[Congratulations! You have completed the mission of eradicating your first sasaeng.]
[What a journey it has been. I will definitely miss it.]
June shook his head as Fu popped up before him.
"Crazy bastard," he muttered, a small smile forming on his lips with the thought of getting a new aspect added to his stats.
[You have collected an aspect: Stage Presence.]
[Stage Presence is the ability to command the stage with confidence, leaving a lasting impression on every eye and ear in the venue.]
[The host's current Stage Presence grade will be adopted.]
[Stage Presence: A-]
[Current Stats:
- Vocals: SS
- Dance: S-
- Visual: S-
- Rap: A+
- Leadership: A+
- Music Production: S-
- Acting: B-
- Stage Presence: A-]
June's eyebrows raised in surprise since he was expecting to start at a lower level. Nonetheless, he was happy that he actually had a satisfactory stage presence already.
June went out of his room and was met with the sight of his teammates.
"You were right!" Akira exclaimed. "Kim Sua has finally been detained."
June smirked as he rested his hand against the couch.
"What did I tell you?" he asked.
Jisung walked to where he was and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"I never doubted you—not even for a second," he smiled.
June merely smiled, feeling thankful for their youngest member.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but we have to go back to practicing now," Jaeyong said, shattering the celebratory atmosphere.
Akira groaned as he laid down on the couch. "Can't they make us rest for one day? Just one day, please? We've been through so much these days."
Jaeyong sighed and hoisted Akira up.
"As much as I want that to happen, you have to understand that the comeback date is near. We can't afford to lose any more time."
June nodded in agreement. "We are still yet to make a choreography for our B-side track. It seems like the company didn't push through with having it made by a choreography team."
"As expected," Sehun said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They really don't pay any mind to this song after we've produced it. It seems like their main focus is on the title track."
"That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though," Ren chimed. "I feel like we're finally given the freedom to incorporate our artistry into the album. It's only for one song, but it's better than nothing, right?"
"Yup," Jisung said. "Since you guys produced the song, I'll spearhead the choreography-making."
"Thanks, Ji," Jaeyong said, patting his back.
"Shall we go then?" the leader asked. "Tank is already waiting for us."
"Let's go."
***
The eight members of EVE finally arrived at their dance practice room, where they saw Tank and another familiar face.
Their eyes widened in surprise when they realized who it was.
"Gun?" they exclaimed in unison.
June, who was at the very back, halted when he looked into a pair of familiar eyes.
He was taken back to the time when these very eyes looked at him with scrutiny. Now, they were looking at him so warmly.
"It's been a long time," Gun said. "It's great seeing you all in good shape. I've been monitoring you guys since the show ended."
The guys finally snapped out of their surprise and excitedly went to their dance mentor. The others warmly greeted him, and Jisung and Akira even hugged him. However, June stayed at the back, not really knowing what to do.
"Were you the one who created the choreography for our title track?" Jisung excitedly said, almost bouncing on his feet.
Gun chuckled as he nodded.
"Yes. I had my team make the choreography for your guys' song. At first, I was a bit hesitant since the song wasn't to my liking. However, after the improvements, I could gladly say that it's going to be a great song. So, we also vamped up your performance."
"Sweet!" Zeth exclaimed. "Does it involve removing our shirts?"
Gun's eyebrows furrowed as Ren covered Zeth's mouth.
"Don't listen to him, Mentor," Ren said. "He's just in the wrong headspace."
Gun shook his head at the members' antics. It seemed like they were truly comfortable around each other, which was great for their team dynamics.
"Shall we start then?" Gun asked. "Tank will teach you the foundation of the choreography, and I'll be watching for important details."
The members nodded enthusiastically, switching to their professional modes.
Tank started teaching the members the choreography and the formations. He had a relatively easy time since EVE was a bunch of fast learners.
Tank always enjoyed working with EVE because, aside from them being nice, they were also very easy to teach. Moreover, they portrayed their choreography with a lot of artistry, making the teaching session even more satisfying.
As Tank continued teaching the boys, Gun stayed on the side, watching their every move.
Gun pursed his lips and glanced at June, feeling amazed by the idol's transformation.
The aura he had now was so different from the one he had back on the show.
At first, Gun was truly prejudiced against him because of the cat mask he wore. Moreover, it seemed like he didn't have any promising talent—especially in dancing.
Gun wasn't lying when he said he had been monitoring EVE since the day Rising Stars had ended. Even if he was too shy to admit it, he became a fan of the group he was once aloof to.
It was great seeing them transform from mere competitive trainees to competent idols.
However, as Gun continued observing June, he couldn't deny that the idol must have passed the stage of competence.
He was almost…complete.
June effortlessly followed the choreography, and although he was merely looking at himself in the mirror, it already seemed like he was performing in front of a real, live audience.
Gun would have never expected June to improve this much, especially with the state of his talent at the beginning of Rising Stars. Aside from singing, it really did seem like he didn't have any natural-born talent.
However, looking at him now, Gun was baffled.
Because it seemed like he was better at dancing than Gun himself.
"Is this what they call a monster idol?" he muttered.
