Even the opening bars made it clear: the theme song for Reloading Project Season 2 was a powerful yet refreshing track, just like any survival show's signature anthem.
[The hollow atmosphere beneath the stage]
[I was sleeping peacefully]
The calm lyrics, as if awakening from a dream, and the dancers kneeling on the floor. Subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen:
[※ A-Grade solo section.]
Even without the subtitles, everyone present understood. Season 1 started with a solo performance by a A-Grade contestant.
The song's tempo gradually increased.
[Everyday I held my breath, now I'll rise and step forward]
[Destined to fade away, hold me tight]
Subtitles then announced the entry timings for the B-Grade and C-Grade contestants.
[I'll show you now]
[This is my Next Round!]
Finally, subtitles announced that the D-Grade contestants will join in sequence. As soon as everyone was on stage, the song transitioned into its chorus with an addictive beat.
[Remember! My name before you! This moment! My stage will shine brighter!]
[Don't forget! My name that will embrace you! More than a dream! Your choice will shine brighter!]
[Beside you! My name! My Next Round!]
*If you google cringe/nonsense Kpop lyrics, you'll realize this ain't that bad 🙈
As usual, the Korean title "My Name" was blatantly repeated throughout the chorus lyrics. The choreography, which involved gesturing in the air as if writing the lyrics while executing intricate steps, felt surprisingly refined.
The second verse mirrored the lyrical structure of the first, implying that viewers held the power to "reload" the dormant contestants. The choreography was also repetitive, suggesting that mastering the first verse's routine would suffice. But even that was already complex enough to be a problem.
The song's climax was approaching. The beat gradually intensified and shifted, reaching what many would call the "hype" section.
[Yeah, call my name just once]
[My name, unknown to all]
[Just once is enough, that's all right]
[Just once, finally at the start line]
This was the center dancer's solo part. The other dancers knelt, striking the same pose they had at the beginning of the performance, except for the center choreographer.
After the exhilarating solo section ended, the dancers rose again and performed the choreography to the repeating chorus. As the song neared its end, the phrase "My Name" lingered in Seha's mind.
This is... better than I expected.
Actually, it's really good. Seha thought, squinting intently at the video. His mind was already running simulations of himself performing the choreography.
As the video ended, the screen went dark. Ryu Dohyuk, who was watching the choreography with the participants, praised the opening song and announced the next evaluation.
"For this evaluation, we will assess your short-term mastery of the opening song to determine your final grades. Whether your grade remains the same, drops, or rises is entirely up to you."
"......"
"As with Season 1, there is no fixed quota for each final grade."
A collective sigh escaped the participants' lips as they listened intently.
The final grade evaluation for the Reloading Project was even more ruthless than the first evaluation. The absence of quotas for each grade meant that if most participants performed poorly, over half of them could end up in D grade.
Of course, the system was undeniably fair in that trainees who had been eliminated during the first evaluation could rise again, while those who maintained top grades by sheer luck could fall.
The problem is...
The quota for A grade trainees.
Seha silently recalled the previous season. In that season, which featured female trainees, only five out of forty-four participants achieved A grade.
Could this be because there was a segment showcasing only A grade trainees, and the decision of the center position for solo performances was exclusively chosen from this tier? The A grade participants from the previous season gained popularity from the very beginning and successfully debuted, with the exception of one trainee who withdrew mid-season.
"I'm rooting for all of you to win," Ryu Dohyuk said, delivering his closing remarks after the introduction. The spotlight on him dimmed, and the production assistants came out to organize the contestants into groups based on their grades.
"Hyung, isn't the dance too difficult?" Woo Jei asked Seha as the A grade contestants gathered.
Soon, tablets containing the preview video were distributed, and instructions were given to begin practicing immediately.
They have only four days until the final grade evaluation.
Within that time, they need to memorize all the lyrics, master the choreography, and reach a level where they could sing while dancing.
"Haa..."
The sense of impending doom wasn't unfamiliar to Seha.
─────────
The benefits of achieving A grade is so substantial that most A grade participants sacrificed sleep to devote themselves entirely to practice. The time allotted was so short that even with such intense practice, mastering the choreography perfectly remained a considerable challenge.
Moreover, an unexpected problem emerged: Woo Jei, an A grade contestant, learned the choreography five times slower than Seha.
"You keep missing this move, Jei. A grade requires meticulous attention to detail to maintain your grade. You know that, right?"
"But there are so... many small movements..."
Since Jei's fellow Seid agency participant received a C grade, On Seha, his roommate, was the only one in A grade who could look out for him. Caring for Jei, who kept stumbling due to his incomplete grasp of the choreography, doubled Seha's fatigue.
Since he's from Seid, he probably won't be edited out. In fact, an ON member teaching Seid's trainees could even be a highlight.
