1% || I-LAND

sept. ( dommages collatéraux)

It was still hard for Aeri to realize that she had made it to the second part of I-LAND. Even during the two week break they had been given in between the two parts of the show, she hadn't been able to fully process that information.

Perhaps it was because she loathed the show so much that she hadn't realized how much time had passed, perhaps it was because the last moment she'd spent there had been horrible despite the happy news. She didn't really know.

But as she stood inside the lobby she had stood so many times before already, she could already tell that everything was going to change now. With her, the twelve other boys seemed to happy to be there to even think about what awaited them. Ni-Ki for example, had his arm wrapped around hers, smiling like a little kid.

Her eyes left his figure when thirteen banners dropped on one of the screens behind them. On both the banners and the chairs they had been used to sitting in, numbers were written.

Her suspicions of everything changing were confirmed when The Voice began explaining the new voting system. They were no longer the masters of their destiny, instead the votes were going to be done either by the producer or by global viewers. They were now going to be chosen by skills and popularity.

Only eight people would be able to debut. That was half of them.

They wouldn't be on the same level as each other now. The higher the ranking, the higher the advantages. Aeri knew this would ultimately cause tension at one point. There was no way they would be able to ignore the advantages the first ranked got if they were last.

"Now we will announce your ranking to the first global voting," announced The Voice. "The first vote was conducted for a week including all 24 people from Part 1."

It was no surprise that Hanbin — one of the rescued GROUNDERS — got the lowest rank. He had never been to I-LAND before, his screen time throughout the show must've been shorter than the others.

As The Voice continued to call their names, Aeri waited nervously for hers. When it reached the ninth place, she was certain that her name would be the next one called. There was no way she had already made it far enough to be in the debut group. But she didn't hear her name. Instead, it was Jake's.

Jungwon was the first one to go and collect his badge — their very first advantage as a part of the debut lineup. Her heart continued to pound in her chest as she waited for her name to get called. She was already baffled by the fact that she had made it this far, it was enough for her. But it didn't seem enough for the people who voted for her because her name still didn't get called when they reached top five.

Finally, she heard her name. She had ranked fourth. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she poked a hole through her grey jacket with the debut badge. Even less when she met eyes with Sunghoon who had ranked fifth. He smiled at her and congratulated her, causing her to smile even bigger.

It surprised everyone when Sunoo ranked first. Everyone had assumed the top three to be full of I-LANDERS but instead, both Daniel and Sunoo were at the top, only Heeseung being an I-LANDER.

But their attention was quickly drawn away from the bubbly boy when The Voice continued its announcement. "Now, the first test of Part 2 will be revealed. This test will be about testing your ability to become a global idol. The thirteen I-LANDERS will perform in three units. The unit with the highest total score will be safe from getting eliminated."

Aeri's interest — as well as the other's — picked immediately when hearing this. Everyone wanted it. They were clearly all willing to fight for it at least. Aeri probably the most willing one.