Jun and Juwon went after Hyeon-ju, and the latter returned to the practice hall with them after some time. Before that, Juwon had actually tried to comfort Hyeon-ju, but Jun signaled him to keep quiet. For almost half an hour, they stayed like that, silently accompanying one another and gauging each other's thoughts, until Hyeon-ju finally turned around and faced them.
The smile returned to Hyeon-ju's face, radiant as usual. There were no traces of tears, so if they hadn't known about the conflict earlier, they would never have guessed that this youth had been aggrieved and depressed. He was the one who invited them to go back to the practice hall.
Did the atmosphere in that place improve after?
Not really. Jun hadn't said comforting words to Hyeon-ju earlier since the boy was the type to prefer deep silence when angry, sad, or sorting out his thoughts. But he knew Hyeon-ju appreciated it when others stayed by his side during difficult moments, even if they were just quiet. So when they returned, Hyeon-ju's mood was relatively calm.
It was a different matter for Xavi, though. Once annoyed, this guy, who usually talked and laughed a lot, would sport a serious expression all day long and wouldn't hide his irritation at all. He was an overly honest boy. However, Jun wasn't worried about the edits. Daeho was the one at fault, and even if the producing team tried something funny or attempted to hide the issue, viewers would easily catch it when three people from the same team acted coldly toward Daeho.
Jun looked at Hyeon-ju and then raised his hand. "I decided to go for a different part."When he announced this, Daeho's face lit up, thinking their best contestant would side with him. "Part 3, right?"
Jun smiled, the type that didn't reach his eyes. He glanced expressionlessly at Daeho, refusing to answer before calmly telling Seong-Hun,
"Leader, I realized Juwon would be a better fit for Part 2 — Hyeon-ju for Part 3. There's still no one else who can sing it better than him. You and Daeho can decide on the rest, but I'll be doing Part 6."
"…Part 6?" Seong-Hun repeated, confirming he hadn't misheard.
"Yes." Jun nodded.
The color drained from the two's faces while surprise showed on Xavi's. Juwon kept a poker face while Hyeon-ju soundlessly gasped.
Xavi asked, "Why Part 6? It's practically a one-liner, with little to no highlights."
Jun laughed without taking his gaze off the ashen-faced leader. "I know, but it's okay. I'm actually thinking for the team. I've been holding nearly the same positions for the past missions. The audience might be bored with always seeing me in prominent parts. Since this is a team battle, I think letting them see something fresh and different will give us an edge."
Jun went on to explain other points, like surprising everyone with the fact that Juwon wasn't confined to elegant steps — he could also nail powerful choreographies. Or Xavi taking advantage of his natural features to deliver the message of the song. Jun kept emphasizing and associating the keywords "change" and "adaptability" with the phrase "elements of surprise."
Bullsht!*
Daeho and Seong-Hun fell silent as they listened. The two instantly tried to imagine what would happen if they performed with a setup like this. Then Daeho felt angry.
What "thinking for the team"? Element of surprise? Really?
How could a team with a main vocalist who didn't fit the theme and an ace who took neither the main dancer nor center role win against Sujin's team? Their opponent had all the best dancers and vocalists!
Daeho wanted to protest again. He didn't like that the others, except for him and Seong-Hun, seemed swayed by Jun's words.
He tried to signal Seong-Hun with his eyes, but the leader wasn't looking at him. Seong-Hun seemed so shocked. Daeho felt helpless and inwardly shook his head.
"Crazy---"
But just as he was about to speak, he discovered that Jun's eyes were on him — and he felt scared because those seemingly calm eyes were mirthless and carried a clear hint of warning.
Why? Daeho was stunned.
He felt it was unreasonable, and a moment later, faint anger surged in his heart, which he naturally wanted to express. But in the end, he couldn't speak. The cold gaze that lingered on him made a thought flicker in his mind and sober him up. He realized one fact: Jun, like Xavi, was very annoyed.
He had angered Jun, and that was why Jun was doing this. The decision to switch parts was stupid; of course, Jun knew it. But he went through with it on purpose to send a message.
If Daeho provoked his anger again, Jun might really stop caring whether the team won or lost. A slight fluctuation in rank wasn't something Jun cared about anyway. That was the confidence of someone at the top.
Damn. Daeho's face momentarily darkened.
In this mission, only Daeho and Seong-Hun would truly suffer if they lost. They were among the least popular in the Greenhouse. The others were quite high in rank, which meant they already had many supporters and voters.
"I guess it's settled." Jun beamed and clapped. "Leader and Daeho, which parts do you want between Parts 4 and 5?"
…A day passed.
Survival shows, whether part of a series or not, usually would try to attempt a different format or something unique. It was because people were naturally drawn to new things. Or at least, they easily grew bored with things they had already seen.
However, there was one staple that had never been removed from survival shows — the guesting of extremely popular celebrities, the so-called special mentors.
At exactly 10 a.m., an announcement rang throughout the Greenhouse.
"Inhabitants, please proceed to the main hall."
Lee Soo-Hyuk's voice immediately caught the attention of the two teams, which were in different practice rooms.
Two minutes later, everyone gathered in the only place that embodied the building's name: Greenhouse. The boys saw that the gigantic screen was blank, so they immediately guessed they would have a visitor today.
Who could it be, though? they wondered.
After a minute, a figure finally appeared in the dark corridor, followed by another, and then three more. All five were tall and dressed in expensive-looking clothes and hairstyles, like fashion icons walking down a runway.
Finally, the five stood before the Greenhouse Inhabitants, their smiles as radiant as the sun as they waved both hands at the dumbstruck contestants.
The special guests of Best of Idols had long been predicted to come from the parent company, Nova. But even then, few thought the corporation would send its biggest artists to this show.
Even Jun found it hard to believe.
The people standing before them now had greater renown than Drew and any other artist they had met before.
They were the current kings of the K-pop industry.
KAISER.