
At that moment.
“Hic… hic…”
An out-of-the-blue sob made everyone’s gaze turn to the side.
There, Yoon Hyun-min was crouched, sobbing.
‘Is he crying again?’
It was frustrating. It seemed like it was because of what he’d heard from the master earlier.
Wouldn’t it be better for him to quit rather than suffer like this? If he didn’t want to quit and didn’t want to hear harsh words, what was he going to do?
‘Sigh…’
But there was nothing to be done.
Right now, we were one team. It was really unpleasant, but I had to solve the emotional issue first and give advice…
“Noisy.”
‘Huh?’
I suddenly doubted my ears.
There stood Won Ji-an.
“…What?”
“Noisy.”
When I looked up, a “bursting” title appeared above Won Ji-an’s head.
‘What?’
I didn’t know why he had suddenly put that on, but was it because of the title effect?
“Why are you like that, Ji-an.”
“Don’t…”
The startled trainees tried to stop him, but Won Ji-an’s outburst didn’t stop.
No, the outburst intensified.
“Stop crying.”
“Hic, hic… hic…”
“Stop crying.”
As I took a step to stop him, Won Ji-an turned and said.
“You came here acting like you’ve already given up. You’re not someone dragged here for committing a crime, and what kind of exile is this place?”
The trainees were visibly startled by Won Ji-an’s usual timid outburst.
“I want to cry for real here? So, cry a little. Don’t ruin the atmosphere from before practice.”
Hearing this from the most timid-looking trainee here, Yoon Hyun-min’s mental state seemed completely broken.
“Sorry…”
“I don’t want to hear ‘sorry’. Just stop crying.”
Yoon Hyun-min, in a state of mental and physical exhaustion, said while shedding tears and snot.
“Then what do you want me to do? I’m so overwhelmed that I might die!”
“…You think you’re going to die?”
Won Ji-an answered in a cold voice.
“But you said you might die, right? It’s not like you’re actually dying.”
“What…?”
“Be grateful. Being able to say you feel like you’re going to die is proof that you’re alive, you know?”
Yoon Hyun-min looked at Won Ji-an with an expression of incomprehension.
“What are you saying?”
“It’s because I’m the one who feels like I’m going to die.”
Won Ji-an clenched his fist and said.
“…It’s because I’m the one who feels like I’m going to die.”
Even though filming was ongoing, I tried to stop him somehow, but seeing Won Ji-an for the first time, I unconsciously took a step back.
I was afraid. Maybe Won Ji-an might blame me.
“Won-woo.”
Behind me, Jeong Hui-min approached and grabbed my collar.
“What?”
“Try stopping him. We’re friends, right.”
Even so…
Was there any other way for me?
The current bursting Won Ji-an didn’t seem like anyone could stop.
Moreover, although his tone was rough, it wasn’t wrong. If he cried like that before practice, the team atmosphere would sink, and morale would plummet.
‘It might be a weak thought, but in terms of visibility, fighting like this might be better.’
Won Ji-an, who had maintained an angelic image throughout the program, had finally exploded. From the viewers’ perspective, it would be an interesting scene.
With the ranking already low, perhaps it was better to take the footage this way.
‘Of course, there might be some manipulation because of the tragic backstory…’
Before the broadcast, it was a matter of transferring the tragic backstory.
Yes, I had to transfer the tragic backstory as soon as possible.
‘Then, I really have no choice but to transfer it to Na Jae-hyun…’
Even while worrying, a bitter laugh escaped me.
Why was I worrying? I knew there was no other way.
***
On the way back to the dorm after practice, the hallway was unusually quiet, as if everyone had disappeared.
I realized that the sense of alienation that had come again was manifesting.
The being who was the system of this world and had given me a damnable fate.
"Hello, nice to meet you again."
"Have you decided? I thought you had plenty of time to think."
Nodding, the system shone and approached me.
“Good. Then, tell me who you’ll transfer Won Ji-an’s misfortune to.”
My fist clenched.
‘I have to say it.’
If I don’t transfer the misfortune to Na Jae-hyun, Won Ji-an will die.
To save Won Ji-an, it was an unavoidable choice. If Na Jae-hyun knew the truth, he would surely understand.
I don’t know. He would understand. It’s just self-rationalization, but now I know such emotions are meaningless.
“The person I will transfer the misfortune to…”
The moment I was about to say Na Jae-hyun’s name, an odd feeling rose.
‘What?’
I felt like my body wasn’t my own. As if someone was controlling my mind at will…
‘No way.’
I saw someone standing opposite.
‘Won Ji-an?’
The moment I saw Won Ji-an smiling at me, I realized.
Damn it. He had used telepathy on me. To prevent me from saying Na Jae-hyun’s name…
“I…”
Soon, words unrelated to my will spilled from my mouth.
“I will not use the transfer right.”