“Is this really where Joo Woosung lives?”
“Well, I saw Woosung go in last time….”
As I sat inside the café, I overheard whispers coming from the nearby tables.
It seemed that these people were probably saseangs, judging by how they spread out Joo Woosung’s photos. Seeing how frequently they checked their surroundings and phones, my suspicions of them being sasaengs grew even higher.
“It’s really hard to see him, though. Joo Woosung hates this kind of thing….”
“If you can endure for a week, you may have the chance to see his face with a mask on.”
They were really saseangs.
I took a sip of my grapefruit smoothie and lifted my phone again. There were lots of messages waiting for me.
But they were not from Lim Hyaaeonsu, the manager, or even Seo Hojin.
The sasaengs glanced toward me.
“Hey, is that guy a celebrity?”
“I don’t recognize his face from anywhere…”
“Is he a trainee or something?”
“Oh, maybe he got cast as a backup dancer or something like that?”
No… I’m not a trainee. I was probably a semi-idol. I couldn’t go to the showcases, but I heard that I had at least recorded my first debut song.
Anyway, it was worth putting in the effort and completing quests until now. As my charm increased, those around me began to react.
[Character: Seo Hoyun
Specialty: Excessive self-consciousness.]
I’m gonna die.
The system window complained.
I can’t help it. Today is an important day.
[Quest Alert: “The System Window’s Curiosity.”
Why did the arrogant Seo Hoyun suddenly put on makeup? Let’s solve the System Window’s curiosity.
Success: Nothing.
Failure: The System Window’s tantrum.]
You really like to abuse me, don’t you?
I just ignored him since they would find out soon anyway. The system window was annoyed, and it no longer showed any alerts. The brat, made up of 0s and 1s, kept spouting nonsense.
My phone rang, and as I picked it up to check the message, I realized I had landed a big fish on the line.
– ???: Who are you?
– ???: Who are you?
What great timing.
– Me: haha
– Me: If you’re curious, come to the café.
After I sent the messages, I checked the rest of my messages.
– Manager: Hey, Hoyun, think again. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but you shouldn’t show off. If you come back now, the members will welcome you, so come back immediately… (omitted)”
I ignored the message from the manager.
Next was Lim Hyeonsu’s.
– Lim Hyeonsu: Hey hey hey hey
– Lim Hyeonsu: Seo Hoyun
– Lim Hyeonsu: Hoyuuuun
– Lim Hyeonsu: It’s amazing how the song is so good
– Lim Hyeonsu: Good job to me
– Lim Hyeonsu: Ah ㅋㅋㅋ I must be a genius ㅋㅋㅋ
– Me: Just send it.
– Lim Hyeonsu: You’re really annoying.
Yesterday was when I threatened Lim Hyeonsu. I ignored her as she gloated over her good output. I’ll give her some compliments later this afternoon.
And then back to the main character of the first set of messages.
– ???: Wait.
Yeah, that’s right. I smiled contentedly.
Amidst the chaotic messages, I needed only one thing right now. And if you’re quick-witted, you’ll know who I was just messaging.
As I skimmed through the messenger, the café’s boss handed me a cake. What is this? As I looked at her suspiciously, the boss smiled.
“This is a service.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Feeling happy and bubbly, I wanted to chat more, but then – bang! – the café’s door opened.
Really, it wasn’t a bang. It was more of a BANG. A loud banging noise.
That’s how anxious he must be.
“Oh, wow…”
It was a man completely covered in black.
He had on hat, mask, and sweatpants and was breathing heavily as if he had just arrived here by running. But everything he wore, from head to toe, screamed luxury.
He’s here.
Our next sucker.
“Oh? Is that…”
“Excuse me.”
The employees stiffened as they looked at him. The man ignored the surprised boss and wandered around inside the shop.
“Aren’t you Joo Woosung?”
Joo Woosung is a member of the top idol group Black Call in Korea. The group succeeded because they invested in everything, from a large planning agency to famous overseas composers to dancers from California.
