Chapter 284

“Hana, two. All in us! Hello, we’re Inus!”

The next season of [Jodol3] where Seven was born.

Debuting through [Jodol4], which was a boys’ trainee audition, Inus won the ‘Album of the Year’ award at MWMA just before disbanding the following year.

“Chahun, I love you!!”

“Si-hwan!!!”

“Kyaaaa!!”

Although Inus received relatively favorable judging as a group from Mwave, it still meant they were one of the top popular groups among the fourth generation boy groups.

“Baek-hwi, over here!!”

“Give me a heart!!”

Baek-hwi, the youngest and visual center of the group, was enjoying his fair share of popularity, too.

“Aren’t we winning an award today?”

“Ah, hyung, no premature celebration.”

Leaving the red carpet, Baek-hwi headed to the awards waiting room with familiarity, having been there for 2 years.

While moving with his hyungs, he encountered Do-hee Lee.

“What are you doing? Hurry in.”

“Ugh, why are you hitting me, hyung? I’m about to eat this.”

“When did I hit you?”

It wasn’t so much that they ran into each other, but more that Baek-hwi’s gaze was naturally drawn for a brief moment to Do-hee, who passed by.

‘…Wearing a dress today.’

Baek-hwi knew Do-hee was a topic of conversation every time she stood on the red carpet, but he thought that the off-shoulder black dress she wore particularly suited her.

‘How strange, she’s pretty… and cool.’

Do-hee’s straight shoulders, free of any excess flab, seemed to reflect her straightforward personality.

And just like that thought, he moved on.

Entering the waiting room, Baek-hwi ran through the rehearsed stage routine while checking outfits and makeup with the members.

Time passed quickly.

─Kyaaaaa!

Part one of the [Watermelon Awards] had begun.

The lights dimmed on stage.

A hot opening performance.

Various idols sat in their seats.

Baek-hwi was focused on Do-hee, who was two seats over and two rows down.

Even though she could relax a bit, Do-hee always stood tall, smiling softly at the stage.

Sometimes, she would chat and laugh with the older sisters next to her and even pose for the cameras pointed at her.

Of course, he didn’t stare directly at her the whole time.

There were countless cameras in this place.

Even just glancing could cause a disturbance.

He could only steal glances at her profile while smoothly shifting his gaze between the stage and the audience.

Above all, Baek-hwi felt the obligation to repay the love he received from his fans since he had debuted.

As he occasionally glanced at her and enjoyed other singers’ performances, it soon became the latter half of part one.

And soon, when his eyes fell on the stage, there stood the Debonaire.

Oriental, Eastern-style stage outfits.

As far as Baek-hwi knew, hanbok was a regular guest on year-end stages, but he had never seen a girl group wear such attire.

The long robe resembling a dragon robe was typically a man’s garment.

But somehow, with Do-hee standing in the middle, looking expressionless and gazing slightly sideways, he thought, “…She looks really cool.”

“Right? That outfit suits her so well.”

“Should we try a stage like that at our concert this time?”

It seemed Do-hee’s unique atmosphere gave a compelling argument that words couldn’t quite capture.
And the sound of rain began to gently spread inside the hall.

In tune with it, the sounds of strings and the gayageum laced the air with a sorrowful melody.

“Oh~”

“Ah~”

Here and there, snippets of understanding emerged in murmurs.

“Looks like they’re starting with Debonaire.”

“This showcase stage has quite a visual treat.”

“It was impressive.”

Debonaire’s debut title ‘Debonaire’ not only ranked second on the annual charts but was also the trending video that shot to number one for its showcase stage, so most people, aside from Baek-hwi, had seen it.

And it was an Asian-inspired adaptation, even without viewing it.

—Ding—

Well, no wonder the melody of the gayageum was from The Phantom of the Opera’s OST.

At that moment, the thunderous drumbeat overwhelmed the sound of rain.

—Boom!

At the same time, a flashing light.

Do-hee Lee’s head had somehow turned to face the front.

—Boom!

Another flash. This time, Do-hee slightly pulled her overcoat back with a chic flair.

