"Broadcasting live right now—
At the MC's announcement, blue spotlights shot across the stage, illuminating us standing underneath them. Despite the audience's loud cheers, unlike during the performance, none of the trainees could smile.
This was finally the end. In the crushing tension, all of us could only stare at the seats labeled debut members in front of us.
The set was shaped like a pyramid, divided into three tiers. The first and second tiers each had three blue chairs, and the highest third tier had a single chair placed at the top.
"But before that, we should first reveal the name of the new group—formed by seven boys who have survived this fierce competition and will debut together."
At the MC's words, another wave of cheers rose from the audience. He waited for it to settle, then lowered his gaze smoothly to the cue cards and continued with a practiced smile.
"These boys have come this far through your love and support, Idol Makers. And so, their group name has also been chosen directly by you. The group name that will carry the dreams of the boys debuting through
At that command, the highly tense trainees all turned to the screens installed on either side of the debut seats. A video had just begun playing.
On the black screen, the first thing to appear was a single star.
Then, more dots of light began to scatter like stardust. Among them, seven stars gleamed especially bright, and as they connected into a constellation, two interlocked circles formed around the very first star at the center.
A pair of intertwined rings wrapped around the constellation. Then—suddenly—the right circle narrowed halfway, forming the shape of a "D."
The result resembled a reversed door, with the star acting as a doorknob. And beneath it, the logo finally appeared.
「ONEDEAR」
"A combination of ONE, symbolizing seven boys becoming one, and ENDEAR, meaning to be loved! Formed from the wishes of Idol Makers who hope the boys become one idol and one love, the official final group name is—ONEDEAR!"
As the name was revealed, a ripple of reactions spread through the audience and among the trainees. Some nodded in approval, while others slightly grimaced, unsure how they felt.
As for me—
'…It's different.'
It wasn't about liking or disliking the name—I simply felt pure shock.
'The future has changed.'
Before regressing, the group that debuted through
But this newly chosen name—its meaning, its logo, even the future direction it suggested—felt completely different.
And the only thing that had changed since then was one thing:
My existence.
Participating in
That ripple effect had carried all the way to today, where the members of the debuting group would have entirely different combinations and dynamics from the ones I had known. Naturally, the group name—and the future—had changed too.
Whether that was good or bad… I didn't know.
"…Ha."
But at least right now, I couldn't stop a small smile from breaking through.
I had wondered if the future could really change—if the fixed fate of member departures and disbandment at the end of their contract could be defied.
It can change.
Only today was I certain.
The changed group name proved that ONEDEAR's path might not mirror IDIN's at all.
The ending wasn't predetermined anymore.
"After surviving this fierce competition with one hundred trainees, the trainee who rises to first place will take the highest seat—and become the first center of ONEDEAR's debut song. Who will the main character be? Let us begin the final ranking announcement to determine the center!"
Cheers erupted across the audience. At long last—the group name, the upcoming future, and the members who would begin this journey together had been revealed.
The MC smiled as he looked at the excited audience and viewers waiting for the announcement.
"But first, let's go to a commercial break."
A bucket of cold water, perfectly poured.
"Ah!!!"
"Ah—!!"
While the camera cut away and the audience groaned in outrage, the trainees—who had just witnessed the group name reveal—finally let out the breath they'd been holding.
"…I'm gonna die."
"I don't care what happens anymore… I just want this to end quickly…"
"If I make it today… I swear I'll start going to temple, church, doing ancestral rites, everything… every week…"
"You're going to be really busy…."
Of course, that was all talk—after seeing the group name, their tension only grew. Just a little further, and ONEDEAR could very well become their name.
While exchanging nervous whispers with pale faces, the trainees looked as if they wanted nothing more than for the broadcast to end already.
Even so, they didn't forget to wave to the cheering audience below the stage or beam brightly whenever they spotted a slogan with their name on it.
In response, the audience's passionate cheers continued nonstop.
"Debut for sure!"
"Just a little more—fighting!"
"You can do it!"
I watched the audience below the stage alongside the other trainees.
"...."
Then my gaze stopped at one spot.
"Yu-ha!!"
There, clutching a slogan with my name on it, was a fan openly sobbing. The moment our eyes met, they widened as if startled, then waved their arms frantically. The paper slogan, already creased at the corners, crumpled even more under the force.
'…Because of the VCR earlier?'
Seeing that, I couldn't help feeling conflicted. Those tears…
They were almost certainly my fault.
I briefly looked at the other fans within my line of sight. The faces of those holding slogans with my name on them all looked desperate.
The PD's narrative, crafted blatantly to make people feel pity for me—
that weight had fallen even more heavily on my fans than on the average idol maker.
"...."
