"Minjun, take it down," June whined as they entered Minjun's and Grandma's apartment. Between the two, he seemed more like a little kid than Minjun.
Grandma went out of her room, her phone in hand, with tears streaming down her face.
June ran to her in concern. "Did something happen?" he asked, looking for any sign of injury on Grandma's body.
Grandma pursed her lips and gently hit June's shoulder. "I should be the one asking you that! Are you okay? I saw what Minjun posted."
"And you cried because of it?" June asked.
"I told you, it's really good!" Minjun exclaimed. "I've been learning how to edit videos these days, too, and I must say—I did a pretty good job."
June clicked his tongue and finally opened his phone. He went to MinMin's page and clicked on the latest post.
"What the hell?" he asked. "Why does it already have more than 50,000 likes?"
"Because I'm a genius," Minjun boasted. "Just watch it, bro."
June sighed and sat on the couch. The opening of the video instantly made him confused.
It was in the lavender field…no, it was the view of the Oak tree where Choi Joon-ho's parents were buried.
"When did you even film this?" June softly asked, gazing at the video which merely showed his back. His face wasn't shown, yet he could still feel a profound longing just from his stance alone.
"When you were talking with your parents, duh," Minjun responded, though his voice took a softer turn as he said his next words. "And I wanted to capture it for you," he shyly admitted. "It's a remembrance for Parents' Day."
June continued watching the video, feeling a strange sense of serenity as the sound of the breeze flowed through the speakers. Then, as he sat down on the grass, the breeze was replaced by the sound of Clair de Lune by Debussy.
June couldn't help but let out a small smile. It was actually…beautiful. His piano skills weren't crazily good, but based on the audio itself, one could tell how much emotion the player had placed into it.
Then, he scrolled up to read what Minjun had written. The satiric content creator, who usually posted issues for shits and giggles, actually took the simpler route this time.
"Happy Parents' Day! May all parents feel the love from their children, no matter how far they are."
"Featuring my pick from Rising Stars—June <3."
June finally looked up at Minjun. "You've really gained a soft spot for me, huh, kid?" he asked.
Minjun pursed his lips. "I was just practicing my editing skills," he defended.
"Sure," June smiled. "Let's just say I believe you."
"Do you still want me to take it down?" Minjun asked.
June scrolled through the comments and reposts and saw only positive comments from the people who had seen it.
"You can keep it," June said. "Thanks, kid. You did a great job."
***
Sunday, where God supposedly rested, should have been a time for June to rest, too.
However, he wasn't God, nor was he a son of rich tycoons, so he got up from his bed and prepared to go to the Azure building for the announcement of their next mission.
He quickly showered and got dressed in his usual lazy outfit before staring at himself in the mirror. He didn't forget to wear his beanie, of course! June still hadn't come to terms with his cotton candy pink hair.
"Right, the upgrades," June muttered, almost forgetting yesterday's upgrades.
"Fu, upgrade dance and visual."
[Wise choice, host! Visual +1. Dance +1. Your current grades are: Visual: A-, Dance: A-]
June looked at his stats and nodded in satisfaction. Aside from 'Rap' and 'Leadership,' all his other stats were now in the A-tier. It makes him wonder if it was the reason why Fu had been more sluggish with giving him his missions.
Was it because he was getting closer to maxing out his skills?
If he does attain an A+ in an aspect, then what would happen after that?
June shook his head to get rid of such thoughts. It was still too early to think about things like those. He still has to focus on the next mission (which he still doesn't have a clue about).
***
June arrived at the Azure building with still an hour to spare. They were supposed to film by 9 a.m., but there were already a lot of trainees loitering around the training center.
As soon as June entered the room, the trainees looked over his way. It felt like Deja Vu, yet right now, instead of disdainful stares and envious whispers, regretful gazes and silent apologies were thrown his way instead.
June tried his best to hide his smirk.
'In your faces, bitches!' he wanted to shout but decided not to since he has a reputation to keep.
Instead, he settled on a nearby corner and scrolled through Navel. As time passed by, June was getting more and more addicted to social media. He had never appreciated the appeal of it when he was still working in the gang, but boy, was it fun.
Right now, he was obsessed with going through the '#CuteAnimals' and '#YummyCandy' topics.
"June!" Jisung exclaimed, causing him to quickly turn off his phone. He lifted his head and saw the five men who had visited his apartment complex just a few days back.
"You came here early," Jisung said.
"Yeah," June responded. "Had to take the bus."
The other four, who still felt quite guilty about judging June during the last few days, didn't speak and continued looking at him with regretful eyes.
June sighed. "Are you just going to stand there or what?"
C-Jay quickly went down to his knees. "I'm really sorry, bro! I wasn't able to sleep all night because I reflected upon all my actions. I was a douchebag. You can kick me in the nuts if you want."
"Me too," Jangmoon said, kneeling next to C-Jay. "I'll even sacrifice my life for you at this point."
Akira nodded. "I'll name my first child after you!"
June sighed and shook his head. "You are going overboard. Just…don't do it again," he said.
"We won't!" Jaeyong exclaimed.
"I'm not talking about you," June said. "We're just acquaintances."
"Ha!" C-Jay screamed, pointing at Jaeyong's sulky face.
"Go back to your normal antics," June said. "It's weird having you suck up to me."
C-Jay smiled and wrapped one arm around June. "Don't mind if I do! Have you seen the trends lately, bro? You're fucking killing it. Every time I open my Navel app, you're the topmost post."
"You're a goat!" Akira smiled, excitedly shaking June's shoulders.
June frowned and stepped back, offended. "A goat?" he asked. "You calling me ugly or something?"
Akira's eyes widened. "What? No! You got even more handsome since the last time I saw you…which was a day ago…which is honestly weird because how can you become even more handsome when you're already VERY handsome—"
"Get to the point," June said. "I'm not a fucking goat. I don't even like goats!"
"Oh goodness," Jisung muttered. "Do you not know what a goat is, bro?"
"Of course, I know," June responded. "I've seen some in my lifetime," he seriously said.
The five of them looked at June silently, causing June to become even more confused.
"The goat you're talking about is the animal, huh?" Jangmoon asked.
"Is there any other goat in this world?" June snapped.
Then, after another moment of silence, the five of them burst out laughing.
"Greatest Of All Time! That's G.O.A.T! You don't know what that is, bro?" C-Jay asked.
"Oh," June said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. But then again, who knew they were talking about an acronym?
He was about to curse them out when he suddenly saw a shiny material moving in the corner of the training center.
The shiny material in question was a head.
And not just any other head…it was the janitor's head.
June smirked when he remembered that he still had to make two people pay for what they had done.
Guess it's time to meet the real goat.
