When one's hard work had to be discarded, telling them not to be disappointed would be extremely rude and unfeeling. So Jun felt guilty and apologized multiple times.
Thankfully, Xavi was the sunshine-type boy who always tried to see the good in everything. It didn't even take him a minute to recover from sadness. Jun admired that—sometimes, a good attitude was half the battle.
The Australian boy exhaled and then raised his hand. "Okay. If we're going to go that route, I think we should include everyone's experiences. Everyone from the Greenhouse. For example, my parents honestly don't get why I flew all the way here from Australia. It was my maternal grandmother who told me I should pursue what I wanted. She helped me with all my documents. Then, my dad and mom send money regularly so I don't starve here. Hehe."
Seth nodded but bowed his head and looked away, quietly processing it.
"What do your parents and family do for a living?" Daeho asked, tilting his head like a curious, overgrown puppy.
"They both work in the same office," Xavi said plainly.
"Even before they got married?" Daeho asked.
Xavi nodded and let out a small laugh, playful and carefree.
Jun blinked and sipped from his coffee mug. He knew Xavi had omitted something important: the boy was one of the richest participants, his parents being president and vice president of a wealthy company in Australia. They also owned multiple properties.
"Xavi, before you joined Best of Idol, did you live alone since your family is abroad?"
"Nope," Xavi shook his head. "My maternal grandmother came with me. She's been supporting me from the start. I have a pet dog, Susie, and Granny looks after her now that I'm here."
Jun nodded. "You're lucky to have such a caring and open-minded grandmother."
"I know, right!" Xavi grinned, his enthusiasm genuine. "I love her so much."
"How about you, Seth?" Daeho asked the youngest.
Seth's shy smile appeared. He swallowed the sandwich in his mouth before speaking. "Dreaming of being an idol started because of my sister. She's obsessed with KAISER even from their debut. Because their music always plays at home, I got curious and checked out their music videos and performances."
"You must have found their dancing interesting," Jun said, calm and observant.
"I think all of us here started that way," Seth laughed quietly, and Xavi copied him, cheerful. The 15-year-old added, "My sister is my number one supporter now. When I auditioned for Best of Idol months ago, she came with me and cheered. She thinks I'm very talented, especially at singing. Even though her salary as a junior officer in our municipality isn't high, she got me a vocal trainer."
Jun widened his eyes. "You weren't in any company before?"
"Nope," Seth said, matter-of-fact.
From the beginning, the boy had never mentioned his parents, and none of them were insensitive enough to ask, especially since Seth had avoided the topic when discussing Xavi's family. Yet they were puzzled why such a talented kid never joined a trainee agency, especially a big one offering free training.
"As for me, I wasn't a K-pop fan until four years ago. Drew inspired me to audition. Thankfully, a good company approved my talent. But four years of training made people skeptical about whether I had a future here. I kept telling them, many trainees take seven years to debut. Still, all they see is my age."
Seth tilted his head at Daeho. "But brother, you're not that old."
Daeho smiled awkwardly. "That's what I thought too. But my family worries. While others go to college for a degree, here I am at 22, chasing a dream with no guarantee of success."
A moment of silence followed. The boys, especially those of university age, cast empathetic glances at Daeho. The idol industry was saturated, and debuting early was ideal. Yet sometimes, things depended on luck and fate.
"I'm not sure if I should say this. I was supposed to debut with a boy group last year. But a new recruit, much more talented than me, took the spot. I'm not resentful. Whoever's better should debut. But I feel bitter because I feel like I'm slowly being left behind."
'…I will pray for this gets edited out.'
Jun patted Daeho on the shoulder, discreetly glancing at the camera.
"You're good, Daeho. Everyone acknowledged you in the first test. You also proved yourself by making it back to Greenhouse this round."
Daeho smiled, this time without forcing it. "Thanks. It's my friends, including you, who keep me going."
Jun grinned.
Sujin sat next to him. "How about you, Jun?"
"My family." He didn't hesitate. Jun's eyes sparkled as he recalled his beloved family. "They're the sweetest in the world. Ever since elementary school, they encouraged me to do what makes me happy. When they discovered my passion for dancing, they didn't care if acquaintances said it was foolish to send me to a Performing Arts School."
"Your family must be well-off if they could send you to a school like that."
"We qualified for a full scholarship. We're in the same class." The voice came from the doorway. Juwon entered.
'Ooohs' echoed briefly. The term 'full scholarship' sounded impressive to everyone.
Juwon sat next to Sujin. "Sujin, you're more amazing for me. You're an ace without attending a Performing Arts School."
It was no secret in their former agency that the top performer in each monthly evaluation came from a regular high school. This explained why Sujin was admired and feared by other trainees. Compared to students in specialized schools, those in regular classes had fewer practice opportunities, yet Sujin still excelled.
Sujin grinned. "Here, though, many friends are better than me. There are three people I wouldn't dare challenge to a dance battle. In singing too, I don't feel three are inferior to me."
The others pondered who the three might be. In dance, Neo, Kato, Min, and Jun stood out. With elegance and appeal, Juwon was impressive. For vocals, Sujin, Hyeon-ju, Chul-moo, and Jun stood out.
Not a lie; when Sujin offered to switch groups with Jun and he refused, some inwardly sighed in relief.
Thinking of this, one edge of Daeho's lips almost twitched. "Our first and second rankers are monsters."
Jun's mind, meanwhile, was already calculating next moves, how to optimize the rap group and ensure their performance left no weakness for criticism. A quiet determination settled in: no matter the pressure, he would make it work.