"Alright, we'll call some of the boys for the interviews tonight," Yejin announced. "Once we announce your name, please come backstage so we can prepare you for an interview."
"Ren...Zeth...Sehun...C-Jay....and Yuri! We'll be waiting backstage. We'll start off with Ren," she continued before going down the stage.
Ren quickly followed Yejin backstage for an interview. This was a common tradition in the past seasons of Rising Stars. Since all elimination episodes were pre-recorded back then, trainees were asked to share their feelings after the elimination, and it was edited in a way that gained the viewers' sympathy.
As Ren walked backstage, June clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was obvious that they weren't going to give him a chance to explain himself and his real situation.
With that in mind, June sat up from his seat and observed the 24 remaining boys. As expected, Zeth remained in the number one spot while Casper followed in second. Jisung retained his seventh rank, and the others were shuffled but were still in the top 10.
C-Jay, who was still emotional after landing the 25th place, continued sobbing in his seat. However, as his friends walked to his seat, he instantly felt better.
"I thought I wasn't going to make it," he whispered. Jangmoon slapped the back of his head.
"I fucking made it. Why'd you think you weren't going to?" he asked.
C-Jay chuckled, wiping the snot from his nose. "You're right. There's no way that I'll get eliminated before you."
They laughed loudly, and June watched them as he went down the stairs to join them.
"Hey," June said, causing them to stop laughing. They turned to June and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Everybody seemed to be wary of his presence—except for Jisung.
"Congratulations, bro!" he smiled. "You've worked hard."
"Thanks," June muttered. "You've worked hard, too."
Then, he faced the others. Jaeyong and Zeth were still with them, and it seemed like the two were purposely evading June's gaze.
June sighed. They thought the same, too.
They were conversing pretty loudly before June came, but now, there was a hint of awkwardness in the air.
June knew he was the reason for the awkwardness, so he cleared his throat to break the silence.
"I'll go now," he said.
"Are you going to your real home? Or your apartment?" Jangmoon asked, causing June to purse his lips.
"To my apartment—my real home," June vaguely answered before turning his back.
Jisung nudged Jangmoon's shoulder as June walked away from them.
"What?" Jangmoon asked, scratching the back of his head. "I was just curious."
Jisung felt frustrated as he looked at their suspicious faces. "Look, I don't know the real story behind June's life. I'm sure nobody has a clue since he doesn't share these things with us, but do you really think so lowly of him?"
C-Jay pursed his lips. "I just don't know what to believe. He doesn't tell us anything, and the evidence is very very convincing. Why else would he have taken us to Pierre?"
"Yeah," Akira said. "And the Colexx watch, too. I like June, I really do. But this is just something I can't comprehend."
Jisung clicked his tongue. "Can't you be thankful for once? He gave you a watch," he gestured to C-Jay. "And he all treated us for brunch. You're talking as if everything is already confirmed!"
They all stayed silent, causing Jisung to become even more frustrated. For the first time in a while, he had learned what it felt like to be angry.
The shy trainee rarely experienced such emotion, but the presence of his friends, who were currently doubting June, made him snap.
"You're talking as if June hasn't helped us at all. Do you remember how he helped you during the Mafia Melodies performance? Or how he comforted Zeth before the second mission? June had also gone out of his way to help us improve our skills."
"He's very loved by his fans," Jisung continued, his voice suddenly turning softer. "And that's because he works hard. It isn't so obvious since he doesn't like bragging about his hard work, but he's been one of the people who have deliberately helped us when we were down—even when he was also having a hard time."
The others were surprised to hear Jisung speak such long sentences without stuttering.
"So before anything is confirmed, I'm going to believe in June," Jisung said with resolution.
"And I'll believe in him even if it gets proven right."
With that, he walked away from them, his shyness suddenly hitting him.
***
Contrary to what June had said, he wasn't planning on going home straight away.
The airing of the elimination episode was going to be on Friday, and if he wanted his plan to go exactly like he wanted, June needed someone on his side.
So, with a stealthy stance, he started walking backstage, where the mentors were staying.
However, on his way there, he suddenly saw that the Janitor's closet was open. Curiosity got the best of him, so he peeked inside. Then, he smirked when he saw Xin, who appeared to be crying on the phone. Again, it was on loudspeaker, so June could hear the person Xin was talking to.
"I didn't make it, Hoon," he sobbed, tears streaming down his face, making his foundation run.
Hoon sighed through the phone. "It's alright."
"You weren't even supposed to make it that far into the competition anyway," Hoon muttered, so Xin wasn't able to hear it.
"Did June get humiliated at least?" Hoon asked.
Xin sniffed and wiped his tears with his blue sleeve, causing the foundation to scatter on his clothes.
"Yes," Xin said, a hint of joy in his voice. "Robby asked him some questions regarding his parents, and he wasn't able to answer them. June wasn't able to give a speech, too. This is the very first time I've seen him look so down and humiliated."
Hoon laughed out loud, his walls shaking. "Ah, I wish I could have seen it."
"You'll get to see it on Friday," Xin said. "I bet the editing team is going to milk the shit out of it. There's no way they're going to let this pass quite easily."
"Hmm, you're right," Hoon said. "The editing team could be quite cruel. Well, you better get home. It's already getting late."
Xin sighed with slumped shoulders. "I guess I'll go back to school. I don't think I can continued being an idol. You should do the same, Hoon."
Hoon chuckled and shook his head. "No way. I'm planning to become a professional gamer now. I'm pretty good."
Hoon was, indeed, not good at all.
"That's great," Xin genuinely complimented. "Don't forget about me when you get famous, bro."
"Of course," Hoon said. "How could I forget the guy who helped me with June's downfall. You did a really great job capturing those photos."
With that, their phone call ended, and Xin held onto the doorknob. However, he was surprised when he saw that it was agape.
Hmm, he must have forgotten to close it.
Then, Xin made his way outside. However, he jumped when he saw June leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He jumped in surprise as the two of them made eye contact.
"What are you doing here?" Xin suspiciously asked.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" June asked with raised eyebrows.
Xin frowned in confusion. The June he saw a while ago looked so down. However now, he was back to his nonchalant self. Did he move on that easily from the humiliation he faced?
Xin kept his head high as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What do you want?"
"You just admitted it," June said. "You took those pictures, huh? And it seemed like you were following Hoon's orders."
'Shit. He heard that?' Xin cursed in his mind.
"And so?" he smugly asked. "As I said, you don't have any proof that we did it, so you can talk shit for all you want, but no one's going to believe you."
"Okay," June calmly said. "You got me there. I don't have any proof that you guys did it."
Xin internally sighed in relief. "Bastard," he snickered. "You're still acting calm, huh? Let's see you act calm once you get eliminated next week. I'm sure the public would stop voting for you now."
June merely nodded, and that brought immense satisfaction to Xin's heart.
"See you outside, rich bastard," Xin chuckled, smugly waving his hand as he walked away from June.
June watched his retreating back and smiled. Then, he opened the Janitor's closer once more.
He thought he was merely seeing things when he glanced inside a while ago.
But June was right.
There was a blinking red dot in the corner of the room, hidden in the dark.
