Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 43: Plan B

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Can We Kiss Forever by Kina, Adriana Proenza>

...

"Damn, I still can’t believe Alex is gone, and it’s all my fault," Max sighed and put his phone away after reading the article.

Only three beds were occupied in Room 4 now. The emptiness of the fourth bed, where Alex used to lie in silence, was a loud reminder of their loss.

Von had his ears shut out with headphones, his fingers tapping furiously as he grinded a ranked match in a mobile game. Meanwhile, Julian was watching a video on his tablet. Without looking up, he said:

"It’s alright, Max. No need to blame yourself for the past. Your goal now should be making it past the next round."

"Hahaha, good joke there," Max laughed out loud at Julian’s words.

"What?" Julian finally looked up with confusion.

"Please! Stop acting like you don’t know," Max threw his hands up. "The Masked Singer round will purely judge us for our vocals. And you know I’m not really the best singer. So this might just be my last week in the house with you."

Max was referring to the brutal twist Michael had announced earlier. For the Top 16 round, all contestants were required to wear full-body costumes that obscured their looks, shape, and height.

Voice modulators would be used for interviews. It was a theme from Season 3 that fans had a love-hate relationship with, it killed the visual bias but often eliminated popular contestants who weren’t powerhouse singers.

"Oh," Julian nodded with slight disinterest, returning his gaze to his screen.

Max suddenly shrugged, his mood swinging from self-pity to acceptance. "It doesn’t bother me much, ’cause I and my buddy Von will be going home together. He’s definitely not making the Top 8 with his voice."

Seeing that Julian wasn’t giving him much attention anymore, Max stood up and walked over to Von’s bed. Without warning, he reached out and yanked the headphones off Von’s head.

It came as a shock to Von, who was in the middle of a crucial team fight. Instinctively, he lashed out, grabbing the shirt of the offender.

"Hey!"

Upon contact, Max let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the floor, clutching his face as if he had been punched by a boxer.

"Ah! My nose! My beautiful nose!" Max wailed, rolling around.

Von stared at him unimpressed. He knew he hadn’t hit him. He simply snatched his headphones back as Max stood up, rubbing his face with a fake sob.

"I just wanted to pass important information to you," Max sniffled. "But it seems like you’re more focused on your games. Fine. I’ll go meet Michael and tell him you’re not interested."

Von’s intention was to ignore him and go back to his game, but the words made him pause. He watched Max walk towards the door with a seriousness that seemed out of character.

It was convincing enough that Von sighed and tossed his phone onto the mattress.

"Max!"

Max kept walking.

"Max, wait up!"

Von scrambled off the bed and chased him to the hallway, catching him just before he reached the staircase.

"What did Michael day?" Von asked in annoyance.

From his walk, Von was already swearing internally that this better not be a joke. The entire thing didn’t make sense, but this wasn’t the first time he had missed a briefing and someone had to tell him what happened.

Max turned around slowly and looked Von dead in the eye with a serious face.

Then, a grin split his face that made Von’s face fall.

"Oh, he just wanted me to tell you... today’s April 1st. And you just got April fooled! Hehe!"

Von stared at him in silence. He massaged his temples, fighting the genuine urge to beat Max into a pulp. In his timeline, he had once punched a guy for pulling a similar stunt on this exact day. But this time, Von took a deep breath and abandoned the idea.

’I really have gone soft,’ Von thought.

"You clown. Tsk." Von hissed before turning on his heel and returning to the room.

He picked up his phone only to see the [DEFEAT] screen flashing in red letters. He had been reported for AFK.

"So... now that you’ve lost your game," Max flopped onto his own bed, unbothered by Von’s glare. "How about we talk, bro to bro?"

Von would have originally rejected him, but his cheap phone was overheating from the gaming session, and he needed a break.

"Alright," Von leaned back against the headboard. "Whatchu got?"

Max’s playful expression vanished. "So as you must have figured, we’ll both be leaving the mansion next week..."

"Huh?" Von cut him off. "Why are we leaving?"

Max smiled wryly. "Haha... don’t act confident, Von. You don’t stand a chance in that round. We both know that."

"I do, but go on," Von corrected, already regretting engaging in this conversation.

"Okayy," Max rolled his eyes. "Let’s say hypothetically. When you’re eliminated from the house... what’s next? What is your goal?"

The question actually made Von pause.

It wasn’t something he had explicitly thought about since his regression. He had never had a clear Plan B. In his past life, that lack of direction was the reason for his decline. After his dream of stardom was shattered, he had spiraled, unable to pivot, until his pitiful death.

But... no. Von believed this time was different. He had the System. He was going to become a Superstar. So he couldn’t lose. He remembered the promise he made to Nana. He had to win. Even if it was just for the prize money.

Max watched Von’s silence for a while but didn’t interrupt until Von finally spoke.

"Well, I don’t really have a plan," Von said slowly with a shrug. "Cause I’m winning for sure. Then I’ll probably take that record deal, debut my songs, and get stinking rich. Nothing difficult."

"Hmm." Max shook his head at Von’s arrogance, adopting a serious persona Von hadn’t seen before.

"I don’t wanna pressure you ’cause you’re still young," Max said quietly. "But my advice is you should get a Plan B. Try thinking about what happens if you don’t win. Life has taught me that stuff doesn’t always go according to the script."

Max stood up, and just like that, the grin returned.

"Well, I’ve said all I gotta say. I’m starving so I’mma head to the cafeteria right now. And even though it’s unlikely... really, I’ll be happy if you make it through."

Max gave a sloppy two-finger salute and marched out of the room.

With Max’s departure, Von’s eyes darted to the sole remaining occupant. He crossed eyes with Julian for a split second before the latter evaded his gaze, returning his attention to his tablet.

Von lay back down, staring at the ceiling.

Max’s words bugged him. He had to be realistic about his chances. With the evolved System, he had realized Aura and Julian’s skills were somehow both rated S.

That didn’t make sense to him initially, especially since Julian’s skill seemed basic. But it meant their potential ceiling was sky-high. They would improve. And Von might not be able to keep up in time.

Currently, he was confident in hitting B [Vocals] to get through the Masked Singer round. But what about the Semi-Finals? The Finale?

What if he didn’t win?

The memory of Alex walking out the door with his bags packed flashed in Von’s mind. If Alex could be eliminated, anyone could..

’No...’ Von said internally. "Even if I lose, it won’t be the end. I won’t waste this second life. I’ll keep going until I achieve all my dreams."

He steeled himself with those words before standing up to leave the room.

For now, what mattered was the Masked Singer edition. It was the great equalizer. It would eliminate bias, eliminate fame, and leave only the voice.

The day arrived. And few were left dejected, while the rest will get to stay for a longer period.