?"Arrow hearts! Do arrow hearts, please!" one of the reporters exclaimed as June arrived in front of the photo wall.
He pursed his lips and hesitated for a few seconds.
It was now the press conference for 'Hate To Love You', and reporters, drama enthusiasts, and K-pop fans gathered for the big event.
The small conference hall was filled to the brim, and June was greeted with the loudest screams of the night.
His fellow actors turned to each other, pleasantly surprised by the idol's popularity.
"An idol's popularity is really different," Arin muttered, admiring June from afar.
Meanwhile, June was still having a dilemma. Since the aegyo clip from the latest special episode of King of Kings' was aired, June's fans made it a mission to make him suffer by making a meme out of his cute acts.
It became an inside joke between June's fans at first, but then it became a huge thing within the fandom.
Then, before June knew it, K-pop fans who didn't even stan their group were already using the gif version in various online circumstances.
In short, June couldn't escape the aegyo.
He pursed his lips and internally sighed before pointing at the camera and shooting two small hearts.
The cameramen and reporters smiled in satisfaction while the lucky fans who were able to secure tickets broke into cheers, gushing at the cuteness of the blonde idol.
Afterward, Director Nana came in, looking more sophisticated than ever.
June was finally able to take a seat with his co-stars, with Arin right next to him.
Arin had the urge to reach out and hold his hand, but she held herself back since she knew June wouldn't be comfortable. Plus, there were plenty of cameras around, and the last thing she wanted was to stir unnecessary controversy.
The other producers came in with Director Nana, and as they sat down on the left part of the stage, the onlookers began to settle down.
Director Nana took the microphone from the small table to greet everyone in the room.
"Good morning, everyone!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much for coming to this press conference. I honestly didn't expect a full house for such a short drama, but here we are."
At that moment, the camera focused on June, causing another frenzy in the room.
The producers and the other actors were surprised. However, as they glanced at the screen behind them, they realized what the commotion was all about.
June, who was blankly sipping his water with a straw, appeared cute on the screen.
The people watching the live stream in the comfort of their own homes also couldn't help but comment on his cute look.
- Ah! I want to devour him.
- Look at his cheekies.
- So cute! I want to put him in my pocket.
- Someone makes a compilation of June with cute cheeks.
- I can't believe we're talking about a grown man like this.
"This project had a lot of setbacks, so I thought it would be aired later in the year. Thankfully, we turned the flow of the production around and are able to release it on time. I'm already excited for all of you to see it!" Director Nana said.
With her statement, it was now time for the reporters and fans to ask questions about the drama.
"You," Director Nana pointed to a reporter with an orange beanie and black glasses.
The reporter bowed in gratitude before speaking into the microphone.
"We know that you're the queen of webtoon adaptations. What made you decide to take on this particular project?" he asked.
One of the producers answered.
"It was a collective decision by the sponsors, the production team, and Director Nana. Hate To Love You has always been popular, especially with the younger generation of teens. It's light, sweet, and offers a refreshing change from the dark dramas that are currently airing," he started off.
"Although we only have four episodes, the series aims to give these teens a taste of what a first love feels like—and along with that is the bitterness of life," he ended.
June nodded, still appearing a bit absent-minded.
In reality, he only had a couple hours of sleep because EVE was busy preparing for their last performance on King of Kings. His members insisted he slept earlier since he had a schedule the next day, but June couldn't do that.
It was their last stage—the last chance for them to catch up to CHAOS and capture the throne.
Aside from that, June's thoughts were preoccupied with the production of their title track. Although Jay told them they should focus on King of Kings first, June still couldn't shake it off his mind. Up until now, he didn't know what type of song to produce.
June was once again shown on screen, still with that absent-
minded look.
However, at that moment, the people watching didn't receive it well.
- Is it just me, or does June look pretty tired?
- If he's going to slack off, then he shouldn't have come to the press conference.
- This is why idols shouldn't be actors. He looks like he doesn't want to be there at all.
- Why is everyone switching up suddenly? June's working hard on King of Kings and this project. I'd like to see you try having that schedule.
- June shouldn't have taken it then. It should have been a real actor.
- He's only given this role because he's an idol.
The actors, oblivious to the discourse going online, kept answering their questions without a worry in the world.
Arin had just finished answering a question regarding the drama being her big break, so Nana called another reporter to ask a question.
She looked at their raised hands before pointing to a guy who had dark sunglasses and an army green hat. He was pretty short and thin, so it appeared like his huge camera swallowed his figure. From their view, he seemed like an innocent reporter.
"This question's for June," he said, making June snap out of his thoughts.
He paid greater attention to the reporter since this was his first solo question of the night.
The seemingly innocent reporter stayed silent for a moment, building anticipation for June's first question.
"The original actor chosen auditioned for the role of Jin, and he rightfully got it with his own skill," he started off.
The reporter's tone shifted as he said those words, so June already felt like something was wrong.
"However, you got accepted in the production without any struggle. You didn't even audition despite this being your first acting piece."
"Now," the reporter smirked.
"How do you feel about that?"
