bookpub Chapter 651 Two Wise Trainees
Chapter 651 Two Wise Trainees
Chapter 651 Two Wise Trainees
The girls once again burst into squeals as June walked to the front of the stage. He looked ridiculously dashing with his casual clothes and unstyled hair, making them feel like they were closer to the idol.
Mei clicked her tongue. Then, she whispered something to the girl next to her—Ara, a trainee from Harmony who fell from three stars to zero stars after her nerves got the best of her.
"We just saw him earlier," she said.
Ara clicked her tongue and also whispered into her ear, "It's different! The lights are making him look ethereal!"
Mei shook her head since she still didn't understand what the hype around June was. For her, he just looked...average—like someone she would see on a daily basis.
June cleared his throat into the microphone, causing the girls to turn silent. He smiled to himself as he looked at their anticipating eyes.
Then, he stood at the center of the brightly lit stage, ready to announce the second mission of the fifth season.
"Ladies," June began, his soft yet deep voice projecting effortlessly through the hall.
"Your journey has already begun, and yet, there's still a long way to go."
A murmur rippled through the crowd as the girls exchanged nervous glances. They knew what was coming next.
"We're about to enter the live missions," June continued. "And with that comes the eliminations."
He paused for a while to create some suspense. He had called Minho yesterday to ask for some tips, and the successful actor told him to relay the announcements as slowly as possible to keep the tension of the show.
June knew that he was deliberately making it tough for the trainees!
After a few seconds, June finally spoke.
"After this mission...only 60 of you will remain!"
Gasps and whispers erupted amongst the girls, the reality of the competition sinking in.
"That's so unfair! Why are they cutting us off by almost half?"
"As far as I remember, they always went with the rules of 25. 100 to 75 to 50 and so on! Why are they suddenly changing the rules for us?"
"Well, in the end, only five are going to debut from a hundred trainees. They want to narrow down the numbers as soon as possible."
"However, before we get to the scary part," June said, halting their murmurs. "We're going to have some fun."
The trainees, although still nervous, were also excited for the next mission.
"Before I announce the mission, we need to create our teams. For this particular mission, we will have ten teams—all with ten members each."
"One person would have the chance to choose all of her teammates, and I'm sure you already know who's going to start us off for today," June said.
"The center!" the girls immediately exclaimed.
Heemin must have been aware of her popularity already despite her audition not even being aired yet, and she was willing to use it to her advantage.
She deliberately picked out the trainees who were proficient and fairly popular, but not to the point where they could outshine her.
"What a scary one," June muttered.
"Thank you, Heemin," he said. "Please walk over to the side and form the first line."
The ten trainees went down and waited for the other ones to complete their teams.
"The next-ranked trainee," June continued. "Please come up the stage."
Mina, who was even more popular with the trainees for her skills and leadership, had everyone praying for her to pick them. They all wanted to perform with her once since she seemed great at leading a team!
Even Mei couldn't help but think that teaming up with Mina would be the best choice.
"Well, it seems like a lot of people want to be on your team," June remarked.
Mina humbly shook her head.
"Let's not make them wait any longer, so go ahead and choose your teammates."
Mina nodded and didn't hesitate to say the first name.
"Ara," she said.
Ara smiled in happiness as she skipped to the stage.
"Soomi."
"Lizzy."
"Yeri."
By the seventh name, June also realized what kind of strategy Mina was implementing. While Heemin went with the singular spotlight route, then Mina was aiming for a full-blown satellite.
She was only calling out the names of the trainees who were hot topics on Navel!
"Yuna."
Which would only mean one thing.
June froze when he realized what was coming next.
Mina placed the mic over her lips to say the name of her last teammate.
"...and Mei."