The Conditions for Becoming a Gentle Idol Leader - Chapter 37

37

"I've been waiting forever. Why are you only coming down now?"

Even with his face hidden beneath a mask and cap, there was no mistaking the grin in his voice. He had been laughing all the way over here, a bright, delighted sound that only made the whole thing more unsettling.

Where the hell does that look like a fan, fuck. And here it was, kindly bringing up another status window just so nobody would end up in a physical fight.

Even without the system, being an entertainer meant living under a thousand restrictions. Did it really have to rub it in like this to feel satisfied?

Go Young-in didn't call that godawful hologram a status window for no reason. Not just because of the way it looked, either. If it were actually a living thing capable of human-like thought, there was no way it would be spouting this kind of crap in a situation like this.

The suspicious bastard was practically throwing himself forward as he ran. It looked like he could collapse at any second.

Thinking he should avoid direct contact if he could, Go Young-in grabbed Lim Se-bin by the forearm and tried to pull him back, but Lim Se-bin didn't budge. He glanced down at the arm being held, made an annoyed face, and that was all. If anything, he seemed to be bracing his feet against the ground.

What the hell is this guy doing? Why isn't he moving?

"What's going on?"

Why are you just standing there and watching? Don't tell me... are you startled?

He belatedly felt a prick of alarm and checked Lim Se-bin's face, but he looked fine—more than fine, actually. If anything, he looked as though he might kill the other man on the spot. That was definitely not the face of someone who'd been shocked.

"Se-bin hyung?"

Even though Go Young-in practically dragged him by the arm while speaking, Lim Se-bin didn't answer. He didn't even look at Go Young-in; his eyes stayed fixed on the lunatic charging at them. If they left him alone, he really looked like he'd do something.

No.

The madman lunged as if he meant to crash straight into them, so Go Young-in shoved Lim Se-bin aside and dodged with him at the last second. Lim Se-bin was forced back a few steps, but he didn't even try to start a fight like usual; he only frowned in silence.

Then, like someone whose plans had fallen apart, he bit down on his lip, ran a hand through his hair, and brushed it back. Was he really okay?

With no one to support his weight, the madman lost his balance and nearly went sprawling. He staggered forward a few more steps before finally catching himself.

In that gap, Go Young-in yanked out his phone, typed in 112, and hit call. For the whole time the line was ringing, he couldn't take his eyes off the lunatic, who might lunge in any direction at any moment. Standing there with his back turned was worse; it made the situation even less predictable. This was insane.

The lunatic, bent over and standing in an awkward posture, slowly turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his head to look back at them.

"...Why are you avoiding me? Am I dirty?"

The suspected stalker in front of him flashed a strange, sharp look and began walking toward them again, slowly. Wasn't this just paranoia? His eyes had completely gone crazy.

The lunatic shoved a hand inside his jacket and fumbled around as if looking for something. That felt very, very bad. People who did that always ended up pulling out a weapon. Shit!

"Police. What's the emergency?"

Perfect timing, you bastard.

"Se-bin hyung! Please make the report for me!"

Panicking, Go Young-in practically threw the phone into Lim Se-bin's hands, then hurriedly grabbed the lunatic and slammed him down.

"Agh!"

Thrown off balance by the sudden shove, the madman toppled backward and landed hard on his ass.

Clang!

Something hit the floor with a sharp, chaotic crash along with the cap he had been wearing. The first thing Go Young-in saw was a utility knife.

You insane status window bastard. So that was what face management meant—you were telling me to be careful because if I didn't stop him, I might get my face cut with a knife?

He climbed on top of the sprawled body, put his weight into pinning the man down, and kicked the knife as far away as he could. Since the weapon hadn't been swung yet, any further restraint beyond this could actually work against him.

The only people visible nearby were Lim Se-bin, the unidentified lunatic, and himself, but he had no idea who might show up from where. Security cameras were everywhere, too, so he had to make sure his actions looked as close to justified self-defense as possible.

...Of course he still had to worry about the status window bastard, too. Pushing any harder than this would be dangerous.

The lunatic was caught, but he didn't struggle at all. He only laughed, making a disgustingly cheerful sound like he was choking on it. He laughed so hard his whole body jolted. With his head tilted back, the bastard looked up at Go Young-in.

"Why'd you dodge me just now? If you hadn't ignored me, I wouldn't have had to pull out the knife."

What?

He was saying it like this side was at fault. There was a faint, insane edge to him, but not in the way of someone making a flimsy excuse—he seemed to genuinely believe it.

"You keep ignoring me, so I got mad for a second. If I leave a mark on you, you'll have it with you for the rest of your life."

The crazy bastard muttered his nonsense and then lay his head back down on the floor as if he were at ease. He had been angry a moment ago, but now he looked weirdly pleased again.

"I'd only been hearing your voice, so it's nice to see you up close after a while. See? This is better. Why do you go around making people seem weird? You make me look like the bad guy for nothing."

That filthy attention-whore was getting attention and still spouting psychopathic lines like this as if he were happy about it.

"Seeing how you're welcoming me like this, you did miss me after all, didn't you? It's nice being close, but I'm a public figure, so be careful. The fans will get jealous of us and make this hard."

...Fuck. What kind of perverted line was that?

