Yena woke up after a deep, dream-filled slumber.

She wishes.

She hadn't gotten any sleep at all! The production crew all stayed up, answering countless calls from news sites, outside sources, and worried and enraged fans alike.

A lot were pleading for June to be kicked out of the show, mostly Phoenix and Zeth stans.

But a reasonable number also made logical arguments that they couldn't just believe the trainees' words without proof. However, the media had inculcated the mindset of "victims first."

And in this story, Alex and Hyunwoo are the supposed victims.

Moreover, the two had a huge company to back them up. Azure was sure that it'd be a huge loss if they decided to forgo Alex's and Hyunwoo's statements for an individual trainee who didn't have any backing at all.

The clock struck 12, and the production team turned to Yena and Yejin, who were bound to make the final decision.

There were more members who would like for June to stay in the competition, saying that the kid is actually quite nice and it'd be a shame to just kick him out. However, more powerful members were against him, which put them on pretty equal footing.

"It's noon already," Chris said. "You said that we'll wait until now for June to prove his innocence, but I think we're waiting for nothing. The episode is airing in two days. Let's give the editors more time to edit him out by making a decision right now."

Ann, the intern who found June weird at first but eventually fell in love with his charms, slammed her fist against the table. "But it's unfair! There isn't even any tangible evidence that June bullied Alex and Hyunwoo. I believe you're just defending them because you worked at Phoenix before."

The table was stunned to silence. They couldn't believe that an intern was speaking up against the Editing Director.

Chris' face became red as he stood up, his chair loudly scraping against the floor.

"A mere intern has the guts to say these words to me?" he shouted. "Do you know who I am? You're just a puny little girl who does nothing but run errands and buy coffee for the team!"

Ann's lips quivered while Yena massaged the bridge of her nose.

"Enough," she said. "Director Chris, that was out of line. And Ann, you should not talk to your superiors like that."

"But—" Ann tried to argue, but Yejin held her hand up.

Yena was about to speak when the door suddenly opened, and someone unexpected came in.

"Jihyun?" they all stood up from their seats. Some were starstruck that the well-known artist came directly to their headquarters. Yes, they see her during filmings, but that was it. Seeing her in their office was definitely a different thing.

"What are you doing here, Miss Jihyun?" Yena asked.

"Is it true?" Jihyun asked, sounding frantic. "I heard you're kicking June out."

Chris smirked and took the initiative to answer. "Yes, Miss Jihyun. We don't tolerate bullies in the competition, so we have no choice but to kick him out."

"What?" Jihyun asked. "You can't do that. June's a nice person."

They raised their eyebrows in response. Since when have the two been close to each other?

Yejin cleared her throat. "It's still under discussion," she said. "We're finalizing our decision now."

"What is there to consider?" Woosan, another Phoenix lackey, asked. "You shouldn't go back on your words. You said that you'll only give June until today to prove himself innocent. Don't tell me—are you going back on your words?"

Yejin and Yena exchanged looks of uncertainty. The last thing they wanted was for the team to lose their trust in them.

So, they nodded knowingly at each other.

"Alright," Yena said. "We have made a decision. We don't want to go back on our words. So, we decided to kick June out of the show."

"What?"

"Just like that?"

"Tsk. Such a waste of talent."

Protests were heard across the room, but some were also satisfied with their decision.

Chris clapped the loudest. "Great! I'll relay it to my team. We'll finish editing the episode tomorrow. Don't worry, we'll make it seamless—as if June wasn't even there in the first place."

With that, he stood up and started walking out of the office. The others also started packing up, knowing that the decision was already final.

"Wait!" Ann screamed loudly, causing the people to halt in their spots.

Chris, too, stopped in his tracks and turned back to the screaming intern.

"Everyone, go on Navel right now," she urged.

"What are you yapping about—" Christ groaned. However, Ann quickly cut him off.

"Quickly!" Ann exclaimed.

Everybody followed her instructions, opening their Navel apps.

Then, the room turned silent while Ann's lips formed into a smirk.

"Looks like you'll be editing someone else out of the show."

***

Despite June's assurance, his friends remained in the store, their anxiety going through the roof. The contrast between June's carefree whistling and their worried huddling was stark.

They exchanged glances, trying to decipher whether June had truly gone crazy or if there was something they were missing.

"Seriously, is he just born without the 'worry' gene?" Akira muttered under his breath.

"He's either completely clueless or secretly a zen master," C-Jay added. "I would have ran through the streets naked with an apology sign in my hands if I were him."

"No, that's just you," Jaeyong side-eyed him. "Are things really going to be alright?"

The group was deep in their contemplations when Jangmoon absentmindedly pulled out his phone. He had intended to scroll through his social media feed and maybe post a selfie, a small distraction from the tension that hung in the air.

However, as he unlocked his phone and opened the front page, his eyes widened in shock.

His fingers froze, and his breath caught in his throat. Without a second thought, he called out to the others.

"Guys, you need to see this."

Their attention immediately shifted to Jangmoon, his phone held out in front of him. On the screen was an article – a headline that was trending number one worldwide!

As they read the headline, a collective gasp filled the air.

"Drama Rising Through the Stars: The Mad Hatter's Celebrity Extravaganza - 'Tea Party' Takes on a Whole New Meaning!"