15. Gleam Showdown

FIFTEEN

They're standingat the peak of the world, but things can always be better. Such was the logic that led them to star in their second survival show—Gleam Showdown. They're dressed in matching tracksuits. Their clothes are made to look like activewear but made from a slippery fabric that has a soft and gentle sheen. They're all dressed in matching colors of mink. The clothes—sporty but chic, luxe but understated—are simple enough to set off their youthful, fresh beauty.

They're the first to set foot in the arena where the live filming will begin. They'd filmed B-roll footage ahead of time. Producers and cameramen from Gleam had followed them for a week before live shooting was scheduled to start, in order to capture their day-to-day lives in the lead-up to the big event. They'd even pulled some footage from their livestreams and vlogs with Company P's permission.

Charis is full of jittery nerves as he stands on the stage. He's grateful for the nearness of his members. The arena looks more daunting than he had imagined. He'd imagined they'd shoot in a film studio, the way they usually did for variety shows, but instead they're in an arena the size of a small stadium. It's an enclosed space made with sleek, dark black walls that loom cavernous above them. There are bleachers for them to sit, which look equally cold and imposing.

Charis wishes he'd worn something nicer for the shoot. This is the concept they'd decided to go with; the stylists had consulted with them, and they'd all agreed that it was a great way to showcase the young and fresh side to Fairytale—playing to their status as up-and-comers in the industry—but now, he feels underdressed. He pulls lightly at his clothing, trying not to give away his discomfort.

Most of the others are too caught up in their own case of the nerves to notice or even give Charis a second glance.

They're the first ones in the studio hall.

"Do we just sit anywhere?" Miyong asks.

Famously loud, even he sounds a bit mousy here. His sweet and powerful voice is eaten up in the cavernous space.

Soohyun steps up as their fearless leader. He looks around.

"Here seems as good as anywhere else."

He chooses a spot near the front, and the others follow him.

The floor is covered in a layer of brown dirt as fine as powder. It's a bold choice that makes the space look rugged, as if monster trucks will emerge to tear up the ground at any moment. Some of the dust clings to their shoes that are made with the same reflective, futuristic material as their clothing. Their shoes come in different colors, as do the headbands that some of them wear and their other accessories. They all coordinate together, but it gives off a flair of individuality that sets them all apart.

Soohyun sits down first, picking a spot that's close to the top on the tiered bleachers, and the rest sit down after him.

Mouse sits at the end, next to Soohyun, and Charis is sitting in the front row on the other side, beside Kiki, who's sandwiched between him and Xiao Yu. Behind him, Miyong jiggles his feet on the bleacher floor.

The other teams come out one by one. Charis sees their juniors from Company P. He sees Lai Jinho with his group. They look just as lost and confused as Fairytale did when they first entered the arena. More than that, they look very young.

B-Love had gone with a tough, futuristic concept. They're dressed from head to toe in all black suits that are reminiscent of military uniforms with the same kind of sharp angles and rigid structure. Their uniforms are trimmed with pieces of shining silver cord, braided to catch the light as it drapes across their chests and down their shoulders. Steel spikes and other daring accouterments adorn different places on their bodies according to their outfits. Some have it on their angular shoulder pads, while Lai Jinho wears his as a daring black leather choker studded with spikes.

They look around, dazed, and then find a place to sit. While they're milling around and trying to figure out what to do, they catch sight of Fairytale. Lai Jinho makes eye contact with Charis, and his face lights up. He waves with big, broad gestures, swinging his arm from his shoulder.

Charis's stony face breaks out into a small but genuine smile, and he waves back.

Mouse has been conversing quietly with Soohyun, but the movement catches his eye, and he watches the exchange. After Lai Jinho of B-Love has gone back to his group and found a place to sit, Mouse leans forward and asks Charis curiously, "Someone you know?"

"Mm. Yeah, from trainee days." He twists so Mouse can read his lips. They're sitting as far apart as they can get on these bleachers, not on purpose but because this is the formation they'd agreed upon before they'd started, the formation that could best showcase their strengths and Fairytale's subgroups.

Two more groups filter in while they wait. One of them is a more senior group from another company, who Fairytale greets cordially when they sit beside them. There's another mid-rank group from yet another company.

The wait after that seems longer. It takes so long that they all start to get restless, sweating in their makeup and clothes under the hot overhead lights, shifting uncomfortably in their seats on the hard aluminum bleachers.

"Is that everyone?" Kim Joon leans in to ask under his breath. His eyes are lined with a black eyeliner that makes them stand out clear and sharp, with flecks of glitter that shine like the night sky.

Soohyun frowns and leans toward him. "No," he says equally quietly, pitched only for them to hear. His hand comes up to cover the concealed microphone on him. "There were supposed to be five groups."

