"…We said we'd stand on stage together, remember?"
Joo Danwoo spoke carefully, as if hesitating.
"I don't know yet if I'll really be able to debut.
But when DEAR DOLLs ends… if by any chance I end up in the final lineup…
I want to be on the same stage as you, Yuha."
"Hyung, as for me—honestly? I really don't want to see you quit here."
As soon as Danwoo finished, Cheon Serim continued without delay.
"Partly because I owe you personally, partly because you're someone I find easy to work with…
But if you leave here, I think I'll regret it for a long time."
"…What?"
"So can't you just… not withdraw?"
It sounded like he was asking a favor for no reason at all, which only left me more confused.
There was no logical reason for him to say any of this to me.
"I just don't want any regrets. So if possible, I want you to do your best."
"…What gain do you get from me doing my best?
If anything, me disappearing would make it easier for you guys to secure your debut spots. That's obvious."
My blunt honesty came out before I could stop it.
Anyone hearing it would've said I was being aggressive, but Serim didn't seem affected at all.
"Well yeah, it wouldn't hurt. We're competitors after all.
But aren't you underestimating me way too much?
I'm confident I'll debut whether you're here or not."
He laughed under his breath, mocking, as he said it.
While Serim scolded me not to offer unnecessary "help,"
I had no idea what I was supposed to say in response.
"But Yuha, why are you trying to withdraw in the first place?"
Aiden Lee's innocent question drew my gaze to him.
He blinked blankly at me, looking like he had no thoughts in his head.
Serim and Danwoo had already guessed why I was doing this—
which was why they hadn't asked me directly.
But Aiden clearly hadn't even considered the possibility.
"…It's not just DEAR DOLLs.
I'm planning to leave KRM entirely."
So I had no choice but to lay it out.
Why I intended to withdraw.
"There's no sign things will calm down.
So the only way to end the rumors is for the person at the center of them to disappear."
My past would follow me for as long as I worked as an idol.
And the public would continue to bring up my deceased parents—would continue to blame them.
Which meant erasing the "subject" was the only remaining solution.
There was nothing more I could do.
I had no power to sway public opinion, and I didn't have the Luck to spin any more roulettes.
I briefly wondered whether I should've saved the Luck and items I'd earned as rewards before.
…No.
Everything had been used at exactly the right moments.
I couldn't have used them any better.
This was simply… luck.
Or the lack of it.
The fact that I had only one method left to break through this situation.
So the only thing left for me to do was disappear quietly.
Public attention shifts from moment to moment.
No matter what, new issues eventually push the old ones out of sight.
Mine would be the same.
But if I kept showing my face on broadcasts, the past would continue to resurface.
To bury the rumors completely, I needed to vanish.
But it seemed my explanation didn't reach Aiden.
"So… how is that a solution?"
He tilted his head as he asked.
Even Serim and Danwoo's expressions tightened, as if surprised by how little Aiden seemed to understand.
"…Uh, Aiden. What Yuha means is—"
Danwoo started to explain, awkwardly trailing off.
But—
"No, no. I get it."
"Huh?"
Aiden shook his head lightly, as if explanations were unnecessary, and summarized the situation clearly:
"You want to step out of the spotlight so no one brings this up anymore.
So you don't get hated on."
His analysis was unexpectedly precise.
Which only made me more confused—
If he understood everything, why was he reacting like this?
"Uh… right. You understood it perfectly, so why—"
Serim started speaking, equally baffled.
Then Aiden tilted his head again and said:
"Mmm~ But that's not a solution."
"…What?"
When I asked back, unable to hide my irritation, Aiden continued as if stating the obvious:
"Because that means you're just letting people keep thinking your parents were bad people."
"...!"
"And you end up being remembered as someone pitiful."
"..."
"I'm right, aren't I?"
I froze, as if someone had struck me.
Aiden smiled faintly when he saw my reaction.
"See? You know it too.
That doesn't actually fix anything.
So why do it?"
His tone was innocent—
but the accusation was unmistakable.
Instead of answering, I got to my feet.
I didn't owe him a reply.
And I no longer had the energy to deal with the three of them.
"Just go ho—"
"Are you scared?"
"…What?"
But Aiden cut me off with a single, casually thrown question.
I was forced to turn back toward him.
"I dunno. You just look like it."
Seated on the floor, legs stretched out, he spoke leisurely—
in a way that pressed every nerve in a person's body.
"Giving up here is easier than fighting till the end, right?"
"…Watch your mouth.
I just thought this was the best option."
"You know it's not."
"Then what else can I do besides trying to quiet things down?"
Right now, I had nowhere to seek help.
I had no intention of bowing my head to KRM or getting dragged into the game they'd set up.
I owed a debt—a debt that had built up from the moment my parents reached out their hands to me.
