Commotion was heard in the venue, even halting the mentors' walk.
They exchanged confused glances at each other.
"What was that?" Ji-hyun asked, looking around.
Gun scratched the back of his head. "Did somebody get injured or something?"
Meanwhile, inside the set, the girls couldn't help but speculate about the identity of Azure Entertainment's trainee. As far as they knew, Azure never trained any trainees as they were more focused on subjecting trainees from other companies to a survival show so they could manage the group on their own.
"When did Azure start having trainees? And why did they think it was a good idea to let them join?"
"Yeah, isn't this going to be rigged then? This means that she already has a spot in the debut team."
"This season is already so crazy. I can sense the ratings shooting straight through the roof."
"Ah, I hate this girl already."
"I advise you to spit out your gum, Miss," the staff said as he looked at the nonchalant girl.
Unlike the other contestants, she was wearing very simple clothes, almost as if she had just come to watch the show and not to participate in it.
"Oh, sorry," she said in a soft voice before swallowing the gum that she had been chewing.
The staff's eyebrows raised in surprise, causing the trainee to mirror his expression.
"Did you just—"
"Don't worry," the trainee quickly disclaimed. "That was a chewy candy. I don't like gum that much."
He let out a sigh before shaking his head. He couldn't believe that Azure took in a trainee at the very last minute and branded her as their own personal trainee!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Well," he muttered as he gazed at her side profile. "She is very pretty. She also resembles someone a lot...but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Just then, he received a cue, so he patted the pretty trainee's shoulder and signaled for her to walk in.
She nodded and made her way inside. Again, she seemed pretty calm about this, not knowing the chaos that was already happening inside the set.
She took cautious steps, but there was still an underlying nonchalance in her demeanor.
Then, she finally saw the light, so she followed it until it led her to the set.
The trainees inside the room didn't know what they were expecting, but it suddenly wasn't this.
Standing before them was a girl, a bit taller than average, and wearing very simple clothes—blue jeans and a white shirt. She was also wearing a plain black jacket that covered the name and her anticipated rank that was stuck on her abdomen.
Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail—the one that girls do after their P.E. class just ended. Moreover, her make-up was quite plain, with her lips and eyes being the main point.
What couldn't be denied, however, was her pretty face.
Despite her simple styling, everyone could still see her beauty shining through.
Jeemin gazed at the new trainee and couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. This was the girl who bumped into her this morning!
The new girl's eyes wandered around the room until it landed on the empty seat beside Jeemin.
She started walking, passing by the other trainees without a care in the world. Meanwhile, the others gazed at her as she walked by, finding her even more beautiful up close.
"I still hate her, though."
"The fact that she's from Azure is already the worst."
"Yeah, an Azure trainee in an Azure show? It's a sure debut."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Meanwhile, Jeemin smiled at her, doing her best to secure more screen time on the show. However, the new girl didn't notice this and continued looking at the front, still amazed by the grandiosity of the set.
Jeemin pursed her lips and let out a deep breath before turning away from her.
"Patience," she muttered. "Patience."
***
"Mentors, get ready!" Yena exclaimed from backstage, watching as the mentors lined up one by one.
Amira was already there, and when she saw June, she felt her cheeks heating up. It had been a while since she last saw him, and he had gotten even more handsome since the last time they met.
Meanwhile, Lee Sik patted June's back.
"We're on another program together," Lee Sik said.
June nodded. "It's nice working with you again, Master."
Gun and Ji-hyun nodded at their fellow mentors.
"Alright, Amira will go in first, and she will introduce all the other mentors," Yejin said.
Amira nodded in agreement. Then, Yena looked toward June's way.
"You're going to be the last one to enter," she said.
June's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Why is that?" June asked. "Master Lee Sik should go in last. He's the most senior out of all of us."
"Ey," Lee Sik said. "I'm not that old. Besides, I don't want to go in last too. You're the face of the show! I'm sure the trainees are also anticipating your arrival."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The other mentors gave him a thumbs up, causing him to sigh in defeat.
"Let's just get this over with," he muttered.
The girls were still busy talking among themselves. However, their conversation was cut short when the music intensified, some of them jumping in their seats.
"Goodness," Mina said, placing her hand over her heart.
Then, the LED screen started to rise, causing the girls to exclaim in excitement. All of them had already seen the teaser with June, so they were expecting him to be the MC of the show—similar to what Minho did last season.
However, instead of muscular legs, a thin yet curvy silhouette greeted them instead.
At first, they were disappointed since it wasn't June. However, they still cheered when they saw that it was the very beautiful Amira.
"Good morning, everyone," Amira greeted with a professional smile, making the girls cheer even louder.
"It's nice to see such beautiful faces in the morning," she started off.
"You're even more beautiful!" a trainee shouted from the seats, causing chuckles to erupt in the venue.
Amira bowed in gratitude. "I am flattered."
Then, she suddenly turned serious.
"However, this isn't a place for only pretty faces. This is a place meant for talented people."
The girls halted their laughter as soon as Amira said those words.
Then, Amira smiled once again.
"But don't fret. We don't expect you to be proficient trainees right from the very start. What's more important is your determination and improvement throughout the show."
"Of course, we are also not expecting you to do this alone...which is why I am here to introduce you to the mentors of this year's Rising Stars."
"Mentors, please come out!"
