A Dreaded Mid-check
While Jun and his teammates were having the worst scolding of their lives after a failed rehearsal, the other rap team was also going through the same in the Barren Lands.
Drew checked on them by himself. Compared to Keys, he was less cruel with his words. But the Landers were traumatized nonetheless, especially the two unlucky contestants with zero rap training.
Hours later, when the mentor made the other team take over the sole practice hall of the Barren Land, the rap team went to the side and huddled together like wet chicks, looking extremely pitiful. Not long after, the mid-check ended.
All the Landers headed to the dining room for lunch. The first team that got evaluated still looked like deflated balloons.
"I wonder how the Inhabitants of the rap team are doing," Hanada murmured when he took his seat. The kitchen staff had prepared various dishes beforehand. He omitted, 'They must be as miserable as we are, right?'
"Jun is back there," Jinho, the eldest, reminded him. His plate was already full. The young man lifted his spoon and scooped some soup into the small bowl.
"But they don't have rappers there. At least we have Sunyoul and Gwangseok. As long as we win the rap and dance category, we can secure overall victory."
The Landers were aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Jinho felt offended that these guys had already assumed the vocal group had lost. However, he was not childish enough to initiate a fight because of it. His mood soured, though.
'So there's a reason why Jun warned me about these people who got demoted.'
One was depressed; two had slightly better skills than the average Landers, and the last three were good ability-wise but had uncontrollable mouths.
"The best dancer is with us. Neo is better than both Kato and Jun." Hanada began to speak like a know-it-all. "Rap is secured."
Gunwook, a friend of Hanada, timely added, "Of course, we also have trust in the vocal group. Leader Jinho is also great at singing."
'... Well, maybe I need to be childish for once.'
Jinho grinned meaningfully. "Thanks. Let's show the Inhabitants that if we can beat them once, we can beat them twice."
In an instant, the atmosphere turned weird. Half of the Landers had not yet moved on entirely from being demoted. JO lightly elbowed Jinho. However, the young man kept an innocent smile as he took his spoon into his mouth.
"Ahaha," awkward laughter rang after.
Jinho raised a fist and laughingly added, "We only need to secure two categories, right? Thankfully, two teams from our side seem to have satisfied Mentor Drew."
The rap team was harshly scolded. So, the two that did well were obvious.
That day, the friendship between the new and original Landers was broken. Jinho decided not to care, though. Hanada's group had been constantly getting on his nerves for the past two days. Before the third mission was revealed, he was not talking to Neo. Then, when the MC revealed it, Hanada made the young boy assume leadership of the dance team without consulting the boy in question and the others.
The Japanese trainee meaningfully grinned, 'Neo, we have to win. Dance is your specialty, so you won't fail us this time, right?'
Was that something to say to somebody who was still visibly struggling to process his thoughts and emotions? Neo was just 14, younger than anyone in the show. Even if it happened quite a while back, the scene stayed in Jinho's mind and created a horrible impression.
Today, the remaining thread of his patience snapped.
"Fighting." Jinho grinned and then went back to eating.
The camera did not capture him badly. On the other hand, some people cannot control their facial muscles. But those with brains knew that the three idiots provoked him first, and even though he bit back, he did it subtly.
Age did not make Jinho more stubborn.
He just learned through experience what should be done to blabbermouths and horrible people. They simply should not be tolerated.
...
Greenhouse.
Like the other camp, the vocal and dance group were complimented, while the rap team failed to deliver a passable performance and thus earned scary berating from Keys and Mariam. It just could not be helped.
Xavi had to rap while reading his lines on the monitor. When all his attention was getting the pronunciation right while reading, how else could he pay attention to other things? As a result, his movements were stiff and his expressions flat.
Daeho and Seth only minded their chorus part. The two did well, but...
"Argghh. THIS. IS. SO FRICKIN'. EMBARRASING! Is this what you plan to sing on stage? Are you really going on stage with a performance like this?"
One roar after another thundered in the practice room. The anger in the mentors' voices shook the hearts of the contestants. Jun did not bow his head low like his teammates. He stood straight and kept his sight on the wall behind Producer Keys. However, he also felt afraid to look the two mentors in the eyes.
"You two, even if it's not to enhance the listener's experience, can't you help your teammates cover up the lacking parts in their rap with harmonies? This section is perfect for a high note!" Mariam's fierced eyes made the two in charge of chorus bow their heads further.
"Xavi, memorize everything. TODAY. Do you hear me? Memorize everything today!"
"Daeho. Your pitch could be better here!"
"Jun, you have flow and technique but don't know where to emphasize or how to play with the dynamics!"
Even Jun received a harsh barrage of words. This was the first time since he had traveled back in time.
'Ahhh, my panda eyes... are not going away soon.' He inwardly wailed.
Today, the word 'sorry' resounded more than a dozen times.
The mentors' anger only subsided an hour later. The four bowed in the direction of the door as the two left. Then, when they disappeared, the trainees all looked like deflated balloons as they sat or collapsed on the floor.
"Everyone."
Jun clapped thrice to get their attention before he added, "We heard our mentors' evaluation today. However, I believe criticisms are not a reason to be discouraged. It should be our driving force. We still have a few more days to perfect our parts. For now, let's take a break and be back here in 10 minutes."
Withstanding those two's outbursts had not been easy. Nobody liked being scolded. Or rather, it was the experience of receiving anger that nobody wanted to go through. If even he felt drained, there was no way his peers were not the same. Thinking of this, he announced a break.
"Seth. Are you okay?" Jun worriedly approached their youngest member when he noticed that the rap team's youngest member remained in place instead of going out. The two of them were left in the room.
Seth kept his eyes on the floor as he asked in a low voice, "Brother, did I do that terribly?"