Between them, B-Love, Revolution, and 4QY, there are four.

Charis ignores his group members' chatter and looks around.

They've been waiting for quite some time, for long enough that he's starting to wonder if the producers will just go ahead and skip the last group, if maybe there'd been some change to the lineup, and it just hadn't been transmitted. They're all busy idols, and they're starting to get restless from waiting for so long.

All of the participants had technically been a secret—from the public, at least—but Fairytale had known about B-Love's participation since they were from the same company. It was carefully discussed and arranged ahead of time. The higher ups had debated whether or not it was wise to pit their two youngest boy groups against each other, but ultimately, it was decided that it would be a chance to show their camaraderie and expand their recognition to a wider market—especially B-Love, which was still in its infancy.

There had been speculation that Revolution would participate, and Mouse had heard some rumors from his friends at Rockstar that 4QY would participate.

The fifth group, though? No one had any idea about them. It was actually a cause for much speculation both online in fan spaces and within their own industry groups.

Even Hwa Chungae hadn't been able to tell them much.

"They're someone really big, that's all I know. They're supposed to be the dynamo that draws viewers. Not that you're not!" He's quick to add. "Of course people are going to turn out to see you, too. Your Charm fanbase is growing at an explosive rate. Wasteland really did a lot to expose you to a global market."

"It's fine," Miyong said a little wryly, patting Hwa Chungae on his broad shoulder as it became clear that he was really winding himself up to go off on a tizzy of a tangent. "Our feelings aren't hurt, Uncle Chungae. We don't mind if someone is a bit more famous than us. After all, lots of people are, right? That just means that we have to keep working hard to secure our spot in people's hearts!"

"Ah? Ah…"

Hwa Chungae pauses, stopping abruptly with his mouth hanging open before he remembers to close it. He clears his throat, at a bit of a loss as his sudden windup is interrupted by Miyong's sweetness.

"Right, well. That's true. You're a good boy, Miyong-ah. You're all good boys." He looks at them, draped in various shades of repose around the meeting room. "Anyway, it doesn't matter who the Gleam producers have lined up, right? You boys will knock ‘em dead, regardless."

Hwa Chungae puffs up a little bit, his chest inflating with pride for these boys just like any mother hen.

In the stadium, Charis wonders who this famous fifth idol group could be. Maybe Embrace? It seemed a little far-fetched, but if Gleam wanted star power…

Finally, making an entrance so late it could barely be called fashionable and instead started to border on the edge of incredibly rude, in swaggered the last people Charis ever expected to see. The 3rd generation superstars, First Love.

Everything was immediately forgiven as an excited hush went up around the room. Everyone started whispering, and the sounds of bodies shifting in the stands became even louder as people clamored and peered to get a better view.

The members of the five-man group who walked in seemed completely unphased. They looked more like someone who belonged in a Western-style rock band than one of the idol groups that Charis belonged to. They almost seemed to sparkle in the light.

One of them with peroxide blond hair, light and bright, tosses his long hair over his shoulder. They're all very tall. They look like they could be models. An even taller, leggy man with long silver hair lopes along behind him, and three others with black and red hair follow along behind.

"First Love? Are you for real?" Lai Jinho's junior squeaks beside him. He's leaning forward in his chair, craning to get a look, which is nearly impossible because the members of First Love are seated directly to the left of them.

Yejun has been a long-time fan. In fact, he's got a whole wall of First Love merch back home, and he's not the only one—a lot of idols here had grown up on First Love's music. After all, idols don't merely want to become idols out of nowhere. They usually have those they looked up to first.

Lai Jinho frowns a little bit, deep in thought. One of their hyungs, Kim Soojung, pushes Yejun back in his seat.

"You'll get to see them later," Soojung says.

Yejun perks up, as if remembering the cameras that are all on them, and sits up straight in his chair once more.

On the other side of the stadium, in the stands where Fairytale is sitting, Miyong starts to sing along to "Lover's Kiss," one of First Love's most popular songs, under his breath.

Beside him, Soohyun sees Mouse sneer.

It isn't long after the modelesque members of First Love sit down that the announcer steps forward to give the opening remarks to the camera. He makes the usual comments about proving their mettle and testing their skills against one another, and he lays out the rules of the competition. There will be different challenges to meet, some that will pertain directly to performing and others that are more variety show-oriented in nature.

They'll have the opportunity to collaborate with and compete against various teams, and at the end, only one team will remain. Three judges are introduced, two producers and one popular singer, but the judges' votes will only count for half of their overall evaluation. The other half will come from the audience—their fans.

They've already been briefed on the rules and the nature of the contest, so they listen politely.

After filming breaks for the morning, they're all given the chance to go back to their green rooms to wait for their next call. The tense, orderly atmosphere breaks, and they're all released into the wild, dozens of idols who stand up, still dressed from head to toe in their most glittering, conceptual clothing.

