From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 333: Performance Day (3)

Woooooooooooooooo!!!!

As the audience cheered for the team, with several popular members and the show’s most popular producing contestant, Esther Choi, dutifully checked the security guards’ positions before clicking the record button on her smart glasses and secretly bringing out her expensive camera to capture the stage.

She was a retired boy-group and survival-show stan who had given up her passion because of repeated scandals involving the groups she followed, and had vowed to focus only on her university studies.

After being forcibly recruited by her younger cousin, Grace Choi, to watch Pop Star Academy and vote, Esther Choi had become a true fan of both the contestants and the show.

The boys were good-looking; their visuals were amazing. Though many scandals had happened, the talent was there, and the boys’ future looked bright.

Seeing that she was hooked, Grace then bribed (with a suitcase of specially requested goods from America that was supposedly being delivered soon) to attend the Pop Star Academy concerts in Korea and get solo fancams of certain contestants so that her cousin could have first dibs on the videos before the Pop Star Academy team officially released the episode.

Her own bias was Daniel Kim, one of the few Korean contestants who were still around.

He had an extremely adorable appearance, which contrasted with his super-deep rapping voice, exceptional dancing skills, and cheerful personality, creating the perfect gap that was just her taste.

Every time she looked at his cute dimples, she wanted to pinch his cheeks, hug him, and take care of him.

Esther also liked Choi In-su and Vishal because they were both quiet, wore glasses, and had a scholarly air and a big-brother vibe, which was her favorite personality type in idols.

Since they were older, she could imagine them being the big brothers or boyfriends that she wished she had.

Unfortunately for Esther, Grace, her cousin, was utterly indifferent to Esther’s biases.

To receive the goods as promised, Grace was forcing her to collect fancams of Jamie, especially Ariel.

Esther was fine with Jamie because, despite his size, he had a bright, puppy-like personality, just like Daniel, and was very humble despite his numerous achievements, which was how she liked her men, but Ariel was a bit... too much in her opinion.

While his looks were very much in line with her tastes: beautiful eyes that had a unique color, a 3-D face that straddled the line between delicate beauty and extreme handsomeness, a tall, slim figure with long legs, and a very nice smile, long lashes, etc, but his personality....to put it nicely, it was entirely over the top.

Even though the production team had been quite harsh on him, Ari’s handling of most situations was too aggressive for her; she preferred the way traditional K-pop idols handled themselves under challenging conditions to the Western way of being outspoken.

And as someone who binged the show to catch up, Esther noticed that Ariel was always in some controversy, which boded badly for the group if he made it in.

And after she recently found out that he was a nepo baby after cosplaying being poor and hardworking, his personality, which was loud, brash, difficult to get along with, boastful, and cocky, rubbed her the wrong way because it meant he was just another standoffish spoiled rich kid like William and Levi.

While his skills had grown, from what she had seen, Ariel didn’t have the skills to back up his bold talk, especially when compared to other contestants who had been training for much longer.

He had just been lucky enough to receive good teammates, good songs, and good parts.

Plus, there were plenty of other skilled contestants who were far more humble, and hearing him boast arrogantly was jarring, especially in Korean society with strong Confucian values.

And although Ariel had done well in the last evaluation, Esther agreed with the online opinion that everyone was overcompensating because they felt bad for him.

She couldn’t understand the supposed charm that made people die-hard fans of him, even as the pity party began to die down.

He just wasn’t her taste, and she secretly hoped he wouldn’t make the debut team.

Her dismissive attitude toward Ariel sparked a massive fight between her and Grace, and it had come to a boil during the last episode after Ari said he was confident he would be in first place on a round that gave contestants complete freedom to plan their performances and create their own song.

Grace absolutely believed that Ari could do it because he had said he would, while Esther thought he was being boastful once again and would be squashed.

The team composition was pretty close, but in songwriting, Jamie was better, with more experience, and with Justin on his team, she had no doubt that Jamie’s team and song would be better than all the others.

Esther planned to watch with a highly critical eye, and regardless of how the performance turned out, she wouldn’t vote for Ari’s team for first place.

Daniel would forgive her just this once and would be fine without her votes, but Choi In-su’s position had been steadily falling, and even if she didn’t like William, she needed to ensure another Korean made it within the debut ranks.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Esther made eye contact with a girl in a French flag dress, who also surreptitiously pulled out a camera to record.

Rolling her eyes as she spotted yet another Ari fan, Esther turned back to the stage.

Since Jamie’s team was first, she needed to focus.

As the stage lights dimmed, casting only the shadows of the contestants as they moved around, Esther angled her camera and began to focus on the stage.

All she could see was flashes of white fabric as the contestants moved around, and then nothing.

The stage was completely still, and the area was silent except for the audience’s breathing.

Several seconds passed.

Then,

Suddenly-

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

A heavy bass beat began pulsing before a spotlight came on.

On the stage, in the center of the spotlight, was a young man dressed in a white toga with intricate gold designs and a brown leather skirt.

His skin shimmered with golden flecks, and a golden laurel wreath held back his fluffy brown hair, as he sat on a golden, throne-like chair.

In one hand, he held a long gold spear that pounded the ground in time to the pulsing beat, and in the other, a golden microphone that dangled carelessly.

It was Justin.

He looked like a Roman emperor assessing his subjects, and as Justin looked from side to side, his chocolate-brown eyes narrowed in a stern gaze, and Esther was a bit intimidated by his slightly fierce expression.

The blank screen behind the stage suddenly lit up, revealing marble columns threaded with gold and maroon drapery, giving the impression of a Roman throne room.

As the beat continued, synth-like keyboards began playing an upbeat, catchy pop melody that had Esther nodding along.

