Woongki and Shuaibo, still high on adrenaline from their night out, strutted ahead of JL and Eli, belting out dramatic ballads like it was their own concert.
JL shook his head, amused but exhausted. "Are you two seriously doing this at three in the morning?"
Woongki turned to him with a scandalized gasp. "Excuse me? You should be honored to witness this free performance, sir."
Eli chuckled beside JL, still adjusting to the idea that he had snuck out with these chaotic duo. Then, his tone softened. "Hyung... about--."
JL glanced at him. "Hmm?"
Eli hesitated before sighing. "I'm sorry for Joe's attitude... for how we acted when we arrived. There's a reason for it, but I can't say it."
JL raised an eyebrow, sensing the weight behind Eli's words. But instead of pressing, he just smiled.
"It's fine. Honestly, I'm just surprised I knew you before all of this," JL admitted. "If I had recognized you sooner, maybe things would've been different."
Eli chuckled. "I'm just happy you remember now. You are one of the few reasons why I become an artist." Then, he smirked. "But don't think I'll go easy on you just because we have history."
JL grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
The two continued chatting in Tagalog, feeling a sense of home in a foreign place.
Meanwhile, Woongki and Shuaibo dramatically flopped onto the resort's entrance, pretending to be starved and dying.
"We have arrived, my prince!" Shuaibo declared, collapsing onto the floor.
"Tell our families... we fought well," Woongki wheezed.
JL kicked his foot. "Get up!"
They all laughed hysterically.
--
D-Day: NPAC Performance Evaluation
The resort's auditorium buzzed with preparation and tension.
JL, now fully awake, felt the pressure sink in. This wasn't just a practice anymore-NPAC officials were coming to evaluate their performance.
Joe and Steven stood on opposite sides of the room.
Joe, as always, was too relaxed, hands in his pockets, looking like he wasn't worried at all. Meanwhile, Steven was the complete opposite-laser-focused, muscles tensed, eyes set on their performance.
"He's taking this too seriously again," Juwon whispered to JL.
"And Joe's not taking it seriously enough," Chih En muttered back.
JL stayed quiet, but he couldn't deny that tension was thick between the two leaders.
Then, as they were warming up-
A familiar shadow entered the room.
Jay Park.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Everyone froze, eyes widening as the National Director casually walked in with a group of NPAC officials.
"Director Jay?" someone whispered.
Even their school directors hadn't been allowed to come-so what was he doing here?
Jay Park smirked. "What? You thought I'd miss this?"
The students quickly bowed in respect, excitement bubbling despite the nerves. They had no idea he'd be part of this evaluation.
--
The evaluation began.
For the first time since arriving, the entire supergroup and the Unicorns weren't competing against each other-they were working together.
The dance team moved flawlessly, even though Woongki and Shuaibo barely had any sleep.
The vocalists, Park Han and Seojun blended their harmonies perfectly, their voices creating something powerful.
Ko and Daisuke made everyone cheer for their cute and lively performance.
Even Joe and Steven, despite their personal tension, seemed to push each other to do better. Lyrics in their rap were meaningful and inspiring.
JL, partnered with Eli, found himself in sync in a way he hadn't expected. It was mesmerizing.
Jay Park watched with sharp eyes. But instead of his usual smirk, his expression shifted into something unreadable.
"I thought they were sent here to sabotage the team," he thought, glancing at the Unicorns members. "But now... they're actually working as one?"
Even the NPAC team looked a little thrown off.
--
At the end of the evaluation, Jay Park clapped.
Everyone held their breath.
Then, he walked straight to Joe and Steven.
"You two," he said. "You did very well."
Steven and Joe both blinked.
Jay Park crossed his arms. "Alpha leaders. That's what you are. You pushed your groups, in a positive way, whether you realized it or not. Keep doing it."
For once, Joe didn't smirk. He just nodded silently.
Then, Jay Park pulled Steven aside.
He didn't mention the possible replacements. Instead, he simply said-
"No matter what happens, we will stand by your group. All of us."
Steven swallowed. He had always felt the pressure of leading, but hearing this? It felt comforting. It felt great.
Then, just when Steven thought the conversation was over-
"By the way," Jay Park added, smirking. "We already picked your group name."
Steven blinked. "Wait-what?"
Jay Park leaned in and whispered it in his ear.
Steven's expression instantly changed.
The second he turned back to the group, everyone stared at him expectantly.
"What? What did he say?" Juwon asked.
Steven's face remained completely unreadable.
Now everyone was dying of curiosity.
Then, he smiled -- "We finally have a group name."
A quiet thrill ran through them as everyone struggled to keep their excitement in check.
Galee took the stage and cleared his throat.
"The results will be reported back to NPAC. You'll hear the final verdict in a couple of days," he announced.
The tension in the room skyrocketed.
But then-
"For now, you're free to enjoy the resort!"
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
Everyone cheered, screamed, and jumped.
Juwon picked up JL and spun him around, while Shuaibo dramatically collapsed again, screaming about a "vacation arc."
Even the Unicorns smiled slightly, but they kept their composure and followed Joe out of the room.
--
The distant chirping of crickets filled the silence of the night as everyone was already resting.
Steven went to find a vending machine at the lobby for a soda.
The resort was quiet.
As he pressed the button-
A familiar voice spoke.
"You drink soda at night?"
Steven turned his head, "Yeah."
Joe stood there, getting a coffee from the machine.
For a moment, they just stood there in silence.
No arguing. No tension.
Joe sat on the couch. Steven hesitated before sitting beside him.
They both drank their drinks wordlessly.
For once, the air between them wasn't hostile. It was... neutral.
Maybe even peaceful.
They didn't talk.
They didn't need to.
But for the first time, it didn't feel like a rivalry between the alphas.