Chapter Text
Jihoon didn’t know why it happened or how it had occurred. He’d just been sleeping...or maybe he'd been falling— the tumbling feeling in his gut reminiscent of the times he rode the rollercoaster or the vikings. And yet, there was no ground to land onto. Or maybe crash on. One second he was somewhere else and then he was just simply… there.
When asked (if he ever decided to tell anyone, that is), Jihoon wouldn’t be able to explain anything substantial to them. He only knew when it had happened which honestly wasn’t too hard to remember since it was a day he could never forget. It had been life changing after all. Not only for him, but for the rest of the 100 trainees struggling through the experience with him.
He just didn’t expect to have to go through it all again.
When Jihoon blinked his eyes open after a night full of games with the Wanna One members, he realized he was no longer in the dorms. Instead, the cushion he was lying against was rumbling, as if the ground under it was vibrating and shaking along, and after hearing the familiar sound of an engine being switched off, Jihoon finally understood he was in a car.
But that wasn’t right. He clearly remembered collapsing on his bed last night after tiring himself out with his hyungs and dongsaengs. Had somebody moved him without waking him up? Jihoon found that very unlikely, even more so of a program taking idols out from their beds without permission. He knew they had a music show to record today then a fan signing event afterwards. So what could this be?
Yawning, he raised his arms over his head and stretched nonetheless, trying to wake his limbs up so he could better assess the situation. When he finally glanced outside the window, he was shocked to be looking at a building that had housed many trainees in the past, him included. He didn't think he'd be back here so soon after Seongwoo had driven him with a few others here for a program called, Return of Superman.
Scrunching his brows together, Jihoon turned to his companion beside him to ask why they were here, and instead, released a loud yelp.
Kwon Hyeop blinked at him in confusion, staring at him oddly, “Are you okay, Jihoon-ah?”
Breathing hard, Jihoon placed a hand over his chest, heart beating a mile a minute as he stared wide-eyed at his ex-label mate and fellow trainee. The last he heard from his friend was that he was deciding to quit as an idol and move back in with his family. So why then was Kwon Hyeop sitting here beside him in a vehicle, looking as if nothing had changed since they'd last seen each other.
“W-What are you doing here?”
Hyeop sent him a weird look, pointing out towards the window that was still showing the building used for one of the most popular survival shows in Korea.
“Because we’re going to be recording for Produce 101 today. Did you forget already?”
Jihoon blinked, hardly believing what his friend was saying as he looked down and noticed for the first time his clothing. It was the costume he wore during the first day of Produce 101— a copy of Turbo sunbaenims’ outfit during their idol days. His mouth dropped open in shock, hands stretching the material and thinking that someone had changed his clothing while he'd been unconscious. But Kwon Hyeop was here and he doubted his friend would do anything like that to him. Actually now that he thought about it, his friend looked exactly as he did during the first episode of the show, like he hadn't aged a day.
“Are you sure you’re fine, Jihoon-ah? You’re not coming down with a cold, are you?” Hyeop asked worriedly, raising a hand to check Jihoon's forehead. But before Jihoon could respond, the door to his side of the car opened, revealing the driver from their company telling them they've arrived.
Nodding his head in thanks to the man, Jihoon stepped down and gaped at seeing the establishment once again. It seemed like this show would never release him from their shackles. But then again, he experienced some of the best moments of his life here, and they did bring Jihoon to stardom with many of his friends in the end so he shouldn’t complain.
As they walked in with their luggages, Jihoon still thoroughly confused, they entered the studio where they were holding the 101 trainees. The halls just looked as he remembered them, all white and black. The lady at the reception took down their names and made them leave their luggage in the room before entering the door behind her.
His two companions were talking excitedly among themselves, shocked that they were actually doing this and nervous about performing front of the other trainees. Jihoon stayed silent, his mind conflicted as he tried to figure out what was going on.
This couldn’t be a hidden camera for him, was it? It wouldn’t be the first time it happened but the Produce 101 team no longer had any control over them.
Jihoon tilted his head in thought, entering the hall that finally brought them in front of the cameras. Seeing the narrow white room again with the mirrors and the draw board for them to write on before going in, Jihoon could recall the memories he'd made here and he had to gulp down the choking feeling suddenly tightening his throat.
“Oi, Jihoonie, here’s your name tag.” Jongyeon, a fellow trainee who had to leave the show early due to controversies from his past, held the sticker for Jihoon. Slowly, he took it, trying not to stare at his hyung too obviously though he doubted he succeeded. It was difficult to ignore when Jihoon knew the other wasn't allowed in front of the media until the controversy was swept under the rug. So him being here ruled the camera prank out. Unless this was all just orchestrated by some of his very resourceful and very rich friends.
“Hey, hey, let’s make our greetings in front of the camera.” Hyeop told them, already standing under the lenses to be seen. Jihoon took his place beside him, feeling a huge sense of deja vu that he entirely missed the timing of their introductions.
