Trapped in the Idol Universe

Roy, having been dragged all the way to the first-aid station by his hyungs, was sitting there in a foul mood, lips pushed out in a pout.

From behind Roy, who sat slumped in his seat, came the sounds of Yeonwoo and Taeeon squabbling.

“Ham’s pouting because of the ham.”

“Why is it because of me?”

“Ham called it a knock-off license ham.”

“But the license ham really is silver. I just called silver silver, so why’d he make a fuss about silver—”

“That’s not all there is.”

“There’s more?”

Taeeon looked aggrieved. He couldn’t understand why, after he’d treated Roy like a liar just now, only he was to blame.

“Awhile ago, E-gong.”

“Why E-gong?”

“E-gong flipped it back on you—remember? He pointed out you’d be number two-oh-two. That was a solid burn. I was actually kind of impressed.”

“...Me?”

Taeeon pointed at himself as though hearing it for the first time.

“Wow, you really don’t remember? You said, ‘Number two-oh-two, huh? So I am E-gong~’”

“And?”

“That was the burn!”

“What? I was just trying to cheer you up—”

“Damn it, Ham. You’ve heard plenty that you have no tact, right?”

Taeeon could say nothing.

“In my view, Ham got upset because he was mocked as two-oh-two. Look, those numbers are in order of passing prelims. Ham just killed you twice in one go.”

Yeonwoo’s guess was correct. Before entering, participants had to sign a pledge: “Under no circumstances use abilities outside of the mission. Violation results in immediate expulsion and criminal prosecution under the Awakened Act.” Only after signing could they receive their name tags.

[Park Yeonwoo / No. 5]

[Kim Taeeon / No. 153]

[Lee Roi / No. 202]

Besides their names, a large number was printed—simple enough: they were listed in order of prelims passing time, from first to last. At first they’d been uncertain, but when they saw Seo Hyunwoo of Pluton clear prelims in just over a minute and receive No. 1, they were sure.

“I never meant it that way—”

“No matter what Ham’s intention was, the fact is someone got hurt.”

At that moment Roy whipped his head around, his silent glare warning them.

Shut up, Park Yeonwoo.

The haughty look in his eyes said exactly that.

How does that guy talk so much when he doesn’t even have a gaslighting skill?

The impudent brat was trying to pin his own mistake on Taeeon—and Roy made sure Yeonwoo knew he’d been at fault, too.

“You’re both the same.”

With that short but powerful warning, Roy straightened up again. His aura screamed “don’t touch,” and his hyungs exchanged defeated looks—they dared not lay a hand on him.

Then an announcement came.

“Filming will begin shortly! Participants, please move to the set as directed by staff.”

Roy rose, balling his fists, and stared toward the distant set.

Finally, the moment of public execution had arrived.

Just you wait. I’ll become the best, meet Seo Hangyeol, and make him regret not believing me.

✧

The long-awaited first filming of began. It was the first time so many Awakeners had gathered in one place, and a strange tension hung in the air. An outsider might have thought Junseo was staging a coup.

Following staff directions, the 202 participants filed into the great hall and seemed momentarily taken aback by how dark it was inside. Roy and his party felt the same.

“Too dark. Feels like ghosts’ll pop out.”

“Roy, where are you?”

Roy grabbed Taeeon’s sleeve as Taeeon looked around for him.

“Here.”

“You’ve got to stick by me, got it?”

“Okay.”

Since Hojin was absent, now it was Taeeon’s turn. In both his past life and now, his hyungs treated him like a child. By age, he wasn’t much younger than Taeeon, either.

Roy mentally squared off with Taeeon when a heavy thud sounded and the doors slammed shut.

Kuung—

In the settled darkness, whispers broke out.

“We’re trapped?”

“Looks like the survival challenge’s started.”

“Crazy. Am I shaking...?”

“They’re not gonna tell us to fight each other, right?”

Roy tensed and pulled Yeonwoo and Taeeon close. On edge at the thought something might jump out, every muscle in his body tightened.

Then—

Pa-at!

A spotlight sprung to life in the center of the hall, illuminating something that stole everyone’s gaze.

What’s that?

Roy’s eyes, still adjusting to the dark, blurred at the sudden light. As he squinted to make it out, other contestants surged forward and blocked his view.

