Criminal
983 Words
The lights on the set turns on, drawing your attention to the MC, as he stands in the centre with his dark suit and microphone in hand.
"When we first met the 101 trainees, we asked this question. What does being a trainee mean to you...
One trainee answered, it's like rocking waves.
One said it was like riding an elevator with no buttons, you don't know when the doors will open and you will get to walk in the sunlight.
Another said, it's like walking towards a mirage, you think you will reach it but you don't.
The boys also talked about hope amidst the nervousness and uncertainty regarding their debut.
The first button of the shirt that fills the trainees' daily lives. 'A thread of hope'.
A phrase that I hope would disappear from in front of my name.
And, just like there's light at the end of the tunnel.
The 101 boys that are waiting for a bright future at the end of this road...
Now it's time for these boys to fulfil their dreams with the producers
Produce ….
Is starting now!"
As he finishes the monologue, he turns his attention to the crowd in attendance.
"How have you boys been?"
"Have you worked hard!?"
"Because today will be one of the biggest, of your young lives"
The judges who sat around then proceed to give each other appropriate greetings, while having a little banter between each other.
They had already finished their greetings in the waiting room earlier but it was to show a conversation for the opening scenes of the broadcast. They were definitely pros in their job, the years of experience showed how natural and fun they could make this exchange.
The set we had entered was decorated in the style of a round table interview.
Although sealed, to the outside, the glass windows allowed those trainees outside to see and hear the performance while those insides could not see out.
It was recycled from the previous season, although it can be said that there were minor upgrades done to the overall aesthetic.
In colourful cursive writing 'Pick Me' flashed on the desk catching the attention of the trainees.
As the walls around the interview room started reclining to the floor.
Soon the wall disappeared and the entire set was revealed.
Behind the judges, a cacophony of voices roars, causing them to turn their heads.
As the MC, announces this season's twist,
"The first challenge of Produce begins now! The battle for centre stage is on, in the first every Public Evaluation!"
"Woah!" The scale of the project just exploded beyond anything the previous seasons had ever done.
The area that was behind the judges was audience seats arranged like an open-air tether.
The front seats of the audience were filled with participants, as the curtain behind then had disappeared.
Soo-ha had never seen this scene in his past life, lest he had been involved in a production of this scale.
"The 101 contestants have practiced the same song for the last 10 days, will be evaluated not only by judges, but the audience as well. Of course, that includes their fellow trainees too."
"While your ratings will decide the rankings for week 1, we are going in opposite order today!"
"...!"
"101st place, Yijeong, please come forward"
Cheers begin to rain in the studio as they anticipate the first performance of the day.
The young boy, whose name was just called staggers onto the stage. The nervousness and fright evident on his face, as sympathetic gazes and whispers pour out.
"Good luck"
"Ye-s thank you...."
Naturally, the trainee who ranked last, would not set the stage alight. If he had suddenly become great, he would definitely seem like a planted actor by the production.
His performance was as expected, he messed up from the second line and could not recover in time.
It was the smell of doom, from the get-go but at least his disposition earned a few laughs from the judges and the crowd.
That didn't stop a chilly and uneasy atmosphere from forming as the next few contestants were not any better, as the judges couldn't hide the discomfort.
It was a cruel and painful arrangement.
'It's not how you start, rather it's how you finish'
By having the best go on last, the production team will keep increasing expectations, before leaving the audience and viewers end on a high.
Having them be more likely to return.
These few kids while decent in skill, were not anything special. If they couldn't catch the audience's attention they were written to be thrown-away.
Furthermore, it would allow the exacerbate the difference between those in the lower ranks who had shown significant growth. Illustrating just how special they are.
The next contestant was one of the biggest spectacles of the first episode.
The former child, actor Han Jin-sang.
His performance was clearly of another class than those before him.
It wasn't enough to describe it as fluid as certain parts were awkward.
But the blasting of his lungs, matched with his red face clearly showed how he left everything he had on the stage.
"Han Jin-sang... you must have worked hard" or rather he knew what the first challenge would be so deliberately held back in the audition phase.
"Great Job! Dongsaeng" One of the judges is clearly familiar with the boy.
"Hyun... Thank you sir" He quickly corrects himself from speaking informally.
'Han Jin-sang huh? Why did he not debut?'
Soo-Ha could not help but question himself.
He knew that there would be many scandals breaking out over the season, and he couldn't recall if Han Jin-sang was named in one of them.
'It was better to be safe than sorry though'
Soo-Ha thinks as he proceeds to mentally black list Jin-sang
'I should stay away from criminals, no matter how talented they are'
- Writer
