Meanwhile, Bokssoong’s bias.
Back at the dorm, Baekya lay on his bed, browsing reactions to the music video. One comment caught his eye.
└ They have visuals that can’t be flop idols.
But Baekya’s thoughts were a bit different.
‘Well... but that’s exactly what happened. They flopped.’
Because he had seen it with his own eyes.
Baekya clearly remembered the days when Days was a flop idol group. On top of that, the newly appeared quest title irritated him strangely.
‘I will rise, no matter what.’
He was already a rare-level sunfish. Now to hear he could get stronger made him speechless.
‘If they don’t rise… do they get a death ending for being a flop idol?’
It wasn’t that Days would succeed just because he succeeded in the quest. There was only a penalty for failure; the lack of great rewards for success made it clear.
The quest was just an oxygen mask to keep his dying body alive. Stress kept steadily piling up.
The sunfish was dying.
‘Then there must be a criterion for success. What could that be?’
Hardly had he wondered when one thought flashed through his mind — the so-called idol success formula.
‘The success of a rookie idol group is decided within one year.’
That meant if they didn’t get first place on a music show within a year, Days would become flop idols again. Then…
“No way!”
Baekya kicked off his blanket and got up. Unlike Jihan, who was already asleep, Yuyeon, just entering the room, looked at him with startled eyes.
“You scared me. Did you have a nightmare?”
Yuyeon quietly closed the door and came closer. But as she approached, Baekya’s pale face became clearer. She hadn’t noticed earlier in the dark, but Baekya didn’t look well.
‘I thought he was pushing himself too hard.’
Yuyeon sighed softly and placed her hand on Baekya’s forehead.
“Are you feeling unwell? Doesn’t seem like you have a fever.”
After watching the music video together, Days followed their scheduled activities. It was mostly just being trapped in practice hell.
But today, Baekya seemed especially determined. Though usually diligent, today felt a little different.
He showed obvious signs of anxiety.
‘Maybe he’s nervous.’
Yuyeon tilted her head slightly, examining his face.
Meanwhile, the flustered Baekya’s whole body stopped functioning. His pale small head thought something different from Yuyeon.
‘Since when was I there? Did I say it out loud? When exactly?’
Death endings and flop idols. Every thought was a word Yuyeon shouldn’t have heard.
“D- Did you hear it?”
“What? You yelled?”
Yuyeon pulled her hand away and smiled teasingly.
“Yeah, I heard. Do you think the members would wake up from that? You should’ve screamed louder.”
“It’s not like that. I was just lost in thought for a moment…”
Baekya avoided eye contact and scratched the back of his neck.
‘This guy is definitely having pointless worries again. The type who worries unnecessarily.’
Yuyeon, having concluded this alone, put her hand back on Baekya’s forehead.
Tap!
But this time, the texture was different. With a slap and friction sound, Baekya’s body helplessly fell backward. Lying down suddenly, he looked up at Yuyeon with wide eyes.
“Hey! That hurts!”
“Stop whining. What’s so painful? Stop useless thinking and just sleep. You worry way too much.”
“What worries?”
“Obviously you were worrying about the stage.”
Hit right in the nerve, Baekya’s mouth snapped shut.
“See? I told you to just do what you’ve been doing. You never listen. And there are still two days left. Plenty of time.”
“What kind of phrase is that to say to your hyung?”
“Ugh, old man smell. Just sleep.”
Sensing nagging, Yuyeon quickly got up. Not forgetting, she pulled the blanket over Baekya’s head to stop him moving.
“Ugh! Seriously…!”
Baekya, now fully irritated, glared at Yuyeon’s back, snorting.
[Kim Yugyeong: Morning has come. Everyone open your eyes.]
[Kim Yugyeong: (Photo)]
[Kim Yugyeong: Kneeling and waiting now.]
[Shin Jaehyun: Isn’t it 8 p.m.?]
[Shin Jaehyun: 20 hours left, dummy.]
[Shin Jaehyun: (Photo)]
Two photos arrived as soon as midnight passed.
“What is this…?”
At 4 a.m., Baekya woke and checked his phone with a blank expression. Selfies of Yugyeong and Jaehyun kneeling in front of the TV were uploaded.
“This is insane, seriously.”
It looked like they had sent them just after midnight. Seeing his friends looking even more excited than him made Baekya chuckle quietly.
“You awake?”
Nearby, Jihan, shaking his wet hair, came in.
“Ah, Jihan. You already washed up? Up early.”
“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep.”
Stopping, Jihan shrugged his shoulders.
Baekya nodded quickly at the question if he could turn on the light. The sudden brightness made both frown slightly.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Kind of did, kind of didn’t…”
Jihan laughed at the ambiguous answer. Baekya hadn’t slept well either, so only one person in the room had gotten good sleep.
“Han Yuyeon, wake up.”
It was still the middle of the night for Yuyeon. Jihan pulled back the blanket and poked his finger at her cheek.
“Ugh…”
Still suffering, Yuyeon moaned with closed eyes. Baekya smirked with a ‘serves you right’ expression.
“…What’s with that evil face?”
“Me? No. Have the others in the next room gotten up yet?”
Baekya suddenly stammered. Clearly changing the subject, Jihan’s finger poking Yuyeon weakened slightly.
“I don’t think so. Can you go wake them up?”
“Okay!”
Just as Baekya was about to leave the room, Namkyung’s voice echoed loudly through the whole house.
“Come on, guys! Minseong, Jihan, Yulmu, Baekya, Cheong, Yuyeon!”
The voice was so loud even those already awake were startled.
“Let’s go debut!”
The day to show Days to the public was coming.
There were several posts complaining about the cold on SNS as usual.
Bokssoong, who had made friends and gained followers in recent days, waited eagerly while peeling a mandarin in the warm dorm.
Her tablet, bought after nagging her parents, was fully charged.
‘Maybe all this is heaven’s way of telling me to watch Baekya’s debut live.’
Having finished preparing food for the music festival perfectly, Bokssoong took a moment to check her friend’s timeline.
Siyoonbun was active, the last RT three minutes ago.
There, Bokssoong found useful info — the broadcast queue sheet.
Though the quality was poor as if secretly filmed by staff, it was still recognizable.
“Days are 16th.”
Almost the late first part. The unexpected position for such rookies.
‘Could this be ID’s power…!’
Though they all pretended otherwise, every company had a favorite broadcast station.
It was obvious when the company often booked their artists on one station or edited footage favoring their artists. Days seemed to be that case.
‘The class of debuting on a year-end stage viewed by the entire nation.’
She had a strong feeling they’d definitely make a mark. On the right, written small was Imjingak.
“What’s Imjingak?”
Having attended actor award ceremonies every year, it was Bokssoong’s first year watching the year-end music show. She looked up the unfamiliar word.
[Imjingak]
Articles poured in.
└ BB9, Days, Flowermoon, Blossom
└ Feels like minus 30°C, freezing to death (black ribbon emoji)
Bokssoong was stunned.
‘Winter training camp? Exile list? What does all this mean?’
She quickly clicked the attached photos. All showed singers trembling outdoors.
Even just breathing out visible breaths. Looking at the pictures made her feel cold.
“Fuck?”
Their debut stage too. In a greenhouse, mistakes happen at worst; but outdoors?
And the felt temperature is minus 30°C!
The still few Days fans clutched their necks in worry.