CHAPTER 5
Immediately after the production announcement, Reloading Project Season 2 began to completely dominate netizens' attention.
Ryeon Na 🔒
Did On Entertainment sharpen their teeth for this project? The trainees are too handsome.
└ Gaehyang 🔒
I'm obsessed with Seid's trainees... They're totally my type.
Big Chestnut Bun
Hyun Sion's face is like the Crown Prince of the Great Korean Empire.
(Photo)
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Saha 🔒
Gorgeous youngster/pretty boy/cute tofu baby...
The triple combo (OnSamz) is seriously fire. Is their agency insane? Just debut them already, why even bother with a survival show?
└ Niyu 🔒
Please, let it be them! I don't think anyone else could do it!
Throughout the internet, group names began to emerge, such as "OnSamz" for the three trainees from ON Entertainment and "Double Wallz" for the two trainees from Seid Entertainment.
The arrival of Hyun Sion, a strikingly handsome and charismatic young man, completely turned the tables. Everywhere you looked, people were asking about Sion's name and age.
However, there was a duo that generated even more overwhelming buzz than Hyun Sion himself...
[ "Wait, I've never seen my Dohyuk-kun touch someone so casually before!" ]
20XX.05.17
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pinx @p1nx_sh
XX0516 Press Conference
(Photo)
#RyuDohyuk #OnSeha
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Have you seen this?
Dest just dropped new content for the Reloading Project ㅠㅠ
I'm going insane...
[259 Comments]
Dest?? Is that the same Deneve Homepage Master, Dest, that I know??? How do you know it's them?
└ Even the photo editing is Dest-level, you know?
"Touching without hesitation" << This phrase is just too good...
└ One pervert apprehended ㅋㅋㅋ Officer, you can arrest me too.
If trainees were doing this, people would say they're just doing fan service to debut ㅋㅋㅋ But because it's Ryu Dohyuk, it's just too suspicious.
└ I'm like, "What did I just see?" 22
└ I'm like, "What's their relationship?" 33
└ I'm like, "Can I join them?" 44
There are so many killer points in this photo:
(1) The hand on his shoulder/neck
(2) Their visual chemistry
(3) Ryu Dohyuk is ridiculously handsome
(4) I don't know On Seha's personality yet, but he's absolutely stunning...
(5) They're laughing together, I thought I was looking at a masterpiece in the British Museum.
└ No, seriously. Ryu Dohyuk and On Seha's visuals combined are insane.
└ Ryu Dohyuk's hands are so big... ah....I almost said something I shouldn't have here.
└ Let's take this to the back room, lololol. I'm feeling something and I need to say it ㅠㅠ
└ Okay, I'm going now.
└ Wait... people are shipping actors and trainees as gay couples too? ㅋㅋㅋ
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It was the pairing of On Seha and Ryu Dohyuk. The photos Dest uploaded of the two of them spread everywhere, gaining immense popularity.
Ryu Dohyuk, with his carnivorous animal-like aura, and On Seha, with his herbivorous animal-like gentleness, stood side by side, laughing. The contrast—"Iron-Walled Cold Beauty vs. Sunshine Pretty Boy"—was widely shared, and in the shadows, the pairing had already evolved beyond a mere combo into a full-blown couple.
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Two days later, the group lodging for the Reloading Project began. The accommodations were four-person rooms. Seha was assigned to a room with Jin Yuil, an independent participant; Woo Jei from Seid Entertainment; and Jeong Jihoon from Diev Entertainment.
Having arrived early, Jin Yuil and Jeong Jihoon had already unpacked. Judging by their absence, they were likely wandering the hallway or visiting trainees from their respective agencies.
Woo Jei was to share the bunk bed with Seha. Just then, Woo Jei entered the room with his suitcase.
"Oh..."
He stopped abruptly upon seeing Seha, his body stiffening. Seha checked the color of his name tag: sky blue, the same as his own, indicating A-grade status.
"Let's get along well," Seha said.
"Ah, um, yes! Please take care of me!"
He must be even more introverted than me, Seha thought to himself. When two introverts meet, the silence stretches twice as long. After exchanging greetings, the pair hesitated briefly before speaking simultaneously:
"By any chance, how old are you...?"
"How old...!"
Asking about age right away—truly a Confucian nation, Seha mused.
Jei was 19 this year, four years younger than Seha. Upon hearing Seha's age, Jei's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You don't look that old! I thought you were my age or maybe 20..."
"Really?"
"Y-you can speak casually to me!"
In truth, Jei himself didn't look his age either.
'I thought he was around 21'
Seha swallowed his surprise. Though Jei still had some baby fat in his cheeks, his features were strikingly sharp and refined.
'No wonder he's with Seid.'
If ON Entertainment was South Korea's original entertainment powerhouse, Seid was the rising star. The two companies differed fundamentally in their talent acquisition strategies.
While ON Entertainment sought out beauties with a floral or fruity aura, Seid preferred edgy, handsome men who exuded a heavy, woody fragrance. Jei's appearance perfectly matched Seid's aesthetic.
"By the way, how do you manage your skin? My skin breaks out often..."
Woo Jei kept biting his tongue. Despite his rough appearance, he seemed remarkably timid.