“Huh?”

Honestly, these rude people. With his still-undeveloped frame, all Roy could see was a shaft of light from the ceiling. Cheers and excited voices made it clear it must be the grand prize.

Yeonwoo and Taeeon standing beside him whispered their admiration.

“That’s an S-rank? Wow, the sheen’s perfect.”

“Pretty... What could it be? A holy grail?”

“A grail? What’s that? What does it look like?”

I want to see S-rank gear!

Roy hopped on tiptoe, then bounced in place, but at his 160 cm height, it wasn’t enough. He tapped Taeeon on the arm and looked up with a pouty expression.

“Huh? What is it?” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Pick me up.”

“Can’t see it?”

Roy nodded, then looked up expectantly with a sly smile. Normally he wouldn’t ask this, but right now, satisfying his damned curiosity was top priority. Taeeon, finding him cute, chuckled and obliged.

“How’s that? Can you see now?”

Taeeon lifted him high by the waist and Roy’s view shot up.

“Yeah. I see it.”

Far beyond dozens of heads, Roy saw a gleaming object—a small orb of crystal glowing white, set in a golden star-shaped frame. Below it extended a long, sleek handle with just the right curve for gripping.

But I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before...

Just looking at it made Roy’s heart swell—it wasn’t unfamiliar. He stared at it, the sense of déjà vu growing until his jaw dropped.

“That, that...!”

Our lightstick?!

At once Roy’s status window appeared before his eyes.

[Shinmyohan Shus-bong (S)

: A staff imbued with the power of Starlight. A healing-specialty item.

Restores health and completely removes poison or curse states.

※ Limitation: Requires cooldown after excessive use]

Shinmyohan Shus-bong???

Although it looked far more premium than his memory, it had to be Shooting Star’s lightstick. The status window confirmed it!

Roy was so shocked he froze, finger still pointed.

“Pretty awesome, right? I was surprised, too. Being S-rank equipment, it gets my heart racing just looking at it. Kind of makes me nostalgic.”

“Ham too? Me too!”

Yeonwoo burst in with his own praise. Meanwhile, Roy’s mind spun. He’d planned to abandon the S-rank prize—he’d get off as soon as he found Hangyeol. But now that a familiar item lay before him, he couldn’t just ignore it.

Should I go for it or not?

He had no confidence in winning first place, yet the thought of giving up left him uneasy. Roy buried his face in his hands and groaned.

At that moment, a voice cut through the speakers.

[Hello, Star Hero contestants! I’m Seo Hangyeol, your MC for Star Hero. Nice to meet you.]

...!

Startled by Hangyeol’s unexpected appearance, Roy’s eyes went wide. The contestants murmured and looked around as if trying to spot the voice’s owner.

“Hey, that’s the voice you like, right? He must be here!”

Yeonwoo tapped Roy’s arm, flustered.

“Where? Where is he? Can you see him?”

“Wait.”

Yeonwoo stood on tiptoe, scanning around, but couldn’t spot Hangyeol.

“Not here?”

“Not here?”

“Yeah. Looks like only the voice.”

Then the voice spoke again.

[What you’re looking at is this season’s Star Hero grand prize and S-rank grail: the “Shinmyohan Shus-bong.”]

Oh, my mental fortitude. A fandom lightstick becoming a legendary item—it really was happening in the Wilderness.

Is this right...?

Roy staggered, leaning on Yeonwoo.

[The “Shinmyohan Shus-bong” is a healing-specialty item certified by the World Awakeners Association.]

[I can’t wait to see who claims the S-rank grail!]

Those were just boxes in storage at the company. The thought that contestants would spill blood for it made Roy dizzy.

[Then let’s begin immediately!]

With the booming announcement, the lightstick vanished and three doors appeared.

[Mountain]

[Sea]

[Sky]

Next to each blue-glowing door stood an inscrutable sign.

[Round 1 is an individual challenge. The 202 contestants will choose one of the three terrains for evaluation.]

[Difficulty is equal. Assessment criteria include attack power, accuracy, destructive power, stamina, agility, etc. Grades will be assigned by judges.]

[Star Hero grades range A, B, C, D, and F. Your grade from this round will hold until the first ranking announcement.]

[Grades may change in later missions. We wish you all the best!]