Chương 89: Finale (5)

!!TWWWWWWWW!!: Implied attempted SA

Joon-woo was so so nervous. Jung Hyun-Ok's team had performed and done decently well. Their feedback was not as good as Joon-woo's team, but not as bad as Reggie's. They got comments about immature vocals, but an overall good performance. Joon-woo wasn't worried about winning, he knew his advantage well, he was worried about his chances of debut.

Now, the votes were open and would be open for the next two hours before they closed. This vote was for everyone this time. Foreigners, locals, anyone who opened with the link. Last season, the show's winner had almost a million votes. Joon-woo thought that much to be a dream.

Through his interactions with the new and not forgotten producer, he could tell he held some favoritism. But that original debut line up was still clear in his head. All his friends and not him. It slightly worried him.

Carre huffed at Joon-woo's anxiety, as if finding it useless.

"It's really nothing to worry about. Producers love the ones that bring the most views."

"I know, Carre." Joon-woo replied. "But you know what they also love? Money and good relations with rich ceos."

Kite had been quiet ever since Carre came along. Joon-woo looked at the bird who would usually make snide comments with curiosity.

"Kite, do you think I'll be able to debut from here?" Joon-woo asked.

Kite shrugged. "I hope you do."

Joon-woo hummed.

Currently, Joon-woo had isolated himself in an empty practice room. He wasn't practicing, though his dancing still needed heavy work. He couldn't handle the anger that his shitty dancing gave him on top of his anxiety.

I want to debut here, He thought. Not SOUND Enterainment. He wanted to debut with Reggie and Mi Yong and Ryeo Hyun and Jung Hyun-Ok (and not really Baek Du-Ho).

He curled himself into a ball.

He didn't know why he took so much solace in such rooms. Ha-rin was forced upon in this room, groomed. Ha-rin brokedown in these rooms, worked himself to death.

Carre and Kite watched Joon-woo in silence. For once, they were quiet. They didn't bicker or scold Joon-woo.

"You'll debut from here." Kite spoke confidently after a beat of awkward silence.

"I want to." Joon-woo replied with a small scoff.

"You will." Kite replied.

Joon-woo hoped so. He was enjoying this life. He enjoyed it, and part of him was becoming okay with the fact it was temporary. As long as he could be genuinely happy now, did he think he could recover from his life as Ha-rin.

There were footsteps in the hallway that silenced the three, even Kite and Carre who could only be heard by Joon-woo.

"He's probably somewhere over here…" A voice asked.

Joon-woo slightly froze. Was that… Kim Seo-jun?

"Yeah. Sometimes I see him come over here alone. No idea what room though." Another voice asked. Joon-woo couldn't put a name on it, but it was probably another contestant based on the youth-sound it had.

"That freak probably comes over here to suck off the producers…" Kim Seo-jun joked.

Were they talking about… Joon-woo?

The other voice broke into laughter.

Joon-woo stiffened at the malicious tones they held. Really, were they looking for Joon-woo? How pathetic could these guys get?

"I'll check the three rooms up there. Check these ones." Kim Seo-jun instructed the other. He was the leader of this operation.

Joon-woo pulled his phone out of his pocket. He knew Kim Seo-jun didn't like him, and even that was slightly an understatement. He had told Reggie and Mi Yong that he was going to take a breather. Luckily his friends knew not to bother him when Joon-woo said such. Joon-woo was a true introvert.

Joon-woo: Reggie, come to practice room 5

Joon-woo was slightly anxious. Kim Seo-jun was looking for him and without good intentions. Kim Seo-jun was almost as tall as Reggie, about six feet and slightly buff. Joon-woo would get squashed if Kim Seo-jun had violent intentions.

Joon-woo was confident he could run away well, but if trapped, there was no chance.

Kim Seo-jun checked the practice room right across from the one Joon-woo was in. Aggressively, he slammed the door when he realized Joon-woo was also not in that one.

Then, he turned to the room Joon-woo was in.

Joon-woo wanted to scream when the shadow of Kim Seo-jun was cast over the dimly lit room.

Joon-woo: fast peleas

He held his phone tightly in his hand as he held his breath.

Joon-woo was scrunched against a blindspot from the door. But the practice room was empty enough that he would be seen if Kim Seo-jun were to simply turn the small corner.

Carre hissed and took a protective stance in front of Joon-woo, Kite too. They both noticed Joon-woo's anxiety. But of course they were invisible and non-existent to anyone other than Joon-woo., so when Kim Seo-jun spotted Joon-woo, he phased right through them.

Joon-woo gulped as Kim Seo-jun wore nothing short of an angry expression. Though Joon-woo was now a man, the fear he held as Ha-rin towards men was still there.

"There you are." Kim Seo-jun said, calling his lackey to join him.

