June finally slept like a baby after a week of grueling events.
Again, that was a lie.
How could June sleep peacefully in this place?
At 5 a,m., after the day of the live performances, a chaotic group entered his room, disrupting his peace.
"I'm still sleepy," Akira yawned, opening the door to June's room.
June had already woken up at that point. He's not a heavy sleeper like Jisung, and he's very sensitive to sound and movement.
"Why'd you even wake us up so early, C-Jay?" Jisung asked, still feeling sleepy, weling the others inside. "I was surprised when you suddenly called me."
"Sorry," C-Jay sheepishly said. "The moment I woke up, I looked at my watch. I didn't realize it got ruined and stopped at 8 AM. I had already washed up when I realized it was still 5 AM. So, I decided to pester you guys instead."
Then, the group went to June's bed and started shaking him awake.
"Brother…Brother…wake up, bro."
"Wakey wakey, it's time for school!"
"Is he dead?"
"Shut up, Jangmoon. Don't joke about things like that."
"But he's not moving."
"Maybe we should leave him to sleep. He's had a rough week."
That's right. Leave the black kitty all alone and let him sleep.
June continued on with his act, hoping the group of noisy trainees would leave and let him rest.
"We can't," C-Jay exclaimed. "It's our last day here until the filming of the elimination episode," he insisted.
To C-Jay, that wasn't really the main reason. They were going to film their elimination episode on Wednesday, which meant that he might not be able to see them again after that…
Ranked 46th out of all the trainees, he knew that it'd be too much for him to make it into the top 25.
"What are we even going to do?" Jangmoon asked.
"Let's go jogging! We haven't been to the playground near Azure, right? It's been more than a month since we've been here, but we haven't even seen that place," C-Jay cheerfully suggested.
"I want to go," Jisung shyly said.
"Wake him up then," Akira said, yawning. "If he doesn't want to wake up, then let's throw cold water in his face."
June's eyes twitched after Akira's suggestion.
"That's a good idea," C-Jay said.
It's definitely not a good idea!
As much as June didn't want to wake up early, he most definitely didn't want to be poured with cold water. He opened his eyes and was about to sit up, but it was already too late.
Before he could even sit up, cold water was poured on his face, causing his blood to boil.
June really, really hated the cold.
He opened his eyes and was met with four guilty gazes. "Oops?" C-Jay exclaimed as he tightly held on a glass cup.
June closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, not wanting to create such a scene so early in the morning. "You better have a good reason for waking me up so early and pouring water on my face."
"It's our last day here?" C-Jay said in an unsure tone. "So, we decided to have a jog in the park next to the building."
That was June's breaking point.
"We're seeing each other on Wednesday," June said, his tone murderous.
They chuckled nervously. "You're awake now anyway," Jangmoon smiled. "So, let's just go! We all didn't want to go without you, bro. You're an integral part of this friendship."
June was about to tell them off, but he heard the sincerity in Jangmoon's voice. In the end, he sighed and slumped on his bed.
"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll meet you guys in the park. I'll just wash up."
"Great!" Jisung exclaimed. "We'll meet you by the swings!'
June wordlessly nodded and watched as they left his room. Afterward, he felt a small smile tug at his lips.
"Friendship?"
That sounded kinda nice.
***
June washed up and quickly changed into a simple shirt and sweatpants. He then put on his shoes—the very beat-up rubber shoes that Choi Joon-ho probably had since forever.
The sole was very worn-out, and the sides appeared like they had acquired the stains of every pathwalk in Seoul. The faux leather design had already been peeled off, and the polyester was close to being paper-thin.
As June put it on, he realized that the sole was already detached from the polyester material.
June sighed. It must be from all the running he's done—running away from grandmas, running around Itaewon to look for Choi Pablo, and running from those druggies when he first caught them.
He rummaged through his belongings, hoping he'd find something to wear.
But, just as expected, there wasn't anything.
Who was he kidding? June only had one pair of shoes.
The only other time he can wear good quality clothing is during the performance stages.
"Wait," he muttered, remembering the pair of shoes he had gotten from Choi Pablo.
June opened the box and frowned when he saw a seemingly simple pair of rubber shoes inside.
It didn't look new. Instead, it looked quite vintage. It was a classic faded white high-top shoe with a bold blue star adorning the side.
June was unfamiliar with the brand since it's just a single star. However, on the opposite side of the shoe, there was a signature also written in blue.
"MJ, 2002?" June muttered.
As June continued to examine the shoe from inside and out, he noticed subtle hints of shimmer incorporated into the sole.
It definitely looked expensive, but it's just shoes! How expensive could it be?
Without hesitation, June put on the shoes and was surprised to see that it was the perfect fit.
Then, he proceeded to place the box back under his breath.
However, he stopped when he saw the watch and restaurant voucher that Pablo had given him.
C-Jay's words replayed back in his mind.
"The moment I woke up, I looked at my watch. I didn't realize it got ruined and stopped at 8 a.m."
Might as well give it to him since June wasn't even going to use it.
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