The Rigged Draft
"This is such bullshit. I have no idea why we're even putting up with this. We entered an audition to get judged as a band, and now they're making us disband for a mission? What the hell?"
The set was in total chaos. The PD had announced the 3rd round format and rules before dipping out, leaving the bands to vent their rage at him.
Mystica was caught up in the same vibe.
"Shouldn't we all protest this as a group?"
Guitarist Jeong Jaehyeok asked vocalist and leader Kim Seungjae.
"Some other bands already tried protesting last week, but they just brushed it off with 'nothing we can do.' Won't make a difference unless you're planning to quit."
Seungjae sighed deeply. They'd already stepped onto the set—what could they do now? Best to shut up and get through the shoot.
With the staff's signal to start, the 3rd round filming kicked off. The first part was introducing each band's members for the draft.
"Alright... let's start with the first band! [Cuban Missile Crisis]!"
Polite applause. Seungjae eyed the band being introduced. Among the 18 bands, if you split them into top 4 strong, middle 10 okay, and bottom 4 weak, they were upper mid-tier. True to their name, they aimed for jazz—especially Cuban jazz—and their bassist was pretty damn good.
"You gonna pick like we talked about?"
"Yeah, rules are rules."
As introductions droned on for bands no one cared about, the drummer piped up. Seungjae replied indifferently.
In short, it was like a baseball rookie draft. The 18 team leaders took turns picking players. You could pass if you didn't need more members, plus a few other minor rules—but that was the gist.
The problem? Baseball drafts went from bottom teams up, but this one started with the top teams from round 2 audience scores. So the strong got first dibs on the best talent—and more of it.
Is this for real?
It didn't feel fair at all. But the PD had shot back, "If you're mad, shoulda performed better in round 2."
Some bands threatened a boycott again... but it was all hot air. No one actually walked.
"Next up... 2MAJOR!!"
One of the bottom 4. They'd clawed back via losers' bracket, so not exactly powerhouses. Agency-backed, so individual skills were decent enough.
"Next! Introducing Muzaku!"
Highly rated at the start, now mid-tier. Heavily reliant on their leader's charisma, so survival odds here looked slim.
The bands that followed were all similar. Survivors with solid skills and flair, but nothing standout.
"Next...! Mystica! 1st round 4th place, 82 points! 2nd round 2nd place, 94 points! One of the top contenders! Leader... vocalist Kim Seungjae! Guitar, Jeong Jaehyeok! ..."
Now it was their turn. Seungjae waved lightly amid the applause from other bands and sat back down. He spotted a few acquaintances from other bands gesturing for him to pick them. Figured they'd score decent member points if they landed with him.
As long as I don't screw up, we won't drop out.
There were always ifs, but Seungjae didn't think it applied to Mystica's core. He'd handpicked them all—each one was top-notch. He expected solid scores from them.
"Still probably not as good as those guys, though."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Seungjae muttered unconsciously, then clammed up when a member asked what he meant. It was their intro time.
"Next! 1st round 5th place! 16th in round 2—not great, but they crushed their playoff rival 'Ulrim Stones' by a landslide, proving their chops! Top of the 'most likely to win' poll among contestants!!"
The MC rattled it off, paused for effect, then bellowed:
"Introducing Group Sound!!"
Amid thunderous applause, four girls stood and waved. 2nd in the top 4. Led by powerhouse guitarist-vocalist Ha Suyeon, Group Sound was all skill.
Among friendly bands, the word was: "Land Ha Suyeon or snag two from Group Sound, and you're set for mid-table."
Makes sense.
Even setting aside Ha Suyeon—who played like she'd trained a century in some spirit realm—the rest weren't slouches. Their biggest edge? Fundamentals.
Someone joked it felt like a fundamentals-obsessed teacher had drilled them 1-on-1 for months. Kids that age usually chased flash and tricks, but Group Sound kept it clean and tight.
