[‘Achieve 1st place in Song Camp!’]
Two weeks after the blind voting for the concept evaluation songs of the upcoming QBS survival girl group audition show Starlight Season 2, the true owners of each song were revealed on broadcast.
【Three Os】
A song that unraveled three words beginning with “O” in its lyrics — despite receiving low evaluations from the judges, it ranked second overall due to its overwhelming blind vote count.
The song belonged to The Dawn.
【Overthinking, obsessive, oversensitive】
A clear piano melody flowed, followed by the sorrowful voice of a woman.
【Of course, I feel good when the sunlight shines
And when I’m among people, it’s kind of fun】
Then the sticky beat wrapped around the slow tempo, blending perfectly with the singer’s voice.
【If saying sorry could make you stay, I would do it
Was it not cool to say that?
I hope you don’t get tired of me
I will be overly protective sometimes】
The smooth piano suddenly broke off into sharp, strong chords—
【But if you could still understand me
Dig your fingers in and tell me
Tell me it’s okay, I’m alright, it’s gonna be optimistic
Revive those simple memories of the past
Tell me it’s okay, I’m alright】
Underneath the swelling melody, a rich chorus harmonized and filled the soundscape.
【Overthinking, obsessive, oversensitive
Even in the moments when nothing goes right, if you stay beside me
Tell me I’m yours】
As if the melody repeated endlessly, the final measure connected back to the intro and the song came to an end.
[“Kang Ichae is fucking insane right now...”]
[“Honestly the genre was divisive, but yeah... nobody’s gonna say he’s lacking anymore.”]
[“Wow, I thought LUMA had awakened and written this LOOOOL”]
[“He turned three negative words starting with O into the three words we want to hear, fuckㅠ
└The only word that doesn’t have to start with O is ‘Yours.’”]
[“Ugh, second place is so regretful. It’s number one in my heart.”]
[“Don’t know if it was written for a girl group or not, but it’s such a perfect fit. God, when Starlight airs, whoever sings this is gonna cry and I’m voting for her.”]
Because Three Os had particularly low judge scores, the gap from Baek Jijun’s first-place song Moonlight was unusually large. The reason for the poor evaluation wasn’t revealed, leading to heated debate.
[“Maybe the genre felt unfamiliar? The intro was a bit weak, it could’ve been better.”]
[“The song’s repetitive format probably lowered the score... definitely a love-it-or-hate-it one.”]
The newly released second-round songs also quickly dominated the top of the music charts.
[“After seeing round two, the blind votes are literally a clash of titans.”]
[“Yeah, the show’s trying to push others too, but Baek Jijun and Kang Ichae are just... miles ahead.”]
[“People who said Kang Ichae only got votes from The Dawn’s fandom are finally shutting up. Blind voting is such a blessing.
└My sibling swore this couldn’t be Kang Ichae’s song, that it must’ve been some genius newcomer’s masterpiece,
and yet they’ve picked his songs three times in a row in the blind vote.
└└Unexpected human lie detector LMAOOOOO
└└Tell me what your sibling picks in round three LOOOOOLLLL”]
[“Fuck, but blind voting’s got side effects.
I couldn’t even vote because my heart was pounding at the thought of accidentally voting for a rival.”]
[“People say Ichae’s an angel now because he doesn’t put words like ‘sunset’ or ‘dawn’ in his lyrics.
If it were me, I’d have thrown in some stupid ad-lib like ‘it’s Ichae it’s Ichae~.’”]
As the show neared its finale, the rivalry had clearly narrowed to Kang Ichae versus Baek Jijun.
[“This season’s Song Camp had so many damn masterpieces.”]
[“Song Camp is literally a cultural phenomenon now. Everywhere I go, at least one person’s talking about it LOOOOLLL”]
[“It’s honestly so fucking fun. My heart races wondering if my predictions will be right LOOOL I even make bets with friends.”]
[“So happy to see Youngbi again, and then she drops this kind of god-tier song...”]
