Chapter 68
The next morning.
I went down early to practice a little more during the break, but Chae Eun-gyu had already arrived and was warming up.
"Oh, Karis. I had something to ask you, so this is a good time."
He must have been worried about something because he made a relieved expression as soon as he saw my face.
And I had a rough idea of what questions would be asked.
"Actually, Sihwa came to me at dawn and asked me if we could reselect the center."
"He wanted to re-select the center?"
"Yeah. I politely declined because it was nonsense, but I wanted to ask what you thought."
As soon as Chae Eun-gyu finished speaking, he hurriedly added more information.
"I heard from Hyung-bin that he was always grateful for your insightful advice."
"Oh, so that's what happened."
I only spoke accurately about the facts that were revealed on the surface.
I think it has somehow become a trustworthy counseling center.
"I agree with you, hyung. I don't think it's polite to come to the leader and ask to re-select the center, let alone talk about it in front of the center. There's no valid reason to change the center, and it's not right to make such a suggestion just because of his own greed."
"Hahaha, you really speak without holding back. It feels so good to hear you say that."
Chae Eun-gyu laughed out loud.
But soon his serious gaze returned.
"I was worried about another aspect. Even if Min-ha accepts that it's okay to re-select the center, I think Si-hwa will have a hard time if the center remains the same even after a re-vote."
"I guess that's understandable, since it's the second time in a row that he could experience failure."
"Yeah."
"But I think it actually provides clearer evidence."
It may be a bit cruel to say this, but there is nothing we can do since Baek Si-hwa himself wanted this situation to happen.
"If he can't become the center even if he tries again, there's no reason more convincing than that. Even if he will have a hard time, we are not responsible. He asked for it and accepted it, and that's how it turned out. In the end, all responsibility goes back to Sihwa."
"... That's a damned correct opinion."
Chae Eun-gyu nodded slowly.
"Okay. When the kids all come down later, I'll bring it up then. If Min-ha says it's okay, we'll proceed with the re-selection. If Min-ha says it's uncomfortable, we'll just pretend it never happened."
"Yes."
30 minutes later.
The entire team gathered in the practice room.
Chae Eun-gyu carefully brought up Baek Si-hwa's suggestion and asked Yoo Min-ha's opinion.
"Yes! We can do it one more time!"
A positive response came back immediately, and the center re-selection process proceeded rapidly.
I looked at Yoo Minha's face, which seemed to be filled with excitement, and thought deeply.
'Rather, did he accept it as a good opportunity to prove himself again?'
Unless he is completely oblivious, Yoo Min-ha himself would know.
That Baek Si-hwa was secretly keeping him in check.
So, on this occasion, I'm sure he'll definitely want to press Baek Si-hwa and go.
"Let's get started."
Baek Si-hwa, who was the first runner, showed a dance that was much more impressive than yesterday.
It seems that it wasn't a lie that he practiced a lot.
However, it wasn't just Baek Si-hwa who increased his practice volume explosively overnight.
"It's now Starburst!"
Yoo Minha's original position was rap and dancer.
However, when you watch him sing the chorus, you can see that he has such great vocal power that no one would know he is a rapper.
Even this time, he danced with more feeling.
"Min-ha also practiced a lot overnight."
Chae Eun-gyu, who was sitting quietly next to me, muttered to himself.
The two performances were over in an instant, and we held a re-vote.
And the results were the same.
"After voting among ourselves again, Min-ha was chosen as the center by a majority vote."
"Si-hwa did well, too!"
Kwon Dae-hyun tried to lighten the mood by giving applause.
However, I was very worried about how this development would be broadcast.
'Thinking about it, maybe a personal interview will be included in the middle.... I can't get a feel for how the production team will edit it.'
Cha Eun-gyu, who has a lot of experience, did his best to avoid leaving a bad aftertaste.
He didn't say anything that could lead to the devil's editing, and he didn't give Baek Si-hwa any particular hints.
But no one knows where this survival show will go.
I approached group practice with these concerns in mind.
Soon, another problem arose.
