Dreams were like a battlefield, and every ounce of mercy shown was a sign of disrespect to one's opponent.

As a seasoned veteran of countless battles, Taeseok was the first to sound the horn of the charge.

His momentum was like a rainbow and his attacks were like a tidal wave, with his sights directly set on the enemy's base.

The battle was intensely fierce at one point, with a tight rhythm that left people breathless.

In comparison, Hyunyoung was merely a freshly enlisted recruit.

Faced with Taeseok's flowing and seamless combo, she could only parry without any power to counterattack.

At first, she could still grit her teeth to organize one or two waves of defensive counterattacks, attempting to steady her footing.

But after a few rounds, she obviously grew weak, and her defense gradually loosened...

"Time out, time out..." Hyunyoung panted, shouting intermittently.

Unfortunately, her voice was soft and lacked any deterrence.

"How can we stop on the battlefield?" Taeseok lowered his head and smiled as he replied in her ear. "Stopping means you lose out."

"You're bullying me..." Hyunyoung muttered, her cheeks as red as a ripe peach.

But her hands honestly wrapped around his neck, showing not the slightest intention of resisting.

The wonder of the dream world was that as long as one's mental energy was not exhausted, it was as if one possessed endless physical strength to mess around however one pleased, completely free from the limitations of soreness and exhaustion in reality.

In this space constructed by consciousness, the boundaries of the body blurred, leaving only pure perception and interaction.

The two of them fought back and forth across the battlefield for several rounds.

Every single time, Taeseok held the absolute upper hand.

Every single time ended with his opponent surrendering.

By the time the lingering afterglow dissipated, Hyunyoung was completely collapsed on the grass.

Lying flat on her back, her chest rising and falling.

She looked like a salted fish washed ashore by the waves.

Taeseok admired his battle achievements and thought to himself: No wonder Jaekyung said this girl is the "nuclear weapon" of the group; usually she looks like an adorable maknae, but once her disguise is removed, she is completely in another dimension.

"Oppa," Hyunyoung turned her head, looking at him with watery eyes, "you are just too good at fighting..."

Taeseok's lips curved up as he teased, "Recruit, do you submit?"

Hyunyoung gave him an eye-roll, unable to keep her lips from curving up, and rolled over to bury her face in the crook of his shoulder.

...

One day, while the two of them were practicing in the dream, Taeseok had a sudden flash of inspiration and tried casting a blessing Cultivation Technique, but unfortunately, the effect could not be brought out of the dream.

"It seems we need to reach the realm of 'waking and dreaming as one,' " Taeseok silently calculated in his heart after ending the practice, "once we reach that realm, there will be no difference between dreams and reality."

...

On October 1st, the recording for "MISS & MR. IDOL KOREA" began.

Holding the artist assistant pass given by Hara, Taeseok sneaked into the MBC recording hall, his gaze sweeping past the busy staff and landing on the meticulously decorated stage.

The lights and sound were still being adjusted, and the giant LED screen in the center of the stage scrolled with the words "MISS & MR. IDOL KOREA." Many male and female idols were already standing in their designated positions, waiting for the recording to officially begin.

"This formation is set up just like a model pageant," Taeseok muttered softly.

Quite a few people were already seated in the hall, including staff members, managers from various companies, and a portion of lucky audience members who got in through a lottery.

Taeseok found a seat near the back, sat down, took out his phone, and sent a message to Hara: "I've arrived at the scene. What number are you in the lineup?"

The message was sent out like a stone sinking into the sea. Hara was probably busy in the backstage making final preparations, and her phone wasn't by her side at all.

He tucked his phone back into his pocket and leaned against the back of the chair, waiting for the show to start.

At 5:30, the show started recording punctually.

The moment the musical prelude sounded, Taeseok's jaw dropped.

It was "Gangnam Style" again.

The entire broadcast hall was instantly flooded with that mesmerizing electronic sound effect. On both sides of the stage, eight groups of female idols and eight groups of male idols stood interspersed in two square formations. The male idols wore uniform black suits and white shirts, while the female idols wore various gorgeous evening gowns.

Afterward, more than forty people collectively struck the signature pose of the horse-riding dance: left hand on the waist, right hand swinging back and forth, and stepping into a horse stance.

The corner of Taeseok's mouth twitched.

He saw Jaekyung standing slightly to the left of the center in the female idol queue, wearing a standard business smile on her lips, every hand-swinging movement faintly revealing "unwillingness."

Taeseok knew her too well; that look was clearly complaining, "Why on earth does this lady have to dance this in public?"

Hyunyoung right next to her was completely different. Her whole state was like she had been injected with chicken blood, jumping up and down, winking at the camera while dancing, with her vitality meter maxed out.

As for Hara, Nicole, and Seungyeon in the front row, they danced exceptionally hard.

Hara's slender waist coordinated with the rhythm of the horse-riding dance, and every twist of her waist was precisely on the beat. When the camera cut to her, she even managed to squeeze in a wink at the camera.

To be honest, the scene of nearly fifty idols dancing the horse-riding dance together was quite spectacular. Although the movements were uneven, it won by having many people with long legs, and all kinds of evening gowns swaying on the stage, maximizing the visual effect directly.

Once the song ended, MCs Tak Jae-hoon and Jung Hyung-don walked out from both sides of the stage to the music.

"Good evening, viewers—" Tak Jae-hoon's voice was full of vital energy, echoing throughout the studio, "Welcome to the MBC special program, Miss & Mr. Idol Korea Selection Contest!"

Jung Hyung-don took over, his voice an octave higher than Tak Jae-hoon's: "Gathered here are the most popular idols of The Peninsula. To compete for the final crowns of 'True,' 'Goodness,' and 'Beauty,' a bloody showdown will unfold today!"

Applause and screams mixed together in the audience. More than a dozen high school girls sat behind Taeseok, screaming at the top of their lungs until it shook the heavens. His eardrums ached from that extremely penetrating sound wave, so he quietly moved two seats to the side without changing his expression.

"Then first—" Tak Jae-hoon dragged out his tone, holding the script and pretending to take a look, "Let us invite all the participating female idols to bring us the opening show!"

The stage lighting switched to a soft pink, and the first female idol to walk the stage was—

Secret's Hyosung.