Chapter 216: Producer June

Lin Zhi was confident that June's team was going to embarrass themselves. It was already June's trademark at this point. Aside from the time he got compliments during their performance for 'Skateboard Ride,' June only ever had bad interim evaluations.

Lin Zhi was sure it wouldn't be different this time around.

So, imagine his shock when a delightful sound came from the speakers.

Lin Zhi's back straightened in surprise, and his teammates, too, looked shocked since it was drastically different from the song they heard yesterday.

Of course, it would be different.

June smirked as he listened to his own creation from the high-quality speakers. He still remembered how his teammates reacted when he first played the song.

"You...are you actually a genius?" Daeho asked, looking shocked out of his mind.

Jangmoon couldn't even close his mouth as he looked at June. "Singing, dancing, rapping...and now producing! What kind of talents are you still hiding, big bro?"

June shrugged. It was true that Fu equipped him with the technical skills of music production. However, he couldn't help but think that the talent of music had always been innate in him. He already knew what elements to put together...he just didn't know how to do that.

So, with the technical skills given to him by Fu, June was able to execute the song he had in mind flawlessly.

"Have you taken any classes?" Ren asked with wide eyes. "Who's your mentor?"

"I don't have one," June said. "I just heard a tune when I was walking around yesterday. I built the chorus around that."

'La la la, Ice cream makes me scream! La la la, A sugary, sweet daydream.'

Who knew that an annoying ice cream song would be his source of inspiration?

"Don't worry, though," June disclaimed. "I didn't copy the entire progression, so we don't have to be worried about plagiarism and the like."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Jangmoon exclaimed. "I'm more worried about your talents, big bro. We were supposed to be zero-star buddies forever!"

June chuckled and shook his head. "Is it that good?"

"It is," Casper responded, speaking for the first time after June played his song. "You're a very talented cat."

June shook his head as the memory replayed in his mind. Casper was still as weird as ever, but he hadn't done anything to June, so all was good.

He snapped back to reality when he heard the catchy melody that seemed to charm the mentors and producers from the first notes.

It was important to note that June took some things into consideration before producing the song.

Despite it falling into the 'Bubblegum Pop' genre, June avoided the trap of the song being overly sweet. He knew that it wouldn't suit their team. So, he instead offered a taste similar to a zesty lemon lollipop—sweet but with a tangy twist that kept it from being too sugary.

The absence of lyrics didn't diminish the overall quality of the composition. Before the listeners even knew it, the refreshing beat and melody had everyone in the room tapping their feet and nodding to the rhythm.

Even Lin Zhi couldn't deny that the song was good. However, knowing that they still didn't have any lyrics, he felt like their team still did the best.

As the song reached its chorus, it truly hit its stride. The melody was catchy, and the arrangement kept the energy high, making it impossible not to join in the fun.

Ren glanced at June, smiling at the clueless trainee.

June truly made a hit.

The bridge of the song was a standout moment, where the music took a turn, becoming almost touching and nostalgic. It was as if June had tapped into a well of emotions and injected them into the tune, adding depth to the otherwise lighthearted genre.

The ending of the song was just as satisfying as its beginning, wrapping things up on a good, refreshing note. As the final notes played, the melody of the chorus lingered in the minds of the listeners, leaving them with an addicting and memorable tune that they couldn't help but hum long after the music had stopped.

It felt like a worm dug its way into their eardrums, replaying the tune of the song over and over.

June was no exception to the earworm. Even now, 'La la la, Ice cream makes me scream! La la la, A sugary, sweet daydream,' still echoes in his mind.

"Holy crap. That was actually so good."

"That chorus part is stuck in my mind now."

"I thought their song was going to be atrocious. But then again, Ren's very talented. He must have produced the song all by himself."

Zeth looked at his friend from the side, a frown forming on his face. After their last conversation, Ren still hadn't spoken with him.

Zeth knew that Ren had been having a hard time after the second mission. It seemed like Ren lost the spark of doing one thing he really loved—producing music. However, listening to their song right now, it seemed like Ren had overcome his slump.

Minho cleared his throat, breaking the silence. He was about to say something when Sven suddenly raised his hand and spoke, shocking most of the people in the room.

"Can I say something first?" he asked.

The mentors looked at each other in surprise. The other producers, too, didn't expect their senior producer to comment first.

Throughout the evaluations, Sven hadn't spoken much. He merely added to what the other producers and mentors had already said. However, he actually took the initiative to start the evaluation this time?

"This genre, Bubblegum Pop, is a very easy genre to mess up," Sven started off. "So, I'm going to be honest. When I first saw the genre written on your paper, I thought for sure that you would need a lot of guidance. I even wrote some tips beforehand just in case I missed something."

"However," he said, letting out a deep breath. "I am pleasantly surprised. This seems like a song produced by a professional. I believe that this song has even surpassed my skills in the Bubblegum Pop genre. It's truly impeccable."

June's team was elated to hear such praises from a renowned producer. They had been struggling for the past few days; and Casper even thought that this would be the performance that would lead his rank to finally drop.

However, after hearing June's production yesterday, he had changed his mind.

Casper truly didn't have any regrets recruiting the cat-like trainee into his team.

"I'm very impressed," Sven continued. "And I also can't help but feel proud knowing my student had probably produced the song," he said, pointing at Ren.

The team stiffened while the trainees and mentors looked at Ren with admiration.

"You had always been a great student, but I never knew you had this in you," Sven said.

June pursed his lips. He thought it was a shame—he was the one who did majority of the production anyway. However, he couldn't blame the producers, mentors, and trainees for their train of thought.

Ren had always been known as a good producer.

It wouldn't be strange for them to assume that it was him who made the song.

June decided to let it go for now—especially since he knew Ren was currently having a hard time. It had been rare to see him smile for the past couple of days, but he had a wide smile yesterday when they were producing the song together.

However, June was surprised when Ren suddenly spoke.

"It wasn't me," he admitted, his voice shaky.

"It was June who produced the song."