Page 8 of Idol Prize
Something new burned inside Andy, a fiery heat coiling in his gut as Min Jae left the stage. He stared up at the Dream Boy Project logo, still pulsing in the giant screen behind the stage. A beacon to his new, dangerous understanding of just how high the mountain would be to climb. His rival had a name. And he was already a legend.
During the final commercial break, the nervous energy in the hall kicked up another ten notches. PAs swarmed the risers,ushering all one hundred contestants from their seats and onto the massive stage, arranging them in neat, crowded rows.
Si Woo returned, his expression now serious and commanding. “Mentors,” he announced, “the time has come. We have your initial rankings.”
The countdown began. On the colossal screen, names and faces flashed in rapid succession, starting from the bottom. A blur of polite applause for each contestant in the lower rankings as a knot of anxiety tightening in Andy’s stomach. The charming but terrible brothers, surprisingly, weren't last, coming in at 87 and 88. The numbers climbed. The crowd on stage began to thin as contestants were called forward to take their new place in the numbered chairs on the risers.
Si Woo called out number 12. Leo Chen. Leo automatically smiled and bowed, but Andy thought he spotted a brief flash of disappointment. Leo gave Andy a quick, encouraging nod as he left the stage, leaving him feeling even more alone.
Andy’s nerves screamed when Si Woo announced number 11. He’d made it past the teens. He was in the Top Ten. His heart pounded, a wild, frantic beat. The names kept coming. Nine. Eight. Seven. He could hardly breathe. Six. Five. He was in the Top Five. It didn’t seem real. Four. Three.
And then, there were two.
The wildcard Andy and the dangerous Kwon Min Jae stood alone in the center of the vast, silent stage. Spotlights and camera lenses zeroed in on them, hot and focused. The screen behind them flashed their two faces, side by side. Andy hadn’t dared hoping to score that high in the first ranking, not in his wildest dreams. The outsider. The foreigner. To even be standing here was a victory beyond comprehension. A giddy, light-headed warmth flowed through him. He was fine with either outcome. Number two was still a dream come true.
Si Woo let the silence stretch, milking the moment for every drop of drama. He held up the card. “Our first number oneranked Dream Boy is–” He paused, his eyes flicking between them. “–Kwon Min Jae!”
The hall erupted. Min Jae performed a deep, ninety-degree bow to the mentors, his expression a perfect display of humble gratitude. He then turned to Andy, offering another, shorter bow–a gesture of respect from one competitor to another–before extending a hand. His grip was firm, professional, his palm cool but with a surprising, warmth thrumming underneath. For the first time, they were close enough for Andy to see the details the stage lights usually blurred. Thick lips and round cheekbones. The single, perfect drop of sweat tracing a path down his temple. And his eyes—dark, intense, and sparkling. Their connection was electric. A spark jumping between two live wires.
Andy beamed, bowing back before following Min Jae back to the risers. The cameras swooped in close as Andy took the number two seat, capturing his joyful, triumphant smile. It was real. He was happy. But underneath the joy, a small, cold voice, one that sounded suspiciously like his father, whispered in his ear. The higher you start, the harder you fall.
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Min Jae didn't knowwhether to grin or glower. Standing under the blazing hot lights, a disorienting swarm of other contestants pressed in around him. Hands clapped his shoulders, voices buzzed in his ears with congratulations, and he couldn’t decide which face they wanted. The angsty, untouchable bad boy from the stage? Or the humble, grateful winner, happy just to be there with everyone? He’d do neither if it was up to him. Just be plain, old Min Jae, who liked anime, loved his grandmother, and still slept in his childhood bedroom. But every choice was a performance. Judged. And he was already fucking exhausted.
The grin spread across Min Jae’s face before he realized he’d even made up his mind. After all, he’d won. He was ranked number one in the very first mission. He’d even scored a precious compliment from Cipher, who spent them like currency and he was going broke. The triumph was unexpected. Pure. After years of failure and pain, for one brief moment, he was undeniably number one. It was the first real validation of his talent he'd had in years. He’d earned a few moments of just being happy. Surely, none of the chaos happening at the moment would make it into the episode anyway.
