The person on the screen was almost unrecognizable.
Yes, Joon-ho rely looked like a younger, more tired, and more miserable image of the present June. Still, it felt like June was looking at a completely different person.
And he really was.
This was the very first ti he had t Choi Joon-ho, even if it was through a video.
"Why does he look so…sad?" Jisung muttered under his breath, looking at the moving image of June.
"Is that really you?" C-Jay asked. "You look so innocent and cute!"
"You're fidgeting, too," Sehun said. "Were you nervous?"
June didn't respond. It still felt surreal that he was watching the person he was before.
The screen displayed Joon-ho seated in front of the cara, his expression filled with nervousness. His voice quivered as he began to speak.
"Umm…hi?" Joon-ho said in an uncertain tone, causing an uproar among the trainees.
"What the hell? Were you always this soft-spoken?" Akira asked in disbelief.
"You actually sound pretty shy," Bin said.
"Yeah, you're very confident now," C-Jay pointed out, causing June to glare at him.
C-Jay raised his hands in surrender. "It's a complint, don't worry!"
"Shh," Jaeyong exclaid, causing the others to stop talking. He wanted to pay attention to June's words. He felt sothing bubbling inside his heart, but he ignored the feeling and continued watching.
June, too, focused his eyes and ears on the screen.
Joon-ho cleared his throat. "Hi, there, future ," he began, his eyes darting away from the cara. "I know this might be strange, but I've always wanted to do this…to talk to you, my future self."
He paused for a mont, his fingers fiddling with the edges of his shirt.
"I guess you already know how much this ans to . The dream of becoming sothing more…it's been with since I was a kid," he continued, his voice trembling.
It felt like the room held its breath as the forr June continued speaking.
Even Lin Zhi, who resented the current June, felt pity for the man speaking on the screen.
"There have been so many tis when I thought it was impossible. Countless failures, rejection, and missed opportunities…it must have been tough."
Tears welled up in Joon-ho's eyes, but he blinked them away. "But here I am. I made it this far, and I guess that counts for sothing. I've tried my best, you know? Even when there were monts I wanted to give up, I thought of the young, hopeful , the one with dreams and ambitions…the one who had sacrificed so much…
the one who my parents were proud of," he let out a shaky breath.
June, at that mont, let out a shaky breath, too—like they were one.
The feelings in his heart right now weren't his alone, but he felt like the forr, innocent Joon-ho was with him at that mont.
Joon-ho's voice grew steadier as he continued.
"I hope you're like that too, future June. I hope you've held onto our dreams and ambitions. Because, honestly, it's getting really hard right now, and I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on."
June pursed his lips. He knew Joon-ho didn't hold on longer after that.
"But it's okay," Joon-ho sighed."I'm June. And June is also coming, maybe even now... Maybe he'll beco a better month, a brighter month."
June started piecing the tiline together. This must have been taken just a month before he transmigrated. Because, as he could recall, he transmigrated into Joon-ho's body by late June.
A sad smile touched Joon-ho's lips. "For the future, June, I hope you still have your dreams. I hope you haven't let them slip away, and I hope you're living a life that you're proud of. I hope that, despite all the struggles, you've found the happiness you've been searching for."
He took a deep breath, his voice quivering once more, "I hope we make it."
With that, Joon-ho wiped away the single tear that had escaped, and the screen went dark, leaving the room filled with a profound, heavy silence, each trainee deep in thought, touched by the words of the nervous trainee.
From the first video ssages alone, when the trainees sent videos to each other, the production crew was already expecting the trainees to bawl their eyes out. They wanted to create a touching, sad mont for their last monts in the competition.
However, only a few of the trainees cried, causing the production team and interns to beco disappointed.
But their disappointnt didn't last long after June's ssage.
Sniffs were heard all across the room. Even the people behind the curtains sniffed as the video finished.
"Ah, fuck. I don't rember this being so emotional," Jumi, the intern, said.
June stared at the black screen, the forr Joon-ho's voice still lingering in his mind.
He felt that they were so different yet similar at the sa ti.
June almost cried after Joon-ho's ssage, but he held himself back. He could feel the pain behind the trainee's voice and words, and it beca yet another driving force for June.
His thoughts were cut off when he felt a strong nudge on his shoulder. June glared at the culprit but raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw snot running down C-Jay's nose.
It seed like the forr Joon-ho had a talent for making people cry, too.
"I told myself I wouldn't cry when the production team pulls off sothing like this, but look at what you've done," he blad June.
Sehun, too, looked down at the ground, feeling touched by June's words. It made him reflect on his journey, too, and now, he was more than determined to make it into the debut team.
Jisung sniffed, using his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes. His admiration for June shot through the sky, and now, he wanted to call June his role model.
Zeth pursed his lips to keep his tears from falling down. Casper looked to the side since he felt that if he looked at the others crying, then he'd cry, too.
There was one person who couldn't control himself, though.
Akira sighed as he gave Jaeyong his handkerchief. "You didn't even cry during my personal ssage," he sulked.
Jaeyong ignored him and continued to cry.
After that, the other's ssages were shown too. However, it wasn't as emotional as June's.
But since they were already in an emotional state, the cry fest continued on, and the production team was more satisfied than ever.
By the end of it all, most of the guys looked like puffer fishes with their swollen eyes, red noses, and quivering lips.
June smiled in amusent.
"You didn't cry?" C-Jay asked, looking the puffiest of them all (after Jaeyong, of course).
June rely shrugged, causing C-Jay to groan.
"That's unfair! We look miserable while you still look handso."
"Oh, gosh. Please, enough," Jisung shyly said. "I really can't cry anymore."
However, that wasn't the end yet.
Rising Stars still had one last surprise for the trainees—one that would make the bawl even harder.
The next thing they knew, the white curtains to their side were suddenly let down, revealing familiar silhouettes.
Then, the lights turned on, illuminating these people.
The trainees looked to the side, surprised.
"Mom? Dad?"
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