Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

I looked back and forth between my reflection in the mirror and the maknae staff member. While tilting my head slightly and quietly peering into her eyes, I maintained the most nonchalant expression possible on the outside, but my mind was already a tangled mess of complex thoughts.

“Shouldn’t you still be careful, regardless?”

Taken at face value, those words weren’t wrong. The profession of an idol, the image projected on stage, the fantasies consumed by fans, and the countless eyes surrounding it all—I wasn’t ignorant of that weight. No, I knew it better than anyone. That was exactly why a corner of my heart had been uneasy since yesterday, and why that question had just slipped out earlier.

And yet, it was strange.

This wasn’t something to be said at this timing, in this tone of voice, or in this situation.

People reveal more through their vibe than their words. That was one of the things I had learned across two lifetimes. Especially in a place like a shop where you encounter so many different people, the sense of “you shouldn’t say this here” naturally becomes ingrained in your body.

Everyone had heard the encouragement the head Designer just gave me. Those words were clearly meant to protect me and set the tone for this space. Any person with normal social skills would have taken a beat, agreed with her, or simply chosen to keep their mouth shut.

But this person was different.

She waited for the exact moment people stepped away to lower her voice and speak with such certainty. It was as if she were issuing a warning. At that moment, a small red light flickered in my head. Ah, this person isn’t just speaking because she lacks tact.

I looked at the maknae staff member once more. Her eyes wavered slightly, but her gaze was clear as she stared back, as if trying to force her thoughts upon me. A thought flashed through my mind.

Could it be… that this person also has romantic feelings for Baek Jae-heon? Is that why seeing Jae-heon and me together makes her uncomfortable? I wasn’t certain. But the “chilling” sensation was unmistakable. And strangely enough, this intuition had almost never been wrong.

While doing this job, I’ve seen countless people who couldn’t separate business from pleasure and expressed feelings for Baek Jae-heon. They were fellow celebrities, or officials and staff members who had to work with us frequently. Of course, since Baek Jae-heon had already lived through this in his past life, he had cut them all off before those feelings could grow and interfere with work. But had he failed to deter this person?

I took a breath and deliberately relaxed my expression. There was no need to make the atmosphere sharp for no reason.

“Ah, is that so?”

I said with a smile. I kept it as light as possible, as if I didn’t suspect a thing.

“Thanks for the advice.”

The maknae staff member gave a small nod at those words. She looked like she wanted to say more, but sensing that I wouldn’t allow it to go that far, she didn’t continue. Instead, she gave an awkward smile and moved away to organize other tools.

Even after she disappeared from view, I stared through the mirror at the spot where she had been for quite a while.

The concert hall waiting room was calmer than yesterday. Yesterday, both the members and the staff were so tense that things were frantic, but today, everyone seemed to have found a bit of composure. After finishing the sound check, I changed into my first outfit and sat in the corner of the sofa to wait. Baek Jae-heon, having finished his styling, approached and sat down next to me.

In the distance, I could see the members busy playing around with each other. I took a quick look around to make sure no one was paying attention to us, then sat a little closer to Baek Jae-heon.

“Jae-heon.”

“Yeah?”

Baek Jae-heon, who had been looking at his phone, turned his head to look at me. Yesterday his hair was completely pushed back, but today I saw he was styled with it only half-up. He really is handsome. I admired his face for a moment before remembering my purpose and speaking up.

“You know… that maknae staff member at our hair shop.”

Baek Jae-heon’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. It was as if he instinctively realized I was about to bring up something unusual.