But now he’s just my sucker.
I slowly raised my hand and called out to him with a big smile.
“Hyung!”
Aigo!
I didn’t want to call someone who was only 25 years old a “hyung,” but what could I do? I was a 33-year-old man who had gone back 10 years in time.
[Quest Arrival: “Now Do it Yourself”
Seo Hoyun, you’re doing fine even without a quest.
Try blackmailing Joo Woosung once.
Success: Charm +10
Failure: Reputation -100]
Joo Woosung slowly fixed his gaze on me as I called out to him. Then he frowned and walked towards me with firm steps.
“It’s you, right?”
“Hyung, you’re finally here.”
Joo Woosung probably didn’t recognize me right now, but when I pretended to know him, his expression became a surprise, as if it said, “What the heck?”
“What are you doing right now? Who are you?”
“Hey, what kind of joke is this?”
“What?”
I playfully laughed and approached him closely. I lowered my voice toward Joo Woosung, who still seemed unaware of the situation.
“Some of your fans are here, Mr. Joo.”
“…”
“If you want to avoid strange rumors, let’s make a deal.”
Joo Woosung remained silent with a stiff expression.
Then, he lifted the corners of his mouth and said, “Can’t you take a joke, dongsaeng?”
“Ah, hyung! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“I’m sorry. Uh… This place is a bit… Let’s go out?”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
We stood up with a smile and lightly said farewell to the café‘s boss.
When I tried to leave the café with Joo Woosung, his fans hastily followed us. Joo Woosung furrowed his brow, then quickly left, shaking off his fans as we made our way to his house.
“This isn’t some kind of skill trick, is it?”
“…”
Joo Woosung turned away from me. At least I ate some idol jjambap.
When we entered the apartment, I saw that the floor was lined with marble. He must have made quite a bit of money.
As soon as we were alone, Joo Woosung became guarded with me again. I walked over to the sofa and sat down, feeling like I wanted to lie down to soothe myself even though my body was still young. It was just my nature.
“You have a nice home.”
“What do you want?”
It was the same reaction as Lim Hyeonsu had yesterday.
“What’s with the threats now? Are you a journalist or maybe a scammer?”
“You have a very… weak imagination.”
Yesterday, there was a cute side to Lim Hyeonsu, even though she was rolling her head around. When I honestly expressed my opinion, Joo Woosung bit his lip.
“Otherwise, how else were you supposed to send this?”
Joo Woosung confidently held out his phone. It was a picture of him hugging another idol. Although it wasn’t clear as they were turning their heads, it was evident that they were living happily together.
Dating.
The sin of idols. It was almost on par with drugs, drunk driving, and violence.
Nowadays, opinions have improved, and even ordinary fans cheer for them, but they are not true hardcore fans.
“It’s like a scene from a drama.”
It was regrettable, but it was just good blackmail material for me now. It was shamefully taken.
“Are you a paparazzi? I have never told anyone about this…”
“It’s something similar.”
I once attempted to create a unique segment about idols’ personal lives for a journalism show. Someone gave me a photo at the time, and I knew I would eventually find the perfect opportunity to use it.
“Who are you!”
“Oh, hold on a moment. Let’s calm down.”
“Are you going to report me?”
I calmly confronted him, sensing that the tension wouldn’t dissipate. As a result, I chose to gently dampen his spirit.
“It probably wouldn’t be me that you regret the most, would it…?”
“…”
“If I snap my fingers once, the email will be sent. The media folks will have a field day with this.”
What would happen then? I kindly informed Joo Woosung of the reality.
< Joo Woosung’s Secret Date with an Innocent Girl Group Idol?! >
“So, do you want to top the search rankings tomorrow?”
And the internet’s reaction would be like this.
– I told you not to let him know that I’m an ATM machine ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Ah, I’m so pissed off.
– Last time, Joo Woosung claimed his fans were his only girlfriend. I wonder if the ring he wore that day was a couple’s ring, damn….
