As sad as the five trainees' departure may be, the show must always go on.
Because as soon as the trainees had left the vicinity of the room, the sad background music was replaced by an intense string instrument sound, startling most of the trainees.
Then, the lights turned off, the spotlight focusing only on Minho. The dark atmosphere, paired with the music, made the trainees nervous.
"What is it now?" Ren groaned from behind June.
June sighed and shook his head. What more did they expect from Azure?
"And then there were twenty," Minho announced, the microphone now having a strong echo and resonance effect.
"Dear trainees, have you ever imagined making it this far?" he asked, the music getting louder.
June clicked his tongue, looking to the side since he felt that this was too dramatic.
"It feels like yesterday when we started this journey with a hundred talented trainees, each with dreams of becoming a star. But today, my trainees, we are down to the final twenty. And while we thought the magic number was ten, we have decided to turn the tables on our contestants once more. The magic number now…is eight."
June snapped his gaze to the front when he heard Minho mention a new number.
"That's right, the competition has become even more intense. After much deliberation, we have decided that only eight of you will have the privilege of debuting in the spotlight you've been fighting so hard for."
Chaos ensued in the room, and there was one thought that everybody agreed on—reducing the number of trainees debuting meant reducing their chances of becoming an idol.
"What the hell? Isn't this unfair? They've always told us that ten trainees will debut."
"And all the other seasons debuted with ten members each. Why are they changing it all of a sudden?"
"I heard another rumor from my mom's boyfriend."
"That last boyfriend you talked about?"
"No, a new one," the trainee smiled. "Apparently, he works as a guard in Azure, and he overheard some of the workers saying that it came from a higher-up. It seemed like they didn't want to invest too much money into the group because of what happened last year. So, the production crew didn't have a choice but to cut down the number of members."
"That's bullshit. Why would they do that when this season has gone so well?"
"Settle down, trainees," Minho cleared his throat, silencing the trainees. "So, as I was saying, only eight trainees will be debuting this season, and the starlights will be fully responsible for determining the members who will debut!"
Then, a giant countdown was seen on screen, accompanied by a loud booming sound. The trainees were once again startled as they stared at the big, bold numbers.
The trainees looked at the countdown, confused as to what it was for.
Then, when the number zero was shown, the room turned bright, making the trainees squint their eyes.
"That, my trainees, was the countdown for the start of the voting. As of the moment, the voting has commenced, and it will continue until next week's live show on Friday at 6:00 PM KST," Minho excitedly exclaimed.
"The voting will be closed at exactly 8:00 PM, and shortly after, the names of the eight trainees who will debut will be announced. With this change, the stakes have never been higher, and the outcome has never been more uncertain," Minho seriously said.
"So prepare yourselves next week, Friday at 6:00 PM KST, for a live show like no other, as we unveil the chosen eight who will make their mark in the K-Pop industry. It's time for the real stars to shine!"
***
Lin Zhi repeatedly cursed under his breath as he walked through the hallways. Some of the trainees he passed congratulated him, but he didn't have the energy to talk to anyone.
He needed to talk to one person and one person only.
He arrived at a secluded area where he was certain nobody would catch him in the act.
"Laohu?" he urgently said, pacing back and forth.
"What?" Laohu snapped, appearing to be as urgent as Lin Zhi. "I told you to call me only for important matters. I'm in a meeting right now."
"This is very important," Lin Zhi said, his anxiety rising through the roof.
"Speak," Laohu said.
"It's bad," Lin Zhi started off.
Laohu clicked his tongue. "Are you short of money again? I told you to just use the bank account I gave you. Just don't forget to be my puppet once you become an idol."
"That's the problem," Lin Zhi said, biting his lip. "I don't think I can become an idol at this point."
"What do you mean?"
"They changed something," Lin Zhi said. "Only the top eight will be included in the debut team."
"What?" Laohu exclaimed, his voice lowering an octave. "When did you hear this?"
"Just now," Lin Zhi responded. "It's an official statement."
Laohu sighed heavily. "Do you know how fucking hard it was keeping you in the top 10 ranks? It was a pain to hack into their system just for your rank to be 10th every time."
"I know," Lin Zhi sighed. "But I'm trying my best. I even took off my shirt during the show tonight. I must have gained quite a lot of votes from the people who watched the live performances."
"You're 13th," Laohu deadpanned. "You're 13th in real-time rankings right now."
Lin Zhi's eyes widened. "You're lying."
"I'm not," Laohu said. "I'm in Mintellect right now—that voting company that's responsible for your show and plenty of big corporations. I'm looking at the results."
"Fuck," Lin Zhi cursed, clenching his fists then banging it on the wall, causing it to crack slightly.
Lin Zhi couldn't believe he was five ranks away from the debut spot, even when he already put on such a racy performance.
"What the hell am I going to do? You're going to do something, right?" he asked Laohu desperately. "We can't let our efforts go to waste. We have something we need from someone in the entertainment industry."
"Indeed, we do," Laohu sighed in frustration. "I'll do something. Just give me time."
Lin Zhi finally sighed in relief. "Thank you. I promise to help you until the end."
"You better."
With that, Laohu ended the call, and Lin Zhi leaned against the wall, feeling more certain.
He had to debut.
No.
He will debut…
No matter what it takes.
