Chapter 26: New Stars
"I'm not expecting much from him," Gun said. "Even if he sings well, I'll demote him to zero-stars if he doesn't dance at all."
Hyerin nodded. "That's just fair. What do you guys think?"
Jihyun frowned. "His voice isn't for zero-stars, though. It's not even for two-stars. He did well demonstrating how the vocals should be during our classes."
"Even if," Gun insisted. "Trainees are supposed to be well-rounded. I don't think he's ready to join the higher-ranked trainees if his skill set is incomplete."
Jihyun nodded. "Let's just see."
"Trainee June, you may start."
June nodded and stood at the center. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. The music played, and he started moving his body. Gun was sure June didn't improve his dancing skills at all. It's only been a day, and he didn't exert much effort during their classes.
However, as the song continued, his eyes widened in surprise when June was able to keep up with the music. His moves weren't excellent, but he wasn't bad at all!
Was it possible for a trainee to improve so much in a span of two days?
Scary. This trainee was scary.
He finished the beginning dance part without any problem. Now, it was time for him to sing.
As he sang the first lines, the mentors and trainees looked at him with shock.
Is this really the trainee that mentor Jihyun commended during her classes?
His voice was gone—merely a breath. Everyone could tell that he had lost his voice.
Hoon smirked. He made sure to crank up the air conditioning in the room so June wouldn't be able to get his voice in time for the reevaluation. It seemed like his plan succeeded.
Ren and Zeth whispered to each other.
"Such a shame. I know he has a good voice," Zeth said.
Ren shrugged. "It's the cruel part of life. The mentors need to evaluate him based on what they see now."
Jisung was on the verge of tears! He knew that June worked hard for this more than anyone else, but he became a victim of a cruel fate. If only he didn't let June teach the chorus part of the song, then would his voice be okay now?
Lin Zhi, who had been noticing him since they were in the same class, smirked as he watched him struggle. It was always a joy to find other trainees struggling more than him. He felt even better since he had been promoted to four stars a while ago.
Jaeyong was also delighted by the turn of events. At this point, he still doesn't think June is taking the idol life seriously. He thinks that what's happening to June is just what he deserves.
The mentors looked at each other with frowns on their faces. Jihyun had the biggest frown of them all. She was embarrassed about boasting about June's skills, and then he showed up like this.
The song continued, and June tried his best. However, with his hoarse voice, he could only show a limited performance.
'Ugh, I just want this to end.'
'My throat is killing me.'
Those were the thoughts that echoed in his mind as he continued the song. Since this morning, he had already prepared himself for the worst since his voice still hadn't come back. However, since he had polished his dancing skills, he decided to do good in that aspect at least.
Gun pursed his lips as he watched June dance. He still hadn't committed a mistake at this point, which impressed him. However, that doesn't mean that he likes him! He still does not believe that someone like June should become an idol.
The song finished, and June posed for the ending. He was breathless, and the sweat had already soaked his hair underneath the mask.
"Thank you, mentors," he said with his hoarse voice.
He was greeted with silence, the judges merely sending glances to each other.
In the trainees' room, there were varying reactions. Some were happy, especially those who didn't like June from the start. Others didn't care, while others felt pity for him.
The other independent trainees were the most amused. However, they didn't make it that obvious since the cameras were filming their every move.
The mentors started to discuss quietly.
"He's better at dancing than I thought," Hyerin started. "But his voice…."
Jihyun smiled sheepishly. "I apologize, mentors. It was true that he did well during our classes. However, it seemed like he had lost his voice."
"How are we going to evaluate him then?" Woo-jin asked. "We can't grade him based on what you heard during the classes, Jihyun."
"I understand."
Gun sighed. "I think it's best if we place him at this level. Yes, he danced to the entirety of the song. But as I said earlier, idol trainees should be well-rounded, right?"
Gun showed them what he had written.
"Don't you think that's a bit too harsh?" Bone asked. "The trainees in this class don't have the basics of everything at all."
"I think it's only fair," Minho responded. "There's nothing to evaluate. His voice couldn't be heard at all."
Bone let out a long breath. "I'll go with the majority vote then."
"Let's give him this," Gun said, some excitement bubbling in his heart. Ever since June didn't dance in his class, he had already felt a slight disdain for the trainee.
The other mentors nodded.
"Trainee June," Jihyun said, a bit remorseful.
"You get zero stars."
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Chapter 27: Zero Star Crisis
It was a warm sunny day. The five-star trainees sat on the floor in a circle, excited to talk about their upcoming signal song performance.
"Sweet! We don't have a budget limit," Zeth exclaimed. "The possibilities are endless with our performance. May I suggest we add some platforms to the stage to make it more dramatic?"
Ren nodded in agreement. "Artificial indoor fireworks would be good too, or maybe some fire at the end may be better."
"We can do both," Jaeyong said. "We don't have a budget limit anyway. Let's do our best to get the most views in 24 hours."
"Then, shall we ask the production crew to make the platforms move? I'm sure the other levels wouldn't be able to afford that," Casper suggested.
