Jihyun looked at the crowd of people coming in. "Why does it feel like there are more people than usual?" she asked.
"Because there are literally more people who bought the tickets," Woo-jin responded. "I heard the production crew had to maximize the seating capacity since there were a great number of fans wanting to watch the live performances."
Hyerin shook her head in disbelief. "This is the first season where they did that, right?"
Gun nodded. "Well, without a doubt, this has been the most popular season. Even my little cousins are watching the show."
"What do you think the reason for the success is?" Bone asked, joining their conversation. "I thought this season would be significantly less popular than the past seasons because of the scandal that happened last year."
"I think there's a definite reason," Jihyun said, her eyes wandering to one of the photos displayed on the LED screen.
June.
"Must be the amount of popular trainees, right?" Woo-jin asked. "There are so many great bets for the debut position."
"Sure," Jihyun said, not saying her real thoughts. Maybe people still underestimated June because he doesn't come from a big company, but since Jihyun had been observing him from the start, she had become certain.
As she looked around the venue, her thoughts merely strengthened.
At the beginning of the show, the banners in the venue were dominated by the trainees at the top—those who came from big companies or who had fans even before the show.
However, right now, there was a fairly good saturation of banners for different trainees.
And from an amateur's eye, they might think that June had no contribution to this. How could a single trainee manipulate the fan ratio of the show?
However, looking back on it, some of the trainees who teamed up with June weren't projected to make it this far into the competition.
C-Jay…Jangmoon…Akira…Sehun.
All of these trainees would have never made it to the top 25 if they didn't get to meet June and perform with him. In the same light, it seemed like the higher-ranked trainees had been working harder, not being complacent, since the rise of these trainees was now threatening their positions.
As Jihyun continued looking around, she noticed something. If, back then, Zeth and Casper had significantly more banners than the rest of the top-ranked trainees, it seemed like June's banners were now on equal footing with them.
Jihyun shook her head in disbelief. "He's really amazing," she muttered.
"Am I the only one who's a bit worried?" Hyerin asked, causing Jihyun to snap out of her thoughts.
"Why?" Gun asked.
"Well, after the interim evaluations, we haven't seen the progress of the trainees," she responded.
"Yeah," Bone sighed. "This is also the first time we've done this. I believe the trainees don't have any idea about the other teams' stages as well. The production crew is really playing on the 'surprise' aspect of the performances."
"I think it's best if we trust them," Woo-jin said. "They're already in the top 25, and this is their time to show their independence. I'm actually pretty excited."
"Me too," Gun said, his mind straying to June. "I wonder how they're going to perform their self-made songs."
"Well, now, I'm not too worried because they all did well during the interim evaluations. I just wish they worked hard for the other elements, too, since some of the songs had similar vibes with each other," Bone added.
Jihyun agreed. "Two songs stood out for me—June's team and Lin Zhi's team. I believe it'll be a battle between them."
Just then, loud screams filled the venue, halting the mentors' conversation. They turned to the stage and saw Minho looking as dashing as ever. He stood at the center of the stage, bathed in dazzling lights, with his megawatt smile radiating irresistible charm.
Gun sighed as he looked at the glowing aura of the actor. "I wonder what it's like to be born like that," he said.
Bone chuckled and nudged his shoulder. "Let's try harder in our next life."
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Kang Minho's voice boomed over the roaring applause. The crowd erupted into louder cheers and applause, their enthusiasm shaking the foundations of the building.
As the applause subsided, Kang Minho began to speak. "Tonight," he declared, "We have something truly special in store for you all. This is the first time such a mission has been conducted in Rising Stars. We unveil to you—the Production Mission!"
The letters spelling 'Production Mission' appeared in bold, glittering letters behind him, further elevating the excitement in the room.
Minho continued, "For this mission, our trainees were given complete independence. They were tasked with creating their own songs, lyrics, choreography, and even designing their stage outfits. It's an opportunity to show their creativity, individuality, and potential to become true artists."
The audience murmured among themselves as they exchanged thoughts on what to expect from the trainees' self-produced performances.
"This is going to be exciting."
"I can't wait to hear their songs."
"Minho, I love you, but please stop talking and introduce the first performance already."
"I want someone to take their shirt off."
"But that's not all," he said, leaning in. "After every performance, we will ask you, our incredible starlights, to cast your votes for the trainee who stood out the most. And trust me, this vote will have a very, very important impact on the competition ahead. So, choose wisely."
"Then, after all the performances, you're also going to vote for your favorite team, and they, too, will win another benefit," he added.
The trainees listening in their respective rooms also paid extra attention to what Minho had said.
"They still haven't unveiled the reward of the highest-placing trainee, right?" Zeth asked.
"They haven't," Leo responded. "Which is very weird. This is the first time they've held the benefit until the end of the mission."
Zeth shrugged. "Maybe it'll be a million stars?"
"Then, that's already a gateway to the finals."
"Now," Minho's voice filled the venue. "Without further ado, let's get started with the Production Mission! For the very first performance, let me call on a team that will shake the venue with their powerful beats. Performing a song under the Electro-Techno genre, let us welcome the Team Party Animals!"
