Chapter 14 — Ten Days, One Dream
All the trainees gathered in the hall once again.
This time, the air felt heavier than before. No casual whispers. No careless smiles. Everyone stood straight, eyes fixed on the stage, hearts beating with the same unspoken question—
What happens next?
One of the mentors stepped forward first, holding the microphone.
"Now listen carefully," he said. "You will choose the song you want to perform."
A soft wave of murmurs passed through the hall.
"You can decide by voting, discussion, or any way you prefer," he continued. "There are no restrictions on how you choose."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"Now that you have your own song," he said slowly, clearly, "you will be given ten days."
Ten days.
Some trainees clenched their fists.
Some swallowed hard.
Some felt excitement rush through their veins.
Then Dream stepped forward.
She looked at the trainees for a long moment, then smiled faintly.
"I think you all already know what comes after this," she said. "You all know about the Shark Batch, right?"
For one second—dead silence.
Then—
"YESSSSSSS!!!"
The hall exploded.
Trainees screamed at the top of their lungs, some jumping, some clapping, some grabbing their teammates. Fear and excitement mixed together, wild and uncontrollable.
Dream laughed softly and raised her hand.
"Okay, guys… calm down."
She stepped back.
Then Mingji walked forward.
The moment he lifted the mic, the hall went quiet.
"Train yourselves," Mingji said firmly, "but train smartly."
His eyes were sharp.
"Train without injury," he continued. "Because any type of injury—no matter how small—can become a reason for elimination."
The word elimination echoed loudly in everyone's mind.
Mingji slowly shifted his gaze to the side.
His eyes landed on Jun.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
Jun sighed loudly, already understanding, and took the microphone with exaggerated drama.
"Huhhh…"
"Hmmm…"
A few nervous chuckles rose from the trainees.
Jun looked around at everyone and said,
"I think all trainees standing here today are chasing just one dream."
He paused deliberately.
"But remember this," he added, his voice turning serious. "Anyone can ditch you at any time. The stage doesn't care. The crowd doesn't care."
The mood dropped instantly.
Before it could sink too deep—
Mingji snatched the mic back.
"I told you to motivate them," he said coldly, "not demotivate."
Awkward laughter spread across the hall, easing the tension slightly.
Dream stepped forward again.
"All trainees will now be given individual rooms," she announced. "We mentors will guide you personally by visiting each of your rooms."
Eyes widened instantly.
"So prepare yourselves," Dream continued. "Push your limits. Impress us."
She paused.
"Because yes—we also have voting."
Another pause.
"And one Shark Batch."
At that moment, all the screens in the hall lit up, displaying room numbers, schedules, and countdown timers.
As the mentors prepared to leave, East spoke calmly into his microphone.
"Please," he said, "everyone try not to roam around too much while you are trainees here."
William had been watching East the entire time.
The moment East spoke, William deliberately turned his face away—ignoring him completely.
His jaw tightened.
The mentors left.
The trainees moved toward their training rooms.
When they reached their room, Wang rushed in first.
"WOWWW!" he shouted happily.
He spun around, eyes wide.
Snacks were neatly arranged on the table. The room was spacious, modern, luxurious.
"This survival show's budget is seriously on another level," Wang laughed.
Then he froze.
"Wait… what?"
Two iPads lay on the table.
"For trainee use?" Wang whispered in disbelief. "This is insane."
The next day felt tense.
William tried to entertain Day, cracking small jokes, forcing smiles—despite feeling empty himself.
Slowly, the team settled down.
William finally relaxed when he found out Today...Lee wasn't absent because of anything serious.
At first, William's chest tightened, fear crawling in.
But then he learned Lee had only gone to the hospital for medicines—nothing serious—and returned to practice after two hours.
Only then did William breathe properly.
Later, William, Wang, Day, and Yuxi gathered to decide the team name.
They were deep in discussion when—
A loud voice cut through.
"5 Mafia."
Everyone turned.
"It's a good name too."
Lee had returned.
William ignored him immediately.
Lee didn't say anything. He simply walked over and sat close to William.
Wang grinned.
"That's actually a good name. We'll look cool in black outfits."
Day nodded.
"Good!"
Yuxi looked at Lee with concern.
"Brother Lee, how are you now?"
Lee smiled lightly.
"Oh, I just went for meds. Nothing serious."
William felt relief flood through him.
Even though he ignored Lee on the surface—he still cared.
"Let's decide fast," William said suddenly. "We don't have time."
The next day, mentors were supposed to visit.
But nobody knew who would come.
They started guessing.
"I think mentor East will come," Day said.
Wang shook his head.
"No, I don't think so. Maybe Dream mentor…"
"Or Mr. Jun," Wang added.
William and Lee said together, teasing,
"Mr. Junnnn… huhhh."
William laughed and added,
"By watching his brother eyes, I think it'll be Mingji. After all, we're performing our lovely mentor Mingji's song, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"You're right."
Suddenly—the door opened.
All of them stood and greeted respectfully.
When they looked up—
It was Mingji.
His gaze moved slowly—from Lee, to William, to Wang, to the others.
He sat down calmly.
"Start," he said. "Tell me your ideas. What you want to prepare. How much."
But something felt wrong.
Mingji—who was usually warm—looked cold today.
Wang began explaining their concept, how they wanted to cover Mingji's song and change certain elements.
William hesitated, then said,
"Oh… huhh… I want to add some high notes. Everyone knows I sing well."
Mingji turned to Lee.
"And you? Anything special?"
Lee replied calmly,
"This song has no choreography. I'm making one."
Day quickly added,
"We can show you. We already prepared some parts."
Mingji nodded.
"Okay."
"Start."
The performance began.
Powerful movements cut through the air. Heavy, sharp, intense choreography. It looked cool—trending—the kind that could set the stage on fire.
Mingji watched silently.
Carefully.
Then his eyes darkened.
The choreography was too hard.
Too risky.
Every member was doing intense fills.
Mingji was shocked.
I warned him… he thought.
I clearly warned Lee not to do this.
Yet Lee had chosen the hardest part himself.
Mingji's jaw tightened.
What does this guy want from me?
The team finished and stood still.
All of them waited confidently.
They truly believed—
Their performance was perfect.