"Hyung... why are you awake at 6:00 AM?" Jae-hyun mumbled, rubbing his eyes and looking like a disheveled maltese. "The PDs said we don't have to be at the studio until noon."
"Circadian rhythm optimization, Jae-hyun-ssi," Kang-joon replied, not looking up from a perfectly crisp hospital corner fold. "If you sleep past 8:00 AM on a rest day, your cortisol levels spike during the next high-intensity dance rehearsal. Also, Min-soo is drooling on your shoulder."
Jae-hyun looked down, saw the "Nation's Center" snoring peacefully against his arm, and turned bright red. "He looks so... normal when he's asleep."
By 10:00 AM, the "Healing" vibe was interrupted by a surprise visit from the production crew. They weren't here for a mission briefing, but for a "Daily Life Variety" segment. The fans were clamoring for "Dorm Chemistry," and the sponsors were eager to see the trainees using their branded skincare products in a "natural" setting.
"Alright, boys! We're doing a 'Fridge Raid' cooking challenge!" the PD announced. "Three teams of six. You have forty minutes to make a meal using only what's in the dorm kitchen. The winning team gets a 'Choice Pass' for the Unit Formation."
The room erupted. A 'Choice Pass' was a powerful tool—it allowed a trainee to pick their teammates regardless of rank.
Kang-joon found himself on a team with Min-soo, Jae-hyun, the visual Hyun Woo (who was still religiously using his throat spray), and two B-class trainees who looked like they were ready to follow Kang-joon into a burning building.
"Min-soo, you handle the plating. Jae-hyun, you're the taster. Hyun Woo, just stand near the stove and look handsome while holding a spatula," Kang-joon commanded, already tying an apron with terrifying efficiency.
"What are you doing, Hyung?" Min-soo asked, watching Kang-joon pull out a carton of eggs and a block of spam.
"Loop—I mean, in my previous experience—I learned that the key to variety show cooking isn't complexity; it's the ASMR factor," Kang-joon said. He picked up a kitchen knife and began a rapid-fire julienne of vegetables. The sound was a rhythmic, professional tac-tac-tac-tac that silenced the other teams.
"He's doing it again," Seo Won whispered from the rival team. "The Professor is using 100% of his brain on a vegetable stir-fry."
Kang-joon wasn't just cooking; he was performing. He'd spent Loop #22 as an apprentice in a Michelin-starred kitchen in Osaka. He knew exactly how to toss a pan for the "slow-motion fire" shot the PDs loved. By the time the forty minutes were up, Kang-joon's team had produced a 'Spam and Kimchi Fried Rice' that looked like it belonged on the cover of a gourmet magazine, complete with a perfectly translucent soft-boiled egg and a garnish of hand-carved scallion curls.
While the filming was happening, the internet was already digesting the "un-aired" snippets leaked by staff. The "Kang-joon Cult" was no longer a joke; it was becoming a significant demographic in the voting pool.
[X (TWITTER) TRENDS]
* #ChefKangjoon (105k posts)
* #RoadToStarlight (88k posts)
* #MinsooDrool (45k posts)
@Kangjoon_Logician: I just saw a 10-second clip of Kang-joon deboning a chicken wing with a pair of chopsticks. CHOPSTICKS. Is there anything this man can't do? He's not an idol; he's a survivalist who accidentally ended up on a stage. #ChefKangjoon #KangjoonGenius
@VarietyQueen:
The way the other trainees just... look at him. Min-soo is the 'Nation's Center' but Kang-joon is the 'Nation's Brain.' The chemistry in Team A is so wholesome. I'm voting for the 'Suburban Gloom' boys for the next round too.
@Antifan_Realist:
Why is he so good at everything? It's suspicious. Did he live 100 lives or something? lol.
* Reply @Kangjoon_Logician: Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if he was a time traveler.
The "Fridge Raid" segment ended with Kang-joon's team winning the 'Choice Pass' by a landslide. The PDs were ecstatic—the footage was gold. But as the cameras stopped rolling, the weight of the "Unit Formation" challenge began to settle in.
The 48-hour mark of the contract delay hit that afternoon. Kang-joon sat on the roof of the dorm, the encrypted Hourglass phone buzzing in his hand.
"Min-seo-ssi," he said into the receiver. "The morale is high. But the Consortium is silent. That worries me."
"They're not silent, Kang-joon," Han Min-seo replied, her voice sharp. "They're restructuring. They've realized they can't break the 72-hour delay, so they're going to use the Unit Formation to split your core allies. They've pressured the PDs to change the rules. It's no longer just 'choosing' teammates. It's a Draft System."
Kang-joon's eyes narrowed. A draft meant that the highest-ranked trainees—Min-soo and Gun-woo—would have to pick players. Kang-joon, at Rank 7, would likely be picked early, but he wouldn't be able to keep his "Subversion Team" together. The Consortium wanted to dilute his influence by scattering his "students" across different units.
"They want to isolate me," Kang-joon murmured.
"Exactly. If you can't control the team, you can't control the concept. They want you in a 'Standard Idol' unit where you'll be forced to follow a commercial lead."
"I have the Choice Pass," Kang-joon reminded her.
"Use it wisely. You only get to pick one person. The rest is up to the draft."
Kang-joon descended from the roof and found Min-soo waiting for him in the hallway. The Center looked conflicted, holding a sheet of paper with potential team names.
"Hyung," Min-soo said, his usual bravado replaced by a strange hesitation. "The PDs just announced the Draft. I have the first pick because I'm Rank 1."
"I know," Kang-joon said.
"Everyone expects me to pick Gun-woo or Jae-hyun," Min-soo said, looking at the floor. "But after the 'Ethereal' performance... and the chicken... and the way you handled that security guy..." He looked up, his eyes burning with a mix of defiance and respect. "I want to win properly this time. Not just because I'm the 'Nation's Center,' but because the performance is actually good."
"And?"
"I'm picking you first, Hyung. Don't use your Choice Pass to get away from me. Let's build a 'Monster Unit.'"
[System Notification: Narrative Path Divergence Detected. Rival 'Min-soo' has initiated 'Alliance Request'. Success Probability: 85%. Benefit: Massive spike in 'Global Hype' metric.]
Kang-joon looked at the young man. Min-soo wasn't just a variable anymore; he was a powerhouse who had finally realized that Kang-joon was the missing piece of his own success.
"If I join you, Min-soo-ssi, we won't be doing a 'Standard' concept," Kang-joon warned. "We're going to do something that will make the Consortium's lawyers sweat."
Min-soo grinned—a predatory, excited smile that belonged on a true star. "As long as it trends at #1, I don't care if we perform in pajamas."
The 24-hour countdown began. The wholesome "Healing" phase was over. The fans were voting, the forums were buzzing with "Unit" theories, and the Consortium was preparing their next move. But as Kang-joon and Min-soo shook hands in the dimly lit hallway, the "Professor" knew he had just acquired the most powerful weapon in the show.
He wasn't just managing liabilities anymore. He was building an empire.
"Jae-hyun," Kang-joon called out as the younger trainee walked by. "Get your gear. We're going to the practice room. We have eighteen hours to redesign the Draft strategy."
"But Hyung, we haven't even seen the song list!"
"I already know what they are," Kang-joon lied smoothly, though in reality, he remembered the 'Concept Songs' of this season from Loop #91. "And trust me, the Consortium is going to hate the one we're picking."
Would you like to move on to the Draft Day and the reveal of the "Monster Unit's" controversial song choice?