"Every time I see you, waves come into my heart―. Wait, stop. Sihwa? There's a mistake in the choreography there."
"Oh? Oh, yes."
"Let's go again. Let's focus this time!"
Baek Si-hwa messed up a relatively easy choreography.
Since it was a part that had never been wrong before, the leader, Chae Eun-gyu, looked at him with a slightly suspicious look.
"When this night shines brightly―. Sihwa, your expression! Refreshing!"
When singing the chorus, he saw Baek Si-hwa's ambiguous facial expression and pointed it out loud.
"Sihwa, you seemed to be doing well earlier. Why are you suddenly making mistakes?"
"Sorry."
Baek Si-hwa seemed to have difficulty concentrating on practice.
The eye contact continued to feel awkward, and movements that had previously flowed smoothly felt like they were suddenly cut off.
Chae Eun-gyu, who realized that there was a problem with the group choreography, hastily stopped the session.
"Let's take a short break and then talk. Sihwa, would you like to talk to me?"
Baek Si-hwa's already pale face had become even whiter.
Chae Eun-gyu took him to a corner of the practice room and whispered something to him.
Although I couldn't hear the details of what he was saying, I saw Baek Si-hwa nodding as if he understood what he was saying.
"...Is Si-hwa okay?"
"It has to be okay. We're practicing right now. If he's the only one who's not doing well, it won't be good for group practice."
Unexpectedly, Kwon Dae-hyun answered in a firm tone.
He leaned against the windowsill and sighed softly.
"Who wouldn't want to be the center...."
"Hyung?"
"Oh, no! I was just talking to myself."
I looked at Chae Eun-gyu and Baek Si-hwa while listening to Kwon Dae-hyun's awkward laugh.
Now it seemed like the conversation was coming to a close.
'If it was a problem that could be solved in this short moment, it wouldn't have occurred in the first place.'
As I had expected, the dark clouds did not easily disappear from Baek Si-hwa's face.
The group dance practice ended on an awkward note because Baek Si-hwa had a dark expression on his face that was far from refreshing.
Everyone probably expected that things would get better after a day or so of rest.
The next day was the same.
"Okay, that's all for now. Everyone, let's have lunch, take a break, practice some more, and then meet again later tonight."
"Yes!"
"Yes."
I watched Baek Si-hwa leave the practice room first without saying anything.
At that moment, my true feelings leaked out of my mouth without me knowing.
"Eun-gyu hyung-nim."
"Oh?"
"If there is a member who ruins teamwork because of personal greed, it will only cause trouble for everyone. If it interferes with practice any more than this, I think we need to give him a stronger warning."
"...."
There was silence for a moment.
Yoo Min-ha and Heo Jun-oh looked at me with their eyes wide open.
Kwon Dae-hyun looked back and forth between me and Chae Eun-gyu with a faint sense of anticipation.
Chae Eun-gyu, wearing a training suit, let out a deep sigh.
"Honestly, I think it's a matter of attitude. Everyone knows that Sihwa isn't a person without talent. I think there's no other way than to make him realize it on his own."
"That means?"
"... Let's wait until the midterm evaluation."
I quickly understood what Chae Eun-gyu was saying.
If the trainees talk more among themselves here, the image may be damaged.
So, borrowing external power.
That is, if Baek Si-hwa shows a bad attitude until the midterm evaluation, it is certain that a higher-up person, such as a judge, will point it out to him directly.
You can't make bad comments to the judges, so there's less risk.
There is a high possibility that everything Baek Si-hwa showed during the training process will come out.
'You were thinking rationally.'
I thought about pushing Chae Eun-gyu harder here, but for now I agreed and nodded.
"All right."
"I'm sorry, everyone. It's my job to make sure this doesn't happen again."
"No, hyung."
"How is this your fault, hyung?"
The other members patted Chae Eun-gyu on the back.
Yoo Minha was particularly at a loss.
'Baek Si-hwa self-destructed much faster than expected.'
I didn't know it would turn out this way.
However, his quantity drastically decreased after the first competition.
