Chapter 33
“Here’s how we’re going to choose your roommates.”
Do Hee-young smiled with a strange, almost wicked glint in her eyes.
“Starting now, we’ll blindfold everyone. Then one by one, you’ll take off the blindfold, choose a room, and enter it. Be careful. Once you open a door, you must stay in that room. You can’t change rooms after making a choice.”
This sounds… a bit sketchy.
“The other two people you find inside that room will be your roommates.”
Great.
So it’s a game of luck.
“If a room already has three people and another trainee tries to enter, the trainee with the lowest ranking in that room will be kicked out. The displaced trainee will then have to pick a new room. If that room is also full, the lowest-ranked person there will be kicked out as well.”
“!”
Everyone was stunned.
What kind of ruthless, rank-based show is this?
“Yes, it’s a bit brutal. But it should be good motivation for you all.”
More like motivation for conflict, not growth.
“Now then, trainee Yeon Juhong. As the youngest, you’ll get the first pick.”
“Gasp.”
Yeon Juhong looked like she couldn’t believe she was getting such special treatment.
She’s got a surprisingly timid side sometimes.
Even though when she’s being bold, she goes completely overboard.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter much who goes first. It’s all based on rank anyway. Don’t worry and just choose.”
…So even they admit this is a rank-centered system.
Yeon Juhong stood up and started walking.
We heard the door open, then close.
After that, a few more trainees were called one by one.
Listening closely, it was clear they were being called in the order they were seated.
The trainees sitting next to Yeon Juhong started leaving one by one.
Seo Baekyoung, Lee Kyungah, Lee Jooseon…
At first, things went quickly.
But then it started to slow down.
That must mean room competition had begun.
“Nooooooo!”
…That scream confirmed it.
It was unmistakably Yeon Juhong’s voice.
She must’ve been kicked out of her room already.
She’s ranked 6th, so to kick her out, the other girls must have all been in debut-tier ranks.
“Yes!”
That was Kim Geum’s voice.
The best room in the house is, of course, the master bedroom.
It has an attached bathroom, it’s the largest, and it’s furthest inside—meaning it’s the quietest.
Not that I’m the only one who knows that.
Most of the trainees are probably aware.
Personally, I didn’t really care which room I ended up in.
My only concern was the roommates.
Uncomfortable roommates are the worst kind of stress.
Honestly, I didn’t want to share a room with Kim Ryeoyu or anyone close to her.
Either way, MenuCure is a survival show for girl groups.
The public wants to see chemistry between members.
And I genuinely want that too.
As a solo singer, I’ve always wanted to experience that kind of bond.
“Next up, trainee Yoon Cheong.”
Do Hee-young called my name.
As expected, I was third to last.
“Please proceed to choose your room.”
I took off my blindfold and stood slowly. The other two trainees still had theirs on.
I turned my back to them and walked toward the doors.
No matter what room I picked, there was no risk of being kicked out.
Because I was ranked number one.
Kim Geum is second, Kim Ryeoyu is third.
So if I chose that room…
“…Knew it.”
Of course, Kim Ryeoyu, Kim Geum, and Ryu Bora were already there.
I didn’t want to share a room with Kim Ryeoyu. So why did I come here?
No big reason.
I’m not the type to back down from a challenge.
I prefer to confront problems head-on.
“….”
All three of them looked at me with spinning eyes, clearly caught off guard.
What?
You all kicked other girls out of rooms too.
Especially Ryu Bora—she was already packing her stuff the moment I opened the door.
She’s ranked 4th. Not low by any means, but the lowest in this room.
With ranks 1, 2, and 3 in the same room…
This is going to get a lot of screen time.
…Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
Then—
“Bora, you stay in this room.”
Plot twist.
“…Ryeoyu unnie?”
“I’ll move to another room. You stay here.”
Kim Ryeoyu said she’d leave.
“I wanted to room with Heeon anyway. Bora, you said you’re a light sleeper, right? This is probably the quietest room. You stay. I’ll go.”
She spoke sweetly, then grabbed her bags.
She even pointed to a bed for me with her chin.
“Cheong, you take that bed.”
I just smiled quietly.
Ha. Ha.
Kim Ryeoyu, seeing my lack of reaction, seemed irritated and added,
“Oh, what a shame. This is such a nice room. I really wanted to stay here.”
Ah, so that’s her game—pretending to yield so I’d back off on my own.
I finally realized her intent.
She thought that if she pretended to yield, I’d take the hint and step away.
“Right. And to think you’re giving it up… You’re such a kind person, Ryeoyu. Bora must be really thankful.”
“…No, I didn’t do it to be thanked.”
