The café was quaint, decorated in a soft cat aesthetic, usually calm and uneventful, but tonight it buzzed with whispers and stolen glances. Girls leaned across tables, boys tilted their heads curiously. The source of their fascination was obvious.
At a corner, two impossibly handsome young men sat, their expressions flat and gloomy, completely unaware of the attention they drew.
"Are they celebrities?" a girl whispered.
"Unbelievable. I haven't seen faces like that on TV before."
"Are they even human?"
"He looks like Zeus."
"That guy… he's unreal. He's completely my type!"
The boys, however, were far from enjoying the attention. The reality of their situation weighed heavily on them. They had been swapped into new lives—different bodies, different identities—and the system's cold, unyielding rules were not letting them forget it.
Yoon Areum, formerly Lee Dohyun, rested his fingers against his forehead and leaned on the table, staring at the chipped wooden surface. The system had been clear: their original bodies were gone. No traces remained. While on the verge of death, their souls had agreed to the system's terms for a second chance at life.
And now? They were trapped.
The mission was simple in theory, impossible in practice.
[Become the biggest duo idols in Kpop]
[Failure to complete the mission will result in complete erasure]
[Success will grant the participants the wish to return to their original bodies]
[The system wishes the participants good luck]
[Participants are advised to become closer]
[Fighting!]
In short: they were completely, utterly screwed.
"What should we do…?" Yoon Areum asked quietly, glancing at Ryu Hyunwoo, formerly Seo Jaehan.
Hyunwoo frowned, expression sharp and unreadable. "I don't know."
Areum leaned back in his chair with a long sigh. He knew Kpop, of course. Worldwide phenomenon, a dream for millions, and now it had become their reality. Their stats were almost absurdly perfect: looks, talent, everything they needed. But how? That was the question.
He looked at Ryu Hyunwoo's gloomy expression and felt a twinge of sympathy. It must be… difficult, he thought, to wake up in a world where even your parents had forgotten you, to find yourself completely alone.
Yoon Areum—or rather, Lee Dohyun—couldn't relate to that. He had never really had anyone to begin with. No one to miss him, no one to forget him. That emptiness was… familiar.
But now was not the time to dwell on emotions. They needed a plan, a solution, before the situation became worse.
Just as Areum opened his mouth to speak, a presence stopped in front of their table. Both boys looked up simultaneously.
It was a middle-aged woman, her posture composed even as she held a phone to her ear. Her eyes, however, betrayed a flicker of astonishment when she saw the two boys in the corner.
"Crazy… these visuals…" she murmured under her breath, quickly clearing her throat. Focus, Mi-Young. You've been in this industry for years. You've seen it all.
Well, I haven't seen this type of beauty yet.
"Hello, sorry for interrupting you," she said politely, bowing her head slightly.
To her surprise, both boys rose instantly and returned her bow with perfect manners. She couldn't help but feel amused. Good-looking and well-mannered. A rare combination, even in her line of work.
"I'm Director Jung Mi-Young from KH Entertainment," she introduced herself.
Areum blinked, recognition sparking behind his eyes. KH Entertainment. One of the big three. If his memory served him right, they were about to launch a survival show for a new boy group—a show starting very soon.
Is this… an opportunity on a golden platter?
"Yes, Director-nim. Hello," Areum replied, bowing slightly.
Jung Mi-Young smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling behind her glasses. "I was sitting here and couldn't help but notice how… strikingly good-looking you two are. Are you friends?"
Both Areum and Hyunwoo answered simultaneously.
"No."
"…"
"Brothers?"
"No."
She tilted her head, confused. Areum decided to clarify, because it was obvious Hyunwoo wouldn't. "It's… complicated," he said with a small, calculated smile.
"Right," she said, then handed them a card. "If you're interested in the survival idol show, contact me. We have a fee spots available. I'll be waiting for your call." Then she added, "Please think about it,"
Areum took the card and bowed again. "Yes, thank you."
She gave them one last glance, muttering something about "crazy visuals" under her breath before walking away.