Hyeop and Jongyeon stood from their bow to glance at him incredulously. Snapping from his thoughts, Jihoon released an, “ah!” and bowed hurriedly in front of the cameras, saying where he was from.
Hyeop laughed hesitantly at his mistake, patting Jihoon’s back and telling him to focus. “Don’t get nervous now, Jihoon-ah. It’s our time to shine.”
Jihoon replied with a half-hearted grin, not knowing how to react anymore and just going with the flow instead. Maybe he’d understand more once they entered the set?
After writing down their company's name on the draw board (like last time, he thought), Jihoon took note of the other trainees already here by reading some of the scribbles.
Seongwoo’s handwriting, Jihoon noticed. Finally, someone he knew who could possibly give him some answers about the strange situation he found himself in.
But once they walked through the entryway that revealed the familiar blue triangle pattern of Produce 101’s setting, Jihoon was getting less and less certain it was a prank and more like a nightmare. No one would be able to set up a prank to this degree, would they?
Finding seats for themselves, Jihoon bowed as per custom to the other trainees already there. He recognized them, of course. Jung Sewoon and Lee Gwanghyun from Starship, and Ong Seongwoo from Fantagio.
Jihoon stared at his fellow Wanna One member to see if Seongwoo would acknowledge him but he was only given a polite greeting and a distant expression like Jihoon was just some stranger on the streets. If this were a hidden camera, then Seongwoo was really good at acting like he didn’t know Jihoon at all.
Feeling off-put, Jihoon turned to Sewoon instead, and caught his curious gaze. But there was also none of that familiarity Jihoon felt with them. He was deeply troubled by this, not liking how the people he’d come to regard as friends look at him like it was the first day of Produce 101 again.
And then it hit Jihoon like a punch to the gut, freezing him in place as he stared blankly at the screen now showing the ranking he wrote down on his file. Rank 3. How funny that the lady who saw him wrote that asked him if it weren’t too high. He wondered how she felt when she saw him take first place many times before landing 2nd in the end.
“Jihoonie...are you shocked that they revealed your desired rank?” Hyeop asked him, looking teasing while at the same time, getting nervous at Jihoon’s continuous strange acts.
But Jihoon was finally getting something here and man, it was blowing his mind away.
He time traveled. That was the only explanation for it. Aside from a hidden camera which only had a 2% possibility. Though he knew time traveling was even more at odds with the logistics of the world, Jihoon felt the certainty in every bone in his body that he was no longer in his current time period.
So then, why was he here? Why wasn’t he back in his dorms with the members, safe and sound? Had he done this by accident or was it the gods themselves bringing Jihoon back here? Had he done something to invoke this strange phenomenon or maybe—
“Excuse me! Trainee, please sit down! You don’t have to keep standing there.” A staff loudly told him from below and Jihoon blinked rapidly, his mind finally crashing back to the present.
“Ah!” He bowed and apologized, looking embarrassed for having stood in the middle of the seats for a long time before joining his fellow labelmates. He ignored their questioning stares, not knowing how else to tell them that he was a time traveler in the wrong time period.
One by one or in groups, the trainees began trickling in, filling the studio slowly and raising the tension and nervousness in the room to new heights. All of which Jihoon was immune to and so he just stared and stayed quiet,
“Jihoon-ah,you don’t have to force yourself if you can’t do today’s performance.” Hyeop suddenly whispered beside him.
Jihoon turned to his friend, wide-eyed, “What do you mean? I’m fine.”
Hyeop didn’t look like he believed him. He exchanged a glance with Jongyeon over the top of his head (which meant they’d been silently discussing this while his head had been elsewhere) before glancing back at him, “You’ve been acting weird since we got here. We’re just concerned.”
Jongyeon nodded in agreement and Jihoon bit his lip, hating that he was making his friends worry. He forced a small grin, trying to use every ounce of acting skill he knew to appear calm on the outside, yet a disaster on the inside. “It must be the weather, hyung. I’m fine really. I want to do this.” He tried chuckling to throw them off more.
That must have finally convinced them because Hyeop leaned back with a nod, thumping Jihoon on his back while Jongyeon sent him a reassuring grin. Seeing them supporting him like this reminded Jihoon how early they were both going to leave the show and it saddened him. They had such amazing talents to contribute to the program and his friend had been the one to convince him to join Produce 101 in the first place but one’s controversy could not be overlooked and Hyeop had been too low a rank to reach the next evaluation.
Jihoon licked his lips and glanced around, realizing that nearly everyone was here. The MMO trainees were being loud as usual, the Yuehua trainees looked dazzling in their outfits and visuals, and the YG K+ trainees looked as tall as he remembered them to be. So many memories swept through him as he looked at all their faces, the struggles they endured and the fun they created all together, now only just a memory in Jihoon's head.