The leader and center positions were taken away by other trainees.
And the rising popularity of Yoo Min-ha, who was considered a rival, must have put tremendous pressure on Baek Si-hwa.
As everyone left the practice room, I put my hand on Yoo Minha's shoulder and spoke quietly.
"There is no need for us to be shaken. Don't have any vain thoughts."
"Yes...."
"Even though he was your acquaintance and colleague, it is true that he is causing trouble because of personal feelings. So, let's not pay attention to him and just focus on practicing."
Baek Si-hwa is Baek Si-hwa, but I need to keep checking on Yoo Min-ha's condition.
Even if he is a trainee who burns with passionate energy, he might blame himself for causing this situation.
* * *
The next morning.
"Phew...."
After finishing my personal practice, I stood in the cold hallway and took a moment to catch my breath.
A bridge that can create killing parts.
I had a rough idea of how I would appeal there.
'If things continue like this, I think I'll be able to take the midterm evaluation in two days without a hitch.'
It's not like there were no variables at all.
Chae Eun-gyu told me some additional stories during dinner time earlier.
Baek Si-hwa, who failed to regain the center position, was said to have been greedy for the sub vocal position 1.
'I think he must have felt deeply that he could be too hidden. That's why he asked me if we could re-select the first part of Karis' sub vocals.... I told him that it was even more impossible. I thought that causing a fuss like this not once but twice would be very problematic.'
Chae Eun-gyu did his best in his position as leader.
He chose to sacrifice himself to protect my part and, at the same time, reduce any discord within the team.
'I never thought he'd give up the dance break center to Baek Si-hwa. In this regard, I should say that he has much better judgment than Song Hyung-bin.'
Chae Eun-gyu even gave up the center position during the dance break part to appease Baek Si-hwa, even if only temporarily.
I took a step forward, thinking about how good it would be if Baek Si-hwa was satisfied here and went as it is.
In the meantime, I saw something moving in front of me.
'Hmm?'
The current time is 3:34 a.m.
It's the time when most of the trainees are sleeping.
Are there any other trainees practicing late at night besides me?
I took careful steps toward the end of the hallway.
"...Why did you call me out all of a sudden?"
A familiar voice tickled my ear.
'It's Yoo Min-ha.'
I quickly approached the door of the practice room.
Through the transparent window, I could see Yoo Minha's back.
Baek Si-hwa was also seen lowering his head in front of him.
"It's been a long time since the two of us have had a proper talk like this, hasn't it?"
"Yeah.... That's definitely true."
"...."
Baek Si-hwa bit his lips tightly.
His fists trembled.
"... You've always been like this."
"What?"
"You created this situation last time, so why are you doing the same thing? If you had taken my spot, you could have debuted there quietly. Why are you trying to block my path again?"
The voices in the practice room became louder.
Through Baek Si-hwa's long bangs, his eyes filled with anger.
"You want that much attention? What the f*ck. I worked so hard. I could have debuted properly at UbiQs, but you ruined it all and came back here? Don't you have any shame?"
"Sihwa, calm down a little bit―"
"If only you hadn't been here. Oh? It's the same now. If only you hadn't applied for the center, I could have become the center. How can a kid who has already risen in the ranks not have the conscience to give up even that one thing?"
The distance between the two trainees gradually became closer.
Although Baek Si-hwa has a much thinner body than Yoo Min-ha, Yoo Min-ha is being pushed back, perhaps because of the atmosphere.
"Because of bad luck, I ended up on the same team as Chae Eun-gyu hyung again, and I couldn't even be the leader. I applied because I thought I could aim for the center position, but this time, you're blocking my path. It's all because of you. Because of you, I couldn't focus on practice, and everything was ruined!"
I grabbed the practice room door handle.
The ominous atmosphere that had been building up since then is now growing stronger.
At that moment, Baek Si-hwa smiled faintly.
"Yes, Chae Eun-gyu Hyung said that we can't change the center unless there is an unavoidable situation. Then, we can create such an unavoidable situation, Min-ha. Right?"
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