—Boom!

Yet another flash. This time, her back was towards the audience.

—Boom!

And behind Do-hee, a mysterious moon hung on the clouds, appearing out of nowhere.

—Boom!

Within the fluffy clouds, the silhouette of four figures emerged.

—Boom!

Like a fan folding, the screen effect transitioned smoothly.

—Boom!

And then the members appeared.

“Wow… they really came well-prepared.”

“Right…”

Amidst the flowy overcoats, it looked mystical.

“Topist has more planning skills than I expected.”

“Hey, are you praising their company or what?”

“Yes, I’ve heard Director So-hyun is quite talented in planning.”

Jiwoo, whose golden overcoat seemed to emphasize her waistline.

Kim Na-eun, dressed in a white outfit reminiscent of a dress beneath a silver overcoat.

Chiyo, hiding her face behind a folding fan in a black overcoat.

Kim Seo-yoon, adorned with dazzling decorations like a blue tail.

—Whoosh!

Then Do-hee turned with grace, her outfit fluttering, and that sound was captured perfectly by the microphone like the beating of a drum.

Her face, hidden by the overcoat, flickered in the moonlight, and then suddenly illuminated.

The stage began with a scene filled with Do-hee and a languid voice.

[I can see you

calling devil more]

loving even more

fall in debonair]

*

“The song is good, so the stage is genuinely entertaining.”

Throughout the performance, Baek-hwi’s gaze was almost fixed on Do-hee, and it seemed he occasionally gasped in awe.

“Hey, we have hit songs too.”

“But how high are they on the annual charts?”

“Are you putting yourself down right now?”

“Seems like it.”

As the first half ended, amid the excited chatter of the guys,

‘From Debonaire to the stage of Sweet Demon… it’s all good.’

Baek-hwi was still lingering in the afterglow, his face a mixture of awe and stupidity, reflecting on it all.

The clean presentation utilizing the overcoat was a feeling that felt separate from the planning.

‘…I need to watch it again when I get home.’

Why does it seem like every action of Do-hee draws attention and has a captivating power?

Is it something only he feels?
“Hey, bro, I’m just going to the restroom for a bit.”

“Don’t wash your face! It’ll mess up your makeup!”

“…Do I look like I don’t know? I’ve been here for two years!”

I headed to the restroom to straighten out my expression.

And then, by sheer coincidence, I ran into someone.

“……..!”

It was Do-hee Lee coming out of the restroom.

Joy and caution collided in my heart.

‘Should I say hi? No, there are a few people watching…’

“Wow~ Look who it is! The main singer, right?”

Inside, Baek-hwi chastised himself for his response.

“Uh, uh! Ah, hi.”

‘…Why am I stuttering like an idiot?’

When Do-hee naturally started a conversation, I was caught off guard. After all, I had done plenty of fan meetings myself, so I should have been able to speak naturally.

“Ah, I really enjoyed your performance! You were amazing!”

“Oh~ Really? I mean, I thought I looked pretty cool too.”

But for some reason, words just spilled out haphazardly.

“Uh, uh! You were really watching in awe!”

“Me?”

‘Ah crap, why did I say ‘you’? Now she’ll think I watched only her.’

“Ah~ You mean the very first performance?”

“Uh, uh! That was really cool. The planning was great too.”

I felt like a bumbling fool, maybe for the first time in my life.

“Right? But it’s not like I did anything; my older sisters planned everything.”

“Ah, ah~ Really? Your members are super talented.”

“Hehe, I think so too.”

Seeing her smile while complimenting her members (which I was honestly doing out of courtesy) made Do-hee look strangely happy.

“Uh, uh, got it.”

But Baek-hwi was too nervous, avoiding eye contact and slightly turning his head.

“Ah, uh, but…”

Suddenly, it felt like everyone passing by was staring at us.

They might actually be watching us.

“But?”

Standing in front of me was my childhood friend Do-hee, who, even at 18, was already a representative idol of the fourth generation of K-pop.

Given that, there were likely many people in the entertainment industry interested in her.

