Chapter 238: Ninth Episode (1)

Minjun sat on the wide, soft couch. It was definitely softer than the couch they had in Grandma's apartment—it must be more expensive, too.

But for some reason, Minjun liked their cheap couch better.

"What are we watching again?" his dad asked, sitting next to him after he finished preparing snacks for his beloved child.

Minjun sighed. "I already told you a while ago, Dad. It's Rising Stars! You don't pay attention to anything," he softly muttered.

Minjun's dad scratched the back of his neck, feeling a bit guilty. Somehow, what Minjun said felt like it held another meaning—he never paid attention.

And while it was true that he focused on his career more than he focused on his child, he still loved Minjun very much.

Minjun noticed his dad's silence, causing him to bite his lips, wondering if what he said was too far.

"But thanks for the snacks," Minjun quickly said. "These are all my favorites."

He popped a piece of candied chocolate in his mouth and gave his dad an awkward smile.

The older man smiled, feeling satisfied that he finally got something right.

"Rising Stars, huh? Where have I heard that again?" his dad asked, his curiosity piqued. "That name sounds oddly familiar."

"Because it's very popular," Minjun said. "It's starting!"

The intro song played, and the older man tried his best to pay attention.

"Wait," he said. "This is an idol survival show?"

Minjun slowly nodded.

"Since when have you been into idols?" his dad asked. "Do you want to become an idol?"

Minjun grimaced as he quickly shook his head. "No," he denied. "Of course not. But our neighbor is participating in the show."

"Your neighbor?" his dad raised both eyebrows. "Your neighbor in that shabby old place that I want you to move out of?"

"Yes, that apartment," Minjun said. "The place that I'm never leaving," he emphasized.

His dad smiled and shook his head. "You really got your mom's personality."

"Oh, thank goodness," Minjun said, looking relieved. "I was lucky then."

The man chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "Well, why don't you give me a bit of a background on this neighbor?"

"I don't want to," Minjun stubbornly said. "You're a harsh critic. I don't want my big bro to be criticized by you."

Minjun's dad was even more surprised. His son actually took a liking to somebody else?

"Big bro?" he asked.

Minjun enthusiastically nodded. "Don't tell him this—but I really like him. I want to be like him when I get older. Not that I want to be an idol. I just want to be as cool and kind as him."

"Again," Minjun glared at his father. "Don't tell him any of this, alright?"

"It's not like we're ever going to meet," his dad chuckled. "Besides, you don't even want to divulge his identity to me."

Minjun smirked, leaning back against the couch. "Right, I almost forgot about that."

"Whatever," his dad said. "I'll just watch your face. I'm sure it's bound to change if you see him."

Minjun shook his head as he locked eyes with his dad. "Hiding my feelings is one of my strongest fortes, Dad. That's one thing I got from you."

***

"Why is she with us again?" Na-ri asked as she pointed at Bora, who looked unbothered even as she intruded into their friend group again.

"You guys have met already," Jia sighed. "She's a fan of June now, so I called her over so I can have someone I can fangirl with."

"I'm a fan of June, too," Wei exclaimed.

"You like Lin Zhi. You don't have taste," Bora deadpanned, remembering how the girl screamed Lin Zhi's name during the live shows.

Wei pouted. "But it's true. I've come to like June, too. Lin Zhi's just my favorite because I feel a strange connection to him. We're both Chinese! I'm just supporting my fellow countrymen."

"Valid," Bora said. "But Lin Zhi's trash."

"Well, let's see if he's actually trash in this episode," Wei said, putting her chin up high.

The episode started with them filming the field day, and the comments were already bursting through the seams with just the first game alone.

- Aww, Princess June is so fitting!

- I can't believe June is this competitive.

- He's got the moves down. How can he run that fast with scuba flippers?

The group of girls couldn't stop laughing as they watched the boys engage in games. Jia, who didn't like the show at first, was now enjoying every second of the episode.

It seemed just like yesterday when she was reluctant to watch the first episode.

And now, there was only one episode left until the finale.

"Woah, is it just me, or is June actually athletic?" Soo-min asked.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Na-ri responded. "He looks clumsy, but he may be onto something here."

"I was expecting Casper and Daeho to carry the games," Bora added. "But it looks like they won because of June."

"Yeah," Jia muttered.

Then, that's when the thought hit her.

If their team actually won, then does that mean that they got the privilege of choosing their song genre first?

"Wait," Jia said as June was shown to be deliberating what genre to pick.

- Ayy, he's going to pick Moombahton.

- Or Electro-Techno.

- I want to see Bubblegum Pop, though.

- Girlie, that's almost impossible. June will never deliberately choose to be cute.

Just then, June walked over to the 'Bubblegum Pop' cue card and took it off the stand.

The girls, despite already knowing that June's team performed the cute genre during the live shows, were still surprised to find out June was the one who picked it.

The comments were in a frenzy after June's selection.

And there was one emotion that lingered in the air—excitement.

- Cute June? Cute Casper? Cute Daeho? Cute Ren? Cute Jangmoon?

- What the heck? This is going to be a disaster.

- Look at them, keke. They look like a circus act right now.

- A very handsome circus act.

- Come on, June. I love you, but will you be able to pull off this kind of concept?