The words struck like a drumbeat in a silent war.
> "You'll battle one of the Top 10. One-on-one. If you win, you take their place."
Han Mirae's lungs squeezed tight. The studio air, already heavy with tension, seemed to freeze around her. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Could only stare at the judges, waiting for the name that would define her fate.
The name fell like a blade.
> "Yoo Sera."
Gasps rippled through the room. The camera caught every widened eye, every disbelieving whisper. Mirae's vision blurred for a second.
Sera. Of course.
The top trainee. The fan-favorite. The idol prototype. Beautiful, ruthless, untouchable. And the same girl who'd once mocked Mirae's limp in a hallway like it was part of the script.
"Th-this is…" Do-yoon choked out.
"Unfair," Sumin muttered.
The producer didn't blink. "She said she's not afraid. We want to see if she meant it."
Mirae's knees trembled under her. The burn in her injured ankle flared, and for a second, she imagined bowing out. Quietly, gracefully. She'd already made it further than anyone expected. She could go home, sleep, and forget this nightmare.
But she looked behind her.
At her team—Team C. The eliminated. The forgotten. The broken hearts who had clung to each other in the storm.
And then she remembered what it felt like when her name was called last. The weight. The shame.
She lifted her chin.
"I'll do it."
---
One Hour Later – Dressing Room
Silence clung to the room like a fog. The energy was gone, drained from the team that once buzzed with chaotic dreams.
"She's going to crush you," Jiwon said bluntly. He wasn't being cruel—just honest. "Yoo Sera doesn't lose."
"She manipulates fan votes," Minchae murmured, still in shock. "She has an entire PR engine behind her. Leaks. Fanbase strategies. That's how she stays on top."
"If it's public voting," Do-yoon added, "they'll stack the deck."
"Then I'll win with my performance," Mirae said softly.
They all looked at her.
She wasn't trying to sound brave. Her hands were shaking. But there was something different in her eyes now. Like steel forged under pressure.
"You shouldn't have to do this alone," Sumin said, finally. "But if you're walking into fire... walk tall."
---
Midnight – Practice Room 3
Mirae stood in front of the mirror, alone. The room was quiet except for the soft crackle of her speaker playing the backing track. She stared at her reflection. At her own eyes.
She began to sing.
> "If I was nothing... then why do you see me now?
If I was broken... how am I still loud?"
Her voice cracked—but didn't collapse.
Her ankle throbbed—but she danced through it.
Over and over, she repeated the chorus, until her voice was hoarse and her limbs numb. Until the doubt fell away, leaving only resolve.
---
Dawn – Studio B
The halls were still dark when she moved through them like a shadow. Most trainees were asleep, unaware the wild card was still fighting.
Inside Studio B, she uncovered a piano and played softly.
The melody of her song—the same one she'd practiced in secret for days. Not perfect. Not flashy.
But hers.
---
Makeup Room – 9:00 A.M.
In the next room, Sera's laughter rang out like glitter-coated venom.
"Poor thing. Maybe she can crawl across the stage for sympathy."
The other girls giggled.
Mirae said nothing.
Her stylist fastened a silver belt around her jacket. Her look was simple: clean lines, dark fabric, light shimmer at the eyes.
No feathers. No wings. Just grit.
As the stylist added the final touch—glitter under her eyes like tears—she whispered, "Kill it, Mirae."
And this time, Mirae believed she could.
---
Stage – Countdown to Battle
The crowd was a sea of screaming fans. LED signs, lightsticks, camera phones—everything glittered under the spotlight.
Two names flashed on the main screen:
> Yoo Sera vs Han Mirae
Top 10 vs Wild Card
Favorite vs Forgotten
Sera stepped on stage first, graceful and radiant in red. She smiled to the crowd like it was already hers.
Mirae stood in the wings, steadying her breathing. A Top 10 girl passed by and whispered, "Even if you win, you'll never debut. You're just a twist, not the story."
Mirae looked her dead in the eye.
"Then watch me rewrite it."
---
Round One: Yoo Sera
The beat dropped. Sera danced with mechanical precision. Every turn was clean, every move flawless. Her vocals didn't waver. Her gaze hit the camera like lightning bolts.
The crowd went wild.
It was everything you'd expect from the show's golden girl.
---
Round Two: Han Mirae
Mirae stepped forward.
The music shifted. Her remix started soft, like a heartbeat. Then the bass dropped, and she moved—not perfectly, but powerfully.
Every step cost her. But every word carried her pain.
She didn't just sing.
She told a story.
And when she hit the final note—
> "I'm not afraid of falling... I'm afraid of fading."
—there was a beat of silence.
And then: thunderous applause.
---
Backstage – Results Pending
Mirae stood behind the curtain, mic shaking in her hand. She could barely feel her fingers. Couldn't hear anything except her racing heart.
> "Votes are close," a voice in her earpiece said. "Very close."
She held her breath.
And then—
> "Mirae… 51%.
Sera… 49%.
Pandemonium.
The crowd screamed. The host froze. Even the judges looked stunned.
Mirae had won.
She had won.
Aftermath – Green Room
Sera brushed past her, eyes glittering with rage under perfect mascara.
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
Mirae didn't respond. Reporters shouted questions. Cameras blinked.
But she had no victory speech.
Only a whisper:
> "This isn't the end. It's the start."
And when she finally found a quiet hallway, she collapsed—tears hot and silent, rolling down her cheeks as she clutched her knees.
Not from pain.
Not from fear.
But from surviving what no one thought she could.
---
Dorm Room – Late Night
She returned to Team C's empty room.
The beds were stripped. The air felt hollow.
But on her bed sat a note.
> Debut for us, Mirae. Show them why we mattered.
– Team C
She pressed the note to her chest and closed her eyes.
She hadn't just won for herself.
She'd won for every broken voice the world tried to silence.
---
Final Scene – Studio Hall
She turned to leave when a figure stepped into the hallway.
The show's producer.
"You should rest," he said. "Tomorrow's mission is brutal."
"What now?" Mirae asked quietly.
He smirked.
"Now we find out if the wild card... can lead the final cut."