Chapter 20 #2
Min Jae shook his head. “Not here. What’s the delay? I thought you would all be on the bus by now.”
Woo Jin snorted. “They said it’s some kind of mechanical trouble and they’re working on it. They sent the eliminated guys ahead on a different bus. But, seriously, at least give me some kind of hint about you and Andy. You two were practically best friends a little while ago.”
Min Jae coldly shrugged, letting his revulsion at lying make his performance seem more realistic. “It's a competition. We were never friends.” He relaxed his frown, inwardly appalled at how easy the lying was. “And I haven’t had a proper chance to congratulate you yet. Number 4? That’s awesome.”
Woo Jin smiled, all thoughts of Andy immediately gone. “I know, right? I’m so close! Just one more round of eliminations to go. If I don’t fuck things up, I’ll finally get to debut.”
Debut again, Min Jae didn’t say, despite a petulant urge to poke holes in his friend’s joy.
Then again, were they even really friends?
He’d certainly gotten friendly with Woo Jin, but he’d never trust the guy with anything even remotely personal.
Not like he had with Andy. No, Woo Jin was an ally, but definitely not a friend. “It’s yours to lose, at this point.”
“And you’re back at number one!” Woo Jin enthused, patting Min Jae’s shoulder. “You’re practically the new center for Pr1ze.”
Min Jae scoffed. “Let’s not go there just yet. There’s still plenty of competition left after today.”
A handful of production staffers appeared, announcing that the bus was ready for everyone to board.
Not a coincidence, obviously, now that Min Jae and Andy were back with the group.
The nervous energy from the morning ride was gone on the return trip, replaced by the clamor of triumphant shouts and giddy, relieved laughter.
The chatter was just as loud, despite the fact that there were half as many seats filled as before.
And nine other Dream Boys wore the gold-trimmed tracksuit like Min Jae’s.
The Top Ten. Min Jae proudly wore his like a badge of honor, when all he felt was shame.
At least Seo Joon wasn’t among the remaining contestants.
Min Jae wouldn't miss that preening, self-delusional asshole at all.
Min Jae’s gaze drifted completely without his control, until it found Andy seated a few rows up. Shining like the sun, Leo, Min Jun, and Tae Woo surrounded him–planets pulled into his easy, brilliant orbit.
Min Jae turned back to the window, watching the Gyeonggi landscape rushing by.
Everyone was right to celebrate. The latest battle was over, and they’d won.
The next battle? Too far away to even see yet.
But Min Jae had just entered his own, secret battle.
A secret he shared with only one other. The treacherous act of being Andy Kim's rival again had already begun.
Back at Sky Village, Min Jae couldn’t help smiling when he saw that Seo Joon’s bed had already been stripped bare.
The air in the room hung thicker and heavier without Seo Joon sucking it all up.
Min Jae’s temporary bed called to him, offering a place to disconnect from the day’s rollercoaster ride of events and process.
But he also couldn’t help noticing the savory aroma flowing from the cafeteria.
The show must’ve splurged on another celebratory dinner following the eliminations.
A dinner that would undoubtedly be surrounded by an army of cameras, meaning he absolutely had to be turned on the whole time.
The price for slip-ups at that point was far too high.
Half the remaining Dream Boys were already in the cafeteria by the time Min Jae and Woo Jin arrived, gathered around a pair of long tables laden with stacks of fried chicken boxes from Chikichik with plenty of kimchi, pickled radish, and rice on the sides.
Practically starving, Min Jae pushed through the crowd, abusing his rank to get in front.
Except for a few snack-sized bags of chips from the craft table at the Vision Center, he hadn’t eaten since he left home that morning.
He nearly lost his appetite when he discovered who would be serving him.
“Well, if it isn’t our number one ranked Dream Boy!” Yoo Ji Ho, sporting a carefully cultivated smile and a neat black apron over his expensive casual wear, held out one of the signature red, black, and gold Chikichik boxes. “Congratulations, Kwon Min Jae.”
Min Jae immediately bowed, as much to cover his expression as out of propriety.
He shouldn’t have been surprised. Director Choi had forced Min Jae into a highly unorthodox and unethical deal with the threat of blackmail.
Of course, SCG’s VP of Artist Development would be on hand to ensure Min Jae’s compliance. “Thank you, sir.”
