From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 358: Is This Your Prince (6)

Compared to Benjamin’s team, the clips of William’s team practicing were suspiciously short, and the scene quickly cut to the team members grouping up backstage while the production team spoke to William, who was wearing a different beanie.

— Production Team: [How do you feel?]

— Producer William: [ I feel great. I put in a lot of work into each part of the performance, and I know it’s the best out of everyone here.]

— Production Team: [Do you think your team will come in first place?]

— Producer William: [Of course.]

— Production Team: [Then good luck.]

— Producer William: [Luck is for losers. And I’m not a loser.]

— Production Team: [Sounds good. Will you guys do one more practice round?]

— Producer William: [Fine.]

Although he didn’t look too pleased, William joined his team members, who quickly stopped speaking.

And as the camera panned over the now quiet group once more, some critical comments began filling the chat.

└ Wow, he is such a buzzkill. Everyone lost their smiles.

└└ You want them to be noisy when it’s time to be serious? They’re showing respect for the team leader.

└ You know, if I were a fan of the other contestants on William’s team, I would feel weird. They never get any screen time, and all William ever says is I I I, Me Me Me

└└ Are you stupid? You want them to waste time talking to the leftover extras instead of the team leader and producer?

└└└ Calling the other hardworking contestants on that team, left over extras, is a choice.

└ At least they have each other. Look at how Vishal is reassuring everyone and helping Rex take care of the group

└└ Cause Vishal knows what it’s like to work with a self-centered snob and survive.

└└└ So you admit that William is a self-centered snob? Slowyal family finally telling the truth.

└└└└ AAs should put down the bottle and focus on their pick, who only knows how to copy people and get carried by his teammates. We’re about to see your terrible performance soon so just wait.

As a fight broke out in the chat between the two fandoms who truly hated each other, with William in the lead, each member of his team walked through the doorway leading to the stage, and, with the production team’s editing magic, they walked out of another doorway, dressed in white robes that covered them head to toe, onto a foggy stage.

All 10 of them stood in a triangular formation, with the person wearing a red ribbon on his robe standing directly in front of someone at the center.

└ Whoa. The production value is insane!

└ Money well spent!

└ I can’t wait to see this

└ Take it off! Take it off!

└ I can already tell this is going to be the best performance!

└└ How?

└└└ I just know

The camera panned across all the robed figures, then the screen dimmed briefly, and a neutral voice spoke.

[What’s the title of your song?]

There was a pause before William’s posh Boston accent was heard as he answered the prompt.

[Idol.]

[Describe the theme of your song and performance.]

[It’s a house-inspired electro-pop song. The meaning is that I will become an idol who will continue being myself. No matter the pressures coming from the outside and what people say, I will become an idol and achieve my goal.]

William’s voice faded away, and the robed person at the center of the stage became the center of focus.

Boom boom boom boom~

As the catch melody began, starting with the person in the middle, the other figures on stage began nodding in time with the beat.

Then-

As the beat dropped, the person in the lead’s hood flew off, exposing William and his newly debuted hair color.

A bright, curly red that framed his handsome face and made his blue eyes pop brightly.

As he brought the microphone to his lips with a smirk, to everyone’s surprise, rather than singing, William began rapping.

└ Rap? The prince can rap?!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!

└ Handsome! Talented! Singer! Rapper! Dancer! Producer! The perfect allrounder is here! He’s the goat!

└ Omg! No Way! He dyed his hair red!

└ No, William, no! Your beautiful blonde hair!

└ He looks so good!

└ You dare to say Ari is copying William, when there’s clear evidence that William is jacking Ari’s style! He copied his clothes, his working style, and now he’s copied his hair. How pathetic

└└ Oh, so Ari is the only person who’s allowed to have red hair now? He alone owns a hair color? Do you see how dumb you sound?

└ Ohhhhh Myyyyyyy GOooooooossssshhh! Now nobody else can have red hair cause Ari has red hair? No one can have curly hair because Ari has curly hair? This is why everybody hates you, stupid AAs. It’s always a victim complex with you people

└ Do you know how many contestants have red hair? On Ari’s team of 5 people, 2 other people have red hair! Are you telling me they all copied him? Sybau!

└└ Don’t be f**king obtuse! There’s a clear difference between Daniel’s orange hair and Rei’s two-block, red and black style. This is William simply ripping off Ari’s usual hairstyle!

└└└ So William is copying because he *checks notes*, dyed his hair red, and got it curled by a stylist. He can’t have that because Ari is the first human in existence to have red, curly hair, right? God forbid a man wants to experiment with his style. AAs really need to put down that bottle and check into rehab.

└└└└ It’s you Slow-yal family dummies that need to put the bottle down. You’re telling me that William just woke up one day, dyed his hair that particular shade of red, got extensions and a curly perm, then got it cut into a wolf cut because he was feeling experimental, not because he’s copying the most popular, ranked number 1 contestant on the show? I can’t wait for your delusional, evil pick to be eliminated.

