Idol Hides His Military Service

“Lee Sion, don’t take your hat off in the practice room either!”

“Cut her some slack in the practice room!”

“No. If you do that, there’s a huge chance you’ll forget and walk outside without a hat on.”

At coward Ryujin’s cold voice, I couldn’t argue.

-Lee Sion!!! Hurry up and come out with your hat on!

Just this morning, I’d blanked and walked out like that, and our manager, Kim Yunsik, nearly had a heart attack.

‘What a pain.’

Recently, a special order had come down for me and the members: unless we were in the dorm, we had to keep hats on at all times.

-We’re going into styling with the showcase coming up. We have to shoot the album jacket, merch, and promo photos, so we need to adjust everything to match the concept.

With debut right around the corner, we’d changed our hairstyles to fit the album concept.

And because we absolutely could not let anything leak before the showcase, we weren’t even allowed to go out. We only moved between the dorm and the practice room in the manager’s car.

Still—

-This feels familiar.

-This is way better than Agbaek. Back then we couldn’t even use our phones.

-I’m too tired to go out anyway.

The members actually adapted fast, acting like this was manageable. Maybe because we’d already experienced being trapped in a dorm during Agbaek, nobody seemed that miserable.

The problem was our tyrant, coward Ryujin.

-Lee Sion, from now on you’re banned from watching TV in the living room after midnight.

-Why?!

-Why do you think? We all have to manage our condition with debut coming up. I had the manager throw out all the snacks you hid. From now on we’re doing strict diet management too.

After getting elected leader, coward Ryujin stopped pretending and started baring her instincts as the company’s hunting dog.

-I will now announce the voting results... Ryujin received 19 out of 19 votes and has been chosen as Iam’s leader...

The shocking result from the last “pick the leader” content.

After Yuri announced coward Ryujin’s election in a voice that sounded half-dead, I glared at the employees who had caused this disaster, but—

-Ahem.

The CEO and all the staff turned their heads at once, avoiding eye contact with me.

To be honest, after coward Ryujin got chosen by shamelessly securing the company-side votes, I’d wrestled with a serious dilemma.

‘Do I have to unseal it?’

Since I’d learned from my academy seniors that elections aren’t the only way to seize power, I briefly considered pulling out “that thing” I’d sealed in my left hand since Class F.

‘I could wipe them all out.’

Even though I couldn’t see it, it was probably like this:

[The constellation “The General Who Extinguishes the Candle of the Sleeping Dragon” is waiting for your decision and has donated 500 points.]

That kind of status window was basically floating over my head.

But then—

“Ryu Ayeon, don’t you think you’re moving a little too big in this part?”

“Am I?”

“Yeah. Look—this section really stands out.”

“You’re right. It kind of does.”

Watching coward Ryujin rewind the camcorder footage during a short break in choreography practice, then call Ryu Ayeon over to point it out, I thought, Maybe it was good we gave her the leader role.

If you asked who among us had the best skill, I’d pick Ryu Ayeon.

But if you asked who had the best analytical eye, I’d pick coward Ryujin.

She was the only one who could catch tiny details like this—things even Ryu Ayeon hadn’t noticed—and point them out.

And that wasn’t all.

-I’ll try suggesting that we get at least one meal a day where we can eat what we want instead of diet food.

-Ryujin!

-Ryujin!!

She wasn’t just parroting the company’s stance. She tried hard to reflect the members’ opinions and mediate between both sides.

Seeing that, it made sense that back in Agbaek, coward Ryujin had earned the nickname “sub-leader” for a reason.

Anyway, I slid over and watched the video with them, and yeah—Ryu Ayeon did look like she was popping out a little on her own.

“You still haven’t grown at all, coward Ryujin.”

“What?”

“Flounder... become a flounder!”

“What are you even talking about now?!”

“Tsk. Not knowing that legendary line means you’ve wasted about ninety percent of your life.”

Ryu Ayeon, the Bill Gates of life, pressed me to explain properly, but I lightly covered my ears and ignored her.

“But honestly, in a way, Ryu Ayeon danced it correctly.”

“Huh?”

“The choreographer said it, right? That this choreography should feel upbeat even if you watch the dance without the song.”

At coward Ryujin’s words, I remembered what Park Daehun, the choreographer who made our routine, had said.

-This choreography is about excitement and nervous tension. So I made the key point slightly off-kilter group synchronization. What matters here is... people need to feel your energy.

It seemed like coward Ryujin wanted to say that Ryu Ayeon showed the energy Park Daehun had talked about—and that the other members were still too busy just getting the moves down to match that tempo.

“But even if Ryu Ayeon danced it more ‘right,’ we’re in the phase of matching our unity, so you have to go out together with the others.”

“I’ll watch it.”

“Okay, then let’s match the choreography again!”

“Yes!”

After checking the details for a moment, coward Ryujin signaled the start of practice again.

The members who’d been sprawled out resting on the floor replied, got up, and immediately took formation.

