‘I Never Imagined Third Place’
I’d poured my heart and soul into it, knowing the main quest’s cutoff was third place.
But deep down, I lacked the confidence to actually make it.
Even when they announced my rank, it didn’t feel real.
I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
“What a relief,” I murmured.
I could keep going, stay in this game—(Casting with My Own Hands!).
“For seven years, I’ve only ever loved you!”
The realization that a fan had cherished me for so long warmed my heart.
Recalling that moment, my eyes stung, and I squeezed them shut.
It was too early to cry.
Tears were for the end, when I’d completed this grueling journey and earned the right to live.
“I can’t let my guard down.”
The most critical moment still loomed: the first ranking announcement.
“Quest,” I whispered, and a translucent window flickered before my eyes.
[Main Quest 2: (Casting with My Own Hands!)]
[Secure a spot in the Top 20 at the First Ranking Announcement.]
[Additional rewards will be granted if you rank in the Top 10.]
[(Casting with My Own Hands!) Top 20: 0/1)]
[Deadline: First Ranking Announcement]
[Reward: 500 Coins / Additional Reward: ???]
[Penalty: Elimination from Project Comeback and Death]
Making the top three in the team evaluation was just a stepping stone.
The real hurdle was the first ranking announcement.
I checked the website—only four days left until voting closed.
The announcement would likely follow the second team evaluation, or shortly after.
The gap between filming and broadcast schedules made things tricky, and the quest window reflected that shift.
[Main Quest 3-1: (Casting with My Own Hands!)]
[Secure a Top 3 team ranking in the Second Team Evaluation.]
[Additional rewards will be granted for achieving 1st place.]
[(Casting with My Own Hands!) Complete Second Team Evaluation: 0/1)]
[(Casting with My Own Hands!) Top 3 Team Ranking: 0/1)]
[Deadline: Second Team Evaluation Ranking Announcement]
[Reward: 500 Coins / Additional Reward: ???]
[Penalty: Elimination from Project Comeback and Death]
[Note: Main Quest 3 is not yet activated as Main Quest 2’s completion is pending. Failure to clear Main Quest 2 will invalidate success in this quest.]
In other words, even if I aced the second team evaluation, failing to hit the Top 20 in the first ranking announcement meant elimination.
“Harsh, isn’t it?”
To the gods watching, this was probably just entertainment.
Some might even relish the thought of me succeeding in Quest 3-1 only to crash and burn in Quest 2, drowning in despair.
I sighed heavily.
Forget basking in today’s triumph.
That’s not who I am.
My mind was already racing ahead to what came next.
“Whatever. Time to sleep.”
I pulled the blanket over my head and closed my eyes.
In the darkness, I tried to sleep, but a memory flickered—a placard, bold and clear.
‘We Support Kim Jae-ha.’
A smile tugged at my lips, unbidden.
***
After the first team ranking announcement, the contestants gathered at the filming site again.
The atmosphere was different now, charged with the weight of the results.
Some, perhaps buoyed by a good night, greeted each other warmly, their eyes puffy but bright.
Others stared at the floor, faces heavy with defeat.
‘Some of them look completely broken,’ I thought.
The production team didn’t care.
They moved through their routine, setting up cameras and clapping the slate as always.
Moments later, the main MC, Seol-ha, appeared—long hair cascading in soft waves.
“Hello, everyone! It’s your MC, Seol-ha!”
His bright greeting was met with responses, but they lacked the earlier fervor.
He seemed to notice the shift but pressed on.
“Next up is the highly anticipated second grade announcement! The mentors have reviewed the short films from the first team evaluation and decided your grades. These will determine the special lessons you’ll receive from them moving forward!”
He did his job, undeterred.
“What? They’re announcing grades already?”
“No time to celebrate, huh…”
“Are they trying to kill us twice?”
Murmurs of discontent rippled through the crowd, but resignation soon settled in.
What choice did they have?
The production called the shots.
“This box contains badges for your Sensitivity and Technique grades!” Seol-ha announced.
“You’ll come up in reverse order of the last evaluation’s rankings to collect them!”
A staff member stepped forward, calling names starting from 57th place.
Time passed, and then it was my turn.