Seha decided to take a positive approach. He couldn't bring himself to spit on Woo Jei's face, which beamed like a panting, oversized puppy every time Seha tried to be diplomatic.
Thus began the third day of official practice for the opening song.
The A grade trainees, having mostly mastered the choreography, began catching up on sleep. Woo Jei was no exception. After two days of Seha's intensive coaching, he finally memorized the choreography. With his solid basic skills, he was guaranteed at to get least a B grade.
While everyone else collapsed in their rooms, Seha spent the entire day practicing the steps and refining his expressions. Now, if you nudged him, the lyrics would flow out effortlessly.
"Sleep is for the dead" was the fundamental motto of idol survival shows, and it perfectly captured Seha's mindset.
I can't let my guard down.
Every other A grade contestant except Seha had an agency backing them. In essence, they have a head start. Seha, on the other hand, had to endure and prove his skills, as if he was a resident ghost haunting the practice room.
For three grueling hours, he fiercely guarded the empty practice room alone. By now, fourteen hours have passed since he first entered.
After finishing his practice drills, Seha wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and glanced down the corridor. A breeze from the open window tickled the back of his neck, invigorating his stiff body.
Seha closed his eyes, savoring the pleasant coolness. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the corridor. He initially assumed it was another trainee from a different grade, but the footsteps belonged to none other than Ryu Dohyuk.
"......!"
Startled, Seha hurriedly slammed the practice room door shut. He felt awkward facing Dohyuk.
My appearance right now is a mess...
Even if he's in the same training camp, Seha's appearance is likely far more disheveled than the assistant who doesn't need to practice dancing.
I'd have to be crazy to meet Ryu Dohyuk looking like this.
That was the one thing he couldn't allow. He'd already shown Dohyuk too many embarrassing sides of himself. He has no desire to add to that tally.
Seha glanced at the closed door before leaning back against the practice room wall. His stomach growled loudly from practicing without even stopping to eat. He twisted open the bottle of mineral water beside him and gulped it down.
"Why did you close the door as if you didn't see me?"
"Cough, hack!"
Ryu Dohyuk had slipped in unnoticed and taken a seat next to Seha. The sudden intrusion caused Seha to choke, and Dohyuk casually patted his back a few times.
When did he get here...?
Seha felt like he'd just encountered an NPC from a horror game. And how did Dohyuk know he closed the door on him? Feeling guilty, Seha avoided Dohyuk's gaze.
Unfazed by Seha's silence, Dohyuk scanned him up and down before remarking in a tone even more indifferent than the hand that patted his back, "You look even thinner than before."
"......"
"I heard you've been practicing all day. Not even eating properly."
Seha pressed his lips together tightly. He couldn't understand why Dohyuk came all the way here just to talk to his ex-boyfriend. He didn't even have the energy to respond.
"...Ha."
Unable to endure the silence any longer, Dohyuk finally sighed. After checking that the camera was already turned off after 5 AM, he poured out his words.
"Did you learn this habit of ignoring people from your former agency?"
"Why do you always have to..."
Ignoring Seha's retort, Dohyuk grabbed his wrist. Seha's thin wrist was completely enveloped by Dohyuk's large palm.
"How can you expect to be loved when you're so skinny?"
"...I'll manage on my own."
"Yeah, right."
What was he so dissatisfied with? I couldn't grasp the true meaning behind his words about whether I'd ever receive love.
"I guess I came here for nothing. You'll manage just fine on your own."
"......"
"Why hasn't someone like you debuted yet..."
Dohyuk stood up and clicked his tongue. As he shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the door,
"Hyung!"
Hyun Sion burst through the door, a plastic bag dangling from his wrist.
"Oh, Assistant-nim is here too?"
Sion bowed politely before studying Dohyuk with a puzzled expression. His gaze soon shifted to Seha. He was practicing as fiercely as Seha to climb back up to A grade, but the Sion facing Seha looked immaculate, without a trace of dark circles.
"Hyung, you haven't eaten, right?"
"Huh? Oh, I was practicing."
Before Seha could finish, Sion handed him the plastic bag he was carrying. Inside was a sandwich and soy milk from the cafeteria.
"I bought these before the cafeteria closed, for you Hyung," Sion said, his face beaming with pride. "Let's go eat together outside."
Seha couldn't resist the earnest, hopeful look in Sion's eyes and nodded. Watching from the side, Dohyuk let out a soft, dry chuckle and cut in.
“On Seha can’t drink soy milk.”
“Really?”
When Sion asked back, Seha gave a slight nod. Seha wondered why Dohyuk still remembered that he had an allergy.
Sion also looked at Dohyuk with a puzzled expression, as if wondering how he knew.
Dohyuk didn't meet his gaze. Staring at Seha as if he still held a grudge, he sneered lightly.
“Go on, fill your stomach.”
Dohyuk's expression was quite dark as he waved them off.
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