"So, what are we going to do now?" Jaeyong asked, courageously breaking the silence.
After the team and song selection, they now had the chance to talk about their performance. However, the tension between the two groups couldn't be denied. Aside from their blatant age and generation gap, the comment that June "made" during the first episode only rubbed salt to the wound. "Do you guys know this song?" Hanbin asked. Jisung excitedly nodded. "I performed this song during one of our monthly evaluations!" "The lyrics of the song also made me want to become an idol," Zeth added. "It described the dazzling life of an idol so well." "Yeah, I saw the song being performed on different shows. You guys were everywhere during that time," Akira said. A disgruntled look passed by Y's face, causing June to frown. However, Y reverted to his poker face in just a few seconds. "My mom also loves the song," Jisung chimed. "It's one of her favorite ones! It's when she started accepting my dream of becoming an idol because she saw how happy it would make me feel." Y's look intensified, and he pursed his lips. "Well, it looks like you guys know the song well enough," Y said.
Afterward, he stood up, causing the members of EVE to look at each other in confusion. "Let's cut this meeting short then. We apologize, but we're preparing for a grand comeback next month, so we don't have much time to practice," he added. Jaeyong subtly frowned as their senior idols stood. He glanced at the other teams and saw them still talking about their performances. CHAOS even appeared to be marking their formation already. "When are we going to practice then?" Jaeyong asked. Y brought a calling card from his wallet and showed it to the members of EVE. "This is my number," he prefaced. "We're going to record some songs tomorrow, so we won't be able to meet you until the day after. I'll contact you when we'll meet." Jaeyong pursed his lips and nodded. June was the closest to the calling card, so he tried to take it from Y. However, much to his surprise, Y pulled the card back and handed it to Jaeyong instead. "We'll get going then," Y nonchalantly said. However, one of their members, Chan, stayed back and smiled apologetically to the members of EVE. He seemed to be the friendliest out of all of them. "I apologize for their hostility," he said. "They're friendlier than you'd expect. It's just that—" Chan leaned closer to EVE and whispered, "Y's quite sensitive about his mom." "Chan," Y's voice pierced through their conversation. Chan stood at attention, quickly following his members. With that, SPADES left the studio.
For a moment, the members of EVE didn't say anything. "Well, he really hates us now," Akira remarked. ***
June stood outside the familiar gate and sighed. They should have been practicing for the performance today, but SPADES had different plans. It was a good thing the episodes were spaced two weeks apart. Otherwise, June wasn't sure if they'd be able to deliver a decent performance. He was about to ring the doorbell when he felt his phone vibrate.
June took his phone from his back pocket and smiled when he saw a new text message from Minjun. Little bro: Bro, look! *sent a photo* June: Your mom came? Little bro: Yeah! I thought she went back to the States, but she surprised me.
June: Are you happy? Little bro: Very! This is the first time my mom came to one of these. She says she's going next year, too. June: I'm glad then.
His smile couldn't be shaken off as he observed the picture Minjun sent. He had never seen Minjun smile so brightly before. Truly, there was a certain kind of happiness that could only be brought by your real family.
However, his smile slightly dropped when he saw an incoming text from an unknown member. His eyebrows furrowed, and he wondered if Akira really did paste his number in a random restroom like he told him so. Unknown: Is this June? June: Who's this? Unknown: It's Lena. Lena Kim.
June's frown deepened, wondering why Minjun's mom was contacting him. Then, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. She's not asking him to become Minjun's stepdad or anything like that, right? June: What do you need? Devil Mom: Tsk. How dare you speak like that to an older person? June: Just get to the point. Devil Mom: I just wanted to thank you. June sighed in relief since it wasn't what he expected. June: Alright. Devil Mom: Alright? That's it?
June: What? Do you want me jump in joy or something?
Devil Mom: You're so stubborn. I really don't get what my son sees in you. June: Well, he definitely sees me more than he sees you. June smirked since Lena hadn't responded for a good few moments. Devil Mom: And here I was, thinking I could do you a favor. June: Favor? Devil Mom: It's a payment—for making Minjun go back to his original self. June: I told you already—you don't have to pay me. I did it out of my own accord. Devil Mom: And I don't like being indebted to anyone. Don't think of it as payment. Just think of it as my debt to you. June: I don't want anything right now. Devil Mom: Then, save my number and tell me when there's anything you need. Consider yourself lucky that I'm even giving you this opportunity.
June shook his head in amusement after reading her last text. It seemed like Minjun actually got his snarkiness from his mother. "Are you going to stand there like an idiot, or are you coming in?" June lifted his head and saw the glamorous old woman leaning against her gate with a cup of tea in her hand. "I was about to ring the doorbell," June said. "Liar," Magic Mama smiled. "You've been standing here for a long time, texting on your phone with an amused smile. Did you finally get a girlfriend?" June's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly shook his head. "Not even close." Magic Mama chuckled. "You don't have to be so defensive about it." "I'm not," June denied once again, feeling repulsed by the idea of getting together with Lena. "Fine," Magic Mama said, although it appeared like she was going to continue teasing June about it in the future. "Come on in, then. I have plenty of lessons to teach you today."
