When Sujin offered to switch groups with Jun, but the latter refused, some Inhabitants inwardly sighed in relief.
Thinking of this, one edge of Daeho's lips almost twitched. "Our first and second rankers are monsters."
The ranking announced in the last mission was only for the Inhabitants, and Sujin placed first, followed by Kato, Min, and Hyeon-ju. But everyone already knew who the absolute first place was.
Jun's Golden Sun performance had a level of completeness hard to match. If there were rankings for stage acting, gestures, and facial and eye expressions in BOI, Jun would be undisputed number one, with no close second—at least not yet. Kato and Xavi were next best in expressiveness.
Jun said, "Back to the task. I'm thinking of asking the vocal and dance groups for input too. More info means more variety, more material we can use for our lyrics. What do you guys think?"
"Sure, why not?" answered Daeho.
So Jun split the rap team into two. "Xavi can go to the vocal team with Seth. Daeho and I will visit the dance team."
"Accompany me then," Juwon giggled, standing up. "Just a second, I'll grab a snack and drink."
"We also have Mr. Vocal Leader here."
While waiting for Juwon, the rap team quickly finished breakfast. When he returned, they left their seats one by one for the practice rooms of the other two groups.
Time flew as the Inhabitants went about their practice and activities.
The following day dawned.
When Juwon woke up, it was around 6 a.m. The dance team planned to meet an hour later, so he woke early to wash up and eat breakfast.
He saw his friend still under the comforter on the bed a meter away.
"What the..." The traces of sleepiness vanished as he exclaimed in shock. "When did Jun get possessed by a raccoon?"
He failed to suppress his laughter and grabbed his staff-provided semi-useless phone to snap a picture. Even sleeping sideways, Jun looked handsome, with flawless skin and semi-messy hair. But his eyes were half-opened, and underneath were dark, raccoon-like eyebags.
…
Yesterday, ideas had flooded Jun's mind after the rap team collected stories from the Inhabitants. By lunch break, he had finished the lyrics. Then Xavi experimented until they found a beat they all liked. Around 2 p.m., they were already practicing with the two chorus guys.
The four stayed up late to make up for lost time fumbling with the concept. Music blasted in the rap team's training area even after the lights in the other practice rooms went out. What time did they finish? 3 a.m.? 4 a.m.? Jun was too tired to remember; he collapsed onto the grey pillow and passed out immediately.
His eyes shot open in deep resentment when the alarm rang from the semi-useless staff-provided phone. He begrudgingly silenced the loud ringtone and listlessly got out of bed. Juwon was long gone.
Half an hour later, Jun headed straight to the rap team's practice hall.
"We all look like ghosts." Hollow laughter came from behind.
Jun glanced over his shoulder at a yawning Xavi. "Correction: we all look like vampires."
"Do vampire eyes turn red when they're sleep-deprived?"
"Maybe?"
Daeho entered, chiming in, "According to lore, a vampire's eyes only redden when hungry. Ghosts too."
"Ahh, whatever." Jun threw his hands up and sat on the floor with the printed lyrics spread out. The others giggled, and when he acted annoyed, they laughed even louder.
Seth had arrived first, set up the speaker, and started the music. Xavi sat next to Jun to help analyze the lyrics.
Thirty minutes into their first rehearsal, someone knocked on the door.
Even Jun was shocked when they saw the visitors. Mid-check already? On the morning of the third day? His expression became awkward as he discreetly bit his lower lip.
"Hi, Greenhouse's Rap Team." Keys greeted casually, wearing denim shorts and an oversized black shirt. His slightly chubby face bore a mischievous expression as he amused himself with the boys' nervous, surprised looks.
"How are you guys?" Mariam, wearing specs, waved, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears.
The boys hurriedly lined up to bow and greet. "Hello, mentors!"
Then they glanced at Jun before exchanging nervous looks with one another.
How ready were they? Simple answer: VERY unprepared.
Yes, they had finished their version of the song. But they hadn't practiced extensively, and their formations were rough. Jun had memorized his rap, but Xavi hadn't, partly because, as a foreigner, he was still unfamiliar with some pronunciations. The night before, they had added backing vocalizations and practiced the order of parts.
Past missions had made them assume mid-check would happen on the morning or noon of the fourth day. So they planned to polish their performance on the third day to be passable for tomorrow.
But that plan was ruined.
We're doomed. Jun fought the urge to lower his head. He couldn't erase the sinking feeling.
"Are you ready?" The lady producer smiled, holding her tablet.
Can we say no? the four boys thought, exchanging anxious glances.
"My rap team will do our best." Jun's Adam's apple bobbed as he kept a straight face. His voice trembled slightly. "But mentors, can we… can we flash the lyrics of our song on the screen?"
In the next moment, sounds momentarily stopped. Keys and Mariam turned expressionless.