Chapter 746: June 30th

The last day of June. June 30th, 2024. The boys were getting ready backstage, appearing more organized than the first mini-concert that they had.

It seemed like the company actually put a lot of effort into their concert this time. They were performing in a venue that was significantly larger than the first one, so it still felt nerve-wracking despite the better preparations. "What's the capacity of this concert hall again?" Akira asked, his palms sweaty from nervousness. "Around 16,000," June answered. "But, I think they decided to sell the blocked view seats, so there's roughly around 18,000 attendees in the concert." "Damn," Jisung said. "I knew we were popular, but we're THAT popular, huh?" Jay shook his head. "This is no match to your guys' popularity! The company should have rented out a stadium instead—one with over a 60,000-person capacity." Ren smiled as he imagined such a grand concert. "Well, one can dream," he said. "Maybe, on our official first tour?" he asked. "Yes!" Jisung said. "We can start in Korea, then we can also travel the world.

I've always wanted to perform on Madison Square Garden!" "You'll achieve that soon," Jay said. Then, he glanced at June, who was still smiling despite his circumstances. "I just wish that all of you would be there," he whispered. "What was that?" Ren asked, not hearing Jay's last statement. "Nothing," Jay said. "Get yourselves pretty, then come backstage. You'll see how the audience looks like before heading to the stage in order to take away some of the nerves.

Then, after half an hour, the concert will officially start." Having Jay lay out what they needed to do made the boys even more nervous. As Jay left the make-up room, Jaeyong gathered his teammates. He was already teary-eyed when the concert hadn't started yet, so Akira teased him. "What happened with you?" he asked. "You're like a pipe these days.

You just keep squirting whenever you have the chance." "I don't think that's appropriate to say," Sehun remarked, but Akira and Jaeyong paid him no attention. "Just let me have my moment," Jaeyong said. "I'm considering this as our first and last concert, so I'm feeling emotional," he continued. Casper pursed his lips and looked down at the ground. Meanwhile, June looked the same. "What do you mean by last?" Jisung chuckled, nudging their leader's shoulder. "This is just the first of many!" he exclaimed. "We'll still perform in those big stadiums that we're dreaming of.

Right, June?" he asked, turning to his bro. June smiled and nodded. "Right," he said. "I think we need to go now, though. The staff is already signaling us to proceed backstage." The members of EVE nodded and went backstage, where they were met with Jay's excited smile. "Take a look," he said, gesturing to a large monitor beside him.

The boys looked at the monitor with wide eyes, observing the pink sea of lights that adorned the dome. Every seat was filled, and it was surreal to think that so many people had come to support them as a team. "These are our fans?" Akira asked in disbelief. Jay nodded with a proud smile. "You guys have come a long way," Jay said. "I still remember when I used to stand on stage with you, and we would perform in front of what we thought was already a large crowd." "However, here you guys are," he continued, suddenly feeling emotional. "I hope that you've enjoyed every single moment." His gaze was directed to June as he said that.

June chuckled and shook his head. "It would be a lie if I said that I enjoyed it all. Honestly, I underestimated just how tough the preparations an idol needs to do," he said, making his teammates empathize with his words. "So, there are a lot of moments when I felt like giving up—when I felt that it wasn't worth it anymore," he continued. "But then again, I don't have any regrets," June concluded. The only regret I have is not being able to be an idol for longer. "So, with that, let's enter the stage with the same mindset," he said, looking at his teammates. "We're idols.

We're performers, so that's exactly what we're going to give to the audience—a show they will never forget." With determined nods, the members of EVE took their positions under the stage, where they would be slowly launched up. The lights inside the concert hall finally dimmed, and the audience burst into loud cheers. The members of EVE were surrounded by darkness, yet it didn't hide that they were shining brightly from within.

Smoke filled the stage as a banging sound was heard all over the venue, causing the crowd to go silent. "One minute!" the performance director screamed, causing the other staff members to prepare themselves. The members of EVE glanced at each other one last time, smiles adorning their faces. Then, the platforms slowly rose, and the once darkness was now replaced with shining bright lights.

The pink sea of lights that they saw through the monitors materialized in front of their eyes, and they couldn't help but smile at the sight. Then, as the first note of their opening song was heard through the stage, they snapped to their performer selves and got ready to give a show that everyone would enjoy. June stood at the very center of it all, his handheld mic against his lips.

The mere appearance of his face on the large screens was enough to cause chaos in the venue. His eyes appeared like shining stars under the shiny lights, and the people couldn't help but marvel at his beauty as the wind swept through his hair. He looked around and savored the moment, knowing that this might just be his last.

So, as they waited for the intro to finish, June decided to do some adlibs and hype the crowd up. "Astras, are you ready?" he screamed, eliciting louder cheers from the audience. The members were surprised, but they were more pumped up after June had said such words. "EVE on top!" he continued in a loud, booming voice, sending goosebumps through the audience's and members' bodies. "Let's fucking party like it's the end of the world!"