Three Keywords
Sujin once said that Hanada, his friends, and the other Inhabitants who tried to eliminate Juwon were fools. He thought their reason was too shallow and illogical, reeking insecurity and desperation.
The thing is, with or without Jun's halo, Juwon would stand out and gain screen time.
Even without a tragic backstory or an unusual pre-trainee activity, the boy had a face that could turn 10 heads out of 10 everywhere he went. In the internal unofficial voting that the contestants held, Juwon emerged as the most handsome participant, winning by a landslide, which proved that even prideful youths who trusted their looks felt defeated by his face.
In short, Juwon had the 'best visual of the show' and naturally had the privilege that come with it.
Sujin found it hard to understand how some people concluded that by pushing Juwon to Barren Land, they would gain more screen time.
Before episode 3 ended, the ranking of all participants in terms of votes was:
1. Jun
2. Sujin
3. Juwon
4. Min
5. Kato
6. Hyeon-ju
7. Xavi
8. Neo
9. Seth
Juwon ranked third and got many votes even though others had better Parts and more highlights than him. It was because people who opened the voting app and saw his profile thought, 'Ah, this person's face is a national treasure. He must debut.'
Ask the person himself if he knew about it. Of course, Juwon knew. He was aware of his charms, so he was not too worried and bothered. Therefore, when Sujin asked him those questions, he just returned them.
"Is it important to let Jun know that the others want me out so they can get more screen time by sticking to his side?"
Sujin could not answer immediately and Juwon only waited three seconds before he left with the slices of fruits that he cut. He returned to his room.
His roommate was still awake, playing Temple Run on his semi-useless staff-provided phone. Upon seeing him, Jun left the phone in his bed and walked toward him.
"Why only apples? Where's my cola?" Jun looked dissatisfied, but his hand still reached for the slices.
"Go away." Juwon scrunched his nose and raised the plate above his head. He was taller than Jun, so the latter protested.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Duh, protecting my food."
What the two had in common was that they were prone to holding grudges, and Juwon was clearly taking revenge for the coffee prank earlier.
Of course, in the end, the two only bantered a bit and then finished the slices of apples over a random talk about the cuts and scenes in the latest episode. Jun finally asked about something he was curious about.
"Hey, Juwon, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
Jun chugged water from his grey tumbler before continuing. "After the mid-check of the Greenhouse team, you guys practiced a bit more. But then one time, Neo just suddenly disappeared. It seemed he did not go back for quite a long time. What actually happened back then?"
Juwon shrugged and replied, "I think some people trash-talked him behind closed doors or away from cameras. Hanada in particular, hated Neo. That guy also has strong opinion against Sujin since he felt like Sujin threw a thankless task at him."
The answer made Jun frown. 'So I did correct when I told Jinho to observe those three and Neo.'
"You looked worried. Why?" asked Juwon.
Jun caught sight of a small camera by the cabinet, so even though he wanted to share some of his thoughts and plans with Juwon, he could not. Shaking his head, he answered, "Nothing. Just plain curious."
However, before they went to sleep, Jun told himself, 'Maybe I need to do something to help Neo there a bit.'
…
At 6 a.m. the following day, an alarm shook the entire Greenhouse, waking those asleep and causing everyone to panic, hide, or run around the building.
The lightheaded Jun half-opened his eyes and asked in a sleepy voice, "Is it an earthquake?"
Juwon and he had come out of their room to check what was happening. When they confirmed that it was just the buzzer ringing even though the floor was not shaking, Kato and the others angrily began questioning each other, wanting to know who pulled off the annoying prank. Everyone thought that a daredevil woke up early and, for some reason, thought that it would be a good idea to press the red button on the wall near the pantry.
"Whoever did that, step forward now before it's too late." Kato was furious and looked intimidating as he swept his gaze one by one on his fellow Inhabitants whom he gathered in the practice hall.
'He probably slept late.' Jun smiled wryly after seeing Kato's red-rimmed eyes.
Nobody admitted to the crime.
However, it was easy to determine the possible culprit since the majority wore annoyed faces. Meanwhile, two people appeared nervous and conscious of stares. Kato gave them a long glance, yet these two stood their ground and never admitted to anything.
'Dang, Chul-moo, and Daeho.'
He acknowledged the fact that sometimes people get possessed by the spirit of mischievousness. Maybe a look at specific items just triggered their curiosity or inspired a naughty idea that they thought would be fun. But there were proper timing and places for pranks, and it had to be ultimately harmless, especially in shows like this.
Jun inwardly shook his head and clicked his tongue. He had no idea what had gotten into these two to do that prank. Was it a secret mission? Because if not…
Time passed. The awakened Inhabitants could not go back to sleep anymore. They washed up and then headed to the dining hall. After an hour, the long-awaited voice echoed throughout the building, instructing everyone to gather in the main hall.
The emcee appeared on the big screen, greeting them with a bright smile. "Hi, Inhabitants. How are you doing today?"
"Hi!"
"We're doing fine. Glad to see you again, Mr. Lee!"
After exchanging greetings where the contestants acted excited to see Lee Hyung-suk's face, the latter went to the point, "Today, we will reveal the fourth mission. As usual, you will perform after seven days. But before I show you the mechanics of this new mission, I want to share a quote with you."
"Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." – Martin Luther King …
These words flashed on the screen in white font against a pitch-black background. All Greenhouse Inhabitants read the quote aloud and pondered its meaning while the emcee kept talking.
"Change. Vigilance. Adaptability. Change means the act or instance of becoming different. Vigilance means the state of being alert. And adaptability means an ability or willingness to change in order to suit different conditions. For this week's mission, these three words would be the keywords that would guide your performance and the concepts or ideas that the judges would have to see and score."
Jun moved his gaze back to the thin face of the emcee, his intuition telling him that the man was about to announce the actual rules.
Actor Lee said, "I would call two names. If I call you, please stand up." After a long pause, which was scripted to give time for the contestants to show varying reactions, the emcee opened his mouth. "Dae-Hyun, Seong-Hun."
The two whose names were called looked around, shocked. Many, including themselves, assumed that the top two would be named, so the two boys hesitated when they left their seats and stepped forward. Their confused eyes asked around, 'Why us?'
However, Jun and a few seated boys realized the two's commonality. 'They're Ranked 11 and 12 based on Episode 3 rankings.'
An interested look flickered across Sujin and Kato's faces.
"By the looks of it, they are going to be the leaders of two opposing sides," Jun softly voiced his guess.
"Maybe they will just have the right to choose their teammates," replied Sujin.
The other Inhabitants heard the two. Yet, because they could not easily conclude which had a higher possibilty, they waited for Lee Soo-Hyuk to mention the rest of the rules of Mission 4 and, of course, the songs they would perform next week.