Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

The limousine bus door opened with a click, and the cold air outside brushed against my ankles. Warm steam rose from the stairs as if the heater had just been turned on. A camera was attached to the headrest of the front seat and several more were fixed to the handrails in the aisle. Today, we were filming our own content, going to the countryside for a real variety show.

I went to the seat one row ahead from the very back and placed my bag next to Lee Soonbok, who had arrived first and was sitting by the window.

“Oh?”

Lee Soonbok tilted his head in curiosity as I sat down beside him. Considering how I had been spending a lot of time with Baek Jae-heon lately, the group had made a running joke that we were dating. I knew it was just teasing, but it made me a little cautious.

“I get motion sickness if I sit in the back.”

It was the same view either here or one row back, but I spoke without thinking. I glanced at the red recording light on the camera again. It was on. Checking the small monitor attached to the camera, I noticed my lips seemed a bit swollen.

Perhaps it was just morning puffiness, but I felt a little self-conscious.

Last night, when everyone in the dorm was asleep, Baek Jae-heon and I locked the door and did something intimate, as usual. Not anything extreme, just a passionate kiss.

“Let’s keep it brief since we have filming tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Thinking about Baek Jae-heon’s eager lips from last night sent shivers down my back. Even a kiss alone made my body tingle, so I wondered what would happen if we went further. With multiple factors and an upcoming comeback, we had to restrain ourselves.

Even so, the kiss alone was enough. The faint warmth each time we parted lips felt strangely satisfying. There was also the thrill of secrecy; every small sound or laugh made our hearts race. If a noise came from the living room, we would stop and simply stare at each other until it passed, then resume with laughter shared through our lips.

“I’ll sit in the very back!”

Ji-hak’s voice brought me back to reality. Excited for the group trip, he ran onto the bus. Soon after, Joo I-rip followed. Despite being older, he behaved childishly and sat in the back row beside Ji-hak.

Then Baek Jae-heon got on. Though everyone had their shop outfits ready, he stood out wearing just a black knit and black pants, looking like a separate photoshoot.

Baek Jae-heon walked down the aisle, paused briefly in front of my seat, glanced at Lee Soonbok, and then moved to the single seat directly across from me. Leaning against the seatback and turning his head toward the window, his knees awkwardly faced the aisle. To the camera, it meant nothing, but to me, it sent a clear message.

A tingling feeling ran through me. I cleared my throat and slowly teased Go Hee-min, who was boarding the bus, to hurry up.

Once the bus entered the highway, the PD clapped and announced, “Let’s play a game!” The sleepy atmosphere lifted immediately. The prize for first place was personal spending money given by the production team, causing cheers from the back row.

The game was song guessing. Only the short intro was played, and the members had to guess the title or artist.

“Soda Popping!”

“Your Idol!”

“Gold!”

The latest songs were quickly guessed by alternating members, quickly racking up points. Ji-hak, however, could not keep up and sat awkwardly, unable to guess a single song.