I Was Trying To Debut My Baby, But I Ended Up Debuting Instead

Chapter 17

Fatigue hit like a tsunami. Repeating the same choreography for hours while intentionally making slight mistakes made her feel like she was going crazy. All she wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep.

“Shall we take a short break?” Na Yeonwoo asked the trainees, especially seeing Hyesung yawning three times per second, looking utterly exhausted.

“No, let’s keep going and then take a break.”

“Yeah, let’s push hard together today.”

Strangely, despite everyone being tired, no one seemed to want to return to the dormitory.

‘…I’m so sleepy I could die. But there will probably be a surprise inspection soon.’

She recalled that in the show, the trainers had stormed in at dawn on the last day before the re-evaluation.

Hyesung, on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, agreed to continue without a break.

“The trainers might come, so let’s catch our breath and keep going. If anyone needs to go to the bathroom, go now.”

As Hyesung predicted, just after 2 AM, the practice room door burst open.

“How’s it going, everyone?”

It wasn’t Jade or Kang Min Gook who entered, but Minty.

“Wow, hello.”

“Yeah, hello. It’s been a while, right?”

Since the start of the training camp, this was Minty’s first visit to the practice room. She had probably been too busy to participate in regular lessons and only showed up for evaluations.

“Have you all been practicing a lot?”

“We did practice, but…”

Although things had improved a lot, they had been scolded so much today that everyone felt their confidence drop significantly.

“Shall we take a look then?”

Minty’s expression brightened as she watched the F class trainees dance.

“You’re doing better than I thought. I heard from the vocal and dance instructors that you got scolded a lot again today, so I was worried.”

‘How low were her expectations for her to say we’re doing well…’

Hyesung was taken aback by the unexpected praise. They had barely synchronized the movements, and about one-third of them still seemed stuck in F class.

“Although the details are off, you’ve mostly got the movements down.”

Minty’s words revived the trainees, who had been on the verge of giving up. The effect of receiving praise for the first time was enormous.

“Okay, let’s work on the parts that aren’t fitting well with the teacher.”

Minty took off her jacket, placed it on the floor, and stood in the center.

Just a slight warm-up move was enough to overwhelm them with her aura.

“Seven, eight, thump!”

Their jump and turn timings were all over the place.

“Other parts were good, but it seems this part is difficult.”

Minty corrected their angles one by one and checked each movement.

“Shall we try it once more from the beginning to the end?”

It became noticeably cleaner than before.

“If you get the turn timing right, everything else will be fine. You’ve all done well overall.”

“Thank you!”

“Is Yeonwoo the leader? You did well, training everyone. Based on today, Yeonwoo should keep progressing.”

“Thank you, haah.”

Na Yeonwoo, who hadn’t let up for a moment and gave 100% to every movement since Minty arrived, bent over, panting heavily. Hearing those words made her feel the effort of barely sleeping for two days was worth it, and her face brightened.

“But Hyesung.”

“Yes?”

Hyesung, who had been on the verge of physical and mental collapse, startled at the call.

“You’re not sick, are you? Your face…”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t get enough sleep because of practice…”

Hyesung, whose face had turned ashen and lips trembled, answered. She looked as if she would crumble at a touch.

“Really? You’ve improved a lot, but don’t overdo it. Your complexion is terrible.”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, I’ll be going. Let’s perform like this during the recording, okay?”

“Yes! Thank you for your hard work! Thank you!”

It was past 3 AM when Minty finally left the practice room.

“We got praised for the first time!”

“I was so scared we’d get scolded by Minty too, seriously.”

Despite the late hour, the practice room was unusually lively. No one seemed to want to return to the dormitory tonight.

Regardless of what the others were doing, Hyesung collapsed to the floor like a deflated gas station inflatable.

‘I feel like I’m going to pass out. Why am I trying to become an idol and suffering like this…’

And then she fainted.

* * *

“Sleeping when you’re dead. I put that into practice, and now I’m really dead.”

Hyesung sighed, seeing herself floating in an empty space again.

Until just a moment ago, she had been barely holding on in the practice room when she suddenly blacked out. It seemed she had collapsed from overwork.

“Am I really dead…?”

This strange place she found herself in was a place she had been to before, even before the world of dreams and reality had switched.

“Is this the border of that world?”

The world of the boundary where you get trapped as a penalty if you exceed your karmic debt.

The thought that this might be that place made her heart drop.

“What am I supposed to do? Does collapsing add to my karmic debt? Working hard isn’t a crime. Hey! Status window!”

Hyesung struggled with a mix of frustration and resentment. At that moment, the background changed.

This time, she was lying down, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She could see the IV stand next to her, indicating she was in a hospital.

‘Ah, I’m back. They must have taken me to the hospital.’

“Unnie.”

She felt someone holding her hand.

Then, a familiar face came into view, and she heard a tearful voice.

“Why did you do that…”

Na Yeonwoo was crying.

‘Yeonwoo…!’

Hyesung tried to call her name, but she couldn’t make a sound or move. It was strange. This didn’t feel like reality either.

‘Why are you crying, what happened!’

Her vision blurred as she tried to shout out, unable to reach.

