Chapter 125: Kitty Heart

What the fuck?

He's in 11th place now?

He looked at the screen, still not believing the jump in his rank. Moreover, he got over 2 million votes this time. The trainee before him only had around 1.8 million, so it was quite a big gap.

- Almost at the top 10, baby!

- Holy shit. How popular is this kid?

- From 30th place to 11th. Only June can pull it off.

Jia and Bora screamed when June's name was finally called. They knew he had risen in the ranks, especially after Jia posted that video to Hwan's fan page, but they didn't expect this big of a jump!

He's already near the 10th place, which would start the debut ranks.

Grandma, who always went past her bedtime on Fridays, screamed a bit too loudly that it startled Minjun awake.

"His name's called now?" Minjun said, still a bit sleepy.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw not only his Grandma but three other grandmas in the room. They had June bobble-headbands and weirdly shaped sunglasses. They also had homemade lightsticks, one that Halmi's husband unwillingly crafted in his pawnshop.

The old man is still traumatized after his wife asked him to include June's voice whenever she presses one of the buttons.

They danced around like little gremlins, and Minjun wondered if he should have stopped June from joining 'Rising Stars' from the very start.

"La la la la. June in 11th. Our June is the most popular."

"It is our duty to make June's rank rise even higher!"

"People should never underestimate the power of the elderly population!"

Mijun fearfully scooted to the side of the couch, covering his body with a blanket.

Maybe he should ask his mom to take him to the States?

However, with June's increasing popularity, hate comments also filled the livestream.

- Who the hell is voting for this dude? All his fans are weird, degrading teens/adults and creepy grandmas.

- I swear, if he wasn't in Team Aces, his rank would have gone down more than ten places.

- Now that I think about it, the upstairs commenter is right. When he sang Mafia Melodies, he lost. I bet he rose because of the benefits.

- June is a dick-riding guy. I bet it was in his plan to get kicked out of his past group so he could pick 'I Love You, Leave; I Don't Love You, Don't Leave."

- Sure, because June can see the future! Let's say he has superpowers, too, then!

After recovering from his surprise, June was back to his nonchalant self.

He walked to the stage, feeling more confident than before. He was finally near his goal—top 10. As long as nothing goes too wrong, then he might just rise one more rank until the end of the competition.

The trainees cheered, with his friends being the loudest. He smirked and shook his head before taking the microphone from the stand.

Thinking that his fans had struggled with him for the past week, he decided to write his speech with more consideration this time around.

"Hey, everyone," June calmly said, the cameramen zooming in on his face.

Zeth looked at the screen with narrowed eyes. Is it just an illusion, or is June getting more handsome each day?

Hyerin and Nana, too, focused their eyes on the screen. They couldn't help but nod in approval. Until now, they still didn't understand how he would such a face from the public during the first course of the show.

"Uh—I just want to say thank you to all of you for supporting me until now," he said, feeling a bit awkward. Speaking in front of his gang members was comfortable to him, but speaking into a camera where more than a million people were watching was something he wasn't used to.

"And I want to let you guys know that rankings are rankings, but I'm here to keep doing my thing. Thanks to all of you for the support, and let's keep moving forward together."

Two people from the production crew just right beneath the stage scoffed in disbelief. Ranks are just ranks, huh?

Choi Joon-ho was talking out of his ass.

Ranks were everything on this show.

Alex and Hyunwoo, who managed to get into the filming set by acting like crew members, glanced at each other with knowing looks.

"It's time," Alex whispered, giving Hyunwoo the go signal.

The young man, whose breath still reeked of cigarettes and cavities, nodded in understanding. Then, he smirked while retrieving the shiny metal from his pocket.

It's time for Choi Joon-ho to pay for what he has done. He's a fool to think that Alex and Hyunwoo would back down so easily.

On the stage, June appeared to be thinking hard about what to say next.

In reality, Grandma's words echoed in the back of his mind.

"A kitty heart! You have to do a kitty heart at all costs!"

"What the hell is a kitty heart?" June frowned.

Minjun facepalm. "I already made you a Navel! What the hell are you monitoring there?"

June didn't say anything. He couldn't tell Minjun and Grandma that he was deep into the "gang" topic under Navel. It was more so on Korean gangs, but it's fuelling his nostalgia for his past life. Aside from that, it's also filled with BenBen gummies' consumers' transformations.

Until now, June was still hoping he'd reach 180 cm!

"I've never seen a kitty heart," June deadpanned.

Grandma smiled and sat next to him. "Make your hand into a heart, then raise your index fingers to serve as ears for the heart."

"Like this," she demonstrated.

June blankly stared at the tangle of fingers before him. "People like this?"

"Oh, just do it," Minjun sighed in frustration. "Give your fans something to work with, at least. They'll love it."

June pursed his lips and decided to just get it over with. He brought the mic back to the stand, so Nana and Hyerin got ready to announce the tenth trainee.

However, they were surprised when June stayed on the stage, looking like he had something planned.

"What is he doing?" Akira whispered, amused by the concentrated look on his face.

June, undoubtedly, couldn't act cute.

However, thinking how he wanted to repay some of his fans' hard work in defending him, he shakily brought his hands up to his chest, and with quick movements, he did the kitty heart.

His face, however, stayed the same. There was a small furrow on his eyebrows, and it seemed like he was being forced to do this.

- What the fuck is that?

- A kitty heart? June, my cutie!

- BWAHAHAHA, it looks like he has a stick up his ass.

- Our black cat is doing a kitty heart! Everybody, take screenshots.

The studio center, too, was filled with exclaims of amusement.

"You're cute, little bro!"

"That's my big brother."

Akira shook his head with an amused smile. "This guy can't act cute for his life."

But just as the studio chuckled at his antics, a sudden movement caught June's attention.

Like a Jack in the Box, a familiar figure leaped onto the stage, a glint of sharp metal catching the light. Hyunwoo quickly moved, not giving the others time to relax. However, for June, time seemed to slow as he approached.

The chuckles turned into screams of horror, and before they could even react...

Blood was everywhere.