The Teaser

The notifications started arriving at 10 PM.

The soft glow of Nataria’s phone, as it peeped notifications,

illuminated her corner of the shared bedroom, casting gentle shadows against her plain section of wall.

She sat curled on her bed, the familiar weight of her stuffed rabbit, Mr. Bun, pressed to her chest.

His fur smelled faintly of lavender from its last wash. It always made her feel safer, more grounded, even now.

The memory of her earlier conversation with Senri burned in her chest like acid.

I hate bullies.

She instinctively buried her face into Mr. Bun’s soft fur.

I am not a bully…, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.

I am not a bully anymore… I am not, I am not!

Her grip tightened on the stuffed animal, but then another notification flickered on her screen.

She could feel the tremor in her hands as she reached for her phone, unlocking it with a slow swipe.

The little notification bubble blinked at her, a text from Yamazaki, her manager.

Her heart skipped.

She could already feel the dread pooling in her stomach.

With a deep breath, Nataria opened the message.

Yamazaki:
“The teaser for the first episode dropped. Brace yourself. Call me if you need to talk strategy.”

Her breath hitched. So it was out.

That must be why Yamazaki was texting.

Nataria put down Mr. Bun very carefully and sat up, glancing across the room.

In the other two beds, Momo was already under her covers, scrolling on her phone, and Sachiko was meticulously applying moisturizer at her dresser. The awareness of the cameras in the corners of the ceiling was a low, constant hum in Nataria’s mind, but tonight, she couldn’t make herself care about her image. She just felt numb.

She stared at her phone screen.

A push notification from the streaming service glowed cheerfully:

First Episode Teaser - Watch Now!

An emoji accompanied it, feeling like mockery.

Her finger hovered over the screen.

Part of her wanted to delete it.

To pretend ignorance until the episode aired tomorrow night.

But that would be cowardice.

And whatever else she might be,

whatever the internet had decided she was, Nataria wasn’t a coward.

She plugged in her earbuds and tapped the play button.

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The video loaded with professional slickness. The production value was evident in every frame.

The show's logo appeared first, all elegant script and flourishes, before fading to black.

Then, one by one, the cast members materialized like players on a stage.

Senri appeared first.

First position.

Her industry instincts kicked in automatically, analyzing even as her heart constricted.

Senri grinned at the camera with that effortless charm.

He raised two fingers in a lazy salute.

His brown hair fell messily across his forehead, and his eyes crinkled at the corners with genuine warmth.

He looked like a dream who didn’t know how wanted he was.

They're making him the face of the show, she thought distantly. Which means his popularity is already higher than Hibiki and Shou's.

Shou's agency wouldn't like this.

Their idol was second place. They'd push back. Hard.

Shou came next, laughing with his head thrown back.

Blond hair catching light like a halo. Impossibly handsome.

Momo twirling in the garden.

Red hair and pink dress creating a confection of sweetness and picture-perfect innocence.

Sachiko sipping tea gracefully. She spoke to someone off-camera with such a soft, genuine expression that it was hard to look away.

Natural elegance that didn't try too hard.

Hibiki standing in front of rows of books. He looked princely and intellectual as he showed a book to someone beside him.

The responsible, handsome option.

Then Nataria.

On the balcony.

A single tear tracking down her cheek.

She looked like the heartbroken girl in a drama, beautiful and tragic and utterly alone.

Of course, she thought bitterly. That's the role they've cast me in.

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The montage shifted. Their voices overlaid quick cuts:

Shou humming as he played guitar on the floor. Momo watched from the couch with captivated eyes.

"Life's too short to be boring," Shou said with a predatory grin that probably made half the viewers swoon.

Momo with her hands clasped, eyes bright: "I believe in destiny."

Sachiko demonstrating a gymnastic pose with ease.

Standing on one leg with impossible stability.

Hibiki attempted to mirror her and immediately lost balance, toppling over. The camera caught him looking up at her with a surprisingly boyish grin. His hair fell over his forehead in a way that made him look sweet.

Sachiko's voice overlaid the scene: "Just connection."

Then Senri.

That open, earnest expression that made him look almost vulnerable.

That made it hard to look away.

"All the girls are cute... I panicked the whole time..."

Despite everything, Nataria felt her lips twitch into something sad and almost fond.

That's exactly the type of idiotic thing Senri would say.

Honest to the point of self-deprecation.

Not realizing how endearing it made him.

But the montage wasn't finished.

Senri's voice continued, still completely oblivious to how his words would land:

"I picked Hidomu-san because she was the only one left..."

The words struck like a physical blow.

Because she was the only one left.

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The teaser ended on her face from the selection ceremony.

Stone-cold. Expression shuttered. Every wall firmly in place.

The perfect villain shot.