Areum turned to Hyunwoo, his eyes wide with excitement. "This… this is our chance."
Hyunwoo frowned. Seriously, why did this guy always look like he was scowling? "Survival show? Wouldn't it be easier to just debut with an existing group?"
Areum exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair. "We're both nineteen. Debuting in a group… it takes years of training. This is the fastest way to become relevant."
Then he leaned in, lowering his voice so no one could overhear. "Plus, the system said we need to be big. Think about it. This way, we can earn fans—tons of them."
Hyunwoo seemed to consider it for a moment, his frown deepening. "But… we don't even know if our stats are accurate."
Areum grinned, the spark of mischief returning to his eyes. "One way to find out," he said.
~~~~
Yoon Areum, or rather Lee Dohyun, would never admit it out loud, but he had always been fascinated by idols. Growing up, he often found himself staring at their performances, captivated by their energy, their stage presence, the way they could make the crowd scream with a single move. For a brief, fleeting moment in his childhood, he had even dreamed of becoming one himself.
He was a decent dancer—not polished, but he had the technique and the rhythm. Life, however, had never handed him an opportunity to chase that childish dream. Still, that didn't stop him from loving music; it was the only true joy he had ever known.
Now, standing next to Ryu Hyunwoo, Areum couldn't help but notice how naturally his body moved. Just as the stats predicted, Hyunwoo was a skilled dancer. Not as flexible as Areum, not quite as fluid, but graceful enough that the differences could be improved with time and training.
"Why did you pick such a hard one?" Hyunwoo grumbled, shooting him a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
"I had to see if the stats were accurate," Areum replied calmly, taking a sip of water. "Now, let's move on to vocals. Your stats say B+, but you're stronger in rap,"
"I'm aware," Hyunwoo said, rolling his eyes.
Seriously, this brat, Areum thought. He tsked and gave Hyunwoo a playful slap on the back. "Let's test that too."
Ignoring the continued glare, Areum selected a song—a strong hip-hop track with challenging rap sections.
"Try this," he instructed.
Hyunwoo nodded and began to deliver the lyrics. His voice was rough, husky, and deep—perfectly suited for hip-hop or R&B, but not exactly made for ballads. Areum noted the nuances, already thinking about ways to refine it.
Then came the English rap section. Areum's eyes widened. Hyunwoo's words flowed naturally, smoothly, effortlessly. There was no stuttering, no awkward pronunciation—it sounded as if he had been rapping in English his entire life.
When the song ended, Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow.
"That's… amazing. You speak English so well," Areum said, grinning.
"I… don't actually," Hyunwoo replied, frowning. "My pronunciation has always been off. I don't know how that happened."
Areum frowned, intrigued. Could it be…
"Window," he said, and a holographic panel appeared before them. It was invisible to anyone else.
"What?" Hyunwoo asked, leaning in.
"Let's see if we have any hidden talents," Areum muttered to the window, looking mildly insane but far too focused to care.
[System: Searching for hidden talents]
[Loading…]
[Hidden talents loaded. Press 'Proceed' to unlock.]
Areum pressed the button. The window updated, displaying their faces and stats, and a new box appeared beneath them labeled Hidden Talents.
[Ryu Hyunwoo Hidden Talents:
Fluent in English
?
?]
[Yoon Areum Hidden Talents:
Trust your instincts
?
?]
"Well… that's useful, I guess," Areum murmured, shaking his head slightly. Hyunwoo, on the other hand, appeared deep in thought.
"It's like the system is trying to help us," he finally said.
"Yeah," Areum replied. "Weird, but let's not jinx it."
"Agreed," Hyunwoo nodded. Then he glanced at Areum. "Now what?"
Areum opened his hand. "Hand me your phone."
Hyunwoo passed it over, watching as Areum typed a number and pressed call.
It rang a few times before a calm, professional voice answered.
"Hello?"
Areum smiled, a certain angelic confidence in his expression. "Hello, Director-nim," he said.
And just like that, their participation in the survival show was set.