LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 197
Chapter 197
After sleeping almost an entire day due to the aftermath of an all-night work session, I woke up with a throbbing headache.
Physically, I must have already recovered completely thanks to the blessings.
The source of this persistent headache was clearly those irritating individuals.
“Hey, can’t you just let me hear a little bit? Just 30 seconds. No? Then 20 seconds, or even 10 seconds would be fine.”
“No. Not even a second.”
Despite saying no repeatedly for days and planning to continue doing so, I didn’t understand why that guy, with his smart head, kept being so stubborn.
“Hey, if you let me hear a bit, I’ll make your favorite side dishes often and won’t force you to eat the healthy ones you hate. The song was made for us to sing anyway, right? Right? Just say yes!”
“Do you think that’ll work? How old do you think I am?”
He always called me the youngest, but did he really think I was the same age as Kang Hae-rim?
Considering Kang Ji-woo’s usual behavior towards me, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Frankly, Kang Ji-woo’s attitude towards me was clearly excessive for just a three-year age difference.
Even Ban Yo-han, who was the same age as Kang Ji-woo, or Kim Jun-woo, who was a year older, didn’t treat me like such a child.
Compared to those two, Kang Ji-woo indeed seemed exceptional.
At that moment, Seo Moon-gyeol, who had been quietly sitting, called me.
“Raon-ah.”
Seo Moon-gyeol had helped me a lot with composing, so it was the hardest to refuse him even when he didn’t say much.
“Sorry… but I can’t.”
For the record, Gyun Seong-ha had been sulking since yesterday because I still hadn’t let him hear the song or explained why.
‘Should I appease him or not?’
Seeing that, it seemed like the so-called youngest charm was much more pronounced in Gyun Seong-ha.
Anyway, I decided to think about Gyun Seong-ha later.
I used the excuse of having a schedule to finally free myself from the two who were particularly clingy.
They would cling to me again when I returned, but for now, it was a relief.
‘They are more persistent than I thought…’
Well, if I were in their shoes, I would also be curious about why I wasn’t showing the song.
But this was all for their sake.
‘Or maybe not? Is it just an excuse and actually for myself?’
Just earlier, while having a meal and browsing SNS, I saw a post saying that people are more self-centered than they think.
It said that even if someone wasn’t particularly selfish, their basic thought system was centered around themselves.
So, one should be careful when saying they’re doing something for others.
‘Of course, that’s obvious.’
However, before my thoughts could deepen further, I cut them off myself.
This was because Lee Young-min, who had appeared behind me without a sound, spoke.
“I’ll have the car ready, so please come out in about 10 minutes.”
“Okay.”
Now that I thought about it, it was the first time I was going to a schedule alone with Lee Young-min.
Ban Yo-han came to me while I was killing time in the lobby, fiddling with my phone.
Feeling slightly exhausted from the repetitive conversation, I spoke without looking up.
“I told you, I won’t let you hear it.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
“Be careful.”
“Of what?”
“Young-min hyung.”
At the unexpected warning and name, my mind froze. Unaware of my reaction, Ban Yo-han continued nonchalantly.
“The other day, he suddenly stopped like a broken machine and stayed in one place for a while. He couldn’t hear me when I spoke to him, and he didn’t respond even when I touched him. He didn’t seem sick, but then again, he always looks a bit unwell.”
“……”
“Anyway, there hasn’t been a similar incident since, and he said it wouldn’t happen again, but if he zones out while driving, it could be serious. So don’t fall asleep and keep an eye on him.”
“……Ah.”
“Why that expression?”
I finally relaxed my stiff facial muscles and responded.
“Nothing. I was just imagining what would happen if we actually had an accident.”
“Did I say something unnecessary?”
“No. Thanks.”
“Really? Then let me hear your song a bit.”
“That’s unnecessary. I’m leaving.”
“Take care.”
Since it was almost time, I went outside and got into the car.
“Did you fasten your seatbelt?”
“Yes.”
It had been some time since Lee Young-min became our manager.
Due to his striking appearance and atmosphere, he still didn’t fit in well with the members or company people.
He didn’t seem to care much about that.
Judging by Kwak Sang-hyun’s reaction, Lee Young-min’s work skills weren’t bad.
“We’ll head to the shop first.”
“Okay, hyung. But I don’t have to worry about suddenly crashing into a wall and dying, right?”
Despite the abrupt question, Lee Young-min replied smoothly without being flustered.
