"His smile…"
Rei's eyes remained on Alex for another moment.
Then the selection coordinator's voice echoed through the auditorium.
"Everyone who has been selected, please remain in your seats."
The noise in the hall slowly faded.
"The remaining candidates may take their leave. Thank you all for participating in today's audition."
The words were simple.
But for those who had been eliminated, they felt painfully final.
Some contestants lowered their heads.
Others stared blankly at the floor, unable to accept that their dream had ended before it had even properly begun.
A few quietly gathered their belongings and left.
Others weren't willing to accept the result so easily.
"How could those damn Betas and Omegas get in while we were rejected?"
"They probably offered something in exchange."
"There's no way they could have beaten us!"
The accusations quickly spread through the hall.
The organizers tried to calm everyone down, but the tension continued to rise.
Eventually, security personnel stepped in and escorted the disruptive contestants outside.
Ren watched silently.
Only a few hours ago, he had been one of those people wondering whether he would even be given a chance.
Now he was still sitting here.
Still standing.
Still one step closer to the dream he had carried for years.
Ren glanced at Alex.
Alex was smiling.
But his eyes were still slightly red from crying earlier.
He looked like someone who was afraid that if he stopped smiling for even a second, he might wake up and discover that everything had been a dream.
The coordinator stepped forward again.
"Now, candidates…"
Everyone turned their attention toward him.
"All of you who remain have successfully entered the second round of the selection process."
A wave of excitement passed through the room.
Ren straightened.
The coordinator continued.
"We will now randomly divide you into groups of four."
A large screen behind him lit up.
"Each group will have to prepare a performance and present it to the judges by twelve noon tomorrow."
The room fell silent.
Then—
"What?"
"Tomorrow?"
"We only have one night!"
Murmurs erupted throughout the auditorium.
Ren's eyes widened.
Tomorrow at noon?
That meant they had less than a day.
The coordinator didn't seem concerned.
"If anyone feels that this schedule is impossible, you may leave immediately."
He paused.
"Your name will be withdrawn."
Silence.
Not a single person moved.
The coordinator gave a faint smile.
"Good."
The screen began displaying the groups.
Names appeared one after another.
Ren leaned forward.
He scanned the screen.
Then found his own name.
GROUP 7
Ren
Yuuto
Shuuya
Shou
Ren looked around.
Three people stood a short distance away.
He approached them.
"Hi. I'm Ren."
The first person turned toward him.
He was tall.
Very tall.
His muscular frame with lean waist and sharp features immediately made his secondary gender obvious.
Alpha.
Ren had barely finished thinking that when the second man turned.
He was also tall, with a strong physique.
Another Alpha.
The third was different.
He was handsome, but his appearance wasn't as overwhelming as the other two.
He looked more ordinary.
Beta.
The Second man smiled.
"I'm Shuuya."
He extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"Ren."
They shook hands.
The other Alpha simply nodded.
"Yuuto."
His voice was short.
Almost indifferent.
Ren smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you."
Yuuto nodded again.
Then the third man stepped forward.
"Shou."
His handshake was brief.
Ren smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
Now that they had introduced themselves, Ren looked at the three of them.
Shuuya seemed friendly enough.
Yuuto was clearly more aloof.
Shou looked confident.
Maybe a little too confident.
"So…"
Shuuya looked toward Ren.
"What are you good at?"
"I'm mainly a dancer."
Ren thought for a moment.
"I can play drums too. And I'm not bad at singing."
Shou immediately raised his eyebrows.
"Then you're our dancer."
Ren blinked.
"I'm okay with that."
He smiled.
"What about you guys?"
Shuuya answered.
"Shou said his strength is singing."
Shou smiled proudly.
"I'm very good."
Shuuya ignored the arrogance in his voice.
"Yuuto and I are better with songwriting and instruments."
He looked toward Ren.
"So if you don't mind, you can be our main dancer and support Shou with vocals."
Ren nodded.
"That sounds good."
He glanced between them.
"Do you two already know each other?"
Shuuya smiled.
"Yeah. We met at an event before and became friends"
He laughed and wrapped his arm around Yuuto's shoulder.
Ren looked toward Yuuto.
Yuuto remained silent.
He simply watched the others.
Ren wasn't sure whether he was shy or simply uninterested.
"Alright, then."
Ren clapped his hands lightly.
"Let's decide on the song and theme."
Shuuya smiled.
"Sure."
They shook hands.
The group immediately began discussing their performance.
Around them, the other contestants were doing the same.
Alex had found his own group.
Leo was already speaking with his teammates.
Rei stood with his group, quietly listening as they discussed their ideas.
The entire auditorium had transformed.
A few hours ago, it had been a place of auditions and rejection.
Now it was filled with music, arguments, laughter and nervous excitement.
Everyone had the same goal.
Tomorrow, they would stand beneath the lights.
And each of them wanted to be remembered.
As evening slowly settled over Tokyo, the contestants finally began leaving the auditorium.
Ren looked toward Alex.
"See you tomorrow."
Alex smiled.
"Good luck."
"You too."
Instead of shaking hands, Alex pulled him into another quick hug.
Ren laughed.
"Again?"
Alex released him.
"I'm celebrating while I can."
Ren smiled.
"Then make sure you're still around tomorrow so we can celebrate again."
"I will."
They parted ways.
Alex disappeared into the crowded metro station.
He blended into the sea of people around him.
Another Beta heading home after a long day.
No special car.
No chauffeur.
No entourage.
Just another person trying to make a place for himself in a world where people like him were rarely given the spotlight.
Ren watched the station entrance for a moment.
Then turned around.
He was alone.
Unlike many of the other contestants, he had no family waiting nearby.
No friends in Tokyo.
No luxurious apartment.
He had arrived with a dream and a single bag.
"First…"
He sighed.
"I need somewhere to sleep."
Tokyo was still alive even after sunset.
The streets were crowded with people.
Neon lights reflected across the wet pavement.
Cars passed constantly.
Ren walked through several streets before finally finding a small hotel that fit his budget.
After checking in, he entered his room.
It wasn't luxurious.
The room was small.
A single bed.
A table.
A chair.
A window overlooking the city.
But Ren didn't care.
He dropped his bag onto the table and collapsed onto the bed.
His entire body ached.
Today had been exhausting.
The journey.
The audition.
The humiliation.
The excitement.
Meeting Alex.
Meeting Leo.
Seeing Rei.
And now—
Round Two.
Ren stared at the ceiling.
"Tomorrow…"
He whispered.
"I need to be better."
His eyes slowly closed.
Within minutes, exhaustion pulled him into sleep.