Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 48.1
Fans who weren’t the kind to show up at fan signings or airports felt unfamiliar after such a long time. When I approached the fan section, they waved their light sticks or shouted to greet me.
“Did you eat?”
It was eight in the morning. I heard they had been lining up since four. That meant, of course, they probably hadn’t eaten breakfast. I motioned with my hands to ask if they had eaten, and the little sparrow-like kids all shook their heads. They had come out so early just to see their idol, and hadn’t even eaten a proper meal.
I took out my phone from my pocket and called my manager. I asked if there were any gimbap shops open nearby, and if I could buy food for the fans myself, even if it meant paying out of pocket.
[Breakfast? They’re probably already being served breakfast right now.]
To my surprise, the manager said breakfast was already being provided. Just then, a cheer went up from the fan section. When I turned my head, people from our company were taking things out of boxes and handing them out to fans.
Looking closely, I saw they were giving out fruit and sandwiches, along with seat cushions, hot packs, and blankets. So many fans had come, but somehow the company had managed to prepare all of this. I was amazed, but more than that, I felt grateful to work with a company that didn’t neglect its fans.
“Enjoy your meal. Thank you for coming.”
I gave a short thanks so the fans could eat comfortably, then went back to where the other members were gathered.
“Hey, Ji Myeong-hyeon was about to buy gimbap out of his own pocket ‘cause he didn’t know the company was providing food.”
“He’s really something.”
“Such a kind fool…”
“Hyung, you really know nothing about how idol stuff works.”
By the time I got back, Joo I-rip must have already heard from the manager, because he teased me. The members laughed, praising me while making jokes. Normally they would just tease me, but maybe they knew I hadn’t been feeling great lately, so their light jokes felt especially kind.
I gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of my head while looking down. Suddenly, I felt a heavy weight on my crown.
“You’re kind.”
The low voice belonged to Baek Jae-heon.
He patted the top of my head a couple of times as if in praise, then quickly withdrew his hand and walked away.
“……”
But I couldn’t move. I stayed frozen in that same position, staring at the floor.
When Baek Jae-heon touched the top of my head, his thumb had brushed along my pinky.
My ears buzzed. My heart pounded so hard it felt like my whole body was screaming. My pulse was racing so fast that my head started to throb. I didn’t know what expression to make, or how I was supposed to react next. My body just stopped working altogether.
“Did you two make up or something?”
Go Hee-min nudged me with a grin. My mind, which had been spinning in circles like I was floating through space, snapped back to reality in an instant.
“What?” I looked up, confused. Go Hee-min just snickered softly, shook his head, and went to sit in the corner.
“Is Go Hee-min stupid?”
“Yeah, probably…”
“I didn’t know that hyung was that dense.”
The three members who were left looked at Go Hee-min like he was pitiful. I was startled and looked around at them. Had they noticed my feelings for Baek Jae-heon?
“Obviously Ji Myeong-hyeon’s mad right now.”
“Yeah, totally.”
“I seriously thought he was gonna snap Jae-heon hyung’s wrist just now.”
Thank goodness. None of them had caught on to what was really going on.
“……”
I turned my head toward where Baek Jae-heon had gone. He was representing the male idols for the opening pledge and was now talking with the production team near the MCs.
Then, as if he could feel my gaze, his lips kept moving as he spoke to the staff, but his eyes shifted toward me.
“……”
I really couldn’t understand Baek Jae-heon. He had pretended not to notice me for so long, and now he came and did something like this again. Was it just fan service because the fans were watching?
After that, we didn’t talk at all. We both just went back to our tasks, keeping things at the same surface level as before. Honestly, there wasn’t much time to talk anyway. Baek Jae-heon was ridiculously busy, entering so many events—first the 60-meter sprint, then the 100-meter dash, and later basketball and archery too.
I, on the other hand, was just a decorative figure next to Go Hee-min, so I didn’t compete in any events and just cheered from the sidelines. Still, Go Hee-min did have one event. There was a special section in the gym called the E-sports Zone, and he said he’d be participating in a game there. I had no idea he was good at gaming since he was always focused on singing.
“Who wants to go watch Go Hee-min’s match?”
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