"You said you'd pick the drummer first, right?"
"Yeah. Yoo Seoha. We've met a few times, and she kills on drums."
Bandmates snickered, "You know a high school girl? Wild."
Seungjae chuckled. But Seoha hadn't always been this level. She'd been the kid dreaming, "Can I join Mystica in a few years?" Then boom—post-band, massive glow-up.
"But they're minors. How's the camp shoot work?"
"They've got experiential learning programs now. They'll figure it out."
Seungjae glanced ahead. Legally skipping school? Way different from his era.
* * *
Sighs, groans, shouts, tears. Emotions flew as the draft wrapped.
"Hello. I'm Ha Suyeon."
In one of the camp practice rooms, Myeongjeon faced her drafted members. Light applause greeted her greeting.
Myeongjeon eyed them steadily.
"We've done some filming together already, but we don't know each other well. Mind if we start with introductions?"
She glanced sideways at the rolling cameras. 24-hour filming except sleep and private stuff. Felt like a human rights violation, but idol auditions were all like this, apparently. Nothing to do but roll with it.
"Hey~! Bass Yoon Jihoon here!"
Cheerful voice. From a boy band. Low presence, but solid basics. Nothing stellar, nothing awful.
"Drums, Mystica's Hwang Seongmin. Nice to meet you."
Drums. Mystica's Hwang Seongmin—good enough to snag as first pick.
"Hi! WEKIDS vocalist Tae-young! Looking forward to it!"
Vocalist from boy band WEKIDS. Myeongjeon could handle vocals, but the competition song needed a guy's voice, so she'd picked one.
"Hello. Guitar Jeong Jaehoon."
Last, rhythm guitar from Muzaku. Felt like he'd been passed around, so low expectations. Just don't troll, and it'd be fine.
"Tricky mission, but since we're here, let's make the camp count. Take care."
Applause again. Then awkward silence.
Myeongjeon paused, then spoke up.
"Even with camp time, we're a ragtag band. Syncing everything will be tough, and the mission isn't too demanding anyway. Better pick a song quick and move on. Any thoughts?"
This round: free song competition. Myeongjeon was relieved they skipped "pick a song," compose, arrange, or genre battles after the band-shattering nonsense.
But she sensed the production's malice anyway.
Because they mandated majority vote on the song.
No consensus, no approval. Forcing majority rule on Frankenstein bands primed for fights? Myeongjeon had to admire the evil genius. Heard TV folks were crazy for ratings, but this level?
"I got nothing specific."
"I'd like something with heavy sound. Something punchy for impact."
Bass and drums chimed in. Myeongjeon nodded. No strong prefs, then.
"I... uh, Ha Suyeon leader mostly does low-vocal songs, so something with vocals would be great!"
"No particular song in mind?"
"Nothing comes up right now."
Good sign. Myeongjeon had a song in mind. If rhythm guitar passed too, it'd go her way.
"I do have one I wanna do."
"...What is it?"
But rhythm guitar had ideas. He answered her question.
"Blonde Redhead's The One I Love."
"...What's that?"
Vocalist blinked blankly. Myeongjeon pinched her brow.
Decent tune, sure—but right for this lineup? No impact. Heavy rearranging needed. Original had female vocals too.
"It's good, but... doesn't fit our setup at all. Not heavy sound. And yeah, girl's voice on original."
"We can pull it off. You say it doesn't fit, but I think it does. You do vocals too."
"Hmm..."
He pushed, but rhythm guitar stonewalled. Myeongjeon felt a twinge of oddness. He knew it wasn't competition material—why push?
Got a grudge or something?
Whatever. Follow procedure. One guy couldn't veto anyway. If he kept obstructing, flag staff to boot him. And once she pitched hers...
They'd have to agree. Myeongjeon opened her mouth.
"The song I'm thinking of is..."
A classic among classics for this setup. One she was most confident in. No—the most.
"Cream's White Room."