?Ted couldn't believe the audacity of the rookie idol who was staring straight into his eyes.
He had been alive for 29 years and had been a producer for 9 of those years, and the last time he was challenged like this was during the first years of his career.
He had garnered awards left and right.
However, looking into this rookie's eyes, it felt like June thought of him like they were equals—and he didn't like that.
He was aware of the issues he was facing—with his songs sounding repetitive and all that.
However, he was determined to resuscitate his career.
Ted wanted to try over and over again...
...and he didn't care who he has to sacrifice to get there.
June, on the other hand, was staring at the white eye crusties on Ted's right eye.
He wondered if he was the only person who saw it.
It was so large that June wondered if it was humanly possible to create such huge eye crusties in such a short amount of time.
It didn't look like something that an eye produced—but something more like a boil?
June wanted to wipe it off but was also disgusted to do so.
June quickly looked away after a couple of seconds, causing Ted to smirk.
"This is not a matter to joke about," Ted said, his head held up high.
"I'm not joking," June said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Ted's smile quickly dropped. He was about to say something more when the other members of EVE interrupted him.
"I think it would be nice if it didn't sound too noisy," Jisung shyly but savagely suggested.
"The drop is a bit underwhelming," Jaeyong added.
"The chorus is repetitive too," Akira chimed.
Ted's face reddened in embarrassment while Mari pursed her lips in disappointment. Even if she was open to constructive criticism, she also felt disappointed that none of them seemed to like the song that she participated in writing.
Truth be told, Mari was a huge fan of EVE. They were a talented bunch, and she wanted to write a song for them since she felt like they would do it justice.
She was a fan of one particular person. He had the talent to embody a song in ways one didn't think would be possible.
However, it also seemed like the member she liked was the most hostile toward the song they produced.
Ted sighed as the others continued to comment on the song.
"It's final," he said in a resolute voice. "This album will be spearheaded by me and Mari. You can tell us your suggestions, but we're not obligated to use them. We have years of experience in the industry, while you just debuted only three months ago."
"Now, let me ask—what do you know about creating hits in the industry?" Ted asked.
June pursed his lips in frustration as Ted continued to be stubborn.
He knew more about the K-pop industry than the average person. Being the brother of the biggest fangirl in the entire world had its perks—and this was one of them.
June had heard plenty of K-pop songs in his life, witnessed plenty of dramas in the industry, and even became a part of such dramas in his current body.
He was confident about his knowledge of trends.
The song Ted created will only create bad noise and potentially tarnish EVE's career once it gets released.
As June glanced at the stubborn producer, he knew that he wouldn't be able to change his mind.
But…someone else could.
June turned his gaze toward Mari, and much to his surprise, she was staring straight at him, too.
Their eyes met, and June silently pleaded with her for a chance to create a song their group could proudly call theirs.
However, seconds passed, and June saw a shift in Mari's eyes.
He tilted his head to the side in confusion when her gaze suddenly turned loving.
Then, his eyes widened when he realized what was happening.
[WhimsiLust effect: 2]
[Time of eye contact: 30 seconds]
[Remaining duration for effectivity: 19 hours]
June's eyes widened when Fu appeared before him. He didn't even stare at her that long, so how could it be activated?
He quickly went through his interface and clicked on the potions.
[WhimsiLust Potion: Active]
There, he saw a hidden portion at the very bottom. June frowned and scrolled until he reached the hidden clause.
[Seconds of eye contact needed for activation will decrease by half after every affected person]
'Why the heck would you hide this clause from me?' June scolded Fu in his mind.
[...]
June sighed before massaging his temples.
"Are you alright?" Jisung asked when he noticed June's frustrations.
June pursed his lips before nodding. Fu will be the death of him one of these days.
June lifted his head to look at Mari once more and saw her in the same state. She looked at him like she was infatuated—
similar to Arin.
However, he was suddenly struck with a bright idea after seeing Mari's disposition.
This might be their chance to finally get their voices heard.
June continued to look into Mari's eyes, silently communicating his desires to the older woman. She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. However, Mari couldn't resist the look June was giving her.
Jisung raised his hand since he also didn't want to settle for the song that Ted had made.
"Our group also has a lot of good producers and lyric-makers," he proudly said.
"Ren's mentor is a very famous producer, while June has been praised by plenty of great producers since our time on Rising Stars. If you didn't know, he also produced the bridge of our song in Oasis," Jisung continued.
"And like I said, everything is final—," Ted said, but was cut off by an unexpected person.
"What if we let them produce something?" Mari suddenly asked, surprising Ted and the members of EVE.
June, on the other hand, pursed his lips and breathed deeply to hide his happiness.
"What?" Ted asked in disbelief after hearing Mari's statement.
"Let's have the boys create something for their album. Who knows? They might make a better title track than us."
