"Brother, I'm too nervous."
Beside Rayen, Binh was feeling a bit jittery and haven't been able to calm down since they entered the waiting room.
Rayen sighed and thought of a way to soothe his nerves.
"When I feel nervous, I try to distract myself by watching funny videos," he said.
"Is that so?"
Binh grabbed his phone and opened the browser, which was the only application in their phones beside the Idol:Revive. He entered UCube's URL and waited for it to load, but what greeted him was Rayen's dancing commercial at the top of the site.
Binh didn't even skipped it, only giggling at the sight of Rayen dancing rigidly like a robot. Rayen's helplessness was clearly visible on his face, and that made it even more funny for Binh.
Rayen's lips twitched. Of all the videos to watch, why that?
It seemed that Rayen was right. Watching funny videos could really calm someone down.
Binh continued to scroll down until his fingers stopped on a particular video. Also watching from the side, Rayen found the comical video that was currently playing somewhat familiar, but couldn't help but think that something was off about it.
After thanking his audience for sending gifts, the man on the video began dancing seductively while singing a catchy tune as he bit his lips after every line.
"Mr. Yummy."
Bite lips, sway hips.
"Mr. Ooohhh."
Rayen noticed that Binh had stopped laughing and there was a bright flush on his face.
Rayen stared at him for a moment, then realized what was amiss.
"You..." Rayen pointed at him. "Mr. Yum—"
Quickly, Binh threw his phone out of his hands to block Rayen's mouth.
'???'
Blinking in confusion, Rayen stared at the panic-stricken Binh.
"Brother, shhh!!!" Binh exclaimed.
The other members' attention was caught by the two's commotion.
Meanwhile, Binh's phone, which had fallen to the ground, replayed the video. Everyone's eyes turned towards it.
"Thank you for the gifts, my friends!" The man on the screen started dancing again.
"Mr. Yummy, Mr. Ooohhh."
The entire video was familiar to Rayen, because, like his own cactus video — which was currently going viral on SNS — this one had also trended the Internet just a few months ago. The face of the man on the video wasn't the original, though. It was supposed to be Binh.
Binh quickly let go of Rayen and scrambled to grab his phone and cover it.
"No, don't look!"
"No one's looking," Rayen said with a deadpan expression.
The others averted their gazes, giving a little bit of face to Binh.
In fact, only Rayen was late to realize who Binh was. Since the first time they'd met, the others had already recalled the meme video. Binh's voice was too distinct, making it easy to recognize.
'Heh, you made fun of me, but you also had a dark history yourself.'
Everyone went back to their own things to calm themselves until the speaker in the waiting room grabbed their attention.
Plotter's familiar distorted voice came through. "Team Resurrect Me, come to the dance studio now."
Except for Rayen and Liam, the other members sighed nervously. Minho sneezed then fixed his hair in front of the mirror.
Yeo Haru urged the group to gather in a circle.
"We've practiced hard for the past three days. Let's show the sponsors that we're worth it!" Yeo Haru said.
"Let's go!" Everyone cheered.
Today, all of the teams would be undergoing an interim evaluation for their first performance, and theirs was the last group to go.
As the team entered the room, their gazes swept across the crowd.
They stiffened.
Being in the presence of so many high-profile figures made the members tense. Only Liam and Rayen seemed at ease, continuing to observe the sponsors.
With their past experience on stage and under the collective gazes of an audience, the two had a natural smile on their faces—just like how they were trained to do when performing.
Yeo Haru quickly recovered after noticing the cameras surrounding them. He needed to look good! Peeking at the two experienced members, Yeo Haru imitated their composure.
Breathe in, breathe out.
At the same time, upon sensing Rayen's gaze landing on him, Plotter stuck out his tongue.
"Are you ready, Team Resurrect Me?"
Rayen turned his gaze away from Plotter as everyone nodded. Yeo Haru initiated the greetings.
"Hello, we're Team Resurrect Me. Please take care of us!"
After receiving their practiced greetings, Plotter snapped his fingers. The stage, which had been a small makeshift podium, suddenly extended. The whole room also expanded to accommodate the full stage setup.
"This will be the size of the stage. Think of it as you performing for real."
Each of the members took their position for the initial formation.
Since there wouldn't be any eliminations in this round, Rayen didn't think much of being watched, so he wasn't as tense as the others. His and Liam's countenance raised interests among the sponsors — it seemed that these two were quite natural performers.
The song began.
In the initial formation, Rayen, being the first one to sing, was at the center.
"Why do I feel like I'm alive when I'm with you?"
The members took the center spot whenever it was their part to sing.
"Take me!!!"
Shouting the highlight part in fervor, the chorus entered the bridge, where Liam rapped alongside Rayen.
A frown was slowly forming on Rayen's forehead as he sang his line.
'Something's not right.'
Yeo Haru lead the dance break, and they all executed it in sync, without any mistake. Rayen dismissed his thoughts for now.
Satisfied with how it was turning out according to their practice, everyone danced and sang enthusiastically with a smile on their faces.
By the time Binh sang the last line, no one made any mistake, yet Rayen felt like it wasn't right.
The members lined up after the music stopped, beads of sweat running down their foreheads. Their lips were flushed, and they were gasping for air.
Yuzuka clapped, initiating scattered applause from the crowd of special guests. However, despite the applause, it wasn't lively at all.
Now, Rayen was certain there really was something wrong, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Finally, Drake requested a microphone from the staff. The members all watched him intently, ready for the verdict from this famous songwriter.
Drake sighed.
The team gulped.
"I could see you practiced hard. I commend you for that," Drake said.
Hearing the praise from his own sponsor, Yeo Haru smiled and thanked him.
Drake still wasn't done speaking, though.
"But practice alone doesn't mean you'll do well."