Silence fell as the fading, final note echoed through the soundstage. His chest heaving, sweat pouring down the sides of his face, Andy almost broke from his pose to make sure everyone hadn’t disappeared. A moment later, the Dream Makers erupted into screaming, floor-shaking bedlam. A riot, in the best possible way. Andy relaxed from his pose, grinning ear-to-ear as he stepped into a line with the others. Yeah, he was in trouble, but that was for future Andy to deal with. This Andy had just given the performance of a lifetime.
Si Woo strode back to center stage, his expression electric. “Team One!” he roared over the applause. “Don’t go anywhere! It’s time to see what our Dream Makers thought.”
The other nine teams were brought back onto the stage behind Andy. He turned as the giant screen lit up, displaying the names of all ten teams, ready for the final ranking, and got his first look at the crowded sea of tense and anxious faces.
The results came in a quick, brutal succession. The lower-ranked teams were announced first, their vote counts lower but respectable. As the ranks climbed, so did the numbers, breaking into the high triple digits. Andy watched the teams react, a mixof disappointment and relief. The first real surprise came when Team Three, a unit of powerful vocalists, was announced in fourth place, narrowly beaten by the charismatic Team Four.
And then there were two. Leo’s small misstep hadn’t cost them so dearly to place them in the lower ranks, but Andy would’ve been shocked to lose to them. Unless he’d totally misread the Dream Makers’ vibe.
Si Woo let the tension build, a wicked grin on his face. “And the winning team for the Updated Retro-Classics Mission is–” He paused again, earning a call of frustrated shouts from the audience. Andy was ready to join them. “The winning team is Team One, the Thieves of Heart!”
Confetti cannons exploded, showering the stage in glittering gold. The triumphant outro of their song blasted from the speakers. Before Andy could even process it, his teammates crushed him in a massive group hug, their shouts of joy and disbelief ringing in his ears. He looked up at the screen. The number displayed next to their name didn't seem real. It was more than double the vote for Team Two. A landslide. It wasn’t even close.
In the middle of the chaotic, joyful celebration, his eyes found Min Jae. The ice king’s mask was completely gone, replaced by a look of pure, breathless, shocked triumph. He was laughing, a wide, genuine laugh, as Woo Jin slapped him on the back.
Andy had been terrified of that performance, of laying his true feelings so bare on a global stage for everyone to see. But he hadn't been alone. Min Jae had been right there with him, taking the same insane risk, matching his fire with a heat he hadn’t known the guy possessed. And the risk, for both of them, had paid off in a way Andy could only have dreamed of.
The adrenaline pumped on as Andy went backstage, the crowd’s roar dissipating as the teams left the stage only to be taken over by his team’s roar–a jumping, shouting, back-slapping mob of absolute joy. Andy was right in the middle of it, laughing so hard his already sore abs ached.
But the celebration could only last so long. Andy spotted the looks from the other contestants right away. Envy, of course. And more than a little defeat. But some of the looks veered far too close to suspicion for his comfort. Or, at least, that’s what the suspicious voice in the back of Andy’s head claimed. He’d put too much of himself out there. His secret was no longer safe. But it was only a voice.
After the initial jubilation settled, the reactions started to come in. Other Dream Boys, even from teams they'd just beaten, approached Andy with wide eyes and looks of genuine awe. Dae Hyun shook his head in disbelief as he slapped Andy on the shoulder. "Wow. I gotta hand it to you guys. That duet was genius. That chemistry is how you win this damn show."
"Your chemistry was insane!" Hyun Woo enthused. "I've never seen anything like it."
One after the other, they praised the performance and the brilliant, calculated choice to sell the "insane chemistry." Andy just smiled and nodded, each compliment chipping away at the cold, isolating feeling snaking its way through the darker parts of his mind. But the voice never shut up. Yeah, maybe his secret was still safe. But that didn’t change the fact that he still had to keep it a secret. That he could only express feelings like that if they were a performance.
Eventually, Leo rescued Andy from his mob of well-wishers, dragging him away from the crowd to the very spot he’d been pacing in before the show.
"Dude," Leo said, quietly chuckling as he smirked. "You just changed the whole fucking game. That cute bromance stuff everyone else is doing? It’s worthless, now. You two went full-on, high-stakes, dramatic angst." He shook his head. "That’s master-class fan service. The Dream Makers are absolutely gonna lose their fucking minds."
