Episode 2 of Best of Idol aired. It picked up where it left off. In other words, it was where Sujin gave up Part 1 of the Signal Song.
If the previous episode had been where the viewers barely knew anybody besides the producers and guests, Episode 2 was where prominent contestants had started to gain followers and fans. Even the lesser-skilled ones with top-notch appearances were starting to gain recognition, and supporters rallied people to vote for them.
The thread for the official forum for BOI's second Episode was bustling with activity as replies and comments flooded.
A netizen posted, "LOLOLOLOL, when one gave up, the others followed. It was so much fun. Sujin gave up so easily, though."
A forum member called Sasha-Is-Pretty replied, "No, that was them being smart and recognizing the best."
Then others began to comment, "COWARDS! There should be a fight! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
"I agree. This world revolves around the sun and orbits around chaos. We need competition and rivalry to progress. Folly is the future of humankind, the driving force behind progress, the spark needed for learning and change, and I am the messiah speaking the ultimate truth," replied a user called Yuan.
Mr. KIND1 said, "Translation, fight for that spot because Part 1 is the best."
Then somebody reacted, "Are you stupid? How do you challenge and win against somebody like Jun? In my opinion, giving up is the wisest thing to do."
The original poster commented, "SHUT UP! COWARDS!"
The various chat groups discussing Best of Idol were also lively. Some trolls spoke nonsense ninety-nine percent of the time. There were also people asking for updates for missing a few minutes of the broadcasts, viewers who kindly answered queries, and people who liked to share analysis in real-time.
In some live broadcasts and watch parties, emoticons rained, alongside comments filled with names and phrases like 'I love you', 'You are the best', and 'Marry me'.
Regardless of the chaos among the viewers, the broadcast went on.
Faithful to the message of the signal song mission, some got more, and some got less. It also translated to the screen time that the contestants received.
Both camps poured a lot of effort and sweat into the mission. The Inhabitants, in particular, were pushed to the brink by Jun. Some viewers thought that Jun was ruthless, but when the mid-check happened, they gasped and wondered if the boy had some prediction ability or studied a lot of survival shows.
[WifeofDrew: Look at my husband, Drew. He is so handsome, talented, skilled, wonderful, awesome, manly, amazing, and cute as always!]
Drew was shown smiling softly before transitioning into an expressionless face as he made the Inhabitants switch from dancing to singing, dancing, and singing at the same time, and then back to singing before dancing. Just looking at it through the monitor was exhausting.
In an interview, Juwon said, "If not for Jun's method of training, we would really be rendered helpless. The first time we went dancing in formation and then singing right away, we felt so out of breath even though we were just standing in a straight line. We found it harder. Logically, singing and dancing at the same time should be harder, but we somehow found singing in line after dancing more difficult. I do not know why."
[Werewolf90: What is he saying?]
[Lupus: Definitely a stamina problem.]
[Juwon-Spouse: He is not making sense. But my baby looks awesome anyway. Look at that silly princely smile! Only he could pull it off while still looking so divinely cute!]
[Juwon'sRealWife: I couldn't agree more!]
[SharkBaby: You women are insane.]
[Juwon-Spouse: He's got the face and talent. Are you jealous?]
[SharkBaby: So what if I am?]
[Juwon'sRealWife: Bad news for you. Jealousy means you're ugly. For people like you, plastic surgery is the only answer, haha.]
Fights ensued in the comment section.
The scenes on the screen changed to check the progress of the Landers, who were doing the mission solo. Those highlighted were trainees like Hyeon-ju, who sang really well but could not easily follow the choreo, or those who nearly got into the Greenhouse but got voted off.
Soon, the moment for the performance of the Inhabitants came. Of course, due to the 'timing,' only 3 seconds of it played at first as commercial ads cut in. The curses from the viewers did not need to be imagined since many verbally expressed them in the forums or left violent memes.
Soon, the ads finished playing. The contestants appeared again, dressed in proper stage attire in a black and blue motif and wearing fancy-looking silver accessories on their necks, ears, and wrists.
The director made sure to appease the annoyed viewers using the proven and tested method of 'zooming in' on the handsome faces of the Inhabitants.
Then, finally, the music began. The lights converged into one spot.
"Fate compelled me to step forward
To stand in front of the door of my long-awaited dream..."
The voice of the center echoed, and a charismatic boy leaning on another boy's back was revealed.
Jun's intro had little movements, yet through gestures and eye expressions that seemed to be saying something, he made sure that nobody could look away from him. That was a center's job, after all. The moment one stood in the middle, he had to be the focal point that would hold everything and everyone together.
Sujin, who took over next, was weaker in terms of expression, but he also impressed people with his beautiful voice.
The parts that followed were also successfully executed. When the bridge where Kato and Min paired up ended, Jun once again came to the center to powerfully dance to the chorus.
