The Perfect Villain Walks In On His Own

The applause that had been ringing out just moments ago stopped as if it had all been a lie. Things had gotten so tense that even Jena, Jisoo, and Hoyeon froze in place.

Our maknae really doesn't pull a single punch.

Who would have thought she'd come out swinging, invoking Giwon's name, on her very first shoot?

A low, sharp murmur spread through the audience seats in an instant.

"Did Sunghyeon just publicly pick a fight with Giwon?"

"Are they seriously going to air that?"

The faces of the participants who admired Ki Taewon stiffened all at once. Do Suho, most of all. His lips pressed into a hard line, he never once took his eyes off Sihyun. That gaze said, loud and clear, that she had crossed a line.

The MC, caught off guard by the unexpected remark, hurriedly checked his cue cards.

"Yes... what a very... spirited declaration. Now then, I have one last question. Is there anyone among this batch of participants whom you know personally?"

It was a standard question he'd asked every participant before her. Desperate to keep the show moving along its prepared script, the MC rushed on with his words.

Sihyun, holding the microphone, let her gaze sweep over the other guild seats once.

"Yes, there is, actually."

Do Suho's eyes sharpened.

"Well, I'm going to crush all of them anyway, so what does it matter?"

This time, silence swallowed the entire set.

Kim Taeseok's eyes gleamed as he stared at the monitors.

"Tell me the cameras got all that."

"Yes, sir. The solo shot of Lee Sihyun and every participant reaction—we have it all."

"...That kid. He's the real deal."

She was neither the expected sidekick nor a rival. A rookie who could turn everyone into her enemy without so much as blinking. The perfect hate-magnet villain had just walked in on her own two feet.

"But wait—does that kid realize this is going on broadcast?"

"There's no way he doesn't."

How could anyone know exactly what they were doing and still refuse to manage their image like this? Even the production staff found themselves momentarily at a loss for words.

"Ah, hahahahaha!"

A bright, ringing laugh cut across the silent studio. Every head turned toward one person at once—and everyone who confirmed who owned that laugh was stunned.

It was Seo Jeongchan.

He had a hand pressed to his forehead, head bowed. He closed his lips again and again as if trying to hold the laughter in, but he couldn't hide his shaking shoulders.

At the sight, the vice guild leader of Yasang Guild's eyes went wide.

Who is that man?

Four years serving at his side, and never once had he seen that depressive personality wreck laugh like he meant it. Worse, the sight of him laughing with a hand against his brow was so refreshingly clean it looked straight out of an ion beverage commercial—it didn't feel real.

Kim Taeseok wasn't about to miss that reaction.

"MC, get an interview with Seo Jeongchan."

The MC pivoted straight toward him.

"Guild Leader Seo Jeongchan. May I ask what you found so funny?"

The lighting swung over to Seo Jeongchan. He gathered up the last of his laughter and lifted the microphone.

"It was entertaining."

"Entertaining in what way?"

"First time in a long while I've seen someone who only ever says what's true?"

"I'm sorry?"

Seo Jeongchan stretched the corners of his mouth into a long, slow smile.

"Everyone seems to have forgotten that Sung Jeyeon was the strongest there ever was. I was already in a bit of a mood about it."

Sihyun's eyes widened slightly. Even from her, the words were unexpected.

"It's not as if the whole world collectively lost its memory, after all."

The smile was fresh and lovely; the words spilling out beneath it were vicious enough to chill the air. But this time, people couldn't jeer the way they had at Lee Sihyun.

Kim Taeseok flailed his hands frantically.

"Move on! Now!"

The MC hurried into his closing lines.

"...Thank you for the interview! And with that, we've finished all the participant introductions. Let's take a short break!"

The moment the cut sign dropped, staff bustled the audience and cast out in waves. The audience headed for the west exit, the participants for their waiting rooms, and the guild officials who had finished filming filed out of the set one after another.

As always, Sunghyeon was the very last to leave. But Jena, Jisoo, and Hoyeon were far too distracted to notice the slight.

"Shouldn't we make sure Sihyun doesn't see the comments?"

"The team dorm worries me too. What if the other trainees freeze her out?"

"Our kid didn't say anything wrong, though."

"That's true, but..."

Honestly, every word out of Sihyun's mouth had felt like a cold drink of water. It was as if years of swallowed resentment were being repaid all at once. But they couldn't just stand by and let a nineteen-year-old shoulder the flood of hatred that would come as the price.

The three of them had grown noticeably heavy-footed. The person in question, however—

"Why is everyone so quiet?"

—asked it mid-yawn. Three sets of eyes snapped back to Sihyun. She looked at each of their faces in turn, then nodded as though she'd figured it out.

"Right, you're all at that age when your blood sugar starts crashing."

"...Sihyun. We're worried about you."

Sihyun's eyes widened a touch, puzzled.

"Why would you be worried about me?"

"You saw how people reacted. You might come off as completely unlikable on the broadcast."

"Oh, is that what this is about?"

Sihyun smirked.

"Don't worry about it."

"How am I supposed to not worry?"

"I'll just prove it, that's all."

Jena opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.

"If I actually pull it off in the end, that's not arrogance—it's confidence."

Silencing the sneerers with skill until they had no choice but to chant her name—she'd done it so many times she was sick of it. It's my specialty, really.

"Besides, saying this much now means that when I win, it'll draw even bigger attention. It's dramatic, you know?"

Jena stared at her, astonished.

"That wasn't something you just blurted out with no thought behind it?"

"Do I look like I do things without thinking?"

"...Sometimes."

"Honestly. You don't even know how deep this water runs. You two really can't read people."

Watching Sihyun grumble away, the three of them wore strangely complicated expressions. Jena and Jisoo thought of the same person at the exact same moment. She's really just like Jeyeon unnie.

Hoyeon's thoughts ran along the same track. Unable to decide how they were supposed to feel about that, all three fell briefly silent.

Then Sihyun, as if sensing they were still worrying, raised a single finger.

"Also, everyone's overlooking one very important fact."

Three pairs of eyes gathered on her again. Pointing at her own face with a finger, she said with utter seriousness:

"With this face, it's not exactly easy to become unlikable."

"Pfft."

Jisoo broke first. Hoyeon shook his head laughing, and even Jena let out a laugh at the end of a long sigh.

"You're amazing, Sihyun. Suddenly I'm not worried at all."

"Unnie, now I'm more worried about the kids in the dorm."

"Our Sihyun would never kneel to anyone, anywhere."

"Obviously."

Sihyun smirked at the sight of the three of them, visibly brightened. Cute kids.

The four of them walked toward the waiting room, steps much lighter than before. But the mood didn't last long.

The moment they rounded the corridor corner, the door to the Sewol Guild's private waiting room swung open—and Ryu Sungho walked out.

A Sewol official, apparently there to see someone off, bowed deeply to him at the door. It was far too discreet, too deferential, to pass as anything officially scheduled.

So what had he been discussing with Sewol, out of that same mouth that kept preaching fair competition for all participants?

A cold smirk flickered across Sihyun's lips.

So this time it's Sewol he's latched onto.

Well, it made sense. Giwon was too firmly entrenched at number one, and Ki Taewon was a principled traditionalist so rigid it could suffocate. Ryu Sungho must have needed a new strong power he could wrap around his finger.

That disgustingly persistent bastard.

People were capable of turning their backs on their own crew in a single day—so what would you expect from an opportunist like him?

The instant Sihyun tried to look away, Ryu Sungho spotted the four of them too.

"Hey there, everyone."

He hauled the corners of his mouth up in forced friendliness.

"You all seem quite worked up, don't you."