Chapter 21: Roommates
The trainees got their baggage from their managers before heading inside the living quarters. June, on the other hand, grabbed the backpack he left in the lockers before heading back. It was no use packing a suitcase when they were still going to go home after filming the signal song performance video.
He arrived at the living quarters, and some trainees were already there. He saw Jisung waving him over. He reluctantly went and stood next to him. It was only then that he realized how tall the teen really was. They were sitting during the evaluations, so he didn't initially notice.
"Bro!" he cheerfully greeted. "Come and grab your shirt. It has our stars on it."
June nodded and went to the front to get his shirt. He looked at it with disdain. Why did it have to be neon orange?
Well, at least it wasn't piss yellow like the one zero-stars had. Five-stars had it best with their simple white shirts. The four-stars also had it better with their blue ones. Honestly, June even liked the green shirt that the two-star trainees had.
June wasn't the only one displeased with the color of the shirts. Some of the trainees already felt discouraged because of the segregation of trainees.
"Let's go," June said to Jisung. "I want to sleep."
Jisung chuckled. "I hope we're roommates. Let's see the rooms real quick."
The two of them walked together to the designated rooms. Jisung clapped when the key handed to him was the same as June's.
"We'll be roommates!" he exclaimed. "Can you believe this? I was just hoping for it a while ago."
June nodded. He was quite thankful that his roommate was someone he already knew. He was sure he would get tired of listening to Jisung's chattering, but June knew he was a good kid, so he didn't mind it that much.
"Do you want to take the bottom or top bunk?"
"Any would do," Jisung responded.
"Then you take the top bunk," June said, placing his belongings on the bottom.
Jisung smirked. "Are you afraid of heights, bro?"
June froze but shook his head. "No. It's troublesome to get down every morning."
Jisung chuckled. "You don't have to feel embarrassed. You must be a softie under that mask, huh?"
As they conversed, another person came into the room. The two of them turned around and saw Hoon in the doorway. Hoon immediately scowled as soon as he saw the familiar pink mask.
"Ugh," he groaned. "Why did it have to be you?" he spat, roughly placing his belongings on the floor.
"Umm," Jisung awkwardly said, looking at the two independent trainees. "What's up, brother? Nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Hoon smiled. "If I were you, I won't get close to that weirdo. Who knows what's under that mask?" he joked.
Jisung awkwardly chuckled. June couldn't care less about Hoon. He had met far worse people when he was a thug. June knew kids like Hoon only wanted to feel superior by looking down on others.
"Let's hope our other roommate isn't a weirdo," Hoon continued to mock June.
The door opened, revealing their last roommate. Jisung and Hoon quickly bowed when they saw Jaeyong in the doorway.
"Senior," Hoon said, his tone suddenly turning respectful. "It's nice to meet you. You did really well on your stage a while ago."
June rolled his eyes. He heard Hoon and the other independent trainees calling themselves better than RAVEN during their audition.
"I'm a big fan, senior," Jisung sincerely said, bouncing like a little kid.
"Thank you. Let's get along well together from now on," Jaeyong smiled.
His smile fell, however, when he saw June sitting on one of the bottom bunk beds. Jaeyong's face twisted into a scowl.
"Aren't you going to bow?" Hoon clicked his tongue as he nudged June's shoulder.
June pursed his lips in annoyance before bowing his head. "Nice to meet you," he said.
Jaeyong didn't bother greeting him back, making the atmosphere more awkward.
'Great,' June said in his mind. He couldn't have been luckier with his roommates!
One of them was a stuck-up trainee with anger and superiority issues.
One was a veteran idol who seemed to dislike his guts.
And the other was a noisy kid who suddenly turns silent in times like this!
[I'm glad you're having fun, host.]
June rolled his eyes. Can't Fu even tell that he was being sarcastic?
"Is nobody going to use the bathroom yet?" June asked, breaking the silence.
"I'll still unpack," Jisung said in a soft voice.
Hoon rolled his eyes. "I'm alright. I'll wash later." He removed his shoes, and the stench of his sweaty feet immediately wafted over June's senses. June glanced at him with disgust. Surely, the people at White Tiger gang were much nastier, but even then, June was a bit of a clean freak.
Why do you think he got the job of cleaning toilets? It's because he was goddamn good at it.
Jaeyong did not respond, so June took that as a cue to shower first.
"I'll go first, then."
He started removing his mask, careful not to hurt his present wounds. His three roommates discreetly watched him. As much as they didn't want to admit it, they were curious about June's appearance.
There were only two conclusions—he was either extremely ugly or incredibly handsome.
Hoon hoped for it to be the latter. A voice like his would probably not have a pretty face, would he?
They waited in anticipation while June took his sweet time. The three kept their gazes on him until the time came when his pink cat mask had been removed.
However, they couldn't help but take a double look as soon as it was gone from June's face.
"Why the hell are you wearing another mask?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SandKastle
SandKastle June is such a mood. Thanks so much for 30k! I appreciate all of you and read each comment.
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Chapter 22: Power Up!
The trainees woke up with the sound of the signal song blasting through the speakers. They groggily got up, hair sticking in all directions and dried saliva on their cheeks. Among the tired trainees stood an enigmatic force.
