I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

Kang I-yul was now less uncomfortable with Yoo Seong-woo and more intrigued by him.

He was slow, but strangely enough, he followed everything.

And the end result was always precise.

“By any chance…”

Yoo Seong-woo hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Would it be okay if I watched you practicing from behind and followed along?”

‘What would watching from behind…… change?’

Still, a debt was a debt. He might as well pay it off properly in one go and be done with it.

“…Yes.”

“Great!”

But something felt strange.

Yoo Seong-woo didn’t immediately stand behind him.

One step, then another.

He carefully measured his stride and chose his position.

It was easy enough to guess what he was doing.

‘He must be trying to get himself on camera properly.’

Yoo Seong-woo wasn’t oblivious. The fact that he had joined the survival show immediately after becoming a trainee and had already made an impression proved that.

More importantly, he had seen it. The way Yoo Seong-woo’s eyes quickly checked the camera positions.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

‘He’s sly.’

But in this industry, that wasn’t a flaw.

‘That’s how you survive.’

That was when it happened.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, Yoo Seong-woo grabbed him.

“Why?”

“You went too far. Could you come back one step?”

“…Huh?”

It was only a single step, so what did he mean by too far?

“Sorry, I, um… my eyesight isn’t very good.”

What nonsense.

Kang I-yul narrowed his eyes.

Someone who had been so quick to check the camera positions?

‘Could it be…?’

Kang I-yul quickly scanned his surroundings.

One of the cameras was pointed this way directly.

‘Wow…’

He immediately stepped back.

One step.

Just that one step changed the frame.

The instincts he had developed through his long trainee career were telling him.

He should listen to this hyung, at least for now.

 

***

 

The composition where the two of us would naturally be captured in the same frame.

It was a position I had selected after using the excuse of going to the bathroom to slip away and even checking the filming monitor.

The music started playing again.

Kang I-yul repeated the choreography in front of the mirror. Even though he had already danced it dozens of times, he was still full of energy as if it were his first time.

I followed him from behind.

The tips of his feet, his waist, his shoulders, even the angles of his hands. My body naturally followed his movements.

That was the second reason I had asked Kang I-yul about choreography I already knew by heart.

I had followed this choreography thousands of times. Since I had never learned how to dance, I had learned the movements solely by watching Kang I-yul’s signal-song fancam over and over again.

So it was embarrassing to even call it a ‘dance line,’ but all of my movements naturally resembled his.

However, it had been quite a long time since I had blown up that account, so I had to practice like hell all over again.

As soon as the music ended, it started again, and when it ended again, it started over once more.

Sweat streamed down my body, and my thighs felt like they were burning, but…

I didn’t stop.

Whenever I thought I couldn’t go any further, I looked at Kang I-yul’s cast. And then I thought of that final moment I never wanted to remember, even if I died.

I absolutely had to survive.

And I had to save him.

How much time had passed?

The practice room grew quiet. Everyone must have gone to dinner, because it was just the two of us.

Of course, the cameras that were still rolling were with us too.

“Ha…….”

I simply sank down onto the floor.

My breathing came out in ragged gasps, as though my lungs were tearing apart. It felt as if my entire body, not just my lungs, was exhaling hot air.

Kang I-yul, on the other hand, was still standing in front of the mirror.

Not even a full day had passed yet, but his movements were already perfected.

That was probably thanks to his incredibly long trainee career. Kang I-yul had apparently started training when he was in elementary school, and he was also famous for having come from a major agency.

Watching him, I realized.

‘This isn’t enough.’

Right now, I knew the entire choreography. But simply knowing all the choreography wasn’t enough.

Time was limited, and there was only one opportunity.

The mission songs that would come later weren’t choreography I already knew, like the signal song. It meant that whenever I was given an opportunity like this, I had to make a proper impression.

A survival show wouldn’t wait for me.

Of course, I did gradually improve as I practiced all day. The more I moved, the more it felt as if my body was remembering the past.

So what I needed right now was…

‘Time.’

More time than everyone else.

Time to make mistakes, fix them, and carve them into my body again.

The moment my thoughts became clear, the status window began to sparkle.

[SP 235]

I stared at the number for a moment before slowly opening my mouth.

“Yeah.”

Now I understood.

I understood why the item hadn’t been created no matter how hard I tried last night.

