Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 194: SECOND ELIMINATION ROUND (II)

"THE contestant, ranked number forty, chosen by our dear navigators is..." Lily said, looking down at the card in her hand. She let the silence hang in the air for a long moment, building the tension. Finally, she looked up and smiled. "Kim Dohyun-ssi."

Haneul turned to look toward the contestant who stood up. Kim Dohyun seemed completely frozen for a second. His eyes were wide with obvious shock. Then a huge, relieved smile broke out across his face. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth as he let out a shaky breath. He immediately turned and hugged the teammates who were sitting near him, holding on tightly for a moment. After letting go, he started walking forward. His steps were a little unsteady, but his smile never faded.

They had already been told beforehand by the staff that when their names were called, they should stand on the number that was the same as their rank. So, Kim Dohyun walked directly to the number on the floor marked ’40’ and stood on it.

Haneul was a little surprised that Lily started with rank number 40. He had thought they would begin with 39, saving the very last spot for the most drama, just like in Idol Producer. But then he remembered that this was how they had done it during the first elimination as well. So he really should have expected this order.

"The next contestant saved by our navigators is..." Lily said. She paused, looking at the card in her hand. She made the pause last just a bit longer, then she finally spoke the name. "Jang Minsoo-ssi!"

Haneul was familiar with the name. He’s from the same group as Baek Eunwoo. He saw the other a couple of rows ahead suddenly go still. He seemed to freeze in his seat for a long moment after his name was called. Then his entire posture changed. He turned quickly and threw his arms around Baek Eunwoo, who was sitting beside him. He hugged his teammate tightly, his whole body shaking with clear relief and happiness.

Baek Eunwoo gave Jang Minsoo’s back a few comforting pats. Then, Jang Minsoo finally let go and stood up from his chair. He started walking toward the number on the floor marked ’39’. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Lily continued with the announcements, moving through the ranks. For each person called, there was a visible moment of pure relief. They would hug their teammates, their faces breaking into smiles as they made their way to the numbered floor markers.

But with every name called, the pool of remaining contestants grew quieter. The easy, hopeful atmosphere from the beginning was gone, replaced by a heavy silence. Those still waiting sat perfectly still, their postures rigid with building anxiety. When Lily prepared to announce the 26th rank, the tension in the room was almost palpable.

"It’s already the 26th spot... what if I’m not called?" Joonhyuk mumbled, his voice tight with obvious nerves and anxiety. He probably had not even realized that he had spoken the worry that’s clearly on his mind.

Then, as if in direct response to the fear Joonhyuk had just voiced, Lily spoke again. She looked down at her card and then out at the contestants.

"The contestant ranked 25th," she said, pausing for a brief moment, "is Kim Joonhyuk-ssi."

Joonhyuk just stared at the stage. He did not move. It was like he could not process the words he had just heard. He sat completely still, his eyes wide and fixed on Lily. Taeyang, sitting beside him, reached out and gave his shoulder a firm pat. The touch made Joonhyuk jolt, as if he had been startled out of a deep sleep.

"Joonhyuk," Taeyang called him. "She called your name."

Joonhyuk’s head snapped toward Taeyang, and then a look of pure understanding washed over his face. He suddenly jumped to his feet.

A huge, radiant smile spread across Joonhyuk’s face. He immediately turned and wrapped his arms tightly around Taeyang, squeezing him in a powerful hug. Taeyang winced at the sudden pressure, and for a second it looked like he wanted to push the other boy away. But he stopped himself and just patted Joonhyuk’s back a few times instead.

Joonhyuk let go and then moved on to hug each of his other teammates. He pulled a laughing Haneul into a quick hug. He did the same to Robin, who was also smiling and laughing at the display. Finally, he turned to Seongwoo, who accepted the hug with a shy smile of his own.

All of them offered him their congratulations as he hugged them.

Joonhyuk turned and hurried towards the numbers on the floor. He had a big, sunny smile on his face. He went straight to the number 25 and stepped onto it.

"And now, let’s move to rank 24," Lily continued. She paused, looking at the card in her hand. She let the silence stretched before lifting her head and announcing, "Park Seongwoo-ssi."

Robin was the first one to cheer, and he quickly pulled Seongwoo into a hug. "Congratulations, Seongwoo."

"Is... is it really m-me?" Seongwoo asked, his voice trembling as he spoke.

Haneul stretched out his hand and squeezed Seongwoo’s hand. "Yes, it’s you."

Seongwoo finally stood up. When he passed by Taeyang, the other congratulated him. He then continued walking towards the area where Joonhyuk was standing on his number. As Seongwoo approached, Joonhyuk happily reached out and pulled him into a sideways hug, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I’m so glad they’re both safe," Robin said, his voice full of clear relief.

Haneul gave a slow nod in agreement. "Yeah."

Lily continued to announce the names of those who had made it through to the next round. Many of the names she called were familiar. For example, Song Jiwoo was called for the 18th rank. And surprisingly, Baek Eunwoo was called for the twelfth rank. He had been second during the first elimination, and now he had fallen to 12th. This surprised a lot of the contestants. But this just showed how important the public votes really were.