Page 14 of Idol Prize
Min Jae meticulously arranged his teammates, putting them in the ideal order. “Anchors at the back,” he finished, directing his three largest members to the end of the rope. He took his spot close to the middle, tightly gripping the rope. “Remember to listen for my calls,” he added, “and dig your heels in.”
Across the center line, Andy walked the length of his team’s lineup, offering pats on the shoulder and enthusiastic encouragement. He seemed to have arranged his team almost randomly, and for the life of him, Min Jae couldn't decipher the logic behind Andy's strategy. Andy finally took his place near the back of his team.
Min Jae smirked. Fools. "Wait for it,” he called out as the teams pulled the rope taut.
Si Woo blew the starting whistle, and Team Blue pulled as one, a single, coordinated surge of power. Team Red didn’t have the power to match. Some of them stumbled. Their anchor lost his footing. And the whole thing was over in seconds. Min Jae’s team let out a triumphant roar as their rivals tumbled to the ground. He flashed a triumphant grin at the closest camera pointed his way.
Team Blue was officially ahead, which was good, since the next game was the giant pants relay. Min Jae had seen the challenge on plenty of variety shows, but had never tried it himself. Where the three-legged race allowed for easy coordination between the players, trying to run while sharing a single, oversized pair of pants made that almost impossible. It was a challenge designed for maximum clumsiness and TV-ready slapstick. Team Red thrived in the absurdity. They embraced the chaos,their shrieks of laughter echoing across the field as they fell and scrambled back up. They’d won the challenge long before Andy and Leo, running the final leg, stumbled over the finish line a full three seconds ahead of Min Jae and Woo Jin.
That meant the teams entered the final challenge in a tie. And Min Jae had to grudgingly admit that Andy’s strategy wasn’t a bad one after all. He smiled as he watched Team Red celebrate, jumping and giving each other high fives. Enjoy your fun, Team Red, because it’ll all be over soon enough.
“We’re all tied up,” Si Woo announced, “so, it all comes down to this, Dream Boys! The winner of Name Tag Elimination takes home the gogi feast!”
The final game. Team Blue versus Team Red. All the players gathered at a group of tables set up off to the side for water breaks while PAs handed out blue and red velcro vests and the large, easy-to-read name tags to be stuck on everyone’s backs.
Something shifted for Min Jae. The electric tension in the air nearly made his hair stand on end. He gathered his team for one last huddle. His advice was simple, delivered in a throaty growl boosted by a surge of nervous excitement. “This is it, Team Blue. Stay fast out there. Stay loose. Protect your back at all times, and grab as many name tags as you can.” He stuck out his hand. “Fighting, on three.” Dozens of other hands quickly piled onto his. “One, two, three. Fighting!”
Once the players found their loosely arranged positions, the starting whistle shrieked, and the field erupted into absolute chaos. A single, roaring monster of blue and red. The first wave was a burst of torn velcro and surprised shouts as the slowest and least careful players were picked off in seconds. Min Jae haunted the periphery, scanning the field, letting the initial scrum thin itself out before he moved in for a few quick, efficient eliminations.
The numbers dwindled rapidly. Thirty left. Then twenty. The game became more tactical. Alliances formed and broke. Min Jaefound himself cornered near the sidelines by two fast guys from Team Red. He braced for a quick and dirty escape, refusing to bow out. But Woo Jin charged in from out of nowhere, arms flailing as he made himself a target. One of the red players peeled off to chase him, and Woo Jin sacrificed his own name tag to give Min Jae an opening to escape the trap.
“Fighting, hyung!” Woo Jin shouted as he walked off the field. A true ally.
And finally, there were two. Min Jae and Andy. The center pair and the killing part. The final showdown. The eliminated contestants presented a massive, cheering crowd on the sidelines as the two captains circled each other in the center of the vast, empty field, both of them slick with sweat, chests heaving from the exertion. Andy’s grin was feral, a look of pure, competitive joy on his face. Min Jae only smirked, his focus absolute. Andy wasn’t the only one with stamina.
