Chapter 6: Masked Idol
Yena couldn't believe her eyes. She met some interesting people during the interviews—one with hyperflexible joints, one who could dance with fire, and even one who could swallow a whole egg!
But nothing came close to the young man before her.
June looked at the crew and repeated his introduction. "What's up? I'm June! Do ya have some questions for me?"
Yena snapped out of her thoughts. "Ah, right. Choi Joon-ho, right?"
He nodded. "But I go by June now. Please refer to me by that name."
"Alright," she cleared her throat. "June. Born in 2002. Your position is vocal?"
"Correct."
"But you danced on your audition tape," Yejin noted. Quite badly, too. He looked like he just learned how to dance but was busting out the most complicated moves. It was a funny video, and it was definitely the reason why he was recruited in the first place.
"I've improved my vocals since then. Do you want me to sing?"
Yena shook her head. "Save your talent for the show. Instead, may we ask what your special charms are?"
June pursed his lips. He never got this far. His charms? He stabbed well, punched well, and shot guns well. Oh, he was good at throwing heavy objects, too. But he couldn't say that, could he?
"I'm…good at making coffee," he said, remembering how he made coffee for the old grandma downstairs.
"Oh," Yejin said, a bit surprised. His hobby seemed a bit tame compared to his look. "Then, is being an idol your dream? Or were your parents against it?"
June's mind clicked. He knew what kind of scenes the two women were aiming for. It was the time of the episode when the trainees' struggles were shown. Usually, the saddest stories would be aired, and even unpopular trainees had the chance to pull the heartstrings of the viewers.
As much as he wanted to exploit this moment, he didn't want anyone pitying him for his past. Besides, it wasn't a wise choice to become popular due to a pitiful image. The popularity will run out quickly and will be forgotten by the watchers.
"Everything's good," he said. "It's been my dream to become an idol ever since I was young," he gave out a generic answer.
Yejin shook her head, disappointed by his answer. "Then, can you explain this?" she asked, gesturing to his face.
The crew members listened attentively. Was it a gimmick? They didn't know if they could accept such a person into the competition. They'd only be a laughing stock!
"Cats are my favorite," he said.
"That's it?" Yena asked. "That's the reason why you're wearing a mask?"
"And I'm still not ready to show my face," June added. "My confidence isn't that good."
"Oh," Yejin exclaimed. "Why is that?"
"I'm uncomfortable talking about it," he said. "But I want the viewers to realize my talent without even seeing my face. I can prove to them that I can make it far with my talents and charms alone."
June was bluffing. He was practically talentless, and he didn't have any idol-like charms! If this was a show for gangsters, then he would have nailed it. He might even end up placing first!
Yejin and Yena, however, were impressed by his answer.
"But do you have any plans of showing your face?"
"Hmm," June hummed. Well, he never intended to join the show with a mask anyway. And he'd eventually need to show his face if he wanted to debut.
"Yes, I do," he said. "It might not be now. It might not even be for the first episode, but I do plan on showing my face. I think it can bring good ratings to the show. A lot of people are fans of grand reveals, am I right?"
Yena's and Yejin's eyes sparkled in delight.
A masked idol with an impending reveal? This was genius!
If he was handsome, then it'd bring more fans. If he was ugly, then it'd bring more attention to the show! It was a win-win situation. Yena was hesitant to accept him into the show, but now she was completely convinced.
June was going to be a great addition to the show. The other crew members agreed, and they stamped his application as 'approved.'
"Congratulations, Trainee June," Yejin said. "You are now officially a part of Rising Stars! The first episode will be filmed in three days. Make sure to prepare your specialties ahead of time. We look forward to seeing you in the audition!"
NEW BOOK IS OUT!
Check 'I Accidentally Became A Superstar' on my profile!
Chapter 7: Upgraded Skills
[1. Get 100 fans
2. Trend on a social media app
3. Make a new friend]
June stared at his mission list and tapped his foot on the ground. Only two days were left until the audition, and he still didn't know what to do. He wanted to upgrade his skills in the meantime, but his first three missions were more difficult than he thought.
He couldn't possibly get 100 fans overnight, and he also couldn't get to the Navel trends without any reason. So, he had to settle with the last one—Make a new friend.
However, that, too, was a hard mission since June was not a very friendly person. As a thug, he made enemies.
And the people in this neighborhood were downright crazy for him to be making a new friend.