Joon-woo stood, the floor being too vulnerable of a surface to be on in a situation as such.

"I wanted to talk to you." Kim Seo-jun added, his lackey Joon-woo recognized as the the 15th ranked contestant now by his side.

Joon-woo narrowed his eyes at the other.

"About what?" Joon-woo asked, suspicious.

–+–

Jung Hyun-Ok and Mi Yong watched fan-posted replays of their performance, critiquing themselves and each other on things. Reggie watched the two slightly jealous. Ryeo Hyun wore a small smile whenever they complimented Team Two's performance.

Reggie could only find the gesture cute. Ryeo Hyun had been a bit down without Bo Jaesang, but the other was doing a little better now. Really though, Team Two's performance was wonderful. Reggie was slightly jealous for a moment, but was satisfied when he saw the devastated look of Kim Seo-jun. Reggie had done what he needed to do, he had no need to fret over his friends' talents.

Joon-woo had excused himself away for some alone time. He and Team Two had finished their interviews and shoots first, and now there was about thirty minutes left until the voting closed.

The large stage room most contestants gathered in was dim with anxiety. The PD picks were clear, but anxiety still rang over the group like a sore thumb. Reggie and the others got glances left and right. Everyone expected them to be the ones to debut.

Reggie's phone buzzed in his pocket. His mother? He had just talked to his mother and she had wished Reggie and Joon-woo luck in the finals.

It was Joon-woo.

Joon-woo: Reggie, come to practice room 5

Reggie scrunched his brows, but stood nonetheless.

"Where're you going?" Ryeo Hyun asked, curious.

Reggie shrugged. "Joon-woo said he wanted to meet me."

Mi Yong raised an eyebrow. "He's inviting someone to his little alone time? You've obviously made it one more level up the Joon-woo-friend list." He joked and it was true.

Joon-woo was an introvert who treated alone time like a nun and her prayer time.

Reggie shrugged. "We'll see." And with that, he began towards the practice room hallway.

But his phone buzzed again

Joon-woo: fast peleas

Reggie began to get concerned, then.

He counted the contestants who were in the stage room and only counted 12. That means three were missing. One was Joon-woo and the others–

Kim Seo-jun and his friend ranked 15th.

Reggie began to run, recalling Kim Seo-jun and his hatred for Joon-woo.

–+–

"Where's PD Dae-Jung? Huh?" Kim Seo-jun asked.

"Working probably? I don't know…" Joon-woo scoffed. He didn't care if this guy was his Hyung. Close to none of these "Hyungs" treated Joon-woo kindly.

"Have some respect! Huh? I'm your hyung, y'know." Kim Seo-jun got closer to Joon-woo.

"Why would I when you've only treated me like sh*t?" Joon-woo snapped, dropping the innocent and unknowing persona he wore on camera.

"What? You think you're special because the producers like young boys?" The rank 15 next to Kim Seo-jun remarked.

Carre practically coughed in on herself when she heard that.

"No. I think you're just jealous that I know how to play my cards better than you." Joon-woo replied, snarkily.

He came off as confident, but really his hands shook in the fists he held them in. He wondered how close Reggie was.

Kim Seo-jun took another step further and pushed Joon-woo into a slight stumble.

"Don't touch me!" Joon-woo yelled, taking a defensive tone.

Kim Seo-jun took another step and was less than two inches away from Joon-woo now.

Joon-woo was scared. The other towered over him crazily, not to mention rank 15.

"You would like that though, right?" Kim Seo-jun spoke, his voice so angry it was clear he was acting on emotion.

He took a hold of Joon-woo's sweater collar, closing the distance between Joon-woo's back and the wall.

Joon-woo hit the wall with a small thud, he was on his toes when Kim Seo-jun pulled Joon-woo to his level. Joon-woo hissed.

"Let go!" Joon-woo pushed, effectively prying one hand off just for it to return to his collar.

Carre and Kite watched in horror. They couldn't do a thing. They couldn't do a thing.

Rank 15 seemed surprised by the escalation, nervously sidestepping as if he didn't expect the situation to go drastic.

Kim Seo-jun was overridden with anger, to a point any attempts to bring him back to reality would fall through. He pushed himself against Joon-woo and Joon-woo lost it.

He was trapped. He was trapped just like Ha-rin was, 17 and too trusting of her dance instructor. He couldn't breathe, then. The hair escaped him, his vision clouded. Kim Seo-jun's hands touched Joon-woo's waistline from under his stage outfit.

Joon-woo pushed and fought and kicked. He made it difficult for Kim Seo-jun to do anything else. He couldn't handle Kim Seo-jun doing anything else.

He was so lost in himself, that Joon-woo didn't notice when rank 15 stepped back in fright while looking at something, someone at the door.