“Contestant Kim Jae-ha!”
I stepped up, took my box, and returned to my spot.
Out of nowhere, Hang-yeol and his trio surrounded me, with Seo Eun-jae lingering behind.
“Were they all waiting for me?”
I wondered if they even realized we were in a competition.
Still, I didn’t protest and opened the box with them.
Two pentagon-shaped silver badges gleamed inside.
‘Technique: A. Sensitivity: B.’
Not bad.
But I couldn’t get too excited.
“This was judged on a performance boosted by calming pills.”
During the short film shoot, I’d taken a calming pill to steady myself, unsure about the staff’s involvement.
This grade wasn’t my true ability.
It didn’t feel great, but with cameras rolling, I couldn’t let it show.
I nodded with a satisfied expression and subtly flashed the badges toward a nearby camera.
The director flinched, clearly surprised I’d spotted the camera so quickly.
Two years as an idol had honed my knack for finding lenses.
Actors, though, focus on their scene partners, not the camera.
‘I didn’t used to bother with eye contact,’ I thought.
I’d avoided hamming it up for the camera, figuring it wouldn’t win anyone over.
But now, knowing at least one person out there was watching me—rooting for me—changed things.
As I considered looking away, the director gave me a thumbs-up.
I couldn’t help but laugh, returning the gesture and tossing in a quick finger heart.
***
Days before the first online vote closed, the official (Casting with My Own Hands!) YouTube channel uploaded the short films from the first team evaluation.
Chae So-yoon, who’d previously posted about (Casting with My Own Hands!) on a popular community site, naturally clicked into the channel.
Her finger scrolled through the endless list of films until it froze.
The thumbnail for “Seorim High School Student Council, Team B: Four Colors, Four People” caught her eye.
Four split screens showcased the contestants, with Kim Jae-ha on the far left.
His pale face, framed by a pristine white uniform, was striking.
So-yoon shook her head and kept scrolling.
Then she stopped again.
“People said the Four Colors team’s film was actually good.”
It was curiosity, she told herself.
A thirst for quality work.
With that, she tapped the video.
Cherry blossoms swirled across the screen, framing the elegant facade of a school.
[I’m a girl from a poor family, unexpectedly transferred to this place—a prestigious private school, Seorim High, where the children of tycoons live in a world apart from mine.]
A wistful subtitle appeared and faded.
The scene shifted to a classroom.
Hostile eyes bore into the protagonist.
“Hey, aren’t you the one who saved that bullied kid from jumping?”
“Maybe she thought she could scam some money off a rich kid.”
“What if she pushed them and then played hero?”
Amid the chaos, someone shouted, “It’s Eun Si-hyuk!”
The crowd rushed to the front of the classroom.
The door swung open, revealing a tall, striking boy.
His cold expression melted into a warm smile the moment he saw her.
“Hey, you must be the new transfer student everyone’s talking about.”
So-yoon’s memory of this scene was that it was painfully cheesy, enough to make her cringe.
So why did it feel so mesmerizing now?
“It’s like he’s looking right at me.”
That was it—the way it was shot pulled her in.
Her heart raced, despite knowing better.
His smile was warm, but those dark eyes were chillingly detached.
Yet when he extended his hand, she couldn’t imagine refusing it.
“Let’s get along.”
His voice carried a hint of warning, but it only made her want to dive deeper—to melt the ice in those eyes and teach him how to smile with sincerity.
“Wait, hold on!”
So-yoon paused the video, smacking her forehead.
“What is this guy?”
No wonder he’d been an idol.
His look was perfect for Eun Si-hyuk, blending warmth with a hidden edge.
But it was his voice, his manner—seductive, almost hypnotic—that hit hardest.
Back when (Seorim High School Student Council) aired, teenage So-yoon couldn’t understand why the heroine fell for such a twisted character.
“I’m not losing to this!”
With renewed determination, she hit play, ready for the infamously cheesy lines she’d been waiting for.
The kind hearted second-lead exited, and the protagonist comforted an extra ostracized by the student council’s schemes.
From a distance, Eun Si-hyuk watched, his gaze heavy.
His lips parted.
“A red-blooded human in a kingdom of blue blood…”