June couldn't hold back his laugh anymore. He couldn't imagine the janitor being in a boy group and performing cute songs in front of a crowd at all.
Mr. Klin glared at June before moving his mop, swaying his hips as he did so. June's eyes widened in shock as he observed the utter shamelessness of the janitor. It was painful to watch.
However, June couldn't deny it.
Mr. Klin was actually good at this stuff. His eyes sparkled when he danced with his mop, and it seemed like cute gestures and expressions were natural to him.
He must not be lying, then.
"This is a secret I've kept for so long," Mr. Klin said. "I miss it sometimes, but in the end, my passion for cleaning triumphed."
"You—how did you do that?" June stammered, looking scared out of his wits.
Mr. Klin smirked as he cast his mop aside. "Do you want me to teach you?"
June nodded enthusiastically. He was desperate at this point.
The janitor scoffed confidently as he stretched his body. "Well, since you gave me the expensive bottle of bleach, I will grant you another favor."
"Please do," June said.
Mr. Klin patted his shiny bald head and grinned. "First things first, June. You've got to believe you're cute. Confidence is the key to cuteness, my boy."
June scratched his head. "I'm not sure I can do that, Mr. Klin."
"Of course you can!" Mr. Klin chirped. "Now, imagine you're the most adorable thing in the world. Channel your inner kitten. Be a baby on a slide. Trust me, it works."
June closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm cute," he muttered under his breath.
Mr. Klin chuckled. "Good, good. Now, onto tip number two: winks, kisses, and sweet gestures are your secret weapons. Try winking at me, June."
June attempted a wink, but it looked more like a spasm of the eye. Mr. Klin tried not to laugh but couldn't help a snicker. "Not quite. You have to be smooth like this."
Mr. Klin demonstrated a suave wink, followed by an exaggerated kiss blown into the air. He then winked again, shooting June a toothy grin.
June wanted to applaud the bald janitor out of amazement. Damn, this was a talent in itself.
"And last but not the least," Mr. Klin said, his voice lowering."This is the most important rule of it all—Let it all go."
"Let it go?" June asked.
"Let it go," Mr. Klin strutted with cuteness, swaying his hips. "Have no shame."
Have no shame?
June was actually good at that.
Back when he was working as a thug, he had to go through so much ridicule that he didn't even know what shame was. It was only when he was promoted that he inculcated shame back into his life.
Looking back now, it seemed like he hadn't let go of those inhibitions—especially with the pressure of other people watching.
However, he could never forget that during his lowest times, he really had no shame.
"Now combine all those three, and you've got the perfect formula for a cute performance!"
Mr. Klin exclaimed. "And your smile—don't exaggerate it. Let it flow freely."
June sighed and faced the mirror, determined to do this once and for all. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself as a bundle of pure cuteness.
Shameless.
And then, he let loose.
June did all the movements without feeling awkward. He moved according to their choreography, his hips moving in ways one never thought possible. And with a twirl, he stared into his eyes, smiling without any inhibitions.
For a moment, he merely stared at himself, feeling like he had actually done a great job.
Then, he turned to Mr. Klin, who looked at him with wide eyes.
"Well, how was it?" June asked.
Mr. Klin shook his head and sighed, causing June to feel a bit nervous.
"Was it that bad?" June asked.
The janitor clicked his tongue and held onto his mop once more. "Maybe I actually shouldn't have given you those tips."
"Why?" June frowned in confusion.
Mr. Klin smirked and strongly patted June's back. "Because you've already surpassed me. I knew you had that cuteness inside you."
***
"You didn't follow after us," Jangmoon said as he entered the practice room. He picked his teeth with a toothpick and then ate the food remnants that he retrieved with the stick.
June grimaced as he watched him.
"I practiced," June responded.
"Well, you're working harder than anyone else," Daeho said.
June shrugged. He believed he already had their performance in the bag. After the session with Mr. Klin, his confidence was boosted a lot.
However, he felt exhausted afterward.
It seemed like he could only act cute for a certain period of time. June felt like he needed at least three days to recharge after what he had just done.
"So, is everybody ready to go back to practice?" Casper asked, stretching his legs.
"Yup," Ren exclaimed. "Let's get it done and over with. Let's practice our vocals later in the afternoon."
"Sure—"
Jangmoon's words were cut off when someone suddenly came into the room. They were surprised to see it was Yejin, one of the head producers of the show.
They all bowed in respect as they welcomed their superior.
"Team Bubblegum Pop," she started off. "It's now your turn."
The team looked at each other with confusion. "Our turn?" Daeho asked in confusion.
"Weren't you informed?" she asked. "The Production Mission does not only involve making music. You'll be assigned with your outfits and stage appearance, too."
"Right," Casper said. "I forgot to tell the guys. Is it our turn now?"
"Yes," Yejin responded. "You have two hours in total before another team enters the design room. I wish you good luck."
With that, Yejin guided the team to the design room. The guys looked at the room with wonder. It was filled with countless clothing pieces and accessories.
"After you're done picking an outfit, you can go inside that room and speak with the design team so they can prepare an entire set for your team. You can also talk with them about the stage design," she pointed to the room right next to this one.
"Thank you," Casper said as Yejin left them all alone.
"There are so many options to choose from," Daeho said, looking through the clothes.
"Since we're going with a cute concept, why don't we try this one?" Jangmoon asked, pulling out a set of clothes that looked straight out of a fairy movie. It seemed like the clothes that Peter Pan wore but in different colors. There was even a hat that had a feather on the very end.
"Come on!" Jangmoon exclaimed, walking over to June while holding onto the hat.
"Why don't you try it out, big bro? It looks like your size."
June clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Have Casper try it or something."
"No, he's not Peter Pan. He's a friendly ghost," Jangmoon stubbornly said. "You need to try it."
June was about to retaliate when Jangmoon suddenly held onto his beanie and removed it from his head.
His teammates all looked at him with wide eyes.
"YOUR HAIR IS PINK?"
