[Mission: Sign an autograph.]
June smirked. That would be easy.
He could just give Jangmoon or C-Jay his autograph, and that'll be it.
[Conditions:
1. The host cannot ask to give an autograph.
2. The host must not coax the person to ask him to give an autograph.
3. Everything must be unprecedented. No planning involved.
4. No autographs for people you prior know.]
'What? Why are there so many restrictions?'
[Good luck, host! Standard missions will only reset once the bonus mission is over. Deadline for bonus round: 2 days. Failure to accomplish entails regression of all skills.]
All skills?
June sat up from his bed, startling Jaeyong, who was the only one awake at that time. Jaeyong had a green face mask on, so June exclaimed in shock as soon as their eyes met.
"What the fuck?" June cursed.
"Shh," Jaeyong said. "You'll wake the others up. We have a long day tomorrow."
June placed his hand over his chest. "Well, why are you still awake?"
"I'm meditating," Jaeyong said. However, June noticed there was something off in his tone.
"Are ya alright?" June asked.
Jaeyong frowned. "What do you mean?"
June shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "It just looks like there's something boggling your mind."
Jaeyong sighed, leaning against his bed. "It's just that...my rank went down."
June gave him a nonchalant look. "You're the fourth-ranked trainee in the competition," he deadpanned. "Your rank went down by one place."
Jaeyong bitterly chuckled. "Well, you wouldn't really know. Your rank went up so much."
"How is that my fault?" I asked. "I'm just doing my best here."
Jaeyong smiled. "Yeah, I can see that."
June couldn't believe his eyes and ears. Jaeyong, the trainee who has disdained his presence ever since he came to Rising Stars, actually believed in him?
"I saw the episode with Akira," Jaeyong stated. "When you first came to the show, I thought you were one of those trainees who joined the show for clout. However, when I watched that episode, I realized that maybe...you aren't too bad."
June smirked, then he leaned forward to tease the experienced idol. "So, are ya going to apologize?"
Jaeyong scoffed. "I still don't think I did something wrong. Your dancing skills are still jack-shit."
"Whatever," June said. "At least I don't need that ogre mask to look good."
Jaeyong shook his head, a hint of amusement on his face. "You should sleep. It looked like you woke up from a nasty nightmare."
Ah, shit!
The nightmare.
He looked at his mission corner and saw that the timer was indeed ticking. He had less than two days to accomplish his bonus mission.
There was only one way to finish the mission.
"Hey," June said. "Do you think we can go out here tomorrow?"
Jaeyong chuckled out loud. "What are you talking about? We're stuck here the whole week since the second mission is coming up. We're not allowed to go out at all."
Well, fuck.
***
The 75 trainees entered the large auditorium, lining up based on their rankings. Their hearts raced after the recent eliminations, and it felt like it was yet another beginning. Whispers and nervous glances filled the air, and everyone seemed to be on edge.
June was on edge for a different reason, though.
[Deadline for bonus round: 38h, 56m, 11secs]
June swallowed his annoyance for the mission as the door swung open. Mentors Kang Minho and Jihyun stepped in. Minho's confident stride was matched by Jihyun's graceful presence. All eyes were on them as they took their positions at the front.
As Jihyun entered, her eyes immediately searched a familiar face. She smiled as soon as she saw him — June.
Jihyun couldn't help but steal glances at June from time to time. For a second, her eyes lingered a moment too long, and she made eye contact with June. She quickly looked away, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. She mentally scolded herself for the wandering thoughts.
She was married, for god's sake!
But she felt like a little teenage fan girl whenever June was involved.
Truthfully, Hyerin was supposed to accompany Minho during the announcement of the second mission. However, after watching the live stream last night, Jihyun almost couldn't believe her eyes when June's face was revealed. She had to see it for herself.
So, she proposed to be present today instead of Hyerin.
She really didn't expect June to look like...THAT! It was true that good vocalists usually wouldn't have the best visuals. It was a rule of life. However, June broke that rule.
After clearing his throat, Kang Minho spoke, his voice steady and professional. "Congratulations to all of you for making it to the top 75. We know the eliminations were tough, but it is now time to focus on the next challenge."
Jihyun managed to tear her gaze away from June and joined in. "That's right. For this mission, we have something special planned."
Murmurs of excitement and curiosity spread through the trainees.
"Isn't it the position battle next?"
"I want to go to rap."
"I'll go to vocals! Don't hog the vocal choices, please."
Jisung poked June's side, causing the troubled guy to look at him. "What?" he asked.
"Which position are you going to take?"
"Vocals," June said without any hesitation.
Jisung pouted. "I want to go to dance. Can't you go with me, brother?"
June raised one eyebrow. "Really? You want me to go to dance?"
"Well, I just want to team up with you at least once."
June shrugged. "Pick vocals then."
"Settle down now," Minho said. "As Mentor Jihyun said, it's going to be special. Rid your mind of any preconceptions you have about this show. It isn't the position battle like you guys thought it would be!"
The room was divided by a large, white wall, concealing the surprises that awaited.
Kang Minho continued, "Behind this wall, we have songs prepared in three different categories: Rap and Dance, Vocal and Dance, and Vocal and Rap. Each category represents a unique challenge that will test your versatility as a performer."
"What?"
"Two positions?"
June was surprised. Azure once again utilized a new concept. Last season, only one position was involved in the second mission.
"Idols these days are expected to be good at everything," Jihyun said. "So, instead of focusing on one position, we want to produce well-rounded trainees that go beyond their comfort zones."
"That's right," Minho nodded.
"Let us now commence the XX position battle: battle of all-rounders!"
