The assistant MC kicked off the conversation with infectious enthusiasm.
“The four-person, four-color team of (Seorim High School Student Council!) I watched it too, and oh my gosh, it was so thrilling! Honestly, I was a bit worried it might lean too comedic, but wow, it felt like a full-on high school romance!”
The audience erupted in a chorus of excited chatter.
“Absolutely! It was so heart-fluttering!”
“Super fun! I was totally immersed!”
The glowing praise visibly softened the faces of the trio standing beside me.
Choi Yul’s goofy grin prompted someone to shout, “So cute!” from the crowd.
“Thank you!” I shot back quickly, and the trio echoed my gratitude.
The warm atmosphere eased my nerves slightly, though I still found it hard to meet the audience’s eyes directly.
Then it happened.
“Kim Jae-ha!! Oppa!! I love you!!!”
A voice filled the auditorium, cutting through the buzz.
Laughter rippled around me, but instinctively, my gaze darted toward the source.
There, holding a placard that read ‘Support Kim Jae-ha’ was someone crying.
“Ah…”
I forgot I was holding a microphone.
The foolish sound I let slip demanded an apology, a quick shift to lighten the mood, but I was frozen.
My eyes locked on them, unable to look away.
A fan.
There was a time I believed such a person existed for me.
But I’d convinced myself it was a delusion, a mirage.
I told myself I had no choice but to walk this path alone, quietly.
And yet.
“Please… don’t cry.”
Why were they crying?
For me?
For someone like me?
At my words, they smiled through tears and shouted, voice trembling, “I’ve loved you for seven years!!”
Oh.
My vision blurred.
I tried to blink it away, but something hot spilled from the corners of my eyes.
What should I do?
What could I do?
My mind went blank, as if every thought had been erased.
Someone who loved me—a single person in this world I never dared imagine existed—stood before me now.
Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut, and something wet rolled down my cheeks.
My hand, gripping the microphone, trembled.
My lips, dry as dust, moved a few times before I managed to choke out, “Thank you.”
I took a shaky breath, holding it before letting it burst free.
“Really, truly… Thank you so much.”
It was all I could say.
***
After the stage greetings, the audience cast their votes and filtered out of the auditorium.
Even for a short film, the screening time was substantial, and with so many teams in the first evaluation, it was already dark by the time people left the theater.
The participants, too, voted for their best and worst teams before boarding buses back to the filming location where their lodging awaited.
At the familiar first-floor theater set, a warm atmosphere enveloped the gathered participants.
Everyone was exhausted, but meeting the audience for the first time—and perhaps the generally positive vibe—seemed to have energized them.
Above all, our team’s expectation of ranking high kept smiles on their faces.
“Don’t worry. We’re definitely in the top tier,” said Shin Ju-young, the leader of (Seorim High School Student Council) Team B.
He hadn’t seen the audience’s reactions firsthand, waiting behind the scenes during their screening, but the endless laughter echoing beyond the iron door was unmistakable.
He was certain their team had the best response.
‘Comedy was the right call’, he thought smugly, glancing at (Seorim High School Student Council) Team A.
They were chatting among themselves, but the mood didn’t seem great.
Kim Jae-ha, their leader, still had red-rimmed eyes.
‘Tch, why’s he crying? Showing off that he’s got a fan? One measly fan?’
Shin Ju-young didn’t like Kim Jae-ha.
From the moment Jae-ha swooped in and took the team members Ju-young had set his sights on, everything about him grated.
Ju-young had strategically chosen (Seorim High School Student Council), but if Jae-ha hadn’t shown up, the first pick would’ve been his.
‘And then he goes and makes some predictable romance flick.’
Ju-young was convinced Jae-ha didn’t understand what people wanted.
The filming began with the sharp clap of a slate.
The assistant MC stepped onto the stage, greeted by cheers.
“We met earlier, and here we are again! So nice to see you all!”
“Yeah!”
“Good to see you, MC!”
Basking in the enthusiastic cheers, the assistant MC held up a cue card for all to see.
“Everyone, the results of the live audience vote are right here!”
“Wooo!”
‘We’ve got this!’ Shin Ju-young clenched his fist, visions of a glorious future dancing in his mind.
The MC expertly worked the crowd, building suspense before announcing the rankings, starting from 17th place, skipping the last-place team.
By the time third place was called, (Seorim High School Student Council) Team B still hadn’t been named.
Ju-young’s expectations soared.
“And the team taking third place in the live vote is!”
‘Third’s solid! Starting too high might make things tough later.’
The participants’ self-made drumroll filled the set.
The MC glanced at the cue card, lowered it slightly, and announced, “(Seorim High School Student Council) Team A, Four People, Four Colors!”