He sighed and plopped down on the couch, not knowing what to do. Aside from that, he also hasn't practiced for his audition stage yet. Heck, he doesn't even have a song picked out! June was sure that the other contestants, especially those with big entertainment companies behind their backs, were now in the process of getting their stages polished.
It was already pretty obvious when the first season of 'Rising Stars' first aired. The very few independent trainees had less extravagant stages. So, their screen time was also less. Meanwhile, idols from big companies had nice stage outfits and well-produced songs, garnering them more fans at the start of the show.
"Let's settle this," June said, opening his phone to look through some new songs.
"Labyrinth of Time" by CHRONO. Too high.
"Elysian Embrace" by ETHEREAL. Too low.
"Celestial Waltz" by ASTRAL. Too slow.
"Twilight Reverie" by LUNA. Too dancy. June can't dance well.
He groaned and leaned back against his old couch. Why were idol songs so complicated these days? Everyone has been coming out with bizarre concepts because of the market saturation, and now, idol songs were practically impossible to cover.
He decided to sleep it off and make a last-minute decision, but his rest was interrupted when someone rang the doorbell. He groaned and got up from the couch, ready to curse whoever interrupted his sleep.
"What the hell—"
"Take care of my grandson. I have somewhere to go," the old grandma from downstairs said, pushing the little boy inside his house. "I'll come back in the afternoon."
And just like that, she bolted from June's sight.
"Hey, grandma!" he tried to call out. "I can't babysit this kid for free!"
Grandma was already out of sight. June wondered how she could move so fast when she already had weak joints.
He had no choice but to close the door and take the kid in. He looked into his slanted eyes and frowned. It was the same kid that splashed coffee on his face!
He still hasn't recovered until now since Fu's stupid healing potion still hasn't been refilled.
"You're ugly," the kid said, causing June to resent him even more.
"Speak for yourself, kid. Just wait until you grow older."
The kid rolled his eyes and sat on his couch. "Give me your phone. I want to watch something."
June raised his eyebrows. This kid had a lot of nerve.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Minjun," he snapped. "Now, give me your phone."
June shook his head. "No way, Minjun. Sit there and wait for your grandma."
Minjun's jaw clenched, and then he started crying loudly. June immediately covered his ears. However, it was futile as his monstrous wails resonated in the small room.
"Stop crying, kid! What the hell do you want?"
Minjun pointed at June's phone. "I can cry for hours if you want."
Minjun opened his mouth to cry once again, but June had enough at this point. He tossed his phone toward him in defeat.
"Nasty kid," he spat.
"Ew," Minjun said, observing June's phone. "What's this? Your phone's so old. Even my grandma has a better model."
June rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just stay quiet."
June watched as Minjun opened his phone and went to a video streaming platform. He scrolled through multiple streamers until he landed on a young teenage girl singing songs about…dinosaurs?
"Is this what kids like these days?" June asked.
Minjun nodded his head. "All of my classmates love watching this girl. If you want to be cool, then you'd have to know who Little Meow Meow is!" he smiled. It was the very first time he smiled at June.
And aside from being the spawn of Satan himself, Minjun looked pretty cute when he smiled.
The teenage girl dressed in all yellow sang an easy tune. The lyrics were perfect for kids, and the dance was easy to follow. That was why it must be so popular. June looked at her viewers and saw that a whopping two million people were tuning in.
"Holy shit," he cursed.
Minjun glared at him. "I'll tell you to my grandma."
June clicked his tongue. "Give me that," he said, snatching his phone and observing the teenage girl.
"Hmm," June hummed, suddenly thinking of a great idea.
Minjun smirked as he looked at the engrossed June. "She's good, right? I can tell you more about her most famous songs. I know all of them. I know all of the dances, too."
June averted his focus from the phone to Minjun. "Alright, teach me," he said.
Minjun nodded his head, getting June's phone once again. "This is my favorite one—ABC Hip-Hop."
The two of them conversed about the popular streamer Little Meow Meow, and June thought that the kid wasn't as bad as he thought. Moments passed by like rapid lightning, and before they even knew it, Minjun's grandma was there to pick him up.
"Min! Let's go home," she said. Minjun reluctantly got up and walked to his grandma. He didn't want to show June that he was quite disappointed about leaving, so he stuck his tongue out before slamming his door shut.
June scoffed and shook his head.
That kid, really.
[Congratulations! You have completed the mission: Make a new friend. Please choose an aspect to improve.]
NEW BOOK IS OUT!
Check 'I Accidentally Became A Superstar' on my profile!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
32 Power
stone You may also Like
Paragraph comment