The long, long day ended like that.
I was worried about Kang Siwoo, who was tossing and turning all night, but I couldn't ask him openly in the dorm.
Even if a day seems to feel like forever, the sun will always rise in the morning.
I walked to meet Kang Siwoo in the practice room early in the morning.
I cautiously opened the practice room door with a worried heart.
"Hmm?"
Swish-
The familiar sound of water coming from the window.
In the background, a series of crackling sounds, like spray.
It's a sight that gave me déjà vu.
No way.
"Hyung?"
At the lightly spoken words, Siwoo turned his head with a startled expression.
After confirming that the shadow was him, I belatedly sighed.
"Oh."
I knew it.
Kang Siwoo was holding a cactus pot in one hand.
It seemed like he was moving his seat to the window while giving him water.
"Hmm."
Kang Siwoo naturally took the flower pot back.
Just by looking at his facial expressions, his acting skills were outstanding. The problem was that everything was visible from this angle.
I swallowed a laugh and spat out the words.
"There's no need to hide it. Hyung, I know very well that you like cacti."
"You and Sehyun..."
Oh, Sehyun also caught him in the crime? I guess he knows the truth.
Kang Siwoo, our team's sexy center, likes cacti.
I grinned and asked again.
"Do you like flowers too?"
"...No."
"Really?"
"Absolutely not."
Swish-
Kang Siwoo vehemently denied it and put the spray bottle away.
The image of him cutting a flower and a rope reflected in my mind. Siwoo was a threatening, but secretly delicate human being.
Siwoo fiddled with his hands before me, then changed to a profound expression.
"Seohan..."
Kang Siwoo opened his mouth with difficulty.
I guess he's gonna talk about 'it.'
"I want to debut."
"Yeah?"
Oh? I expected a story about his father or even an explanation of what happened yesterday.
A pleasant grin flowed from Kang Siwoo's face.
"Ah, are you in a good mood?"
Of course you want to debut, everyone in this place wants to debut.
Although it was absurd that those words were said with such effort and with such serious eyes, I understood what he wanted to say.
Judging from yesterday's situation, his family will somehow try to oppose him taking this path.
Those words are deeper than the surface.
"I want to hear why."
"Yes..."
While I looked back at Kang Siwoo with a smile, he calmly continued speaking.
"I went up to every stage thinking it would be my last. In the first place, I thought I'd regret choosing this path. I never had expectations... but recently, I've been thinking.. "
Kang Siwoo made eye contact with me.
"I have a chance."
Kang Siwoo, who was predicted to be eliminated, survived.
He, who thought each stage would be his last, advanced to the finals.
"So I also can be greedy."
"You can be greedy, Hyung."
It's a natural emotion, but Kang Siwoo has never been greedy. Although desperate to perform, he ran with no hope. He automatically assumed he had no chance, and so did others.
But just a spark of a chance made him want to prove to the world, prove to his father, and most of all, prove to himself.
He spoke in a determined voice, relieving any tension in his face.
"I will kill my role as the center."
Kang Siwoo continued speaking with a faint smile.
"I'll do everything I can to make this a great stage. Will you trust me?"
"..."
"I can do it."
I nodded and answered Kang Siwoo's words.
"I know."
In my memory, Kang Siwoo failed in the first round of selection ceremony, only standing through Lee Junhyuks vacant position.
He stands in my memory as just another trainee, but watching him stand before me, I could tell he's speicial.
* * *
On the day of the finals, Stardust Project had only one final episode left.
In various communities, similar posts have been pouring in.
[What are the chances of my kid, Kang Siwoo debuting?]
-25%
-10%?
-lets be real it's less than 30%
-His ranking hasn't really increased.
-Prepare yourselves Siwoo fans
-Unless he makes a total turnaround in the last stage, nope.
└ㅠㅠ Why isn't there anyone who says he will? ㅠㅠㅠ
└Its over for him
└ He just honestly doesn't have a shot
└I can't refute this, and I'm crying.
[Do you guys really think Soft Tofu will debut?]
Does Seo Ian have an actual chance?
- I stole my parents phones to vote for u and I'm grounded please debut ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Soft Tofu is being sold overseas, so it seems possible.
-This guy is about 70%
└2nd that
└Ian still got the chance to debut
└He got a major increase but his ranking still isn't stable
└The only stable ranking trainees rn are Jin Sehyun and Seo Haim
└and Han Junseo!!!
└What about our hamchi?