Hyesung lost consciousness again, leaving the crying Yeonwoo behind.

“Gasp!”

Then she woke up in the real world.

“What, what was that?”

“Hyesung unnie!”

“Hyesung!”

Dazed, she looked around and saw she was on the practice room floor.

The F class trainees were gathered around her, looking worried.

“Was it a dream…”

Hyesung muttered with a blank expression. She felt relieved yet confused.

“You suddenly collapsed… I didn’t realize you were in such bad shape…”

Na Yeonwoo hung her head, her voice filled with guilt and moisture.

Just like in the dream, she was crying.

“I’m okay, Yeonwoo. I guess I was just really tired and fell asleep.”

Hyesung patted Yeonwoo’s back gently, trying to reassure her. She could feel the trembling of Yeonwoo’s dry back under her palm.

“Don’t cry…”

She never wanted to see Yeonwoo cry again. Hyesung, particularly weak to Yeonwoo’s tears, felt her heart ripping apart. Watching her cry was more painful than collapsing.

“Hyesung, shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“Maybe it’s better to check at the hospital just in case.”

The other trainees, also worried, were fretting around her.

“How long have I been out?”

“You just fainted. You woke up right away. Not even a minute has passed.”

“A minute?”

She thought it had been an hour or two, but not even a minute had passed. It was hard to believe.

“If you woke up immediately, you might not need to go to the hospital, right?”

Although she was still tired, she felt clearer than before she passed out.

“Let’s go to the hospital. What if it happens again later?”

“Yeah, unnie. Let’s go to the hospital.”

“I’d rather sleep than go to the hospital…”

Despite the trainees’ insistence, Hyesung decided to return to the dormitory.

When she entered the room, she saw that Lee Joo-ha and Han Youngwon had already returned.

“You’re back early today.”

Han Youngwon glanced at her as she spoke.

“Yes. I’m exhausted.”

“Since we have to film the re-evaluation videos from the morning, it’s better not to overdo it tonight. Are the others still practicing?”

“No. They plan to stay up all night, but I collapsed, so I’m going to rest.”

Hyesung said casually while packing her toiletries. Lee Joo-ha and Han Youngwon turned their heads sharply at her words.

“What?”

“You collapsed?”

“I just fainted for a moment. I guess it’s from lack of sleep. I’m going to wash up.”

As Hyesung headed for the bathroom, Han Youngwon blocked her path.

“You need to go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine. I woke up right away. I’ll feel better if I sleep.”

“You’ve been pushing yourself for almost three days without proper rest, practicing under constant tension. Collapsing isn’t just about being tired; it’s a sign your body’s functions are weakening. What if there’s a serious problem? Go to the hospital.”

“…”

‘I probably just fainted from exhaustion.’

Hyesung couldn’t talk about the extreme mental fatigue from , so she just kept quiet.

“What if it happens again? Do you think you can last until the end of this camp?”

“Yeah. Hyesung, let’s go to the hospital.”

“Come on.”

Han Youngwon took her toiletries, set them down, and pulled her by the hand out the door.

‘…I think sleeping would be better. But they’re being so insistent. I shouldn’t have mentioned collapsing.’

“Alright. I’ll go to the hospital.”

In the end, Hyesung was taken by the two and headed to the emergency room in the production crew’s car.

“But why are you both coming? Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“You’re making us worry.”

Han Youngwon retorted sharply.

“Our little sister collapsed, and we can’t just let her go alone. Right, unnie?”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

Although she denied it, Han Youngwon, the oldest contestant in season 5, was genuinely worried about Hyesung, who was pretending to be a minor. Watching her struggle and work hard had made her fond of and concerned for her.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“We took a break around midnight. We were about to go back to the practice room when you came in.”

“Oh… But aren’t you worried about missing practice because of me?”

“Don’t worry about us.”

That was true. Season 5 didn’t accept contestants with prior debut experience, so many participants hadn’t even come close to debuting before.

On the other hand, Lee Joo-ha and Han Youngwon had come close to debuting before. As proven trainees in the ace level, Hyesung didn’t need to worry about them.

* * *

The emergency room was bustling with people. “Why did you come here for this?” and “Why did you only come now?” echoed around as Hyesung lay on a cot, receiving an IV.

They would need to conduct more precise tests later, but for now, apart from slightly low blood pressure, there seemed to be no major issues.

“Are you going to keep watching like that?”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“Unnie, stop being so prickly. Hyesung might misunderstand.”

She wanted some alone time to rest, but having the two of them hover over her made her feel a bit burdened.

“I’ll go back as soon as I’m done. You two can rest in the car.”

“That’s annoying. I’ll just stay here. It’s only thirty or forty minutes.”

Han Youngwon insisted on sitting in an uncomfortable chair without a backrest, determined to stay until Hyesung finished her IV.

“Don’t mind us. Just close your eyes. We’ll wake you up when it’s done.”

Lee Joo-ha raised the blanket to Hyesung’s chin and spoke gently.

“Okay. Sorry, but I’ll take a short nap…”

“Sure.”

Hyesung closed her eyes and thought about the dream she had.

‘It’s strange. The face I saw of Yeonwoo…’