Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

In that instant, it felt like my entire body froze. Especially my brain. It was as if a sheet of ice spread across it, completely locking up. My mind went blank and stopped functioning altogether. Then, the moment I saw the hand holding mine, my frozen brain began to process what was happening, and the warmth spreading from the back of my hand radiated through my entire body. That heat seeped past my skin and into my head. It was such an unexpected, unguarded sensation that it stole my breath away.

I reflexively looked at Baek Jae-heon.

But his face showed nothing unusual. If anything, he looked calm. He simply rested his hand lightly over mine while looking at the screen, as if this were a natural, meaningless gesture. He wasn’t smiling or joking. He was just quietly sitting there.

Baek Jae-heon was clearly doing fan service, but somehow it felt like I was the one receiving it.

[Holy Crappp]
[Crazy!!!]
[GAAAHHHH (dead)]
[He’s insane!!!!]
[1001000♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

The chat exploded. Fans’ screams and hearts filled the screen.

I wanted to pull my hand away and ask what he was doing, but I couldn’t move easily. If I pulled away first, it might seem like I was too conscious of it, and that would look strange.

“Wow, as expected, you really know what the fans want!”

Kwon Ji-hak’s face was glowing with excitement. Didn’t he think it was weird that two guys, both older members, were doing this? I forced an awkward smile and glanced at him, but even then, I couldn’t ignore the warmth lingering on my fingertips.

Then, absurd thoughts began running through my head.

‘Am I the only one feeling this way right now?’

‘Is Baek Jae-heon really this unaffected?’

He was still sitting there, casually holding my hand on the table while looking at his phone. His body leaned slightly forward, his chin resting on his hand as he read the chat, occasionally nodding. No matter how much I tried to glance at him from the side, his expression remained composed.

Ding―

[Joo I-rip: How dare you two not pick me? Haha, see you later.]

A message from one of the members appeared with a notification. When a member commented, it showed up separately on-screen, making it easy to notice. And the one who wrote it was Joo I-rip.

[Joo I-rip: Huh? But what’s this between you two? Something suspicious~]

The moment I saw that, I quietly pulled my hand away. Joo I-rip was the type to say anything once he started, and I didn’t want to risk it.

At that moment, Baek Jae-heon’s gaze on the screen shifted toward where our hands had been. He was probably just glancing because I had pulled away, but for some reason, that brief look made my skin tingle.

“See you all next time—”

The live broadcast finally ended without issue. Well, I wasn’t sure if it was really “without issue.” The thought of holding Baek Jae-heon’s hand kept replaying in my mind, making my chest flutter uncomfortably. I just wanted to go back to my room and fall asleep quickly.

“Myeong-hyeon hyung, good job.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll get going.”

“Hyuuung—”

I hurriedly stood up, answering halfheartedly, but Ji-hak must have thought I was upset. He bent his tall frame and clung to me playfully.

“Whoa…”

“Hyung, are you mad?”

I was exhausted, and this kid was only realizing what he’d done after the fact. But instead of being angry, I actually felt grateful. After all, it was the first live broadcast for both me and Baek Jae-heon, and thanks to him, it had been fun and engaging for the fans.

“No, you did well. Really well.”

I patted his head, telling him he did a good job. But then, I felt someone’s gaze.

“……”

Baek Jae-heon was standing still, staring quietly at me and Ji-hak. His expression was hard to read—almost peculiar. It looked a bit like he was glaring, but also somehow… envious? No way. Had I finally lost it? Why would Baek Jae-heon ever be jealous about me hugging Ji-hak? I must really be tired.

“Ji-hak, I’m sleepy.”

“Oh, yes! Go get some rest right away.”

“Yeah. Good work.”

After freeing myself from Ji-hak’s grip, I quickly left the room. Then I went next door and pressed the doorbell. When I left earlier, Go Hee-min had taken the card key, so I was empty-handed.

“……”

But there was no response from inside. What? Was Go Hee-min still eating? I didn’t even have my phone with me.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Go Hee-min.”

Thinking maybe he couldn’t hear me because he was in the shower or listening to music, I called his name while knocking. Still, there was no response. I figured he must not have returned yet. So I went over to the room that Baek Jae-heon and Kwon Ji-hak had just come out of and pressed their doorbell.