Page 13 of Idol Prize
“It wasn’t so bad,” Woo Jin suggested, echoing Min Jae’s comments. “At least the beat was good.”
Min Jae nodded again, smiling at Woo Jin’s naked loyalty. He was easily the most experienced, if not the most talented of Min Jae’s three roommates. He definitely knew how to play the game better than the others. And he was closer than them to the top spots. He had the best shot at moving up in the ranks, as long as he followed Min Jae’s lead. Min Jae would need to see more of Dae Hyun and Chul Min in action before he could seriously determine what their chances were. But having them in his crew, at least for the moment, worked just fine.
A subtle chiming echoed from hidden speakers in the cafeteria. It was time to wrap up their breakfast for the day’s planned group activity. They were to head outside, so most everyone, Min Jae included, expected games. Simple, often silly activities like that presented the showrunners with ample footage of thecontestants letting loose and having fun. Min Jae was anxious to move into the missions, but he couldn’t deny that game days played well with the Dream Makers.
Min Jae grabbed his tray to deposit it in one of the bins near the exit. He rushed back to his room to ditch his track suit jacket. It was already pushing twenty degrees outside. The light blue t-shirt he’d been given with a large number 1 printed on it would do just fine.
The door to Andy’s room was open when Min Jae passed by. He caught a glimpse of the number two contestant chatting with his new best friend Leo as he slipped his lilac purple shirt over his head. Min Jae also got a good look at Andy's smooth, tanned torso rippling with lean, well-defined muscle. A dance instructor, he’d said. He certainly had the goods to back that up. Even after a grueling dress rehearsal that had tested Min Jae’s limits, the American had shown no signs of slowing. And when they filmed the actual video the next day, requiring three run-throughs of the entire routine, with additional closeups of the killing part, Andy had still been as fresh as he’d been on ranking day. He had enough skill, stamina, and sex appeal to stand out even in a building full of hot guys.
Once Min Jae realized he’d been staring, he quickly escaped his room before getting caught. He found Woo Jin and the others just as a PA herded them all through an exit at the rear of the central building onto a sprawling, manicured athletic field. The bright morning sun–warming his shoulders through the thin fabric of his shirt–had already burned the last bits of dew from the impossibly green grass. The day’s camera crew, a small army already set up around the perimeter, had come prepared. Not one, but two tall black cranes hoisted cameras aloft. And a low buzzing overhead meant they’d deployed at least one drone, too. An important day, apparently. The giant steps, boxes, and tubes stacked alongside the field confirmed Min Jae’s earlier suspicion, too. Games.
Dressed like a fashionable golf pro in a bright, yellow button-up and coordinating yellow, green, and blue plaid pants, Min Si Woo waited off to one side with a microphone in hand as the contestants all assembled, his bright smile already competing with the sun for attention.
“Welcome, Dream Boys,” Si Woo’s voice boomed from portable speaker stacks, “to your first Dream Boy Project Field Day!” He paused as a chorus of surprised gasps, cheers, and light applause rolled through the assembled contestants. “After all your hard work so far, the producers and I agreed that you’ve earned a chance to have some fun, build some friendships, and show the Dream Makers a different side of yourselves!”
Min Jae clapped and cheered right along with the rest of the guys, many of whom seemed genuinely excited for a day of fun and games. But he knew better. The day would actually be a chance to demonstrate his charm, show his leadership, and get his smiling face on screen as much as possible. Content was a much more vital objective over enjoyment.
“We’ve got a whole day of fun planned for you,” Si Woo continued, gesturing around the field. “We’ll provide you with a series of exciting challenges to test your teamwork and spirit! You’ll compete in a three-legged obstacle course, a giant pants relay race, and a test of pure strength in the tug-of-war. But it will all come down to our final, winner-take-all event.” He paused, letting the tension build. “A full-scale battle of speed and strategy in Name Tag Elimination!” He stopped again, letting the murmurs and wows trail off before continuing. “And I haven’t even announced the best part.” A beat for a quick grin. “The winning team will be rewarded tonight with a luxurious bulgogi feast. All you can eat!”
The assembled contestants erupted into raucous cheers. Woo Jin was so excited he practically jumped into Min Jae’s arms. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn’t turn down a prize likethat if he won. Meat was an expensive rarity at his grandmother’s house.
Si Woo laughed at the lingering cheers and shouts of “Gogi!” before returning to the mic. “But first, we need to make the teams. To keep things fair and balanced, we’re dividing you by your official rank! All odd-numbered ranks, you’re Team Blue! All even-numbered ranks, you’re Team Red!”
Min Jae gathered with everyone as a herd of PAs walked out to hand out blue and red arm bands. Fair and balanced teams, for sure. A simple, impartial way to split them up that just so happened to guarantee the most dramatic possible outcome. He hardly had to wait for the announcement he knew was coming.
