In the Azure building, Rising Stars' filming site…
The 72 trainees gathered on a Saturday—the day after the unfortunate stabbing incident. Most of them had weary looks on their faces, still uncertain of how June's condition turned out.
Yena made her way to the front with a solemn look on her face, and at that point, a dreaded feeling went through the trainees' hearts.
"Good day, trainees," she said, scanning the room with her eyes. "Yesterday had been a devastating day for all of us, and I'm afraid to say this, but…"
"Did big bro really die?" Jangmoon asked.
C-Jay sniffed. "I told you guys. He was stabbed in the heart."
"He was fine," Jaeyong said. "The guards just quickly covered the scene, but he was breathing when he was being transported to the ambulance!"
"Then why does Director Yena look so sad?" Jisung asked.
"June is currently in the hospital. The doctor called me a while ago, and he needs to recover before coming back here," Yena continued.
Jisung, despite his shy personality, raised his hand. "When is he going to come back?"
"That—I don't know," Yena said.
"Is it true that his legs had been severed?" C-Jay asked, causing the others to murmur.
Yena gave him an incredulous look. "What? No. His shoulder just got stabbed quite deeply. Currently, he cannot move his left arm, so the doctor is advising him to take a rest."
"Oh," C-Jay said, his tears halting. "Still, it'll take a long time before he comes back. Can he even come back in time for the Concept Mission?"
"He's not going to perform?"
"Damn, that's sad. His team was actually doing well these days."
"I guess he's really a black cat."
Lin Zhi, who stood at the very front, tried to hide his smile. Hoon, Xin, and Jiyong, on the other hand, didn't even bother hiding their smiles.
"He fucking deserves it," Hoon muttered under his breath.
Yena cleared her throat, capturing their attention. "Now, since the eliminations have been halted last night, I have some important announcements. First, because of the incident that happened last week, we have been warned by the broadcasting situation for showing graphic material. So, the live eliminations will halt. All elimination episodes shall be pre-recorded from here on out."
The trainees sighed in relief. Honestly, live shows were exhausting! You have to put on a nice face for four hours straight! At least, with pre-recorded episodes, things can still be edited out.
However, they became tense once again when Yena announced that she would be announcing the names of the trainees who made it.
The most nervous among them, undoubtedly, were Jangmoon and Hoon.
Only the top 10 and the top 50 were to be announced, yet they still weren't called.
Hoon wonders if the stunt he pulled off during the first eliminations could have such a heavy bearing on his rank. He couldn't help but resent June more at that moment.
"I won't make this long," Yena announced. "The top ten trainees are…"
"10th—Lin Zhi"
Lin Zhi smirked as the others congratulated him. He maintained his rank once more.
"9th—Yuri"
"8th—Leo"
"7th—Jisung"
"Wooh, congrats, shy boy," Jangmoon said amidst his nervousness.
Akira wrapped his arm around Jisung's neck and ruffled his hair. "Treat us to a meal, kid."
"6th—Ren"
The other trainees gasped as they heard Ren's rank. He had always placed within the top 4! His rank must have dropped because of the "slight" evil editing that happened within his team in the last episode.
"5th—Daeho"
"4th—Jaxon"
"3rd—Jaeyong"
"2nd—Casper"
"1st—Zeth"
"Ah, really. The top two are immovable forces. They might as well debut at this point."
"I bet they're going to be top two until the end."
"Those two are guaranteed debuters."
"And last but not least—we have the trainee in 50th place," Yena said, lifting her head and looking around the room.
Somehow, the room became even more tense compared to the announcement of the top 10. Jangmoon, despite being in 75th place, had some hope in his heart. He glanced at C-Jay and smiled bitterly.
It probably won't happen, right? How can he jump 25 places right then and there?
And besides, there's Hoon. He was ranked 24th last time, so it would be weird if he didn't get the 50th place.
C-Jay patted his back, a silent assurance that he also wanted Jangmoon to make it.
Hoon, on the other hand, smirked as he waited for his name to be called.
He could forgive June if he still makes it to the next round. He had invested too much time practicing 'Tie Me Up.' He'll be really pissed if he doesn't get to perform it.
"I honestly don't know how he makes it like this every time, but trainee Jangmoon, congratulations! You take the 50th and last place in the competition. With this, you are still in the running for Rising Stars."
With the utterance of his name, Jangmoon stood there, dumbfounded.
"You made it!" C-Jay exclaimed, jumping in delight.
J
isung and Akira nudged his shoulder. "Eyy, I know you would have made it," Akira said. "You did really well in Bodylicious."
"Congrats, bro," Jisung smiled.
Jangmoon merely smiled back, feeling too touched to say anything.
Hoon clenched his fists as he heard their celebration from behind him. Xin, who was the only one who made it between the three individual trainees, held onto Hoon's arm.
"Hoon," he whispered. "How could this happen? It must be rigged."
Hoon let out a deep breath, trying to stay as calm as possible.
"The eliminated trainees, please start packing your bags. It has been a joy to be with you for the past month. Please continue chasing your dreams," Yena said her scripted line.
"Hoon," Xin continued to console him. However, Hoon held up his hand. "I'll talk to you later."
With that, the eliminated trainees began leaving the room.
The remaining trainees stayed in their spots, some feeling down because of the elimination of their friends.
However, the cruel reality of life is that everything must go on.
"Are all eliminated trainees out?" Yena asked the production team.
"Yes, director," Ann responded.
Yena brought the mic to her lips once more. "The Concept Mission will push through with only fifty of you," she began. "June's status is yet to be disclosed, but the doctor says he's insistent on coming back before the mission. However, for this time, I need your teams to make a decision."
"For those with excess members, you must choose who to kick out of the team until 4 PM tomorrow."
