The group of guys went out of the fancy restaurant with heavy sighs and grumbling stomachs.
"I'm disappointed," Akira sighed. "I thought Pierre would have the best food in Seoul!"
"I swear—rich people don't have any taste," Jangmoon said, causing the others to look at them with wide eyes.
June was walking ahead of them, so he didn't see their reactions.
"Are you stupid?" C-Jay whisper-shouted. "How can you say that when June's right here?"
"Uh—I mean, rich people must have the soshitsticated taste," Jangmoon said, still getting the word wrong. "I don't have that, I guess," he chuckled nervously.
The others followed suit. "Yeah, m—me too. Guess I can't be rich in this life," C-Jay nervously chuckled.
In the meantime, June was oblivious to their conversation.
His stomach was still grumbling because he wasn't satisfied with the taste or the serving size of the food in Pierre.
Moreover, their customer service was shit. They treated them like VIPs only when they saw the coupon that Choi Pablo gave. It spoke highly about their discrimination of others.
"Hey, C-Jay," June said. "Can you send me those pics that you took?"
C-Jay suspiciously looked at him. "Are you posting it on Instapic too?"
"Just send it to me," June grumbled.
"Fine," C-Jay groaned. "You can have them since you gave me a Colexx. But you should take your own pictures next time."
C-Jay sent the photos via text, and June quickly saved the photos. Then, he went to Minjun's contact name and wrote him a message.
June: Kid.
Minjun: What? I'm busy.
June: Have you ever eaten at Pierre?
Minjun: Only when my mom came back to Seoul for a week. Why?
June: It tastes like dog food.
Minjun: You know what? You're right.
June: *Sent 8 photos*
June: Make a review for me on MinMin, then. Give them a 1-Star review.
Minjun: How'd you even eat there?
June: Just got in.
Minjun: That's suspicious…but it sounds pretty fun! Let me write a review real quick.
June smirked and turned off his phone. Then, a wonderful scent invaded his nostrils, causing him to halt. The others behind him stopped too.
"What is it?" Akira asked.
June turned to the side and saw a Tteokbokki and fish cake stall in the corner. His stomach grumbled louder when he smelled the heavenly spicy scent.
"Let's eat there," June said, pointing to the stall. "It's your treat this time," he said.
The other guys looked at each other with knowing looks.
"Do you really want to eat there, bro?" Jangmoon asked.
"Of course," June said. "It already smells better than the ones we had in Pierre."
C-Jay let out a shaky smile, touched by June's taste.
As expected, June is really down-to-earth!
***
"Hoon," Xin shakily said as he recalled everything that had happened today.
June's expensive shoes…giving away a Colexx to C-Jay…and treating his friends to the most luxurious restaurant in Seoul.
"Did you do what I asked you to do?" Hoon asked, his phone propped on the table as he continued playing on his computer.
He was surrounded by even more food wrappers and pee bottles during this time, a testament to his undying commitment to gaming and finding something to ruin June's life.
"I did," Xin said as he sat on a concrete bench. "And it's worse than I thought…I don't think we should continue with what we're doing, bro."
Hoon frowned as he started pressing harder on his keys. "What do you mean? What'd you find out?"
"June—I feel like he's an untouchable person. We probably shouldn't mess with him."
Hoon's jaw clenched as he listened to Xin's cowardly mumbling. He slammed his keyboard when the words "Game Over" appeared on the screen, and he wanted nothing more but to blame it on Xin.
"You just made me lose," Hoon breathed heavily.
Xin froze. "Uh—I'm sorry, bro. I didn't mean to. I'm just looking out for the two of us since June's probably a person with great influence."
Hoon chuckled coldly. "What? Did you find out anything?"
"I'll send you the pictures for now," Xin said. "Check them out on our text messages."
Hoon quickly opened the messaging app and scrolled through the photos one by one. His eyes instantly widened in surprise when he saw them. He zoomed in on his phone, still with an agape mouth, before slumping on his computer chair.
He couldn't be mistaken. These shoes—these were the shoes the Mickey Jouse wore during the 2002 championships, the only one of their kind.
Hoon went to search for the retail price online and saw a whopping 120,000 dollar bid on the pair of shoes.
Then, as he scrolled through the other photos, his disbelief escalated even further.
"They even ate at Pierre. Pierre!" Xin emphasized. "Can you believe it? We could never eat at that place no matter how hard we tried, and he got in just because he showed them a piece of paper. The manager treated him like a VIP guest, too. So, I'm guessing he's actually more influential than we had thought? Maybe that's the reason why he's doing very well on the show."
"Genius," Hoon muttered under his breath.
"What was that, bro?"
"Nothing," Hoon smirked. "You've done enough. I'll make sure to send some stars for you before the elimination episode."
Xin smiled. "Thanks, bro. I really appreciate it. But are you going to continue with this plan? Even if we're going against such a powerful force?"
"That's exactly why we're going against him," Hoon smirked. "Because the most powerful people will have the biggest, most satisfying downfall."
Xin let out a shaky sigh. "Alright, bro. Just tell me if you need anything else."
"Will do," Hoon said before turning off the call.
Then, he went to Navel once more to open the article he had been eyeing for the last couple of days. It was posted by "BannChu," a page that was famous for posting drama about the entertainment industry and the corporate world. The user has garnered over a million followers since its creation, and it was rare to see a positive post made by the user.
The monitor's glow painted a sickly pallor on Hoon's face, revealing a twisted grin that stretched from ear to ear, making his features appear manic.
The room was covered in darkness, the only source of light being the eerie, pale glow of the computer screen casting haunting shadows across the walls. The air was thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint hum of the computer's fan. Hoon, hunched over his desk, seemed like a specter in the dimly lit room.
As he stared at the screen, his eyes burned with an unholy fervor. His laughter, a chilling sound that seemed to emanate from the depths of his very soul, pierced the silence. It was a laughter devoid of joy—a mere a cacophony of madness. His shoulders shook uncontrollably like he was possessed by some unseen force as he continued to laugh.
"Azure Shareholder Power Couple 'Choi' Faces Scandal Over Corruption And Rigging of Last Year's Rising Stars Amidst Lavish Lifestyle Revelations."
