TDOCD Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Thank You

 The tension in the practice room was palpable as Ha-young finally lifted her tear-stained face.

"Will she really talk to me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

 I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation.

"I can't say for sure, but it seemed like she wanted to. You should give it a try, Ha-young. We can't let this cloud hang over us for the entire shoot, can we?"

Ha-young bit her lip, nodding slowly without meeting my eyes.

She glanced cautiously at Ra-eun and me.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "Not just to Damin, but to all of you."

 Actions speak louder than words, kid. Go make things right.

I opened the practice room door, and after a moment's hesitation, Ha-young stepped out into the hallway.

 As soon as she disappeared, Ra-eun let out a heavy breath.

"Do you think this will be okay?" she asked, her eyes darting nervously to the cameras surrounding us.

 "The atmosphere is so tense, I'm worried about how this will look when it's broadcast."

 I shared her concerns, but tried to remain optimistic.

"I think we don't need to worry too much. They both seemed like they wanted to reconcile."

It was clear that my role here was to be the mediator - to help two people who wanted to make amends but couldn't see past their own pride.

I needed to be the bridge, to convey their feelings and create an opportunity for them to talk.

 "They might get caught up in the heat of the moment, but they're not the type to let pride get in the way forever," I said, more to convince myself than Ra-eun.

 At least, I hope not. We can't afford to get caught up in rumors of internal conflict this early in the game.

 Feeling a bead of cold sweat trickle down my back, I sat on the practice room floor and pulled up the Fight Gauge.

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 0 [■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□] 100

 FIGHT GAUGE!

 ※When the gauge reaches 100, they'll have a real fight in front of the cameras :)

 · ✦•·····················•✦•···················•✦·  ​

 Whew, that was close. Any higher and we might have had a real disaster on our hands.

 I planned to use the gauge to monitor the situation between them. If there was no progress, I'd have to intervene again.

 We have an hour and a half left. That should be enough time if we can resolve this through conversation.

 "You can go rest if you want," I told Ra-eun, my eyes still fixed on the floating system window.

 Ra-eun hesitated, then moved to the center of the practice room. "I'll practice the choreography a bit more," she said, determination in her voice.

 "I can't sleep anyway, and I'm worried about those two."

 Her words reminded me of my own shortcomings. "I need to practice too. My skills aren't up to par yet."

 I closed the gauge window and stood up. "I'll join you," I said, pushing aside thoughts of the drama unfolding outside. We had a job to do, after all.

 Ra-eun's face lit up. "Ji-ye... thank you."

 I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't entirely for her sake. Besides, this was an opportunity to help her improve. While Damin and Ha-young's conflict had overshadowed everything else, Ra-eun was notably struggling with the choreography.

 "Let's dance together," I suggested. "And don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure about any part."

 As we began to practice, I kept one eye on the door, waiting for our teammates to return. Little did I know, this late-night practice session was just the beginning of our journey together.

 An hour of intense practice flew by, punctuated by the occasional glance at the Fight Gauge. Just as my muscles began to scream in protest, a familiar chime rang out.

 Ding!

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 Mission completed.

 Would you like to receive your reward? [Y/N]

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 I breathed a sigh of relief, closing the notification window. Whatever had transpired between Damin and Ha-young, it seemed to have resolved itself.

 Exhausted but satisfied, I bid goodnight to Ra-eun and made my way back to the dorm. The hallways were eerily quiet, our footsteps muffled by the late hour. As I reached for the doorknob of my room, a chill ran down my spine. Something felt... off.

 I pushed the door open carefully, squinting into the darkness. My heart leapt into my throat as I made out a silhouette standing motionless in the center of the room.

 "Eek!" I yelped, stumbling backward. "Who's there?"

 What is that? I peeked my head in again to double-check the room.

 The lights flicked on, revealing a startled Ha-young, her hand clutched to her chest. "Ji-ye! Why are you screaming? I'm the one who should be scared!"

 Ah, right. I had a roommate. I'd completely forgotten, but apparently Ha-young was my roommate.

 Relief washed over me, quickly replaced by confusion. "Ha-young? Why aren't you sleeping? And why were you standing in the dark like some kind of ghost?"