I had to repay it somehow.
But instead of repaying it, I had only burdened them further.
So I had to change the situation—no matter the cost.
My anger spiked, and I snapped back at him.
Aiden stared at me quietly… then tilted his head slightly.
And offered one solution:
"Yuha, you could just take first place."
It was an incredibly simple answer.
So simple it felt almost absurd.
"…What?"
I froze.
Aiden glanced around the room, then fixated on the family photo on the table.
"Yuha, what kind of people were your parents?"
"..."
What kind of people…?
I fell silent at the sudden question.
I had never once put my parents into words before.
But I didn't have to think long.
"…The exact opposite of what people say."
Because the image of my parents inside me was unwavering.
They were not irresponsible people.
They were not people who made my life miserable.
From the moment they accepted twelve-year-old me as family, all I ever received from my parents was love and trust.
And thanks to that, I was able to survive until now.
So my parents were probably… the first piece of good fortune I ever encountered in my life.
Aiden Lee grinned after hearing my answer.
"Then just say that, Yuha."
"..."
"If you get first place, people will believe you.
Your words will spread farther."
For a moment, my strength left me, and I let out a faint, disbelieving laugh.
It was a method I had never—not even once—considered.
…And he wasn't wrong.
It struck the core so precisely it was shocking.
In a way, it was even the simplest method.
So simple that I wondered why I had never thought of it before.
And in that flash of realization, something surfaced in my mind.
Aydin's center was… Kang Hyunjin.
A future that no longer existed—
events that had never happened now because my regression had erased them.
In that now-erased future, Kang Hyunjin took first place in DEAR DOLLs and debuted, occupying the center position in the group Aydin.
For the entirety of their promotions, he carried the title "Final Rank 1 of DEAR DOLLs."
It was part of his character, sure—
but it was also a kind of power.
People always paid the most attention to the first place, and that attention gave weight to his words.
When Aydin promoted, he was always the first to get the mic, the first name called, the first person mentioned when talking about DEAR DOLLs or Aydin.
It was natural.
As the group's center and rank 1, Kang Hyunjin was the group's icon—
the one with the greatest recognition and influence.
And the entertainment industry runs on that kind of power.
Just like how one comment from Baek I-hyeon caused the public to sway again, instantly cementing my character as "the pitiful one."
The power to change one's image—
to gain a voice—
ultimately rests with the person who has influence.
After realizing that, I wondered why I had never thought of using such a method.
The answer was simple.
…I've never been someone who sells well.
I had never held any power.
In the entertainment world, I had never stood in a position of advantage.
Lightning was an unsuccessful group with barely any public interest, and I was their leader.
I endured humiliation, not treatment.
Even in my previous life, my wishes were ignored—my past was tossed around without my say.
That's why the idea had never crossed my mind.
But now—
The situation is different.
I didn't want this attention, but the public was currently watching me.
Yes, my image had solidified as someone pitiful, but if I could overturn that by taking first place—
And if I gained the power to speak for myself—
I could break that image.
If an unstable trainee like me tried to speak now, it would only earn pity.
It would reinforce the "resilient tragic son" narrative.
But later—
if I became an idol who was clearly "in demand,"
and layered a new character over the pitiful one—
If I could finally say that my parents had been my luck, not my misfortune—
The public would believe me.
No matter how long it took, it would truly be a solution—just as Aiden said.
"Of course, I don't plan on handing over first place. There's still one more performance left, and I'm going to take main vocal this time. I want to be first!"
"What—are you helping him win first place, or declaring rivalry?"
"Both?"
While I had been lost in thought, Serim and Aiden had begun bickering.
I looked up at them.
Aiden met my eyes, widened his own, and smiled.
"Oh, Yuha, you—"
"Aiden."
I cut him off before he could say anything more and pointed to the door.
Aiden blinked in confusion, and I spoke firmly:
"Huh?"
"Leave."
"…Huh?"
I stood up and grabbed both Serim's and Aiden's arms, dragging them.
They were built like mountains, so dragging them wasn't easy—
but using the slippery floor to my advantage, I pushed them toward the entrance.
Danwoo jumped up in surprise and followed along.
I opened the door quietly, in front of their bewildered faces.
"I'll do what you want. So get out."
Finally, I succeeded in kicking out the three of them—faces bright with hope.
***
On the day of the 3rd ranking announcement, all the trainees' attention was focused in one direction.
While getting his makeup done, Joo Danwoo glanced sideways.
Enduring the trainees' gazes calmly, fixing his outfit, Won Yuha's expression looked serene.
—It's all fine now.
That's what Yuha had said the day after they'd been kicked out of his house.
But Danwoo couldn't shake his worry.
Is he really okay?
Because the series of incidents that had hit Won Yuha recently were the kind that no sane person would endure easily.
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