The LED screen dimmed momentarily, and a hush fell over the buzzing pyramid of trainees once again.
Then—BOOM.
A crisp, modern logo flashed across the screen with bold white characters on a matte black background:
HYPEB ENTERTAINMENT
It wasn't one of the Big 3.
But it didn't matter.
The air shifted.
Gasps rippled through the seats.
"Wait, HypeB?!"
"No way, is this the first time they're joining a survival show?"
"They don't usually train idols for shows—they do direct debuts!"
"Didn't they just sign with a major overseas label?"
"They're the company everyone's watching right now…"
Ji Hyo tilted his head slightly at the reaction.
HypeB… interesting.
The doors opened, and seven boys walked out—sharp, confident, deliberate.
Each of them radiated a distinct energy:
One tall and lean, cold as ice.
One with bleach-blonde hair and a playful bounce.
Another with serious brows and tightly clasped hands.
An all-rounder vibe. A vocalist aura. A dancer's smooth step. A quiet powerhouse.
Seven completely different energies—
But all of them in perfect sync.
No hesitation, no looking around for reassurance.
They knew exactly what they came here to do.
The other contestants couldn't look away.
"They're all visuals."
"I heard some of them used to train under other big companies…"
"I think one of them trained with Bangbung's juniors before joining HypeB."
"They scream main character energy."
But among them—
Ji Hyo's gaze locked onto one.
He froze for a moment.
Jihoon.
So that's where he ended up.
Jihoon walked at the center of the line, shoulders relaxed, lips curled in a confident, almost mocking smile.
Ji Hyo hadn't seen him since… that time.
He wasn't expecting to see him here—
Not under HypeB.
The boy he once trained with under Glint.
The boy who smiled too much, said too little, and always hid knives behind his compliments.
Ji Hyo's expression didn't change.
No frown. No glare. No visible tension.
Just a blank, empty look—eyes void of any interest.
But his mind?
It was spinning.
So they sent him. Interesting. I guess they're betting on him to get in.
As Jihoon walked past the front rows, he turned his head slightly, as if feeling someone's eyes on him.
His gaze met Ji Hyo's.
For a split second, silence buzzed between them.
Then Jihoon smirked—slow, deliberate, like a chess player confident about his next move.
Ji Hyo blinked once and simply looked away, returning to inspecting his nails again like Jihoon wasn't even worth his full attention.
The seven HypeB boys climbed up the pyramid like they owned it, eyes calm, expressions steady.
And just like that—
All the top seats were filled.
It wasn't official, but everyone in the room felt it:
The battle lines had been drawn.
The upper pyramid now housed the elites.
AZ's finest.
CubeX's stars.
Starlight's pride.
And now HypeB's powerhouse.
Whispers echoed again.
"There's no room at the top anymore."
"Those guys aren't moving unless someone really shakes the stage."
"Did you see the stare Jihoon and that masked guy gave each other?"
Ji Hyo sat still in his seat, unmoving.
There were four center seats per row.
He was seated near the aisle on the left—
Now only three empty seats remained beside him and two seats across the aisle beside him.
And still, no one dared to take them.
Ji Hyo's presence alone—face half-covered with a black mask, posture calm and unreadable—created a chill no one dared challenge.
Even without knowing his name, the other trainees subconsciously treated that row like sacred ground.
The system buzzed quietly in his mind.
[Notice: Rival Detected. Jihoon from HypeB registered as a "Relationship Hazard."] [Tracking emotional response for storyline engagement.]
[Warning: Current heart rate spike 4%. Monitoring for triggered memories.]
Ji Hyo rolled his eyes mentally.
Relationship hazard, my ass.
He's just another trainee now.
But deep inside—he knew.
This was personal.
Jihoon being here meant the past wasn't buried.
And worse, it meant he had to watch his back.
Ji Hyo leaned back a little, breathing out slowly through his nose.
He wasn't nervous.
He was… ready.
The stage was set.
The giants were seated.
The ghosts of the past were watching.
And the final empty seats were waiting to be claimed.
This show wasn't going to be fair.
But that's what made it fun.
