Chapter 252 Fired and Fired Up
June stared into the janitor's asymmetrical, inquiring eyes. He was looking at him with raised eyebrows, looking very unwelcoming.
"Look, kid. I still have to clean the toilets. If you need anything, can you just tell me what it is?" he impatiently asked.
"You—you work here?" June stammered.
"Yes," the janitor sighed. "Just started today, and you're already making my job difficult to manage. What do you need?"
"Another janitor is working here," June said, hope still present in his heart. "Did he take a day off, perhaps?"
The lanky janitor frowned. "As far as I know, I'm the only one working here right now. Just replaced a bald guy a while ago."
June's ears perked up with the mention of a bald guy.
"What was his name again?" he asked, placing his hand under his chin. "It was a weird name. Clinton? Klint?"
"Mr. Klin," June whispered.
"Right—that man," the janitor exclaimed. "He made quite a scene a while ago, so the guards had to drag him away. I've never found a person who loves cleaning so much than him."
June was in denial. Without saying anything, he bypassed the new janitor and went to where the cameras were originally hidden.
June rummaged through the clutter, causing the new janitor to exclaim.
"Kid! Stop it. I just fixed that."
"The cameras," June said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Where did you place the cameras?"
"Cameras?" he frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about. This room was clean when I got here. Those guards took away Mr. Klin and his belongings."
"Shit," June muttered under his breath, causing the janitor to weirdly look at him.
"Well, are we done here?" he asked. "As I said, I still need to clean the toilets."
June stood there, looking at the now unfamiliar setup of the closet, and felt an ache inside his heart.
"What's your name?" June quietly asked.
The janitor sighed. "Will that make you leave my closet? If so, then my name is Dorothy," he said.
June frowned.
"I know," the janitor chuckled. "It sounds like a woman's name, and I resent my parents for that. That's why I don't go by that name. You can just call me Mr. Dorthy."
<nulli>Mr. Dorthy.
June shook his head.
<nulli>Mr. Klin was better.
"How about you?" the janitor asked. "What's your name, kid?"
"June," he said, still without any emotions.
Mr. Dorthy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "June, huh? Then it must be you. That bald guy actually left me with something."
June felt hope swell in his heart as he turned to Mr. Dorthy.
Mr. Dorthy reached for his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a crumpled note.
"That weird guy asked me to hand this to the trainee whose name was a month. I'm guessing that's you."
June unhesitatingly took the note from Mr. Dorthy.
"Well, I guess I'll be leaving," Mr. Dorthy said. "Those toilets wouldn't clean themselves. Just lock my closet, will you?"
June nodded, not even bothering to look at the new janitor as he opened the crumpled note.
<nulli>Dear June,
June smiled as he read the messy handwriting of the janitor. It hasn't been long since they've met, but it felt like they had been friends for a long time already.
As much as June tried to deny it, he had grown attached to the janitor who helped him during the most unexpected moments.
The smile on his face quickly dropped, however, as he continued reading the letter.
<nulli>If you're reading this right now, I must be long gone. I never thought I'd find myself penning this letter, but the janitor has to say goodbye. I arrived at work today and found my closet empty, and shortly after, they handed me a notice that I was fired. They didn't even give me a choice, June. They kicked me out mercilessly, just like that.
<nulli>I want to apologize to you, June because I couldn't keep the cameras and the footage of Lin Zhi's incident. It was my responsibility, and I failed you. You see, at first, I wasn't too fond of you.
June chuckled softly.
<nulli>I thought you were just another idol trainee passing through, but something changed along the way. I started to see the fire in your eyes, your dedication, and your spirit. I couldn't help but become your fan.
<nulli>So, as I write this with a heavy heart, I want to tell you to fly high, June. You've got all it takes to be an idol, and I'll be watching every step of the way, even if it's from a distance.
<nulli>I am a janitor through and through, and I'll continue to be one—no matter what life throws at me.
<nulli>So, you must be an idol—no matter what. Keep chasing your dreams because you have the talent and heart to make them come true.
<nulli>I'll miss the days when I taught you how to be cute…when you gifted me bleach…and how we accomplished missions like detectives. Those days will surely be missed, and never forgotten.
<nulli>Take care, my dear friend, and never forget the janitor who believed in you from the bottom of his heart.
<nulli>From my pink mop to your pink hair,
<nulli>Mr. Klin
June closed the letter with shaky hands. He had never expected a letter from the janitor to affect him so much, yet here he was.
June felt…sad. He suddenly remembered the people he had been with during the course of the competition.
June suddenly felt that he was not only carrying his mission with him.
He was carrying the dreams of plenty of others.
June had already come this far…and the people he met along the way all believed in him.
Minjun and Grandma.
Jangmoon.
The janitor.
Mei Ling.
June's journey to becoming an idol wasn't for him alone, and now, he was more determined than ever.
June clenched his fists, then stared at himself in the tiny mirror pasted on the wall of the janitor's closet.
He had one thought in his mind.
June will avenge these people.
