Everybody Wants Part One

The program blatantly showed them on their second day in the Greenhouse what reality was. The line distribution was bound to be unfair. 

"Are we to decide the parts by ourselves?" As a foreigner, Xavi had a worried look in his eyes. Nobody answered him. 

The MC, who was nowhere to be seen, spoke through the speakers and announced to them in a nearly mechanical tone.

"A friendly reminder, dear Greenhouse Inhabitants. The judges and producers will score the inhabitants at the end of the performance. If the average of the Inhabitants is between 86 and 90, one person will be sent to Barren Land... It will be two people if the average is between 81 and 85. If between 76 and 80, three people. If between 71 and 75, four. And if the average is 70 and below, then 6 people will be sent to the Barren Land."

Naturally, the contestants' expressions became even more sour. The first mission entailed that there would be nothing for them to base on, no criteria, no rubrics, so it would be impossible to know how the producers would judge them.

Without staff or facilitators, nobody was there to guide the participants on how to proceed. Minutes passed, yet the MC's voice no longer echoed. There was not even a proper goodbye. If not for the logo of Nova Corporation on the show's official poster, even Jun have wondered if the program team actually lacked the budget to hire an experienced emcee and program writer. 

Before his regression, Sujin broke the long silence by suggesting everyone a quick break.

Now, it was still Sujin who raised the same suggestion.

However, the responses were not good. Or rather, there were barely any responses at all. Everyone was just too disoriented or too absorbed in their thoughts.

Jun, who had finally accepted that he had regressed, sighed after seeing the faces of the people around him. 

'... This can't go on.' He muttered to himself, then raised a hand.

"Everyone, I have something to say." As a veteran idol, it did not sit well with him to leave things as they were. Plus, he was never the silent type. His conscience would also not leave him alone if he let his fellows continue to fumble in the dark. 

Gazes went towards him, making him press his hand on top of his hat that covered his hair. As he analyzed the faces of his peers, he once again had to admit that he had gone back to the past.

All the Inhabitants had turned younger and thus also regressed in terms of maturity and wisdom. Meanwhile, he became an abomination wearing the skin of a teenage boy while having a 21-year-old soul inside. 

He met eyes with Juwon and wryly smiled.

"We all heard the rules for the mission. We only have seven days. It is not just seven days to learn everything. But seven days to master the performance itself. We will have to practice and decide on our stage, props, costumes, etc. Right now, I believe deciding the direction we want to take is very important."

Those about to leave their seats earlier firmly sat back down on their chairs. Since everyone entered meeting mode, nobody wanted to miss the discussion. Some leaned back and sported contemplative expressions as they speculated on what he meant by those words.

Min ran his hand through his short, curly hair and carefully said, "I think we should do things step by step. It's a new song, so we should first familiarize ourselves with the melody and the choreo."

Jun nodded and replied, "Yes, I agree. It's a must to learn the song and the choreo. But before that, we must decide which parts to allocate to whom and who will lead us."

Min was the leader of ETM. But honestly, the true leader and decision-maker of the group he used to belong to was Sujin. Even now, the young man is the most well-known among the participants, and everyone here knows him. So Jun's eyes naturally went to him.

Sujin blinked. "I wanted to bring up parts distribution after the break. But doing it now should be the same."

Jun sighed inwardly. 'A wishful thinking. Seven days are too short, so every second counts. But last time, the break took too long.'

It sank to him now that most of those here were just teenagers. When he could not guarantee that he could stay mature all the time, how could he expect more from them?

Jun then suggested, "How about we play the song a few times? Then distribute?"

Nobody objected, so they did just that. While listening to the familiar tune, Jun also remembered what happened around this time.

Actually, he remembered that because of this song, he was sent to the Barren Lands. He failed to get a good part and had to make do with a one-liner during the performance. Thankfully, the behind-the-scenes of this mission was good. It catapulted Jun to fame. The reason was extremely embarrassing, though.

People remembered Jun for raising his hand eight times as he auditioned for parts. Everyone wanted the first seven for more exposure. Yet he failed. He raised his hand eight times and failed seven times. Jun quoted it as one of his most embarrassing moments in one of his interviews. Yet fans liked it. They said it was because of the spirit he showed when he did not give up, even after being rejected several times.

