Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 34: Supergroup Wars

<🎧 Song Recommendation: What It Is (Block Boy) (with Kodak Black) by Doechii, Kodak Black>

...

(Sunday, 10th March, 2019)

The rest of the days moved quickly, and before Von knew it, the decompression week was over.

The morning started early. The twenty-four contestants were split up: the eleven girls were ushered into the East Wing salon, while the thirteen guys were herded into the West Wing styling suite.

Von sat in a leather barber chair, staring at himself in the brightly lit mirror. He didn’t even know what they were doing to him. He had given them permission to clean him up, but he hadn’t expected this much of a change.

The stylist, a woman with vibrant red hair, was currently texturizing his black hair. She had trimmed the sides into a subtle fade, leaving the top long and sweeping it back in a way that looked effortlessly messy yet perfectly structured. It framed his face sharper than before, highlighting his violet eyes.

"Man, you look gorgeous," a voice called out from behind.

Von looked through the mirror’s reflection to see Max in the chair behind him, craning his neck while a stylist tried to apply gel to his hair.

"I can’t even recognize you," Max grinned, giving a thumbs up. "You look like a legitimate idol now."

Von nodded slightly as a response to the compliment, unable to speak as the stylist was currently trimming the faint stubble on his jawline with an electric razor.

Within an hour, the transformation was complete. They were ushered into a dressing room and given the wardrobe for the day’s shoot.

It wasn’t a uniform, but a coordinated set of casual chic street wear. Von was handed a midnight blue bomber jacket, a white t-shirt, and fitted black jeans that cost more than his entire wardrobe back home.

Once both the guys and the girls were done with their makeovers, they were all assembled in the main lobby.

The atmosphere had shifted. The casual vibe was gone. Everyone took a seat on the massive U-shaped sectional couch, with those who couldn’t fit finding spots on the adjacent sofas.

Everyone maintained good behavior for the cameras, sitting up straight and fixing their posture as they waited in silence for Michael to arrive.

Everyone except Max, of course.

"I’m starting to regret why I’m sharing a seat with this idiot," Von muttered under his breath, shaking off Max’s hand, which had been pinching his arm to interrupt the mobile game Von was trying to play surreptitiously.

"How dare you! I heard what you said," Max replied with a pout and a voice too loud for the established silence of the room. "I just wanted you to put away your phone for a minute. Live in the moment, Von!"

Von simply clicked his tongue, ignoring him, and instead took the time to observe the competition.

It wasn’t a surprise that they all looked better than they had the other day. The stylists had done their work. Among the girls, Celine and Sophie had undergone the most change. That childish energy was captured even more from Sophie’s new look, while Celine radiated a very innocent and calm presence which made her difficult to recognize.

Meanwhile, Julian hadn’t changed much, he was just polished to a higher sheen, as charming as he had always been.

Alex Hall, on the other hand, had been transformed. His hair was styled forward, covering his eyes slightly in a mysterious emo look that would surely drive girls crazy.

He sat in the corner, his cold appearance accentuated by an all-black outfit. After Julian, Von guessed Alex was the most visually striking guy here.

But their appearances were the only factor that had changed. Von activated his [Inspect] skill on all of them.

And to his non-surprise, their [Vocals] stats hadn’t increased. They were exactly the same as the first time he checked them. It made him wonder if their stats could be increased at all.

"Ahem."

Michael’s voice broke the silence and pulled Von out of his internal monologue.

The host stood at the center of the room, looking dashing in a charcoal suit. All eyes focused on him, expecting the theme of the next round.

"You’re all looking very lovely, I must say," Michael smiled, looking around the room. "I’m a little jealous. I might need your stylist’s number."

There were light chuckles from the group, easing the tension slightly.

"So, I’ll cut straight to the chase," Michael continued, his face turning serious. "You’ve all had some time to rest. I realized you all spent that time really well and bonded. Great work!"

"But now, your break is over. Not all of you will be staying in the Star Mansion until the show is over. And the cut begins now."

Everyone held their breath.

"You’ve all had your fair share of a group performance from Hollywood Week," Michael announced. "For this round, you’ll be applying that spirit of cooperation that you’ve showed. This round is officially titled: The Supergroup Wars."

"Everyone is familiar with the concept," Michael continued over the murmurs. "But here, you won’t be needing your instruments. Instead, you will be performing with Choreography."

Von closed his eyes. ’Damn it.’