[“Even K.Voka, who used to just crank out memes, dropped a banger.
└His single-minded hip-hop obsession used to be funny, but now it’s fucking cool.
└└Right?! LOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL”]
[“The lineup’s insane. Even my pick, Kang Woorin, did great, but...
a wild Kang Ichae appeared.
└LMAOOOOOOO and Baek Jijun too. Those two are literal monsters.
└└They’re both riding the wave.
└└The more they compete, the happier I get. It just means more masterpieces.”]
***
A typhoon was sweeping up from the south, dragging the monsoon rains with it.
Though it was midday, the sky was dark as night. Wind howled violently, and rain crashed down like a waterfall.
I sat beside Kim Sunghyun, sipping a hot drink as we looked out the office café window at the storm—like a scene straight out of a disaster film.
“Song Camp staff aren’t coming today?”
“They gave up. All the equipment got soaked.”
“They’ve got it rough too....”
The final third round would be a live broadcast, staged like a concert at an outdoor venue.
The theme: “freedom.”
This time, the final ranking would be determined by 60% blind voting and 40% judge score.
With the show’s popularity growing more vicious by the week, the production crew was desperate to capture every single move of the contestants.
“And Ichae’s holed up in his studio again.”
The album promotions were nearly over, and Kang Ichae remained buried in work as always.
Sung Jiwon, the member second-most skilled in music after Ichae, was co-writing with him, while Kim Sunghyun, watching their empty spots, quietly accepted a cookie from Jung Dajun and spoke up.
“...Ahem, but lately, Ichae looks healthier again, doesn’t he—”
“—Yes, sir!!”
Jung Dajun popped the cookie crumbs off his finger into his mouth, slurped them up, then dramatically flicked his finger into the air.
“That’s all thanks to me! The Dawn’s cutie! The Dawn’s maknae! Me, Jung Dajun!! I texted him a heartwarming message with a picture of a billboard!! It must’ve gone bam! Right into his heart!!”
“...You’re getting bolder by the day, our maknae....”
As Kim Sunghyun muttered dryly, lively chatter erupted from nearby.
“Oh, The Dawn!! Hello!”
“Hello.”
Braving the storm just to buy bubble tea, the Hi-Five members had shown up. Kang Yeonhoo, clearly dragged along against his will, shook the rain from his hair, scowling as he held up his empty hands.
Smiling with perfect dimples, Kim Sunghyun reflexively silenced the maknae and greeted them warmly. I also bowed politely, waited for them to pass, then drained the rest of my drink and stood up.
“Hey, I’m heading to the practice room.”
“What? You’re not eating?”
“I’m fine.”
“Uuuh, hyung, go to the studio instead!”
In place of an answer, I shoved another cookie into Jung Dajun’s mouth. As Kim Sunghyun stuffed more cookies in to shut him up, he wiped the slobber on his pants and frowned slightly.
“But didn’t they say the practice room door’s broken? If it closes, you can’t open it from inside.”
“Then come find me when you go back to the dorm.”
“...Do I really have to go that far...”
Ignoring his gruff tone of concern, I plugged in my earphones and walked off.
By the time I reached the counter, Kang Yeonhoo was there alone, ordering a drink. I nodded politely to him and left the café, stepping into the elevator across the hall.
When I arrived at the practice room, I propped the door open with my foot so it wouldn’t lock, then stepped inside.
After glancing at the mirrors lining the walls, I headed toward the corner—when a blue window appeared before my eyes.
[Excuse me.]
I ignored it, but another popped up.
[You’re not even here to practice, so why’d you come?]
“What now.”
I waved my arm like I was brushing off an annoying bug.
Ever since the day I got the system back from Kang Ichae—
[And originally, when Kang Ichae was ■■, he also ■■■....]
The system had tried to tell me something, then glitched out and disappeared for several hours.
When it returned, all it said was that it wasn’t time yet, and I should wait.
[Are you avoiding Kang Ichae?]
“Stop talking nonsense.”
I lay down flat on the floor, using my arm as a pillow.