"Good idea," Leo said. "And since we're singing live, let's ask them for higher-quality speakers."
The other trainees nodded.
"And should we stick to the iconic schoolboy outfits for this performance?" Hyunwoo asked. "It's a signature for the signal song."
Zeth nodded. "Yes. I think that would be good. What do you guys think?"
The other five-star trainees exclaimed in agreement. Everyone was amicable to the schoolboy concept.
"That's good," Jaeyong, their leader, said. "I've written down your suggestions and will take them to the production crew later."
"Thanks, bro," Jaxon said, patting Jaeyong's back. "You're a lifesaver."
Jaeyong smiled and nodded. "There's one thing we need to establish, though. Who will be our center?"
***
The four-star trainees excitedly exclaimed as a briefcase filled with 10,000 dollars was handed to their leader, Steel.
"Damn! Imagine what we could do with that amount of money. Let's go all out for our performance!" Daeho exclaimed.
"I'm sure the five-star trainees are also going all out," Alex said. "However, I think we're pretty similar in skill. We have some famous trainees here, too. It's worth fighting for the benefit."
"Then, do you have any suggestions on what we can do?" Steel asked.
"Let's accentuate the stage," Zachary suggested. "I think a pyramid would be nice. The center can take the highest part."
"Oh, that's good," Lin Zhi smirked, speaking for the first time. "Then, can I try out for the center position later?"
"We'll do that later," Steel said. "For now, do you have any other suggestions?"
"How about fireworks?" Sejun suggested.
"I don't think we can afford that anymore," Steel said. "The pyramid stage would already cost quite a lot."
"Then, how about flower petals?" Jisung shyly said, a pink tint on his cheeks. "It'd look pretty."
Hums of approval were heard in the room.
"Flower petals are good," Steel said. "And lastly, do you have any ideas for our outfits?"
"Of course, it's supposed to be schoolboy outfits!" Zachary said. "It won't be a signal song performance without schoolboy outfits."
***
The three-stars stared at the 5,000 dollars in front of them.
"It's a lot more than I had expected," Hoon said.
"Really, brother?" Minx, the youngest trainee, asked. "Then do we have a chance to win the benefit?"
"Of course," Hoon boasted. "Right, Jiyong?"
His fellow independent trainee nodded.
"Just let me take the lead," Hoon said. "Then, we can win the benefit! I'll be your leader! Unless you guys want another one," he gazed at all of them.
The other trainees looked a bit hesitant. However, none of them had the courage to oppose Hoon's passion.
"It's decided then," Hoon smirked. "I'll be the leader. I'll also be the center."
Minx bit his lip. He wanted to be the center too, but there were too many older trainees that he couldn't find the courage to speak. His fellow company-mates were already promoted to four stars, so he felt even more bashful.
"Don't worry about the outfits," Hoon said. "My mom is a costume supplier. We'll get the schoolboy outfits from her store."
***
The two-star trainees couldn't help but sigh as they looked at the 3,000 dollars on the floor. They had the highest amount of trainees, over thirty, so they wondered if their budget would be enough.
"Ah, let's give up," Xin said, plopping on the floor. "We can't have any decent stage effects with such a small amount of money."
"You're right," Chul agreed. "We don't have a chance against the popular trainees anyway. Let's just rent schoolboy outfits, then call it a day. At least we're still given a chance to perform."
While the other two-star trainees wanted to do their best, they were quickly dragged down by the gloomy atmosphere.
In the end, they decided to give up.
***
June blankly started at the measly 500-dollar bill in his hand. The two-star trainees got 3,000 dollars! How did the budget reduce so much? It's like the production crew want the zero-star trainees to fail so badly.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered.
Like a joke, his voice was now back.
Well, thanks, world.
He already got his zero stars. June looked around the room and sighed.
The young trainees looked down at the ground, obviously lacking confidence and drive.
June sighed and placed the 500-dollar bill in his pocket. "So, what do you guys want to do now?"
"I don't think we can do anything," C-Jay, the self-proclaimed rapper, said. "What's 500 dollars going to buy? That's not even enough for my groceries."
"C-Jay is right," Eli said. "There are 11 of us. That can't even buy a decent outfit for each of us. Schoolboy outfits are already out of the picture. Let's just wear our casual clothes."
Chany hummed. "What's the point? We're at the bottom of the food chain. We can't even have good outfits, effects, and fan support. Let's just forfeit this one and do our best on the next mission."
"Let's just rest," Jangmoon said. "I'm tired of practicing the song over and over again. It's not like I'm going to improve in just one day."
June stared at them blankly. However, it really wasn't obvious with his mask.
The atmosphere was gloomy, and it seemed like they had already given up.
"Where's the 500 dollars?" C-jay asked. "Let's just use that to buy pizza and cheer ourselves up."
"Yeah!"
"Let's do that."
"We deserve it."
A series of agreements were heard in the room.
June let out a big sigh.
These guys are more troublesome than he had thought.
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