Back then, I had only been vague.

I had simply wanted ‘something that might be helpful,’ without even knowing what I actually needed.

But now it was different.

“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”

I muttered it almost to myself and naturally left the practice room.

The bathroom was the only place without cameras.

Just in case, I even locked the door.

‘Never let your guard down.’

Standing in front of the sink, I slowly caught my breath.

My entire body was aching. Every muscle was screaming on its own, and the soles of my feet felt like they were burning.

But what I needed right now was clear.

“Item creation.”

The status window appeared.

 

▶Item Name: _______

▶Effect: _______

 

This time, I didn’t hesitate.

A simple, clear item whose effect could be understood just from its name.

“Time-Reversing Hourglass.”

A moment of silence.

Nothing happened.

‘Another failure?’

At that moment…

My palm grew warm.

A faint light began gathering at my fingertips. The light slowly took shape. Transparent glass, with fine grains of sand slowly falling inside. A small, intricate hourglass appeared in the palm of my hand.

 

[※ Item Creation Successful]

▶Item Name: Time-Reversing Hourglass

▶Effect: Turning the hourglass over allows you to turn back a certain amount of time.

 

I held the hourglass in my hand.

But nothing was reflected in the mirror.

“Only I can see it.”

Thank goodness.

I didn’t want to become some lunatic endlessly turning an hourglass upside down all by myself.

“……Good.”

With a much lighter heart, I opened the practice-room door.

As expected, Kang I-yul was still the same.

He was endlessly repeating the choreography.

I watched his movements for a moment before carefully asking,

“I-yul, did you dance like this earlier?”

I moved while recalling Kang I-yul’s movements as much as possible.

“Hmm, it’s a little stiff. Rather than putting strength into your entire arm–”

I took in his movements with my eyes, and behind my back, I turned over the hourglass.

Shhk

A sound only I could hear.

A momentary sense of incongruity.

It was as if a video were being rewound frame by frame. I-yul and the surrounding environment returned slightly to the past.

‘Wow…’

Exactly 30 seconds earlier.

Remembering how I used to split Kang I-yul’s fancams frame by frame and replay them, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Hmm, it’s a little stiff. Rather than putting strength into your entire arm–”

The same words.

The same movements.

The same timing.

I took in his movements again.

And turned the hourglass over once more.

Shhk

Another 30 seconds earlier.

The same movement.

The same explanation.

I-yul’s reaction didn’t change.

Apparently, while the hourglass was active, its mechanism trapped me in a time loop.

The first time, I simply followed along.

The second time, I watched the timing.

The third time, I checked the points where I needed to apply force.

By the tenth time…

‘Ah.’

I understood.

The sound of the soles of my sneakers scraping against the floor.

The sensation of my muscles trembling.

The feeling of being out of breath.

All of it accumulated.

After repeating it around fifty times, something incredibly subtle but resembling a ‘dance line’ began to emerge.

‘Would this be enough?’

I turned the hourglass one last time.

“Would it be okay if I did it like this?”

My movements were much smoother this time.

I didn’t turn the hourglass over again.

“……It’s much better.”

So this was what it felt like to be full even without eating.

I had repeated the same movement dozens of times just to hear those words.

At the same time, my legs wobbled.

The muscle pain came crashing over me all at once.

“Ugh.”

My entire body ached.

Only time could be turned back.

The fatigue remained exactly as it was.

‘As expected, nothing is free.’

Naturally, this wasn’t an item I could use infinitely.

“…Shall we move on?”

He was still blunt, but when it came to teaching, he never did it halfheartedly.

“Oh… am I good enough to learn the next move now?”

“…….”

‘Looks like this level of joking is still too soon.’

Whatever.

A trainee in an era of unstable employment who could do this much was practically an angel.

The next movement was more complicated than the previous one. But now, anticipation came before worry.

The movement just now took fifty repetitions, so maybe a hundred would be enough?

I-yul asked me again.

“……Shall we try?”

“Yeah!”

Shhk

I turned the hourglass over behind my back again.

 

***

 

I wanted to practice more.

But…

“Everyone, we’re moving to the dorms!”

Filming took priority over practice.

Because we had to film the scene of entering the dorms first.

“Wow…”

“We’re going to use this place?”

Exclamations erupted from here and there.

