Chapter 315 Standby
The seven members of EVE tapped their feet on the ground, almost at a collective beat. They glanced at the door and the clock like watching a tennis match, wondering where June went and what was taking him so long.
The event had already started, and INZI had just finished opening the show. For now, RO5Y was the one on stage.
The time for EVE to perform was getting nearer and nearer, yet June was still out of sight.
"Did Chul arrive at the dorm?" Zeth asked, biting his nails.
"Yes," Jaeyong said, looking at the most recent text Chul had sent. "He's not there."
"What?" Akira exclaimed.
"Oh gosh," Jisung worriedly said, getting up and pacing back and forth. "Was he kidnapped or something?"
"Or, maybe he got ran over," Akira sadly suggested.
His teammates glared at him, causing him to raise his hands in surrender. "I'm just stating the possibilities. In the end, he isn't answering our calls either."
"We'll make sure to avenge his death," Jisung said with determination.
"Stop it. I'm sure he didn't die," Casper said. "With June's luck, he must have run into some kind of mishap."
"It's our debut stage," Ren said, also growing anxious by the minute. "You don't think he'd fluke out on us, would he?"
"He wouldn't," Sehun said. "June's not like that. He worked the hardest out of all of us for this debut. He'll come, I'm sure."
***
Meanwhile, June was running through the university grounds like a madman.
He took longer than expected since he couldn't find the pregnant woman, and when he did, a bunch of old ladies recognized who he was. They fed him with homemade snacks, and in the end, he couldn't help but accept their hospitality.
Fortunately, he made it to the university grounds just in time.
He showed his face to the man guarding the artists' area, and he was quickly let in.
There were artists and crew members scattered around the hallways, but he paid them no attention.
June had to go to their waiting room fast.
However, multiple people stopped him on his way there.
"Hey, June. Congrats!"
"Congratulations, June."
"Oh, you're June, right? Congratulations, man!"
He even ran into Jordan along the way.
"June," Jordan said, patting his back. "Congrats, bro."
June was increasingly becoming confused. The greetings didn't stop with Jordan, too. Amira, who had a passive yet shy look on her face, nudged his shoulder.
"Congratulations, I guess," she softly said.
"Thanks?" June said in a confused tone.
For a second, he saw a member of OCTA outside their room. Ocho, was it?
However, when he locked gazes with June, he gave him a quick glare before going back to their room.
Finally, after much struggle, he finally made it into their waiting room. He opened the door and saw his teammates already dressed in their stage outfits.
They wore beachy outfits similar to the ones they wore during their concept shoot. However, they all wore light-wash denim of different styles to tie their look together.
They collectively looked at June when he arrived, relieved looks gracing their faces.
"Everyone's acting weird," June started off, still feeling breathless. "Everybody kept on congratulating me as I passed by—"
"We don't have time," Jaeyong said, shoving June his clothes. "Get ready and meet us backstage. We're the next performers."
June's eyes widened before swiftly changing into his clothes. It was once again a button-up shirt, but it wasn't as stiff as the one he wore during the concept shoot.
He went out of the dressing room and was greeted by an anxious make-up artist.
"Sit down, sir," she said. "I need to get your make-up done in less than ten minutes."
June closed his eyes and let her do her magic. She was being aggressive with the sponges and brushes, but June guessed it was the consequence of being late.
"I think this is the best I could do for now," she said after a few minutes.
June opened his eyes and observed his face.
"It's a good thing you don't need much make-up. Otherwise, we would have been in a lot of trouble," she chuckled.
June nodded in approval before standing up.
"Thanks, I have to go now."
"Good luck with your first stage," she called from a distance.
June paused for a while.
Their debut stage.
It had only hit him that this was their very first stage—the first time they were going to perform 'Oasis' in front of a large audience.
June arrived backstage, where he saw his teammates anxiously looking at the stage.
MORPH3D was still performing, but it seemed like their set was about to finish.
June felt his heart race inside his chest as he joined his members.
Jaeyong, despite feeling nervous himself, patted June's back.
"I'm glad you made it. We couldn't have performed this song without you."
"Sorry, I ran into something," June apologized.
Akira chuckled and shook his head. "You and your bad luck. I swear, that will kill you someday."
June merely scoffed before focusing his gaze on the stage. MORPH3D was already saying their goodbyes to the audience, causing their cheers to get louder.
The grounds seemed to shake with the students' shouts, causing the members of EVE to become excited yet anxious at the same time.
Will they get the same reaction as MORPH3D did?
Minji went back to the stage to introduce the next performer. She turned to the side and saw the handsome eight-member idol group already waiting near the stage.
She smiled before placing the mic near her lips.
"Are you all still having fun?" she asked.
The audience answered with a loud 'yes.'
"Well, the night is only going to get hotter with our next performer."
"Hailing from the heart of the competitive music scene, they're not just a rookie group—they are the chosen ones, the rising stars of the nation! Let's welcome none other than LEVEL-UP, otherwise known as EVE!"
The team, despite receiving plenty of cheers during their time on Rising Stars, didn't expect the intensity of the cheers they were currently getting.
As they assumed their positions on stage, they couldn't help but exchange surprised glances at each other.
There were still a lot of students who didn't bother cheering for them, especially since they were the fifth set of the night and the students were getting a bit tired.
However, it was much more than they had expected.
They were already at par with the previous performers!
June looked around the sea of green, which was the official color of the school, and let out a deep breath. He made sure he was centered before closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer.
Everything seemed to turn into slow motion as they were gestured to stand by.
This was it.
June opened his eyes before staring right into the camera in the middle.
"3…2…1…"
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