Okay, June had to admit.
He merely talked big.
But in reality, he didn't have any evidence against those two.
June sighed as he sat on the sidewalk, the night breeze making him shiver. It was currently 2AM, yet he still didn't know how to prove himself innocent.
Those two are too damn infuriating! However, their fear-induced expressions brought a twisted smirk to June's lips – a grim satisfaction that they were finally feeling a sliver of the discomfort they had once inflicted upon Choi Joon-ho.
If this kid could see it now, he would be satisfied, too.
But as the seconds ticked by, the exhilaration began to fade, leaving behind a sense of uncertainty. He let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he stared at the ground. He wasn't quite sure what to do next. The rush of the moment had fueled him, but now he was left grappling with the reality of the situation.
Lost in his thoughts, June was momentarily oblivious to his surroundings. It was then that a coin clinked onto the ground in front of him, jolting him back to the present. He blinked in surprise, his eyes focusing on the small piece of currency resting at his feet.
Confusion mixed with annoyance was evident in his face as he looked up, prepared to dismiss the person who had mistaken him for a beggar. But the words died on his lips as he took in the sight of the person before him – a stranger, eyes filled with sympathy and perhaps a hint of pity.
"Take this, young man. Buy something from the convenience store, okay?"
"Look, old man, I'm not–"
The old man smiled. "It's okay to ask for help sometimes." Then, he proceeded to walk away, leaving June with a coin in his hand.
June's lips twitched, a disbelieving smile forming as he realized the absurdity of it all.
As if the universe was determined to pile on his misfortune, a bird chose that moment to add insult to injury. June's eyes widened as a splatter of bird droppings landed squarely on his head, his expression shifting from disbelief to exasperation. He muttered a frustrated curse under his breath as he removed his hoodie, throwing it to the ground.
"Great! Just great," he muttered to himself, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It was as if his day couldn't get any worse.
But life had a way of proving him wrong.
Just when he thought things couldn't possibly deteriorate any further, a sudden gust of wind carried a piece of newspaper right across his face. June sputtered and swatted at the intrusive piece of paper, his frustration growing.
"Seriously? Could this day get any worse?" he exclaimed, his irritation increasing.
His fingers curled around the edges of the newspaper, ready to crumple it up and discard it as another annoyance in a string of unfortunate events. But as he began to crumple the paper, something caught his eye.
June's movements halted. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at the face pasted on the front cover.
He clicked his tongue as he recalled where he could have met this man. Slowly, he uncrumpled the newspaper, his eyes scanning the headline and the accompanying article.
"Drug Lord's Web of Celebrity Connections Exposed," the headline read.
"Lee Doo-sam, a 28-year-old man, is currently being held at the Seoul City Jail for distribution of drugs. It's rumored that his clients are within the entertainment industry, from CEOs and A-list celebrities to D-list celebrities. The police are investigating, but Doo-sam is taking all the blame."
The more he looked at the picture, the more the man seemed familiar.
"He is currently being seen at the Psychiatric unit for being so happy while being interrogated...which proves his name, the 'Mad Hatter.'"
Then, it struck him.
"The…Mad Hatter?" he muttered under his breath.
His mind was transported back to the time he sneaked out of Azure to accomplish his bonus mission…when Alex and Hyunwoo were conversing behind him.
"Anderson only told us to get some booze. We need to make it fast since Mad Hatter is waiting for us in the alleyway, too."
The guy at the alley.
June observed his face once more, and it all made sense.
He was wearing a beanie when June saw him at the alley, but June could never forget his red eyes and patchy beard.
Without a doubt, Mad Hatter was the guy that Alex and Hyunwoo met that night.
June shook his head with a smirk.
Those two are more entangled in dark crimes than he had imagined, and to think they were acting so innocent while on the show.
June rummaged through his pocket for his phone and went to Navel.
As expected, the number one topic is about the Mad Hatter.
The public couldn't care less about drug dealers. It was usually swept under the rug, but the fact that this involved celebrities was something they couldn't look past.
People were hungry for gossip, and celebrities were always at the center of that. They'd jump at the next topic like hungry hyenas, ready to ruin the lives of the next gossip material.
He read through the comments.
"Shit. I knew some celebrities were druggies. I mean, who could handle such a toxic life?"
"If I were a Mad Hatter, I'd turn this into a business. I'll ask for money from the celebrities so I won't reveal their names."
"Make him expose the celebrities! Let's shatter fans' hearts!"
"I wonder who his clients are. I wonder if any idols are on the list."
"Commenter upstairs! Of course, there would be idols. Idols are not angels. Heck, I bet even trainees are getting their fix from him."
"Wouldn't it be legendary if someone from Rising Stars got exposed for this?"
"Oh, give Rising Stars a break! They're already under fire for that June guy."
If they only knew…
Their beloved trainees, both in the top 20, were actually drug users.
Then, like a light switch, June remembered something in the back of his mind.
He exited Navel and went to his camera roll. Fortunately, he didn't have to scroll far since he didn't take too many pictures.
He quickly opened his picture with those two ladies—Rina and Hina.
June's phone didn't capture the ladies' faces clearly. Instead, the three of them were a blurry mess since his camera decided to focus on something else—the three people behind them.
June smirked. This was one instance when he didn't loathe his phone.
If June couldn't put off the flame of his rumors, then he'll just add fuel to the fire.
Let's burn Alex and Hyunwoo alive.
