Ji Hyo stood up stiffly, trying to hide the tremble in his legs.
"Break a leg," Felix whispered with a wink, nudging his arm gently.
Ji Hyo gave him a barely-there glance in return, too tightly wound to reply. He could feel it—every pair of eyes locking onto him as he walked past the rows of trainees. He still had his mask on, the familiar cloth a strange comfort against the overwhelming pressure pressing down on him.
Min Seo-joon was among those watching—arms crossed, eyes sharp and unreadable, his expression touched with something… curious. As if Ji Hyo had just become an unexpected variable in an equation he thought he'd already solved.
Ji Hyo's shoes tapped against the floor, each step unnaturally loud in his ears. The distance to the stage wasn't long, but it felt like a frozen eternity. As if the air itself had thickened into ice, and he had to wade through it just to move forward.
Gasps began to ripple through the room, soft and surprised.
"Who is that?"
"He's an individual trainee?"
"Why haven't I seen him before?"
His posture was composed—controlled—but inside, Ji Hyo was unraveling. The sweat gathered faster down his spine, sticking fabric to skin. His heart beat so loud he swore the whole venue could hear it.
Don't trip. Don't freeze. Don't choke.
Then—Ding!
[Good luck, Host! Reminder: Make an impression. Expression is key. Hold eye contact. You've got this—Trait Confidence is active, though currently at Level C-. Try not to pass out.]
Gee, thanks, Ji Hyo muttered in his head.
He stepped into the center of the stage and bowed deeply.
"Hello mentors," he said with a careful tone. "I'm Ji Hyo, an individual trainee."
The mentors blinked, intrigued.
"You trained alone?" Cheetah asked, her head tilted. "That takes guts."
"Yes, ma'am."
Bae Yoon-jeong leaned forward slightly. "No agency at all? How long have you been training?"
"Three months," Ji Hyo replied honestly, though his voice wavered just a bit.
Yu-mi blinked in mild surprise. "Only three months?"
Lisa narrowed her eyes, studying his figure, his stance, the slight tension in his shoulders. Then she smiled politely—but there was a glimmer of something more curious behind it.
"Ji Hyo, is it okay if we ask you to remove your mask?" she asked, gesturing delicately. "We'd like to see your full face, if that's alright."
His blood ran cold.
Nope. No. Abort mission.
Ji Hyo's fingers twitched toward his mask instinctively. His brain screamed at him to just run off stage. To turn around and pretend the question had never been asked.
But he was already raising his hands.
Slowly, he tugged the strings loose. Every second dragged as he slipped the mask down, revealing the curve of his jaw, his lips, the bridge of his nose—
Then finally, his full face.
The silence that followed was instant and deafening.
A collective breath seemed to catch across the venue, followed by several audible gasps. One trainee somewhere near the front whispered, "Woah…"
Lisa's hand flew to her mouth in stunned disbelief.
Cheetah blinked, clearly taken aback. Even Bae Yoon-jeong sat straighter.
Ji Hyo stared straight ahead, face blank, ears burning.
I should've run.
And yet—
He stood there, vulnerable, exposed, and shining without even trying.
"Oh my god…"
"Wow—just… wow."
"Look at his face!"
"God is so unfair."
"I think I'm in love."
Whispers erupted in waves across the room, ranging from disbelief to straight-up admiration. A few trainees even covered their mouths, blinking as if they were seeing some celestial being descend onto the stage.
Even among hundreds of perfectly styled idol hopefuls, Ji Hyo stood out.
Jihoon, meanwhile, sat unmoved—arms crossed, jaw locked, and expression unimpressed. If anything, there was a faint flicker of annoyance in his eyes, like someone had just stolen the spotlight he assumed was his.
Lisa was the first to recover. Her wide eyes sparkled, and she leaned forward with both hands on the table, practically glowing.
"I have never seen anyone as handsome as you are," she said, voice breathless with awe. "You look ethereal. Like a fantasy character come to life."
Cheetah nodded, arms folded, grinning. "Seriously. You walked up here like an ice prince or something. Are you even real?"
Bae Yoon-jeong gave an exasperated chuckle. "I thought we were here to judge talent today, but I feel like we should be handing out visuals awards first."
Even Yu-mi couldn't help but smile warmly. "You've definitely made a first impression, Ji Hyo."
Ji Hyo, for his part, stood frozen, eyes wide as if still expecting someone to yell "just kidding" and pull the plug on the whole moment.
Ethereal? Prince? What was happening?
Up in the seats, Felix beamed.
Not just smiled—beamed.
His whole face lit up in uncontainable pride, arms casually slung over the back of the seat as if to say, That's right. That's my cute shark. That's the boy I've been feeding fishcakes and making tea for.
He didn't say a word, but his entire aura radiated a smug kind of pride that made the trainees near him side-eye in half-amused jealousy.
And Ji Hyo?
He could only bow again, cheeks now fully flushed, heart punching against his ribs, and the tiniest voice in his head whispering—
Please don't trip. Please don't faint.
"Thank you so much for the praise, mentors," Ji Hyo said with a deep bow, trying to keep his voice steady despite the rapid beating of his heart.
It was all he could manage for now—short, polite, and safe.
One of the mentors, Bae Yoon-jeong, tilted her head slightly, lips pursed in thought. "You're really something, Ji Hyo. But are you sure you want to be an idol?"
The question hung in the air.
"You've got the face of a lead actor or a top model. I mean, that bone structure? Those eyes?" she gestured loosely, clearly still mesmerized. "I honestly thought you'd say you're here to act in historical dramas or walk runways in Paris."
Ji Hyo blinked.
Then slowly, he lifted his gaze and answered with quiet, unwavering conviction.
"I really want to be an idol," he said. "That's why I've been working hard—because I want to debut."
There was no dramatic pause. No need to oversell it.
It was simple. But it rang clear and honest—and for those listening closely, there was something fierce beneath the softness.
Even Lisa, who'd been seconds away from asking for his skincare routine, sat back with a small nod of respect.
"Well then," Cheetah said, resting her chin on her palm with a smirk. "Let's see what kind of performance this pretty boy has in store for us."