"Oh, are you June's friends?" Mr. Chang, the owner of the convenience store, exclaimed when he saw five young adults standing in front of the door.
"Yes, mister!" Jangmoon chimed.
"Such a handsome bunch you are. I think I saw you on Rising Stars," Mr. Chang exclaimed. "'What brings you here?"
C-Jay nudged Jisung's shoulder.
Jisung cleared his throat and shyly smiled before taking a step forward. "I saw Brother June's name tag scattered on the floor in our room, and it led to this convenience store. June did mention that he worked during our break, so I thought we'd be able to find him here."
June massaged the bridge of his nose.
"And why exactly are you all here?" June asked, looking at the five men one-by-one.
Akira, C-Jay, Jangmoon, Jisung, and Minx stood there with sheepish smiles.
"We aren't even complete," Jangmoon said. "Hoon didn't want to go. Bin and Eli wanted to spend time with their friends and families. It's a good thing Jisung told us about where you work! We wanted to give you a surprise visit."
"I mean, why are you really here?" June impatiently asked. "You could have spent this day with your families too."
"We wanted to watch the second episode with you!" Minx said.
June sighed. "Watch it in Jisung's house. I'm not going with you," he said, taking the box of BenBen gummies from Mr. Chang's arms and taking a step forward.
"But we came all the way here," Akira said, standing in front of him and covering his path. "Let's watch it together, brother!"
"No," June deadpanned.
"Oh, come on," Mr. Chang said. "Don't be so harsh to your friends, June. Here," he said, placing some chips on top of the BenBen gummies before handing some drinks to Akira. "Eat this with your friends while watching Rising Stars. Consider it as a gift from this old man right here. Just don't forget me when you all become famous. "
"Aww, thanks, mister! Don't worry. I'll give you an autograph once that happens," C-Jay chimed. "Now come, June," he wrapped his arms around June. "Let's go to your house."
June sighed in frustration.
They walked to June's apartment, and the group of young men couldn't be more excited.
"They're going to air the signal song performances today, right?" C-Jay asked.
Jangmoon nodded. "Yup! I saw it in the teasers this morning. My mom even woke me up because my face was shown. I can't wait for you guys to see how we became the winners," he boasted to the non-zero-star trainees.
"I'm excited about that, too," Jisung smiled.
"By the way, what are these, brother?" Jangmoon asked, pertaining to the box of gummies June was currently holding.
"BenBen gummies," June nonchalantly said.
"BenBen gummies?" Minx asked. "The one that makes you grow taller?"
June nodded.
Akira chuckled. "I saw you eating a pack of those during our practices. You were so absentminded back then that you finished 20 gummies in one sitting."
"Aww, do you want to become taller, brother?" C-Jay asked. "Don't worry. You're cute like this."
"I'm taller than you," June said. He was a whole 5 cm taller than this dude!
"It doesn't matter," C-Jay said. "My personality makes up for my lack of height. But if you want to grow taller, ask Jangmoon over here," he said, patting the giant's back.
Jangmoon shyly smiled in all his 187 cm of glory. "I was born like this."
June scowled. He was tall when he was Jun Hao, too. But now, he was barely over 175 cm.
"BenBen gummies aren't effective," Minx said, standing at 178 cm at 16 years old. "Trust me, brother. I've tried."
June didn't care.
BenBen gummies were delicious.
They arrived in front of June's apartment, and the five men stopped when they saw the condition of the building. It was a three-story building with graffiti written all over the walls. The paint was chipping off and was stained with smoke. Some of the windows were cracked, and the posts seemed to be in bad condition. There were also a bunch of rebel-looking teens in the corner smoking some type of weed. In short, it looked horrendous.
June kept walking but halted when he didn't feel their presence behind him. He turned around and saw the five of them looking at the building with wide eyes.
"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going inside?" he asked.
Jangmoon approached him with pitiful eyes.
"You live in such a place, brother?"
"Yes," June said, confused why they were acting that way.
"Now, come inside before I change my mind," he added.
The five of them reluctantly followed June to his apartment. Once they got inside, they felt even sadder for June.
'This looks like a birdcage,' Jisung thought. He looked at June, who was wearing a black mask, and couldn't help but feel bad for him. 'Is this the kind of life that June had been living?'
Akira, too, felt a sense of guilt. He was ranting to June about Rising Stars being his "final chance," but he never lived a life like this. His dog lives better than June! This must be the reason why he wants to debut as an idol, right?
C-Jay and Jangmoon looked at each other with knowing, teary eyes. They never expected their brother to live like this.
'Poor big brother,' Jangmoon thought.
'I admire him even more,' C-Jay pondered.
Minx, too, felt a newfound respect for June. For all he knows, he could never live like this!
On the other hand, June was oblivious to their melancholic stares. Instead, he felt happy because he got a new box of BenBen gummies. He placed it in the corner of the room, his eyes crinkling in delight.
That seemed to make C-Jay and Jangmoon even more emotional.
'He's so thankful even with the small things in life!'
June turned back to the five of them, confused since they looked at him with wide, consoling eyes.
"What?" June asked.
"Nothing," Akira said, a small smile on his lips. "It's almost time for the show. Shall we tune in?"
