Idol Hides His Military Service

“Sleepy Suyeon··· listen, life is exactly the same as war. Have you heard the phrase ‘the uncertainties of warfare’? Jo once said it, and it’s surprisingly deep. See, when you live life, you can’t only win. Even I—my real rank in Legend of Valley should be Platinum. No—if we’re being generous, Diamond···.”

“Please··· stop.”

Suyeon had no idea how the conversation had wandered yet again into Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Legend of Valley.

It had begun as an attempt to comfort her after that morning’s disappointing midpoint results, but somehow it had turned into the usual “Grandma Lee Sion’s Ancient War Stories Hour.”

—I’ll sleep in another room tonight. Sion-unnie, please take care of Suyeon.

Had Kim Nara predicted this?

Saying the two of them must have a lot to talk about, she escaped early and chose another room.

‘I really am fine!’

But despite Suyeon’s silent scream, Lee Sion’s mouth had no intention of stopping.

It was true that Suyeon had been disappointed by today’s midpoint results.

—Main Vocal 2 is Kurosawa Yuri.

Losing to her rival Yuri and not going on stage—if she acted completely calm in a situation like that, she wouldn’t be Kim Suyeon anymore; she might as well be a saint.

However—

—We’re going to become idols, right?

After talking with Choi Sojin, who had failed with her, Suyeon quickly calmed her heart.

“If becoming an idol were easy, I wouldn’t want it this badly,” Sojin had said. “It’s not over yet.”

Seeing her, Suyeon regained her resolve.

The program wasn’t over.

Not going on stage was a disadvantage, but it didn’t mean elimination.

And seeing Sojin—who had faced something even harsher—pull herself together gave Suyeon strength.

After all, Yuri had been an extremely strong rival for Suyeon, but Sojin’s rival had been Lee Sion herself.

If Suyeon had been matched against Sion, she would have dropped everything and surrendered immediately.

To Suyeon, Sion wasn’t just a monster—she was practically a demon.

—Oho. Doesn’t that look cool, Suyeon?

—Huh? That dance? Of course it’s cool. But it’s hard to copy. It’s a lot harder than it looks.

—Hmm···.

Despite claiming she knew nothing, Sion had tried it for a few days and then suddenly arrived having mastered the dance that Suyeon had once said looked cool.

Not only that—Sion’s skill improved in real time while practicing. Even as someone who wasn’t her direct rival, it was terrifying; Sojin, who was her actual rival, must have suffered even more.

Sujeon Suyeon felt like Sojin deserved applause simply for not giving up.

After pulling themselves together, they returned to the practice room. The atmosphere between the successful and unsuccessful members was stiff and awkward.

Then staff announced that successful and unsuccessful contestants would now use separate practice rooms, and Suyeon and the other unsuccessful contestants moved.

At first, Suyeon felt hurt—was failing not enough? Now they were separating them too?

But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed better.

When she’d been briefly in the same room as Sion and the others earlier, the air had felt suffocating. Being separated might be easier on her heart.

So Suyeon and the others practiced Starlight Umbrella mechanically in the new room.

She wondered what the point was—why practice a song they wouldn’t even perform?

But there was nothing else to do, so they followed the routine.

Besides, cameras were still installed. She couldn’t show herself wilted and defeated on screen.

By the time she returned to the dorm late at night, Sion was already waiting there.

Usually, Sion practiced late into the night and only stopped by when Suyeon and Nara were half-asleep.

—You’re back, Sleepy Suyeon?

Tonight, Sion greeted her early with an awkward smile.

That was the moment Suyeon should have run.

When Nara escaped, she should have gone too. The regret struck too late.

“Seriously, should I go flip the production crew over? You might not know this, but I have a knack for coups. My seniors were really good at this stuff. In that field, I was practically the rightful successor.”

A moment ago Sion had been explaining why her Legend of Valley tier was low, but somehow the topic shifted to coups. Based on experience, Suyeon predicted the storytelling would last another hour.

‘Still··· somehow it’s comforting.’