A clean, newly built building, with a lobby maintained like a hotel.

Filming equipment had already been set up at the entrance.

“Wow, it’s really huge…”

“How many people will be in each room?”

Nix Entertainment had rented an entire residence-style officetel on a short-term basis solely for this survival show. It was also why Boys Code was filmed on such a brutally tight schedule.

‘How much did all this cost?’*

“It’s four people to a room. Check your names and head inside.”

A staff member pointed toward the rooms.

“Then, everyone move in pairs naturally.”

‘There’s nothing natural about saying that in the first place…’

I prayed inwardly that at least one of the IMPACTOR members would get placed with me.

Of course, excluding Go Jae-seong.

And heaven was on my side.

 

[Han Sang-yoon / Choi Su-hyeok / Yoo Seong-woo / Ji Dong-seok]

 

‘Yes!’

Han Sang-yoon!

One of the few adult trainees and the member who played the role of the ‘gentle leader’ throughout the show.

He eventually became IMPACTOR’s leader as well, and after debuting, he was known as the definitive ‘perfect son-in-law material.’

‘And there’s something even more important.’

If I got on Han Sang-yoon’s good side, I could get one step closer to debuting.

He was an ‘all-rounder’ who could perform above the basic level in every area, including dancing, singing, and performance, thanks to his long years of training.

He was also the kind of ‘trainee the company executives could trust with anything.’

I opened the door in high spirits.

But…

“…Wow.”

I came.

I saw.

I was shocked.

Suitcases sprawled across the floor, clothes sticking out everywhere.

The two who had entered first were apparently friends, sitting on one of the lower beds and snickering together.

Crumbs from their snacks were spilling all over the floor!

I stopped at the entrance.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming in?”

“Ah, there’s a lot of stuff stuck to the wheels.”

“Come on, we’re all guys. What’s the big deal?”

At those words, snack crumbs scattered once again.

“Ah… since Sang-yoon is in the same room.”

At that one sentence, the two guys simultaneously burst out laughing.

“Sang-yoon? Hey, Sang-yoon hyung is super nice~”

“Seriously.”

Sang-yoon was nice.

Of course he was.

But would he still be nice in this pigsty?

As I carefully wiped the suitcase wheels with the wet wipes I had brought, the door opened again.

“……Wow.”

A low, suppressed exclamation.

No, rather than an exclamation, it sounded like his soul leaving his body.

Han Sang-yoon froze in place without even being able to close the door.

The bright sparkle that was always present in his eyes disappeared for the first time.

‘That’s right. Your hobby was cleaning, wasn’t it? And not just normally… you were pathological about it.’

Han Sang-yoon was a cleaning enthusiast.

The guy whose way of relieving stress was deep-cleaning and doing laundry.

He was also the guy who, when asked at a fansign if there was anything he wanted for his birthday, answered cleaning supplies without the slightest hesitation.

‘Back then, I really thought he was crazy.’

“It’s… more free-spirited than I expected. Everyone.”

A gentle voice.

But somehow, it sent a chill down my spine.

“You guys left this like this on purpose, right?”

There it was.

Han Sang-yoon’s trademark: Giving you shit while smiling.

“To show the ‘realness’ of a trainee dorm?”

For a moment, I wondered whether he was actually scolding them. But when you faced that gentle smile, you couldn’t help but become confused.

“Ah… hyung, we’re sorry.”

“We were just going to rest for a bit…”

“No, no. It’s because you were thinking about the show, right?”

The corners of his lips rose another notch.

Hidden within was the sarcastic implication that ‘it couldn’t possibly be this dirty unless you were deliberately trying to get a good shot for the broadcast.’

He nodded as if he understood, then turned toward me.

Of course, at the same time, the two guys hurriedly began organizing their suitcases.

A man who could make everyone move with a single sentence.

That was Han Sang-yoon.

“…Seong-woo.”

“Yes?”

“Are you… wiping the wheels of your suitcase right now?”

“Yes. I was worried they might make the floor dirty.”

For a moment, his eyes sparkled. As if he had encountered the one and only ray of hope in the middle of this chaos.

‘That’s what I thought.’

The man everyone said was the hardest to become close to.

The man everyone unanimously described as kind, but as if there were an invisible wall around him.

In reality, becoming close to him only required a single wet wipe.