Fan service. A brilliant, calculated performance. A genius act. Everyone was applauding the lie. Andy forced a grin, clappingLeo on the back. "Hey, we just wanted to put on a good show, right?”
Leo laughed. “I think you did. And with Min Jae, no less. It just goes to show that no one, not even the ice king, can resist Andy fucking Kim.”
Andy’s laugh sounded real. It even looked real. But the terrifying truth had its claws in his mind and refused to let go. The intensity, the connection, the fear, the desperate, undeniable attraction—it was all real. Calling it a lie was the lie. Yeah, that lie had bought him another mission win. But it was with him forever, now. Another lie to add to the ever growing pile of deflections, diversions, and outright deceptions. Another lie he’d have to continue if he wanted to keep on winning.
14
Min Jae’sfeet pounded the treadmill like he was running from a pack of demons. In a way, he probably was. He’d been running from them his whole fucking life. Maybe that’s why he was so fast. But his demons were relentless. The day he stopped running, they’d for sure catch him. But not today.
Today, Min Jae was still riding the high from his team’s landslide victory. The voting advantage would certainly keep him in the top ten, if not his current number two rank. Strangely no one had mentioned who the top vote-getting performer was. Was there an issue with the vote? Were the producers saving that for the elimination? No matter. That person was almost certainly him or Andy, meaning that he’d most likely either stay at number two, if Andy won, or take over the number one rank once again. Either would be fine. But being the number one Dream Boy would be better.
Andy’s time as number one had served him well. But Min Jae might argue that it had served him better. Andy pushing for the two of them to inject a lot more fire into their killing part duet had been the exact right call. The live audience had eaten it up. And Min Jae had no doubt that the K-netizens were all about it,too. He imagined the thousands of posts and threads on every social media platform from Korea and around the world. The furious back-and-forth about whether or not the Thieves of Heart had taken things too far. As if that were even possible. The showrunners had final say on whatever was shown on their stage, and they’d seen the dress rehearsal. No, if they’d allowed it, then it was exactly what they wanted.
And so, everybody wins. The show, the audience, Andy, and Min Jae. Especially him. Never in a million years had he seriously considered using his other finely honed talents on stage like that. His ability to command the attention of a lover. Knowing just exactly how to stare, pout, snarl, and moan to drive his clients wild. If it worked so well on an audience of one–or, two, that one time–then it would also work on an audience of thousands. If only it hadn't worked so well on him, too.
That was the price. Getting so close to the one person he’d sworn to avoid. The one person who always managed to get under his skin. The one person he’d almost kissed. Even their shared embrace offstage, congratulating one another, felt different than it had before. Andy’s charm and attention–not to mention his chest, arms, thighs, and everything else–had melted Min Jae’s walls in a way he’d been powerless to prevent. There was always a cost to that sort of intimacy on stage. But being Andy’s dance partner had worked out so much better for Min Jae than being his rival. If he had to stuff his feelings down a little further, it was a price he’d gladly pay to debut as an idol.
By the time Min Jae had finished in the fitness center, showered, and eaten, most of the guys had gathered in the auditorium for the morning’s filming session. No one had announced what they’d be filming, but Min Jae assumed it was probably another viewing party. That, or more games. He hoped it was the former. He wasn’t in the mood for games.
Min Jae smiled as he followed Woo Jin into the auditorium,the fifty remaining contestants settling into their chairs in a murmur of low, anxious chatter. Chairs meant no games. He found a spot next to Woo Jin close to the middle in the back and waited.
Si Woo strode onto the stage, dressed in a pair of artfully distressed designer jeans, a simple but perfectly cut white t-shirt, and a loose-fitting, olive green silk bomber jacket. He was still a star, but today he was playing the part of the cool, approachable hyung.
“Hello, Dream Boys,” Si Woo said, his voice warm and easy, as he stood before the gently pulsing Dream Boy Project logo on the screen behind him. “I hope you’re all well-rested after last night’s show.” He smiled at the whoops and cheers that rippled through the room. “Well, we’ve got a treat for you today: a special viewing session!” More cheers, including Min Jae, who was still happy there weren’t any games. “We thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the online buzz about your last performances to show you how the Dream Makers are reacting to your incredible hard work.”
The logo disappeared as the first clips played, a rapid-fire montage of powerful moments from the other teams. Team Six during their breathtaking performance, with Choi Hyun Woo at the center, his movements full of a raw, heartbreaking vulnerability. It immediately cut to a video of a fan in France, tears streaming down her face, saying in subtitled French, "His emotion was so real. He has to debut."
