Chapter 32: Part Time
Alright, maybe winning wasn't too good. Their video practically played more than ten times on TV every day. It would just be short snippets, but June always cringed while watching them. The Azure broadcasting station isn't even the one showing them the most! They practically became a national meme after their video went viral. However, he couldn't really complain since more people have grown more curious about him.
June opened his phone and turned the camera on to see how his face was doing. What Grandma gave him seems to be doing wonders. His skin was already brighter, and the wounds were finally drying up. They were still there, though. So he might stick with the cat mask until they fully heal.
Besides, it's fun not being judged based on your appearance in the competition. June would like to enjoy it a bit more.
He scrolled through some of the pictures on Joon-ho's old phone but found nothing except screenshots of idol culture. This kid's life seemed to be such a mystery. June decided to explore his phone further, proceeding to the note app.
June's eyes widened in surprise when he saw a lone note entitled—" I shouldn't have seen what I saw."
He opened it and immediately read the content.
"In shadows cast by the veil of night,
A glimpse of darkness, stark and tight.
A secret hushed, a truth untold,
A tale of sin that must be stowed.
Eyes wide, my heart began to race,
I stumbled upon this somber place.
A truth too heavy for me to bear,
A burden I must forever wear.
To the grave, I'll take this weight,
A solemn vow, a sealed fate.
I'll bear this knowledge, dark and deep,
A secret held, my soul to keep.
So, here I stand, burdened by this weight,
A silent witness to cruel fate.
A tale of crime I'll never share,
To the grave, my secret I'll bear."
June frowned. This felt like lyrics to a song, or maybe it held a much deeper meaning than he'd thought?
Before June could ponder upon it, though, his phone suddenly beeped, a sign he had received a text message. He sighed. He swears if it's one of the zero-star trainees again…
They've been pestering him nonstop ever since they won the benefit. Calling him a "genius" and a good "big brother."
What a joke. Some of them were older than this body! Big brother, my ass.
June opened the text and found that the sender was called "monster."
From: Monster
"You better pay on the 20th, you little shit. You need to pay two months in total."
To: Monster
"Who's this?"
From: Monster
"Playing pretend now, huh? You're lucky I haven't kicked your sorry ass out. It's your landlady, you shithead!"
June raised his eyebrows in surprise. Well, now he knows why Joon-ho named the contact as such. He glanced at the calendar and saw it was already the 16th? As far as he knows, the former Joon-ho was broke, so he probably doesn't have any money stashed up.
Where the hell is he supposed to get money?
June was supposed to return to their filming site on the 24th, just in time for the first episode, so he still has time to look for money.
To: Monster
"I'll give it to you on the 23rd. How much do I owe you?"
From: Monster
"You better do that, little shit. You owe me 400 dollars."
June sighed and turned off his phone. At least it wasn't too bad. This apartment was shitty as hell, so the price is quite reasonable. He still doesn't think it's possible to earn 400 dollars in a week, though.
Should he ask Grandma for help?
Nah, that'd be too much. She already feeds him on a daily basis.
But maybe she knows some part-time jobs he can do for a week. With that thought, June went down since it was time for lunch as well.
June entered their small apartment, not even bothering to knock. This was like his second home now.
"You're here?" Grandma said, bringing out a pot of hot noodle soup for their lunch. "You're just in time. Come and grab a plate."
June helped arrange the table with Minjun. Then, they ate in peace. Honestly, this felt like the closest thing he could consider family now that Mei Ling wasn't with him.
"Grandma," June said as he finished his plate. "Do you know any part-time jobs I can do for only one week?"
"Why? Are you going to pay my grandma for giving you free meals now?" Minjun asked.
"Minjun," his grandma scolded.
"A job?" she asked. "But aren't you going back to film Rising Stars in a week?"
"Yes," June said. "That's why I need a short-term job."
"Well, you came to the right person," she smiled. "My old friend, who owns a family-owned convenience store a few blocks from here, is looking for a temporary worker since their son, who manages it, went on a trip to Australia. They're looking for someone to work the register for only a week."
June smiled. "Then, could you recommend me to work there?"
"Of course," she patted his shoulder. "I'm sure my friend will immediately hire you. They haven't found a part-timer yet since nobody wants to work for just one week. However, they're paying a pretty good amount—7 dollars per hour."
June nodded in approval. He'll be able to gain enough money for his rent if he works the entire week.
"When do you think I could start?"
Grandma brought her phone out. "Do you want to start now?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SandKastle
SandKastle A bit of a breather chapter while waiting for the first episode!
NEW BOOK IS OUT!
Check 'I Accidentally Became A Superstar' on my profile!
Chapter 33: Growing Gummies
It's already been a week since June started working in the family-owned convenience store. And now, it was his last day already. It's been uneventful so far, and he's quite thankful the old owner let him wear a mask while he's working.
Not his bright pink cat mask, of course.
Just a regular black facemask.
However, now that it was his last day, it seemed like the world was testing him.