“Which means,” Si Woo beamed, his eyes finding Min Jae in the crowd, “your team captains will be Kwon Min Jae for Team Blue, and Andy Kim for Team Red!”
One of the crane cams immediately dipped to focus on Min Jae as he slipped the bright blue band onto his arm. His, unlike the others, also had a gold star on it. He found the camera lens and smiled as he adjusted his arm band, ensuring that the star was prominently displayed. He caught the motion of the second crane in the corner of his view, lowering to capture his rival doing the same thing, presumably. It would be a perfect drama. The hero and the underdog, who’d recently forged a new partnership for the signal song video, now forced into direct opposition. Min Jae wouldn’t have it any other way.
Team Blue swarmed around Min Jae as he hurriedly considered what he would say to them. He shot a quick glance toward the other team, gathering around as their leader, Andy, waved them closer, beaming with an almost lopsided grin. He said something, and his whole team erupted with easy, genuine laughter. Typical, starting with a joke. That’s why Team Red was about to lose.
Min Jae grinned, too, narrow-eyed and calculating, as he returned his attention to the sea of blue and purple t-shirtsassembled around him, all sporting bright blue armbands. A shadow passed over his head as the crane cam adjusted its position. Min Jae kept silent until it stopped moving, the buzz slowly dying as his team eagerly awaited his speech.
“Listen up, Team Blue!” Min Jae shouted, all power, long used to singing for the back row. Like the nearby cameras, all eyes were focused on him. “I don’t know about you, but I intend for us to win that feast tonight.”
Team Blue burst into rowdy cheers.
“Here’s how we’re gonna do it,” Min Jae continued, letting his voice ring out strong and clear. “Look around you. Everyone here has an edge. Some of you are strong. You’re the anchors for the tug-of-war. Dancers? You’re fast and agile. You’re the runners for the relays. Vocalists? You’ve got strong lungs and stamina to belt out the high notes. Rappers? You’ve got the quick wits to spit mad bars. We won’t win being a chaotic mob. We’ll win with precision. We identify our strengths, and we aim them where they’ll do the most good. Am I right?” A new cheer rang out. “Who's gonna win the day?”
“Team Blue!”
“I can’t hear you!”
“Team Blue!”
“That’s right!” Min Jae genuinely grinned for the first time that day, confident that his battle plan was exactly what the day called for. “Great! First up is the three-legged obstacle course. Find a partner with a similar height and stride. Go!”
Min Jae turned to find Woo Jin by his side. They weren’t a perfect height match, but they both had longer legs. It would work. As he and Woo Jin walked toward the group of waiting PAs to pick up their ankle ties, he caught another glimpse of Andy, laughing and playfully shoving Leo. They seemed physically well-matched, too, even though Leo was a bit taller. Even under his purple t-shirt, Andy’s upper body was impressive. A strong chest and prominent shoulders. Long arms that weren’tquite lanky. And his legs. Min Jae was only seeing them for the first time in the athletic shorts they’d all been given. Thick, powerful quads and the defined calves of a dancer. The product of thousands of hours of squats and jumps. No wonder he’d been able to pull off all those moves with such ease. He could probably do a lot with those legs. Min Jae unleashed his second genuine grin of the day. That would make beating him in a purely physical contest all the more satisfying.
The teams ran the obstacle course in pairs, one blue and one red, starting with the lowest ranks and moving up. That meant a lot of races, but the course was short, so each run was pretty fast. Min Jae prepped each pair beforehand, reminding them to stay aware, plan ahead, and call out their moves to their partner to avoid confusion. But the effort was too much for many of his teammates, especially early on. A lot of misses and stumbles led to quite a few losses to Team Red. But Team Blue managed to rally back into a tie by the time it was Min Jae and Woo Jin’s turn. Which meant, Min Jae absolutely had to win against Andy.
"Remember,” Min Jae said, low and serious, “always start with your inside foot. Match my rhythm and follow my lead."
Woo Jin eagerly nodded. Min Jae glanced at Andy and Leo, getting into their starting position beside him. Judging. Then Andy turned, meeting his gaze. He half-smiled and winked. He actually fucking winked. Min Jae huffed, quickly looking away.
Si Woo blew the starting whistle. Min Jae and Woo Jin were first off the line, starting with their inside feet as Min Jae instructed. He kept his focus forward, calling his turns as they whipped through the cones. They moved as a single, efficient unit climbing and descending the three-step risers. They were poetry. They were also losing. Ahead of them, Andy and Leo, through some chaotic miracle, had already completed the stairs and were at least two steps ahead. They moved with a sloppy, joyful synergy, yelling and laughing the entire way. Min Jae pushed himself and Woo Jin harder, his jaw tight, somehowmaking up the distance between them to cross the finish line at the same time. Si Woo declared the challenge a draw. No points for either team. Despite Min Jae’s perfectly sound strategy, Andy’s team had somehow matched them.
Next was the tug-of-war. This was his element. Pure strength. Pure strategy.