They walked slow loops, teasing each other with feints and quick jabs, testing reactions. Min Jae waited, letting his breathing even out, gauging Andy’s attention on him. There it was. Just like in the signal song, his focus was on the wrong thing. Min Jae feinted to the right, leading with his hips. Andy shifted his weight to his left foot, just for a fraction of a second.
Now.
Min Jae launched himself toward Andy without warning. He’d been saving one final burst of speed for just the right moment. Caught completely off guard, Andy let out a surprised yelp and spun away, breaking into a desperate sprint. But Min Jae was ready, already on his heels the moment Andy turned. The chase was brutally short. A pair of powerful strides, a final lunge, and his fingers closed around the edge of the velcro tag.
The brief, intense physical contact of his hand against Andy’s back was a jolt, a spark of heat that shot up his arm and almost made him stumble. He ignored it, ripping the name tag free, the sound lost to the seething shouts from the sidelines.. He held thetag high above his head, and let out a triumphant roar for his team, for the cameras, for everyone. He’d won.
The sound of Andy’s joyful laughter brought Min Jae back to Earth. He watched in wide-eyed disbelief as Andy approached, smiling as brightly as ever. “That was so awesome! I never thought you’d catch me like that. Guess I was wrong!” He playfully smacked Min Jae’s shoulder. “Good game!”
Andy jogged off, leaving Min Jae to stand there, his mouth hanging open, with the name tag hanging limp in his hand. A temporary trophy branded with the name Andy Kim. Min Jae shook off his shock as his joyful team surrounded him. They’d won. He’d won. They’d be feasting tonight because of his leadership. But something about Andy’s gracious, almost goofy defeat left Min Jae off balance. His victory, hollow.
7
Andy was late.It wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t matter. Tae Oh had cryptically announced that he’d “put it off for long enough,” before heading for their shared bathroom. His five-minute shower stretched beyond ten before Andy figured out what that meant. The bathrooms were the only places he knew of at Sky Village with no cameras. It took him banging on the door for a solid thirty seconds before Tae Oh got the message and wrapped things up.
Andy sucked in a deep breath as he rounded the final corner on his way to the main auditorium. He was fine. He had to be. The camera team always took too long setting up before the morning shoots. They wouldn’t all be standing around waiting for him. He finally burst into the auditorium, thinking he’d head right for his seat unnoticed. A hundred pairs of eyes all pointed his way at once. Shit.
Andy bowed as he rushed across the room, muttering apologies, his cheeks and ears burning. His ears? He almost never got that embarrassed. He hurried up the center aisle, taking his place in the last row. Min Jae, standing right across the aisle, quietly tutted.
Oh, hell no.
“Sorry again!” Andy called out, patting his stomach. “Overdid it on the curry last night.”
A beat, then the room burst into rowdy laughter. Even the ice king cracked a smile. After seeing Min Jae’s bloodthirsty glee, holding his name tag aloft at yesterday’s game day, Andy had given up trying to connect with him. If Min Jae only saw him as a rival, then a rival he’d get.
Andy dropped into his seat as Si Woo strode to the center of the auditorium’s small stage, back in his usual sharp, dark, tailored suit. Things were about to get serious.
“Welcome back, Dream Boys,” Si Woo began. “You had your fun and showed the Dream Makers your charming personalities. Now, it’s time to get back to work. It’s time for your first official mission.” A dramatic musical sting hit, and the screen behind him lit up. GROUP COVER BATTLE. “For this mission,” he continued, “you will be paying tribute to some of the most notable groups from their respective generations.”
The screen behind him flashed to life, displaying the gothic, edgy logo for H34RTB34T. A clip from a moody music video played—all rain, black leather, and heartbroken glares. “First up,” Si Woo announced, “the legends of angst, H34RTB34T, and their classic emo-rock ballad,Porcelain Heart!”
Andy ooh’d along with everyone else. A huge hit from his youth, and it wouldn’t be easy. The high note in the bridge was a killer. A certain trap for any vocalist who wasn’t at the top of their game.