Charis stands and cracks his back, twisting from side to side to stretch the residual stiffness out.

Although they've been given a break, they don't immediately rush to clear the area, and they're not the only ones. With the exception of First Love, who disappears as quickly as they'd arrived, leaving no one the chance to gawk at them, the rest of them stay to mingle around.

Contrary to popular belief, the idol industry is actually pretty small. A lot of active idols had trained together at one point in time, and they tend to become friendly with one another while working on variety shows or hosting weekly programs. They're all always so busy that it's hard to have regular friends, and it's even hard to find time to get together with other idols who understand the life between conflicting schedules and constant comebacks.

Old friends and acquaintances hail each other from across the stadium, walking over to mingle and greet each other.

Jinho had been planning to go over and say hi to big brother Charis, but he'd forgotten his intentions after the arrival of First Love had set his mind in disarray. He looks kind of lost standing there in the middle of the dirt floor of the stadium. The rest of his group has gone to meet with their friends, apparently leaving him all alone. He looks adrift, and it only takes Charis a split second to decide to go and talk to him.

Soohyun and Mouse glance up as they see Charis start across the stadium floor, only mildly surprised. It's not very usual for Charis to take a keen interest in other people, but it's not like Charis is unfriendly. Soohyun has known him slightly longer than the others, though they were never close, and he remembers Charis being close with the younger boys on his floor in the trainee dorms.

A tall, strapping young man with an athletic build and short, stylish hair comes over to greet Soohyun, who leaves Charis to his business and goes to chat with his friend. Likewise, Min Seojun of 4QY comes over to say hi to Mouse.

"Hey, Mouse! Long time no see."

"Seojunnie, what's up?"

"Never thought I'd see you here, huh?"

Mouse scoffs. "What nonsense are you talking? Of course we'd both end up here."

Seojun laughs. "I forgot what you're like. I gotta say, I've missed it. You're sure you don't regret not debuting with us?"

"What's to regret? I do just fine in F. You don't think the prince theme suits me?"

His hair, currently bound in an intricate French braid that's been loosened until it looks artfully wild and messy, gets tossed over his shoulder. He's not serious, or mad, and Seojun knows that. They're just horsing around.

"It does. Everything's always suited you."

It's an honest compliment, the kind that flows between idols as easily as water—you look sexy, you look hot, you look handsome—and as easily as criticism. They're an honest lot among each other.

"Yeah, well. You're still not so bad yourself."

Seojun had dyed his hair fresh for the Gleam Showdown debut. He'd had the sides shortened up and had bold streaks of reddish blond patches bleached into it.

He has a more masculine, boyish look than any of Fairytale, except perhaps for Xiao Yu. But even Xiao Yu carries the signs of their signature princely polish. 4QY is a group founded on the principles of individuality, authenticity, and uniqueness, which is why many people—not just Seojun—had thought Mouse would debut with them. It really does seem to be more his style and definitely more his speed.

Mouse is an odd one out among many of the idols of their generation. He'd been famous even before he'd graduated from the trainee program and been catapulted onto the world stage through his debut in Fairytale.

It was his looks and moreover his attitude, not to mention his innate social media skills. He was widely known online, where he'd cultivated his fame, as the ace of Company P. For Mouse, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd debut, a question of when and not if. He'd brought his own fans with him when he'd joined Fairytale; it was a good deal for any company. There'd been much speculation about which group he'd debut with, and some savvy eyes had noticed his close relationship with Rockstar, a rival entertainment company.

It's true, he had had the chance to jump ship and debut with 4QY.

"You'd have had to change your name then," Mouse says, clapping Seojun on the shoulder.

Seojun laughs without restraint, the sound of his voice resonant and sweet. "Well, 5QY doesn't have such a bad ring to it. You know while we're here—I think the microphones are off now, anyway—I've always wondered, actually. Why you didn't."

Mouse looks at him with his naturally sleepy eyes that make him look like a lazy predator lying in the grass. "Why I didn't debut with 4QY, you mean?"

"Mm."

Mouse sticks his hands in his pockets and looks up at the ceiling high above them, painted black like the darkest starless night, black like the walls around them. "Because you all debuted later than Fairytale."

Seojun is a little incredulous, and it comes out in the way he speaks. "By two months!"

"Mmhm."

"Damn," Seojun says. "You're cold."

Mouse shrugs, and when he grins, his white teeth look a bit sharkish. "We gotta get ours, don't we?"

A ways behind him, the rest of Fairytale is packing it in, gathering and heading their way toward one of the big, open entryways that lead out of the stadium. One of them stops to look back at Mouse, and the rest of them wait for him.

"Good luck with the contest," Mouse tells Seojun. "May the best man win."