“Well… It’s okay. Many idols openly date nowadays.”
But there’s a catch.
“But it appears to change every three months or so. The last one lasted four months. Before that, it was two months, and the one before that, just three weeks.”
“It seems like you have dated almost everyone who appears on music shows, right?”
Joo Woosung was a bit of a player.
He wasn’t a two-timer but changed girlfriends at a 5G-level speed. The White Cherry girl group member wasn’t the end of it. The idols and actresses he dated could fill up a whole truck.
If that was ever exposed, Joo Woosung’s clean image would be ruined completely.
“What if Joo Woosung’s list of ex-girlfriends gradually leaked online? One by one, two by two, three by three…”
“…”
As I slowly unveiled the truth, Joo Woosung’s face turned pale.
It was bound to blow up sooner or later.
Yes, that’s right.
– Closing the homepage. Goodbye, my hot summer.
– I’m going to go crazy. Crazy bastard.
– The homepage will be permanently closed. Please refer to the tweet for the refund forms.
The sound of keyboards clacking as the fans left.
– That crazy guy dated while going around like that ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
– Wow! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I can’t believe I liked that bastard…
– How did he deceive fans for 5 years??
And then, the final act.
– Official: We demand Joo Woosung’s expulsion.
“Well, there won’t be any website not calling for Joo Woosung’s removal, right…?”
Joo Woosung buried his face in his hands. After feeling hopeless for a while, he finally asked a question.
“Money? Is it about money?”
He’s really getting on my nerves…
I wanted to use that line too.
I genuinely felt bad for someone without money in this alternate world.
“How much will it take…?”
“…”
“That’s not the point.”
There was something more significant. Seeing even Joo Woosung practically begging on his knees was sad, and I felt sympathy for him.
“It’s not about money; it’s something else. Honestly, what’s the problem with idols dating you, Joo Woosung? Just because they met one wrong guy…”
“Enough. So, what now? What do you want from me?”
I laughed. As I thought, this guy lacked imagination. At least Lim Hyeonsu had a better head on her shoulders.
“Do you know who I am? You need to know that first.”
“Do I need to know that?”
Of course, you needed to know, you jerk.
“I’m Seo Hoyun. An idol.”
“…”
“…”
Silence filled the air. Joo Woosung pursed his dry lips for a moment.
“Are you… crazy?”
[Choices:
- Hehe! (I giggled and playfully hit my head with a fist) I’m not a crazy person!
- Crazy for success (star).
- I’ve tried hitting the note and making waves.]
I clenched my hand tightly. Time passed dizzyingly.
True to form, my mouth had a will of its own.
“Hehe!”
It wasn’t just words – I giggled and hit my head with my fist.
“I’m not a crazy person!”
“…”
Fuck…
“… You’re a crazy person…”
Joo Woosung looked at me pitifully, having truly accepted that I was insane. I wanted to bite my tongue and blackout.
I rubbed my forehead and looked back on my life, wondering what I did wrong. There were too many things to make sense of.
“You’re a crazy junior, yeah, I get it. I know you’re an idol from what I’ve heard, but I couldn’t remember.”
“It’s okay. You won’t forget being threatened by your junior.”
“…”
Joo Woosung rubbed his forehead and asked again with patience.
“So, what do you want? You must want something if you’re talking to me for so long with a picture in hand.”
“Of course.”
“What else besides money?”
Apparently, this kid couldn’t be like Lim Hyeonsu.
I sighed and picked up a red pen to write the answer. Joo Woosung looked at me anxiously.
“What do I want right now? It’s very, very easy and simple.”
When I spoke calmly, Joo Woosung shuddered, and his arms trembled.
Come to think of it, Joo Woosung seemed to have avoided me even when I was a PD. Even though we didn’t have any contact.
What did he say, what did he say…
Why did he avoid me?
“Can you act well, hyung?”
I was still a good person.
