June sighed as he heard Lin Zhi's voice over the speakers of the television in their room. Each team was given singular rooms this time, where they could watch the other team's performances without being spoiled by their outfits and concepts.
June had just finished with hair and make-up, and he was the last one of his team to get dressed. There wasn't any rush for them, though.
His team got to perform last again. The order was done by drawing lots, and Ren was lucky enough to draw the last number.
"Our team has worked very hard for this performance," Lin Zhi said, his voice shaking a bit.
Even if June couldn't see his face, he could already imagine the pitiful act that Lin Zhi was putting on.
Lin Zhi choked back a sob, and 'awws' filled the venue. "I'm so happy that I've come this far, and it's all thanks to your guys' support. Please continue to support me—I mean, us, until the end of the competition. Thank you so much."
June shook his head and scoffed as he finished putting on the bow tie on his collar. He felt a chill run down his spine since the material was pretty thin, but nonetheless, he felt satisfied with his appearance.
As he looked at his reflection, he pursed his lips in disbelief. Then, he smiled—taking into mind the tips that Mr. Klin had given.
He looked really young—like a real kid.
Well, that was the concept they were going for, so June wasn't disappointed.
Suddenly, a black, furry item made its way into his view, causing him to frown.
"Hey, guys?" he called out from inside the dressing room.
"What's up?" Jangmoon asked.
"Did somebody leave their bag in the dressing room?"
"Bag?" Casper chimed in. "Nope," he said. "I didn't even bring my bag this morning."
"Then, how about the others?" June asked.
"Oh," Jangmoon said, the realization hitting him. "Oh! You're talking about THAT bag. That's for you, big bro. I ordered it specifically for this mission. It reminded me of you, so I got it."
"I'm not wearing it," June said, looking at the bag that was shaped like a kitten's face on the floor. It stared at June with its big, googly eyes and wide grin.
"Oh, come on, big bro," Jangmoon whined. "I even paid an extra 12 dollars just to expedite the shipping. It came from overseas, you know?"
"Still not wearing it," June said.
"Just wear it," Daeho and Ren said in unison, causing June to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Why were they so adamant about making him wear it?
"It was pretty expensive, big bro," Jangmoon said, his voice turning softer. June felt a pang inside his chest. Was Jangmoon actually sad about it?
"So, my mom paid for it," he continued. "My poor mom gave his 24-year-old son money because he didn't have any. Don't you pity her?"
June groaned in annoyance.
He did not just pull out the 'mother' card. Now, June had no choice but to wear the kitty bag.
He turned to the side to see what it looked like and groaned once more when he saw its small legs dangling with every little movement.
"Whatever," June sighed. It was for Jangmoon's mother.
With a final look in the mirror, June opened the curtains of their makeshift dressing room and left the tiny era.
He dusted off his clothes and made sure all buttons were in place. He also hiked up his socks so they weren't sagging on his ankles.
June could hear Lin Zhi's team performing in the background, but aside from that, the room was dead silent.
He frowned as he looked up, wondering why his teammates suddenly turned quiet when they were nothing but a group of rowdy kids just a while ago.
However, June took a step back out of surprise when he saw all of them looking at him with wide, sparkling eyes.
"What?" June asked, fixing the strap of the bags, causing the kittens' little legs to move once again.
"So cute!" Jangmoon squealed out loud that his voice even pierced through the wall and was heard by the teams next to them.
C-Jay jolted in surprise when he heard the sound. "Shit," he cursed. "Did a pig just get slaughtered?"
"Cute! Cute! Cute!" Jangmoon continued exclaiming as he shook June's shoulders.
"Let go!" June exclaimed, glaring at Jangmoon.
"Oh, gosh, this is bad," Jangmoon said. "You look like a cute little kid even when you're frowning. Your fans are going to have a heart attack. You're going to make my fans faint, too!"
"What fans?" Daeho asked from the side. However, Jangmoon chose to ignore him and continued fawning over June.
Casper stared at June with wonder, wanting to keep him in a cage so Luther would have a playmate.
However, he quickly snapped out of his thoughts since maybe, just maybe, that was pretty weird.
"Maybe our team might actually win," Ren added softly. It has been a long time since Ren had tasted victory, and he was more than excited.
As Ren looked back on his past, he couldn't help but think that all his victories since he became a trainee were attributed to Zeth.
Even during the monthly trainee evaluations in their company, Ren never had the chance to take first place when Zeth was his competitor. However, he was able to garner the most positive response when he performed with Zeth.
"We will," Casper said with conviction, fully believing in their team. "Team Adorbz all the way."
June groaned in annoyance. "I still hate our name, though."
"Hey!" Jangmoone exclaimed, offended. "Anyone who hates on our name is against peace. Are you against peace, big bro?"
"Shut up," June retorted.
"I think it'll be pretty difficult to win, though," Daeho suddenly said, causing his members to pay attention to him.
"Huh?" Casper asked.
"Look," Daeho said, pointing at the television. It was only then that they realized the loud screams coming from the fans.
However, that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Because center-screen was Lin Zhi, standing with a confident smirk and eyes filled with pride.
And the worst part about this?
He had his shirt off.
