Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 43.1
Since Baek Jae-heon was the type to talk a fair bit in front of fans, I wanted to sit next to him and chat, maybe learn a little more about this restless feeling inside me.
Thinking about it rationally, the reason I felt this way toward Baek Jae-heon might just be admiration. These were sensations I had never experienced in all my sixty-nine years of life. It was the first time I had ever been captivated by someone, the first time I had ever held someone’s hand. If Baek Jae-heon had been a woman, I probably would not have denied my feelings or hesitated to admit that I liked her.
But that was impossible to ignore. It was never easy to break through the prejudices that had formed over such a long life. So I decided to maintain a neutral stance and simply observe this emotion a little longer. After all, first emotions of any kind tend to feel overwhelming and intense, and I needed to see how long this one would last.
When almost an hour had passed, I finished showering, changed into something comfortable, and headed for the room on the right. As soon as I knocked, Kwon Ji-hak flung the door open as if he had been waiting.
Inside, Baek Jae-heon was sitting down wearing a plain white short-sleeved shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair, still damp and tousled as though he had just showered, gave off a look I had seen countless times before at the dorm. But for some reason, it felt unfamiliar today. Something about that familiar sight looked different.
He raised an eyebrow for a moment, seemingly surprised to see me, but soon returned to his usual calm expression and walked toward the table where a camera had been set up. I hesitated before sitting beside him, keeping one seat between us with Ji-hak in the middle. But Ji-hak nudged me with a sly look that said, “Hyung, move in,” and before I knew it, I was sitting right next to Baek Jae-heon.
Ah, this felt a bit uncomfortable.
Our arms touched. Thankfully, I was wearing a long-sleeved hoodie, so our bare skin didn’t actually make contact. If it had, I probably would have instinctively pulled away with an “Oh, geez!”
“I’m starting it now!”
As Ji-hak pressed the button, the viewer count on the screen shot up like an explosion. Within just one minute, it had already passed fifty thousand. It was fascinating. We had done group broadcasts before, all well-organized and formal, but this kind of spontaneous, casual live was new for me. Probably for Baek Jae-heon too.
“Everyone, we’ve got two very special guests for today’s live!”
Like a practiced host, Ji-hak kept the energy going smoothly. Baek Jae-heon and I only offered brief greetings beside him. The chat window flooded with messages, and amid the whirlwind of text, one comment happened to catch my eye.
[ Myeong-hyeon, do a cheek heart! ]
Without thinking, I formed a heart with my fingers on my cheek and looked into the camera. The moment I did, I caught Baek Jae-heon’s gaze from across the screen.
Damn it. I felt like I had just been caught faking fan service. I quickly dropped my hand and glanced sideways, only to see Baek Jae-heon letting out a small laugh. It was short but clear—a sound that seemed part teasing, part amused.
“Okay, since this is the first time our Baekcheon hyungs are doing a Universe live, I prepared a little segment! It’s called Ji-hak’s Balance Game!”
Apparently frustrated that Baek Jae-heon and I were just sitting there reading comments without saying much, Ji-hak had somehow come up with a game to keep things lively. How far ahead did this kid plan, anyway?
“All right, first question.”
He pulled out his phone, where he seemed to have notes ready.
“Eating only ramen for life versus eating only chicken for life! One, two, three!”
He fired off the question suddenly, but there was no need to think.
“Ramen.”
“Ramen.”
Our answers came out at the exact same time. We glanced at each other and both broke into a small laugh. It was such a simple question, yet somehow it felt like we had just shared an odd moment of connection.
“Okay, second question. Being stuck with I-rip hyung for 24 hours versus being stuck with Ji-hak for 24 hours! One, two, three!”
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