The final grade evaluation results were similar to the previous season. Out of 44 participants, only five achieved A grade.
First, there was Lim Dohun from a hip-hop label, who rose from B grade. Then came Yoo Junhee from Haejin Entertainment, who climbed up from C grade. And finally, Woo Jei, who maintained his A grade by perfectly memorizing the choreography.
"His profile says he's slow at learning choreography. How did he memorize all this in just four days?"
"I received a lot of help from Seha-hyung!"
Seha, who was suddenly elevated to Woo Jei's "brother," now had to endure the fervent gazes of trainees eager for his "On Seha Sparta Class." Even when he tried to correct the misconception that his coaching was so effective, the rumors had already spread too far.
"If you weren't singled out, you would have kept your A grade. Aren't you disappointed?"
"I think I would have been even more upset if Seha-hyung had chosen someone else."
Hyun Sion, who was particularly close to Seha, also successfully reclaimed his A grade spot. Having consistently competed with Seha for the top spot in monthly evaluations during their time at ON Entertainment, Seha had secretly anticipated Sion's return.
And the final A grade recipient was...
"Seha could debut right away!"
It was Seha. The time he dedicated to refining the fluidity between his movements seemed to have greatly impressed the judges. Praised for his debut-ready skills and recognized for his hard work, Seha bowed deeply in gratitude.
This is my only chance to seize an opportunity through my own efforts.
After the broadcast aired, it essentially became a behind-the-scenes power struggle between the agencies. Seha had no choice but to solidify his foundation before the full-fledged debut competition began, bracing himself for the impending storm.
"Lee Myungjin, B grade. Jin Yeonhun, C grade..."
The A grade trainees, who had been taking it easy after mastering the choreography, saw their rankings drop by one or two grades.
The final distribution settled into a bell curve: five A-grade trainees, sixteen B-grade trainees, fourteen C-grade trainees, and nine D-grade trainees. As the evaluation concluded, Dohyuk appeared to explain the next stage.
"The center for the opening song will receive a solo part. The judges of the 'Reloading Project' have reviewed the grade evaluations and determined the center to be..."
This method hasn't changed either, Seha thought to himself. In Season 1 of the Reloading Project, the judges had chosen one of the trainees who achieved the final A-grade to be the center.
Seha knew all too well how this method would be used. It was already a point of contention among some viewers in the previous season.
"Congratulations, A-grade... Trainee Hyun Sion."
A major agency promoting its own trainee.
"You have been selected as the center for the opening song, 'My Name.'"
Perhaps because he hadn't even dared to hope that an individual trainee could receive the center position, Seha felt no disappointment. With a faint smile, he offered his congratulations to Sion, his tone remarkably calm.
─────────
Friday, 5:40 PM.
Kim Seoyeon, who happened to have no classes on Friday,, was watching Knet's music show, K-Pop Tower, on her laptop.
It's about time he showed up.
Kim Seoyeon is a fan of Deneve, a top-tier boy group currently on an international tour.
Although no new content was released during the tour, she remained a die-hard fan eagerly awaiting their return. The only reason she was watching K-Pop Tower, despite Deneve not even appearing, was because of one particular Homma (Homepage Master).
What did the kid Dest captured look like...?
Dest was the top-tier Homma for Lee Hyun, Kim Seoyeon's ultimate bias in Deneve. A few days ago, Dest uploaded photos from the Reloading Project production announcement event to a newly created account.
Though Dest hadn't explicitly reveal her identity, Seoyeon recognized her immediately from the photo's editing style, which was as distinctive as a fingerprint.
At first, Seoyeon felt betrayed. Dest already managed two other accounts, but their upload frequency was so infrequent that Seoyeon was caught off guard. To think she would defect while Deneve was overseas...
Let's see what you look like.
Today's special stage featured a performance by all the trainees from the Reloading Project.
Was the kid Dest latched onto named On Seha?
Seoyeon planned to observe On Seha closely. Since he wasn't affiliated with any agency, his skills were likely mediocre. If he underperformed, Dest would lose interest and refocus on Lee Hyun.
As Seoyeon waited with this in mind, the screen shifted, and Ryu Dohyuk emerged from the darkness.
[Hello, Power viewers across the nation.]
"Power" was the term used to address viewers of the [ Reloading Project ].
[Here are 44 trainees, looking forward to your support.]
The narration continued in a pleasant voice. Kim Seoyeon swallowed nervously, feeling inexplicably tense despite not particularly supporting any of the trainees.
As Dohyuk disappeared and the camera panned to the stage, revealing five figures kneeling.
[The hollow atmosphere beneath the stage.]
With the first notes, the participants slowly rose. The harmony was languid yet sweet, and artificial fog created an atmospheric mood.
"Hmm, decent enough," Seoyeon murmured, as if brainwashing herself, scanning the faces of the five trainees. She knew the first group to perform was typically the season's ace.
"On... Seha?"
The moment Seoyeon realized On Seha was one of the five aces, the screen focused solely on him. His clean-cut features and fluffy, puppy-like light brown hair immediately caught her attention.
"Wait a minute..."
Seoyeon paused the video and examined Seha more closely. His clear, round eyes, the corners didn't droop too much. Combined with the long lashes beneath his double eyelids, he exuded an elegant yet warm aura.
"No way..."
