11 Let the games begin!

When BTS got to the venue where all of the auditions were held, it was even more crowded than before. Only the front, where the judges sat undisturbed, and the stage, which was bare, remained clear of participants. It seemed like the announcement made two hours ago was actually a reminder. The previous crowd probably consisted of the people that were so nervous they had arrived two hours prior to the arranged time.

As you can imagine, the boys could barely fit in the room, standing all the way in the back. Many people looked pale with pressure.

Suga, from the corner of his eye, spotted a group of 7, chatting enthusiastically about something with bright passion in their eyes. He smiled gently at the sight; it kind of reminded him of his brothers.

He also noticed that there was a new judge. Long brown hair and hazel eyes. A foreign lady. She seemed to a former or current singer or dancer as well. You could tell she was very successful and well known; the people who came to audition looked at her with deep admiration and respect. Not only her looks were absolutely stunning, but she also seemed very optimistic and had amazing charisma. She was talking nonstop with the other judges who were politely nodding and smiling.

There were all sorts of people. But there was one thing that couldn't be denied. It was the love of music that brought all these people from all kinds of places to JinHit. BTS, with their years of experience, saw through this and was moved. Back on Earth, there had been countless people who became idols for the sake of fame and money since they had good looks. In this era, where the general population was already good looking or you can get extremely natural looking surgery, the face didn't really have much value anymore.

Soon, the auditions started with the stage spotlight shining at a lanky man walking on the stage. He looked like he was in his early 30s.

"Welcome to the monthly JinHit male idol group auditions! I am your host, Mr. Sim." The man said enthusiastically, his voice filling the entire venue despite not wearing nor holding a microphone.

"The judges will judge the performance with a maximum of 10 points and a minimum of 0. All of the scores will be shown on a huge board. The board would be updated with scores in descending order, with the group with the highest points at the top. The top 3 groups will become trainees of JinHit. However, all of the top groups must score above 5. If not, then the group will be disqualified and cannot become trainees. Enjoy this opportunity, and I wish you all the best of luck. " The man concluded.

From Hitman Bang, the boys soon knew that this man was a retired host from a talk show that was famous many years ago. Now, he decided to spend his years in his old company, JinHit.

"Retired?" Jungkook asked out loud. It was rare for a man in his early 30s unless his job was very tiresome and profitable. Was he that famous as a talk show host??

Hitman Bang chuckled. "Actually, even though that man looks like he's middle-aged, he is in his late 70s." Looking at the group's fascination, he continued like an old lady who was gossiping about her neighbor's love affair, "In fact, almost everyone here is older than you guys. It isn't uncommon for those who are in their 30s or 40s to audition. The judges are even older." Hitman Bang had long accepted the fact that these recruits know nothing about the current world and patiently explained this era's cool inventions and trends.

Jungkook paused for a second, "How old are you?" This Hitman Bang seemed to like talking about how elderly everyone is, is he that much younger?

Hitman Bang coughed uncomfortably.

...

Meanwhile, the first auditioners were starting to be called on stage. The heavy crowd made a clear runway for the shaking victims to go on stage. First, they awkwardly introduced themselves. All were 17 years old; still teenagers. Then, one of the taller boys, who was their leader, signaled the music to begin. They took deep breaths, and although they were still shaking with nerves, their eyes were determined and full of hope.

....

At the end of the performance was polite applause. The female judge smiled through the entire song, with shiny white teeth and deep dimples. But she was the only one; all of the other judges were stony-faced, you could never know what they were thinking.

The foreign judge smiled. The performers smiled back at her in anticipation.

1, 0.2, 3, 2, 3. These were the scores. The crowd gaped at these results. The performers paled.

Mr. Sim, the host, smiled. He was already used to the judges' harshness. What did these people take JinHit as?

"Good job! Try harder next time. :)" The foreign judge smiled again. Everyone in the crowd shivered.

This woman... she smiled so brightly the entire time... and she gave them a 0.2! How high are her standards? During the performance, all of the performers saw their idol's radiant smile that was like the sun, so comfortable and nice, so they thought they did well!

It could clearly be seen that more than one of the teenagers on stage were trying their best to hold back tears. They walked dejectedly down the stage steps and then one of them suddenly ran off. When the guy passed Jin, he saw that the boy's face was wet with tears that were still streaming like rivers down his face. Jin sighed.

...

The auditions went on "smoothly," with only 1 group that remained in first place so far. This group earned exactly 5 points; with the original points: 4, 2.7, 6.3, 5, 7.

This group's name is...