A Swaying Tail

"Is there seriously no way to take a news article down fast?"

I sat there trembling, staring at the horrific photographs of myself that had been immortalized as entertainment news on every portal site with truly terrifying speed.

Someone had found the photo news, and before long, links and screenshots were dropping into every group chat I was in. Everyone left a comment or two.

None of them, of course, were compliments.

My rage toward Kim Dobin — who had bought this damned outfit and stuffed me into it — and toward my own hands for going and making it even worse, only kept climbing.

Thanks to that, the new flight jacket I'd bought specially for today had been shoved into my suitcase. Hopefully it was making its way over just fine as checked luggage.

"Puhahaha. Someone said this photo of you looks less like hissing and more like you're pissed as hell."

Ryu Jaehee, occupying the airplane seat next to mine, laughed as he held up a photo from a post he'd uploaded to the official account, along with one of the replies underneath it.

He was pouring gasoline on a fire.

I checked which photo he meant. It was the one where I'd been directing pure fury at Seo Yehyun, who had been shaking a water bottle in front of my face like some kind of cat toy.

"I WAS pissed, you idiot. What do you mean hissing at a person? Hissing."

At my scolding, Ryu Jaehee shot back with a look of pure grievance.

"The hissing thing wasn't me. That was the fans."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure."

I answered listlessly and tugged my sleep mask down over my eyes.

Shit. I'd been all pumped up to lead this year's fall/winter fashion, and this goddamn cat hoodie ruined everything.

Click. Click!

I thought I heard a phone camera going off, but the only bastard next to me who'd be taking pictures was Ryu Jaehee, so I ignored it and let myself sink into sleep.

This Japan trip wasn't a Japanese debut. It was a congratulatory stage for a collection event, plus a few related appearances — a light trial run of Japanese activities.

A Japanese debut had long since become the standard playbook for K-pop idols. Before the regression, we'd debuted with adapted tracks.

The agency was already in contact with Japanese management and preparing a Japan debut. It would probably happen in the second half of this year, or the first half of next.

And since we were overseas anyway, we were planning to film plenty of reality content while we were at it.

"Jun — Hajun's in a single, and I'm sharing with the maknae. Yehyun-hyung and Dobin are in the other room. Hajun's a pretty light sleeper, so..."

Fresh from the shower, I flopped onto the hotel bed on my stomach and turned on OA App Live.

"I originally won the single, but I switched with Hajun. The sleeping environment's already different, so I didn't want him losing sleep over a roommate on top of that. Figured he should just sleep comfortably on his own."

I could take that much of a hit for our lead vocalist's condition.

Ryu Jaehee, wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, dropped onto the bed beside me, rolled over once, and shoved his face into the phone screen where the live was already rolling.

"And that, Daydream, is how firmly Non-Hajun Discrimination still stands. If it had been any other member besides Hajun-hyung, would Eden-hyung have given up his room?"

"Beats me. I'd have to think about that one. Still — if it was going to mess with someone's condition, I'd switch."

"Ohh. A true leader."

I pressed down on the crown of Ryu Jaehee's head a couple of times as he clapped, then skimmed the chat rocketing up the screen. I could only catch the messages that happened to snag my eye.

"How was today, you ask? We were invited to do an opening stage, and the reaction was beyond what I expected — no, beyond anything I'd even imagined, so I guess I was a little surprised. Our light sticks were out there, and pickets with the members' names on them kept popping up too."

"Right. As you know, we've barely done any overseas activity, and we haven't even debuted in Japan yet, so getting that kind of passionate response was kind of amazing. And on the other hand, we were really grateful."

Ryu Jaehee and I nodded in unison, replaying today's stage in our heads.

"As for what we're doing tomorrow... we're planning to put our ears through hell."

Apparently that had been a little too vague. The chat flooded with question marks, and Ryu Jaehee quietly added,

"Hint: Dobin-hyung."

"As long as Dobin's around, dead air is the last thing we have to worry about."

A knock sounded at the hotel room door. Jaehee and I exchanged a look for a second, then I turned back to the phone.

"That's a hundred percent Dobin at the door with a camera, so to avoid spoiling the shoot, we'll wrap it up here for today."

"Dream of me! See you later, Ilmongies! Ah — hyung. You have to do the greeting chant too."

"Nah. There are probably Daydreams out there who don't want to dream of me."

"This hyung's just spouting nonsense because he's embarrassed again."

I ended the OA Live and opened the hotel room door. Kim Dobin walked in with a camera.

"Oh, Jaehee. Why are you wearing the robe over your clothes?"

"If I were in a single it wouldn't matter, but I'm with Eden-hyung, so wearing just a robe over nothing would be kinda embarrassing."

