Jia squealed as soon as the call ended.
"What time is it?" she asked, glancing at the clock. She gasped in surprise when she saw that it was already 10 minutes past 12.
"I need to get my makeup done," she said, scrambling to the bathroom to retouch her makeup.
Cindy clicked her tongue as she watched her daughter. Jia had never acted this way for a man...let alone an idol! To think that June got her wrapped around his finger was amazing.
Cindy sighed and shook her head, not wanting Jia to be a fan of such a trainee.
However, she did say that she was going to make it up to her daughter, so Cindy reluctantly listened to her request.
It pained her to call June back and give him a chance, but Jia was more important to Cindy.
After a couple of minutes, Jia went out of the restroom, all made up.
"I'm ready," she said, flipping her hair.
Cindy sighed as she stood up from her seat. "Let's go to the meeting place."
***
June left Itaewon to go to the Azure building. They weren't required to come back until Sunday for the announcement of the next mission, so fortunately, there weren't any trainees or crew members around the place.
Only the bucktooth guard was familiar to June, but then again, he wasn't that good with his job, so June was able to get in without any trouble.
He started navigating his way through the hallways, making sure not to be seen by the cameras. He glanced at his watch and saw that there were still 3 minutes before 1 p.m., so he sighed in relief when he finally made it to the interview room.
June didn't hesitate to open the door and enter the room.
A small smile played on his lips when he saw Cindy's figure sitting behind the camera. However, next to her was a young woman that June couldn't recognize.
As June closed the door, the two women looked over his way.
June tilted his head to the side as he locked gazes with the younger woman. He saw the resemblance between the two, but that wasn't the first thing he noticed.
Jia felt her heart racing inside her chest and her cheeks heating up as her favorite trainee stared into her eyes.
"Subway girl?" June asked.
Jia felt her heart race even faster. June remembered her?
"We met once, right?" June confirmed, walking closer to them.
"Umm, yes," Jia said, tucking her hair behind her ears.
June chuckled as he observed the shy woman. "I hope you didn't skip your meals for me."
"I didn't," Jia quickly answered. "I still gave you stars while eating my meals on time."
"That's good," June said.
Cindy watched the two interact with raised eyebrows. They seemed awfully close!
She cleared her throat loudly, causing the two to snap out of their conversation.
"Are you here to explain your side or what?" Cindy asked.
June took a step back and locked gazes with Cindy instead.
"Are you going to listen to me this time around?"
"Not if you keep talking to my daughter— "
"Yes," Jia quickly interrupted her mother. "We'll listen to what you have to say."
June nodded before pulling a chair toward his way. "Let's talk then. I'm sure you have a lot of questions you want to ask."
The three of them sat in the small interview room, with Jia staring at June with sparkly eyes and Cindy still looking at him with suspicion.
"Let's start with the most important question," Cindy said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning against the chair.
"Did you pay Azure to secure your rank?" she bluntly asked.
June mirrored her stance. "No," he quickly denied.
"Are you sure?" Cindy pressed. "You might think you secured your rank all by yourself, but your parents might have utilized their money and power to keep you afloat in the competition."
"Mom," Jia whispered, tapping her lap. "Don't be rude."
"I'm not being rude," Cindy defended loudly. "I'm just asking a question."
"My parents wouldn't do that," June sighed.
"Again, how are you so sure?" Cindy asked. "Your parents rigged last year's Rising Stars. There's a high possibility of them repeating their sins."
"How can they repeat a sin they haven't even committed before?" June asked, causing the two ladies to look at him with confusion.
"My parents are not Choi Si-woo and Choi Min-ah," June said, rendering the two speechless. "My parents are dead."
A chilling atmosphere enveloped the room, and as Cindy stared into the young man's eyes, she couldn't find a hint of a lie.
However, Cindy had to make sure.
She had met plenty of good actors during her time in the industry.
"And what about the shoes? The Colexx? And eating at Pierre?"
June looked down at his lap and played with his fingers. At that moment, Jia felt her heart swell with sadness.
June looked...pitiful.
"They weren't mine. They were gifted to me by somebody else."
"Does somebody just give those luxurious things away?" Cindy asked.
"I know it might be hard to believe, but that's really the case. I'm not in the position to reveal who I got it from right now, but that person is going to reveal it in due time. I just hope you would trust me during this time," June said.
Cindy was about to ask another question, but Jia pinched her side and spoke before her mom could.
"Your parents...can I ask what happened to them?" Jia asked.
June paused for a moment as he tried hard to come up with a believable story. Truthfully, he didn't know who Choi Joon-ho's parents were, nor did he know the full details of their deaths.
However, based on his memory, Hana told him a little bit of what happened in his past.
"A car crash," June said, recalling his past conversation with Hana.
"They died in the car crash."
With June's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, he appeared to be in emotional distress.
"I didn't even get to see them anymore," June softly said, looking down at his lap.
Cindy's and Jia's breaths got caught in the back of their throats as they looked at June.
"Why did you only say this now?" Cindy asked her tone now softer than before.
"Because nobody would have believed me anyway," June honestly said.
"I couldn't even talk with my friends," he continued. "You didn't even give me a chance when we first met," he said, looking into Cindy's eyes.
Cindy was met with a wave of guilt, so she quickly looked away from the young man's gaze.
"But I'm thankful that you still gave me a chance," June said. "Now, I want to prove to everybody else that I'm not the son of the Chois."
"I'm just Choi Joon-ho, an aspiring idol."
There was a moment of silence before Cindy cleared her throat, still avoiding his gaze.
"So, what's the plan now?" she softly asked.
June's lip twitched as he tried hard to hide a smirk.
"Those pitiful interviews that trainees get when their ranks are unexpected...can you allow me to do one of those, too?"