Still, I was just a childhood friend with a past; it should be okay for a moment, right?

“Uh, but…”

I turned my head again and, trying to look at Do-hee, said:

“Did you, uh, wash your face?”

‘What kind of question is that…’

Of course, Do-hee was pushing her wet hair back.

“Yeah? Oh, I just pushed my hair back with water. I’m going to style it again.”

“Right?”

In the end, I turned my head again, avoiding her gaze, and looked off into the distance.

This time, I saw a group of idols doing a challenge.

Without passing through Baek-hwi’s brain, words tumbled out.

“But, can I ask you for a challenge? For promoting our new song.”

Thank goodness.

I might have thought she would find it irritating, but I had heard that Do-hee, the MC of music shows, usually didn’t reject such requests.

I had even heard there were many people who just casually asked her for a challenge, using her fame.

“Hmm… let’s do that another time.”

But Do-hee turned me down.

“Ah, uh.”

‘Well, it makes sense. It’d be a burden for her-.’

“I actually have another personal stage coming up, so I don’t have time. I’ll do it next time.”

“Ah? Oh right, I saw the cue sheet; you have a personal stage coming up.”
In the meantime, Do-hee Lee flipped her hair back, making it look all-white as if pointing to her head.

‘She looks good even with wet hair…’

“Anyway, I need to set my hair a bit.”

“Oh, fighting! I’ll watch hard.”

Do-hee Lee chuckled softly.

Did I unintentionally show a hint of regret?

No way, right?

“Yeah, I need to make it look cool. So the audience will be satisfied.”

But with that sly smile, Do-hee Lee still fluttered her robe that resembled a ceremonial outfit and headed to her waiting room.

Unknowingly following her silhouette, Baek-hwi rushed into the restroom.

“Just wash my face… Oh, but I shouldn’t. Ha… Why am I such an idiot?”

Even seeing Do-hee’s face made his heart race.

Just looking at Do-hee’s stage made his heart race.

Was it because he was still anxious about the stage he had seen earlier?

Or was he racing because of the breathtaking appearance he had just witnessed?

Was it the anticipation of her scheduled solo performance that made his heart race?

He couldn’t tell.

That’s why Baek-hwi felt really foolish.

Was this really a persistent crush that hadn’t cooled down for over ten years?

Or had the strange feeling he got when he first saw her turned into deep admiration?

He didn’t even know.

*

“What can I do for you?”

Sitting in front of the mirror, the hair and makeup teacher asked with familiarity.

“I think I want to leave my hair down today, just parting one side behind my ear.”

“…Huh?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I just said it as a formality… but, Do-hee usually just says, ‘Please make me look pretty in your opinion,’ right?”

“That was true.”

It was naturally because I believed the styling method the expert suggested would be better than my opinion.

It was also a matter of respecting the expert.

“So, does that mean! My styling isn’t good enough now!?”

The teacher instantly made a crying face.

Of course, it was clearly a joke, and I should ignore it.

“But teacher, I plan to reflect my ideas as much as possible on stage from now on.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, at least most of the time.”

“Wow, I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about getting evaluated by Do-hee anymore!”

“Oh, teacher, when did I ever do that?”

“Wah, I’m finally free…”

Why are there so many people around me who tease me like this?

“But, does that mean the outfit you’re wearing now was also chosen by Do-hee?”

“Of course.”

According to what I said, the outfit I just changed into…

“This is the future Do-hee style. I chose it.”

How should I express myself?

What kind of style do I like?

It was a stage costume I picked out to show that.

“Oh~ The Do-hee style chosen by Do-hee~ That’s awesome!”

That’s a compliment I like.

The fact that I chose it.

“But you should’ve been a bit more serious and said, ‘Oh… that’s really cool.'”

“Sorry, I’m a bit clueless sometimes.”

“Teacher, I’m feeling a bit disappointed today…”

“Wah, wah, don’t change the shop, Do-hee. I’ll get scolded by the principal.”

“Hmm… Hmm…”

“Wah, wah.”

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