Invasion from Seoul: The Shocking Third Round Mission

The performance hall was gripped by shock. The third-round mission: 18 bands disband and form random new ones. Cameras captured every moment of the bands' disbelief, unable to accept this reality. Meanwhile, the MC had quietly stepped down. The main PD from before reappeared on stage, as if the staff couldn't handle the situation on their own.

"As just announced, the third-round mission is Free-for-All. The 18 bands will disband temporarily and form new ones at random to complete the mission. Here's how it'll work..."

"First off, the disbandment is strictly temporary. It'll only last for this round, and bands will compete normally again next round. Leaders for the 'temporary bands' should be decided internally and submitted to us next week. Naturally, you can't pick members from your own band."

"Then how do we decide elimination?!"

A hot-tempered voice cut through the PD's calm explanation.

"That's the key part, right? The competition won't be head-to-head. The 18 bands will perform one by one, ranked from 1st to 18th by score, with the bottom 6 eliminated. Band scores will be..."

"For example, say there are bands 1 through 5. If Band 1's leader drafts one member each from 2, 3, 4, and 5 to form Band A, and they score 90 points, the leader gets 45 points—50% of 90."

The PD cleared his throat and pointed back at the screen, now filled with complex rules.

"Members are trickier. If a four-member band like 2 sends one to Band A for 90 points, they get about 16.6-17% of 50%—roughly 14.94 to 15.07 points. For a five-member band, it's 12.5% of 50%, or 11.25 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠points... and so on."

As the PD finished, the screen showed an example:

"A band's max is always 100 points. Decimals are normally rounded down, but we'll calculate to the decimal in disputes."

"So the leader carries the weight, but if they shine and the members flop, it's all for nothing?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Iseo muttered as she listened to the PD. Myeongjeon nodded. Even if she formed a band and scored a perfect 100—getting 50 points herself—if Group Sound's three members bombed their bands with zeros, the total would be just 50. Perfect score, yet still elimination fodder. Plus, her high score would boost everyone else's shares. She couldn't sabotage others without tanking her own massive weighting.

Complicated all around. Not easy to troll this system, either.

"Why this convoluted mission? Bands are about synergy—disbanding them makes no sense!"

An furious voice burst from the crowd. Murmurs of agreement followed, but they weren't loud.

"The intent is to test individual skills. Isn't that right?"

The PD tilted his head slightly, his expression condescending.

"A good band should have strong individuals. You saying yours don't? Bands good enough for this audition."

"What the—!"

Protests erupted at the provocative jab. "We teamed up as a band—what's the point of tearing us apart?!" "Might as well watch idol auditions, fuck!" But the outcry was surprisingly muted. Some bands scowled, others seemed unfazed.

"We've got measures against 'trolling.' If a leader requests, staff can exclude members from scoring after review. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worries about loopholes or fairness."

Myeongjeon pondered as the PD spoke. It seemed low-gain, high-controversy. What did they stand to win?

Ratings will spike, for sure. And with infighting from eliminations, it'd make gripping TV. Understandable, but... something felt off.

"This okay?"

Hyeona's worried voice cut through the growing arguments between the PD and some bands.

"Not disadvantageous for us."

Myeongjeon meant it. Hyeona, Seoha—even Iseo were top-tier in their roles here. She went without saying. The real issue was overhyped bands strong in composition but weak technically.

"Recording as usual next week. Drafts, song picks—all next week. To prevent cheating and smooth things, it'll be a 'temporary camp.' Note that for recording."

The PD stepped down, some chasing after him mid-sentence.

"Camp... sounds fun."

"Not for me. Sharing rooms with strangers. No mixed dorms, right?"

Iseo quipped casually amid the chaos. Myeongjeon racked her brain at Seoha's concerned reply. Next week, huh. Headache incoming.

Whatever the audition's twists, daily life rolled on. Breakfast, school, lunch, dismissal. Unavoidable encounters.

Because people had eyes and ears. Classmates who watched the show.

"Jumping! Jumping!"

"Grrr..."

Her gritted-teeth growl was obvious, but the kids kept teasing. They mimicked her brief stage dance and gestures, prancing in front of Myeongjeon.

"Do the evil variety quick."

"No!"

She snapped, clutching her head. She'd thought she'd adapted to 21st-century school life, but not this. Why pour such passion into bullying?

Round 2 aired, and they binged it, making memes to airdrop everywhere. She'd head to the bathroom, and they'd sneak up blasting music, yelling "Jumping!"

Guess I just accept it as me getting familiar with these kids. Otherwise, she'd rage at her old self for that concept.

"Suyeon!"

"Oh~ Iseo~"

Iseo arrived in the classroom. Kids tried the same pranks, but she laughed them off brightly. Bored, they scattered.

Should I try that? Myeongjeon fumed at the favoritism. But if she did it, they'd probably tease harder.

"Seen this?"

Iseo shoved over phone captures and videos. A chart screenshot: [That Street We Leaped Over] re-entered at #63! And Invasion 2024 reaction vids, most over 300k-500k views.

"You always hunt these down?"

"That's the fun of being in a band. Strangers hyping us up feels amazing."

Myeongjeon shook her head at Iseo's glee. She liked recognition too, but not this much.

This girl's terminal...

"Chart climb boosting album sales?"

"Mom mentioned reprinting limited LPs. More calls lately."

EP charts and YouTube buzz were fleeting hype. Physical sales meant real fan growth.

"Settlement comes soon—combine with audition fees, hit Japan. Ochanomizu for basses. Fun, right?"

"Spending first, huh."

Myeongjeon chided Iseo's daydreams but smirked. That's why they earned, after all...

The set buzzed prepping for next shoot and camp. Main PD ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yoon Dong-wook arms-crossed, surveying.

Not easy.

Five bands confronted him directly; two threatened to quit. Half-coaxing, half-threatening got them back.

Expected backlash, but not this bad.

Dong-wook wasn't heartless. He knew the format would rile them. But reasons abounded for Round 3.

Biggest: boy band push. After Park Director's "visual boy bands," Exec Director Jung demanded "Highlight their skills—agencies need face."

But as bands? No synergy. Individually, training shone. Dong-wook flipped it: No band synergy? Disband 'em.

Eliminated agencies could still brag "Our kids slayed!" Maybe advance solos. Plus, spark infighting for drama. Win-win, if bands imploded (not his problem).

And...

"PD-nim, band picks as planned?"

"Yeah. No changes."

Audition fans fantasized "What if they swapped?" Online IFs: "Her over him would've rocked." Dream teams.

This round, Dong-wook would deliver. Fairness be damned.