Chapter 413 Abolish Unity
Truth be told, the members of SPADES really weren't expecting a lot. However, as June opened his mouth to rap, their prejudices were thrown into oblivion. "Haters talkin', but it's just engagement,
I turn their hate into fuel; yeah, that's my arrangement.
Money talks and I speak that language,
Stayin' icy while they're stuck in anguish." June rapped the verse with his own style, the words crystal clear despite the fast tempo. Jaeyong and Zeth looked at each other in surprise. It had been a while since they heard June rap, too; and it seemed like he had gotten even better. "He's better than me now," Casper muttered. Meanwhile, the members of SPADES stood there dumbfounded. "Why are you the main vocalist when you can rap like this?" Chan asked. June nonchalantly shrugged. "I like singing better." "When did you start learning how to rap?" Hanbin asked. "During Rising Stars," June casually responded. "I had to perform a rap song in a group of non-rappers, so I was basically forced to take the main rapper position." Hanbin pursed his lips after June's response. "Life's not fair," he whispered, thinking about his failed attempts at learning how to rap after their rappers left for the military. "So, it's settled then?" Casper clapped, capturing their attention. "June's going to be the main rapper." They all turned to Y, whose face was still unreadable. Y smiled in amusement before nodding. "Yeah, June suits it well. It's almost unbelievable how good you are at rapping when you're the main vocalist." "Tell me about it," Eric said. "You're the first idol after Haruki to make me feel this way." Zeth pursed his lips. "June is amazing, though," he said. "I was sure I was better than him during Rising Stars, but he improved in such a short amount of time. Sometimes I wonder what his limits are." June chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's stop talking about me. Let's start practicing. The performance is in six days," he said. "June's right," Y said. "Get to your positions."
The twelve idols went to their positions and waited for the beat to play. As the exciting music resounded in the studio, they found themselves getting immersed in the song. And now that the atmosphere was much better, it couldn't be denied that the chemistry between the two teams had drastically improved. "Prime, prime, prime. This is my prime, prime, prime. Won't accept mediocrity, I'll settle for sublime." June smirked as he watched their synchronized movements. This was definitely the most exciting song he had performed. It was a song that was directed to people who weren't fond of idols, so it had to be sung with an underlying boastfulness. Thankfully, boasting was something June was good at. He went to the front for his part and sang his lines perfectly. Akira watched him and shook his head. June was in his element once again. The song continued without any errors, and by the end of the last dance break, they were all breathless. June, however, was pretty calm. It seemed like the stability lesson with Magic Mama had paid off. Moreover, he didn't actually sing in the song, so it didn't tire him out as much as the other members. "Let's take a break," Hanbin heaved. "My 32-year-old self can't handle this song anymore." The room burst into laughter after Hanbin's joke, finding it ridiculous that he was making fun of his age. They drank water and ate some light snacks while catching their breaths. Meanwhile, Y, Jaeyong, and June monitored their performance on the tablet they filmed their performance with. June frowned as he watched the performance. He enjoyed the practice a bit too much that he didn't even realize the flaws of their stage. Y and Jaeyong, too, had ambiguous facial expressions. "I feel like there's something wrong," Jaeyong muttered. "Right," Y said, his gaze focused on the screen. "I just can't seem to point it out." "Guys," Jaeyong said, calling the other members. He propped the tablet on the table as the members of EVE and SPADES gathered around. "Y and I think there's something wrong with the performance," Jaeyong started off. "Hmm?" Hanbin hummed in confusion. "I thought it was pretty good." "That's what I thought so, too," Y said. "But there's something strange about it." Y played the video to give the others an opportunity to monitor their performance, too. They watched silently as the video played. June paid more attention this time around, finally coming to a conclusion after watching it for the second time. "You're right," Chan said, a frown on his face. "There is something wrong…" "It doesn't feel as exciting as I anticipated," Sehun added. "We're separated," June finally said, making the other members turn to him. "Separated?" Y asked. "Like the problem you said we had during our first practice?" June nodded.
"But we've gotten closer this time around," Chan protested. "We've been working hard to improve our chemistry."
June nodded thoughtfully, "I see that, but it's not enough to bridge the gap. We guys just haven't worked together long enough. And this concept is all about boasting about our achievements, but it's getting dampened because of the lack of unity. We look coordinated and synchronized, but we're too big of a group during the choruses. It feels like the members at the back are nothing more than backup dancers."
"We're only twelve, though," Jaeyong chimed. "Other groups have thirteen members. Heck, one group has more than twenty members now because of their infinite concept!" "Yeah, but that group with thirteen members has been practicing together for a long time. Meanwhile, the latter group you've mentioned is actually divided into subgroups, which makes it easier for them during performances." "That's not our only problem," June continued, walking between the two groups. "The transitions, especially from the vocals to the rap, are too separated. The flow isn't seamless. It's like there's a gap that needs to be filled." "So, let's fill the gap," Y said. "Let's practice more so we can show off our unity." "Or…" June smirked, turning to all of them, "...we could forget about unity." Hanbin frowned. "Forget about unity? But we're one group now—even if we're from two separate groups." June smiled, leaning against the mirror. "What's better than a battle?" he suddenly asked, making the others confused. Then, he answered his own question. "A battle within a battle."
