"It's too early!" Seven whined as they made their way to the venue. The other members trudged behind him, looking more well-rested than Seven.
"It's your fault," Ocho said. "Kun told you to sleep early but you insisted on playing games all night. You better not mess up the rehearsal later. New and senior groups alike are going to monitor our performance."
"I won't," Seven said. "You already know I never mess up our performances. I debuted with just three months of training under my belt. You trained for three years. I think you should use your advice for yourself."
Ocho clicked his tongue and was about to hit the back of Seven's head, but Uno cleared his throat, making the others stand in attention.
"Don't bicker. Let's head inside and get ready," he coldly said.
The group entered the venue with their manager and two guards and was immediately bombarded with attention.
A jolly man skipped over to where they were, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"OCTA! I've heard a lot about you."
"Mr. Park," Uno respectfully bowed. "Thank you for having us here."
"No," Mr. Park shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you for gracing us with your wonderful presence. Your CEO had told me to take care of you well."
Uno smiled. "We look forward to working with you."
"It's an honor," the jolly man said. "Well, EVE are still rehearsing, so I suggest you guys head to the lounge to rest first. RO5Y and MORPH3D are going to rehearse before you, so one of my staff members will personally fetch you when it's your turn."
"EVE?" Seven couldn't help but react. "They're already here?"
The others turned to the side and saw the rookie group that became their unspoken rival performing on stage.
They watched them perform with much struggle, and Ocho couldn't help but smirk before turning away.
"Should we go?" Ocho asked, not finding them worthy to be called their 'rival.'
"Yeah," Uno absent-mindedly said, his eyes not leaving the stage.
"But I want to watch more," Seven pouted.
"Just go," Dos insisted, pushing him inside.
Meanwhile, Uno continued looking at the stage, feeling a sense of rivalry fill his veins. Just then, his dark brown eyes met with the light brown ones of the pink-haired center on the stage.
It seemed like they were performing the bridge of the song, and their fatigue had caught up with them.
The most affected one was definitely June. As the main vocalist of the group, he was given the highest parts of the song during the bridge. However, it was right after an intense dance break.
So, as his high note neared, he couldn't control his breathing.
In the end, the full high note was sang in falsetto, causing Uno to smirk.
He then stopped watching their performance and made his way inside
"Where did you go?" Dos asked, patting his back. "You weren't behind us when I turned around."
"Nothing," Uno shrugged. "Just watched something that's not worth watching."
***
"Gosh, that was so hard," Akira groaned, plopping down on the couch. However, he quickly groaned when he felt the hard material.