Maybe because she’d listened to Sion’s stories every night for two months, Suyeon now felt empty without her voice.

When she went home on break, she couldn't sleep without playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms videos on her phone.

And today, she had worried she wouldn’t be able to sleep with her mind in turmoil—but with Sion rambling, her eyelids were already drooping.

“Suyeon-ah, let’s escape this rotten infinite-competition society together. Listen, I haven’t even told Madam Sukja or my dad this secret, but there’s a thing called Bitcoin. It might sound like I’m selling snake oil, but trust me and once you—”

Listening to Sion’s completely useless rambling, Suyeon fell asleep.

***

“How dare Yoon-whatever-your-name-is try to invade my territory?”

“Ugh, seriously, Captain, are you still sulking?”

“I’m not sulking. I am defending the loyalty and righteousness all humans should—”

“Unnie, you’re too petty to be called Captain, but too bold to be called Lieutenant. So I’ll call you Major from now on.”

“What?!”

Seeing Sion leap up in outrage, Yunkyung felt her heart lighten.

‘Seriously, being next to Captain is still the most comfortable.’

Even though she teased her, if someone asked who struggled the most without Sion next to them, Yunkyung would choose herself.

—Um··· can we practice that part one more time?

—Yunkyung-ah, I’m sorry, but we can’t practice only that. There’s a lot we still need to cover.

—Okay···.

Choosing the Girl Crush concept with the determination to grow and return stronger... the first thing Yunkyung learned was how much her previous teammates had been supporting her.

They never snapped even when she struggled. They repeated practice calmly. They lightened the mood with jokes whenever she was tired.

Without those moments, she might have already run out saying she wanted to quit.

Fortunately—

—Try this part again. I’ll watch.

Ryu Ayeon, who had also chosen the Girl Crush concept, quietly looked after her.

She didn’t boldly approach like Sion, but she watched from the side and stepped in whenever Yunkyung struggled. Thanks to Ayeon, Yunkyung was selected as one of the five to go on stage.

“Is Suyeon-unnie okay?”

“Yeah. She looked exhausted yesterday, but today she seemed better.”

“That’s a relief.”

Yunkyung finally relaxed.

In this midpoint check, Sion’s close group—nicknamed the Lee Sion clique—miraculously all made it onto the stage except one.

Only Suyeon failed, so the others had been walking on eggshells.

“What now? Why are you bickering with Yunkyung again?”

“I was teaching a traitor the meaning of loyalty—”

“Stop bullying Yunkyung and Shin Yu already. You've been grilling them for a whole week.”

“No, I—!”

“Shh! Quiet, unnie. I think filming is starting.”

Seeing Suyeon appear out of nowhere and instantly suppress Sion, Yunkyung felt relieved—Suyeon looked okay.

“Hello, contestants! I am your main MC, Jang Junseok!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Yunkyung looked forward.

Jang Junseok appeared in her line of sight.

‘What are we doing today?’

She had grown used to these assemblies.

Gathering everyone on the field after breakfast no longer surprised her.

The Idol Ground 100 production team always gathered contestants after midpoint checks to do something.

The only difference today was that they were outdoors, not in the auditorium.

Last time they were outdoors was during the chicken-leg wrestling match for choosing team leaders.

“What exercise are they making us do this time?”

“Ugh··· I hope it’s something wild. I need stress relief.”

“I don’t want anything too physical···.”

Around her, contestants whispered, expecting physical games. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“For the past week, you must have been exhausted working on the Concept Mission, the third mission, right?”

“Yes!!!”

Thunderous shouts answered.

Of course—they weren’t competing because they liked competing. No one felt relaxed.

Practicing the song, fighting teammates for positions.

If she had to choose the hardest week so far, Yunkyung would choose the past week without hesitation.

“And so, today we prepared an event that lets you forget practice and competition and simply enjoy yourselves!”

“An event?”

“What, not a minigame?”

“Don’t trust them! The enemy is the production crew!”

Reactions were mixed.

Some insisted this was another trap by the evil staff. Others argued the staff surely wouldn’t go that far again.