└└└└└ And I can’t wait for your dumbass pick to get kicked off for plagiarism. I can’t wait to see what mediocre nonsense his team performs.

└└└└└└ And I hope your performance is terrible.

Unfortunately, it was not.

The song was good, and so was the performance.

The only issue was...

It was a one-man show.

The performance looked like it was just William and 8 backup dancers, because William never once left the center, and the 9th person was covered by William for almost the entire performance.

While William’s fans were happily praising him because the performance went well, the fans of the other contestants on his team began to complain.

└ We were joking about the line distribution, but my kid really only got two lines T_T

└ At least your pick sang; all my kid did was adlib sound effects.

└ Produced by William, choreographed by William, and now performed by William. What kind of team is this??

└ Not one single formation change, and half the time, the camera cut off the people in the back. How is this okay? 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

└└ Why didn’t the production team say anything? Or the judges? How could they let this happen?

└ Who approved this distribution? It’s not fair! They all look so sad.

And Ari’s fans, who were tired of being piled on, took the opportunity to kick others while they were down.

└ Weren’t you guys the ones rubbing it in that at least William finished the song and choreography by himself without the help of his teammates, like Ari? Congratulations, now your pick can’t speak up to demand more parts cause he did nothing and acted like a leech.

└ You all said being on William’s team was better, right? You got what you paid for! Enjoy William’s team from the back of the stage!

└ Good job on your pick becoming a backup dancer. It looks good on him.

└ It’s pretty pathetic that I can hear the MR more than your pick. Couldn’t be my pick, though. Y’all be easy.

└└ AAs are talking a lot of trash even though their performance hasn’t even aired yet. Watch it be nonsense, and then you all start deleting your comments like usual.

└└└ You think I’m afraid of a performance? Bing Yongsun, BTZ’s creative director, has repeatedly praised Ari and offered him a job for his creativity in all of his performances. I’m sure he’ll blow William’s performance out of the water, and one thing about my kid, he’s not a spotlight hog. He just attracts it.

└└└└ He does well on performances because his teammates do all the work!

Vitriol was spewed back and forth in the chat, but the episode continued rolling, transitioning to Ari’s team running through things.

As Ari disappeared somewhere while the group was putting their robes on, the production team panned over their sweaty faces before stopping at Levi, who was directing them.

When he walked over to the camera, they began chatting with him.

— Production Team: [So, word on the street is that you’re majoring in film production in college?]

—Levi: [Who told you that?] (glare)

— Production Team: [Guess]

—Levi: [Team leader?]

— Production Team: [Ding ding ding! Correct!]

—Levi: [Figures.] (grumble)

— Production Team: [Is that why you’re the one in charge of the stage practice and other aspects of the performance. To make sure everything goes smoothly and is up to the standards you learned.]

—Levi: [...I guess?]

— Production Team: [How amazing. Are you ready? Do you think it will be a good performance?]

— Levi: [...It could be better.]

— Production Team: [Is that so. Well, good luck.]

└ So basically, Levi’s the one who’s been doing all the work while Ari slacked off. He looks standoffish, but he really has a strong sense of responsibility.

└└ He’s not standoffish. It’s just because his eyes are a little sharp and his frame is a bit big. Inside, he’s tender...I think?

└ Aren’t they just setting Levi up to get the blame if things look bad and the performance doesn’t go well? It should be his team leader’s fault.

└└ Why are you assuming it’s going to look bad? Didn’t you hear the way he was breaking things down? It’s going to look amazing!

└└└ So, we should thank him for rescuing the performance?

└ Did anyone else know Levi was in film school?

└└ Yeah, a couple of his course mates at NYU have wished him luck online.

└ All of you are pretty hopeful about the visuals, but did we all forget the song sounded like crap?

└└ Why did you have to remind me?

As Levi walked back to his teammates, the chat slowly died down as the screen dimmed to complete black.

Then a neutral voice was heard as the caption appeared in the center of the black screen.

[What’s the title of your song?]

There was a pause, then Ari’s uniquely accented voice sounded out.

[The song is called Your Idol.]

As the chat began fighting as accusations of copying flew forth, the next statement filled the screen.

[Describe the theme of your song and performance.]

[The theme?]

└ Watch, he’s going to rip off William’s answer, isn’t he?

└ I can’t stand that copycat.

There was another pause before Ari laughed lightly and then answered.

[The song is a double entendre that is in the POV of an angel who fell to earth, became a vampire, and is seducing you to worship it like an idol. It asks a simple question - can I be your idol?]

At the unexpected answer, the chat was confused.

└ Huh? What does he mean by that?

└ He’s trying to be profound while saying nonsense

└ Ugh, I hate when people use biblical themes just to look cool.

But despite their confusion, the previously dark screen began to get lighter with a red tinge.

And a haunting voice began singing, the chants only heard when an angel fell from heaven to earth, and when the dead were honored.

Dies iræ illa (that day of wrath)