Chapter 296: Mouthwatering

In a tall condominium in the heart of Seoul, where the rent was more expensive than an aspiring doctor's tuition fee, sat a woman with newly dyed blonde hair tied up into a messy bun. She was sprawled out on the couch with a bag of chips over her abdomen.

Her comeback had just finished, so she had some time to rest—to fangirl.

Her phone was cast on the large television so she could enjoy the view even more.

The clock read 11:58 PM—only two minutes left until LEVEL-UP's concept photos and debut schedule were going to be posted.

Her heart beat faster in her chest, hoping June would be posted first. However, she also felt like she wasn't ready to see his photos, so maybe being posted last wouldn't be too bad.

Just with a minute left, her phone suddenly rang, causing the screen to shift from EVE's official Navel page to the caller ID.

She quickly answered the phone.

"Don't disturb me, Sasha," she exclaimed in a frustrated tone before ending the call.

For a second, the screen turned black, and she saw her reflection through it.

Mimi looked insane with her messy hair and pimple cream-laden face.

However, she didn't care.

No one else was in her apartment anyway.

She couldn't wait for EVE's concept photos to be posted so she can finally have something to smile about. After Rising Stars, she felt like a void had been created in her heart. However, now, that void was slowly being filled just with the thought of seeing her favorite idol again.

Mimi tried snooping around, asking people what EVE's concept could be, but nobody seemed to know what the group was cooking.

As the clock hit midnight, Mimi repeatedly refreshed their Navel page.

She gasped when she saw the first photo—Zeth.

Despite not being a dedicated fan of the other members, Mimi couldn't deny that EVE was truly a team filled with visuals.

The other members also grew on her as she continued watching the show. Although, nobody could still replace June in her heart.

He was wearing a thin tank top and was leaning against a palm tree. The hem of his top slightly lifted up, revealing a bit of skin.

- Oh my gosh. It's here.

- I'm thirsty for Zeth.

- A fucking beach concept? We're going to die.

- Who the hell thought of this concept? I need to have a conversation with them.

Casper's photo was posted three minutes later, and it had the same beachy vibe as the one with Zeth.

Mimi was pleasantly surprised by their concept.

As far as she knows, the beach concept wasn't too common with boy groups.

Girl groups had put out a lot of beach concepts, especially during the summer. GIRLS EVOLUTION even had a song that employed a fresh beach concept. It was one of her favorites since she got to travel with the girls. It was also fairly popular with the general public since almost everybody sought a fresh song amidst the hot summer.

Again, it was surprising that EVE employed a beach concept just as November had started.

However, with the current heat the country was currently experiencing, it wasn't too strange.

Instead, it was a genius idea. There wasn't anyone coming out with a fresh song in this heat, and EVE was the first one to do it.

Three boy groups were already confirmed to have a comeback this November, and EVE was definitely the most different out of all.

Mimi wanted to applaud whoever thought of their concept since it seemed like they had put a lot of thought into it.

She glanced back to her television screen and almost fell out of her couch.

Mimi was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice it was already Ren's turn! She scrolled through the other photos and sighed in relief when she saw that June still hadn't been posted.

Mimi continued to wait patiently but was amazed by how fast the likes for their photos were rising. Indeed, coming from a popular like Rising Stars gave them an edge because not even a minute had passed since Ren's photo was posted, but it had already garnered 10,000 likes.

It wasn't on the level of the current popular male idol groups in the market, but for a debuting group, it was definitely an impressive number.

Sehun's photo was posted next, and Mimi couldn't contain her gasp as she observed his semi-tan skin almost sparkling under the sun.

It seemed like his skin had been lathered on with some kind of body shimmer mixed with oil, so he looked like a modern-day vampire!

- Smoking hot. I'm Sehun's fan from now on.

- I can't believe I've never noticed this hottie on the show before.

- We could have lost such a face to the military, y'all.

Mimi was so busy ogling Sehun's photo that she got startled when the page automatically refreshed to show a new post.

This time, she fell from her couch, causing her to exclaim in pain.

Mimi was about to get up and back to the couch but stopped when she saw the photo on the screen. Her eyes comically widened. From her view of the floor, June looked like a blessing from the gods.

With his messy pink hair, almost transparent shirt, and sparkling eyes—all while being half submerged in the water—Mimi didn't even have the strength to get up on the floor.

She stared at the photo, her mouth watering like the sea that June was submerged in.

"Holy fuck," she whispered, her voice filled with awe.

- I was refreshed by the other photos, and now I feel hot!

- Where the hell is this beach? I need to drink the water June has been in.

- Drink? Girl, just keep it as a souvenir.

- Oh gosh. This beach is going to be drained soon with the amount of fangirls who will collect its water.

- And fanboys! I'll fill up a gallon!

- Does June need CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? I'm professionally trained in it.

- Us, grandmas, approve of this photo.

There was no denying that EVE's concept photos were a hit with fans from Rising Stars as well as other K-pop enjoyers.

The team, who hadn't seen their photos before, were amazed when June's photo was posted.

"Bro, you look like a mermaid!" Jisung excitedly exclaimed.

"Wet cat," Casper chimed.

"You look really good," Zeth nudged. "Almost as good as me."

Ren rolled his eyes.

"Bro," Akira exclaimed. "Thank us for putting that seaweed into your shirt!"

However, June didn't bother listening to their banter. Instead, he continued looking at the screen with a smile.

"He seems really happy with the photo," Sehun said. "Let him have his moment."

In reality, June wasn't even staring at his photo. He practically saw himself every day anyway!

Instead, his eyes were focused on the caption.

#JUNE #LEVELUP #EVE.

June was just happy he finally got his name back.