Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 72.2
Then, a familiar melody reached my ears. The moment it played, my hand shot up before I could even think.
“‘Wrong Encounter.’”
Correct.
From behind came Kwon Ji-hak’s confused voice, “What? What song is that?” The staff burst into laughter while the members just stared. Then another intro played, and my mouth opened on instinct again.
“‘Fate.’”
“‘Wave.’”
“‘Adam’s Warning.’”
Correct, correct again. The members sitting behind me started hitting my shoulders and chest in mock protest, but I didn’t stop. I was unstoppable.
“What are you, seriously!”
“Hyung, please stop!”
Everyone was laughing so hard their stomachs hurt, begging me to stop.
“Wow, you’re really living up to your nickname, Ji Cheonmyeong.”
“Are you sure you’re not actually fifty years old?”
The bus was shaking with laughter, and that made me weirdly proud. I usually wasn’t the funny type during variety shoots. That was usually Joo I-rip or Kwon Ji-hak’s thing. So it felt nice to contribute for once. If I could take first place, that would be even better.
But in the end, the winner was someone totally unexpected. Joo I-rip suddenly suggested that whoever answered the last question correctly should get ten points. I had worked hard to earn seven points so far, but now it was a chance for a total reversal.
“Deal.”
I agreed for the fun of it. Then the final winner was announced.
“‘YEARZ, Back to Dawn.’”
Baek Jae-heon had guessed it after hearing barely 0.1 seconds of our own group’s B-side track.
“What the heck, hyung.”
“Wasn’t that literally 0.1 seconds?”
“It wasn’t even ‘Dooong,’ it was just ‘Doo—’ and you got it right.”
Everyone burst out laughing at how fast he recognized it. In the end, the personal allowance prize went to Baek Jae-heon. While the members were still marveling over how he managed to get it, we finally got a short break. I took out my phone and sent him a private message.
[That question was rigged, wasn’t it.]
It was a legitimate suspicion. Sure, it was our song, but there was no way he could have answered in 0.1 seconds.
[YEARZ Baek Jae-heon: lol]
Laughing? So I was right. It really was a recycled question from a previous quiz. I turned my head and shot him a side glance. Seeing that, Jae-heon suddenly burst out laughing and gently nudged my shoulder.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“What’s going on between you two?”
The members sitting behind us grew curious and asked what it was about, but both Jae-heon and I shook our heads at the same time. Honestly, I didn’t even know why he was laughing.
“We’ll stop at a nearby mart to get groceries. You can buy what you need within the budget I gave to I-rip.”
Following the PD’s announcement, the members quickly lost interest in us and got excited again as the bus pulled up to the mart. Joo I-rip was in charge of the shopping budget, which would apparently cover everything for the whole shoot. It seemed we had to spend wisely, but the moment we got off, he ran straight for the carts yelling like an overgrown kid.
“Grab whatever you want to eat! We have 200,000 won!”
Kwon Ji-hak and Lee Soonbok followed close behind, heading straight to the snack aisle, tossing everything into the cart. Meanwhile, Go Hee-min, Baek Jae-heon, and I walked slowly, picking out only essentials like instant rice and sauces.
“Wow, it came out to exactly 200,000 won.”
When we finished shopping, the money was completely gone. And most of it had been spent on snacks and ice cream. Thankfully, the three of us who still had some sense managed to buy meat and ramen.
“Oh? It’s chewy candy.”
While we were heading back to the bus carrying our bags, I spotted an old-fashioned chewy candy at a display stand near the entrance. It was a brand I used to buy secretly with pocket money back when I was at the orphanage. Seeing it again made me nostalgic. I couldn’t believe they still sold it, even in the same packaging.
“I saw my parents eat that once.”
“Your parents?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
I did want to try it again, but since I didn’t have any money left, I set it back down and headed to the bus. Besides, hearing Go Hee-min mention that his parents used to eat it made me feel a little awkward, so I pretended not to care.
“Baek Jae-heon, what’s that?”
“Hyung, how did you buy that?!”
“Personal allowance.”
But then Baek Jae-heon got on the bus last, holding that same familiar orange chewy candy in his hand, and I couldn’t stop the laugh that slipped out.
“What’s this? Are you two actually dating?”
Then, hearing Go Hee-min’s teasing voice from behind, my smile froze instantly.
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