In the middle of the day, a drunkard came and pestered to give him a pack of cigarettes for free.
"There's nothing free in this world, bud," June said, looking him in the eyes.
The drunkard laughed. "Bud? Who are you talking to, kid? How old are ya, huh?" he said, slurred.
June sighed, feeling tired already. "Then, get going, gramps. We don't give out freebies here."
The drunkard suddenly brought something out from his pocket—a knife of some sort. June's eyebrows raised in surprise when the drunkard held it in front of his face threateningly. June's heart started beating harder in his chest. He never knew encountering danger would make him so excited!
"Just give me one pack, kid. Or you're dead meat."
"I'd like to see you try, gramps," June smirked. The drunkard launched forward, trying to dive the knife near June's neck. However, with his fast reflexes, June quickly caught the knife from his hands and pressed a pressure point on his wrist, causing the drunkard to let go of the knife.
Afterward, June wrapped his elbow around the drunkard's neck, locking him in place. June grimaced as the scent of cheap alcohol and accumulated hair grease and dandruff wafted through his senses.
"Why are you looking for cigarettes when you should be stealing shampoo instead, gramps?"
June quickly ripped a sachet of shampoo from the counter and placed it in the drunkard's pocket. Then, he tightened his hold around his neck, causing the drunkard to choke.
"Now, get going, take a bath, and don't come back, you got it?"
The drunkard quickly nodded, becoming sober. He thought the part-time worker was just a little kid, but something about him was terrifying.
June smirked as he watched the old drunkard in fear. He patted himself on the back.
He still got it.
After the encounter with the drunkard, three high school girls entered the store. They were watching something on their phone, causing one of them to bump into a rack of chips. The chips toppled over, but they continued walking like nothing had just happened.
June clicked his tongue and went to the rack to place them back in order. As he got near the high school girls, he saw a glimpse of what they were watching. June raised his eyebrows in surprise.
They were watching his star level performance video.
"Ah, what to do? They're quite cute. My favorite is the lion."
June grimaced. C-Jay? Really?
"I watch this every day when I want a good laugh. It's like a comedy show."
"The masked guy sings quite well, but I don't know why Azure let him join. Isn't he super ugly if he hides through the mask?"
"That's true. I don't like him already."
June scoffed.
"Ah, whatever. I can't wait for the first episode. I'm curious about these guys."
They paid for their drinks and left the store, not even bothering to give him one compliment.
June was in a sour mood already when four elementary school kids entered. They were loud, had greasy iPads in their hands, and appeared to be spoiled little kids.
"Let's get candies! Or chips? Or drinks? But I also want some rice balls," one kid said.
"Let's get them all," another said. "Mommy gave me her card, so it's alright."
They wandered around the store while June wiped the counter. However, he couldn't help but listen in to their conversation when one kid started speaking.
"Oh my! Let's get this too."
"What's that?"
"You don't know about this? It's BenBen gummies! It's going to make you grow in one day!"
"That's impossible."
"It's true! My friend grew 2 cm in one day after eating the gummies."
"Let's buy it then."
The little kids brought a handful of snacks and drinks to the counter. However, June couldn't stop looking at the BenBen gummies. He summoned his present missions before him.
[Mission Status:
1. Donate money to charity: INCOMPLETE
2. Increase height by at least one centimeter: INCOMPLETE
3. Get an autograph from a famous person: INCOMPLETE]
"Can you make it faster, oldie?" one of the kids said, annoyed.
June focused his attention on the little kids.
"Oldie?" he asked.
"Just give us our snacks, oldie," they continued to tease.
June let out a long sigh before placing their snacks in a bag. "Here, little twerps."
They stuck their tongues out before leaving, causing June to become more annoyed. He would have scolded them if they didn't give out vital information.
But since they taught June about BenBen gummies, he's letting them off easy.
June momentarily left the counter to get to the rack of gummies. He rummaged through the rack and saw there was only one pack left.
He frowned. He saw many people buying this for the past week!
He should have hoarded it if he knew it could increase his height.
June was still grumbling to himself when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. He turned around and saw a prestigious-looking woman who looked about his age when he was still Jun Hao.
"I'm sorry. Are you the one working here?"
June nodded.
"I'm in a rush, and I couldn't find you. I'm just going to buy this," she said, holding some sanitary pads. "Can I just pay for it here? I really need to go."
"Okay," June said once more.
The woman gave him a 20-dollar bill.
"Your change," he said.
She shook her head. "Keep the change. I really need to go."
With that, she left the store in a rush. June smiled to himself. It seemed like he didn't need to pay for the BenBen gummies with his own money after all.
He went back to the counter but stopped when he saw a pink item on top of it. He frowned and picked it up.
It was a wallet!
June opened the wallet to see who it may belong to, but the first thing he noticed was the money inside.
[Oh, wow. That's a lot of money.]
Indeed. The wallet has more than 10,000 dollars!
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 
Paragraph comment