Kim Ryeoyu’s expression twisted slightly as she saw Kim Geum and Ryu Bora exchange glances.
“You’re popular and adaptable, so you’ll be welcomed in any room. I’ve only just arrived and don’t know many people… I’m kind of jealous.”
“Huh?”
“Please take care of the younger girls for me. You’ll do that, right?”
The left side of Kim Ryeoyu’s face twitched.
What, you thought I’d leave just because you acted generous?
Why would I?
I’m not the type to throw away a given opportunity.
I unpacked my bag on the bed she had pointed to.
Nice location.
“Thanks for the great room, Ryeoyu. Hope you find an even better one. Have fun.”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
She still seemed stunned, not even moving toward the door.
I helped her out a little.
“Is your bag heavy? I’ll carry it.”
I picked up her bag and kindly set it down in the hallway.
“You’ll adjust just fine wherever you go. You’re so considerate to your juniors. Bora, let’s visit Ryeoyu’s room often.”
“I-I’d like that.”
Ryu Bora looked like she was trying hard not to laugh.
I gave Kim Geum a little look.
She got it right away.
“Unnie, have a great time! Thank you!”
“…Thanks, unnie.”
Ryu Bora gave a half-bow.
Once both girls were done speaking, Kim Geum gently closed the door.
“….”
We all lay on our beds in silence.
This really was a great room.
“For her to give up such a nice room—Ryeoyu must be such a good person. Don’t you think?”
“Of course.”
We made sure the cameras and the whole hallway could hear our compliments.
Good deeds should be widely shared, after all.
And so, all the room assignments were done.
Looks like Yeon Juhong ended up with Kim Ryeoyu.
Naturally, Yeon Juhong’s face was… spiritually defeated.
Honestly, she’s had the worst luck since the start.
Sorry, Juhong.
Didn’t think you’d end up the sacrificial lamb…
“Now that everyone has a room, it’s time to announce your next mission.”
Do Hee-young sat across from us as she spoke.
“The next mission is… the Position Evaluation.”
Oh no.
The mood immediately darkened.
Position Evaluation.
Trainees form teams based on which position they want to take—vocals, dance, or rap—and perform against each other.
Because you’re going up against others in the same role, differences in skill become glaringly obvious.
Especially for vocals… the gap is often brutal.
“We’ll divide into three positions: vocal, dance, and rap. You may apply to whichever you like. If more than five trainees apply to one, we’ll split it into two teams.”
Seems like most people will flock to vocals or dance.
Rap… I think only Kim Geum and Park Haeun are even eligible.
With ten people and only two in rap…
This will be rough.
“But this Position Evaluation isn’t your usual team mission. You’ll be cooperating and competing at the same time.”
Do Hee-young turned on the living room TV.
The production team’s video started playing.
<Position Evaluation Live Voting Rules>
100 audience members will vote for the MVP within each team
MVPs will be ranked based on vote count
Once each team has its MVP, another vote will determine the MVP of MVP
The audience votes for the best overall MVP
That MVP receives 50,000 benefit points
The MVP’s team gets 15,000 benefit points each
Each team MVP gets 20,000 benefit points
Complicated.
But in short, each team will have a king—and then there’ll be a king of kings.
Still, those 50,000 points are… honestly not that useful.
Mid-rank boosts don’t mean much unless they affect final rankings.
“Alright, those who want to apply for the vocal position—please raise your hands.”
As she finished speaking, hands started going up one by one.
Me, Ryu Bora, Lee Kyungah, Jo Heeon.
Four of us.
Looks like we’ll be one team.
That means the crowded spot must be—
“Those applying for the dance position—please raise your hands.”
Dance.
Seo Baekyoung, Yeon Juhong, Kim Ryeoyu, Shin Yoohyun, Lee Jooseon, Bang Suin.
That’s not going to be easy either.
“Then, the two trainees who haven’t applied yet—Kim Geum and Park Haeun—are you going for rap?”
“Yes!”
At the confirmation that there were only two of them, Park Haeun went pale.
Can’t blame her.
I’d probably be the same.
Their skill gap is huge.
It’s not that Park Haeun is bad. She’s a Colors trainee—she’s got the basics.
The problem is that Kim Geum is way beyond the basics.
“Now, for the dance position, we’ll need to split into two teams. The method is…”
Do Hee-young glanced over to Kim Ryeoyu with a faint expression.
“The highest-ranked dance applicant, Kim Ryeoyu—please step forward.”
As if she expected it, Kim Ryeoyu stepped up.
Seo Baekyoung and Yeon Juhong looked visibly anxious.
And so did I.
“Kim Ryeoyu, which trainee would you like to go head-to-head against?”
