"That's a wrap!" the director shouted once EVE's music video shoot came to an end.
After thirteen long hours of filming in a box-like studio with grand props, the shoot finally ended.
Fortunately, there weren't any casualties. However, by the end of it, the boys looked like literal zombies with their dark under eyes and fatigued figures. Nonetheless, their handsome faces still shone through.
However, again, one person stood out among all of them.
"Every time I see June, I get humbled," Zeth sighed, laying his head on the make-up artist's table.
"Yeah," Akira chimed. "I wonder if he was even hospitalized less than eight hours ago."
Sehun nodded in agreement. "I feel like the one who has been hospitalized instead."
June, still shining like the brightest star, looked at himself in the mirror. It was true that he still looked his best, but he certainly didn't feel his best.
There were so many things boggling his mind, and he honestly thought he wouldn't be able to concentrate on filming the music video with his current situation.
However, since they were going for a 'cold royalty' vibe, his nonchalant expression worked well with the music video.
Contrary to their debut, there wasn't any story line in this particular music video. It seemed like the company decided to go the more electronic route this time around, employing special effects to emphasize the grandiosity of the song.
"Do we have some time before filming the promotional videos?" Jaeyong asked, also feeling sleepy.
"About two hours," Jay unapologetically said. "We have to go to Stupefy's studio by 4 PM."
Jaeyong pursed his lips. "Alright, let's head home now then."
"Yeah," Jay nodded, glancing at June with a worried expression. "June needs some rest, too."
After saying their final greetings, the members finally left the studio to go back to their dorms and get a little bit of rest.
Some of the boys plopped down on their beds as soon as they arrived, not even bothering to take off their make-up.
On the other hand, Zeth still did his whole skincare routine and even put on a face mask before going to sleep.
However, June, still not feeling the need for sleep, decided to talk to someone whom he felt would answer some of the questions in his mind.
"Hello, Hana?" June greeted as the famous actress answered his call.
"June?" Hana asked, a bit breathless.
June's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you free to talk? Or are you busy?"
"It's fine," Hana responded, finally catching up to her breath. "I'm just training to audition for a historical fantasy drama. It's going to be a fusion drama, so I''m working hard to get the main role."
"Oh," June said.
"But we can talk," Hana quickly said. "I'm taking a break right now, so I have some time."
June sighed in relief. "Thanks," he said. "I'm sure you'll get the role if you keep working hard like this."
Hana chuckled, feeling flattered. "I'm looking forward to it then."
"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Hana asked.
June stayed silent for a moment.
"Can you tell me more about our life as trainees?" he settled with a general question. He didn't want to shock Hana by going straight to the point.
Hana chuckled in amusement. "Do you miss being a trainee? Please don't. It was a fun time because we were young people chasing our dreams, but it was also one of the darkest moments of our lives."
"Darkest," June muttered. "How do you say so?"
"Well, I've already told you the important aspects before. Some trainees would do anything to get to the top, even if it meant bringing other people down. Alex and Hyunwoo—those bastards. I'm glad that they're still in prison until now," she said with contempt.
June nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad too."
"Then, your parents died, and I had to leave because the company became increasingly shitty and I realized that being an actress was my actual dream," she concluded.
This was information that June already knew. He needed something more.
"Is there anything else?" June asked. "I recall you saying that there were three of us back then. However, you never told me anything about the third person in our friend group."
The other line stayed silent for a while as it seemed like Hana didn't know what to say.
"I just thought you didn't want to talk about him," Hana muttered after a while.
"You know? After everything that happened, I would guess you wouldn't want to talk about Haru."
"Haru," June whispered. "This is not Haruki, I presume?"
Hana chuckled. "I bet you became close with Haruki of CHAOS now, huh? You're even bringing him up when we're talking about another Haru."
"Good friends?" June scoffed. "As if. That guy hates me."
"He still does?" Hana asked, a bit worried. "I thought he would understand since it was also Haru's choice. However, it seems like he still hasn't forgiven you about it."
"I mean, I can't blame him. He did lose Haru—his twin brother," she revealed, causing June to feel another stabbing pain in his head.
June groaned as he held onto his head. He even bit onto his fist so he could control the sounds threatening to come out of his mouth.
"June? June? Are you alright?"
He could hear Hana's worried voice from the phone, but he couldn't concentrate on anything aside from the pain he was feeling and the visions that came along with it.
Glimpses of the past—of someone who looked like Haruki but appeared much kinder, helping him during his darkest times.
Then, his mind strayed to the familiar rooftop scene that had been haunting him for quite some time now.
The man finally turned around, and there he saw that it was Haruto. Without any warning, he jumped from the tall building before plummeting to the ground.
June didn't have the courage to speak or move. However, he felt the guilt of not being able to stop Haruto—his dear friend.
Without any warning, a tear fell down from June's eyes, and the pain in his head transferred to his chest. His mind didn't feel the pain, yet his body did.
These feelings must be Choi Joon-ho's.
Hearing Hana's voice, he braved the pain and held onto the phone before bringing it next to his ear.
"I'm fine," he shakily said, not wanting to worry Hana further.
"Are you sure?" Hana asked, obviously concerned. "I heard some sounds a while ago. You can tell me if anything happened."
"It's fine," June repeated, still holding onto his chest. "I just stubbed my toe," he bluffed.
Hana sighed in relief. "That must have hurt. You should be more careful."
"Yeah," June said.
"For a second, I thought you were in distress because we're talking about the past."
"No," June insisted. "Let's talk about it more. I need to know more."
Hana let out a deep breath, still a bit hesitant. However, with June's insistence, she caved in.
"I know it was a very traumatic time, especially with Phoenix's pressure on the two of you. You both had the longest training times, yet they kept you there like prisoners, giving you hope that you were going to debut."
"I left before it got even worse," Hana continued. "However, the two of you stayed, and although I don't know the full story of what happened, I heard some rumors that Phoenix had you do some dirty work in exchange for a debut spot in a boy group."
"But then again, these are just rumors. I knew you were a good person, but I also knew you were desperate to reach your dreams. In that way, I don't know what really happened."
"And Haru?" June asked. "What happened to Haru?"
Hana hesitated before speaking.
"I think we should stop talking about this, June."
"No. Tell me. I need to know. Please, Hana," he vulnerably said, leaving the latter with no choice.
"Before anything else, I just want you to know that it's not your fault."
"It's not your fault that Haru jumped off the building, June."