"You and the roommates assigned to you will work as one unit," Michael explained. "For the next two weeks, you will have intensive classes teaching you choreography, blocking, and stage presence."

"Then, as for your performance, it will be in the form of a Knockout Tournament. Teams will be paired against each other in twos. Viewers all over the world will judge the teams with their votes. Impressing them with your standout performance should be your goal."

Michael raised a finger. "You will be judged as a team, but remember: only the winner of the final face-off will earn Immunity and move on to the next week automatically."

"To complete the rest of the Top 16," Michael’s voice dropped lower, "Each of our distinguished Judges will save an equal number of contestants based on individual merit. And every other person that doesn’t earn a save... has their journey cut short."

Von listened attentively to every word, and the conclusion was simple: He was truly cooked.

He had never danced before. This challenge stripped away his Instrument Mastery and his ability to come up with "Original Songs". It was the worst possible scenario.

And to make matters worse, the teams were based on roommates. Von looked to his side and it went without saying that he didn’t have the best roommates.

’I just hope I have a natural talent for dancing hidden somewhere,’ he thought with a wry smile. ’If not, I’m a goner.’

"So there you have it," Michael concluded, checking his watch. "Your interviews will begin soon, so don’t forget your schedule. Good luck and best wishes to you all!"

Michael gave a sharp salute before turning and leaving the room.

Immediately he left, the room dived into hushed chaos. Everyone began standing up and forming loose circles.

Von was about to try locating his team, but spotting Alex and Julian approaching the stairs, he decided to join them instead.

***

"Whew!"

Max flopped onto Von’s freshly made bed with a loud whistle, shoes and all. "I can’t believe this challenge! But I guess it’s an exciting one, right?"

Von stood by the door, staring at the indentation Max was making on his duvet.

"You can dance?" Julian asked curiously, leaning against his own bed frame.

Max took that as a personal challenge. He laughed loudly and scrambled up to stand on the mattress.

"This young one doubts me!" Max declared, pointing at the ceiling. "In case you don’t know, I’m actually huge on TikTok! Check the handle MadMaxMoves! This will be a piece of cake for me!"

To prove his point, Max started gyrating his hips in a ridiculous, exaggerated motion while making duck faces.

"Observe the technique!" Max shouted.

Then, without warning, he coiled his legs and launched himself into a perfect backflip, landing squarely on the bed with a heavy thud, striking a pose.

But Von wasn’t having it. "Why don’t you show us your moves somewhere other than my bed?"

Max covered his face like he was afraid of Von’s angered expression. "Sorry, Von... But what about you though? Did your sister say you can dance too?"

Everyone in the room understood the reference he was making and Julian covered his mouth, turning away to hide his amusement at Max’s theatrics.

"Okay, I’ve endured you a lot," Von declared, grabbing Max by the collar of his new designer shirt and pulling him away from the bed area.

He meant to just guide him, but he yanked with such force that Max went flying, which made Von surprised by his own strength.

Tumbling on the ground, Max didn’t make a scene. He simply dusted off his shirt, grinned, and pulled off another standing backflip to get to his feet.

"Don’t mind him, Julian. He’s grumpy like that," Max said, shaking his head as if Von was the unreasonable one. "But really, what about you? Can you dance?"

"Actually, yes. I can," Julian replied. "I took choreography classes some years ago, so I’m decent, I guess."

"Tsk, of course you can," Von muttered, finally claiming his bed. He lay down and pulled the blanket over his head.

Max, sensing Von had tapped out, decided to annoy someone different. He spotted Alex Hall sitting on the edge of his bed, texting on his phone with earbuds in, completely isolated from the room’s energy.

Max walked cautiously toward him, like approaching a wild animal. He tapped Alex’s shoulder, widening his lips into a massive, goofy grin.

"Sorry, good sir! But can you perhaps dance?"

Alex ignored him completely.

Max frowned and tapped him again, rougher this time. "Hello? Earth to Emo boy?"

Alex slowly turned his head. He lowered his phone. His bangs parted slightly, revealing eyes that were cold and unamused. He stared at Max with such intensity that the air in the room seemed to drop in temperature for the latter.

"Okay, he doesn’t want to talk," Max squeaked, quickly retreating to the safety of his own bed. "But don’t worry guys, he’ll have to talk when it’s our turn to interview."

The interviews were arranged for them to be done as roommates, so it was sure to be interesting.