Koo Taehwan knew he was extremely perceptive.
He could quickly pick up on secrets or weaknesses that others wanted to hide, and he could just as quickly figure out what someone wanted.
As a kid, his sharp intuition had gotten him into trouble more than once.
Back in elementary school, he realized that their homeroom teacher wasn’t scolding a friend because they had done something wrong—but simply because the teacher was in a bad mood.
So he asked, “Why are you taking your anger out on them?”
And the response?
“You little brat!”
He’d never forget the teacher cursing at him until their face turned red.
And that wasn’t all.
He once asked a group of friends, “You don’t like each other, so why are you pretending to?” and ended up getting ostracized.
After these incidents repeated themselves, his father taught him to talk less and think three times before speaking.
Thanks to that, things had been smooth since then.
He also came to understand that noticing something and speaking about it were two very different things.
So when it came to reading people, Koo Taehwan had confidence.
But…
“I really can’t figure him out.”
Han Siheon was a mystery.
He had never met anyone so unreadable.
Even just now.
After clashing with Fade, Han Siheon was sitting at the café, showing no expression at all.
“…Am I imagining things, or does he actually seem pleased?”
It definitely wasn’t a situation where anyone should be feeling good.
BZZT—
The pager buzzed, signaling that their drinks were ready. As Taehwan got up, Choi Jaeseong quickly stood too.
“Hyung, I’ll go.”
“Let’s go together.”
The members of Three Months and One Day were at a café not far from the shoot location.
No cameras. No staff. Just them.
Originally, they were supposed to continue filming after the karaoke mission, but it had been halted after the fight between Han Siheon and Fade.
“But was that really a fight?”
Han Siheon had responded like someone who had been waiting for Fade to pick a fight.
Then proceeded to mock him ruthlessly.
“It looked too natural.”
Taehwan was caught off guard by how at ease Siheon seemed while crushing someone.
He didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Even Fade, who had initiated the power struggle, ended up swearing, probably to hide his own shock.
In the end, it was a one-sided taunt-fest by Siheon, and then it was over.
The problem was, this situation didn’t make logical sense.
There was no doubt Han Siheon was a strong contestant.
But if Coming Up Next had to choose between keeping a Take Scene member or Han Siheon?
Siheon would obviously be the one to go.
So what was he so confident about?
“Does he have a connection at the network or something?”
If he did, wouldn’t he have made a call or sent a text after the incident?
But Siheon just sat there, watching the fuming Fade, almost like he was evaluating how angry he was.
It was… really strange.
And Taehwan had felt this strangeness from the beginning.
During the B-team selection shoot.
The other contestants didn’t seem to notice, but Siheon had looked bored the entire time.
He seemed to find everything dull and beneath him.
But the moment he got on stage for the preliminary mission, his entire aura changed.
When he sang Under the Streetlight, Taehwan almost thought it was someone else.
Then, as soon as the performance ended, he changed again.
One moment he looked arrogant, as if he were judging the judges’ feedback—and the next, he was bowing politely and thanking them.
He had never seen anyone shift so dramatically, so fast.
So Taehwan kept watching him.
Siheon was clearly going to pass, and if Taehwan passed too, they might end up on the same team.
But no matter how much he watched, he still couldn’t figure him out.
Same during the first mission. Siheon helped him out sincerely, but didn’t seem all that interested in the final performance.
He would suddenly get moody, snap at his teammates, and then come back enthusiastic for the second mission.
Then, when Taehwan was competing for the last spot on B-team, Siheon subtly helped him get in.
He really had no idea what to make of him.
Maybe he was just a genius?
But even then, it felt like something separate from musical talent.
Ah!
There was one thing Siheon had always been consistent about.
For some unknown reason, he really liked it when Taehwan said, “I’ll work hard.”
Taehwan had even said it a few extra times just for him.
It was still too soon to call him a friend, but… he was definitely a strange one.
“Taehwan-hyung? Should I carry that?”
“Oh, no, I got this. Can you take that one instead?”
“Sure.”
When they returned with the coffee, Lee Ieon held out his phone.
“Taehwan, Jaeseong, give me your numbers. I’ll make a group chat and post announcements there.”
“Okay.”
“Yep!”
Ieon saved everyone’s numbers, made the group chat, and casually started a light conversation.
“So, what did you guys do after the team selection shoot? We had a few free days, right?”
“I was too anxious, so I practiced.”
“Me too.”
To Taehwan, Ieon didn’t seem like the kind of guy to take charge.
But maybe because he was the oldest, he’d brought everyone here out of a sense of responsibility.
Once the small talk had gone around, Ieon got to the point.
“I mean, we all know why we’re here today, right? Sorry for beating around the bush, I’m not good at this stuff.”
“You mean the thing with Fade earlier? I’m really fine though.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Han Siheon.
“Fine how?”
“Fade’s going to apologize tomorrow. I won’t be leaving.”