I fixed my gaze on the fan and quietly moved my lips.
There was no reason to hesitate.
If their eyes met mine, I had to tell them.
After confirming that their eyes widened at my words, I turned my head at the staff's announcement that the broadcast was resuming.
And then I thought:
I'm taking first place no matter what.
Seeing firsthand how the fabricated tear narrative affected my fans only set my determination ablaze.
I refuse to remain just some pitiful character.
More than anything—we made a promise.
That I wouldn't give them anything to worry about.
So I had to take first place.
That would be the true first step toward changing the future.
Holding that conviction, I looked at the MC waiting for his cue—
then at the topmost seat of the set, where first place would sit.
All the while, completely unaware of what was happening on the internet at that very moment.
***
Just as the broadcast was about to resume, a short video was uploaded to Whisper.
Though recorded hastily on a phone, the video captured Won Yu-ha clearly, as if filmed right beside the stage.
And it was posted with this caption:
— How could I not love you? Even standing before the moment you've dreamed of your whole life, you comfort a crying fan...
An idol like you will never disappoint us.
The way you love us back just as much as we love you—
I realized it in this moment.
I want to see you for a long, long time, Yu-ha.
It's almost time.
Let's debut, please.
People focused closely on the video of Won Yu-ha looking down from the stage toward the audience—and even more closely on the shape of his lips.
He hadn't spoken aloud, but it wasn't hard to tell what he had said.
From the start, Yu-ha had spoken with the hope that, even in the deafening cheers, his words would reach the crying fan.
[I'm okay. Don't worry. It'll be all right.]
Once the video was posted, the online community exploded.
— ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Yu-ha, I'm going insane…. Why are you comforting someone else right now? You should be worrying about YOURSELF ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
— What kind of kid is this…? Isn't this exactly when his mental state should be shaking the most? How can he sit there calmly comforting someone… That was for a fan, right?
— I was crying from the VCR earlier but this sobered me up. Yu-ha doesn't want us crying right now. He wants us smiling, doesn't he…
— I'll smile, Yu-ha. I'll smile when you debut. Let's be happy together.
— This reminds me of that sighting at XX Station... People doubted whether it was real, but after seeing today's video, I feel like that was real too…
— Anyone who talked crap about Yu-ha's personality should just disappear. How dare they call him garbage? Looking back, those people were the real trash wasting oxygen.
Support for Won Yu-ha surged alongside tears.
But the video didn't bring only positive reactions.
— Oh sure~ staged again~
— LOL so fake;; working SO hard on that image management~ selling pity tickets and now acting all calm and noble? Gross.
— I hope that bastard doesn't debut. No one is more manufactured than him, but if anyone points it out, fans attack you immediately—it's ridiculous.
— Thinking about my fave promoting with Won Yu-ha already gives me a headache… Honestly, reactions are too good, he probably won't get eliminated ㅠ
— Yu-ha… without your "tragic backstory," what do you even have left? Is that why you're desperate with this image management? Yu-ha, more like Yu-hah… enough already.
Where there is strong affection, there is always strong backlash.
From the beginning, Won Yu-ha had been accused of receiving a "manufactured growth narrative" from KRM Entertainment—some insisting it was entirely AINET's staged manipulation. Those already hostile toward him only reacted more aggressively to the uploaded video.
Criticizing his skills was impossible now; even they had to admit that compared to early
But his "manufactured" storyline still offered plenty to tear apart.
And fueling that fire was—
— So obviously staged LOL. Since when do long-lost family reunions pop up out of nowhere? He definitely got into DEAR DOLL using Baek ㅇㅎ's connections or lied his way in.
An unexpected leak of his connection to Baek I-hyeon.
— Every time Baek ㅇㅎ appears on screen I get so nervous. Aster fans definitely poured all their votes into Yu-haㅋㅋ Must be nice having a useful older brother while others are at risk of elimination.
— The two brothers walking the exact same pathㅋㅋ
Winning pity votes to debut, huh?
Feels like the younger one learned tricks straight from the older one—
I don't feel bad, I feel annoyed.
Rumors spread that Yu-ha was following Baek I-hyeon's exact route, that he entered
The extremely well-timed connection to a top-tier idol had certainly helped Yu-ha.
But just as much, it became ammunition for those who disliked him—
a "valid reason" to insist he absolutely should not make the debut lineup.
— Yu-ha, please debut
— Won Yu-ha, please don't make the debut lineup PLEASE
These two opposing sides continued their emotional battle nonstop, all the way until the commercial break ended and the broadcast resumed.
And the conflict grew even bigger than the system had predicted—
finally causing an unexpected anomaly to occur.
An anomaly that Won Yu-ha, standing on stage, had no idea about.
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