“I’m busy.”
[...You mean busy hiding from Kang Ichae and lazing around here?]
I let out a long yawn.
“What, I’ve gotta win first place in Song Camp.”
[Like this?]
“Does the place matter for thinking?”
There were always ways to make it work.
[Sure... fine. But what exactly is your plan?]
The simplest way would be to slip in a few hints in the lyrics linking the song to The Dawn—something fans could recognize.
Overseas fans would vote too, after all.
Of course, rumors and speculation would follow.
And it might affect the year-end awards, so I’d rather avoid that route.
Otherwise...
“Going for the judges’ score would be safer.”
In the third round, the judges’ score made up 40%.
I didn’t know exactly why our past songs had been rated poorly, but for now, our scores had been consistently bad.
[And how do you plan to raise the judges’ score? You’re still relying on Kang Ichae’s talent, aren’t you?]
Not necessarily. There’s another way to win.
Ding!
[Ah....]
[No way. You can’t be thinking...]
[I’m getting a really bad feeling about this...]
I smirked without explaining. The system window trembled.
[Wait—it’s not one of those things starting with “ma” and ending with “su,” right?]
“Tsk...”
[H-hold on! I really don’t think that’s a good idea!!]
[Did you at least consider the backlash?! You already experienced it during the last awards! Reckless actions have consequences! Repeating risky gambles like this is dangerous!!]
I ignored its frantic glowing letters, sat up, and pressed my palms against my eyes.
[Seo Hoyun, please—just trust Kang Ichae a little, can’t you?]
Why was it whining so much today?
“Hey, stop pretending you know everything and—”
—Knock, knock.
Just as I snapped irritably at the system, a knock sounded.
Turning my head, I saw Kang Yeonhoo standing awkwardly in the doorway, holding two drinks.
“...Uh, that wasn’t directed at me, right?”
I casually pulled out my earphones and asked,
“...This is our practice room. Did you come to the wrong one?”
“Ah, um.”
Glancing outside, Kang Yeonhoo stepped in and nudged the doorstop up with his foot.
“Wait—don’t! If it closes, it won’t—”
Clack.
Startled, he grabbed the doorknob, but it was too late. The door had already shut. No matter how many times he twisted it, it wouldn’t budge.
“...What’s wrong with this?”
“It’s broken. You can only open it from outside.”
“Ah...”
He sighed quietly. I could feel him fidgeting, glancing my way. He pulled out his phone, maybe to call for help—but of course, that was when my battery died. The screen went black.
“You’ve got your phone, right?”
“Didn’t you just make a call?”
I held up my dead screen, then lowered it.
“It just died. Call your members or manager to come open it.”
“......”
After staring at me for a moment, Kang Yeonhoo brushed his damp bangs back and muttered,
“...Didn’t bring it. My phone.”
“You don’t have any schedules today?”
“No. Not really.”
“At least that’s something. My members said ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ they’d come by on their way back to the dorm, so we just wait. You can nap if you’re bored—there’s a pillow and a blanket.”
He nodded awkwardly, sitting down at a polite distance, but kept glancing my way with an odd expression.
“Got something to say?”
“Not exactly...”
Rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand, Kang Yeonhoo hesitated.
“It’s just... your reaction surprised me.”
“What about it?”
“Normally, you’d have teased me in a situation like this.”
I raised an eyebrow. He avoided my gaze and added,
“Like, you’d joke that I closed it on purpose because I wanted to be alone with you or something...”
I just stared. He faltered, ducking his head.
“...Forget it. Just ignore me.”
“...Ah, yeah.”
His ears were bright red.
I shook my head, closing my eyes.
Or tried to.
“......”
“......”
“...What now?”
He had turned toward me, silently watching.
Rubbing my face, I broke the silence.
“What is it?”
Kang Yeonhoo finally spoke.
“Um, Seo Hoyun... maybe it’s just my imagination, but... are you going through something rough?”
His warm brown eyes met mine, gentle and cautious.
“...Want to talk about it?”
