CHAPTER 261: ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Once again, Rayen sprawled in his bed. Although he had accepted the mission, he couldn’t just barge into Adrian’s room while he was sleeping. Instead of making up with him, he might earn his ire even more.

Just then, the door suddenly opened. When Rayen raised his head to see who entered, he was greeted by Plotter’s smiling face.

"Gather round. I have something to announce to all of you."

Reluctantly, Rayen stood up and followed Plotter out. In fact, he was the only one they were waiting for. The other members were already in the living room, waiting for him.

Having gathered everyone, Plotter stood before them. "You know that your promotions will start tomorrow, right?"

The members all nodded simultaneously.

"Tomorrow, you’re gonna participate in CCC’s Top Song."

CCC’s Top Song is one of the music shows they were supposed to participate in. It’s a live-broadcast show, but the stage performances are usually pre-recorded, so they would have to head to the venue ahead of time.

Thinking about this, Rayen and Liam grimaced. Apparently, it wasn’t only Rayen that had been traumatized when they went out during the second private broadcast.

Well, Liam did indeed go home with literal injuries back then.

But now, it’s already happening again... They had to go out once more. This time, there was no stopping it.

But since it’s for an official schedule, Rayen’s worries of being mobbed by the crowd are almost impossible to happen. At least, that eased Rayen’s mind for a bit. As for Liam, he could only hope he wouldn’t encounter another freak accident.

Plotter continued. "So, for tomorrow’s schedule, we will head to the venue at 9 AM sharp. Be sure to rest well today."

The members nodded. However, Plotter still wasn’t done speaking.

"In addition, you were just selected as the Rookie of the Week."

"Rookie of the week?"

’What does that mean?’

Everyone stared at Plotter with confused eyes.

"You already know that usually, the performances have to be pre-recorded ahead of time."

Once again, they nodded in agreement. This information was included in their supplementary lessons after the show ended.

"But as the Rookie of the Week, you have your own segment. Meaning, you will have to perform live tomorrow."

The members blinked.

’Why only mention this now?!’

...

Early in the morning, when they arrived at the set venue of Top Song, Rayen and his vanmates were taken aback.

From the front entrance, countless fans of different groups patiently lined up to get inside the venue. They were even earlier than the idols themselves.

Seeing this crowd, Rayen squirmed in his seat. His vanmates, Ren, Yeo Haru, as well as their personal managers, all turned to Rayen with odd gazes.

As soon as the fans saw the three vans approaching, they all gawked at the door to see who this newly arrived group was. When Zi Xu slid the door open, camera shutters sounded from all directions, and the flashes almost blinded their eyes.

’Damn. This is happening for real...’

"Why aren’t you stepping out?" Ren asked.

Rayen glanced back, and cold sweat covered his forehead. "Traumatic response."

Ren raised one of his eyebrows in confusion.

Stoned in his seat, Rayen couldn’t move, but suddenly, Ren pushed him out in his stead.

With Rayen not blocking the entrance anymore, Yeo Haru also stepped out of the van. He skillfully spotted every camera and struck a different pose every time.

At the same time, another group arrived. As soon as they unloaded the van, they watched Yeo Haru’s scene in amazement.

Monde, ATOMIC’s main vocalist, stood behind their leader, hiding their smiling face away from the camera. "Who’s that?"

"You don’t know?"

"Was I supposed to know?"

Their leader, Sigrid, sighed. "That’s Yeo Haru. He’s Immortal’s so-called protégé."

Finally, Monde’s eyes beamed in enlightenment. "Oh, that tail rider? He’s kind of interesting."

By the side, Kim Minjae clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

Sigrid lightly nudged him. "Watch out for the cameras."

"Don’t worry. They’re all preoccupied with that camera hogger," Kim Minjae said.

After a few more poses, Drake was finally able to drag Yeo Haru inside the venue. When the group completely went inside, Rayen let out a sigh of relief.

’Well, that was nerve-wracking.’

As they went to find their own waiting room, they also encountered two more groups — Daria and Altair.

Daria was another rookie group like them, but unlike them, they’re a full-fledged girl group.

Upon spotting Daria about to enter their waiting room at the far end of the corridor, Xu Jiji suddenly stopped, fixing his gaze on the member in front of the group.

"Jiji?" Mr. Big News called.

Finally, Xu Jiji snapped out of his daze. "Oh, it’s nothing."

The group continued toward their own waiting room.

As for Altair, when the two groups encountered each other, the other side immediately greeted them with enthusiasm.

"Ah, Seedz?!" Han Daon waved. "Yo! I watched your debut! Your songs are really good!"

As the leader, it was Adrian who stepped up to greet them. "Thank you, seniors."

Adrian smiled sweetly. He proceeded to nudge up his glasses, but since he was wearing contacts, he could only scratch his cheeks embarrassingly. Nevertheless, he still exuded so much charm that Han Daon dazedly stared at him.

’Geez. This guy isn’t even their visual, but he’s so stunning... Then, what about...’ Han Daon thought.

As soon as Han Daon glanced at the nearby Iris, his cheeks flushed. He could even hear his heart beating wildly.

’Isn’t he a guy? Why is he so beautiful?’

Noticing Han Daon’s odd gaze, Iris lowered her eyes and bowed politely. Choi Jiho also pulled Han Daon back into their ranks.

After a few more polite pleasantries, the four-membered Altair went into the room beside Seedz’s waiting room.

"They’re...?" Adrian glanced at their group manager.

Before their debut, they also learned about some active groups in the industry, but the group wasn’t among them earlier.

"Altair. They’re a fourth-gen group," Plotter said. "Even though they’re a second-rate group, don’t let your guard down. Back in their debut year, they’re quite well-known."

"Then why didn’t they become first-rate?" Iris asked.

Plotter glanced back at them, his tone mocking. "Aboveworld sucks at promotions. They’re known to waste talents."

Rayen remembered this small agency from their lessons. Most of their idols and trainees are known to have strong vocal skills, but due to poor promotion management, their groups could only suffer anonymity.

The entire group, as well as the other managers, all blinked simultaneously, but Plotter ignored them and just went into the waiting room.

Before entering himself, Rayen briefly glanced back at the room Altair entered.