Chapter 724: The Mentor Mission

June squinted his eyes to get a better look at the towering figure who slowly made his way toward them.

June had pretty bad eyesight, but he couldn't be mistaken.

His hair...his mischievous eyes...and the way he walked was still the same.

The towering figure was definitely Jangmoon.

He looked a bit different—he was a bit more kempt, and it seemed like he actually started taking care of his looks.

However, amidst these changes, there was no doubt that it was still Jangmoon.

As he got closer to the stage, June's hunch was proven right.

Gun's and Ji-hyun's eyes widened in surprise as they saw him.

"Omo," Ji-hyun said. "If it isn't one of the greatest troublemakers in the last season."

Gun scratched the back of his head. It was once again one of the trainees that he didn't like too much during the show. However, rewatching it made Gun admire Jangmoon after his backstory was revealed.

Jangmoon raised his hands in surrender as he arrived at the stage. "I've come to redeem myself," he said, standing next to June in the center.

June, appearing baffled, continued to look at Jangmoon with absent eyes.

The tall trainee, now turned self-made rapper, chuckled at June's reaction.

"Well, you seem surprised to see me. Did our near-fights flash in your mind?" he said, making the trainees chuckle.

June snapped out of his reverie and shook his head in amusement.

"Bastard," he muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited," Jangmoon said, covering the mic so the others wouldn't be able to hear. "And I also wanted to see you."

June couldn't help but smile.

It seemed like the people who contributed to his identity were slowly appearing in his life once again now that he was on the brink of death.

"Anyway," Jangmoon said, clearing his throat before placing the microphone before his lips.

"I assume that all of you are confused," he started off.

"Why is such a tall, handsome, dashing young man doing in front of everybody today?" he asked, making June click his tongue.

Well, at least his personality was still unchanged.

"Fear not! I have a very special announcement for all of you," he continued.

"However, before all of that, let me introduce myself. My name is Jangmoon, now otherwise known as Jang. I joined Rising Stars last year and became one of June's biggest headaches along with my good friend, Jay."

Jay, who was gossipping with the other managers, sneezed three consecutive times as he drank some coffee, making some of the dark liquid come out of his nose.

He clicked his tongue and wiped himself with a napkin despite the others' disgust.

"Somebody's talking about me," he muttered with narrowed eyes.

"I was so adamant about being a vocalist, so I gave June a very hard time during the first mission," he continued. "However, he made me rap, which made me resent him a little bit. However, who knew that it would be the greatest experience in my life?"

"As much as I feared June, he was the person who made me realize my real dream—to become a rapper."

"Now, I'm making music on my own and am fortunate enough to get paid for it," he said. "However, it would be better if I were recruited by bigger companies so my music could have a bigger budget. I'm looking at all the big entertainment companies out there," he said, making the trainees chuckle even louder.

June smirked. However, deep inside, he was pretty touched.

"Anyway, enough about me," he said. "I have to tell you guys the special announcement."

"Take into mind that your mentors don't know about this, too."

"However, I have a hunch that June would be able to catch it later on," Jangmoon chuckled. "He's always been like that."

June couldn't help but chuckle since Jangmoon had told the truth.

He, indeed, already had a hunch of what the mission was going to be.

It became evident when he saw that the ladies were still grouped according to last week's performances.

"Let's start things off with some very exciting news!" Jangmoon exclaimed.

"Rising Stars Season Five is down to 25 trainees, and all of you have drastically improved since the day of your auditions. As a way of thanking you for making the show a success, we won't have any eliminations this week!"

The room burst into chaos after Jangmoon's announcement.

"Really? Or am I dreaming?"

"My prayers finally worked!"

"What the heck is happening? Is Azure having a change of heart now?"

"As if! I think they just want to make more money from us."

"However," Jangmoon continued. "After this week's performances, we would head straight into the finale. This means that from 25 trainees, we will have the 5 members of Azure's new biggest girl group!"

June raised his eyebrows in surprise. Now, he wasn't expecting that.

He thought that Azure would stretch it out for another episode, but they must be really eager to have another girl group now that BOYMYSTIC had disbanded.

Lee Sik raised his hand. "What are we doing here, then?" he asked.

Jangmoon smiled and turned his cue card.

"Well, I was just getting into that, sir!" he said. "If you would have waited a second, then you would know."

June shook his head.

Oh, Jangmoon and his blunt and stupid personality.

"This week's mission is not any ordinary one," Jangmoon started off.

"Our mentors are here with us for a reason."

"For the past stages, they had directed you in your performances, giving you instructions and such. Sometimes, it makes you wonder—what if they were in our shoes?"

June smirked.

It seemed like he had guessed the mission right.

The other mentors, however, had just started catching up—

and they were surprised, to say the least.

"For next week, your mentors will be your teammates!" Jangmoon finally revealed, earning whispers among the crowd.

"The Mentor Mission is an opportunity for the trainees to perform with our very own mentors—not just on the sidelines, but along with them on the very stage!"

"Five teams. Five mentors. Five different performances."

"Here we have—the Mentor Mission!"