Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 39: Von Can’t Dance!

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Hi Ren by Ren>

...

Following Marco’s dramatic exit, the twenty-four contestants were left to their own devices. The structured hell of the Grand Studio was replaced by the freedom in smaller practice rooms.

Most teams used the first few days to recover from the intense session. Some others dove straight back into the fire, determined to perfect every micro-movement.

But for all of them, the seven days felt like seven minutes. They were required to select songs, learn the choreography from video demos, and polish it to broadcast standards without a professional instructor to correct them.

For Von’s group, they had chosen "That’s What You Like" by the global superstar Benny Moon.

It was Max who had slammed his hand on the table during the selection meeting. "This is it! It fits us perfectly! It’s swagger, it’s fun, and the lyrics is literally us, man!"

Von had to agree. The song was a monster hit, with its music video boasting over 1.5 billion streams on InkTube alone. It was catchy, recognizable, and oozed charisma.

"But... there’s only one thing," Max had said with deflated excitement.

"What is it?" Julian asked.

Max looked at Von with a pained expression. "The choreography is... slick. It requires serious groove. And no offense, but Von can’t move shit. I don’t think Alex will be much better either."

The group watched the music video, which was based of the dance. The choreography was fast, filled with intricate footwork, glides, and isolations that required a level of cool that couldn’t be faked.

Max and Julian exchanged worried glances. But Von didn’t even blink.

"Don’t bother about me. Just do your part," Von said with a cool smirk, leaning back in his chair. "I’ll surprise you on the day. And if there are any difficult moves you lots can’t pull off, I got you covered."

Max and Julian stared at him. No one believed a word of it. But Von’s confidence was a wall they couldn’t break down, so they went along with the song, praying for a miracle.

As the practice days went by, those prayers went unanswered.

Von was... consistent. Consistently bad.

During every run-through, he was a beat late and his body just couldn’t bend well. Max stopped correcting him after Day 3, choosing instead to focus on saving his own performance. Alex just danced in his usual nonchalant trance.

By the night before the performance, the tension in Room 4 had already built up.

They had just finished a disastrous final rehearsal where Von had tripped during the bridge.

"Just don’t worry," Von said, affecting a rich British accent as he walked out of the practice room, turning his back on his fuming roommates.

"Don’t worry?"

Julian surprisingly snapped.

"It’s like you’re not interested in us qualifying, huh?" Julian’s voice rose, echoing down the empty corridor. "What’s with this attitude? Tomorrow is the performance! You prevented us from changing the song to a simpler one, and you’ve promised performances you are clearly not capable of doing!"

Max and Alex took a step back. Seeing the usually composed Prince lose his cool was terrifying.

"Julian, man, calm down," Max stepped in, acting as the unexpected peacemaker. "Von is an ass, but he... look, I have a gut feeling."

Max pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at Von with a suspicious stare. "He’s holding back but I just can’t prove it."

Von didn’t offer an explanation. He simply shrugged.

"Well... we’ll find out tomorrow if I’m good or not."

He winked, opened the door to their dorm, and disappeared inside, leaving them bewildered in the hallway. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

***

(24th March, 2019 — 8:50 AM)

"Damn."

Von sat up in bed, blinking against the sunlight coming in through the window. The room was empty.

"I woke up late again," Von muttered, rubbing his face. "I’ll just have to ask what happened at the briefing later. Fuck those guys for not waking me."

He stretched, hearing his spine crack. Despite the lateness, he felt a surge of adrenaline that had nothing to do with sleep.

He summoned the System interface.

● Acquire 1000 Loyal Fans (1000/1000)

[Milestone Rewards: +500 EXP, 5x Star Shop Vouchers]

○ Acquire 5000 Loyal Fans (2195/5000)

[Reward: +1000 EXP]

Von grinned like a shark. The Hollywood Week episodes had aired, and his fame was rising slowly, but steadily.

He had met the requirements long before. But today was the day to spend them.

"Open Shop."

Von used a voucher and the holographic case unfurled above his bed. His saved skill was waiting for him.

There were no other useful items to distract him this time. He ignored the cosmetic fluff and pressed purchase.

[Skill: Basic Rhythmic Movement (D)]

[-300 EXP]

A small, glowing pink grape manifested in his palm.

[WARNING: You have 10 seconds to consume the Skill Fruit. Item cannot be stored.]

Von popped it into his mouth without hesitation.

It tasted sweet, like cotton candy, but the moment he bit down, a jolt of electricity surged through his nervous system. It was the same shock he had felt with the Instrument Mastery, but this time, it centered in his spine and legs.

The zap faded in a second, leaving him feeling... lighter.

Von jumped out of bed. He landed silently, his knees bending instinctively to absorb the impact. He rolled his ankles. He waved his arms. His joints felt oiled. The stiffness that had plagued him for weeks was gone.

[Skill Acquired: Basic Rhythmic Movement (D)]

[Current EXP: 700]

"Perfect," Von whispered.

He had made the right decision saving the 100 Fan quest reward. With his only expense being the Vouchers and the base skill, he had exactly enough for the massive upgrade he needed.

He selected an upgrade.

[Upgrade Initiated]

[Basic Rhythmic Movement (D) has been upgraded to Advanced Choreography Mastery (B)!]

[-600 EXP]

This time, there was no zap.

Instead, a warm sensation enveloped his entire body. It felt like stepping into a hot bath after a long winter run. His muscles relaxed, then tightened with a new kind of responsive tension.

He looked down at his feet. He wiggled his toes. He felt an innate understanding of balance, weight distribution, and timing.

Von tried a backflip, and did it effortlessly. Like he could always. He even tried some moves from the Choreography they’ll be performing and it was flawless.

He moved across the floor like he was on ice. He felt hungry to dance now!

Von checked his remaining EXP. He had 100 left.

He poured it all into his [Vocals] skill, just as he had been doing with his Daily Quest rewards.

[Vocals: C- (145/300)]

’What a shame it hasn’t improved yet,’ Von sighed. There were only four people in the Mansion with vocals as low as his C-, which weren’t great for his odds of winning the whole thing.

But Von remained confident. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and popped his collar.

’My dance skills will carry us to the next round for today. Then I’ll focus on the voice afterwards. Easy.’

He grabbed his towel and headed for the door, bursting with energy to complete his Daily Quest before the Show preparations began.