━━━ ♚ FUTURE DREAMS SEASON 002 RETURNING CONTESTANTS ENTRANCE
just like last season, king entered the room with a triumphant demeanor. he’d been ranked first and he doesn't see why it would be any different this time, unless they changed things up and found new plot twists to keep the contestants on their toes. joining future dreams was a gamble, really. there was no way to really know what to expect. whatever was thrown his way, king decided he would confront it and turn it to his advantage. his humiliating loss will not happen again. and it's ironic that he thinks of it as such a failure, considering it greatly helped build a growing popularity. but it's never enough, and will never be enough.
he's not threatened by the new contestants. he knows he shouldn't be too arrogant and work as hard as if they were all his biggest rivals, though. but the newbies... they just don't have the experience the returning contestants have after one season, a mini concert, promotions. they also don't have as big of a fanbase. there's not to say a star won't emerge from that group, but king is confident that this season will only bring more spotlight onto him.
"glad to be back," he says in the beginning, greeting the others. the staff then explains that they will be seeing the newbies' on the screen, and they're encouraged to react and comment to what is being shown. to that, king takes a quick glance at the boy sitting right next to him. isn't he a new contestant? but someone calls him jun, and king remembers him as the kid who almost won the solo. clearly, he didn't make a lot of friends last season. he doesn't intend on making more this season either. he's here to win. and the joke will be on him once it is revealed that this time, they will win as units and not as individuals. probably an even bigger challenge than the solo was.
for now though, he watches the new boys’ introductions with attention and seriousness. he wants to hate them already. the rapper, hwang junho. is he a good dancer? a good center? if he is, he's definitely a threat. jeon hansol. he definitely can't hate that one even if technically, he should be wary during a competition. he doesn't necessarily wants to team up with friends. he needs to think of his own skills and of the best way to make them shine. hansol is... similar to him in many ways. “wish him the best, honestly. he can definitely go far with his skills. i’m gonna have to watch my back!” he says with a chuckle. jeon haru, one of his new roommates. he's young, a fresh face. he's on the cuter side, too. “ah, he ranked himself 11th?” it shows a lack of confidence, even if haru tried to turn it into a joke. kids are unpredictable, though. he hasn't seen a lot of what haru is capable of. “haru, if you’re watching this, you need to bluff even when you don’t believe it!” and he laughs for the first time since they began recording.
the girls, he's less focused on. there are a lot of new faces, some he recognizes, others he wonders how long they've even been in the company. he smiles when jueun's face is shown, wishing her well. his attitude is definitely different, as the girls aren't his direct competitors. he feels a lot more light-hearted and enthusiastic, showing stronger reactions than he did previously. he also openly cheers for minah, glad to see she finally decided to show the world what she's made of. he would take her to be on his team any day. he remembers sarang from the company dinner a few months back, too... still looking mildly familiar, but he can't put his finger on where he met her before. she seemed to act like they didn't know each other.
