Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

There was one rule in this game. Except when going to the bathroom, the person in charge of the arms could not let their feet touch the ground, and the person in charge of the legs could not use their arms. Every time they broke the rule, they would get minus one point. The team with the most minus points accumulated would have to do a set of three aegyo in front of the camera.

In the middle of the studio was a large electronic board showing the minus scores.

I-rip · Hee-min: -8

ISUNE· Ji-hak: -5

Jae-heon · Cheonmyeong: 0

It really felt like a big company, spending a lot of money to produce their own content like this.

“Ah, damn it, Joo I-rip! Stay still!”

“Run! Giddy-up! Giddy-up!”

“You crazy brat!”

I thought everyone might take a break, but that was not possible. The moment Go Hee-min, carrying Joo I-rip on his back, came in through the entrance after what looked like finishing the mission given by the production staff, everyone went on high alert. Why were those two split into arms and legs like that? Go Hee-min was the official skinny one in the team like me.

I quickly climbed back onto Baek Jae-heon’s back.

So this was the appearance of YEARZ’s official crazy one, Joo I-rip. Even Baek Jae-heon hurried to carry me to the bathroom so that Joo I-rip would not pull any stunts. But of course, the crazy one was Joo I-rip.

“Let’s pull Ji Myeong-hyeon down!”

“What, stop that!”

Controlling Go Hee-min to come close, Joo I-rip suddenly lunged and grabbed my arm to pull me down. As my balance started to falter, I instinctively wrapped my arms tightly around Baek Jae-heon’s neck. At that moment, what brushed past the tip of my nose was not sweat or the smell of sportswear. It was a faint shampoo scent.

I had once read somewhere that people are weak to scents, and now I was experiencing it firsthand. It was nothing special, just the shampoo all the members used together, but in that instant, my heart sank with a heavy thud.

“Joo I-rip. Stop.”

Baek Jae-heon spoke in a low voice. There was strength in his tone. Normally, he might have just ignored it, but since my body was on his back, he was firmly resolute this time.

“This is part of the game.”

As expected of a madman, Joo I-rip grinned and tried to charge again. Only the flimsy Go Hee-min was too weak to follow through, so they stayed where they were.

I tightened my grip around Baek Jae-heon’s neck, then quickly pulled my body back. Both of us swayed slightly, and Baek Jae-heon turned his head, speaking casually.

“Hold on tighter. So you don’t fall.”

A low voice brushed against my ear. That baritone made my heart drop again. The pounding was unbearable, and my head went blank for a moment.

“…Yeah.”

I said I understood, but I could not bring myself to hold him tighter. Instead, I put a little more distance between us. I was worried he might hear my heartbeat or my breathing.

“Catch Ji Myeong-hyeon!”

“Let’s get Myeong-hyeon hyung!”

At that moment, the team of Lee Soonbok and Kwon Ji-hak, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly jumped up and joined the Joo I-rip · Go Hee-min team, who were already aiming for us. They charged from both sides at once. Panicking, I reflexively clung tightly to Baek Jae-heon’s neck. Then, the hands holding my thighs suddenly supported my hips, lifting me more securely, and Baek Jae-heon spun quickly and darted away from the spot.

He ran straight to a corner of the studio, stopping at a narrow hallway turn where the members’ hands could not reach.

“Phew…”

Baek Jae-heon leaned against the wall, catching his breath as if exhausted, while I was still clinging to his back. He could have set me down on some nearby structure, but maybe he thought the others might attack again, so he only rested like this. His strength really was impressive.

“…Ahem.”

As the noise around us grew distant, a peculiar quiet filled the space between us.

My face was pressed close against his shoulder, so near that if I turned my head even a little, my ear would brush his. Only then did I realize it clearly. When we had been shaking while running, Jae-heon had pulled me closer, holding me tighter.

“Tired?”

Baek Jae-heon asked in a low voice. His breathing had not completely settled yet, so the edge of his voice trembled faintly.

“…You must be more tired than me.”

I gave a short reply, but my voice came out softer than I expected. He probably sensed it before I did.

He lowered his head for a moment, then shifted to support my legs more firmly. In the process, his fingertips brushed up along my thigh. It was a casual motion, but strangely enough, my whole body shivered in response.

“You are hardly heavy.”

“…”

“Hold on properly.”

His tone was curt, yet it did not feel unpleasant. In the distance, I could still hear the members shouting and running around, but in this narrow hallway, it felt like it was just the two of us.