And then—just when the room had barely begun to settle from the HypeB shock— the screen flashed again.
Bold white letters.
Glitch-like animation.
GLINT ENTERTAINMENT
Silence.
Then—uproar.
"Wait—Glint???"
"No way!"
"They actually sent trainees?? This is real?"
"Glint never joins survival shows!"
It was the final thunderclap.
The last puzzle piece.
The confirmation.
All the giants were here.
AZ, CubeX, Starlight, HypeB, and now Glint.
This wasn't just another season of Pick Me.
This…
This was war.
Even Ji Hyo, who had stayed relatively detached from the buzz, found his body stiffen as the logo burned across the LED.
Then the stage doors opened.
Three boys walked out in perfect harmony.
Smooth, practiced steps.
Effortless stage presence.
The lights reflected off their pristine uniforms and perfect hair— and the murmurs around the pyramid reached a new high.
"They're from Glint… no doubt."
"The one in the middle—he's unreal."
"I've seen his clips online, isn't he a CF model too?"
"The red hair—wait, that's… is that Felix??"
Ji Hyo's heart stopped for a full second.
He blinked once.
Then again.
It was Felix.
Red hair, tied into a soft updo, strands falling around his delicate face.
Graceful as ever.
Confident as ever.
Felix Monroe. The boy who always greeted Ji Hyo with annoying texts, random gifts, and strange food cravings. The one who always claimed to be "too pretty to cook" and yet somehow made the best kimchi jjigae. The one who wasn't supposed to be here.
Ji Hyo almost stood from his seat.
What… is he doing here?
Why didn't he say anything?
Is this why he stopped visiting the last few days?
Felix walked beside the two other Glint trainees—a tall boy with a sharp jawline and sleepy eyes named Rin, and a short but strikingly intense one named Baekho— but Ji Hyo only had eyes for him.
Felix's expression was calm.
Professional.
Not playful.
Not clingy.
Not… Felix.
He didn't even glance around for a familiar face.
He kept his gaze straight ahead, lips drawn into a neutral line.
Like he belonged on that stage.
Like he was born for it.
And suddenly, Ji Hyo understood why the system made him hide it.
Because seeing Felix here—on this battlefield—was like watching his comfort blanket catch fire.
He wasn't just a friend anymore.
He wasn't someone Ji Hyo could lean on, laugh with, or ignore when things got awkward.
Felix was now competition.
He sat back down slowly, heart hammering in his chest.
The Glint trio began walking toward the seats.
There were only a few spots left.
Most of the top tier was already full—
but with Glint's status, it didn't matter.
The other trainees were already inching away to make space for them.
And yet—
Felix didn't sit at the very top.
He stopped at the row just below it—the same row where Ji Hyo sat.
Ji Hyo stiffened.
He watched as Felix scanned the seats…and then, almost like fate teasing him,
Felix chose the seat right beside Ji Hyo.
Not just in the same row.
Right.
Beside.
Him.
Ji Hyo tried not to react, but his heart was going wild.
He felt the slight brush of air as Felix sat down.
For a moment, neither said anything.
The buzz around them continued.
Contestants still whispered about Glint.
Some even looked afraid now.
The gods had descended.
And Ji Hyo—
he just stared straight ahead.
Then, in a barely audible whisper, he heard—
"…Hey, my cute shark."
Felix.
The voice was soft.
Careful.
Laced with amusement.
Ji Hyo slowly turned his head, eyes narrowing behind his mask.
"…You didn't tell me," he whispered back.
Felix tilted his head with a sly grin.
His red hair glinted in the studio lights.
"And miss the look on your face right now? No way."
Ji Hyo glared.
Felix winked.
And the chaos inside Ji Hyo's mind exploded into something he couldn't name.
The system pinged.
[Update: Unexpected variable "Felix" has entered the main storyline.]
[Relationship status: Unknown. Rivalry/Ally dynamic detected. Tracking interaction.]
Also… you're welcome.
Ji Hyo groaned internally.
He was ready for enemies.
For rivals.
For past ghosts like Jihoon.
But now even his Felix—the one person who made him feel safe—…was part of the game.
This season was not going to be easy.