Golden Sun
The scene where the Barren Landers stretched out and paired up for vocal warm-up actually took place right after the Greenhouse Inhabitants reached the lounge, aka the waiting room.
The huge TV screen in the Barren Land did not show the Inhabitants' score or average. All it told them was a single line,
-The Greenhouse Inhabitants' average is lower than 90.
That was all. Yet ironically, that was everything they needed to know so their performance would not be canceled. Everyone sighed in relief and celebrated. Even without the staff cueing them through the electronic announcement board, they exited the building and headed to the Greenhouse.
Just in time, they heard the emcee's voice from the small TV flat screen attached to the door. "Let us all welcome, the Barren Landers!"
"Let's go." Jun raised a fist just above his head as he opened the door that would reveal the wide stage to them.
Like a general that invaded a territory, he powerfully commanded, "Landers, position!"
"Yes, sir!"
Jun met the surprised eyes of the emcee and the judges on the other side of the glass wall. But he did not care. What? So, was there supposed to be a short interview and Q and A? There was no such thing when he got demoted so he thought there was none as well this time.
It was silent because the people in gray who came in did not even let the emcee speak before assuming their initial poses in the formation.
It took them several seconds before the panel started exchanging glances.
Drew leaned forward and clasped his hands. "It's only been a few days. I do not know what happened. It is like they found some matches and gallons of gasoline and wanted to set fire to something."
The actor emcee laughed and told the producers, "It seems our friends from there could not wait anymore."
The Greenhouse Inhabitants staying in the lounge also expressed various reactions. Hanada commented, "Look at their faces. It's like they will not sing a sad song but a war song."
As the lighting dimmed, Lee Soo-hyuk's voice echoed in the dark, "All right! Performing their version of the 'Golden Sun,' the Barren Landers!"
A second later, the lights went on. Jun stood on one side while Xavi was on the center. The rest were simply on the floor in a fan-shaped formation, lying on their backs.
The music started. Because the producers did not allow them to use an arrangement different from the Inhabitants', they had to stick with the original. Yet, their new format proved to not care about this.
Like Sujin, Jun also started the performance with a soft falsetto. However, there was no group behind him swaying to his tune. Only Xavi was performing the opening choreo in the middle of the stage.
"Huuu...."
There was an exclamation on both the judges' and the Inhabitants' side. "Nice vocalization."
"So..." Jun said in the opening line, and this time, the other boys stood up, dancing synchronized but not without taking away the lead from Xavi.
"So, how are you right now?
Finally, happy now, are you?"
Jun could be seen looking into the judges' eyes. He wore a painful smile on his handsome face. His right hand was stretched out as if wanting to grab onto something precious as he continued.
"Here, I'm the same old me
But I feel like I've lost everything..."
The voice that echoed was full of emotions, seemingly telling everyone in the room that the lyrics were his own experiences. Longing, melancholy, and helplessness filled the brown eyes nearly hidden by his layered, disordered, and tapered hair.
'Whoa.' Three out of the four judges inwardly nodded in awe.
Before Jun finished his line, Xavi transitioned to the opposite side. Standing with his head raised, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Why does everyone come and go as they please and leave without a proper goodbye
If you tell me this is what love is, then why should we even try?"
Jun was dancing in the middle this time as Xavi sang his heart out.
The formation behind them changed again, allowing another pair to take over smoothly.
Before leaving the center, exactly at the 'why should we try' part, Jun kicked in the air and used the invisible recoil to move backward. The smoothness and other nuances he added to his movements made him look like he was flying backward. Watching him, the Inhabitants gasp.
"Hey! That looked awesome," exclaimed Kato, who blinked his eyes twice.
Some even stood up to imitate it on the spot.
"If everything ends by twilight,
Let me travel back in time through this fading orange light."
The same transition happened for the next duo until the chorus began, and two pairs came forward. These pairs were chosen for their vocals and had to hit extremely high notes, so they were given light choreography. The rest frequently changed formation, as if they were reenacting a wordless tragic play.
"Underneath the golden sun, we're dancing
Where the shadows fail to see the light and
Where sorrow is a concept only inferred
I'll see you again in beautiful memories.
My love and I
Underneath the golden sun."
Jun stayed in the dance formation as he walked shakily forward like somebody whose knees were about to give up. He covered his eyes and sang the words softly.
"If this is but a nightmare, don't wake me up; I'll stay here."
The rap part immediately followed; this time, the pairs that stepped forward all had decent skills. Compared to the rest, they at least sounded like idol rappers when they imitated the original. They were facing each other on both sides as if they were throwing lines at each other.
Jun and those who had already sung their parts stepped back to give the spots to those who had yet to showcase themselves.
"I remember someone once told me
That memories stay till the end.
And yes, it's true, even the small passing moments
Are now forever etched in my brain..."
The chorus began shortly. The lyrics and notes stayed the same, so they again left the stage to the pairs who sang the first chorus.
In the next part, everyone moved to the center and bowed, nearly touching the floor with their dangling hands. Then, they left the middle by twos to sing lines that shared the same melody as the chorus but in softer dynamics. Here, the elegant but sorrowful sounds of the violin were the only accompaniment.
"Lying next to you, your hand in my hand
Sharing through the dusk remarks without unhappiness
Where we are, there are no such things as endings
I'll see you again underneath the golden sun...
The Golden Sun."
The pop-rock instrumentals returned strong.
But then, it gradually faded into Xavi's outro.
"If reality is but a nightmare,
don't wake me up,
I'll stay here..."
Lights dimmed not long after. There were no fancy aftereffects, and the background remained bare.
The only one left standing was Xavi, who ended the song by staring with a mournful smile into the void.
Three seconds later, the entire place dimmed out, and then the silhouettes of the Landers were faintly seen standing up to form a line.
"Landers." When the lights returned, Jun said, everyone joined hands, bowed simultaneously, and shouted thanks.
"Thank you for letting us perform and watching our performance!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
FallenBlue
FallenBlue Thanks for reading!
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