"Practice alone doesn't mean you'll do well."
What did he mean? Was it meant to belittle their efforts? Despite practicing hard, was he implying they wouldn't improve at all?
But what was wrong? They hadn't made any single mistake, and their synchronization was flawless. Even Rayen, who was a bit worse at dancing had improved so much.
"I'm not talking about your skills. I know that everybody here is aware of your skill levels and how much you've improved. I also commend you for that."
"But throughout the song, you were smiling."
"What do you think your song was about?"
"The rearrangement emphasized the highlight part, making it a bright, headbanger song. But did you look at the lyrics?"
"What do you think the composer intended to even say with this song?"
"Did you perform with all your heart?"
Finally, the team members all realized their mistake.
Drake handed the microphone to the next sponsor who wanted to convey something as well. This person was also Yeo Haru's sponsor — the leader of the idol group Immortals.
"Who made the choreography?"
Yeo Haru's smile stiffened, but he still raised his hand meekly.
"Well, you lack imagination," the sponsor stated bluntly.
Yeo Haru's expression hardened even further. He could no longer put on a confident front for the cameras.
"You focused on making a hard and visually impressive choreography, but for the formations, you just had whoever was singing the current line to step forward."
"Look around you. How big is your stage? Yet your group barely even moved beyond a single area."
"There were many more things I could say, but those are the most pressing issues you should think about: the song's message and your choreography."
Even Rayen tensed up at the mention of "choreography." Would the system take back its word and reissue another skill ranking mission if they had to rework the choreography again?
'No, ah!!!'
Sure, memorizing an entire choreography in three days might be somewhat exciting, but it was still a hellish task! Now way he would ever do that again!
Plotter also raised his hand from the staff members' area, grabbing everyone's attention. His expression was as innocent as a kid wanting to ask a question to his teacher.
But before anyone could give him permission to speak, he started anyway.
"Aren't you forgetting about something?"
The members looked at him in confusion. What did they forget?
"The first round is about a concept battle, but I didn't even see any concept in your performance. It doesn't seem to be people rising from the dead just like what you claimed back when you chose this song. It's just a rock song you transformed into an upbeat song."
Right. They hadn't even discussed their concept at all... After assigning each member's parts and rearranging the song, they had jumped straight into practicing the choreography.
More sponsors began pointing out their flaws, and the team members looked down in disappointment. All along, they thought that singing well and dancing in sync would be enough. After all, that's what they had seen idols do.
But turned out, it wasn't.
They also had to take note of the stage setup, the audience's perspective, their facial expressions — everything. It's not just about standing out by themselves.
Some sponsors noticed that other members were trying too hard and weren't blending well with the team.
That sponsor pointed out Rayen when making singing adlibs and Yeo Haru — particularly on the dance break.
Rayen was somewhat feeling disappointed, so did Yeo Haru.
"Yeo Haru's dancing was outstanding that his style overwhelmed the stage, leaving the others looking like some background dancers," the sponsor said. "Tone down your flamboyancy a bit."
Yeo Haru's resistance to the matter was so clear to his face when he bit on his lips, but he nodded in acceptance.
Neglecting team harmony to focus on oneself would make the performance crumble. Even as individuals competing on a show, they have to remember that currently, they're a team and needed to unite.
Rayen understood this — so did Liam. Having been part of a band before, they knew how crucial it was to keep teammates in harmony. If not, one mistake from another could throw the whole performance off-key.
But because they had focused so much on practicing the choreography, they had forgotten this.
The last sponsor to speak passed the mic to Grandma Sponsor, who had an unreadable expression.
She suddenly looked at Rayen and smiled warmly.
"You all did well. Even though you received harsh critiques during this evaluation, I hope you'll take them to heart."
Grand Sponsor's words eased the tension in the room.
"We're your sponsors. You can also ask us for help," she added.
Yuzuka also chimed in enthusiastically, "Yes! That's why this interim evaluation was held — to help you guys prepare for your first performance! Good job!"
When Yuzuka gave them a thumbs up, Miles followed suit. The team's grave expressions slowly softened, replaced by small smiles.
Amid the encouragement, the leader of Immortals took the mic again. He stood up and looked directly at Yeo Haru.
Yeo Haru met his gaze, visibly tense.
"I actually like the choreography you made," the sponsor said with a smile. "I hope my words didn't come across as too harsh."
Hearing that, Yeo Haru let out a sigh of relief, but he still seemed too disappointed.
"Thank you," he said. "I'll do my best to improve it with your tips in mind."
With that, the interim evaluation came to an end.
Sponsors began to approach their respective Seeds. Yeo Haru, unsurprisingly, was surrounded by the most people — ten people, to be exact.
On the another area, Rayen spotted someone speaking to Renjiro, looking almost identical to him, except for the thick-rimmed glasses.
When Rayen's sponsors approached, Sophie was the first to greet him.
"Rayen-chiiii!"
'When did I become Rayen-chi?'
Rayen shifted his gaze to his sponsors, who were smiling brightly at him. Blinking, Rayen wondered what they were thinking with their weird gazes.
"You improved so much in dancing!" Yuzuka sincerely praised.
"Oh, uh... Thanks," Rayen replied awkwardly.
It was true. Back when his dancing stat was still stuck at the D level, he could barely keep up with his teammates. But now, after advancing his skill, he could move in perfect sync with them.
Was it because he had reached the same level as them, and now, they were on equal grounds? Or did advancing his skill unlock new attributes, such as dance synchronicity?
He made a mental note to ask Mini Plotter later.
Still, it wasn't just him who improved so much during these days.
Rayen glanced at Liam talking with a large woman in the corner of the studio.
How had Liam even advanced his singing stats from C- to B so quickly?
Then again, who was Rayen to speak? Liam probably advanced rapidly in a span of a week by using boosters and enhancers here and there, just like him.
But what puzzled Rayen even more was that Liam didn't seem that different when singing from Binh, Renjiro or Minho, who all had their vocal stats at C level. Only when rapping did Liam truly stand out.
Anyway, now that his ranking-up mission and the interim evaluation was out of the way, Rayen decided to confirm the situation with his friend.
That's was his plan, at least.