Just Like That, They Lost Five

They did as instructed.

"Results are in. Your outings were chosen at random to see if you were able to create fans from where you were. Each one had a female idol in place to assess you secretly. We had spoken to each one and this is what they had to say. Remember, the 5 lowest will leave the building."

The host disappeared and a female with orange hair and freckles came onto the screen. She stated she witnessed Kaiden was more reserved than she had initially thought. Although Kaiden was respectful, he was not as social, but sang nicely at the fishmarket. Another female came on to speak of one of the trainees and so on. For Ping, the female loved him.

"Ping was a delight! He was so sweet. One of the children was crying because she didn't get her favorite color and Ping did his best to trade with the other children. It was thoughtful and I enjoy Ping. Fighting Ping!"

Shun smiled proudly at the boy and rubbed the boy's head. Ping grinned at him and hugged him. They continued to listen as they settled on the large couch. For Heeang, the female said he was very forward and did not listen to the others when told to stop. He continued and eventually they gave up speaking. For Kiki…

"Kiki is a cute guy," the female with pigtails smiled, "But he looked lost. It looked like he wanted to do something and when I asked if he was alright, he nodded and said he was fine. I wished he would had been more bold."

Shun looked over to see Kiki's head down and he felt for the boy. He hoped his friend wasn't leaving.

"Taemeng…" the female with short blonde hair laughed against her palm, "He is talented and super handsome. He even taught some of the kids at school how to become an idol someday. He looks cold, but he could truly be a great idol. Fighting Taemeng!"

Shun saw the light blush cover the dancer's cheeks and ears. He inwardly laughed. Either Taemeng had never had a compliment like that or he was having a crush. Either way, it tickled Shun with laughter.

When it came to his, Shun heard the mumbling from the other trainees. When each female showed up on screen, they recognized them and had smiles on their faces. Some even called out what group the females were from, or what their names were. However, when it came to the female idol for him, the room did not feel as lively.

'What is happening?' Shun furrowed his brows.

"Gege… that is… Gina… You… You met Gina…" Ping spoke slowly and was blinking profusely as if the person on screen would morphed into another.

"Shun did not sing or dance to prove himself," Gina, brown hair braided down her back, "He tended to the work with everyone and only sang when I asked him too. He was kind, respectful, and funny," she finished with a soft laugh behind her palm, "I would love to work with him one day. Fighting, Ah Shun."

'Gina was that girl?' Shun found himself smiling, 'It made sense now how she picked up on the song so quickly.'

He felt the squeeze to his arm and he looked down to see Ping with a deep frown.

"What's wrong?"

Ping was about to answer, but the host returned to the screen.

"Here are the results."

Their pictures were on the screen with their average percentage of how many fans they were able to make. Taemeng had the highest score, Ping was next, himself, then... Heeang?! How did that no gooder beat his friends? Didn't that female idol said the boy was rude?

"Kiki," Ping's eyes watered and Shun looked to see his friend was on the bottom.

Kaiden barely made it with Mikey before him. Wow, was this competition harder than they expected! Quickly going to hug his crying friend, he reminded Kiki that Manager Quang and Manager Ling were still creating a group. He believed Kiki would be chosen. He helped his friend packed and hugged him one last time before parting with the others.

Now, all that was left was Kaiden, Ping, Mikey, Taemeng, Heeang, Liang, himself and 3 others.

Ping was crying into his shoulder and he tried to console the child, but he could also feel the tension in the air. Just like that, they had lost 5 people. There were only 10 of them left. They still were not told how many people they were looking for to form a group. It could be 10, it could be 7, it could be 5.

Shun helped his little friend up and to his bed. He held the boy close and rubbed his back gently. When he heard the soft snores, Shun slowly inched away and tucked Ping into the covers. Rubbing his face, he stood in the hallway for a moment, just standing in the tension of the room. Deciding to head to the confession room, he noticed someone else already there.

Changing his route, he made himself tea and drank it with his eyes closed.

If he were to be honest, he was exhausted. All this work was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. He made friends and watched their dreams being crushed. He was pushed to sing and danced well almost every day. He had to fight for his spot time and time again.

'Sometimes I wished I never made that promise,' he sighed.

Taemeng made coffee and sat before him. Those eyes just stared at him and he stared back tiredly.

"What?"

"…"

"Taemeng," Shun sighed rubbing his eyes.

"Your friend is gone."

"I know."

"You only have Ping from your studio left."

"I know."

"He won't make it."

"…"

"He is too emotional, Shun. Emotions will get in the way of success."

"You… You dare…" Shun slammed his cup onto the table, startling those near them, "How dare you say something like that! At least Ah Ping shows his heart on his sleeve! Not some cold person who never showed any emotions at all!"