Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 71.2
“The concept for this song is emotional ballad dance.”
The manager said this in the meeting room where the members had gathered. For a moment, everyone looked puzzled. They exchanged glances as if trying to read each other’s reactions, and I tilted my head slightly without realizing it.
Our debut song had been a dark, intense dance track, and our second song was bright and full of energy in contrast, but it didn’t carry an emotional tone. The phrase ballad dance sounded familiar yet somehow distant from our team’s image.
But the moment the demo track began to play in the meeting room, the atmosphere changed.
A calm piano melody flowed, and a heavy beat layered behind it, creating an oddly weighty yet romantic mood. The members still looked confused, but slowly, everyone began to nod. The song was much better than expected.
And my first thought was that the song somehow suited Baek Jae-heon very well. The concept outfit of jeans, a white shirt, and a knit sweater would look even more perfect on him. The song’s tone, too—the kind that holds emotions down and carries a deep resonance—was something Jae-heon could bring to life effortlessly.
Without thinking, I spoke up.
“This one suits Jae-heon.”
At that moment, Jae-heon turned toward me. Our eyes met briefly, and his lips curved faintly upward. Then he immediately replied,
“No, I think it suits you better.”
My words caught in my throat. It was just a comment about the song, but for some reason, my chest felt ticklish. It was a strange, hard-to-explain feeling, as if there was some invisible current between us that only the two of us could sense.
“Are you two dating?”
That current didn’t last long. Joo I-rip suddenly threw out the question in a casual tone. My heart dropped. I knew he was joking, but my face still burned hot. Instead of responding, I gave him a light smack on the chest with the back of my hand and turned away.
“Huh?”
That was when my gaze met the camera set up at the end of the table. The lens was pointed directly at us.
“Is that filming?”
Startled, I pointed at the camera and asked.
“Yeah. They said this’ll go up as a behind-the-scenes video.”
Joo I-rip replied while rubbing the spot on his chest where I’d hit him. My stomach sank.
Then he followed up playfully,
“Well, guess everyone knows you’re dating now.”
Go Hee-min and Joo I-rip snickered and glanced in my direction.
Worried that my flustered face might have been caught on camera, I looked around at Baek Jae-heon, then at Joo I-rip and Go Hee-min, and then at the other members. Without meaning to, I turned back to face the camera and blurted out,
“…Jealous, aren’t you?”
The room fell silent.
Everyone’s gaze turned to me all at once.
“Are you insane?”
“What the hell?”
“Wow… shameless.”
“Hyung’s not even hiding it anymore.”
After a brief moment of awkward silence, the meeting room exploded into chaos.
Joo I-rip burst out laughing, slapping the table like his dopamine had just spiked. Go Hee-min wore a look that said what’s wrong with him? but couldn’t stop laughing either. Lee Soonbok looked slightly appalled, his face showing pure disbelief, while Kwon Ji-hak grinned warmly, as though watching a romance show unfold.
I forced an awkward laugh and pretended it was all a joke. Then I glanced at Baek Jae-heon.
Even amid the noise, Jae-heon didn’t join in the laughter. With his head slightly tilted down, he turned his gaze toward me. When our eyes met, he smiled faintly, without a word.
That small smile felt louder than all the chaos in the room.
I covered my face with both hands, trying to swallow my laughter, but the heat rising to the tips of my ears was impossible to hide.
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