But that familiar cold sense of impending doom chased afterhis easy smile, lurking in the shadows of his thoughts to whisper that same old question. Why me?
Min Jae scanned the crowd of smiling, celebrating Dream Boys until he found him. The American. Andy Kim practically glowed under the lights, his smile effortless and dazzling as he accepted his own congratulations. Even from a distance, the energy coming off him was warm and inviting. Treacherous. Andy had given a flawless, charming, and perfectly brand-safe performance. With heart. He was an all-rounder with a bright, easily marketable personality. And sincerity. He was the logical choice for number one.
The numbers didn't add up. Which meant the competition wasn't just about numbers. Min Jae’s fleeting triumph cooled into another icy certainty. This was more than just a victory. It was a casting, too. The producers had handed him the leading role in their new drama. The dark, underdog prodigy. And he knew from grim experience that a dramatic storyline was often built for a spectacular rise, followed by an even more spectacular fall.
A hand clamped down on Min Jae’s shoulder. He flinched, turning to see who it was. His brain took a half-second to catch up, reconciling the face in front of him with a memory from years ago, back when he was still a trainee at Co-modity. Han Woo Jin.
Woo Jin looked almost exactly the same as he did back then. Just older. The baby fat that had defined his boyish features was gone, replaced by the sharp, rugged lines of a young man. He’d never been a standout visual, always sitting comfortably on the handsome side of ordinary. But the weariness in the corners of his eyes was a look Min Jae knew well. Back then, Woo Jin had always been nice enough. A decent dancer, a hard worker. They’d gotten along.
“Kwon Min Jae,” Woo Jin said, a look of genuine shock on his face. “Holy shit. You fell off the face of the earth after theaccident. I thought I spotted you earlier, but I wasn’t sure. Then I saw you onstage! Damn. That was something.”
Min Jae immediately dialed up his joyful grin. Back into character. He offered his hand. “Han Woo Jin. It’s great to see you.” Whispers of memory surfaced. A hard-won debut, only to disband after releasing a pair of little-known singles. “Sorry about what happened–” He let the thought hang in the air, unfinished.
Woo Jin let out a short, bitter laugh, giving Min Jae’s hand a firm shake. “Yeah. That was a thing that happened, alright. Same with your knee.” He shook his head, then gestured toward the stage. “Didn’t seem to slow you down, though. Number one on day one. You set this place on fire. Congrats, hyung.”
Min Jae forced a casual shrug. But not too casual He was unused to so much praise, earned or not. And it had been a long time since anyone called him hyung. “Thanks. I–” He paused as Andy passed through his field of vision again. “I wasn’t sure how it would go in the end.”
Woo Jin knowingly nodded. “You mean the American.” It wasn’t a question. “Yeah, that guy tore the stage up, too. Best performance of the day.” He snorted. “Until yours,” he added with a wink.
Min Jae chuckled. It was hard to tell whether Woo Jin was being genuine or not. He’d never known him to be a player before, but a lot had changed since back then. Min Jae definitely had. “Thanks.” He dug through his memories of the performances, struggling to recall anything that Woo Jin had done. “I loved yours, too. You can never go wrong with a classic from Cosine.”
Woo Jin’s cheeks darkened as he grinned. Okay, genuine. “Thanks! I wish it had placed me higher than fifteen, but at least I made it into the top third.” His grin melted away. “The other guys from Co-modity didn’t do as well.”
Min Jae hadn’t even realized that more guys from his traineedays were there. He’d been so wrapped up in how he looked and acted, he’d been oblivious. A grave error. Thankfully, Woo Jin saved him from continuing it any further. Now that the rankings had happened, the positioning was on. Just like Woo Jin was doing, using his loose connection to the number one contestant to forge a new bond. An alliance. So, genuine, but with a motive. A good motive.
“Then it might just be us repping the old company, I guess.”
Woo Jin chuckled. “Co-modity, the sequel.”
A bright voice reached across the noise, announcing that buses were now boarding for the trip to Sky Village, their new home for the foreseeable future.
