June wanted to applaud the Rising Stars production team. Azure once again proved themselves to be the 'evil editing' kings.
The statements that June originally said were—
"You don't have to be perfect. If you really think about it, nobody actually cares about you at all. We're all too focused on ourselves to give a damn about other people."
And "We all fear that, Zeth. You're not special. Of course, it's alright to feel down every once in a while. That's normal. It's just the wheel of life."
And the reason why he stormed off in the end was because he had to take a huge dump!
He couldn't even get mad since it was seamlessly edited.
June could already see the comments rushing in on the side of the video.
"What the fuck? Who is he to tell our Zeth that he's not special?"
"That masked bitch is getting courageous just because he gained a petty number of fans."
"Get off your high horse. Zeth is the best."
"June is jealous of Zeth."
"I bet it's June's fault why they were being scolded in the teaser."
"Fuck you, June."
And just like that, the live stream ended.
The five boys were stunned to silence as the episode ended. They were no strangers to the 'evil editing' scheme. Even Jaeyong, when he didn't pick Akira for the first mission, was a victim of it. And in this episode, Ren was also subjected to some kind of 'evil editing.'
However, June's was probably the worst one of them all.
"Did you actually say that?" Jisung asked, concern laced in his voice.
"Well, it came out of my mouth," June said. "But I didn't say it that way."
"Those evil bastards," Akira said. "They're going to make us wait another week to clear up the misunderstanding?"
June clicked his tongue. Out of everyone in the show, why would he be the biggest victim of the 'evil editing' scheme?
"What are we going to do, big brother?" Jangmoon asked, squeezing June's arm.
"We can't do anything right now," June said.
"Do you want to do a Navel live?" C-Jay asked. "We're not forbidden to communicate with our fans online anymore."
"Yeah," Jaeyong said. "But we're not allowed to give spoilers about the show. Do you want to take one for the team and explain June's situation?"
"Let's just wait it out," June said.
"But you're going to be the subject of hate for the next week," Jisung said.
"It's alright," June shrugged. He was used to it already.
"What's the worst thing that could happen?" he added.
***
Something worse happened.
June would have never said those words if this was going to be the consequence.
As soon as he woke up, he was bombarded with texts and phone calls.
It was a rainy morning, and the gloomy atmosphere instantly put June in a shitty mood. He hated the cold.
His sleep was yet again interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. June checked the time and saw it was still 7 in the morning.
June groaned in annoyance. Those four kids left the house around midnight, and despite June's assurance that he didn't need anyone to comfort him, they still stayed and made a big deal out of the situation.
His phone continued ringing, so he reluctantly answered.
"What?" he snapped, his eyes still closed.
"Bro," Jisung said through the phone, his voice filled with anxiety.
"What happened?" June asked, finally sitting up.
"Have you seen Navel yet?"
'No," June grumbled. "I just woke up."
"Check it out now, brother. It's bad..."
Since June recognized the urgency in his voice, he quickly opened Navel.
Did last night's episode make that big of an impact that he'd be trending on Navel?
Fortunately, he didn't have to search long and hard because as soon as he opened the app, he saw his face on the very front page. It was trending number one in South Korea with over a hundred thousand topics.
June quickly clicked on the trend and scrolled through the topics.
'Controversy Unveiled: Rising Stars Trainee 'June' Faces Accusations of Bullying from Fellow Contestants'
'Masked Kittydol was a Phoenix Trainee? Not Only That, But He's A Bully, Too?'
The headlines weren't really explaining the situation, so June opened one of them to read.
'Exposing the Face Behind The Mask: Rising Stars' June is a Bully?'
In a surprising turn of events, what was intended to be a casual chat with fans on 'Navel Live' took a dramatic shift as idol trainees Alex and Hyunwoo, well-known figures from Phoenix Entertainment, used the platform to expose fellow contestant June. The incident has ignited a heated controversy within the idol survival program 'Rising Stars.'
During the live stream last night, the two trainees were asked by fans if there were any trainees they didn't particularly like. Their response, marked by an unexpected burst of laughter, took viewers by surprise. The atmosphere quickly turned tense as they proceeded to reveal alleged negative aspects of June's past.
According to Alex and Hyunwoo's account, June had previously been associated with Phoenix Entertainment as a trainee. However, they claimed that his actions had led to them missing out on opportunities, including a chance to debut. The revelations took a more disturbing turn as they accused June of being responsible for a teammate's departure from the company, further hinting at strained relationships within the organization.
June, who had garnered significant popularity among viewers, described as the "Masked Trainee" and "Black Kitty Idol,' kept his identity concealed for the majority of the show. His charismatic performances and charming personality had earned him a strong fan base.
The exposure video has generated mixed reactions from fans and the general public alike. Many expressed their disappointment and shock at the allegations made by Alex and Hyunwoo. Moreover, following last night's episode, where a cryptic preview of June's conversation with first-ranked trainee Zeth was shown, many viewers are starting to believe that June is, indeed, evil behind the mask.
Stay tuned for more updates.
June let out a cold chuckle as he finished reading the news article.
So, it has started, huh?
Amidst thinking of his next course of action, a pop-up suddenly appeared.
[Missions have been reset! Here are your new missions:
1. Post a selfie on your SNS account. Gain over a hundred thousand interactions!
2. Kick someone out of the competition.]
As usual, Fu always has great timing.