The thought was daunting and even more, the coil in his gut tightened with dread when nation’s representative, Boa entered the set, her beauty and aura outshining them all. She gave them the usual greetings and words Jihoon was familiar with, not as intimidated as he was the first time when he saw her or when their trainers arrived.
A thought entered his mind that he probably wasn’t making much of a reaction for the PD-nims to want to edit him into the episode. Being 101 trainees, getting screen time was one of the most important things for them, if only because it gave them more exposure to fans who, if lucky enough, would vote for them.
Jihoon had gotten lucky the first time around but he didn’t know if he would be now. Would everything still follow through like before if Jihoon just did all the same things? Then again, he guessed he probably already did kind of change something upon entering the studio with such a lost look on his face. Maybe the PD would edit it out because he thought Jihoon looked too stupid to be put on TV.
Somehow, while he’d been lost in thought again, the auditions had begun and Jihoon had just ran on autopilot to know when to sit, stand, and clap along with the rest. Hyeop looked like he was going to be sick beside him and Jongyeon was clenching his fists and trying to appear nonchalant, when really he was beginning to sweat from his hairline.
Jihoon knew the feeling well; he’d felt it the first time too, but for some reason, he was feeling a bit… empty. Hollow. Like he no longer knew what he was still doing here or why he was still acting like everything was fine, when his entire reality of what he knew before had been reduced to crumbles.
And then, the staff were calling for Maroo Ent. to prepare in the waiting room and Jihoon could do nothing else but follow along, strangely calm for the first time since he’d arrived. As they waited for their turn, Jihoon watched the other trainees still performing on stage and he was amazed once again of their perseverance to keep trying even though he knew most of them would be kicked off the show by the first ranking evaluation. The thought didn't boost Jihoon's mood at all.
It made his gut twist, knowing what he knew of the fate of some of the trainees here and Jihoon wished he was no longer doing this, wished he could go back to where he was instead of having to endure this reality again. It was just too cruel.
Through the chaos of his thoughts, Jihoon had neglected to realize that they were being called already until he found himself climbing the steps up the stage with his companions. He faltered and stopped right on the second step, eyes wide and breathing hard as he took in the scene before him. With all the trainers and the trainees eyes on him, the sense of deja vu was even more distinct now and Jihoon felt choked by it.
It was only because of Hyeop’s less than subtle urging that finally drove Jihoon to take the final steps to where they stood. He guessed he hadn’t been able to hide his anxiety away because all the trainers were gazing at him doubtfully.
They bowed and did their greeting, Jihoon sounding a bit more subdued than the rest. He only realized his hands were shaking when one of the trainers told him to take deep breaths.
That surprised Jihoon, making him look at the trainer whom he knew so well from the fours months he taught them diligently in class. Seeing all of their expectant but worried faces, Jihoon realized he didn’t want to let any of them down. If there was one thing that could help ease his mind, it was dancing. Renewing his courage and pushing away all his worries for now, Jihoon took up his starting position and let the music take control of him.
Thankfully, he still remembered all the steps and lyrics of the song. He didn’t think about why he was here or how he got to be here. Jihoon just danced and sang like he knew these people wanted him to, delivering the best he got. Once they were done, Jihoon released an exhausted breath and let the applause from the trainees fill his ears. He stood calmly with his labelmates, waiting for the C result he knew he would get.
“You know, I was surprised when you started dancing.” Kahi began and she pointed at Jihoon as she said this, “Because you were so nervous before you started, I was unconsciously lowering my expectations already. So when the first note of that song began it was like you were a completely different person.”
Jihoon blinked, stunned at the comment he hadn't received last time. The other trainers nodded at her comment, looking impressed. Boa added, “That’s right. I was so surprised when you started popping. It was really good.”
“Neh, his voice was stable as he danced with such high difficulty too.” Seung Jae interjected, smiling at Jihoon kindly who just bowed his head shyly and thanked them for their compliments. Had his performance really been that different compared to when he’d confidently strode on stage the first time? Sure, he was probably less immune to nerves after debuting in Wanna One but experience didn't always equate to better stage performance. NU'EST had showed them that. They gave a few more comments to Hyeop and Jongyeon before they were finally giving them their evaluations.
“B… Park Jihoon.”
The brunet gaped, not believing what he just heard. He lifted a hand to his mouth, unable to hide his surprise in front of them because...this wasn’t like his first time at all?!
“Great job, Jihoon-ah.” Hyeop told him once they were backstage, patting him on the shoulder. However, Jihoon could see the frustration in his eyes that he tried disguising with relief and Jihoon felt all the more sorry for his friend. His two companions had gotten the same evaluation as he remembered which meant only Hyeop was in D class while he and Jongyeon were together in B class.
If Jihoon continued to act differently than before, not only would he be affected by his actions but those around him as well. This was a competition with constantly changing ranks and if someone went up, then somebody had to go down as well. Jihoon didn't want to be that person responsible for changing someone's proper place as he knew them to be.
What was he going to do?