Seha wasn't flustered by Woo Jei's request for skincare advice, as such inquiries were common even at ON Entertainment.
"Well, I don't really put much effort into skincare myself."
"I see..."
"And it's normal to break out at your age."
"Did you have that problem too, Hyung?"
"Not really, no."
"I see..."
The more they talked, the more Woo Jei seemed to clam up. Why is this mountain of a kid trembling like this? Seha thought. This won't do. He quickly changed the subject.
"I'll take the top bed."
"Oh, but I was going to..."
"Survival shows don't care about seniority. Just relax and take the bottom bed."
Woo Jei's face seemed to relax slightly at those words.
That settles the beds, then.
Seha checked his suitcase near the door. Since they're required to wear team uniforms during the training camp, he didn't pack much. Huff, Seha exhaled deeply and began putting his belongings into the storage cabinet.
Dohyuk probably hasn't arrived yet.
Ryu Dohyuk was scheduled to join later after finishing his last photoshoot before the event.
If I don't get kicked out halfway, we'll have to stay together the whole time.
The photos from the press conference went viral, making it even harder for Seha to interact with Dohyuk. Seriously, why does my chemistry with my actor ex have to be so good?
Why did he smile like that?
Ever since they reunited, Seha had only seen Dohyuk's face twisted in a frown. But in front of the cameras, Dohyuk had wore the most handsome smile imaginable. That image kept replaying in Seha's mind. It was exactly the expression Dohyuk used to put on when he spotted Seha from afar during their relationship, before running toward him.
Don't hold onto pointless regrets.
From the moment Seha broke up with Ryu Dohyuk, he had resolved to remain unshaken even if they were to cross paths again in the entertainment industry. No matter how necessary the decision had been for his debut, he still hurt Dohyuk, who was younger than him.
Stop thinking about it. Just stop.
Get your conscience in check, Seha. After you debut, formally apologize for what happened back then and put it behind you for good.
Seha shook his head violently from side to side, trying to scatter the memories of Dohyuk that kept surfacing in his mind.
Just then, an announcement blared from the speakers installed throughout the room and hallways:
"Attention, participants of the Reloading Project: Please gather in the seminar room immediately."
As soon as the announcement blared through the speakers, Seha and Woo-jei's eyes met. They both had a look of anticipation. A group assembly at this precise moment? Any participant who had watched the first season of Reloading Project would immediately recognize the production team's strategy.
The opening song is about to be revealed.
A group song featuring all 44 contestants. The song and choreography demo for the opening song, signaling the official start of Reloading Project, were about to be revealed.
"...Should we run?"
"...Let's go."
They had to secure front-row spots. That would maximize their chances of getting even a fleeting glimpse on camera. After a brief exchange, Jei and Seha abandoned their unpacking and bolted into the hallway.
"Huff... huff..."
Seha's all-out sprint to the seminar room secured him a spot in the second row. Woo Jei, however, was several times faster. Seha had lost sight of him during the run, and sure enough, Woo Jei had already arrived and claimed a seat in the front row.
Let's remember this.
Seha recalled the first mission of the Reloading Project's first season: each of four major entertainment agencies will have two teams cover songs from their respective groups.
The agency selection was determined by a race.
Even at a glance, Woo Jei's running ability seemed far beyond that of an average person—making him the perfect candidate for the first mission. Seha mentally claimed his bunkmate as his partner.
Soon, all the trainees arrived, filling the seminar room. The lights dimmed, and Ryu Dohyuk appeared on the screen from the projection booth.
"You look handsome today too!" someone shouted.
It's embarrassing to admit, but even Seha was struck by his visuals. Dohyuk's styling was more elaborate than usual, as if he'd come straight from a photoshoot.
Dohyuk bowed deeply to the cheering participants before taking the microphone. His pleasant, deep voice filled the seminar room.
"The Reloading Project you've joined has been generating significant buzz since its launch announcement."
"Waaah!"
"And among you... trainee On Seha."
Dohyuk singled out Seha. Seha, who had been deliberately looking away to avoid seeing Dohyuk's striking appearance, flinched slightly.
"A photo of us together has been trending online. How do you feel about that?"
Dohyuk, you're such a pro. Seha marveled at Dohyuk's composure, asking his ex-boyfriend such a question without a flicker of emotion. He almost wondered if Dohyuk was so indifferent because their relationship had meant so little to him.
"It was an honor. I've always admired you, Assistant."
"...Is that so?" Dohyuk replied curtly, his eyes betraying the insincerity of his words.
As if he'd heard enough, Dohyuk smoothly transitioned to the next interviewee. After securing ample footage for the broadcast, he finally got to the main point.
"Now, let's unveil the highly anticipated opening theme for Season 2 of Reloading Project..."
He pointed at the screen. Then,
"Now, we reveal it."
Fwoosh! The screen, previously dark, burst into bright light. The opening song's title design flashed across the screen:
내 이름 (Next Round!)My Name
As the title was revealed, mechanical cheers erupted. With its Korean title and completely unrelated English title, it seemed like just another generic K-pop song.
Soon, the video began playing. The moment the instrumental music started, Seha's eyes widened.
This is...
His expression was deeply meaningful.
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