Confusion

"Wow, that was fun," Hyeon-ju sighed after they returned to their practice room. 

"Now I know why they are thriving and have countless fans. They're incredibly professional. And has the aura of kings," responded Juwon without hiding his admiration for the guests invited to BOI.

Jun's request was fulfilled, much to the joy of the Inhabitants. They got the precious chance to sing with their idols. 

The staff improvised a game on the spot for them where the Inhabitants and the KAISER members had to pass the mic alternately between the two sides every time the alarm sounded. It was entirely up to the mic holder to whom to pass it. Meanwhile, it was up to the producers to decide how long a person could hold it. 

"By the way, you're quite lucky," Juwon remarked.

Hyeon-ju's grinned from ear to ear.

As one of the proven vocalists of the show, Hyeon-ju received the mic twice. The only others who got this privilege were Sujin, Chulmoo, and Jun. Kato and the other dance-leaning contestants pulled Jin forward to dance with him since they had long wanted to freestyle with the famous main dancer of KAISER. 

When the selected song ended, the K-pop Kings waved them goodbye. The Inhabitants bowed in gratitude to the direction where KAISER disappeared. Afterwards, they returned to practice. 

Xavi's rows of perfectly white teeth showed as he flashed a playful smile, "I might not be chosen more than once for the mic game. But I can still say I am a genius for bringing a pen. Look, I'm the only one with Levi's signature on my training shirt." 

Xavi looked prouder upon seeing the stunned and then envious looks on his teammates' faces. "Heh. I secretly approached Rapper Levi before the Q&A ended to get this."

"...You cheater." Jun tried to grab the hem of Xavi's shirt, but the latter ran away quickly. "Hey, how about we exchange shirts? Or I can pay for yours!" 

"No way!" Xavi chuckled.

Two minutes later, under the helpless watch of the leader Seong-Hun, the two finally stopped their cat-and-mouse game and joined their teammates, who were busy learning their parts.

However, Jun occasionally mentioned the signed shirt offer, which Xavi casually ignored. Sometimes, the refusal was accompanied by eye-rolls or disdainful glances, reminding Jun that the guy didn't care about money.

So...

"Xavi, wrong step!"

"Xavi, wrong pitch and key!"

"Bro, if you keep moving to the left during this formation, you will keep blocking Juwon. Observing proper distancing is the key."

Jun became stricter as he coached Xavi in one corner of the room.

The latter rolled his eyes at him, although he also mentally noted the suggestions and pointers. Of course, Xavi was not one to let others bully him.

"Jun, your eyebags are so dark."

"Jun, take a look at your pants, there's a chewing gum on that side."

"Hey, I think your greatest mistake today is not getting your idol's autograph."

Jun could be seen smiling and laughing, but a second later, he head-locked Xavi and then dragged him to practice the more complicated movements.

"What a guy." While watching them, Seong-Hun inhaled deeply. The boy focused on the coaching scene rather than the playful moments of those two. He could not help feeling frustrated because he was reminded of the part distribution again. "He has the confidence to teach, which means he already mastered our song. But I can't understand why he's adamant about Part 6."

Daeho kept quiet, playing the song 'So Far Away.' He listened to the guide vocals over and over again.

Seong-Hun quietly asked, "Do you think we can win?"

Daeho placidly replied, "Negative."

"You're so blunt."

Daeho raised his head and looked at their other teammates. Since yesterday, their team has been focusing on individual progress. There were group rehearsals, yet not that many, and for Daeho, that alone was a red flag.

On this day, Jun focused on teaching Xavi. On the following day, Jun stuck to Hyeon-ju to finally start addressing their team's greatest issue.

Hyeon-ju, proud to receive the mic twice from the KAISER members, immediately got humbled when the practice with Jun began.

"Hyeon-Ju, you have an amazing voice with pleasant vocal texture. However, in this song, you must belt your lungs out while still sounding and looking full of yourself."

