Everybody felt weird.
The song was supposed to be sexy, but why do they feel emotional?
Claps of hesitancy filled the room and were then followed by thunderous applause.
Then, the claps turned into "awws" when the team started breaking down in tears.
June was confused by the sudden shift of reaction at first, but when he glanced to his side and saw Sehun with tears streaming down his cheeks, he became surprised.
The man who had served as the pillar of the team since day one…
The trainee, who always had a smile on his face despite the challenges and discouraging comments from others…was crying.
He was the first one who cried among his team, a sad yet proud look in his eyes.
After seeing their leader cry, the other young men felt something tug in their chest, and before they even knew it, they, too, started crying.
"Aww, don't cry!"
"Why are they crying? They did such a great job, though!"
"I feel like I'm going to cry, too," Jangmoon said from backstage. Jaeyong, once again, tried to hide the tears in his eyes. However, Akira caught him in the act.
"That's the fourth time," he teased.
Bone, who was aware of the team's situation, sighed in pity. "These kids have been through a lot. They had the most people eliminated from their team."
Although the audience didn't know the process they went through to get to such a performance, they felt sympathy for the men crying on the stage.
June felt a surge of panic in his heart. He was standing at the center during this time, and all his other teammates had tears streaming down their faces. He felt the audience's inquiring eyes, so he felt like he had no choice but to explain.
So, before the mentors could comment on their performance, June brought the mic to his lips and started speaking.
"Umm, what a bunch of crybabies, am I right?"
The audience and the mentors laughed (except for Sun-Y, who is still in a state of shock). The other members of Team Aglet, too, let out a chuckle as they cried.
They didn't know what came over them, but the feeling of relief and enjoyment overwhelmed their feelings as they reached the end of the performance.
"But in all seriousness, this team worked really hard for this performance. Right now, it's something only we understand, but I want you all to know how grateful we are for letting us perform in front of you."
June internally cringed at his "inspiring" speech. But seeing as he's the only one who can speak right now, he continued with his words.
"These guys," he said, glancing at his teammates' emotional eyes. "Are some of the best people I've worked with. And I would really like to see them continue to live their dreams. So, from this day on, please look at them more favorably. Sehun, Jakob, C-Jay, Taekyung, Haesoo, and Seokhwa, you all did a great job. I just want you to know that, and from now on, I hope you don't doubt yourselves anymore. You're pursuing this dream for a reason."
June said those words to comfort them, hoping they'd finally stop crying. However, it seemed like his words only made it worse as they started crying even harder!
Even some of the audience members sniffed as he finished his speech.
And there was a collective thought running in their minds—our black kitty is so kind!
June pursed his lips in frustration and brought the microphone down.
Maybe he shouldn't have spoken at all!
Thankfully, the mentors decided to cut through the silence as they relayed their evaluations.
While they had a lot of good and bad things to say about the performances of the other teams, they somewhat felt speechless for this particular one.
"It's…wow," Hyerin started off. "That's the only word I can think of right now. I can't even comment on the technical mistakes you made since I feel like they were a part of the performance. You guys really did such a good job."
"I don't know what to say," Jihyun continued. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting a lot from this team. But you guys proved me wrong. I bet GROOVYTUNES will be proud of this performance."
"June," Bone suddenly said, causing June to snap his gaze at him. "Are you a genius?"
June raised his eyebrows.
"I—I can't explain it in words, but I believe you've improved the most out of anyone in this show. I know the others can't understand me right now, but they will once the episode airs. Please watch it fondly."
The audience began to complain, wanting the episode to air faster. The other mentors, too, became more curious about what Bone meant.
Kiera, who didn't comment much on the other team's performances, picked up her mic, causing Team Aglet looked at her with wonder.
It was the first time they'd seen the girl who placed first on the very first season of 'Rising Stars,' and she just had a different aura to her.
On the other hand, her past fellow member, Mimi, had her arms out of a huge sweatshirt. Yet, her face was still hidden by a big hood. Jia and Bora looked at her weirdly, but Mimi continued to ogle June, not minding the weird looks she got from other people.
"During concept missions, there's usually one song that becomes iconic out of all the stages. In the first season, it was 'Homesick Women', and in the second season, it was 'Ugly U.' This season, I feel like it's yours."
The audience exclaimed in surprise. The trainees backstage, too, felt like they were hit by a truck—especially Team Risers.
Compliments kept pouring in, and at that point, Team Aglet knew that they had done their best. The other mentors continued to speak, and as Rhino ended his comment, the panel turned toward one person who hasn't uttered a single word.
The trashy dude always had something to say to all the performances. He'd even take the opportunity to always speak first, setting a negative tone. However, this time, he was the last person to speak.
"Do you have anything to say, Sun-Y?" Bone asked.
Much to their surprise, Sun-Y shook his head.
June smirked as he made eye contact with the rapper. Sun-Y immediately evaded his gaze and cleared his throat. Hundreds of questions swirled in his mind.
Was it possible for someone to improve that fast?
Then, Sun-Y felt his heart beating faster in his chest.
This trainee…is a very scary trainee.
