26 New Stars

"I'm not expecting much from him," Gun said. "Even if he sings well, I'll demote him to zero-stars if he doesn't dance at all."

Hyerin nodded. "That's just fair. What do you guys think?"

Jihyun frowned. "His voice isn't for zero-stars, though. It's not even for two-stars. He did well demonstrating how the vocals should be during our classes."

"Even if," Gun insisted. "Trainees are supposed to be well-rounded. I don't think he's ready to join the higher-ranked trainees if his skill set is incomplete."

Jihyun nodded. "Let's just see."

"Trainee June, you may start."

June nodded and stood at the center. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. The music played, and he started moving his body. Gun was sure June didn't improve his dancing skills at all. It's only been a day, and he didn't exert much effort during their classes.

However, as the song continued, his eyes widened in surprise when June was able to keep up with the music. His moves weren't excellent, but he wasn't bad at all!

Was it possible for a trainee to improve so much in a span of two days?

Scary. This trainee was scary.

He finished the beginning dance part without any problem. Now, it was time for him to sing.

As he sang the first lines, the mentors and trainees looked at him with shock.

Is this really the trainee that mentor Jihyun commended during her classes?

His voice was gone—merely a breath. Everyone could tell that he had lost his voice.

Hoon smirked. He made sure to crank up the air conditioning in the room so June wouldn't be able to get his voice in time for the reevaluation. It seemed like his plan succeeded.

Ren and Zeth whispered to each other.

"Such a shame. I know he has a good voice," Zeth said.

Ren shrugged. "It's the cruel part of life. The mentors need to evaluate him based on what they see now."

Jisung was on the verge of tears! He knew that June worked hard for this more than anyone else, but he became a victim of a cruel fate. If only he didn't let June teach the chorus part of the song, then would his voice be okay now?

Lin Zhi, who had been noticing him since they were in the same class, smirked as he watched him struggle. It was always a joy to find other trainees struggling more than him. He felt even better since he had been promoted to four stars a while ago.

Jaeyong was also delighted by the turn of events. At this point, he still doesn't think June is taking the idol life seriously. He thinks that what's happening to June is just what he deserves.

The mentors looked at each other with frowns on their faces. Jihyun had the biggest frown of them all. She was embarrassed about boasting about June's skills, and then he showed up like this.

The song continued, and June tried his best. However, with his hoarse voice, he could only show a limited performance.

'Ugh, I just want this to end.'

'My throat is killing me.'

Those were the thoughts that echoed in his mind as he continued the song. Since this morning, he had already prepared himself for the worst since his voice still hadn't come back. However, since he had polished his dancing skills, he decided to do good in that aspect at least.

Gun pursed his lips as he watched June dance. He still hadn't committed a mistake at this point, which impressed him. However, that doesn't mean that he likes him! He still does not believe that someone like June should become an idol.

The song finished, and June posed for the ending. He was breathless, and the sweat had already soaked his hair underneath the mask.

"Thank you, mentors," he said with his hoarse voice.

He was greeted with silence, the judges merely sending glances to each other.

In the trainees' room, there were varying reactions. Some were happy, especially those who didn't like June from the start. Others didn't care, while others felt pity for him.

The other independent trainees were the most amused. However, they didn't make it that obvious since the cameras were filming their every move.

The mentors started to discuss quietly.

"He's better at dancing than I thought," Hyerin started. "But his voice…."

Jihyun smiled sheepishly. "I apologize, mentors. It was true that he did well during our classes. However, it seemed like he had lost his voice."

"How are we going to evaluate him then?" Woo-jin asked. "We can't grade him based on what you heard during the classes, Jihyun."

"I understand."

Gun sighed. "I think it's best if we place him at this level. Yes, he danced to the entirety of the song. But as I said earlier, idol trainees should be well-rounded, right?"

Gun showed them what he had written.

"Don't you think that's a bit too harsh?" Bone asked. "The trainees in this class don't have the basics of everything at all."

"I think it's only fair," Minho responded. "There's nothing to evaluate. His voice couldn't be heard at all."

Bone let out a long breath. "I'll go with the majority vote then."

"Let's give him this," Gun said, some excitement bubbling in his heart. Ever since June didn't dance in his class, he had already felt a slight disdain for the trainee.

The other mentors nodded.

"Trainee June," Jihyun said, a bit remorseful.

"You get zero stars."