At last, the screen flashed Glint Entertainment.
Felix immediately stood up, confidence in every line of his posture. Ji Hyo turned his head just as Felix began adjusting his mic, and—before he could stop himself—his hand popped up in an awkward but endearing gesture: two small fists near his cheeks.
"H-hwaiting," he mumbled, his voice almost getting swallowed by the room noise.
Felix caught it.
And he beamed—that soft, boyish grin that Ji Hyo swore could make a heart skip a beat.
He gave a thumbs-up in return, then motioned for the other two trainees from their company to follow him toward the stage.
They bowed to the mentors as the stage lights dimmed slightly for pre-performance setup.
"Hello, we're trainees from Glint Entertainment," Felix said brightly. "Thank you for having us!"
The mentors smiled back.
Lisa tilted her head, curious. "What kind of performance should we expect from you three?"
"We're performing 'Love Shot' by XOXO," said the tallest of the trio. "We hope it leaves a strong impression."
"Ohhh, bold choice," murmured Bae Yoon-jeong, scribbling something in her notebook. "Let's see if you can handle the sensuality of it."
"I'll be watching your expressions closely," Cheetah added with a teasing smirk. "That song's all about attitude."
The music began.
Smooth, slow, intense.
The three Glint boys moved like liquid shadows—controlled, deliberate. Felix took the center during the chorus, and that's when Ji Hyo felt his breath hitch.
He had seen Felix train before. He'd even practiced choreo beside him.
But this?
This was different.
Felix's expression had transformed—soft lips slightly parted, gaze sharp but sultry. The way his body rolled with the rhythm, the controlled sway of his hips, and the confidence behind every hand movement… Ji Hyo blinked.
Hot.
He didn't even mean to think it, but there it was.
He coughed, shook his head, and muttered under his breath. "I mean—the performance. That was… good. The performance was hot."
The song ended with a final, clean formation and a piercing stare from Felix that sent at least one contestant gasping faintly in the background.
Applause broke out.
Yu-mi clapped her hands together. "Well, that was a surprise. You three had great synergy."
Lisa leaned forward with a grin. "And someone in the middle had main character energy."
Felix bowed, trying not to smile too wide, but it was clear he was glowing.
The mentors exchanged a few final comments—mostly praise with a few notes on smoother transitions for the backup line—and then the group was dismissed.
Felix and his teammates returned to their seats.
But Felix didn't sit back. He immediately leaned in toward Ji Hyo, eyes sparkling.
"Well?" he whispered, barely containing his excitement. "How was it? Be honest!"
The other two trainees leaned slightly closer too, curious.
Ji Hyo felt four eyes on him.
His heart thumped once—loudly.
"It was…" he started, voice quieter than usual.
Felix waited, eyebrows raised.
Ji Hyo looked down at his hands, then cleared his throat and finally said, "It was good. You looked… convincing."
"Convincing?" Felix blinked.
"I mean—you played the part well," Ji Hyo added, cheeks just barely tinged pink. "Especially that center choreography. You, uh... held attention."
Felix smiled slowly, watching him with a glint of something unreadable in his gaze.
"Held your attention, huh?" he said, leaning in closer.
Ji Hyo looked away. "Don't make it weird."
Felix laughed softly, pleased.
The moment passed—but Ji Hyo could still feel the heat clinging to the back of his neck, and a strange flutter in his chest that wasn't from competition pressure.
Something was shifting.
And it wasn't just the class evaluations.
The screen flashed:
LUSTER MEDIA
A wave of murmurs passed through the room before the names were even called. Ji Hyo looked up just in time to catch Felix glancing at the screen too.
"Wait—isn't that Han Min-jun's company?" someone whispered behind them.
The moment Min-jun stepped onto the stage, the energy shifted. He walked with practiced ease, the spotlight catching his styled hair just right. Confidence radiated from him, but it wasn't loud—it was sharp and steady, honed from a previous season's heartbreak.
The other trainee beside him bowed slightly lower, still clearly nervous but managing to match Min-jun's pace. Together, they reached center stage and greeted the mentors and contestants.
"Hello everyone," Min-jun said with a familiar calm. "I'm Han Min-jun. I'm thankful for another chance. Please look forward to our performance."
The other trainee followed up, voice softer, "I'm Seo Ian. I'll do my best today."
Lisa smiled encouragingly. "Ah, Min-jun. I remember you. Glad to see you again."
Cheetah added, "You were a fan favorite back then. Let's see how much you've grown."
The music began.
Powerful beats. Crisp movements.
Min-jun took the center for the intro, as expected—but something was off.
He was sharp, but too rehearsed. His expressions didn't quite match the energy of the choreography. It was precise, but not alive.
Meanwhile, Ian—despite being less polished—was fully immersed. His expressions shifted dynamically, and there was a raw excitement in his moves. He wasn't perfect, but he was present.
By the final chorus, some contestants in the back were quietly pointing—at Ian.
When the performance ended, the applause was solid—but not explosive.
The mentors took a moment before speaking.
Shin Yu-mi began, "Min-jun, you're technically very clean. But it felt... safe. Like I've seen this exact version of you before."
Lisa chimed in gently, "You're skilled, but I wanted to see something new. There's a risk in playing it too controlled."
Then she turned to Ian. "And you—wow. I wasn't expecting that energy from you. You still need to tighten your movements, but your expression work was really good."
Cheetah nodded. "You connected. Don't lose that instinct."
Min-jun bowed politely, hiding the faint twitch in his jaw. Ian bowed deeper, clearly surprised by the feedback.
As they walked off the stage, Ji Hyo noticed the shift in Min-jun's posture—shoulders just a bit tenser, eyes no longer scanning the room. He was locked in his own thoughts.
Felix leaned toward Ji Hyo and whispered, "Yikes... you can feel the heat coming off of him."
Ji Hyo didn't respond—he just watched as Min-jun took his seat again, his face expressionless.
But for someone like Min-jun, the silence said more than words ever could.
However, Ji Hyo was snapped back to reality when Hyun Sik's voice cut through the murmuring crowd.
"And now," the host said with a lift of his brow, "we'll move on to the next category: individual trainees."
A small ripple of noise passed through the trainees. Ji Hyo stiffened.
Hyun Sik smiled, a little amused. "Usually, we get quite a few independent hopefuls. But this season…"
He glanced at his cue card, pausing just long enough to build anticipation.
"There's only one."
A collective gasp echoed across the room.
"Only one?!"
"No way…"
Everyone turned to look around the room, murmuring and scanning faces.
Ji Hyo could feel the heat crawl up his back—slow at first, then all at once like a tidal wave. A bead of sweat rolled down his spine beneath his shirt.
Beside him, Felix had the audacity to smirk. He leaned over slightly, voice playful and teasing.
"Wonder who it could be," he whispered, eyebrows raised with mock innocence.
Ji Hyo gave him a look. "Don't."
Felix just grinned, clearly enjoying this way too much.
Up on stage, Hyun Sik's eyes sparkled with mischief as he called it out, loud and clear:
"Ji Hyo Hyun."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Then—
All eyes turned to him.