June stood in the middle of the room, dressed in his neon orange shirt and bright pink cat mask.
Jisung screamed as he saw him, causing their two other roommates to jolt awake in their beds.
"Ahh!" Hoon screamed. "What the hell are you doing there?"
"I'm waiting for the song to finish," June said. In reality, he was trying to capture the notes of the song. The trainees had only heard it once, so he wanted to learn it as soon as possible to get a good night's sleep.
"I can't believe you're wearing that mask so early in the morning," Hoon grumbled, finally getting up.
Jaeyong clicked his tongue and sent him a small glare. June pursed his lips. His patience was slowly thinning for this kid. From what he recalled, he hasn't even done anything wrong to him! June was about to tell him off when Fu's screen appeared before him.
[Another side quest had opened! This time, you can earn a booster. The title is Power Up! Gain a boost of strength or motivation once activated. Good for one day. Affects close proximities.]
June frowned. Where the hell would he use this kind of booster? It would honestly be better to give him another set of missions since the current ones were too difficult.
[Do you accept this side quest or not?]
'No,' June responded. The last time he agreed, the consequence was a regression of skill. He didn't see the need for the booster, so he quickly denied it.
[Are you sure? Confirm to cancel the side quest. Side quest cannot be brought back once declined.]
June let out a long sigh. Now, he felt conflicted. The last thing he wanted was regretting not grabbing such a mission.
"Ah, heck," Hoon clicked his tongue as he bumped into June. "Why the hell are you standing there like an idiot? Get going, weirdo," he whispered.
'I accept,' June quickly said in his mind. He realized he might actually need a Power Up booster when people tested his patience. He was about to retaliate right then and there!
[Wise choice, host. Here is your quest: Be a helper! Help upgrade other people's skills. Inspire three trainees so they can increase their skills by one point. The deadline is 24 hours. Failure to complete the mission allows one point deduction from one skill. Your timer starts now!]
June was right. The consequence was the same. Although he felt more thankful since the deadline was in 24 hours.
After agreeing to the side quest, June realized he was the only one inside the room. He quickly placed on his shoes and ran after the sea of orange. The little oranges entered the training room meant for three-star trainees. As they entered, they saw Mentor Gun waiting for them inside.
Some of the three-star trainees immediately felt dreadful. June understood their fear. He had watched the previous seasons because of Mei Ling, and Gun was a mentor during the second season. He was known for being a strict dance mentor during his time. However, he must have changed in the span of two years, right?
"Move faster!" Gun said in a strict voice, causing the trainees to bump into each other as they tried to secure a spot.
Seems like he hasn't changed at all.
The trainees lined up in five rows, with June staying at the very back. He didn't want to bring much attention to himself since he knew he wasn't a good dancer.
However, that was practically impossible with his bright pink mask. Gun's eyes naturally gravitated toward him.
"Alright," Gun clapped his hands. "You only have less than three days. You'd be performing this song the day after tomorrow, so I expect you to learn fast," he set the tone. "I won't hesitate to call you out if you're lacking in any way. Three-stars should at least have dance fundamentals. If you don't have that, consider going to zero-stars instead."
June couldn't help but feel apprehensive. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen. He knew that the standards and expectations would only rise as the star levels increased. He was set up for failure since he was only a D- in dance and has no theoretical background in dancing.
"I will only show it to you once," Gun said. "Then, we'll go over the moves one by one. I expect you all to familiarize yourselves with the moves until noon. This is the only time you'd be learning the dance, so make sure to listen well."
Gun faced the mirror and started the music. He started with the first verse. It was relatively easy. It didn't require much vigor, but a sense of elegance was embedded in his movements.
It looked easy to the eyes of an amateur, but June knew that it took some skill to make it look good. Then, it only got worse after that. The chorus was filled with acrobatic movements and jumps, making it practically impossible to sing while executing the moves. It calmed down during the second verse but got even more difficult at the bridge. The dance break even involved some floorwork!
What did Azure think of the trainees? Some goddamn robots who could learn such choreography in less than three days' time?
The atmosphere in the different classes was all different. The five-stars wore bright smiles, excited to learn the new choreography. The four-stars, too, beamed with happiness as their vocal mentor asked them to sing one by one.
It starts crumbling in the three-star room. Of course, some trainees were still excited as they watched the choreography. Jisung was practically peeing himself in excitement. Trainees like Jaeyong, on the other hand, were more serious than ever.
He had already started memorizing the moves when Gun performed them. The trainees at the back, those in June's row, seemed to be the least confident.
"Poor kids," June muttered.
[You should worry more about yourself, host.]
'Shut up, Fu.'
It's not even worth mentioning the zero-star and two-star trainees. The mentors assigned to their classes already wanted to give up because of the trainees' lack of enthusiasm and skill.
"There," Gun said after finishing the routine, only mildly out of breath. "Now, it's your turn. I would expect you to pick up the chorus part, at least."
"Yes, mentor," the trainees in the first few rows said. June frowned. He doesn't have a clue about what the first move even was.
"Trainees at the last row," Mentor Gun suddenly said. "I only want to see your row standing up."
The trainees in the last row looked at each other with confusion.
"The first four rows, sit down," he instructed. "Let's monitor your learning skills. The last row, all of you shall dance to the chorus."
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
32 Power
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