For a second, gooseflesh prickled all over Go Young-in's body, and his grip on the madman almost loosened. If you were going to spew insanity, at least put some effort into it so people would listen—this was just a criminal. Calm down. If he accidentally touched him and it looked like he struck him, they were screwed. Don't get dragged into this.

"I was a little pissed when you dodged me just now... but you're still nice, so I guess I'll let you win. What can I do? They say the one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who likes the other more always loses. You should come up to me first like this all the time."

The lunatic truly did sound insane, mumbling to himself with a crooked grin. Taken by itself, the tone was so bizarrely familiar it almost sounded like he thought they already knew each other.

"That's right. Did you see the gift? I left you a present. Can't you check it right now? You didn't even properly look at the last one. Isn't that harsh?"

Was he imagining that he and Lim Se-bin were close? He really seemed to believe it. What exactly had the last gift been? How much truth was mixed in with all the things he'd said?

"Huh? I'm sure you'll like it when you see it. I'm honestly so excited."

Go Young-in didn't bother replying. If he traded words with him and got him worked up like before, there'd be no end to it. More than that, with people like this, answering their every move would only please them.

It was unsettling enough that this was what he had to say while being pinned down obediently.

After that, the man kept pouring out more worthless nonsense that did nothing but waste time. Where the hell were the guards or the manager? Why did he have so much to talk about with Cheon Sa-yoon? It was about time they showed up.

"Hey."

Then, along with a familiar voice, the toe of a shoe appeared near the lunatic's face. At the same time, a shadow fell over them.

Go Young-in looked up. Lim Se-bin was standing there at an angle, holding a phone near his ear.

The air around Lim Se-bin felt strangely heavy. And yet, on the surface, he looked remarkably calm. Go Young-in had expected him to fly off the handle, considering how sensitive he was, but this was a surprise. Still, who had he called?

"Se-bin! Why the hell haven't you said anything? You're making me sad. Are you upset because I've been trying to get closer to Young-in than to you lately?"

"..."

"Well, it can't be helped. Who told you to keep making yourself hard to find? I wasn't even planning to come looking for you."

Make up a novel while you're at it. This lunatic already seemed to have built a whole world inside his head. And yet Lim Se-bin's bullshit filter was incredible; he was ignoring the lunatic in front of him so thoroughly that even an invisible man might have had more presence, instead examining the things scattered on the floor.

His gaze lingered unusually long on one spot on the ground. What was over there...?

Following his line of sight, Go Young-in saw the utility knife he'd kicked away earlier.

"You did something wrong too, Se-bin, so I know you'll understand what I'm saying."

The lunatic couldn't keep his mouth shut for even a second. He really couldn't stay quiet, could he?

Looking down at him, Go Young-in saw that the bastard had plastered his face to the floor and was still working his mouth furiously. Didn't that get exhausting?

Then, after standing there without reacting until now, Lim Se-bin moved.

The shadow hanging overhead suddenly closed in. Lim Se-bin had reached out without warning. Shit. Was he really about to hit him?

Just as Go Young-in opened his mouth to stop him, something settled squarely on top of his head. Before he could even figure out what was happening, a hand had grabbed his hair and yanked his head back.

What he saw was Lim Se-bin's face, one hand holding the phone, the other wrapped in his hair.....

...Huh? Fuck?

"...Se-bin hyung?"

Excuse me, you lunatic. Why are you grabbing me?

What was he even supposed to call this? Even with Go Young-in staring at him in stunned disbelief, Lim Se-bin didn't care in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the slightest and, as always, ignored him outright.

He wasn't pulling hard enough to hurt, but... it still felt pretty damned odd. What, was my head a basketball?

As if checking something, Lim Se-bin swept his eyes lazily over Go Young-in's face, then let go of his hair.

After that, he turned his gaze and stared directly at the lunatic's face. At the same time, the expression that had only held a trace of irritation twisted into something harsh.

Right on cue, there came the sound of people shouting and running from far away. Do Sa-jin and several people who looked like building security were hurrying over in a panic.

Lim Se-bin seemed about to say something, but clicked his tongue lightly and tossed the phone he'd been holding toward Go Young-in like he couldn't be bothered to hand it over properly.

Ignoring the people running over entirely, Lim Se-bin stuffed both hands into his trouser pockets and turned away, walking off. The cap that had fallen nearby was crushed under his shoe and left crumpled.

Fuck. They were finally here.

It was obvious without even looking. The manager looked about ready to pass out. From the expression on his face, you could have believed he was the one who'd been directly attacked. On top of that, he was wandering around in a daze like someone completely overwhelmed.

The security guards came up, grabbed the lunatic by both arms, and dragged him away. He had been obediently pinned down all this time, but only now did he start thrashing and screaming.

When one of the guards asked if he was all right, Go Young-in answered with his thanks.

"You don't have another schedule after this! Why are you leaving me here? Where are you going? Hey, where are you going!"

Apparently it didn't matter what the situation was; even while being hauled off by security, the lunatic kept vomiting out nonsense nonstop. How did he even know about their schedule?

"We know each other! We're close, all right? I've got proof, I do! We're friends! Let me go!"

At this point, wasn't that delusion a disease?

The proof he was talking about was probably the shopping bag he'd left in the van. Go Young-in didn't want to check, but he also couldn't avoid it.

Ha... finally free, he planted a hand on the ground to push himself up, and then he saw something lying on the floor.