248 Going Down
June grasped on the flash drive tightly. Since his phone was now gone, Mr. Klin took the liberty to transfer the needed videos to the flash drive, with the original copies of the videos remaining in the janitor's closet.
<nullb>Five days.
There were five days left until the finale.
And with their practices still going on, June had no choice but to accomplish this particular mission at night after their practices.
Thankfully, their practices were going smoothly since most of the trainees in the top 20 were already talented. C-Jay, too, didn't seem to be having a hard time keeping up with their choreography.
"Alright, in this section, we'll be embodying fire," June said, leading the team. "So, we're going to incorporate some rock elements into the song. The movements during the bridge are actually perfect for this part, but it still needs some tweaking."
"Anthony," June said. "Do you want to be in charge of this part?"
Anthony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "This is the very first time someone had asked me that."
June frowned. "What do you mean?"
Anthony shrugged. "Nothing much. Just, in the past teams I've been in, the leaders usually just assigned the roles. I was never asked what I wanted to do."
"Well, do you want to do this one?" June asked.
"Sure," Anthony chimed. "Can Bin help me do it?"
"Yes," June said. "Then, teach us later after lunch."
"In the meantime, do you think you can prepare this part, Jinsol? You've dabbled in ballet, so I think you're suited to become the center during this part," June suggested.
Jinsol's eyes widened. "Center? But you're the center, bro."
June sighed, then clapped, capturing the other's attention.
"Look," he said. "You might have given me the center position, but that doesn't mean I have to be at the center at all times. We're a team," he said.
"And besides, it's the final performance. We want everyone to shine on the stage that, quite possibly, will be the last time we'll be performing together. So, instead of a singular center, we should all take turns being the center instead."
"This is OUR stage; not mine alone," June nonchalantly said. "And we'll make this last stage memorable."
In reality, June just didn't want to take full responsibility for becoming the center. He already had a lot on his plate—with Lin Zhi's situation and all.
However, his teammates were touched by his words, and before he even knew it, he was attacked by none other than C-Jay, rubbing his head on June's shoulder like a cat in heat.
"What the heck?" June exclaimed, pushing him away.
"We'll do our best, bro!"
***
June closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head against the wall. He was damn tired and wanted nothing but sleep, but he still had another objective to fulfill.
With the help of Mr. Klin's janitor pass, June was able to enter the headquarters.
He went straight to the person he knew inside the office.
June didn't bother knocking and just entered her room.
Cindy jolted in shock when June entered her room.
"What are you doing here?" Cindy asked, placing her hand in front of her chest.
"I wanted to see you," June teased, causing Cindy to glare at him. However, it couldn't be denied that the young trainee was very charming.
<nulli>There was no wonder Jia liked him so much.
"You shouldn't be here, you know?" Cindy said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "How'd you even get here?"
"That's not important," June said. "I need to see Yena and Yejin."
Cindy's frown deepened. "The main producers of this show? They're very hard to meet, even as the head editor of this show."
"There's something I need to bring up," June said, bringing out the flash drive from his pocket. "It's about Lin Zhi."
"The trainee who's in 5th place right now?" Cindy asked. "Jia hates that guy."
June smirked, a small chuckle coming out from his lips. "And rightfully so."
"Why? Is there a problem with him?" she asked.
"Long story short," June said. "There is some foul play going on behind the scenes. Lin Zhi employed a professional's help during the Production Mission, and there's also an issue with his present rank, but I don't have any proof of that just yet."
"What?" Cindy exclaimed with wide eyes. "H—how did that happen?"
Cindy was about to question the genuineness of his accusation, but she remembered the last time she questioned June...
In the end, Cindy decided to believe in him.
"Lin Zhi has people behind him," June vaguely said. "And it's unfair for the other trainees if he gets to stay despite these anomalies."
"Well, how can I help? I don't have much say on the trainees' eliminations and disqualifications. I also can't evil-edit him right now since the final episode will be live," Cindy said.
"I'm aware," June said. "I just need to talk to Yena and Yejin and show them my proof."
Cindy sighed. "Their office is located in the opposite wing. I cannot assure you that they'll be there since everything is so hectic with the finale coming up."
"Thanks," June said before quickly leaving the room.
With a determined look on his face, he walked toward the opposite wing of the building.
It was already late at night, so there weren't a lot of employees around. However, the people who were still there halted when they felt someone walk by.
An intern turned to the side to see if someone truly did pass by. But there was no one there aside from his other co-worker.
A chill ran through his spine, goosebumps arising from his skin.
<nulli>'A pink ghost?'
Meanwhile, June had already arrived in front of Yena and Yejin's office. Similar to Cindy's, their room was definitely on the fancier side.
It seemed like Azure took care of their employees well despite being shitty at times.
With a determined look in his eyes, June knocked on the door, the flash drive tightly gripped in his other hand.
He waited for a while. However, nobody responded.
So, without any hesitation, he placed his hand on the door handle, turning it until the door creaked.
Then, he saw a figure sitting in the corner of the room, illuminated only by a weak office lamp.
June smirked as he played with the flash drive in his hand, walking discretely toward that person.
<nulli>Lin Zhi was going down.
