"If only you knew," June muttered, making Mei frown even deeper.
"You're really weird, you know?" she said, causing June to smile.
She had always called him as such when he was in his original body.
June pursed his lips and nodded to himself. He still believed that the two of them had some sort of connection—not with Jun Hao but with Choi Joon-ho.
There must be a reason why she suddenly came to Korea and wanted to pursue being an idol.
He still didn't agree with her ambition, but at the same time, he was happy to see that she was healthy.
June had a lot of questions in mind, but he held himself back since he didn't want to bombard Mei with information.
What he needed to focus on at the moment was to find out their connection and to stop her from being an idol. Saving her from Azure was also one of his priorities.
"Well, are you just going to stand there all day?" she asked, making June snap out of his thoughts.
June chuckled as he shook his head.
"I'll get going now," he said. "I guess I'll see you more while the show progresses."
Mei pursed her lips before muttering under her breath, "I sure hope not."
"See you later," June said, waving goodbye before walking away from her. However, he couldn't hold himself back and turned around to say his final words.
"Don't forget to rest. Don't over-exert yourself too. The food here is really good, so eat a lot of it. Don't go on a strict diet just so you can keep your image. It's not healthy."
"Also," he said, looking Mei in the eyes. "Think about this later before you sleep—do you really want to become an idol?"
With that, he turned around and started walking back to his waiting room.
Meanwhile, Mei was stuck in her spot, still internalizing what June had just said.
Then, when he was out of the vicinity, she finally let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding.
She held onto her chest, where her heart was, and started massaging it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Why is it so painful?" she muttered, feeling strange that her heart ached whenever June was near.
She closed her eyes for a second to calm herself down. Then, when she opened them, she looked at where June had stood just moments ago.
"Why did he say those words, though?" she asked herself.
"Don't tell me—," she whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Does he like me?"
***
Meanwhile, in a penthouse in the heart of Seoul, the stench of unwashed skin filled a dark room.
When a small ray of light entered the room, the person inside couldn't help but scowl.
"How long are you going to stay there?" Laohu asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and scowling when the awful scent wafted through his nostrils.
Lin Zhi, who was buried deep in his blankets, opened his eyes and looked at his boss' silhouette in the doorway.
"Until I can act again," Lin Zhi muttered, smelling his own fishy breath. However, he didn't care.
The stubble on his face also grew erratically, now looking like a bundle of pubes on his chin and upper lip.
"Until I can become a star again," he continued, his voice firmer this time.
Laohu sighed, raking his hands through his hair.
"You're not going to achieve that if you rot in this room all day long," he said. "I didn't bring you to Korea just so you could ruin the opportunities I've set up for you."
Lin Zhi sighed and finally sat up on his bed, his clothes sticking to his musty skin.
"My opportunities are already ruined, aren't they? I can't come back to the acting industry. I can't even become an idol," he chuckled bitterly.
Laohu smirked. "Who's fault do you think that is? I told you—
control your temper. I could have salvaged the situation if you just stayed calm. Yet, you had to go and ruin your own career."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Lin Zhi glared at Laohu. "You don't have to rub it in my face. If I was so useless, then why don't you just kill me?"
Laohu chuckled in amusement. "You want to die when you haven't even taken your revenge yet?"
Lin Zhi looked down at his lap, his fists clenched in frustration and anger.
"You may not be able to become a star anymore," Laohu truthfully said, nonchalantly scrolling through his phone.
There, he saw that June was trending yet again. After it was revealed that he would be the special mentor for Rising Stars, the public couldn't stop talking about him.
In fact, he was the most talked about by the public these days, which was a testament to his popularity. He was quickly becoming the 'it-boy' of the industry without even trying.
Laohu clicked on one of June's photos and showed it to Lin Zhi.
"While you're out here rotting in your own skin, your competition is thriving. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to live with that."
Lin Zhi's jaw clenched in anger when he saw June's photo. Indeed, it was triggering to see him so successful while he had nothing left.
"You still have a chance," Laohu said, causing Lin Zhi to lift his head.
"I do?" Lin Zhi asked.
"Yes," Laohu smirked. "What would you do if I said that you "I do?" Lin Zhi asked.
could ruin June's career and have the opportunity to be at the top of the entertainment industry?"
Lin Zhi instantly perked up. Honestly, the first objective of ruining June's career was already enough motivation for him.
If he couldn't be a star, then neither should June.
"We have the knowledge to dominate the entire industry."
"The briefcase—I'll tell you what's inside of it," he said, causing Lin Zhi to pay more attention.
He only knew that the briefcase held very important files. However, up to this day, he didn't know what type of files were hidden in that very briefcase.
"It was collated by a very powerful man in his 80s. He had been the confidant of plenty of entertainment companies because of his wealth and his wisdom. He helped plenty of companies to be what they are today."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"However, he was a man who valued values," Laohu continued.
"The briefcase—he collated the files within it and was planning to expose it to the public."
"It was the only copy to exist in the entire world—with no back-
ups."
"However, he died before it could happen, and the briefcase was passed left and right without the people knowing how important the content of it was."
"Then, his living will was revealed at his funeral, and people started looking for the briefcase."
"Yet, before any important person could capture it, it had already disappeared into thin air."
Lin Zhi frowned in confusion. "I thought Jun Hao was able to get it?"
"He did," Laohu said. "He's the only person in the world that knows...or so I thought."
Lin Zhi was even more confused.
"Does somebody else know?"
Laohu smirked as he scrolled further on his page before landing on a picture of an innocent-looking lady.
'Spoilers! These are the photos of some trainees in Rising Stars 5! Take it with a grain of salt.'
He clicked on the photo and showed it to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi's eyes widened in recognition.
"Look who showed up," Laohu smirked, looking at the photo once again, the smile on his face widening.
Then, he stroked his screen with a manic grin.
"I've been looking for you."
"You've gotten even prettier."