Seoyeon muttered briefly before resuming the video. The camera that was focusing on Seha and the other aces, switched to a wide shot. Soon, the remaining contestants began to appear one by one.
[I'll show you now]
[This is my Next Round!]
On screen, Seha and two handsome young men beside him struck a dynamic pose, loading bazookas in sync with the lyrics "Next Round!" It was exactly Seoyeon's style.
[Remember! My name before you! This moment! My stage will shine even brighter!]
Before she knew it, Seoyeon's eyes were frantically searching for Seha, even when the camera shifted to other performers. She couldn't help it.
Did Dest lose her touch? He looks so much better live than in photos!
Her ultimate bias, Lee Hyun, always looked his best in Dest's photos... but On Seha was the opposite—the photos completely failed to capture his true beauty. Mesmerized by his face, she barely noticed the song building toward its climax.
[Yeah, call my name just once]
The participants knelt in unison, singing the chorus together, just as Seha and the other four had done during their initial performance.
[My name, unknown to all]
Someone rose alone and slowly backed away, matching the lyrics "My name." As they reached the center, a lift carrying only one person rose upward.
"Center!"
Kim Seoyeon squinted, checking the name tag. Hyun Sion. Not quite as striking as Seha, but still quite pleasing to the eye.
On Seha was good too, but he's not the center?
As she pondered this, Hyun Sion's solo part ended, and the addictive chorus repeated. Fireworks exploded with loud bangs, illuminating the stage in a dazzling display. Now she noticed, Hyun Sion was positioned right next to On Seha in the formation.
"The two of them together are quite..." Seoyeon licked her lips, growing increasingly eager. By now, the performance had ended, leaving only the piano accompaniment drifting through the air. The camera slowly panned across the stage, capturing the contestants' final poses one by one.
Give me On Seha.
If you don't show his ending pose, I'll kill Knet... I mean it, I'll really kill them... She muttered fiercely, and as if on cue, On Seha appeared on screen.
Having just finished the performance, he was still catching his breath. His pink lips, neither too full nor too thin, parted slightly. When he smiled broadly, his eyes crinkled into crescent moons, and his dark pupils, filled with a hint of melancholy, were partially hidden beneath his eyelids.
"Seha..."
Seoyeon was almost grateful to Dest for introducing her to On Seha. Having already seen Hyun Sion's ending, she opened the community forum while waiting for the next clip to upload.
On Seha is A-grade?!
What's his position? Rap? Vocals? Dance?
[7 Comments]
Probably dance? Guys that pretty usually can't sing well, right?
└ Dance 22222. His lines are so clean and graceful. He really nails it.
└ Neck-Grabbed Guy's ending is insane
*Seha was previously grabbed by Dohyuk, photo captured by Dest
(GIF)
Neck-Grabbed Guy is all about that face, no need for fancy moves ㅠㅠ
[14 Comments]
But why is he called Neck-Grabbed Guy? Because he's not handsome enough???
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└└ Nope, looks-wise he's top-tier. But because of that photo where Ryu Do-hyuk grabbed his neck, he got dubbed Neck-Grabbed Guy.
└ Ah, the Neck-Grabbed Guy must feel so wronged... He's so handsome, yet his nickname is Neck-Grabbed Guy.
└ Neck-Grabbed Guy: Why am I called Neck-Grabbed Guy? Am I... ugly?
└ Us: FUCK NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But isn't the center guy also ridiculously handsome?
(Photo)
(GIF)
ON Hyun Sion: He's seriously ridiculously handsome. He even looks tall.
[Comments: 9]
I want to date him so bad...
└ Hey... get in line.
Knet dropped the teaser and profiles the moment K-Pop Tower finished airing!
(Video)
“There's a familiar face here.”
“Isn't there someone you know here?”
These are Ryu Dohyuk/On Seha cuts
Could they actually know each other???
[Comments: 19]
Ah... ah, my homo mode is activating...
I got the Neck-Grabbed Guy's profile. His age 23 is surprising. I thought he's a high schooler.
└ Holy shit, so Ryu Dohyuk calls On Seha "Seha-hyung" in private?
└ In reality, they're probably just strangers, lol.
(Behind the Scenes) Crazy... Team Younger Top, assemble!
On Seha is older than Ryu Dohyuk...
My heart is pounding right now...
[11 Comments]
Did you guys see the preview cut of Center Guy and On Seha? It's a goldmine for younger top fans!
└ Ah, just a sec, I'll be right back. Been checking profiles, haven't seen the teaser yet T_T
Ryu Dohyuk is Ryu Dohyuk, but what's with Center Guy's aura?!
"I knew you'd choose me, hyung."
I thought I was watching a BL drama...
└ The era of the younger tops has arrived!
└ Starting today, I'm writing "I Knew You'd Choose Me, Hyung" on my forehead and sleeping with it until the premiere.
Kim Seoyeon, who has been a devoted fan of younger gong and older shou pairings even in Deneve, suddenly felt like she'd fallen into paradise. As if expressing her gratitude, Seoyeon followed Dest's new fan account with every account she owned.
"I have to watch it again..."
Seoyeon put down her phone and checked the newly uploaded clip.
The video, uploaded less than three minutes ago, had already surpassed 50,000 views. Meanwhile, the first round of voting for "Reloading Project" had begun. Each verified account could vote once per day for seven contestants.
And so, the first broadcast date drew near.
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