 Ha-young's face flushed with embarrassment as she perched on the edge of her bed. "I... I was waiting for you," she admitted sheepishly.

 "For me?" I raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to this late-night vigil.

 Ha-young nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I wanted to thank you," she said softly. "I heard you told Damin to talk to me."

 Understanding dawned on me. So that's why the mission had completed. "How did it go?" I asked, settling onto my own bed.

 "She forgave me," Ha-young said, her voice thick with emotion. "Said she understood why I acted the way I did. But Ji-ye, I was wrong. I should have thought about how my actions would affect everyone else."

 I nodded, offering a small smile of encouragement. "We all know how talented you are, Ha-young. It's natural to want to showcase that talent. But you're right, in a team, we have to consider everyone."

 Ha-young's composure crumbled, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I was so arrogant," she confessed between sobs. "I thought I couldn't lose to anyone when it came to dancing. I wanted to stand out so badly, I forgot why we're here in the first place."

 "Don't be so hard on yourself. Your skills deserve confidence."

 I moved to sit beside her, gently patting her back. "Hey, it's okay. You've realized your mistake, and that's what matters. We're all learning here, Ha-young. This is new territory for all of us."

 She's young. At her age, it's natural to be swayed by emotions. What's important is that she realized her mistake, acknowledged it, and reflected on it.

 As Ha-young's tears subsided, I continued, "Think about it this way: we're not really competing against each other anymore. We're a team now. Our real competition is out there, not in this dorm."

 Ha-young looked up, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

 "We all need to shine for our team to succeed," I explained.

 "When you get the next big part, I'll be cheering you on. Because your success is our success."

 A weak smile tugged at Ha-young's lips. "Thanks, Ji-ye. I... I'll do better. I promise."

 If Ha-young had appeared on "Love Me Idol," then Start Plan would be her second attempt.

 There are quite a few groups that have debuted with the title of "Love Me Idol."

 Among them, only she hadn't achieved anything, moving from agency to agency before appearing on another audition show.

 All the circumstances surrounding Ha-young must have made her anxious.

 Moreover, as far as I know, "Love Me Idol" was strictly an individual survival show, unlike Start Plan.

 For Ha-young, who was more accustomed to individual competition than group dynamics, this kind of mistake was understandable.

 "I'm sorry."

 Though I don't know what kind of person Ha-young is yet, I'm glad she doesn't seem to be a bad person.

 I hope she can show this reflective side on the broadcast too.

 I felt relieved as she silently shed tears while showing genuine remorse.

 As we settled into our beds, the tension of the past few days seemed to dissipate. Ha-young's soft voice broke the silence one last time. "Ji-ye?"

 "Hmm?"

 "I'm glad you're my roommate."

 I smiled into the darkness. "Me too, Ha-young. Me too."

 Little did I know, this late-night heart-to-heart was just the beginning of the bonds we would forge in the crucible of our shared dream.

 ***

 Time passed, and soon it was the 5th day of training camp.

 "Ugh... I'm dying."

 5 AM. I finally managed to get up, rubbing my heavy eyes against the pillow.

 I had been worried I wouldn't be able to wake up because I was so tired, but my mind, well-accustomed to group living, somehow managed to rouse me.

 "Hah..."

 Fighting the urge to fall right back asleep, I washed my face to clear my foggy mind and headed to the practice room out of habit.

 "Ugh... can barely open my eyes."

 "My back..."

 The practice room was already occupied by other members, stretching with puffy faces.

 Looks like I'm the last one here.

 I blinked at them a few times before naturally blending in and starting my stretches.

 "Good morning, everyone. Ha-young, we're roommates but you didn't even wake me up."

 "No, no! That's not it! I just came out super early! You slept past 4 AM, didn't you? You hadn't recovered from fatigue, how could I wake you!"

 Ha-young stammered defensively. Damin giggled and put her arm around my shoulders.

 "Wow, Ha-young, did you come out early to practice more than Ji-ye?"

 "Ah, what are you saying, unnie!"

 "Okay, okay, I get what you mean. But next time, wake me up before you go."

 "Wow, Ryu Ji-ye, you're really mean."

 I nodded with a small smile, saying I understood.

 It's amazing how different her image is now compared to the first day.