Hyeon-Ju listened with a smile. Jun placidly pointed out. "The problem is your habit of always smiling. Let's start the training by not smiling. You're only allowed to smirk like you're looking down on someone. Laughing is only okay - if you can make yourself appear arrogant through it. The trick is not only through raising your chin; you must also be mindful of your eye expression."

Four people listened to Jun with interest. The last one wore a blank look, which gradually transformed into a confused one. Naturally, the last one was Hyeon-Ju.

As time passed without hearing from the guy, Juwon turned to Jun and commented.

"Hyeon-Ju's face seemed to say you're not speaking human language just now, Jun."

"Shall I repeat from the beginning?" The acting leader pondered how to make the explanation easy before opening his mouth again. 

Daeho wore an expression saying, 'Of course, this is going to happen.' The older guy crossed his arms while seated on a mono-block chair.

"Self-hypnotize yourself that you're the only human in this room and everyone else, including me, is an ant," Jun ignored the doubtful eyes, patiently explaining.

"That sounds so arrogant," Hyeonju could not help laughing. 

"Exactly how it should sound!" 

Then, when Hyeon-Ju requested a sample, Jun readily showed what he meant through an impromptu singing of lines belonging to Part 3.

The two contestants continued with their training. The others in the Greenhouse and the Barren Land also did the same. The progress was there, but a lot of things needed to be done, and there were only four days remaining.

...

Outside the survival show venue, the world known as the internet, which was accessible to all sorts of people, buzzed with activities.

After the rigged Idol Camp 101 show, very few held an optimistic view of Best of Idol's ratings. The general populace had begun to equate survival shows with vote manipulation in their mind. However, by the time Episode 3 finished airing, Best of Idols somehow ranked first in that time slot among TV programs from different broadcasting stations.

The popular sentiment was that there were more attractive and exciting contestants here than in Idol Camp 101. 

It seemed regardless of allegations and predictions, once people said something fascinating or when others talked about it a lot, they just flocked onto it to see why it was getting traction. 

Inside a unit in an apartment complex near the building of K-star Entertainment, the company of famous singer Drew. 

A sixteen-year-old female teenager exited the bathroom with a baby blue towel wrapped around her head. She wore an oversized black shirt and pink cotton shorts that only reached her mid-thigh, revealing a face and skin as white as those celebrities who seemed strict with their skin-care routines or regulars at spas, salons, and dermatologists. 

The girl, whose looks rivalled some well-known female idols, opened her laptop before drying her hair. Then, when she was done using the blower, she brought the laptop to her bed and opened several tabs. 

"Hmm, episode 3. I hope he would get more screen time."

As the episode's replay began, a beautiful smile would form on her lips whenever a particular contestant was on screen. It was Seth, the second youngest participant, whom she admired for being charismatic and talented in all idol-related areas despite his age. 

"Seth is really a gifted performer. I hope more people will discover him after this episode so he can fulfil his dreams." 

Her smiles and the praises she said for Seth sharply contrasted with the disinterested look she sported for other BOI contestants. 

"Huh? Sujin sings whatever he is confident in without adding anything new to the song. He hasn't changed. "

"Boring. When will Juwon stop relying on his visuals?" 

"Gosh, once these guys debut, they'd instantly realize, besides looks, they're just average everywhere else."

"Wow. Neo can't even hold a tune at this point." The girl even rolled her eyes, wishing to fast-forward to her pick's interview or practice moments. 

More and more criticisms poured out from her mouth, strangely directed only at ETM's future members. She was indifferent or hardly paying attention to contestants who did not even become ETM members. 

Among the prominent BOI Inhabitants, there was only one person exempted from her whining and complaints - Jun. 

Whenever the guy appeared, though, confusion would cross her eyes. 

"The leader-candidate narrative is the same," she murmured, watching intently as Jun led his fellow Landers to the stage to perform their version of 'Golden Sun.' 

The girl propped her chin up with her hand and blinked twice before she frowned.

"Oddly though, why hasn't it appeared yet - the 'raising hand eight times' scenario? Also, why does he seem more capable and talented than I can remember?"