Chapter 267 Debut Team (1)
Ragged breaths.
Hearts beating as one. A low, ambient, yet tension-filled sound that encapsulated the entire dome. It was time. The birth of a new generation of idols was finally going to take place. The trainees had now moved to the stage, arranged in the circular platform like candles on a birthday cake. It ever-so-slightly rotated, making the already nauseous trainees even dizzier. The audience and mentors weren't any different. They felt like their hearts had dropped to the pit of their stomachs, so they couldn't imagine how the trainees felt on the stage. Kang Minho, too, felt the nerves in his blood. Yet, he kept a professional stance. The cards were delivered right to his hand—eight special envelopes that contained the names of the chosen ones. The music only grew louder as Kang Minho took a step forward. - This is really it. - I'm about to shit my pants. - I don't remember ever being this nervous in my entire life. I wasn't even this nervous during my first pregnancy! "Let us start with the seventh place," Minho announced, a loud thud heard from the speakers. He looked at the trainees once before focusing his gaze on the cameras. Minho let out a deep breath, paused, and then described the trainee who made it to seventh place.
"This trainee…has been in the top five," he started off. 'So, it's not me,' June said, already feeling nervous. His hands trembled, so he placed them inside his pockets. June had never been sure of his specific ranking…, but in the past missions, he was certain that he was going to make it into the next round. June only ever had second thoughts of making it during the very first ranking. And now, during the last ranking, he was also uncertain. He didn't know to what extent Lin Zhi had manipulated the votes, but if his ranking was truly twelfth place during the last ranking, then he didn't have any time to relax. His rank was at a very dangerous place. "He is known for his vocal prowess," Minho continued. "However, he is a well-known all-rounder in the competition, with plenty of skills under his belt." June could think of a lot of people right now. But there were two most probable candidates—Ren and Akira. However, since Akira had never made it into the top five, it only meant one thing. "Ren," June muttered under his breath. At the same time, Minho called out a name. "Ren!" he exclaimed in a loud voice, breaking the tension. Ren's shoulders visibly relaxed as his name was called. He held onto Jisung, who was next to him, for support while the trainees congratulated him. - He made it! Our little producer made it <3. <i>
- Oh gosh. He was so worried last week. I'm so glad he's here now. - You've worked hard, Ren.
With the hope-filled music, Ren walked down the circular platform, trudging forward to the pyramid-like stage adjacent to them. There were eight seats in total, shaped like a triangle. The seats had numbers on them, with the number one seat on the very apex. Ren's fans, although a bit disappointed that he didn't rank higher, were still happy that he made it. Ren couldn't be happier with his rank, though. He was already too nervous, and waiting for his name to be called was torture to him. So, being called first was a blessing for Ren. He let out a deep breath as he took the mic. "I stand before you a heart full of gratitude. I want to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support, even during the times when I couldn't showcase my best. Your belief in me has been my driving force, and I promise to work harder than ever to be deserving of this honor."
"To my dear mom, the one who has always been there for me, I want to say this with all my heart: please don't cry. Your son has made it, and even though you weren't there to support me from the start, I want to say that I forgive you…but please be with me from now on," Ren ended his speech with teary eyes. His mom was shown on screen, too, appearing to be in the same state as Ren. With that, Ren placed the microphone back on the stand before walking over to his seat—seventh. He locked his position with a wide smile, and just like that, one member had been confirmed. The hope-filled music abruptly stopped, and the tension-filled music came back. "Let us now move on to the sixth place," Minho said in a serious voice. Nerves once again rose as the drumbeat filled their hearts. "This trainee started with a rank below the 20s," Minho started off. The trainees chattered, hope filling their hearts. It was a sign that it wasn't someone they expected. Most of the trainees in the bottom ten had ranks below the 20s, so June couldn't guess who it would be. June was still hoping for it to be him, though—since he had also experienced being in the 30s ranks at the beginning of the show. For June, sixth place was the perfect spot to debut. It wasn't too far from the last place, and it wasn't near the first place. There wasn't a lot of pressure for sixth place, and if he was going to be an idol, he wanted to live a peaceful life. "Akira, you have earned a spot in the debut team," Minho loudly announced, shattering June's hope. Nonetheless, he clapped and smiled at his dear friend, even giving him a pat on the back. "You've worked hard," June mouthed as the tearful Akira turned around. Jaeyong and Evan, who were his past bandmates in RAVEN, encased him in a hug, whispering words of encouragement. "I'll see you on the stage," Akira emotionally said to his teammates before turning around and walking to the stage. His family, who traveled from Japan, waved their banner in the air, wide smiles on their faces. Akira turned to them with a grateful smile.
"I want to extend my deepest thanks to all of you for giving me what some might call a 'second chance.' But I refuse to see it that way. This, to me, is not a second chance, but my first real opportunity to show you the true passion of a new idol," he said with conviction. "I promise to approach this with the same fire and enthusiasm as if it were my very first time. Thank you to you all." - RAVEN hugged, ya'll. I'm crying. They were my ult group back then. - Akira, please be happy from now on! I hope, this time, everything works out well for the group. With that, Akira took a step back and went to his seat just right beside Ren. They meaningfully smiled at each other. "Moving onto the fifth place," Minho exclaimed, surprising the people who were still emotional about Akira's debut. June turned serious once more, his head calculating the possibilities of him debuting. The highest rank he has gotten was eighth, which was just the border of the debut line this time. There were still a lot of trainees to be called, so June was feeling more anxious. In the end, he concluded that he needed to be called for this rank. Otherwise, he might not be able to make it. "For fifth place, we have none other than—Jaeyong!"
