It was a warm sunny day. The five-star trainees sat on the floor in a circle, excited to talk about their upcoming signal song performance.
"Sweet! We don't have a budget limit," Zeth exclaimed. "The possibilities are endless with our performance. May I suggest we add some platforms to the stage to make it more dramatic?"
Ren nodded in agreement. "Artificial indoor fireworks would be good too, or maybe some fire at the end may be better."
"We can do both," Jaeyong said. "We don't have a budget limit anyway. Let's do our best to get the most views in 24 hours."
"Then, shall we ask the production crew to make the platforms move? I'm sure the other levels wouldn't be able to afford that," Casper suggested.
"Good idea," Leo said. "And since we're singing live, let's ask them for higher-quality speakers."
The other trainees nodded.
"And should we stick to the iconic schoolboy outfits for this performance?" Hyunwoo asked. "It's a signature for the signal song."
Zeth nodded. "Yes. I think that would be good. What do you guys think?"
The other five-star trainees exclaimed in agreement. Everyone was amicable to the schoolboy concept.
"That's good," Jaeyong, their leader, said. "I've written down your suggestions and will take them to the production crew later."
"Thanks, bro," Jaxon said, patting Jaeyong's back. "You're a lifesaver."
Jaeyong smiled and nodded. "There's one thing we need to establish, though. Who will be our center?"
***
The four-star trainees excitedly exclaimed as a briefcase filled with 10,000 dollars was handed to their leader, Steel.
"Damn! Imagine what we could do with that amount of money. Let's go all out for our performance!" Daeho exclaimed.
"I'm sure the five-star trainees are also going all out," Alex said. "However, I think we're pretty similar in skill. We have some famous trainees here, too. It's worth fighting for the benefit."
"Then, do you have any suggestions on what we can do?" Steel asked.
"Let's accentuate the stage," Zachary suggested. "I think a pyramid would be nice. The center can take the highest part."
"Oh, that's good," Lin Zhi smirked, speaking for the first time. "Then, can I try out for the center position later?"
"We'll do that later," Steel said. "For now, do you have any other suggestions?"
"How about fireworks?" Sejun suggested.
"I don't think we can afford that anymore," Steel said. "The pyramid stage would already cost quite a lot."
"Then, how about flower petals?" Jisung shyly said, a pink tint on his cheeks. "It'd look pretty."
Hums of approval were heard in the room.
"Flower petals are good," Steel said. "And lastly, do you have any ideas for our outfits?"
"Of course, it's supposed to be schoolboy outfits!" Zachary said. "It won't be a signal song performance without schoolboy outfits."
***
The three-stars stared at the 5,000 dollars in front of them.
"It's a lot more than I had expected," Hoon said.
"Really, brother?" Minx, the youngest trainee, asked. "Then do we have a chance to win the benefit?"
"Of course," Hoon boasted. "Right, Jiyong?"
His fellow independent trainee nodded.
"Just let me take the lead," Hoon said. "Then, we can win the benefit! I'll be your leader! Unless you guys want another one," he gazed at all of them.
The other trainees looked a bit hesitant. However, none of them had the courage to oppose Hoon's passion.
"It's decided then," Hoon smirked. "I'll be the leader. I'll also be the center."
Minx bit his lip. He wanted to be the center too, but there were too many older trainees that he couldn't find the courage to speak. His fellow company-mates were already promoted to four stars, so he felt even more bashful.
"Don't worry about the outfits," Hoon said. "My mom is a costume supplier. We'll get the schoolboy outfits from her store."
***
The two-star trainees couldn't help but sigh as they looked at the 3,000 dollars on the floor. They had the highest amount of trainees, over thirty, so they wondered if their budget would be enough.
"Ah, let's give up," Xin said, plopping on the floor. "We can't have any decent stage effects with such a small amount of money."
"You're right," Chul agreed. "We don't have a chance against the popular trainees anyway. Let's just rent schoolboy outfits, then call it a day. At least we're still given a chance to perform."
While the other two-star trainees wanted to do their best, they were quickly dragged down by the gloomy atmosphere.
In the end, they decided to give up.
***
June blankly started at the measly 500-dollar bill in his hand. The two-star trainees got 3,000 dollars! How did the budget reduce so much? It's like the production crew want the zero-star trainees to fail so badly.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered.
Like a joke, his voice was now back.
Well, thanks, world.
He already got his zero stars. June looked around the room and sighed.
The young trainees looked down at the ground, obviously lacking confidence and drive.
June sighed and placed the 500-dollar bill in his pocket. "So, what do you guys want to do now?"
"I don't think we can do anything," C-Jay, the self-proclaimed rapper, said. "What's 500 dollars going to buy? That's not even enough for my groceries."
"C-Jay is right," Eli said. "There are 11 of us. That can't even buy a decent outfit for each of us. Schoolboy outfits are already out of the picture. Let's just wear our casual clothes."
Chany hummed. "What's the point? We're at the bottom of the food chain. We can't even have good outfits, effects, and fan support. Let's just forfeit this one and do our best on the next mission."
"Let's just rest," Jangmoon said. "I'm tired of practicing the song over and over again. It's not like I'm going to improve in just one day."
June stared at them blankly. However, it really wasn't obvious with his mask.
The atmosphere was gloomy, and it seemed like they had already given up.
"Where's the 500 dollars?" C-jay asked. "Let's just use that to buy pizza and cheer ourselves up."
"Yeah!"
"Let's do that."
"We deserve it."
A series of agreements were heard in the room.
June let out a big sigh.
These guys are more troublesome than he had thought.