“Of course. Trust my 23 years of accident-free driving experience.”
“……Hyung, you’re not 23 years old.”
“That doesn’t mean my 23 years of accident-free driving is a lie.”
What nonsense.
“Haha.”
“Is it funny?”
Instead of answering, I saw Lee Young-min’s faintly smiling eyes through the rearview mirror.
He still smelled of smoke.
* * *
“We’ve arrived.”
These days, I was paying extra attention to my appearance by stopping by the shop to get perfectly styled before heading to Music Pang Pang’s MC gig.
While browsing through SNS, I noticed that the tag “#Saturday_Raon” had become a trend for posting my Music Pang Pang MC commute photos.
The unique part was that it wasn’t just Airies (my fans) posting with that tag; even fans of other singers, who were appearing on music shows during their active periods, were uploading my photos.
This seemed like an unusual occurrence.
No, it was definitely unusual.
Unless it was April Fool’s Day, when people post diverse photos of other singers, actors, athletes, and even non-human subjects as if they had made an agreement.
I knew that posting photos of a different idol on a fan account primarily dedicated to a specific idol was heavily criticized within the fandom.
Honestly, if a fitness-related account I followed suddenly posted pictures of greasy food, I would also be appalled.
Of course, no one is so idle to post other people’s kids’ photos on an account that’s already busy with their own kid’s photos, no matter how pretty they look.
It seemed like people were posting these photos occasionally and were pretending to smile and let it go, regardless of their true feelings.
It was amusing to see everyone agree that it made sense if it was On Raon when fan account owners captioned their photos with comments like “I couldn’t help but take the picture when I saw his face” or “It felt like a crime to keep this picture to myself.”
Anyway, it was beneficial in many ways if I could draw even a little more attention from fans of other idols in such a manner.
For a celebrity, attention equates to life.
And if they became my fans, or more precisely, fans of my face, it would be even better.
* * *
On Raon wasn’t just concerned with his appearance but also planned a small event.
One day, upon the stylist’s recommendation, he held a bouquet for a better photo and went to work.
He remembered how exceptionally well Airies responded to the photos taken that day, so On Raon suggested holding a different flower every week.
From the following week, with the stylist’s enthusiastic support, On Raon indeed held a flower on his way to work.
Usually, he would buy flowers that matched his outfit for the day from a small flower shop near the company, accompanied by the stylist.
But when it wasn’t convenient, he would ask the manager to do it.
Sometimes, it was a simple single flower, and other times, a lush bouquet.
Either way, whatever the flower, it suited him perfectly as if he was born holding one.
If lucky, the fresh flowers might end up as a gift in an Airy’s hand on the way to work.
While Airies giving gifts to Orca was prohibited, the reverse wasn’t much of a problem.
“Thank you.”
“Gasp…”
“Do you have any pollen allergies?”
“Even if I do, I have to cure it!”
Unfortunately, due to concerns from the broadcasting station that the commute route might become overheated and disorderly from fans wanting to receive flowers from On Raon, he couldn’t give them out every week.
However, since the first time he shyly handed a flower to a fan, the number of people calling his name on his way to work had noticeably increased.
A few people grumbled about the fuss.
But at least On Raon’s sincerity in dealing with fans seemed to be well conveyed to Airies and other fans.
* * *
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
I had now completely dropped the formal speech with Gyun Ha-ram, who used to mix formal and informal speech while conversing with me.
Though it was hard to say we had become personally close, it was certainly easier to match the flow of our interactions thanks to the lack of awkwardness in our conversations.
‘Is that why our exchanges have increased lately?’
It felt like the number of lines between us was increasing, lines that only couples might exchange, which seemed like it would only upset each other’s fans. I had subtly mentioned this to the writer, but it didn’t help much.
“You guys were all here.”
With Lee Se-jun’s appearance, I greeted him with a bow, saying, “Hello.”
Gyun Ha-ram, who greeted similarly, got up from her seat with her characteristic blunt expression.
“Then I’ll be going. See you later.”
We weren’t finished talking yet.
“Ha-ram, do you have a moment?”
“Sorry, my manager oppa called me.”
“Really? Can’t be helped then. See you later.”
Without much of a reply, Gyun Ha-ram nodded her head slightly and went her way.
When I unintentionally turned my head, I saw Lee Se-jun’s face, left behind.
‘Why are his ears… red?’