Then the music started.

Now, the second our debut song played—no matter what section—it hit my ears and my body reacted first.

This song’s center was me.

I stood at the very front of the formation, and the other members stood behind me in a V-like shape.

Thud.

(Oh-oh) yeah, yeah

(Oh-oh) I can feel it, first vibe

As soon as the song began, I shot my right arm straight up into the air and kicked off the ground in place like I was about to sprint.

Then, when I lowered my body and lightly touched the floor with my hand—

The air changes

A light I have never seen spreads

The words I prepared like lines

All disappear, funny right?

On the far left side of the formation from the camera’s perspective, coward Ryujin sang the opening, while the rest of the members rode a wave-like motion.

‘Here, not too fast, not too slow.’

The key here was that I had to move smoothly to the point where the members’ wave ended—without turning around to look.

It felt like night firing.

Like shooting a target you can’t see, I had to trust that the members behind me would move at exactly the right timing. I spun like a top and moved into the promised position.

And then—

Nod.

My eyes met Yuri’s at the very back edge of the line.

Perfect timing.

We’d failed countless times at first, but now we almost never missed.

Even the brief silence is vivid

My heart speaks first

An unfamiliar tone

That is what you will remember more

But I couldn’t relax.

The song kept going without mercy.

There was almost no rest section. Just singing the whole time was already demanding, and the choreography was intense too—if you lost focus even slightly, disaster struck immediately.

Step.

This time, Lee Gahyeon moved into the center and sang, while the rest of us split three-and-three to the left and right.

And not only that, it wasn’t mirrored symmetry—each trio danced different moves.

‘This part is fun.’

When he said “slightly off-kilter group synchronization” was the point, he meant sections like this.

In this part, the three on the left put a hand above their eyebrows like they were scouting, while the three on the other side did stiff, awkward waves like they were greeting someone.

Compared to me doing stiff moves during that first entrance ceremony, intentionally making awkwardness look “designed” was way harder than it sounded.

-In this part, Yuri, Shinyu, and Sion are expressing the awkwardness of a first meeting. People will see it as stiff, but you have to show it is not because you cannot dance, it is because you are awkward.

It was like playing an actor who has to act badly on purpose.

And beyond that—

(Oh) Everything looks new

(Yeah) This is not an accident

It feels like chance, but somehow

It feels like a scene already decided

In Shinyu’s rap part, the rest of us had to act like we were in a play—each doing different motions while still creating one single situation together.

And in the chorus, while we danced in sync, our feet had to hit the exact timing while our hands reached in different directions, like we were running.

The theme of this choreography—“not what you expected”—was embedded everywhere.

“Haah...”

Thanks to that, the difficulty was brutal.

Even Ryu Ayeon, who was usually unfazed by dance, ended a single run-through breathing hard.

“I think I’m going to get taller.”

“Huh?”

“If we do choreography where we stretch our legs out every day, won’t I get as tall as the boss someday?”

When the song ended, Yunkyung lay flat on the floor and asked if she wouldn’t grow taller. I hesitated for a moment about whether I should tell her the truth.

“Truth or lie.”

“Huh?”

“Choose one.”

I kindly offered her options.

“I’ll pick lie!”

“A lie is bad, so I will tell you the truth.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

“Yunkyung. On average, the growth cutoff for women in Korea is around fifteen.”

“What?!”

Her shocked face made my heart sting, but truth was cruel. Nothing to do about it.

“You’re already fully grown.”

“No way!”

“It’s true. I swear on Gahyeon.”

Yunkyung tried hard to deny it.

“Why are you swearing on me?!”

“Then what, was I supposed to swear on my parents right here?”

“Well... that’s...”

“Apologize, right now!”

As Gahyeon stammered and finally said sorry—

Smack!

“Argh!”

Someone delivered a vicious smash to my back.

Because I was drenched in sweat and my shirt was stuck to my skin, the damage came in at double power.

I turned to retaliate and saw Ryu Ayeon standing there.

“Stop picking on Gahyeon.”

“What? I picked on Gahyeon?”

“Who else would it be?”

Unbelievable.

I already knew Ryu Ayeon’s ability to judge people was a disaster, but this level?

“Those darker and darker circles under Gahyeon’s eyes lately... the culprit is Kurosawa Yuri!”

“What?”

“Huh? Yuri has never picked on Gahyeon.”

Yuri answered with an innocent face like she had no idea.

The public’s reactions to Yuri floating around out there were deeply infuriating.

-Yuri is the pure embodiment of innocence.

↳When other idols act cute, it can be kind of cringe, but Yuri is naturally cute down to the way she talks.

↳The slightly clumsy vibe is a real “falling for her” point.

↳And on stage, Yuri pulls off any concept well, so the contrast is charming.

↳Yeah, the skill makes it even more attractive.

‘If you only look at the outside, sure. You would get fooled.’

