The girls immediately cheered. It felt like they had barely caught their breaths when Gun strode in with confidence. The girls immediately cheered while Gun bowed in gratitude.
Ji-hyun chuckled as she heard the trainees warmly welcome Gun from backstage.
"He's being welcomed differently compared to last year," she remarked.
June nodded in agreement. "We were also amazed by his presence last year, but we were also somewhat afraid. It seems like his reputation as a cold mentor in the past season overwhelmed us."
Lee Sik's eyebrows raised in surprise. "He doesn't seem cold at all, though. Did something happen?"
Ji-hyun chuckled once more. "Yeah—June happened. After the last season of Rising Stars ended, Gun made a pact to change his ways. He didn't treat June well during the first few episodes and labeled him as an untalented trainee with no hopes of rising in the ranks. However, June proved him wrong."
June's eyebrows raised in surprise. He was aware that Gun wasn't fond of him when he was a trainee, but he didn't know that it was to that extent.
"Yeah, June changed his mind," Bone chimed. "He's become kinder since then. He's also become more relaxed on social media, and I think the girls are aware of the change."
With that, their conversation came to an end. However, June couldn't shake off the tingly feeling in his chest. He wasn't aware that he could influence other people to be...kinder.
Strange.
"And now, for our vocal mentors!" Amira announced.
Lee Sik respectfully held out his hand for Ji-hyun, and the latter gently placed her hand on top of it. Then, they walked to the entrance, where they waited for it to open.
Jeemin clasped her hands in front of her chest as she waited for the vocal mentors to enter. As a self-proclaimed all-rounder with a specialty in vocals, she was looking forward to meeting the vocal mentors the most.
When the LED screen opened, she wasn't disappointed at all.
Ji-hyun and Lee Sik, two industry veterans whose mere presence commanded respect, greeted them with wide smiles.
Their years of experience and wisdom were evident in every move they made, and the trainees couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by their presence. How could they, a group of fresh-faced rookies, ever hope to measure up to such seasoned professionals?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Lee Sik? Even Lee Sik is in this season?"
"How could I sing in front of them now?"
"Don't be fooled by Mentor Ji-hyun's smile. It's very pretty, but she's also very lethal."
"Goodness. I'm palpitating."
The girl next to Jeemin also smiled as she gazed at Lee Sik, one of her idols when it came to singing. She religiously watched 'Disguise Surprise Singer' when he was the reigning champion, and her admiration increased a thousand-fold since then.
Up to this day, she still felt upset that someone unimportant beat her favorite singer.
The venue was overflowing with energy as they stared at the big stars ahead of them.
However, the surprises didn't end there.
As the trainees caught their breaths, another mentor made his entrance—Bone, known for his kindness and expertise in rap. His warm smile and gentle demeanor instantly put the trainees at ease, and they welcomed him with open arms.
"I missed him! He was so kind during Rising Stars."
"I can't wait to learn more from them."
"They couldn't have chosen a better rap mentor."
"The rap mentor is mentioned last, right? So, Bone is the last one to be called?"
"Is that it?"
"No one else is coming now?"
"I think so. They seem complete."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Amira once again took centerstage, smiling as she read her cue card.
She pretended that Bone was last to be called, teasing the trainees with the idea that the lineup was already complete.
However, they were in for a pleasant surprise.
June and Amira had schemed this plan right before Amira entered, so she waited for June to make a surprise entrance for the trainees.
However, as she continued stalling, she found that June was taking longer than necessary.
Meanwhile, backstage, June was about to walk in when he saw a notification from Fu suddenly appear.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at the screen before him.
"Really?" June whispered. "You decided to show up now?"
[Congratulations, you've stepped on a lucky mission!]
[The title of the mission is: Show Off! You Deserve It.]
[As a multi-talented artist, you can beat everyone with your talents. However, the host doesn't like flaunting that much (Fu is disappointed). This mission is designed to flaunt the host's talents.]
[Boast in front of the trainees! The more they feel humbled, the better!]
[Increase one skill after the accomplishment of this mission.]
[Deadline: 8 hours]
June massaged the bridge of his nose.
"Goodness," he muttered. Fu was definitely running out of ideas for missions now.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"So—uh, I guess I wish you all luck for your audition. Yeah, you only get one chance..."
June snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Amira's filler statements.
He chuckled at her cute attempt to continue speaking with the trainees while waiting for him to enter.
"Sorry, Amira," he muttered to himself before fixing his collar.
The trainees on the set began to feel anxious, whispering to their teammates about some last-minute reminders for their performance.
However, a soft yet deep voice suddenly echoed through the venue, causing everyone to turn in surprise.
"You didn't forget about me, did you?"
Unexpectedly, the LED screen lifted once more, revealing June, the hottest K-pop male idol of the moment. The trainees gasped in awe as they laid eyes on him, instantly captivated by his presence.
Ji-hyun kept her gaze on the trainees, shaking her head when she saw their lovestruck expressions.
"I was right," she muttered. They were all going to fall in love with June! No matter how hard they try to deny it, no one can escape his charm!
Truly, dressed in a silky white button-up, June was the epitome of charm and sophistication, with his glowing skin, tastefully styled blonde hair, and an aura of professionalism that seemed to radiate from every pore.
As the trainees took in June's appearance, they couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Here was a true prince of K-pop.
And now, he was standing before them. They couldn't believe it!
"Surprise," Amira said, cutting through the awe-filled whispers.
"We have one last special mentor for all of you—none other than June from EVE! He was in the same place as you last year, so he'll be a great help to all of you this season."
"These are your mentors for Rising Stars Season 5," Amira concluded, gesturing to the big stars on the stage.
"Now, let's get started with the auditions."