“Then, we will now begin the very first Idol Ground 100 Battle Field: Ground Zero!”

While contestants tried guessing what the event was, Jang Junseok wrapped up his announcement and revealed the title.

At the same time—

Bang! Poppop-bang!

Fireworks shot up—no one knew when they had been set up—and the coverings on the barricade-like structures around the field fell away.

Revealing the letters printed on them.

‘Mom!!!’

They were logos—New World Department Store and other major brands Yunkyung recognized instantly.

***

“Did we really need the fireworks?”

“It looked cool.”

Main PD Park Hyungsoo checked the monitors to confirm the opening scene had been captured properly.

Next to him, Lee Hyuksoo questioned whether it was too flashy, but he clearly didn’t understand.

—Hyungsoo! Even if it costs extra, use all the effects! We can’t let it look cheap and embarrass our clients.

Director Kang Hyukjin insisted they spare no expense to avoid looking low-quality. Hyungsoo agreed completely.

‘Customer satisfaction is my creed.’

Battle Field: Ground Zero had been created using advertising money worth half of MPlay’s entire variety division’s annual budget.

Not the program’s budget—HALF the division’s yearly budget.

An insane amount.

Thanks to that, the remaining concept mission stages and the final stage now had far more budget, making concert-level production possible.

So of course, they had to satisfy the generous sponsors.

Thus, Hyungsoo brought in the music-show installation team to create everything—from fireworks to barricades with beautifully printed logos.

He checked camera paths dozens of times to ensure sponsor logos would always be visible.

Preparations were perfect.

“Are the balloons ready?”

“Yes! Should we launch the helicopter now?”

“No, keep it ready. Jang Junseok is explaining the rules.”

“Okay.”

Battle Field: Ground Zero wasn’t just for PPL.

Soon, a helicopter they had rented at great cost would fly over the field and drop specially made balloons.

‘Those balloons were insanely expensive too.’

Regular balloons would drift in the wind and cause complaints, so these were plastic, weighted with sandbags, designed to fall exactly onto the field.

Inside each balloon was a small note.

“PD-nim, Jang Junseok just finished!”

“Okay, launch the helicopter!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Hyungsoo’s signal, Lee Hyuksoo radioed the helicopter crew.

‘When the balloons fall, contestants will run ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to grab them, then search for tools to pop them··· perfect for footage.’

The number of balloons wouldn’t match the number of contestants.

They would have to fight.

Even once they got one, the balloons couldn’t be popped by hand—they needed tools.

They either had to protect their own balloon until the end or pop someone else’s and steal their note.

Notes contained sponsor items or broadcast opportunities.

For example, a “1-minute PPL” note let contestants appear on MPlay’s YouTube, presenting a product while showcasing their charms.

For contestants desperate for exposure, it was a heavenly opportunity.

Only ten existed, but contestants valued them more than expensive items.

And that wasn’t all.

“There’s really something amazing inside this?”

“Yes. That’s why you must protect it until the end.”

Watching Sion examine the vest with its attached balloon while Jang Junseok answered her questions, Hyungsoo smiled.

‘Sion, Seo Ryujin, Ryu Ayeon—these three must be used.’

Before the aerial drop, production had already given each of the top three ranked contestants one balloon.

Inside those balloons were the highest-tier rewards.

Hyungsoo assumed anyone with those prizes would likely survive the event.

They hadn’t told contestants this directly, but they had said the best rewards were hidden, so everyone would likely target the top three immediately.

Meaning the top-rankers—called the “DubDub Trio,” a nickname for the Double-U combination of Seo Ryujin, Ryu Ayeon, and Lee Sion—would be chased by everyone.

Imagining the DubDub Trio running away from everyone already excited Hyungsoo.

But that wouldn’t be fair if they could only flee, so the trio received special gloves that could pop balloons.

To win the best prize, they would have to risk losing theirs.

“Then, we will now begin Battle Field: Ground Zero!!!”

With Jang Junseok’s booming announcement, the Battle Field: Ground Zero that Hyungsoo had crafted with such care finally began.