By the time the lights dimmed for the second time that evening, the ballroom had transformed.
What had once felt like a festival now felt like a courtroom.
Chairs were rearranged with purpose. Rows tightened. The wide open floor where students had danced and laughed earlier was now framed by velvet ropes and low stage lights that drew the eye forward whether you wanted to look or not. The golden statues outside the tall windows caught the last trace of daylight, their polished surfaces glowing faintly as the sky darkened.
This was it.
King Selection.
A murmur spread across the room like a living thing. Phones rose. Whispers overlapped. Even the students who had insisted they did not care leaned forward in their seats.
XH stood with the boys near the right side of the ballroom, jacket finally buttoned, shoulders squared. He did not look nervous. He felt it anyway. Not fear. Not doubt. Something closer to gravity. The sense that once a name was spoken on a stage like this, it did not stay there.
JP bounced lightly on his heels.
"I swear," he muttered, "if they call my name, I'm blaming the whisky."
TZ snorted. "You registered sober."
"That's debatable."
NS stood between them, quiet, eyes steady on the stage. He had given his name at the last minute for a reason. Not ego. Balance. Someone had to make sure JP did not turn this into a spectacle that would haunt them forever.
Across the room, Kitty sat with NC and Jihye, hands folded neatly in her lap. She had changed shoes. Practical now. Her posture was composed, but her gaze kept drifting, checking where the boys stood, then returning to the stage. She told herself she was just observing.
June sat a few rows ahead, closer to the center. Her back was straight. Her expression calm. Anyone watching would have thought she was unshaken.
She was not.
This room had weight for her. The cameras. The judges. The sponsors seated in the front rows. The knowledge that King Selection came before Queen Selection, but never stood apart from it. Everything tonight echoed forward.
The lights lowered further.
A spotlight snapped on.
THKM stepped onto the stage first, microphone in hand, his presence immediately commanding silence. Applause followed, respectful and warm.
"Good evening," he said. "Thank you for staying with us through a long and unforgettable day."
Scattered laughter rippled through the crowd.
"This event," he continued, "exists for one reason. To recognize not perfection, but presence. Leadership. Character."
JP leaned toward TZ. "That's new."
TZ murmured back. "He rehearsed."
THKM smiled faintly, as if he heard them anyway.
"Tonight, we begin with King Selection. Not because men come first, but because balance matters."
A pause.
"And balance," he added, "is something this university has learned the hard way."
The words settled heavier than applause.
Lola joined him on stage, graceful and bright, clapping lightly as the crowd followed her lead. She adjusted the microphone and smiled at the students like a proud older sister.
"Candidates have been registered," she said. "Late entries included, as promised."
A ripple of excitement moved through the room.
JP's grin widened. "That's us."
Lola continued, "Each candidate will be introduced, followed by a brief walk and response. No scripts. No second chances."
XH inhaled slowly.
No scripts.
The first name was called.
Applause. Cheers. A business major stepped onto the stage, confident, practiced, clearly trained for moments like this. He smiled. He waved. He answered his question with ease. Sponsors nodded.
More names followed.
Engineering majors drew loud support. Computing students received enthusiastic chants from their own groups. The room responded predictably.
Then Lola glanced at her card.
"Next," she said, "from the Health Track."
The room shifted.
XH felt it before the name was spoken.
"NS."
Applause rose, surprised but genuine. NS stepped forward, posture steady, expression unreadable. He did not wave. He did not play to the crowd. He walked with quiet certainty and stopped at center stage.
His answer was simple. Direct. About responsibility. About staying when it mattered.
No fireworks.
But something settled.
Kitty watched closely. Her fingers curled together once, then relaxed.
June nodded, almost imperceptibly.
NS stepped down to solid applause.
JP clapped loudly. "Look at him. Rich boy pretending he's humble."
TZ smirked. "Pretending."
Lola smiled again. "Next, also from the Health Track."
JP straightened.
"JP."
The reaction was immediate.
Laughter. Cheers. Groans. A mixed wave that only someone like JP could generate.
He strode onto the stage like he owned it, nearly tripped, recovered smoothly, and gave the crowd a grin that suggested he was fully aware of his own reputation.
When asked his question, he paused, tilted his head, and said, "Honestly. I didn't think I'd make it past registration."
The room erupted.
Then he surprised them.
He spoke about loyalty. About showing up. About staying with people even when it was inconvenient.
His voice wobbled once. He covered it with humor. But it was there.
XH watched from below, chest tight.
JP stepped down to thunderous applause.
TZ slapped XH's shoulder. "That idiot."
XH smiled. "Yeah."
Lola glanced at her card again.
"And our final candidate," she said.
A beat.
"XH."
The sound that followed was not loud.
It was deep.
XH walked forward as if the floor had narrowed to a single line beneath his feet. The lights felt warmer here. Brighter. He did not search the crowd, but he felt them anyway.
He stopped center stage.
THKM asked the question.
"What does leadership mean to you."
XH thought of wood carried in cold mornings. Of sleepless nights. Of hands held briefly and released too slowly.
He answered honestly.
Leadership, he said, was choosing to stay when leaving would be easier.
The room listened.
When he stepped down, applause followed him like a tide.
Kitty exhaled slowly.
June closed her eyes for half a second.
The candidates assembled on stage once more.
The judges whispered. The sponsors leaned in. Phones recorded everything.
JP leaned close to XH. "If I win, drinks on me."
"You're already drunk."
"Details."
The lights dimmed again.
Lola raised the microphone.
"Before we announce," she said, "remember this moment."
The room went quiet.
"This is not an ending."
A pause.
"It is a beginning."
The envelope was opened.
Names were read.
Applause surged.
When the result was announced, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming.
JP laughed loudly. NS smiled faintly. XH felt something loosen in his chest, not victory, not loss, but release.
They stepped down together.
No crown yet.
No spotlight held for long.
But something had shifted.
As the crowd surged forward, Kitty met XH's gaze across the space between them.
She smiled.
June watched them both, unreadable, heart racing.
Above them, the lights brightened once more.
Queen Selection waited.
And no one in the room understood yet just how much tonight would cost them.