June sighed in relief when the auditions finally ended. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already evening. They've been filming for ten hours straight! It was no wonder he was so sleepy.
He stood up from his seat, but Jisung quickly pulled him down.
"What are ya doing?" June asked.
"Where are you going? The mentors still have an announcement."
June wanted to lie down already. Can the mentors wait until tomorrow to tell them whatever it is they're going to tell?
"Thank you for sticking with us, trainees. You are now given your own stars, which reflect the classes you will be in. Trainees with similar stars will train with you from here on out," Jihyun said.
"If you got the stars you desired, congratulations. However, if you aren't satisfied with your current level, do not fret. This is only the initial assessment. After three days, we will assess you once again and give you the stars you deserve."
June looked at the LED screen in advance. He already knew what was coming next.
Just then, the speakers busted a loud tune, startling some of the trainees. Even June, who usually wasn't as jumpy, felt his heart jump to the sound of loud music.
"In the depths of my mind, I had a vision so clear,
A dream so vivid it fueled my fears.
But I knew deep down I couldn't do it alone,
I needed the strength of those who called me their own."
The first verse sounded quite emotional and contemporary, setting the hopeful tone of the song.
"They say dreams are just fantasies, illusions we chase,
But with the right people, they become our saving grace.
Together we rise, we conquer, and we soar,
As dreams come true, we'll shout it out and so much more."
The difficult dance was finally shown.
"Dreams come true when we're together,
Hand in hand, in stormy weather.
With the people around, we'll reach for the sky,
United as one, our spirits flying high.
United as one, our spirits flying high!
So let's celebrate the dreams that come true,
With faithful friends, there's nothing we can't do.
Together we'll conquer, with dreams as our guide.
As dreams come true, we'll dance side by side."
The awe in the room was evident as the signal song faded. Azure outdid themselves once again. The song wasn't June's style of music, but the lyrics and tune already embedded itself in his mind, repeating over and over again. He already knew that the song would become a hit once it aired.
However, the trainees' amazement quickly turned to nervousness when they realized they would be performing this song.
"The pitch is quite high," Yuri, the capable vocalist, said.
"If it's high for you, then how would it be for me?" Steel asked in distress. "It sounds like it's in the female key."
"We have to do this while dancing?" a zero-star trainee exasperatedly asked. "I don't know. I give up!"
"Ah, the dance is easy," Jisung said. "But singing it would be quite hard."
June raised his eyebrows. The dance was easy? He could already see himself struggling with the choreography. He needed to complete his missions quickly to level up his dance skills.
"Settle down, trainees," Minho said. "I know the signal song has deeply touched your hearts, but we still have some things to say. As I said earlier, you will be reevaluated in three days. All of you will be reevaluated with the song you just heard—Dream on Cloud Nine."
"Three days?" a two-star trainee exclaimed. "I can barely learn a routine in a week. We're only getting three days?"
"The past seasons have done it," Woo-jin said. "So, for the people complaining without even trying, reevaluate your dreams again. Do you really want this?"
The room turned silent.
"Again, these three days would be filled with mentoring and training. Of course, we don't expect you to do this alone. Starting tomorrow, you will have general and specialized lessons per class. Then, after three days, you shall perform this song live in front of the mentors and trainees, where we will give you your new star level. Got it, trainees?"
"Yes, mentor," the trainees said in unison.
"Now, I'm sure most of you have watched the past seasons," Hyerin said. "Not only will the signal song be used for reevaluation, but it would also determine your standing on the signal song performance."
June nodded. The signal song of the season usually airs even before the first episode. The 100 participants were arranged like a pyramid, with the top class at the highest and the bottom class at the lowest. The top class got the most screen time, while those in the bottom class would be lucky if they were even included in the group shot. It was a harsh segregation of skill and popularity.
"This year, it's going to be different," Gun said. "If last year, all of the trainees were given the opportunity to stand on the same extravagant stage, it wouldn't be like that this year. Instead of filming just one performance video, each class will be given the opportunity to film a performance video of their own."
The trainees chattered.
"Well, isn't that a good thing?" Minx, who got two stars, asked the older trainees. "We no longer have to fight for screen time since we'd be a smaller number."
"That's honestly better!" another two-star trainee exclaimed. "I don't want to be fighting with the five-stars."
June continued to listen. Surely, there must be a hidden agenda. Azure wouldn't have set such a big budget to film five different performance videos.
"However, even if all classes are given the opportunity to shoot a performance video, it does not mean that you will have the same budget. Those with five stars will be given an unlimited budget for their performance, so they can use that for the costumes, effects, and the like. The budget for the video will lessen as the tiers go down."
"Oh, shocks! So we'll be stuck with pennies if we end up in zero stars? I don't want this system anymore. Let's just go back to how it was before," a zero-star trainee complained.
"So make sure to do your best, trainees," Minho said. "All performance videos will be uploaded on YouWatch one week from now, and the video with the most number of views within 24 hours will be aired on the Azure channel."