“You sure? Didn’t you tell the PD you were quitting?”
“I said I’d quit if Fade didn’t apologize. But an apology’s easy enough, right?”
Ieon voiced what everyone else had probably been thinking.
“You don’t have to answer this if it’s sensitive… but do you have a connection at the station or something?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Then how can you be so sure? Is it because of the Under the Streetlight release?”
“That plays a part, I guess. But more than that… I just feel like it’ll work out.”
Siheon seemed to have his reasons, but didn’t plan on sharing them.
Maybe it was something complicated and hard to explain.
There was a brief silence—and surprisingly, it was On Saemiro who broke it.
“Do you not care if you do have to leave?”
“It’s not that. Why?”
“Just… life’s unpredictable, right? Doesn’t seem like you’re really concerned, even though it’s not 100%.”
“I believe it is 100%.”
“Then… that’s good, I guess.”
Saemiro’s comment lightened the mood a bit.
It seemed like he was concerned for Siheon.
But to Taehwan, it felt like a more complicated emotion—maybe a rivalry?
‘Does Saemiro want to compete with Han Siheon?’
Possibly.
Taehwan didn’t sing as well as either of them, so he couldn’t say for sure—but they were both talented.
“Right. Siheon has his own thoughts, and maybe it’s just something hard to explain. Let’s leave it there.”
As Ieon tried to shift the mood, Jaeseong chimed in at just the right moment.
“Ieon-hyung, I’ve actually been wondering something.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Have you ever met anyone better looking than you in your whole life?”
“Of course I have.”
“When? Where?”
“At a movie premiere.”
“…You mean during the cast’s stage greeting?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“What?”
“Nah. Never mind.”
Even Taehwan joined in.
“You really are good-looking.”
“Oh, thanks. You too, Taehwan.”
The final word came from Siheon, in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.
“But guys.”
“Yeah?”
“You know the table over there is totally eavesdropping on us, right?”
Of course they were.
Even just Ieon walking in was enough to make heads turn—and with four more good-looking guys? No chance they wouldn’t be overheard.
The members awkwardly changed the subject.
And after that, the Three Months and One Day members ended up chatting longer than expected.
The MVP of the convo? Without a doubt, Choi Jaeseong.
He wasn’t the typical youngest—no cute antics or clinginess toward his older teammates.
Instead, he had a knack for casually bringing up topics the others found hard to mention.
He seemed to do it on purpose, but it didn’t feel calculated.
It was instinctual.
He had high social awareness.
“Oh, right. Hyungs, I saw this earlier while I was on my phone in the bathroom.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll just post the link in the group chat.”
The link Jaeseong posted looked like a fan report from one of today’s audience members, uploaded to an idol community site.
There were tons of comments—but surprisingly, the most interested one was Han Siheon.
“‘Lion’s Den’…? Oh, this is referring to Lion Entertainment?”
“Yeah. That’s what people are calling it.”
“Why is M Show called ‘Freak Show’?”
“Oh, it used to be notorious for camera sabotage in its early days. Not anymore, though.”
“Camera sabotage…?”
“…Hyung. Do you seriously never monitor online communities?”
“Nope. Never tried it.”
Talking to him was starting to feel a little like chatting with your uncle.
Anyway, the title wasn’t important—it was the content.
Especially the evaluation of Take Scene and Three Months and One Day. The criteria were simple.
Here’s the part just for Three Months and One Day:
[Koo Taehwan]
Looks: Kind of a niche appeal—depends on the viewer. Could be a 6 or a 9.
Talent: A bit shaky on high notes? But had good vibes—7.5.
Presence: Seemed calm, which contrasted with his look. Might appeal to those who like unbalanced charm. For me, a 6.
[On Saemiro]
Looks: Looks like he got a weird tan from not caring, but if he gets some camera time and grooming, could glow up. 7.5 for now.
Talent: Was next to Juyun, who scored a 10, but I’d still give Saemiro a 9.
Presence: Didn’t really leave an impression. 7.
[Lee Ieon]
Looks: 100 out of 10. Best I’ve ever seen in real life during my idol stan years.
Talent: 7–8? Solid performance.
Presence: Didn’t catch the vibe. Just… blindingly hot. Can’t even rate it.
[Han Siheon]
Looks: Might not be everyone’s type, but objectively pretty—8.5?
Talent: Sang an easy oldie so it was hard to tell, but very pleasant to hear. Maybe an 8–8.5?
Presence: His vibe was insanely good. The way he treated the audience was straight-up fan-crush material. 10.
[Choi Jaeseong]
Looks: Looked kinda young—around 7.5?
Talent: Made me feel out of breath, but he sang like it was nothing. 8?
Presence: Nothing stood out. 7.
Wrote this quickly on the subway, so I kept it short.
Still, it looked like a fun group. If it airs…
The comments under the post were more negative than positive.
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