The video froze on that frame, then faded to black.

Nataria sat motionless in the darkness of her corner, the phone’s screen casting her face in pale blue light.

Her finger rested on the glass, hovering over the comment section she hadn't yet opened.

The teaser had been a masterclass in editing.

Every cut. Every soundbite placement.

Every lingering shot had been deliberate.

They'd introduced Senri first, establishing him as the primary draw.

The beautiful everyday man, with his endearing honesty and genuine warmth.

Then Shou, positioned as the confident challenger. All swagger and sex appeal.

Momo as the romantic. The dreamer. Every guy’s dream.

Sachiko as the graceful hard-working figure.

Hibiki as the intellectual prince.

And Nataria?

Nataria was the ice queen. The tragic figure. The one who stood apart.

They're really setting up a redemption arc, she realized. Her analytical mind dissected the structure even as something in her chest ached. It’s painful but could work. Depending on how I perform.

Nataria knew all of this, nothing in this teaser was surprising.

She walked into this show knowing what awaited her.

The fact that Senri held top position wasn't surprising.

His natural charisma translated effortlessly to screen.

But it confirmed her earlier suspicions.

The thought made her hands curl into fists against her thighs.

Sincere, honest Senri.

He said things like "I panicked the whole time" without understanding how that vulnerability would be weaponized.

How his earnestness would be packaged and sold.

He had the most power right now, the most sway with audiences, and he was completely unaware of the target that painted on his back.

They'll eat him alive, Nataria thought. One small word at the wrong time and he would end like me, or worse.

A flash of protective anger surprised her with its intensity.

Then…

He thinks I am a bully. He said he hated me.

She forced herself to breathe. To think past the conflicting emotions.

The phone screen dimmed. She tapped it, bringing it back to life.

She should close it. Walk away. The comments would only be…

But her finger was already clicking. Scrolling. Opening the floodgates.

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The comment section loaded in waves.

Thousands of reactions poured in faster than she could read.

The teaser had been live for less than forty minutes, and already it had exploded across social media.

@StardustDreamer: SENRI LOOKS SO GOOD OMG That smile should be illegal
@RealityTVJunkie: Calling it now: Senri and Momo are endgame. Did you SEE how she looked at him???
@MusicLover2024: Why is Nataria even here?? She doesn't deserve to be paired with Senri after what she did
@ShouSupremacy: Okay but can we talk about how FINE Shou looks??? That laugh??? I'm DECEASED
@TeamSenri: #SenriDeservesBetter is already trending and the episode hasn't even AIRED yet

Nataria's eyes caught on that last comment. Something cold settled in her stomach.

She clicked the hashtag. It expanded into a torrent of outrage on Senri's behalf, with her cast as the burden he'd been forced to shoulder.

#SenriDeservesBetter

@IdolBabe: "She was the only one left" my heart BROKE for Senri. He's too kind to say it but you can tell he's disappointed
@AnimeAesthetic: That shot of her crying on the balcony was SO FAKE lmao girl you're not fooling anyone with those crocodile tears #SenriDeservesBetter
@SenriProtectionSquad: He picked her out of PITY and they're making him look bad for it. This is so unfair to him. #SenriDeservesBetter

The comments blurred together.

A cacophony of judgment and speculation and thirst and outrage.

Nataria's name appeared again and again, almost always preceded by words like "cancelled," "diva," "fake," "cold."

#CancelNataria was trending.
So was #PityPick.

She locked her phone with deliberate care, placing it face down on her bedside table.

The soft thud was unnaturally loud in the quiet room.

For a long moment, she sat in the semi-darkness.

Breathing measured and controlled.

Because she was the only one left.

The words echoed in her mind. Senri's voice, gentle and completely devastating.

She'd known, of course she'd known, that he'd chosen her by default.

But hearing it again, edited for maximum impact and broadcast to millions...

After confessing everything to Senri on that balcony, she'd felt lighter.

The worst had already happened, hadn't it?

She'd talked about her mistake in front of the entire nation.

In her own words, not the carefully crafted apology her PR team had prepared that first week.

That initial apology had been professional.

Designed to contain the damage.

But it hadn't been honest.

Back then, she'd still believed the situation could be managed.

That if she said the right things in the right way, the narrative could be controlled.

She'd been wrong.

So on that balcony, with Senri's judgment cutting deeper than any internet comment ever could, she'd said what was actually on her mind.

No excuses or deflection.

And Senri's judgment had hurt.

His coldness after their earlier warmth had hurt in a way she hadn't expected.

But it had also been inevitable.

She'd been getting too distracted anyway, letting herself forget that this was a partnership, not a friendship.

Certainly nothing more than friendship.

He regrets choosing me, Nataria thought with certainty. And honestly? I'm starting to regret it too.

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