‘What?!’
Ju-young glared at the jubilant Team A, then recalibrated his thoughts.
‘Fine, better to snag first or second right from the start.’
He had confidence.
The laughter that had shaken the auditorium during their screening was his proof.
“Now, we’re down to 18th, first, and second! Let’s announce second place!”
The MC didn’t miss a beat, calling out, “(Chic & Funny) Team B, Cold City Guys!”
‘Yes!’
Ju-young pumped his fist.
‘First place from the get-go might be too much pressure.’
He shrugged, not considering any other outcome.
But unlike him, his teammates’ faces paled.
They’d realized it: only their team and Seo Eun-jae’s remained.
“Wow, what a tense moment! First or 18th! The remaining teams are… oh my, (Now, Time to Love) Team B, Sangam-dong Flower Garden, and (Seorim High School Student Council) Team B, Absurd Academy!”
The MC took a dramatic breath before shouting, “For (Casting With My Own Hand!) The grand first place in the first live evaluation is!”
Ju-young screams internally, ‘Absurd Academy!!’
But the name called was not what he expected.
“(Now, Time to Love) Team B, Sangam-dong Flower Garden!”
Ju-young’s jaw dropped.
His teammates let out quiet sighs, glancing at him.
Everyone but him had seen it coming.
The atmosphere grew chilly for a moment before reluctant applause broke out.
“Ugh, it’s just fan power…”
“Is this even fair?”
Some voiced their complaints openly, but Ju-young didn’t hear them.
‘Last place? My team? Last place?!’
He’d grown up wanting for nothing, the son of a dentist mother and father.
In school, he was always the most popular, the best.
He’d even received idol offers but focused on studies at his parents’ insistence, naturally landing at a top university.
Starting as a school promotional model, he’d made it this far.
By objective measures, he—Shin Ju-young—was the most outstanding participant here.
His nails dug into his palms as he glared at Kim Jae-ha, who was calmly chatting with his team.
That guy had stolen the teammates Ju-young wanted and now even took third place.
‘If I’d had those teammates, my plan would’ve easily gotten us second!’
It was all about the team members’ appeal.
And hadn’t Jae-ha cried during the stage greeting?
That must’ve earned him pity votes.
‘Just you wait. I won’t lose next time.’
Meanwhile, the best and worst teams chosen by the participants were revealed.
The best was Four People, Four Colors.
The worst was Absurd Academy.
But Ju-young, lost in his thoughts, didn’t hear.
And someone was watching him, teeth gritted, as he glared at Kim Jae-ha.
***
[Main Quest Completed! Congratulations!]
I barely passed the main quest.
As I let out a sigh of relief, a new message popped up.
[God, congratulations on ‘Butterfly’s Wingbeat’ being selected as the best team!]
“Ah…”
I almost yelped.
I was alone in the dorm, but you never know—someone could barge in.
Biting the soft flesh inside my cheek, I grinned at the message.
‘Yeah, thanks.’
That’s roughly what I meant to convey.
But it didn’t end there.
[✿✿✿✿]
“…Wow.”
Was this, like, throwing flowers?
A celebratory gesture?
‘Gee, I’m so touched I might cry.’
A god?
A primordial god, at that?
And they’re playing with emojis?
Is this for real?
[*~(>w·}b]
The next message pushed me over the edge.
I grabbed a notebook from my bag and scribbled furiously.
[You sound like an old guy who just learned how to use special-character emojis.]
No need to show it—they’d see it themselves.
I glanced up, and sure enough, the expected reaction appeared.
[20_0}]
‘How’d you know?’
That’s about what it meant.
I scratched out the words with my pen and stuffed the notebook back in my bag.
‘Ugh, my head hurts.’
Would this even make it onto IdeaTV?
If it’s too much, the editors would handle it.
Shoving aside worries that weren’t mine, I flopped onto the bed.
The rare quiet was a welcome relief.
The B-rank teams, including mine, were assigned to this room, and most had scored decent rankings in this evaluation.
They were probably off celebrating with their teams.
Hang-yeol’s team got sixth.
My trio wanted to crack open some water bottles and pull an all-nighter, but I gently declined.
‘We already celebrated enough earlier.’
Besides, Hang-yeol and Seo Eun-jae had quietly come by to offer congratulations, and I’d congratulated them back.
Seo Eun-jae, named MVP on top of his team’s first-place win.
He also drew fierce stares from other participants wherever he went, but he didn’t seem to care.
‘Well, he’s not completely unbothered.’
Still, she was the key to her team’s victory, so they were probably having a great time together.
For now, I just wanted to be alone, savoring this overwhelming emotion still swelling in my chest.