It was exactly 5 p.m. when June entered the practice room.
"June?" Zeth exclaimed with wide eyes when he saw the supposedly "injured" trainee before them.
Jaeyong rushed to his side. "What the hell? Akira told me you got stabbed in the shoulder pretty badly. What are you doing here?"
June ignored their worried statements and looked Lin Zhi in the eyes.
"Why is he singing my part?" he asked.
The room turned silent, evading June's gaze. Lin Zhi scratched the back of his head and awkwardly cleared his throat.
The cameramen and production crew members watched the scene with sparkling eyes.
This was gold!
Daeho sighed and stepped forward. "We had to make a decision by 4 PM. You already know that we have to kick a member out of the team. We weren't sure whether you were going to come back, so we had to kick you out."
June's eye twitched.
These bastards.
They made a decision without even consoling him?
"You could have told me first," June said in a calm voice, sending shivers down their spines. Even Daeho, who was usually composed, felt a sense of guilt in his heart.
Zeth cleared his throat. "That's our mistake, little bro," he warily said. "We should have contacted you about the decision."
"So, it's final?" June asked, now feeling a bit numb.
He finally got a song he wanted to perform…
With people he had good chemistry with…
And at one point, he even felt happy receiving compliments for his improvement.
It was the first time he had gained so much praise for the effort he put in himself.
But then again, June has never been lucky.
Not as Chen Jun Hao and not as Choi Joon-ho.
And not even as June.
"It's final," Lin Zhi said, his voice cutting through the air. "You should meet the production crew in the training center so you can choose the song you'll perform."
June wanted to laugh out loud, but he saw the cameramen zooming in on his face.
They were going to have a feast day if he reacted badly here.
"Alright," June said in a much sadder tone than he anticipated.
Zeth's and Jaeyong's eyes widened in surprise. From the time they spent with June, this was the very first time he actually sounded...sad. He didn't even react like this when Alex and Hyunwoo tried to tarnish his name.
"Little bro," Zeth called out, trying to hold onto his shoulder, but June took a step back.
"It's alright," June said, going back to his hard exterior. "I should take my leave then."
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the final eight members of 'Skateboard Ride.'
As he went outside, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Away from the people and the cameras, June leaned against the cold, hard wall, focusing his gaze on the white ceiling above.
"Shit," he cursed. "Why am I feeling this way?"
However, like he always does, he ignored the hollow feeling in his heart and let out a deep breath.
There's no point dwelling on it since it's already finished.
With that thought in mind, he walked to the training center, where he saw a few crew members chattering among themselves.
"I swear, that spicy hotpot really ruined my insides. It's been three days, and my shit still smells like chili peppers," one of them shared.
June cleared his throat, halting their conversation.
The crew members turned around, ashamed of their conversation topic. However, their embarrassment quickly turned to shock when they saw the trainee before them.
"June?" Ann asked.
"Oh my gosh. It is June."
"What the hell? Didn't he just get stabbed?"
"I'm fine now," June said, not letting them pry any further.
"Should you be here?" Ann asked in a worried tone.
"Yes," June said, moving his left arm. "I'm all better now. I heard I have to come here for my mission song. I can pick what I want, right?"
The crew members pursed their lips together, exchanging awkward glances.
The senior members of the crew pushed Ann, the intern, forward to take one for the team.
Ann hesitated to speak, but June's piercing gaze didn't allow her to stall.
Ann sheepishly smiled. "Well, you see...that would have been the case if you came earlier. But now, all the trainees who have been kicked out have chosen a song before you."
June frowned, confused. "So, what you're saying is..."
"You kinda don't have a choice," Ann softly said. "Actually, you really don't have a choice. There's only one song left that hasn't been filled up yet."
"And that is?" June asked. The switch was already inevitable.
Maybe he'd go to 'Break Me Up' or 'Thunder' instead.
He just wishes it wasn't 'Brown Sugar Miktea' or 'Tie Me Up.' Those two would mean that it's over for him.
"Here," Ann said, handing him an envelope.
June sighed and opened the envelope, three words staring back at him.
'Tie Me Up.'
Oh, it's over for him.
***
June paced back and forth in front of the practice room that had the 'Tie Me Up' signage.
Compared to the one Team Riser had, this practice room wasn't as grand and spacious. It was also located at the very back, which merely showed the favoritism the show has on the higher-ranked trainees.
"I can't believe this," June muttered under his breath.
Out of all the songs, this one just ended up in his hands.
He intently looked at the door and wondered if he should just run away.
Maybe it wasn't too late to go back to the hospital and pretend he wasn't okay.
However, just as he was about to leave, the door opened, and a familiar, annoying face looked at him with shock.
"June?" C-Jay asked with wide eyes. "You're here."
June held his breath.
"Oh, my goodness. You're alright? You recovered so fast! But what are you doing outside of our practice room? Shouldn't you go to your team?"
June didn't respond, and C-Jay, who was usually slow-witted, got it right away.
His eyes widened in delight as he pointed to the envelope in June's hand. "You've been kicked out? You've been kicked out, right? Then does that mean that you're going to be on our team?"
"No," June said in a soft voice. C-Jay slapped his back a bit too hard, causing him to cough.
"Oh, come one! Stop joking," C-Jay exclaimed. "We're the only team with a lacking member."
"Come," he said, wrapping his thick arm around June's neck. "I'll introduce you to the team."
June frantically shook his head and tried to get out of C-Jay's hold, but it was already too late.
He had kicked the door open with a wide smile on his face.
"Hey, guys!" he enthusiastically greeted. "Our Main Rapper is here."
June's eyes widened in surprise.
"Main Rapper?" he exclaimed.