Dun dun dun dun dun

With an arrogant expression, as his other hand continued to slam the spear on the ground, Justin brought the microphone to his lips and began singing in a slightly low and ominous voice.

You’d better bite your tongue and hold your breath

Don’t rock the boat, don’t make a mess

Just stand there quietly, respond politely

With a lazy motion, Justin crossed his leg while pointing his spear at the audience, singing in a soft yet commanding manner.

Don’t forget you never had a choice

Obey my words, or I’ll use you to prove a point

Your wants mean nothing,

While mine are everything

The singular spotlight illuminating the dark stage suddenly expanded, revealing four other boys in togas.

With two on each side of the stage, they moved toward the center in unison, each movement sharp and crisp, like soldiers.

In the lead, Jin, a Japanese boy with permed red hair tied in a ponytail, began singing in his accented, slightly high-pitched voice.

You push me down,

But I’ll get up,

I’ll turn all monsters to dust

With a light jump, Jin arrived in front of Justin, smoothly dodging Justin’s spear swing by leaning and then swapping places with Mathew.

I’ll swing my sword,

I won’t be bound,

Like thunder,

I’ll shake the ground

As Mathew sang, his graceful yet powerful dance moves caught the attention of the audience, even as Jin’s singing drowned out his voice.

You push me down,

But I’ll get up

The four boys fell to the ground in unison as the sword swept over their heads before rising with one smooth motion.

Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough

I see it all, I see it now

With large, sweeping movements, smooth footwork, and a quick rotation, Jamie took the center, looking like a young hero, his blonde curls held back by a thin leather band, swaying with his movement.

His muscular arm outstretched toward the audience, he opened his mouth and began singing the song’s chorus.

I’ve got the eye of the tiger,

I’m a fighter

I’ll dance through the fire

Because I am a champion

And you’re gonna hear me roar

With his characteristic bright smile, Jamie’s strong voice filled the entire venue, drowning out the background music even as he danced.

Louder, louder than a lion

Because I am the champion

And you’re gonna hear me roar~

Mathew took the center once more, singing together with Jin as they performed pair choreography that hid Justin.

Ohhh~ oh oh oh ohhh~

Ohhh~ oh oh oh ohhh~

You’re gonna hear me roar!

Dun dun dun dun dun~

As the beat resumed, the four boys separated, revealing Justin standing on a fog-covered chair, looking furious as he waved his spear while singing.

I’m going to squash you like a butterfly

Do as I say and earn your stripes

You’re just a zero,

Never a hero

I’ll hold you down,

You won’t get up,

My trials will grind you to dust,

You’ll fail right now,

You’ll make no sound

You’ll be buried deep in the ground

Oh, whoa, oh oh oh~

As Justin finished his lines, Benjamin took the center, covering up Justin once again.

As the British boy brought the microphone to his lips, screams erupted from the audience as he revealed a golden 6-pack, fully exposed to the world after being hidden for a long time.

Given them a cheeky wink, he began rapping in his usual crisp tone as he crept forward.

I am still alive

I am filled with pride

I will be the hero,

slaying monsters to get what’s mine

I will not give in,

Tonight’s my night, and I’m going to shine

12 labours to complete,

I’ll get it, it’s time to grind

I will slay the hydra,

Catch them all,

Golden apples,

Clean the stall,

Fight the lion,

Win the war,

at the end you’ll hear me-

Roar!

Jamie took the center from Benjamin and began belting out the lyrics as a column of flame flared up.

Fwoosh!

Roar!

With Justin echoing him, Jamie raised the pitch, his voice getting more intense as an additional two columns of flames flared up.

Fwoooooosh!!

ROOOOAAARRRR~!

With his head thrown back, Jamie sang the high note with all of his strength while flames flared up even higher, illuminating the entire stage and the entire team behind him.

2 seconds

4 seconds

6 seconds.

Jamie held the note without his voice wavering as the flames roared and then died out along with his voice, sinking the stage into darkness.

There was a pause before the flames and light flared up again, and Jamie glanced at the camera, laughing happily before bringing the golden microphone back to his lips again.

I’ve got the eye of the tiger~

I’m a fighter

I’ll dance right through the fire

I am the champion

And you’re going to hear me roar~

As the rest of his teammates sang along with the chorus, Benjamin began clapping, gesturing for the audience to join in.

Clap!

Clap!

Clap!

The clapping in unison sounded thunderous, and with a touched smile on his face,

Louder, louder than a lion

I am a champion

And you’re going to hear me roar!

Ohhh~ oh oh oh ohhh~

Ohhh~ oh oh oh ohhh~

You’re gonna hear me roar!

As Jamie sang the final words, all the boys gathered at the center of the stage, bowing together in unison, and the audience began to cheer.

- Woooooooooo!

- That was so good!

- I can’t believe he made the song!

- Justin!!!!

- Good job, Benjamin!

- Jinnnnn ahhhhhhh!!!

As the people around her clapped and screamed with excitement, Esther quickly tapped her glasses and tucked her camera away, then clapped along with everyone else as she gazed at the boys’ emotional faces as they continued bowing to the audience.

Wow!

This was the thrill that she missed.

The thrill of supporting people who hadn’t debuted yet.

The hunger and urgency were visible in their faces, and even those who were the front-runners weren’t taking it easy.

Even though she wished to see more intense choreography, she understood why they couldn’t because of Justin’s leg, and overall, the performance was good; the song would go straight to her playlist once it was released, and she marveled once more at Jamie’s talent as a composer.

He was seriously so talented.

They all were.

She couldn’t imagine that the contestants themselves had conceptualized this.

What were their parents feeding them as they grew up?

Amazing!

With how good this first performance was, Esther really couldn’t see any other team topping it.

But with the eyes of someone who clearly expected more, she watched the stage full of anticipation to see what the next team would do.