Ji Ho laughed, pleasant and as razor-edged as his gaze. “You’ve earned it.” He gestured toward the cans of soda and beer stacked to his right. “Get yourself something to drink, too.”
Min Jae offered a second bow before quickly escaping the VP’s judging gaze. As if it wasn’t enough for him to just play his part for the Dream Boys. Most of them were still riding the high of surviving the elimination. He could’ve lit the room on fire without many of them noticing.
Andy’s laughter, bright and unrestrained, carried across the room to lift Min Jae from his dour introspection.
His newly appointed rival sauntered into the cafeteria still holding court with his band of followers, locked onto him like magnets.
How was he able to make it look so easy?
Andy’s effortless charm was one of the things that had originally bothered Min Jae the most. Because, it turned out, that charm worked on him, too.
His ice king act, as Andy put it, worked just as well, but with the opposite effect.
“Damn, Min Jae.” Woo Jin appeared beside him, cursing with a mouthful of chicken. “You’ve got to tell me what Andy did to deserve that look.”
Min Jae huffed, turning toward his accuser. “What look?”
“You’ve got murder on your mind, hyung.” Woo Jin finally swallowed. “It’s a good thing I’m here to rescue you from the hilarious memes that look would’ve made.”
Min Jae forced his face to relax, allowing himself to chuckle. “You’re right, thank you. I hate that I have to worry about that sort of thing all the time now.”
Woo Jin laughed. “It’s true though, right?
” He took another bite, continuing while he chewed.
“I spent an hour this weekend looking up Dream Boy memes online. You know how many I’ve got?
” Min Jae shook his head. “One. One damn meme, from when you and I were doing the three-legged obstacle course. And the only reason it even exists is because you looked so cool and collected while I looked like an idiot.”
Min Jae’s laugh was surprisingly warm, even for him, as he imagined what that GIF probably looked like.
It was a good thing he was so occupied over the break and hadn’t bothered looking up things like that online.
He good-naturedly patted Woo Jin’s shoulder.
“You know it’s going to be like that forever if we both debut, right? ”
Woo Jin snorted. “The unflappable Min Jae, huh? Maybe around me, but not around Andy.”
“What about Andy?” Peak poked his head between them, holding out a can of beer. “Here, hyung. I brought this for you.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Jin Hwan’s got one for you, Woo Jin-hyung.”
“Something rocked the #MinDy ship today,” Woo Jin explained as he took his beer from Jin Hwan. “I’ve been trying to get him to tell me what happened.”
Peak nodded. “Oh, that. Yeah, I was wondering that, too. Andy seemed pretty mad at you back at the Vision Center, hyung.”
Min Jae desperately wanted to swat away Peak and Woo Jin’s gossipy comments like flies. But he’d agreed to play his role, and play it he would. “It’s nothing, really. He’s just being sensitive about what I said during our diary after the ceremony.”
Peak nodded again, slipping in closer. Maybe Min Jae had picked up some satellites of his own. “What did you say?”
“It was nothing really,” Min Jae repeated, leaning into his power position. “They asked me to comment on the differences between us, and I said his style is overly sentimental. I know it’s played well with the Dream Makers, but it’s not a strategy that will work for every performance.”
Woo Jin barked out a harsh laugh. “You did not say that, did you?”
“Of course.” Min Jae casually shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
“Is it?” Peak frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”
“I think he’s right,” Jin Hwan offered. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. Andy’s great. Really talented. But he leans into the heart thing a little too much. He makes too many of his decisions based on vibes. Most stages require precision and synchronicity.”
Min Jae firmly nodded, accepting Jin Hwan’s support while silently willing him to shut the hell up. He had maybe half Andy’s talent, and was in no position to criticize him.
“Min Jae’s been our number one rank twice, Peak,” Woo Jin added. “I think he knows what he’s talking about.”
“And I’m not saying he’s untalented, either,” Min Jae confirmed. “Only that he can be a bit inflexible with his choices. If we’d gone with his original choreo for the last mission stage, we wouldn’t have won it.”
Woo Jin nodded. “That’s right. You changed it after the midpoint evaluation with the mentors.”
Peak confidently mirrored Woo Jin’s nod. “I guess he didn’t like being reminded of that.”
“It’s a competition,” Min Jae continued, his soul dying a little more. “If he can’t take the critiques, then he won’t keep his rank.” He turned to Peak. “Speaking of ranks...”