"Couldn't care less."

I said it flatly from where I was sprawled on the bed, and the camera that had been trained on Jaehee swung around to me.

"What were you two up to?"

"Talking shit about you."

"Huh? For real?"

"No. We were just praising that talent of yours that never lets the audio go dead."

"Yeah. We were giving you a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head start on tomorrow's compliments."

"What am I even doing tomorrow? You're not planning some hidden-camera thing where you ditch me in a haunted house, right?"

I kindly delivered the facts to Kim Dobin, who was trying to interrogate us with a face full of suspicion.

"Even if we planned a hidden camera like that, you'd just pass out and we wouldn't get any footage anyway."

The next day. An amusement park with a Hell Maze.

After riding several roller coasters in a row, the members were just about drained. This park hadn't been chosen for the coasters, though — it had been chosen for the Hell Maze — so when the reality crew led us all the way to its entrance, nobody was surprised.

The crew set a black box down in front of us. It was sealed on every side, with nothing but a round hole cut into the top.

"What's this? Missions we each have to complete?"

"No. This is for deciding teams."

"I thought all five of us were going in together...?"

Seo Yehyun's eyes went wide as he asked in a trembling voice.

I had been unanimously voted the member everyone wanted on their team. That did not mean I got to choose my teammates.

"I don't care who it is, as long as it's not Kim Dobin."

Kim Dobin's reputation as a coward was well established, but I added another line anyway, just in case someone clipped that one sentence and spun up a Reve discord rumor — or a Kim Dobin bullying rumor.

"I don't want to carry an unconscious Dobin through the Hell Maze. I'd rather go alone."

Everyone conceded the point. In the middle of that, Kim Dobin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook his head and spoke in a grave voice.

"Hyung. You just planted a flag by saying that. If you really didn't want to be with me, you shouldn't have said it out loud."

"You cursing me?"

I snorted, and Kim Dobin clicked his tongue, muttering that this hyung didn't understand how terrifying flags were.

"One of you will have to enter the Hell Maze alone and complete the mission."

At the Reve Time crew's words, every gaze in the group swung toward Kim Dobin.

"If Dobin gets solo, can we even proceed?"

"If Dobin-hyung goes in alone, he'll probably collapse at the entrance and get carried out."

"Honestly, the best case is Yoon Eden or Hajun going in alone. Anyone else, I don't think they're getting out of the Hell Maze before the day is over."

"Then the worst case is Eden-hyung and Hajun-hyung on the same team. We have to split the same-age duo somehow."

"But we can't even use our heads here. This is out of our hands. We just have to leave it to luck."

I shoved Seo Yehyun and Ryu Jaehee by the backs, pushing them up to the box of balls while they were still deep in that very serious conversation.

"It's green."

"Oh, I'm green too. So Yehyun-hyung and I are a team."

Seo Yehyun and Ryu Jaehee, drawing in turn, pulled balls of the same color and became a pair.

They were two cowards in a team of cowards, but they still looked reasonably satisfied. No — the way both of them kept sneaking glances toward the side with me and Gyeon Hajun, they clearly still had lingering regrets.

"Hajun-hyung, you draw first."

Gyeon Hajun slipped his hand into the box, grabbed a ball without the slightest hesitation, and pulled it straight out.

"Blue."

Only two balls left. I could only desperately hope that one of those two remaining balls was blue — and that I would be the one to draw it.

Ryu Jaehee gestured toward me and Kim Dobin.

"And Eden-hyung and Dobin-hyung draw at the same time. Including Hajun-hyung, one of you three will definitely go in alone. And the member who will perform the mission solo is......!"

Kim Dobin and I shoved our hands into the box at the same time, and I closed my fingers around the first ball my fingertips found.

"We pull out on three. One, two, three!"

As I drew my hand out of the box, a thought crossed my mind. Reality Human Theater Part 2 would probably cut right here, and the ending theme would start to play. I'd been put through so much reality television that I'd reached the point of associating every stretch of daily life with Human Theater.

The ending theme actually seemed to be playing in my ears, so I looked around for the source of the sound — ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and there was Kim Dobin, his hand still buried in the box, making the noise with his mouth.

The ball I drew was red. At the very least, it was now certain I wouldn't be on the same team as Gyeon Hajun.

The only question left was who would end up on the same team as Kim Dobin.

I snuck a glance at Gyeon Hajun, and he was watching Dobin's hand — still not out of the box — with the same anxious look I probably had.

A taut silence stretched between the two of us, both of whom would far rather go in alone than try to clear the Hell Maze with Kim Dobin in tow.

At last, Kim Dobin's hand — clenched around a ball — emerged from the box.