Chapter 298: New Competition

Eight boys huddled over one phone, those at the back squinting their eyes since Zeth chose a very small phone model for his big ass hands.

"Oh, I'm sick of this," Akira exclaimed. "One of you just read it out loud."

Zeth cleared his throat and loudly read the contents of the article.

"K-Pop Fever Hits November with BOYMYSTIC, LUNIX, EVE, and the Dry Deserts of OCTA"

"What the hell is an Octa?" Ren asked.

Akira quickly covered his mouth. "Shut up and listen."

Zeth continued reading.

"It's the spooky month of November, but for K-pop lovers, it's nothing but sparkly as their favorite groups are gearing up for comebacks and debuts that promise to leave fans bewitched."

"Leading the charge next week are the famous ten-member group BOYMYSTIC and the ever-lovely LUNIX, who are ready to set the stage on fire with their much-anticipated performances."

"Oh, I see our name," Zeth chuckled, feeling proud.

"Continue reading," Casper grumbled, causing Zeth to quickly snap back to his original task.

"In this sparkly month, EVE, the boy group born from the popular survival show 'Rising Stars,' is ready to cast its spell on the K-pop scene. Get ready for their debut on November 21, 2023, where they'll be bringing a whole new flavor with a 'pool boy' concept. Will they make waves or just a splash?"

Sehun scoffed. "Who wrote this article? They can't even get it right. It's a beach concept...not pool boys."

"But wait, there's more!" Zeth dramatically exclaimed. "As if November couldn't get any more exciting, a new sensation is about to hit the town. Introducing OCTA, an eight-member boy group from Esper Entertainment, who are not just here to make a debut but to make all K-pop fans thirsty with their concept photos!"

June frowned and leaned closer, looking at the photo of the supposed new boy group.

"What the fuck?" Akira exclaimed. "Esper Entertainment?"

June leaned back against his seat and wondered where he had heard such a name.

Then, it dawned on him.

The big guns.

Remember how there were big guns during their time on Rising Stars?

Well, let's just say that Esper Entertainment has a whole ass army.

StarMuse, Top Star, Harmony, and the like were huge companies for a show like Rising Stars.

However, in the real world, there were bigger companies—ones who couldn't even be bothered to join such shows since the company itself already has an established fanbase.

Esper was one of those companies.

So, even Zeth, the most confident and borderline narcissistic member of their team, felt threatened when he read the article.

"It has been a while since Esper Entertainment debuted a boy group, right?" Ren asked.

"Yes," Jaeyong said, looking more serious than ever. "And it just so happens to be in the same month as us."

"Is there more?" Jisung warily asked.

"Uh...yeah," Zeth said, his voice a bit shaky. "Let me read it."

"Fans are already causing an uproar after the teaser photos had been posted. The theme? A sandy desert concept as dry as your love lives!"

Akira couldn't contain himself and let out a chuckle.

Ren glared at him. "Do you find this situation funny?"

"No!" Akira exclaimed. "But you have to admit, that was a funny line."

"Yeah, 'cause it's true," Ren said. "You probably haven't dated anyone in your life," he retorted.

"Oh, shut up," Akira snapped. "You were busy rivaling Zeth your entire teenage life. You haven't even spoken with a girl with how fixated you are on him."

"I was not!" Ren defended. "I'm a chick magnet, for your information."

"Shut up," June calmly said, causing the two of them to purse their lips together. "Continue," he patted Zeth's shoulder.

"We have two anticipated debuts this November. Who do you think will take the cake—or should we say, the sand castle? Whether they'll be EVE, who's going to quench your thirst, or OCTA, who's going to make you thirsty, there's only one thing certain—November is about to be hotter than ever!"

"They're already pitting us against each other," Jaeyong said. "What do the comments say?"

Zeth scrolled down the article while the others leaned closer to his phone.

As expected, the fanwars have already started.

- Esper Entertainment never disappoints. I think we already know the answer to the question.

- I watched Rising Stars, but I'm also an Esper stan. I loved XO from their company, so I'm definitely going to support their junior group.

- Damn, the 'Rookie of the Year' award is going to be tough this year.

- Pitting them together is unfair, though. EVE is like a group of puny little shrimps compared to a group from Esper Entertainment.

- Bro, you don't know the impact of Rising Stars. They literally gained the fastest likes for a debut group photo.

- Nah, we're beating that tonight. We're almost halfway there! Let's show OCTA our love and support even before their debut!

"Go to their page," June instructed, and Zeth quickly followed.

The others became silent as Zeth scrolled through their concept photos.

"They're handsome," Zeth sighed in defeat. "I think this guy's more handsome than me!" he exclaimed, pointing to a photo of the idol named 'Uno.'

"I'm going to book another facial appointment," he continued, pinching his skin.

"You look fine," Ren sighed. "These photos are edited. Of course, they're going to look better than your real-life bare face."

"Besides," Sehun added. "Esper is known for their visuals. I don't think we lag way too behind, though."

"Yeah," Jisung exclaimed. "Look, June's even sparkling right now!"

The boys looked at June, who was busy looking at OCTA's concept photos, and exclaimed in amazement to find that Jisung was right.

"How can he look that good even after practicing?" Casper asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't look tired at all," Jaeyong observed.

"I swear, I was more handsome than June during the earlier parts of the show," Akira clicked his tongue.

"Dream on," Ren retorted.

June tuned them out and continued looking at the group's photos. Indeed, their concept photos were quite similar, but at the same time, the complete opposite of each other.

June doesn't know much about Esper Entertainment, but he was very familiar with the groups it gave birth to.

They were coined as the pioneers of K-pop, so naturally, groups from Esper Entertainment already had good reputations even before they debuted.

"We're fucked," Akira groaned. "I really wanted a music show win for our debut."

"We still have a chance," Casper pointed out. "As long as they're not debuting the same day, then we can still grab a trophy or two."

June pursed his lips as he stared at the glaring debut date of OCTA.

November 21, 2023.