If he wanted to debut, or rather, re-debut and regain his position, he would have to gain the votes and love of the viewers and fans.

But...

'Do I have to go through the same process?'

With folded arms, Jun looked down to hide the awkward smile on his face.

The contestants, wearing comfortable shirts, pants, and rubber shoes, were scattered around holding their tablets. Only one song played in the room, but voices imitating the melody could be heard intermittently.

"Whoa." Beside him, Juwon exclaimed, and when Jun checked the reason, he saw Neo dancing to the choreo of the chorus with nearly a hundred percent accuracy.

The others also noticed the boy's dance. Like in previous life, Neo showcased his godly talent at dancing by memorizing the choreo before anyone else.

On one side, Sujin also widened his eyes and expressed his admiration for Neo, but he immediately regained focus and returned to practicing the song. The high notes he made also made some head turns.

"Ah, everyone is so talented," Xavi muttered. Jun agreed and expressed regret because even those who did not become group mates with them were amazing talents.

The others also practiced their preferred parts.

After playing the song three times, everyone sat on the floor and created a circle.

"Hey, which part do you want?" Juwon whispered.

"Any from one to seven." He muttered the same answer as last time. If this were with a live audience, Jun would not have cared and let the same thing happen. But as a contestant, he had to strive for screen time, especially now that he decided not to repeat the 'raising hand eight times incident'.

"How are we going to proceed?" asked Sujin to him.

Jun absentmindedly answered, "Start from Part One. Whoever wants it will raise their hand and sing the lines of that part. Once all candidates are done, the rest will cast their votes."

This was how it happened in his previous life. Honestly, the thought of the words 'previous life' or 'last time' creeped him out because he felt like he already died. But there was no more apt way to describe past events.

'Jun... Please stop it. Get yourself together. You're in a survival show again.' He chanted inwardly to stop himself from sighing one more time. A contestant sighing too much would definitely look weird in the camera.

Jun then met everyone's gaze and firmly said,

"Before we begin, I have an announcement for you guys. Please remember that this voting session will be strictly about abilities and skills. We have to think, 'I will vote because this person will be the best for that part because if this person does this line well, the team score will be higher, and everyone's chances of staying in the Greenhouse will increase.' Remember yesterday? We don't want any more of our friends here to leave for the Barren Land, right?"

When everyone voted off the five extra people yesterday, it was obvious the criteria were not only skills and abilities but also compatibility and closeness. Many of the participants knew each other before the show began. 

Juwon and the others nodded in agreement, which made him feel a bit relieved.

Jun raised his hand, "Now, let's start. Who wants Part One? Please raise your hand."

Like last time, ten people daringly raised their hands. These people were not looking at Jun but at Sujin, who everyone acknowledged as the best trainee. Competitiveness showed in their eyes even if they knew they had to confront Sujin, who was known to be a vocal monster and a lead or lead dancer material.

"I will start."

Maybe because of the attention he got, Sujin stood up. He removed the beanie from his hair and held the tablet. After fiddling with it, the lyrics flashed on the screen. The chorus part also played. After listening to it once, Sujin's mouth opened.

Ooooh, be my friend, walk with me, let's all run to reach our dreams

Woah, oh, please give me your hand and promise

The boy sang the high notes of the chorus without straining. Jun recalled that he used to have trouble singing this part because his singing technique and vocals were not as developed previously.

'Right now, if it's just singing technique, I don't think I am inferior. But are my vocal chords as developed as their future selves to execute them?' The youth asked himself.

He listened without changing his expression. When Sujin finished, another candidate readily stepped forward, then another, and another.

"Jun. It's your turn now," kindly reminded Juwon after gently elbowing him.

"Right..."

He was the only one remaining, so naturally, it was his turn. He gently slapped his cheeks and removed his cap.

Jun stopped thinking and exhaled deeply. He stood up while being watched by eleven pairs of eyes.

'I'll do it.' He thought it would be embarrassing anyway to lose as a pro.