└The fans just need to come to their senses
└Seohan fans. Awaken my brethren, AWAKEN.
[The debut group I want:]
All I need is Junseo as the eldest and Seohan as the youngest.
-I need that combo too
-Ha Junseo will definitely debut, right?
└Maam, there is no such thing as definitely in survival. Never back down.
└i want both my faves to debut Seohan and Junseo, I cant pickkkㅠㅠ
└Shut up and vote Junseo
└Please don't try to save Seohans' life.
-I'm sorry, Mom, I'll take your phone just one last time.
└I'm not sorry everyone vote.
└Take your siblings' phones and your normal friends' phones (if you have any), your aunts and uncles' phones, your cousin's phones, your grandparents' phones, your great-grandparent's phones (if they have phones), and if you're an orphan take the other orphans phones
- My dream team is Ha Junseo, Do Seohan Jin Sehyun, Seo Haim, Seo Ian, Cha Seongbin, Lee Dokyung
└222
└I see you have taste.
└✰ ✰ ✰ Vote for our Shining Hamster! ✰ Cutie Seohans Path to Stardom! ♡ Don't lose the best of the best, and make the best of the best decision! ✰ ✰
└Suddenly I can't see! (Change it to 12 people.)
└TBN broadcasters, I'll turn a blind eye to this once, so please change the debut group to 12 people.
Despite the firm wishes of the fans, the debut group was fixed at seven people.
And today was the day that the debut group was decided.
[ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝟑 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 ]
Fans began to get excited after checking the notice at the bottom of the TBN channel.
-I can't believe this is really the beginning.
-Seohan, please debut!!!
-I'm not debuting so why am i shaking???
Finally, at 9:30 the screen changed, and MC Han Dawon, dressed in a gray suit, walked out.
The camera showed the studio where real-time filming was taking place.
"Hello, supporters of Stardust World. This is your MC, Han Dawon."
"Aaaah!"
"Waaah!"
The cheers of fans on site rang out, urging the studio to begin.
Han Dawon smiled shyly with an excited face.
"Oh, thank you."
Han Dawon fidgeted with a nervous expression for a moment.
"Throughout the hectic past three months, the boys gave it their all at every moment. We all have watched and cheered on these young people who burnt with passion."
The day came to present the final stage of the Stardust Project.
"However, there are only seven seats left for debut. Out of the twelve boys here, only seven will get the chance to debut today."
Han Dawon continued speaking, clutching the script in her hands.
"The final vote to decide the boys' fate today will be 100% conducted through live text voting. Please enter the name of the boy you are rooting for and send it to #28005. You only have one chance to vote, so please choose carefully."
The final voting rules appeared on the screen.
The fans at the scene were caught on camera quickly taking out their cell phones.
MC Han Dawon spoke in a soft voice.
"Vote right now."
Immediately, numbers appeared on the large electronic display board installed next to the stage:
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
"Voting begins."
As soon as voting began, a huge number of text votes began to accumulate in real time.
In an instant, so many messages came in that the fear of the server crashing began.
-Seohan, please debut.
-Choi Han ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I love you
-Dokyung debut!!!
-I LOVE YOU
-Jin Sehyun, please, please debut.
Han Dawon smiled and looked straight ahead.
The dice have been rolled.
"Okay, then..."
The first stage of the finals, 'Tied to You' began to prepare
MC Han Dawon raised her microphone.
"Let's start the 'Tied to You' team's performance."
* * *
Two men stood in the dark, dressed head to toe in black leather.
As the dim lighting illuminated the silhouettes of the two people, comments began to rise rapidly.
Kang Siwoo and Do Seohan.
-Center Kang Siwoo???
-I'll sell my left kidney for you to debut Kang Siwoo.
-The tension is crazy
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaah!"
"Seohan, I love you!"
The cheers of fans covered the stage like waves.
But as soon as the beat dropped, the audience became dead quiet,
Dun dun dun dun
The powerful beat of 'Tied to You' hit their ears.
Kang Siwoo, twisted the corner of his mouth coldly, grabbed Seohan's neck with one hand.
-Oh my god
- Seohan ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Pair acting choreography from the beginning. Are you guys crazy???
-It is really the final stage.
Kang Siwoo looked directly at the camera and slowly raised his hand.
He folded his hands into a gun-shaped gesture and pointed at Seohan.
Bang-
Thud-
Seohan fell to his knees.
Can't you hold it in?
The final stage has begun.