Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

Ah, so that’s it. The orange hair was really it. Fate could change like this. I felt a quiet pride, thinking my joining might have altered the fate of the song. Of course, it was Lee Soonbok who danced and played the drums.

I stood up and approached Lee Soonbok, who had been focused on his phone in the corner of the waiting room. I just felt like talking to him for no reason.

“Soonbok―”

“Mm.”

“Mm?”

“Mm? What’s up, ISUNE Mu-sa?”

But instead of the mechanical reply of correcting me to say “ISUNE,” Soonbok simply said, “Mm.” Before I could ask, Joo I-rip, who was adjusting his hair, suddenly turned his head toward us and asked,

“Huh? Ah, uh…?”

Soonbok’s reaction was strange. He looked extremely flustered. It was just a simple question of “Why didn’t you correct me to say ISUNE?” and yet, why was he so surprised? Before I could question it, a hypothesis flashed through my mind.

‘Someone called him Soonbok, and Soonbok liked it.’

And he was likely feeling a romantic attraction toward that someone.

“……”

I quietly observed Soonbok. Among the members, the usually gentle Soonbok maintained a strong barrier with his signature “I don’t know anything” expression, even against other idols’ flirting. But when? With whom? How?

Romance in the group was strictly controlled. There was even a rule forbidding dating until the third year. It made sense. Being an idol was that kind of job. Even if you encountered female idols near the hallway or waiting room, managers would preemptively prevent any interaction.

Baek Jae-heon was even stricter. Perhaps because of his visuals, there were rumors, and he had directly witnessed some things. Recently, even a senior female idol group who debuted two years earlier had expressed interest, which was surprising. For this reason, all collaboration Reels involving Baek Jae-heon were blocked. Members could only shoot with male seniors or themselves, and even for personal schedules, the director would supervise. When the director came for music video shoots, it was clear how thorough Baek Jae-heon’s management was.

In contrast, Joo I-rip and I could go to the restroom alone without any restrictions. That felt both good and a little strange. Did the company trust us to handle ourselves? Did they believe nothing would happen if we were left alone?

However, no company interference meant we faced even stricter personal monitoring. Baek Jae-heon would spring up to follow me wherever I went. Even if I just texted friends, he would rest his chin on my shoulder and watch. Was it uncomfortable? Not really. It just seemed like a cute kind of attention deficit. Maybe it was even nice. Did I have a need for attention, or was it just nice that Baek Jae-heon cared so much?

Returning to Soonbok’s story, I wondered who he had met, where, and how. Though not managed as strictly as Baek Jae-heon, Soonbok was still a visual member and under some supervision.

Could it have been at the idol sports competition? According to senior group members, a lot of eye contact happens there. I think I had also heard stories of members talking about which female idols got which male idols’ numbers. Could Soonbok have exchanged numbers there too?

“No dating.”

Joo I-rip, ever perceptive, lowered his voice and said this to Soonbok. Startled, Soonbok turned off his phone screen and waved his hands.

“Ah, ah, no, I, da, da…!”

Soonbok’s stuttering had improved rapidly with correction, but it came back whenever he got flustered.

Hah. That guy is definitely dating.

As they say, a quiet cat first climbs onto the stove. Tsk. Well, at a young age and at his most attractive, it’s natural to date.

As long as it isn’t discovered. As long as it isn’t discovered.

No sooner had I thought that than, a few weeks later, rumors of Soonbok’s romantic involvement broke out.