With the announcement still trending in the outside world, life on the island moved fast. Inside the compound, the trainees were already gearing up for their biggest assignment yet.
Early the next morning, they were up before the sun—stretching, getting ready, stumbling through their morning routines, and making sure to fuel up with breakfast. Whatever was coming, it was clear the day ahead wasn't going to be a chill one.
Once everyone was fed and buzzing with at least some form of energy, the trainees gathered once more at the small, colosseum-style stage.
One by one, they were handed a slip of paper with a number printed on it. Each number corresponded to a practice room. Once inside, they'd wait—either for teammates to arrive… or to discover they'd been assigned a solo.
Kang Ian was already alone in one of the rooms, nerves buzzing as he waited to see whether he'd be performing solo or if someone would come bursting through the door.
He didn't have to wait long.
The door suddenly flew open, slamming against the wall as a voice loudly called his name.
Kang Ian blinked—then laughed, shaking his head in disbelief, equal parts amused and relieved.
The person standing there?
None other than Mika.
"Dude, I can't believe I'm stuck with you again!" Mika joked, though the grin on his face gave him away. Truth was, he was glad.
"I should be saying that," Kang Ian snorted back.
They exchanged a warm greeting before glancing toward the door again, waiting to see if anyone else would join them.
No one did.
In the end, it was just the two of them.
"A duo, huh?" Kang Ian said, exhaling slowly.
"Yeah," Mika replied, eyebrow raised, lips curling into a smirk. "We're gonna kill it though, right?"
"For damn sure we will," Kang Ian said confidently.
That confidence, however, didn't last long.
The moment the original song they'd been assigned started playing, both of them froze.
Soon enough, the two were sitting on the practice room floor, hands buried in their hair, staring at the ceiling as they tried to figure out how the hell they were supposed to pull this off—and still do the song justice.
The track was complex. Painfully so. It sounded like it had been written for a full group, not just two people.
The lyrics told the story of a traveling artist finally meeting their muse—the kind that only comes around once in a lifetime. The concept itself wasn't hard to grasp.
The structure, though? Absolute madness.
Soft verses. Two completely different rap styles. Vocals that demanded serious control. A long, belted high note near the end that could make or break the entire performance. And choreography? The song screamed group performance.
"I can usually hit that final high note no problem," Mika admitted, worry creeping into his voice. "But with the dancing and how long the song is… I might be too exhausted to land it clean."
"Part distribution isn't the issue," Kang Ian replied, rubbing his temples. "But yeah—this thing is four minutes long. I know we can do it. It's just gonna be a whole lotta hard work."
"Well," Mika said, pushing himself to his feet, "we're not getting anywhere just sitting here freaking out. Might as well start the grind now."
"When did you get so smart?" Kang Ian teased, reaching out for help standing up.
"I've always been smart, fucker," Mika shot back, hauling him up with a snort.
They started by learning the lyrics first. It was unmistakably a K-pop original, and since both of them were fluent in English and Korean, memorizing the lines wasn't an issue.
They were just getting into the rhythm when the production crew suddenly entered the room, startling both of them.
"Hey, guys," one of the staff members said with a smile. "We know you've been working hard, so Mister Foca decided to send you a little help."
Kang Ian and Mika exchanged confused looks.
Before either of them could ask what that meant, a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around Kang Ian from behind, crushing him into an almost painful hug.
"Kang Ian, you fucking knucklehead," a familiar voice said softly.
"S–Silas?" Kang Ian's eyes widened in shock.
"Who else?" Silas replied, pulling back with a smirk—though his eyes were misty, emotion clearly getting the better of him.
"What—what are you doing here?" Kang Ian asked, heart pounding.
Mika could only stand there, watching the chaos unfold, completely lost.
As if that weren't enough, an energetic blur zipped into the room and wrapped both arms around Kang Ian's waist.
"Kang Ian-hyung!" August practically yelled.
"Wait—if August is here," Kang Ian said, stunned, "does that mean Ahn Jae-hyung is too?"
"Yep, I'm here," Ahn Jae answered, stepping in with a bright smile and a wave.
"What the hell is happening?!" Kang Ian laughed, grinning so hard his face hurt. "It feels like Genesis Project all over again!"
"I know, right!" August chimed in.
"Uh—sorry to slightly ruin the moment," Mika said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "but I'm kinda feeling left out here. Hi. I'm Mika."
"Oh! You're Mika-hyung!" August immediately rushed over, grabbing Mika's hand and shaking it enthusiastically with both of his own. "You're even more handsome in person! I'm August—nice to finally meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too…" Mika replied, barely keeping up with the kid's energy.
"August, calm down," Ahn Jae said gently, pulling him back with an apologetic smile. "I'm Ahn Jae. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Likewise," Mika said, still processing everything.
"I'm Silas," Silas added, stepping forward and offering a handshake.
"Mika," he replied, shaking it.
The moment their eyes met, something unspoken passed between them—an instant, silent rivalry. Not hostile. Just… competitive.
Maybe it was because of Kang Ian.
Silas had been there during Kang Ian's trainee days in Korea. Mika during his time in LEAVEN.
Both silently conveying with their eyes, "I'm Kang Ian's closer friend!"
"Enough with the stare-down, you two," Kang Ian said, laughing as his worlds finally collided.
That snapped them out of it.
"But wait," Kang Ian added, turning to Ahn Jae. "Earlier you said you were looking forward to working with Mika. What did you mean by that?"
"Oh!" August answered before anyone else could. "We're backup! Sir Foca sent us!"
"Yep," Ahn Jae nodded. "We'll be helping—and performing—with you guys."
"Oh my God," Kang Ian breathed.
"Jesus Christ," Mika echoed.
They were stunned. And then—relieved. And then—excited as hell.
Hope they hadn't even dared to expect had just walked through the door.
The room erupted in joy as Kang Ian and Mika celebrated. August jumped right in, while Ahn Jae and Silas watched the three of them with wide, beaming smiles.