The room felt too quiet.
No music.
No practice.
Just waiting.
"All contestants, gather."
Everyone moved quickly.
No one wanted to be late for this.
Seoryeon stood in line with the others, her posture straight but her chest tight.
This was it.
SYSTEM STATUS:
Mission Chain Completed
Awaiting Evaluation Results
She exhaled slowly.
"…Don't overthink."
Momo's voice low, beside her.
Seoryeon glanced at her.
"…I'm trying not to."
Momo didn't look at her but she didn't move away either.
"Just listen."
Simple.
Grounding.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Affinity: Momo +2
On her other side Sana.
"You did really well."
Seoryeon let out a small breath.
"…We'll see."
Sana smiled softly.
"You always say that."
A pause.
"But you still do well."
Her chest tightened slightly.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Affinity: Sana +2
The staff stepped forward.
The screen lit up behind them.
"These are the results of the Major vs Minor performance."
No one moved.
No one spoke.
"Based on evaluation…"
A pause.
"Some contestants will change positions."
The words hit instantly.
Seoryeon's fingers curled slightly.
SYSTEM ALERT:
Rank Adjustment Incoming
Names appeared.
Minor → Major.
One.
Two.
Three.
The room shifted.
Surprise.
Tension.
"They moved up…"
Dahyun whispered.
Seoryeon's eyes stayed on the screen.
They deserved it.
But that meant…
"Major team."
A pause.
"Some members will move to Minor."
Silence.
Heavy.
One name appeared.
Then another.
The room felt smaller.
Harder to breathe.
Seoryeon's heartbeat picked up.
SYSTEM ALERT:
Rank Stability Threatened
"…No way."
Someone whispered.
A strong member dropped.
Unexpected.
The tension spiked instantly.
"…Han Seoryeon."
Everything stilled.
Her breath caught just slightly.
SYSTEM ALERT:
Status Pending
A pause too long.
Then "Remains in Major."
Air rushed back into her lungs.
Quiet.
But real.
SYSTEM UPDATE:
Rank: MAJOR (Maintained)
But her chest didn't fully relax.
Because It was close.
Too close.
The room didn't recover right away.
People glanced at each other.
Some relieved.
Some shaken.
The gap was real now.
Not just between teams but between staying and falling.
"You're okay?"
Sana again.
Closer this time.
"…Yeah."
Seoryeon nodded.
"…I just"
She exhaled.
"That was closer than I thought."
Sana's expression softened.
"You still made it."
A pause.
"That matters."
Her voice gentler now.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Affinity: Sana +3
"…Don't get comfortable."
Momo.
Seoryeon looked at her.
"I won't."
Momo nodded slightly.
"Good."
But she didn't walk away.
Didn't leave.
Just stayed.
Close.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Affinity: Momo +2
The system flickered.
SYSTEM UPDATE:
New Mission Available
Objective: Maintain Major Rank — Phase 2
Conditions:
– Consistent high evaluation performance
– No ranking drop
– Increased stage impact
Reward:
– Performance Aura Lv.2
– Mental Stability Boost
Failure:
– Immediate rank drop risk increases
Seoryeon stared at it.
"…So it doesn't stop."
Of course it didn't.
She looked back at the screen.
At the names.
At the shifts.
At how easily things changed.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Survival Pressure Increasing
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"…I can't stay like this."
Not barely.
Not almost.
If she was going to stay she had to rise.