Even I, before I truly knew Yuri, had just thought she was one of the cute contestants.

But then—

“Gahyeon, I’m thinking about when Yuri was in Japan.”

“Huh?”

“When Yuri was little, if she went grocery shopping holding her mom’s hand, her mom would buy her a tiny jelly candy and tell her to stay quiet.”

“...”

“Today, I miss the jelly candy my mom bought me back then.”

Yuri would somehow catch Gahyeon secretly eating jelly alone in bed, then say things like that in a low voice.

In the end, Gahyeon had no choice but to offer up her jelly.

That girl was a storytelling genius on my level.

So much so that even I almost pulled out my hidden snack box, the one I’d tucked away from coward Ryujin and the managers, just from listening to her.

“Guys, let’s match the middle chorus part one more time.”

While we were joking around and seriously contemplating Yuri’s slyness, coward Ryujin’s voice cut in—still staring at the camcorder even during break.

“Already?”

“Yeah. Looking at it now, our footwork is slightly off here. I think it’ll be better to fix it by dancing it.”

The members looked drained from nonstop practice since morning, and it showed.

“Is it that hard? Then should we rest a little more?”

Maybe coward Ryujin’s heart softened seeing everyone tired, because she pretended she might postpone practice—then signaled me with her eyes.

‘My time to step in.’

I gave her a subtle nod and went to work.

“Ah, I guess the weaklings might find it a little tough.”

“!”

“Well, Yunkyung is still young, and Shinyu is a producing specialist, so dancing might be hard.”

“That’s not true!”

“I’m confident in dancing now too!”

Shinyu and Yunkyung sat bolt upright immediately.

“Gahyeon is older, so we should cut her some slack. And Yuri is a foreigner, so honestly, she’s working hard for that level, even if her skill is a little lacking.”

“I’m still full of energy, okay?”

“Yuri isn’t good because she’s a foreigner. Yuri is just good!”

With that, Gahyeon and Yuri snapped upright too, like they’d never been slumped at all.

Ryu Ayeon and I had already been ready to practice the moment coward Ryujin spoke, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) so before we knew it, the whole team was back in formation.

‘Hm... I’m going to get rolled up in a blanket again at the dorm tonight.’

Standing in the center, I felt the members’ murderous stares drilling into my back.

Once before, when everyone was exhausted and coward Ryujin suggested more practice, I’d provoked them like this—and that night they wrapped me in a blanket and rolled me around like a straw mat.

So tonight probably wouldn’t pass quietly either.

Thud.

Music started again.

Listening to it fill the practice room, I accepted my fate and decided I’d endure the group punishment.

Because I’d said this to coward Ryujin after she got elected leader:

-Coward Ryujin, you’re the good cop and I’m the bad cop. Okay?

I’d grumbled jokingly about rigged elections and her being the company’s dog, but honestly, I understood better than anyone how heavy the responsibility was on her shoulders.

So I needed to protect the leader’s authority.

It wasn’t like practice was easy for coward Ryujin either.

She was tired too, but it was obvious she was gritting her teeth and pushing for a better stage.

If the members started rejecting the leader’s suggestions under the excuse of being tired, the leader’s authority would crumble sooner or later.

So, against my will, I took the role of provoking everyone.

Of course—

-Lee Sion, good work today.

-The goods?

(Swipe)

-Here. Do not get caught eating it by the others.

-Don’t worry.

After I provoked everyone, there was a secret transaction where coward Ryujin slipped me some of the snacks she’d confiscated.

But this was my noble, self-sacrificing contribution for the team.

“Lee Sion, I’m not letting you off today.”

“I’ll help too, Gahyeon!”

“Yuri will join too!”

“Today, I will participate as well!”

I heard the members whispering behind me, completely unaware of the arrangement.

‘Please!’

All I could do was pray that my back survived again today.

If I endured this, coward Ryujin said she’d tell me the IPTV password as a special reward.

***

“Looks like it’s starting!”

Shinyu’s excited voice.

‘Shinyu really does love idols.’

Ayeon thought that was impressive.

Ayeon couldn’t feel anything like that while looking at other idols—especially the group that was about to go on stage right now.

“They really are a big company. They even put a special stage into a debut broadcast.”

“The stage decorations are so flashy!”

“It was probably pre-recorded, but smaller agencies couldn’t do that even if they got the chance. One stage costs millions of won.”

Listening to the members throw out comments while watching TV, Ayeon focused on the screen too.

-After today’s afternoon practice, go back to the dorm and watch the music show. You all know why, right?

Producer Raon had told Ayeon and the others to return to the dorm after practice.

Of course, it wasn’t to rest with debut so close.

[Today’s Music Count first act is TSP’s rookie girl group.]

[We will be featuring LYNX’s stage. Shall we all count down LYNX’s debut together?]

The music show MCs’ energetic introductions rang out from the TV.

Today was the day of LYNX’s debut stage—Iam’s biggest rival.