"The third mission is here. Are you excited, Greenhouse Inhabitants?"
A smile lingered on Lee Soo-Hyuk's lips, and his voice sounded far more humane. This contrasted with the previously semi-monotonous, almost robotic tone.
"I'm sure you are. So let us all watch this now."
When the actor-slash-emcee's face shrank and slid into one corner of the screen, the center was filled with a video. Twelve people in comfortable shirts with numbers on them appeared.
Jun blinked once and raised his right hand. "I think that's the video for the choreo of Golden Sun."
The MC visibly froze. "Really? Oh."
The contestants leaned in and then exclaimed, stifling the smiles that threatened to surface.
"It really is," Kato seconded.
Lee Soo-Hyuk glanced at his cue card, scratched his head, then grinned. After that, he laughed. "Actually, we did it on purpose. This is to show you that we're communicating with you live."
"Ahhh." The boys laughed along and nodded.
Jun also grinned as he propped his chin on one hand. He thought, I dare you not to edit this out then.
The real mission for the third test revealed itself. This time, it would be total war between the two sides.
"Both camps will be divided into groups of four. There will be a total of three groups. As for what the three groups are for..."
Three boxes appeared in varying sizes and colors. Once the opening animation ended, three words flashed before everyone's eyes.
Vocal. Dance. Rap.
Kato, always quick-minded, subconsciously blurted, "So it will be the Inhabitants vs. the Landers in three categories."
It's different this time too. Jun held his breath for a moment.
The mission was the same, but originally there was no rap group. This had always been BOI's weakness, as none of the selected trainees particularly excelled at rapping. The pair from the Barren Land who rapped in the previous mission only sounded decent because they were simply imitating. And their rap had only lasted 15 to 20 seconds—far too short to judge real skill.
Were the producers insane again? Instead of hiding the fact, they were parading it to the nation. People would suspect something if only two categories remained. But at least that wouldn't have been as bad as exposing it outright through a failed performance.
"There's rap," Juwon nudged Jun. "This time, it'll probably be a proper rap-heavy song."
Min hesitantly asked, "Is there anybody among us who trained long enough for it?"
As expected, the boys tilted their heads with puzzled looks. When they realized that if they weren't chosen for vocals or dance they'd land in the rap group, many bit their lips in worry.
Nobody wanted to be placed where they couldn't show their strengths.
"...not the rap group, please," whispered Seth, even clasping his hands with eyes shut.
In the Barren Land, the worries echoed.
"The condition this time is that if the Greenhouse Inhabitants win, there will be no elimination. If the Landers win, half of the slots will open up for them, meaning six Inhabitants will have to drop out of the Greenhouse. Contestants from both sides, we wish you the best of luck."
The emcee's face disappeared, replaced by a presentation explaining the mission in detail.
Hours passed, and as night deepened, the contestants somehow managed to sleep—plagued with worries and anxiety.
In all honesty, life in either camp grew boring. The participants couldn't access the internet. Their phones had been confiscated, and even though the Greenhouse provided new ones, they only contained pre-installed apps and games. Eating spree? The dorms had posters about calorie intake and health requirements.
The program team limited what they could do apart from practicing and missions. Going out wasn't allowed. Fresh sunlight reached their skin only through the Greenhouse's top-floor windows.
While other survival shows had sports events, BOI couldn't because of the pandemic. Staff would have to facilitate them, but they feared unnecessary contact.
Thinking about it, BOI contestants were simply miserable. Sometimes, even Jun wondered what possessed him to sign up for this.
But humanity is nothing if not adaptable. If there's one thing humans are good at, it's finding ways to entertain themselves.
The outgoing Xavi gathered everyone in the pantry early in the morning—not to practice, but to play a game.
"Come here, gentlemen. Our warm-up routine works but it's boring. Let's compete in terms of arm strength. Who's in?"
"Arm wrestling?" Hyeon-ju sat near the former Landers, his face clearly saying he had no plans to join.
The hot-blooded boys eagerly gathered while Xavi chortled, officiating the matches.
When Jun lost, the loudest cheer erupted, making him burn with embarrassment.
Surprisingly, the winner was the one hailed as the imperial prince with delicate handsomeness.
"Juwon! Juwon! Juwon!"
In contrast to Jun's awkward smile, Juwon grinned ear to ear, almost mocking. Still, Jun fist-bumped him.
"Congrats, bro."
"Hehe." Juwon rolled up his sleeves to flex his muscles. Jun clicked his tongue and did the same. He had biceps too, but the others booed him mercilessly. For them, nothing erased the fact that he lost miserably.
He laughed it off with a blushing face and suggested, "How about another game?"
"What?"
"Trip to Jerusalem?" Jun replied after a pause.
The game began with Jun playing and stopping the music. The others scrambled for seats arranged in a circle. Each round, the number of chairs dropped by one.
"This time, congrats to Sujin for winning."
"Wait, what's the prize?" Sujin laughed from the last remaining chair.
Jun laughed too. "My first autograph."
Sujin shook his head in mock disgust. "You're such a scammer, Jun. Who'd want it?"
"My future fans?"
"So the idea is to sell it to them?" Sujin's teasing look made Jun laugh in embarrassment.
When the clock's shorthand pointed to eight, the boys left the pantry and headed for the practice hall. One by one, they sat cross-legged on the brown tiled floor, facing each other in a circle.
Playtime ended.
"Now it's time to face the current mission," Jun declared calmly, pencil in hand. On the floor before him rested the printed mission sheet and a tablet.