The program team seemed to have belatedly awakened their compassionate heart and conscience.
No new mission was announced on the next day. The participants from both camps could not believe their ears because the staff told them through the monitors something unbelievable - that they could do whatever they wanted today.
What do they want, though? Easy. A long quality sleep.
After the announcement, everyone ate breakfast and played around a bit; then, not even an hour later, when Jun raised a hand and said he would go back to his room to sleep, some others expressed the intention to do the same. Only three contestants stayed in the practice room to hone their skills. Yet these three also succumbed to sleep, forgetting to turn off the music player and the huge TV.
The boys woke up late in the afternoon, annoyed at their stomachs. They wanted to sleep more and cared not if their bodies ached from bed sore. Yet they could not ignore their stomachs that kept protesting.
With eyes half-closed, Juwon ate his sandwich. He complained, "Ahh, why is our stomach such a pain sometimes? And why do I feel so tired even though I slept like a log for seven hours today?"
Jun stifled a yawn before he explained, "I will pretend to be a science guy just this once. I think it's because we have been forced to adapt to a hectic schedule for weeks where our bodies and brain have little rest to stay alert and ready to perform. Now that we can take a real, long break, our body wants to catch up to the lost sleep and rest. This is why we feel tired even after waking up."
"Uhhh," grumbled the other boy.
Jun placed a cup of pure black coffee in front of the guy. "If you want to go back to your alert and energetic self, here, tested and proven effective. Your sleepiness will go away."
Juwon unhappily replied, "Do you want to kill me?"
"What do you mean? It is not poison."
Juwon pushed the cup away, his lips contorting in disgust. "You must have poured 3 spoonfuls of pure black coffee powder. So, is it really not?"
"Ah… I didn't notice. I think I put in more than 3 spoonfuls." Jun took a bite of his clubhouse before he admitted. "And no sugar. But if you try it and if it is not effective, I will be more than willing to eat ten red chilies."
Juwon did not hate coffee, but he could drink it without creamer and sugar. He could not stand purely bitter stuff. Actually, he could not imagine anybody withstanding the bitterness of the coffee that Jun made.
He looked at his friend incredulously and retorted, "Of course, you're confident it is effective. I may not even be able to sleep for days!"
"If you don't want to drink it, fine. But even exhaling the scent will keep you awake, bro. How about you keep it near you starting now?" Jun looked sincere when he suggested.
Juwon could not stand him anymore and kicked his leg under the table. "Just shut up."
A painful look showed on Jun's face. "Aw."
When he glared at his former group's visual member, the other rolled his eyes and continued eating.
Four hours passed. Before seven pm, all Inhabitants had woken up and finished their dinner. They could not go back to sleep again, so they scattered to do whatever they wanted to do in their free time. However, the production team suddenly made an announcement. The loudspeakers prompted the contestants to gather in the main hall.
"Greenhouse Inhabitants, please proceed to the sitting area and wait for further instructions. Thank you," said the unseen emcee through the speakers.
"Eh? Why?"
"What's going on? Are we not supposed to be free today?"
Clueless and apprehensive, the Inhabitants sat down in front of the 200-inches screen. Lighting was dim, yet the blueish night sky hue gave the garden-like place a magical touch, like a scene from a decently budgeted fantasy movie. Although the production team lacked compassion as they threw nonstop missions in the past few weeks, at least they did not skimp on the budget for the setting of the show.
Jun admired the beautiful night garden scenery. In the entire Greenhouse, this place was indisputably the most stunning due to the fine decorations, high-tech equipment installed, and luxurious couches and pieces of furniture. But like the others, he was confused. Did the program team lie to them?
"I hope the Program Director is not going to announce a sudden special mission." He murmured, his mic on.
Sujin pondered for a moment before he said his guess. "I don't think Mr. Program Director is going back on his word. Maybe this is not about the next mission? I heard episode 3 is airing tonight."
People around them exclaimed. "Ooh, if so, then we will finally see ourselves on TV!"
"Really?"
Idols dreamed of recognition and stardom, so all the participants instantly became excited. "We'll see ourselves on broadcast? That's awesome!"
Even though he had already experienced debuting, Jun also became excited. With a broad grin, his eyes expertly looked for a camera, and he cheerfully waved. "Hi, Mom! Dad! Classmates, and everyone who knows me! I will finally be on TV!"
Juwon wrapped his arms around Jun's shoulder. His smile was like the warm sun shining in a frost-covered land. "Hi!"
Only after the Inhabitants did all sorts of greetings and appeals to cameras in the room did the popular actor slash emcee appear. Okay, that was a lie. No emcee entered the room to tell them what to do next. Instead, the gigantic screen turned pitch black, and drumroll sounds came from it.
"It's starting! It's starting!"
The sight of 12 young, handsome men racing to their seats was quite chaotic. Two trainees nearly tripped just to snatch spots they thought would give the best viewing experience.
Claps echoed at the same time that 'Best of Idol Episode 3' flashed.
"You guessed correctly!" Looking amazed, Hyeon-ju turned to Sujin.
After the logo and promotional picture flashed, a recap of the highlights of the previous episode played. Instantly, the cheers and applause became louder, making the place extremely noisy and lively.
"Ooh! That's you just now, Kato!"
"Min! Min! Look at you falling asleep on the chair!"
All the Inhabitants wore bright faces as they giggled, clapped, patted each other, or pointed at the screen.
Sadly, the recap part was brief. The heartwarming and comedic highlights were far fewer in comparison to the tense and emotional scenes. Since the production team liked dramas, they purposely dragged the part where two Inhabitants panicked and messed up after they dropped their microphones.
By the time the flashbacks focused on Jun's demotion, the Greenhouse Inhabitants had collectively fallen silent. Gone was the pure excitement from their faces, and Juwon's expression, in particular, was unreadable.
The handsome MC finally revealed himself, taking an entire ten seconds just to pose and walk to the center of the stage. Jun was sure that the man's millions of fans would appreciate their fave's screen time.
The trainees concentrated on the screen, wanting to know their screen time and the kind of edits they would receive from the production team.
The benefits of being on a program with fewer contestants showed. Everyone saw themselves on the screen, unlike in other shows where a contestant might not show up in an entire episode.
However, some people had to hide bitter smiles when they saw how little screen time they received compared to popular contestants like Sujin.
'... Episode 3 seems to be a depressing one,' Jun realized after watching the first 30 minutes of the episode, which focused on the Greenhouse.
It started with his departure for the Barren Land, followed by a stressful atmosphere that became more stressful when the second mission was announced.