The lights in Dorm Sector B flickered as the girls filed into their assigned rooms. Mirae's suitcase wheels scraped along the glossy floor, a harsh sound in the hush of exhaustion and nerves.
Room 302.
Three bunk beds. Cold white walls. A single wall mirror. No personal items. No comfort.
She picked the bottom bunk by instinct—less risk of falling if her ankle gave out.
As she reached for her bag, a sharp chime rang in her mind.
> [New Notification – Contract Agreement Pending]
[View Now? Y/N]
She flinched. Not again.
"View," she whispered.
The world stilled. The screen flickered open in the center of her vision like a digital hallucination, casting faint red light across the dim dorm.
---
[System Contract: Debut Survival Protocol]
Candidate ID: Han Mirae
Assigned Level: F-Rank
Start Time: 90 Days Until Final Evaluation
Conditions of Engagement:
Must complete all assigned missions (team and solo).
Must maintain Team Unity Score above 50%.
Must outperform rival (Yoo Sera) in at least one evaluation round.
Must keep existence of system confidential.
Violation = Immediate Disqualification from Program and System Termination.
> Accept Contract?
[Accept] | [Reject]
---
Her fingers hovered. Rejecting would end this nightmare. But it would also end everything.
No debut. No survival. No second chance.
Her mind flashed back to her brother's hospital bed. The medical bills. The way their mother had cried silently into her sleeves.
Mirae exhaled slowly.
She pressed [Accept].
The room snapped back into clarity—and the bracelet burned hot on her wrist for half a second before fading into silence again.
"Ugh, I hate this lighting," someone groaned.
Min Dayoung had arrived. She looked around with a theatrical sigh before throwing her bag onto the top bunk. "What is this? Prison reform chic?"
Kim Nari followed, already chatting at full speed. "I heard Sector A has mini-fridges in their rooms. We got scammed."
Lee Sujin walked in last, giving Mirae a brief, knowing glance. The kind of look only someone else marked could share.
The system was real. The contract was real.
And so was the threat.
---
Training Room 3 – 8:00 AM
Their trainer, Kwon Jihwan, was merciless.
"You have no charm, no unity, and no stage presence," he snapped. "You're Team C because you earned the bottom of the barrel."
Mirae grit her teeth through every lunge, every misstep. Her ankle screamed louder with each beat, but she refused to limp.
Jiwon, the most polished dancer in the group, rolled her eyes audibly. "Do you even stretch before practice?"
"Let's just try to look like we belong on the same stage," Hana muttered, mostly to herself.
Nari giggled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "At least we all suck equally."
"No," Jihwan cut in, deadly serious. "One of you sucks the most. And she's dragging the rest down."
His gaze locked on Mirae.
"Prove me wrong in tonight's run-through. Or don't bother showing up tomorrow."
The door slammed behind him.
Mirae's vision wobbled—but she stood straight.
Sujin whispered, "He's testing you."
"No," Mirae whispered back. "He's right."
---
That Night
Mirae stood alone in the dorm bathroom, ankle propped on the counter, wrapping it with an elastic bandage. The painkiller patches barely helped anymore.
Her reflection stared back—eyes dark-ringed, lip cracked.
She barely recognized herself.
> [Mission Reminder: Complete at least one successful rehearsal within 72 hours. Team Unity Boost: +5%]
> [Optional Side Quest: Hide injury. Maintain illusion of strength. Reward: Leadership Reputation Increase]
Of course.
No one liked a weak link.
So Mirae smiled at the mirror. Tired. Stubborn. Determined.
And silently, she made her own contract—one the system couldn't force her into.
If she had to crawl to the stage, she would.
Because failure wasn't just the end of her dream.
It was the end of everything.