CHAPTER 60: A TROUBLESOME COMBINATION

The five most perfect team combinations, hand-picked by the National Producers themselves, had taken shape on the big screen!

Joshua’s expression went from anticipation to numb disbelief, leaving him utterly speechless. Everything turned out exactly as he’d predicted—only far worse.

Right next to Joshua’s name stood two others: Leonard and Luther. To make matters worse, Henry and Justin were there too—their entire dorm was practically lumped into the same team!

[The two L’s are such a pain!]

Nine seemed to have foreseen this outcome, yet still couldn’t help but yell out.

Joshua stayed silent. Luther wasn’t all that bad, but he had no idea how to deal with Leonard—who was perpetually... incomprehensible.

At that moment, a sudden weight pressed down on him. Luther almost jumped on his back, bursting with excitement.

"Ha ha ha, Joshua, did you see that? We’re actually on the same team!"

Henry turned to Joshua and gave him a nod.

Then Justin came bouncing over to join the celebration, grabbing Joshua’s hand and shaking it wildly.

"Hey Joshua, what a coincidence! Guess we’re fated to be together!"

Will appeared next. Today, he had removed his earrings, and his hair had been dyed a simple brown. His expression was still as serious as ever, and he pointed his thumb behind him.

"Let me introduce you—my new junior, Harry."

The guy called Harry stepped out from behind Will, smiling politely as he greeted everyone.

Joshua: "..." Just how many ’juniors’ was this guy collecting everywhere he went?

[They’re definitely not in the same story. Will’s probably stuck in some mafia boss-reincarnated-as-a-trainee storyline where he keeps recruiting underlings!] Nine declared loudly.

Joshua: "... I told you to stop reading that weird stuff online."

[Don’t tell me what to do. Anyway, until you crossdress for me, we’re not friends!] Nine huffed.

Joshua: "..."

Joshua decided not to respond anymore. Nine’s perverted mind needed to be straightened out.

And with that, their team was complete—seven people in total.

Leonard glanced at the crowd gathered around Joshua and clicked his tongue quietly.

"Now that all teams have been decided, you’ll have ten minutes to choose a leader for your group before moving on to the next stage! The leader will be granted certain privileges, so choose wisely!" the MC’s voice rang out.

Here it comes—there’s always got to be a climactic moment every season. Who knows, maybe this’ll be the first large-scale argument scene, Nine thought.

Meanwhile, outside, Joshua enthusiastically grabbed Henry’s hand and raised it high. He even had to stand on tiptoe to lift Henry’s arm.

"Henry, let’s pick Henry! He’s absolutely the perfect leader!"

Joshua could feel Henry’s whole body stiffen. When he turned to look, he saw Henry’s ears glowing red, like burning embers.

Joshua couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

Henry pressed his lips tightly together, saying nothing.

Leonard snorted. "Joshua, let go of Henry. Just look at his face—he looks like he’s about to snap your neck."

Joshua lowered Henry’s arm and muttered something under his breath. But the moment he let go, Henry grabbed his wrist firmly.

He stepped forward, half-shielding Joshua behind him, and said in a deep, steady voice, "I can be the leader."

Standing behind Henry, Joshua glanced down at his wrist, gripped tightly in Henry’s hand. The veins on Henry’s hand stood out, and the fingers that never used to tremble were shaking slightly now. His broad back loomed tall and steady—just like in Joshua’s dreams, where his friend had always been tall, always unshakable.

[Joshua, what’s with you? Why are you suddenly getting so close to Henry? Just because you slept next to him once?] Nine probed, but Joshua didn’t respond, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Nine even suspected the connection had failed, but everything seemed perfectly normal.

[Joshua! Why aren’t you answering me? Has Henry already replaced me in your heart? Damn it!] Nine shouted.

Joshua replied calmly, "You were the one who said you wouldn’t talk to me first."

Nine froze momentarily, then mumbled, [But I’m talking to you now—you’re not allowed to ignore me like that!]

Finally, teaching Joshua a lesson felt oddly satisfying.

Joshua didn’t seem to care. "No. I don’t like it when you threaten me. If you do it again, I’ll never talk to you again. And today, I’m not talking to you. Goodbye."

And with that, he went completely silent—no matter what Nine said afterward, he didn’t respond.

Nine hadn’t expected Joshua to act like that—and what surprised him even more was how steady Joshua’s mental state was. No matter what Nine said, it didn’t affect him at all.

Nine knew exactly what kinds of words could drive Joshua insane, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them for some reason. After all, he was the one who had raised his voice first and made unreasonable demands.

He’d let Joshua off this time—just this once, Nine thought bitterly, before storming off and kicking his chair aside.

Outside, Leonard didn’t care much about who became the leader. Instead, he asked, "Joshua, when did you get so chummy with this wood block? You know some people aren’t as simple as they look, right?"

Luther didn’t like Leonard, but he still couldn’t help nodding slightly in agreement with that statement.

Justin chuckled from the side. "Why’s everyone so tense? It’s just the leader position. We can vote for it—majority rules."

Joshua raised his hand immediately, and Justin caught on, giving him a high five. Leonard couldn’t help but laugh. He waved his hand dismissively. "It’s just a position. Who even cares that much?"

In the end, the leader was none other than Henry.

He and four others went up on stage as the MC stood before them and said slowly, "On the screen behind me are five names—the artists whose hit songs you’ll be covering this round. They’ll also serve as your mentors and judges before your performances!"

Hearing that, the crowd immediately erupted in excited chatter, everyone buzzing with anticipation.

Justin grinned. "I know every song by Gindong!"

Joshua couldn’t help commenting, "You mean you want to sing a girl group song?"

Justin replied, "As long as it’s not sexy lady, I’m fine."

Joshua crossed his arms and gave him a look. Justin scratched his head awkwardly, wearing a silly grin. Then he suddenly bent forward, obediently lowering his head toward Joshua.

"Sorry, okay?"

Joshua sighed inwardly. Seriously? Is Justin teasing him now? No... probably just his imagination.

The selection method was fair and straightforward: a random draw!

As soon as Joshua heard the MC say that, he couldn’t help but glance subtly at Luther.

Luther smiled back. "What’s wrong?"

Joshua shook his head. "Nothing. I feel like you should be the one drawing the lot."

Fair? Not really. Everyone’s luck was different—and Henry’s luck, in particular, always seemed to bring Joshua the most "surprising" results. Like Sexy Lady by GirlP... and Killin’ It by Atlanta...