Everybody actually danced to the same moves as the chorus. All showed mastery, five flavored the choreo with their own style, but only two among them truly stood out. One was Neo, who had innate talent at dancing, and the other was Jun, who showcased extreme precision, grace, and nuances honed through hundreds of live stages.
"The doors of the future have opened
And I can see the days that were promised to us
You and I, We can fly."
Jun was directly looking at the camera as he sang without losing momentum.
"You're another me, I'm another you
Let's push the door to the other side..." Sujin sang the high notes with ease.
It was a 2-and-a-half-minute performance that seemed to have extended by five more minutes through the magical editing of the production team. Sometimes, it would be the comments of the judges. Sometimes, it would be the reactions of the Barren Landers. Slow-mos, replays of an iconic high note or dance move, name it, and it was done there.
"... Ah. It was so good." When it ended, despite the accident midway, Drew and the others seated at the judge's table clapped generously.
However, when PD Keys replied, his voice was laced with pity. "It would have been a lot better if Daeho and Xavi did not miss their lines."
The judges proceeded to compliment those who deserved compliments. To those who seemed lacking, they also did not shy away from voicing their criticisms.
"So about the score..."
After the performance, the judges exchanged opinions, the Inhabitants went back to the lounge, and the Landers showed mixed reactions. The latter were glad that spots would open up, but they also did not feel that good because they could only ascend since the Inhabitants messed up.
"The Greenhouse is full of monsters," commented Hyeon-ju, who was still a Lander at the time.
"If we do not want to get left behind, we have to work harder than them," said another Lander.
A fairly long wait passed before the emcee's voice rang again. The average flashed on the screen. The scene changed to that of the Inhabitants painfully struggling to vote. They did well, but because of the dead air, the overall score suffered.
Daeho looked pitiful as he cried. Xavi was shown biting his lower lip for a moment.
When the unseen emcee announced Jun as first place and thus gained a special privilege, the editors made sure to move the camera focus from one contestant to another.
Then, the third person to leave the Greenhouse was announced. It was Juwon. Countless whys and question marks filled the comments section of the forums and the watch parties as nobody saw it coming. The majority of the viewers thought that Juwon performed well. The personal score he got, revealed privately, was also high.
Another followed one shock as Jun used his privilege on Juwon... Only to know later that it was a dirty trap.
"As Greenhouse Inhabitant Jun saved Inhabitant Juwon, now, in Juwon's stead, Jun would be the one to go to the Barren Lands..."
It was a privilege in name only, as real privileges were usually not accompanied by a punishment.
The moment this part aired, everyone watching was utterly surprised.
The Episode ended right there. When people came to their senses, it was already too late.
The netizen calling herself No2Harem wailed in the comment section, "NO!!! HOW DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO SEND THE BEST TO THE BARREN LAND??? SOMEBODY EXPLAIN!"
KatolefttheChatroom4me said, "Greenhouse's Ranking As of Episode 2: 1st Jun (he used his privilege but got sent away, lol), 2nd Sujin, 3rd Min, 4th Kato, 5th Juwon (voted off, then saved), 6th Neo, 7th Chul-moo....11th Xavi, 12th Daeho."
JampyeongLvl.900 commented, "This program is weird, so nobody's sanity is safe."
Kookie0 replied, "Ooooh! Plot twist! I like it! They're scared of rigging the votes now, so they choose to play with the rules!"
Juwon's Real Wife randomly posted, "I'm shocked that my baby nearly dropped off the Greenhouse? I swear, the other Inhabitants must be jealous of his impossibly good-looking face."
A netizen called JunFan4Life angrily commented, "Ahhhhhh! Damn, producers! You will see! I will visit every temple and church in Korea to pray for bad luck for you for the rest of your life!"
In order to vent their anger or clear their confusion, people flocked to the BOI forums and official social media platforms. As the reactions of the viewers who tasted the ruthless cliff-hanging of KNET exploded, others got baited into watching the drama. Then, everything snowballed until BOI trended in social media.
The production team and the director did not care if the ratings only increased by 4%. They knew that in the next Episode, they could absolutely expect a much higher rating.
Popular trainees became even more popular. Contestants who lacked a following gained a few. The judges also became topics of various articles and threads.
As for Jun, once again, he became the most trending BOI contestant due to his fans, who raised their pitchforks on the official pages of the survival show.
Throughout the night, they made noise and questioned the show's format and rules. When no proper response came, they gave their all into editing videos that aimed to inform the whole nation about the injustice that their idol had just gone through from KNET's hands. It happened that among those who liked and chose to stan Jun were incredibly gifted video editors.
The PD and Director, who saw this, merely grinned and toasted with each other over the dining table. For them, nothing tasted sweeter than seeing high views on BOI-related content and increasing public awareness of the program that they had put all their hard work into.