The second round of the NDC was just two days away, and all five members of the KPT University Team were rehearsing as if their scholarship depended on it. 

But no one looked more possessed than Daniel. Limp or no limp, he kept going, eyes burning with a level of obsession that made Terrence, Ben, Kai, and even Sean reconsider their life choices.

On the evening before the second round, as they were leaving the studio, Sean, in his usual blunt fashion, shattered Daniel’s dreams.

“You should sit this round out.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Ben tried to soften the blow. "He's just worried about your ankle, hyung. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

Daniel gasped as if he had been mortally wounded. “How could my children abandon me in my time of need? Appa is disappointed.”

Terry immediately smacked him on the back of the head. “Shut up. We are making sure you don’t overdo it.”

Kai simply nodded. “Yeah, I don’t trust you at all.”

Daniel sighed. “No faith. None at all.”

Meanwhile, Sean was just confused. “Why do you keep calling yourself ‘Appa’?”

Daniel turned to him with a solemn expression. “Because I have taken you all under my wing, little one.”

“I’m taller than you.”

Daniel ignored him.

The day finally came, and the rules for the 2nd Round, Test of Memory, were announced.

Rules:

• Seven different 30-second Idol dance practice videos.

• Teams get TWO HOURS to watch and memorize them.

• Every participant must perform each routine individually.

• Any mistakes = Points deduction

…This was brutal.

And if that wasn’t enough pressure, they found out that no one was allowed to see the other teams perform. This meant zero references for what would impress the judges.

When Daniel heard that last part, he simply shrugged. “Well, it’s a competition. The winner is gonna be a single contestant, not a team.”

That silenced everyone.

Ben hated it when Daniel dropped truth bombs like this so casually. 

Team KPT University was up 11th place.

The judges were terrifying. 

Among the seven judges, one was missing. The other six of them sat like they were royalty, exuding an aura of power and judgment. Ben felt himself shrink just from their collective stare.

There were two female judges and four male judges. Ben didn’t recognize most of them, but two faces jumped out immediately.

One was a woman with shiny nails and ageless beauty: Yoon Byeol. She had been a huge idol back in the previous generation. Though she had to be in her forties by now, she looked like she hadn’t aged a day. Her name had always been synonymous with excellence in dance. It made sense that she was here.

The second familiar face was a man in glasses, Kang Ha-joon. Ben had seen him credited on some of the most viral Idol choreographies. Rumor had it he could spot a synchronization error from a mile away and had once made an idol trainee redo a sequence twenty times. Ben mentally noted to stay off his radar.

There was also a bald man who looked like he’d been carved from concrete. His stern face rang a bell, but Ben couldn’t quite place the name. 

Before he could dwell on it, Daniel leaned in and whispered, “That’s Min Jang-nim. I met him during a part-time gig. He manages staging for high-profile concerts.”

Ben nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. 

Of course, Daniel had crossed paths with stage royalty like it was no big deal.

Daniel motioned subtly toward a poised woman on the far left, dressed in an elegant, minimalist outfit and sporting a sleek bob. “That’s Kim Soojin-nim,” he murmured. “I’ve seen her with eomeoni a couple of times. She’s a choreographer too.”

The remaining judges were strangers to both of them, their expressions unreadable.

One of the judges with a particularly sharp gaze looked Daniel up and down and asked bluntly, “Did you injure yourself recently?”

Daniel smiled, utterly unfazed. “Ah, just pulled a muscle.”

The judges exchanged glances. They were already writing him off.

Ben clenched his fists.

They had no idea.

When it was the turn for their team, Terrence stepped in first.

TERRENCE

Terrence’s execution was sharp, clean, and confident. Every movement landed with clarity, and aside from one or two minor slips, he hit every routine like he’d been born doing them. 

When the music hit its final note, there was a brief, stunned silence followed by a respectful round of applause from the judges.

Kim Soojin nodded, her voice calm and precise. “Your execution was crisp. The way you memorized and recalled each movement showed strong internalization. Well done.”

Another judge, Ahn Ju-yeon, a stern-looking man with a buzz cut and eyes sharp enough to slice through glass, added, “You’ve got raw talent. But you're using excessive strength in places where finesse would be more effective. Work on your flexibility. That said, your memory work is excellent.”

Terrence bowed with a respectful “Gamsahamnida,” and walked off, posture tall, face unreadable, but the subtle twitch at the corner of his lips gave away his pleasure.

To be Cont.