June wasn't threatened.

Not in the slightest.

Mr. Ong was too cute to be intimidating. Moreover, after his trip to Gangwon, he decided that he should demand better terms from their company.

So, instead of rushing to go to the company, June took his time.

Minjun scratched the back of his head as June got out of the car.

"Are you sure this is okay?" the younger boy asked.

June nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said.

"Besides, I'm trending for all the right reasons right now."

Minjun smirked and shook his head. "Cocky," he said.

"Bye, little guy," June said, waving his hand. "Keep in touch and always stay safe."

Minjun held out an okay sign.

"Take care of yourself, too."

With that, June went inside the Azure building, the smile quickly fading from his face.

He saw people looking toward his way as he made his way to Mr. Ong's office. However, he didn't pay them any attention.

With that, June barged into Mr. Ong's office, causing the CEO to jump in shock.

Mr. Ong placed his hand over his chest and turned to June with a profound glare.

Meanwhile, June sat on the couch and waited for Mr. Ong to start speaking.

He knew that he wasn't being respected by the company, so he decided to give back the senergy. June realized that he had becso kind ever since he becan idol, and the main reason was because he cared a lot for the people surrounding him.

However, he realized that if he wanted to give his members better treatment and provide an easier tto their fans, then he needed to go back to his roots.

Mr. Ong clicked his tongue as June sipped on his bottle of water.

"Where have you been?" he calmly asked.

"I'm on a break," June said. "That means that I have the privilege to rest in my hometown."

"You performed at a festival," Mr. Ong exclaimed. "Free of charge, at that! Fortunately, the footage didn't reveal anything suspicious. Otherwise, we will be facing major losses."

"It's actually going viral for all the right reasons," June countered with a small smirk.

"It seems tothat you're just a little bit upset that I performed for free," he remarked.

Mr. Ong pursed his lips. "Azure cares about your well-being."

"If you truly cared about my well-being, then you would stop givingso many schedules and give my other members opportunities to shine on their own," June deadpanned, finally revealing what had been on his mind since the moment their group started blowing up.

Mr. Ong frowned before chuckling loudly.

"It sounds tothat you're ungrateful for all the opportunities that the company has provided you," he said.

"I opened those opportunities," June smirked. "You only accepted them for me."

Mr. Ong's face progressively got redder as their conversation continued.

The CEO observed June's cocky face and frowned.

He wasn't like this in the beginning.

He had always been stubborn—even dating back to the tthat he joined Rising Stars.

However, it seemed like he had gotten more stubborn this taround—someone hard to control.

Mr. Ong's frown deepened.

He didn't like it in the slightest.

The best artists were the artists that he could control.

He had done so for GIRLS' EVOLUTION and BOYMYSTIC. He wasn't afraid to do so for EVE once again.

He had been successful thus far, but June was proving himself to be a nasty candidate.

Mr. Ong smirked.

"I see," he said. "Now that you've gotten big, you're rebelling against the company."

"I'm not going to rebel if I believe you're doing a good job," June remarked.

Mr. Ong let out a deep breath. He was slowly losing patience!

How cJune's words felt so sharp?

The CEO shook his head. "Whatever it is that you want, just tell me. We can make things work as long as they're reasonable."

June leaned against the couch and smirked.

This was what he was waiting for!

"First," June said. "I need you to add another date for our mini-

concert."

Mr. Ong clicked his tongue. "The company has already thought about that. We know that the demand is high, so we're planning on getting a second date in the svenue."

June shook his head.

"Find a bigger venue—one that can hold up to at least 11,000 people."

Mr. Ong frowned. "That's a whole dome!"

June nodded. "Lower the prices, too."

The CEO shook his head in disbelief.

"Why don't you sit on my chair too, huh?" he exclaimed.

"Gladly," June said. "But I don't want to stunt my growth like you."

Mr. Ong's mouth went agape. Out of every topic in the entire world, his height was the most sensitive one.

He couldn't let anyone just speak on his height!

Taking advantage of Mr. Ong's shock, June continued to demand better terms.

"Reduce my brand deals, too. It wouldn't look too good if I endorsed everything. It lessens my credibility," he said.

"Instead, focus on brands that are actually great."

"Then, give it to my members first instead of me. I'm sure most of the brands would like them, too."

Mr. Ong couldn't even speak since he was still stuck on the height comment.

At that moment, he realized that June was far too brave.

"June," he said, cutting the idol short.

"I didn't ask you to chere to demand," he continued. "If you want to keep your position as an idol, then continue following what the company wants."

Even after the threatening comment, June's expression didn't change.

Instead, his smirk got even wider, feeling more confident.

"And what?" June asked. "You'll risk losing your cash cow?"

Mr. Ong froze.

"The reason why you're increasing the ticket prizes and givingmost of the brand deals is because of money, right?" June asked.

"You're aware of my value."

Mr. Ong couldn't respond since he knew that June was right.

As of the moment, June was their most prized possession—the one who brought most of their money in.

"I know you can't afford to lose me," June smiled.

"So, think about what I've said."

With that, June stood from the couch and walked to the exit.

Even then, Mr. Ong couldn't speak or move. Instead, his fists merely clenched, feeling frustration conshim.

"If you don't comply..."

"...then I might just do something to ruin the company's reputation even more."

As he said those final words, June gently closed the door and walked away from the office.

However, he didn't miss the frustrated scream that cfrom Mr. Ong.

He continued walking away with a wide smile.

"What a good day to be alive."