Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 35: Group Interview

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Cell Block Tango (Glee Cast version) by Glee Cast>

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(Confessional Room — 3:30 PM)

The interview room was a white box-shaped room with massive studio lights all around.

In the middle of the room sat a curved white leather couch, large enough to comfortably fit six people, though only four were needed today.

The boys walked in, shielding their eyes momentarily from the glare. They took their seats before anyone could direct them to.

Von looked past the lights to see a familiar face holding a clipboard. It was Sarah, one of the Senior Producers he had met during the audition process.

He had expected Michael to handle this segment, but it seemed the host wasn’t reserved for this. .

"Alright," Sarah finally said, clicking her pen. "This is your first interview in the Star Mansion. Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way. State your name for the audio sync."

"Max Blueberry!" Max shouted first, throwing peace signs at the lens.

"Julian West."

"Von Varley."

There was a stretched silence and when everyone thought Alex wouldn’t say anything, he spoke in a low but clear voice. "Alex Hall."

"Great! The talent your group has is nothing short of spectacular, but let’s be real," Sarah’s voice dropped in tone, "Who’s the leader amongst you? Max?"

Max looked at Julian, then his eyes fell on Von before facing the camera.

"I think it’s pretty obvious," he began. "I’m the only one trying to unite the group, so it’s fair that I’m the leader,"

"It isn’t easy handling them, I must admit. Von has a short temper and Alex is probably a walking dead or something. Only Julian is the modest one who listens to me..."

No one opposed him, as Von couldn’t be less bothered by Max’s bullshit speech. His hand remained crossed across his chest as he listened on.

Sarah chuckled from behind the clipboard when Max concluded. "Wow, you’ve made me learn a lot about you guys already. But what do you have to say about that, Julian? Do you agree with Max, or do you think that role should belong to you given your position as the highest ranker?"

"Oh, no. I don’t think so," Julian raised his hand in denial, flashing a humble smile. "Anyone can be the leader. I don’t see myself as one. Max has his opinion, and I respect it as his roommate and teammate."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the PR-friendly answer. "So all he said was the truth? Including the parts about the others?"

The question seemed to leave Julian in a dilemma. He paused for a second before he chuckled softly. "I can’t say for sure. But I guess that’s how Max sees our team dynamic, haha."

Sarah returned his charming smile for a brief second before turning over to Von, and her expression turned serious.

"Be honest, Von. You’re close friends with Julian, the definition of perfection. How does it feel? Doesn’t it intimidate you knowing that no matter how hard you try, he’ll always be better?"

The air in the room grew heavy. Everyone reacted awkwardly to the question; Julian was even opening his mouth to intervene before a raised hand made him stop.

Von was a bit surprised by the directness of the attack, but he knew exactly what they wanted, so he replied with a shrug.

"That’s good for him."

"I can sense jealousy from your voice, Von," Sarah’s eyes narrowed.

And Von responded with a short, dry laugh.

"Jealousy, huh? Julian is someone close to me, so I can’t be bothered by his talents. I think it’s best if I focus on myself instead."

"Is that why you’ve been taking charge in the dorms?" the Producer countered quickly. "We have footage of you ordering Max around. Are you trying to be the boss to compensate?"

"No," Von replied. He didn’t have the energy to exchange words and possibly set himself up, so he gave a curt answer.

"Is that all you have to say?" Sarah pressed, waiting for a defense.

"Yeah, that’s all."

Sarah pursed her lips, realizing she wasn’t going to crack him at that moment. She turned to Alex next, saving the enigma for last.

"So, Alex, how are you adapting to your new roommates? How would you like to describe them?"

To everyone’s surprise, Alex responded. "They can be noisy at times, but they’re cool."

"I can sympathize with how you feel. I don’t like noise either," Sarah commented with a slight laugh before pivoting. "But how did you see the announcement? Do you have experience with Choreography? Do you think you and your roommates can take the win?"

"I was never a fan of dancing," Alex said plainly. "But if that’s what it takes to win, then I’m ready to learn."

"But isn’t two weeks a little too short of a time for a beginner?"

"I don’t know."

Getting an honest, albeit brief, response, Sarah moved on to the next phase. She asked each of them questions to gauge their skill levels with the theme and drifted to questions on other matters.

Some questions led to funny moments while others didn’t really rub off well on them. They were questioned as if it was a private interrogation and the others weren’t sitting right there listening.

After almost forty-five minutes of back and forth, the red light on the camera finally blinked off.

"You’re clear," Sarah announced. "Good luck!"

"Phew, that was a close one," Max exclaimed as they stepped out of the bright room into the hallway. He threw his arms around the shoulders of Von and Julian.

Von quickly pulled him away, but Max ignored Von’s rejection and continued talking to himself, this time turning to Alex.

"I’m actually surprised you talk, man! I thought you were mute. We should bond more!"

Alex didn’t even slow down; he was already walking ahead to ensure he didn’t exchange words with them.

Julian tried to form a conversation to break the awkwardness. "The Choreography Classes start tomorrow. You ready, Von?"

"Yeah, yeah, I’m ready." Von waved a dismissive hand, his eyes glazing over as he looked at something only he could see.

He returned his attention to the purple holographic screen that had grabbed his attention the moment the interview ended.

[Quest: Conquer Project: Star]

[Description: You’ve finally stepped onto the stage. But to become a Star, you must conquer the competition.]

[Objective:

○ Reach the Semi-Finals (0/4)

○ Reach the Final (0/2)

○ Win the Competition (0/1)]

[Rewards:

● Objective 1: 2x Lottery Ticket, 20 Shop Vouchers, 1x Title, 10,000 EXP.

● Objective 2: 1x Lottery Ticket, 15 Shop Vouchers, 1x Title.

● Objective 3: 1x Lottery Ticket, 10 Shop Vouchers.]

[Failure Penalty:

● Finishing outside the Top 4 will reset your [Vocals] to F-]

[NOTICE: Unable to reject Quest!]