June wasn't able to sleep after that.
The production crew had called all the teams out for a "special" mission.
June didn't care how special it was. He needed sleep!
As he met up with his teammates, they all looked at June with shock.
"Did you even get any sleep last night?" C-Jay asked. "Your under eyes are...severe."
"No," June snapped. "So, don't talk to me. I'm going to sleep."
On the other side of the room, Team Risers watched all the other teams. Lin Zhi, who was the most confident they'd win the mission, looked at Team Aglet with pity.
"Look at June," Lin Zhi said. "It appears as if he didn't get any sleep. He must be plenty worried for their performance."
The other members of Team Risers stared at Team Aglet, and what Lin Zhi said was true.
June was leaning against Sehun, looking like he was tired of it all.
Zeth sighed as he watched his little bro.
Did them kicking him out affect him so badly?
Again, June was just sleepy.
"Good morning, trainees!" Woo-jin entered the training center, making June jolt awake.
"I know you didn't expect to see me here early in the morning, especially when it's the day of your performance, but the production crew had sent me for an important mission."
The trainees chattered among themselves.
"We are giving you this chance to determine your order of performance during the mission later. Do you want to perform first or last? It's all up to you! The team that would win this challenge can pick their order of performance!"
June opened his eyes amidst the commotion.
"And how are we going to do decide that? Of course, it's none other than Arm Wrestling!"
"Jangmoon, go! You'll finally be useful for the team."
"I have weak upper body strength," Jisung said. However, his teammates insisted that he be the one to go since he was the most agile dancer.
"I'll go for this one," Lin Zhi proudly said. As a former gang member, he took pride in his strength.
On the other hand, June was still trying to wake himself up.
"Who's going for us?" Sehun said.
If June was in his former body, then he would win—a hundred percent.
However, this current body still has its limitations.
And June could only think of one person who could win this challenge.
"C-Jay, you go," June said with a yawn.
"What? Me?" C-Jay pointed to himself.
June nodded. "You can beat those guys," he confidently said.
"You got this."
"Wooh, go, C-Jay!" his teammates cheered for him.
As June watched the scene on the stage, he smirked.
These guys don't stand a chance.
Not even Lin Zhi.
***
The parking lot was filled with multiple fans wearing different-colored shirts and carrying varying slogans.
Originally, a lot of June fans didn't sign up for the show, but when 'Rising Stars' announced that all trainees would be present, a lot more people wanted to watch the live show, even causing the Azure webpage to crash!
Compared to the cold and chilly mornings where Jia used to suffer in, the weather today was a bit hot.
Most of the fans waiting in line were wearing thin shirts or tank tops. However, one person stood as a contrast between the sea of fans.
The woman was clad in a big sweatshirt with a mask and sunglasses. She even had gloves, too!
Jia worriedly looked at the woman, who appeared to be sweating her ass off.
Bora clicked her tongue and nudged Jia's shoulder. "Stop looking."
Jia rolled her eyes. "I'm worried. That girl looks like she's about to pass out."
"Let her be," Bora said. "You really need to stop being so concerned all the time."
"And you should really give a fuck at times," Jia countered.
"That's why we became friends," Bora smiled. "Our combination will make a really nice person."
On the other hand, the girl in the sweatshirt was none other than Mimi of GIRLS' EVOLUTION herself.
She had always wanted to watch the live shows of 'Rising Stars,' but that would only cause chaos as she is still an active soloist.
So, this was the best way she could think of.
"Shit," Mimi muttered as she felt her wet armpits.
Maybe she should have settled with a thinner sweatshirt instead!
Just then, somebody approached her—a young and pretty girl with long brown hair.
"Umm, I don't want to pry, but do you want some cool water?" she asked, offering her a thermos.
Mimi smiled at the kind girl. "Sure," she said. "Thanks for this."
"You can take your sweatshirt off if you want," the girl continued. "It's too hot and humid today."
"Uh—I have a condition where uh—I can't be exposed to afternoon air," Mimi came up with a lame excuse.
The girl frowned in confusion. There was a condition like that?
"Oh, okay," she said, not wanting to question any further. "I'm Jia, by the way."
"I'm...Mila!" Mimi came up with a fake name.
"Mila, that's a pretty name," Jia complimented. "So, who are you here for, Mila?"
Mimi's eyes brightened in delight when Jia asked her.
She loves this question!
"It's none other than the love of my life—June."
***
Backstage, the makeup artists were scrambling to finish the trainees' makeup looks.
Azure had prepared one makeup artist for each team, and as expected, Team Aglet was given a trainee makeup artist named Lira.
She kept shaking as she placed makeup on the trainees' faces, causing some of their eyeliner and lipstick to become smudged.
"I'm sorry," she kept apologizing to the group of boys.
Lira was usually great at putting on makeup, but there was a handsome entity sleeping on the couch, causing her to become distracted.
"Umm, sir," she woke him up since he was the only person without makeup. "It's your turn now."
June groaned as he got up. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice sounding deeper and raspier due to his persistent practice and interrupted sleep.
Somehow, the tone of his voice made Lira blush.
"There's less than one hour before the live show, sir," Lira responded.
"Okay," June said, standing up from the couch and onto the stool. June closed his eyes and stayed still, appearing sleepy once more.
Lira, with even shakier hands, started placing skin tint on June's face. She didn't want to wash him out with foundation, so she made use of a translucent skin tint.
It was also a big help that June had great skin.
She wonders what his skincare is.
Then, she decided to place his lipstick first since it was the first item she grabbed.
Lira only planned on blotting it on his lips to create a naturally flushed look, but she underestimated her nervousness as she went over his lip line.
"Shit," she cursed, causing June to open his eyes.
Lira quickly wiped the smeared lipstick on his face while muttering apologies under her breath.
"Wait," June said as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"This lipstick smudges, right?" he asked.
"Not until I set it," Lira nervously answered. "Let me set it real quick."
"Don't set it," June instructed.
"Huh?" Lira tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Then, it's going to smudge if you accidentally wipe it, sir."
"I know," June said.
Then he leaned over to observe his face in the mirror.
Despite having dark circles, his skin still looked clear and glowy.
"Don't cover my dark circles, too."
