The Conditions for Becoming a Gentle Idol Leader - Episode 5
“Angel, my ass. The angel’s already dead and buried.”
He was so stunned he missed even the timing to get angry. He really couldn’t live up to his name, could he? Why the hell was he so rude? It felt like he had always been like this, but... was it really this bad?
He hadn’t exactly believed Cheon Sa-yoon was innocent and sweet to begin with, but only now did the full extent of it truly sink in. Go Young-in stared at him with open disbelief, and yet Cheon Sa-yoon still looked utterly untroubled.
“Are you still half-asleep?”
Cheon Sa-yoon blinked innocently, wearing the kind of face that said I know nothing.
“What the, shi—”
Article 28 | A kind idol leader shows warm words and actions to the members.
Caution!
Current count: 1 Caution, 0 Warnings
“A kind idol leader... what?”
“...damn.”
Article 28 | A kind idol leader shows warm words and actions to the members.
Caution!
Current count: 1 Caution, 0 Warnings
Go Young-in’s voice trailed off. The unfamiliar status window had appeared before he could even swallow back the curse, and the word slipped out before he could catch it.
Was he incapable of learning? He’d thought he’d long since broken the habit of swearing, but apparently not. Honestly, he couldn’t have kept himself from cursing even if he’d wanted to, the moment he saw the new message. The status window looked familiar enough, but its contents were subtly different from the one he’d seen before, and that was enough to turn his insides inside out.
Of course, Cheon Sa-yoon was part of the problem too.
So this is how you make a “kind idol leader,” huh?
Forced to say what he didn’t want to say. Forced to keep talking. Forced to be nice. What the hell kind of new insanity was this?
Ha. He’d been back less than an hour, and he’d already earned one Caution.
Ten Cautions turned into five Warnings, and five Warnings meant another death, another reset...
Was he always this short on patience? Stupid Go Young-in...
Haa...
“Cheon Sa-yoon, fine, I get it, so get out of he—”
Article 28 | A kind idol leader shows warm words and actions to the members.
He was going to lose it. Seriously, what was he even supposed to say? Was he meant to take a vow of silence or something?
At least the old status window had merely yelled at him not to be careless with his words. As long as his tone wasn’t the problem, it would usually let some things slide. But this...
Go Young-in prayed that the twitching at the corner of his mouth was only his imagination.
“...Do you want to go wait in the living room first?”
“Mm.”
Cheon Sa-yoon dragged the word out as if he were considering it, then broke into a bright smile. He really should stop wasting that face on things like this.
“No. This is my room too.”
Did he object? Go Young-in objected too, you little bastard. Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered having been roommates with Cheon Sa-yoon at some point.
If that was the plan, then what the hell was the point of dragging out the time?
Go Young-in felt like he had the answer, but he still couldn’t stop asking the question in his head. The way Cheon Sa-yoon blinked with that entirely innocent expression, as if nothing had happened, was obnoxiously shameless.
Maybe that was why it felt so impossible to get used to him. No matter how he looked at it, the bastard’s behavior made no sense.
Article 11 | A kind idol leader approaches the members with broad understanding and patience.
He swallowed everything he wanted to say and let a faint smile settle on his lips. It was the smile of someone who had, for a moment, transcended suffering.
Go Young-in. If you get angry, you lose. Stay calm. He clenched and unclenched his fist once.
“...Cheon Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Cheon Sa-yoon smiled brightly, his expression somehow impossible to read. To Go Young-in, it looked positively ominous.
“...Never mind. Fine, let’s get ready.”
There was no point in saying more; he’d only be the one taking the loss. For now, he needed to wash his face and shake himself awake.
He looked exactly like someone who’d been dragged off somewhere and kept from sleeping for days.
Article 1 | A perfect idol must take good care of their face for a perfect visual.
Yeah, fine. Got it, damn it.
He hurried through a shower, not wanting to make anyone wait and give them another reason to nag at him, only to discover that madman had already vanished by the time he came out.
He was leaving anyway, so why the hell did he make a scene about it?
He was at a loss for words. When he came out, the road manager was already waiting, so he rushed through the rest of his prep and was swept along into the van, where he took his seat.
The moment he sat down, the person in the seat beside him lazily lifted a hand and spoke.
“Go Young, you’re late? That’s so unlike you, damn.”
It was Kyeon In-woo, a fellow member of Zero One and the only one in the group who was the same age as him.
Kyeon In-woo wore a black cap pulled low over his face and lounged back in his seat with his legs stretched out as if he meant to melt into it. In spite of his slouched posture, and even though his thick-rimmed glasses—probably meant as a fashion accessory—were sliding down his nose, he didn’t seem to care at all.
“I must’ve been tired. I had a nightmare.”
It was more like a nightmare from hell. He was at the point of wishing he could call it a stupid dream and be done with it.
“A dream? So you did get some sleep after all?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t know why saying he had a nightmare turned into that, but he had, at least, woken up later than usual.
For some reason, Kyeon In-woo, who’d been sprawled out lazily until now, grinned. It was a bright, easy smile that suited his face.
“Well, if that’s all it is, then whatever. You’re not even late. Manager was freaking out because you weren’t answering your phone, but I covered for you.”
“Oh, you did?”
Honestly, he’d spoken so casually that Go Young-in wasn’t sure how to answer. He nodded awkwardly, meaning to express his thanks.
Article 33 | A kind idol leader can express sincere gratitude and apology to the members.
Ugh.
“...Thanks.”
Kyeon In-woo, who had been speaking so familiarly a second ago, either didn’t notice the words were aimed at him or simply didn’t care; he didn’t even look over, much less answer. He was too busy with some mobile game he’d apparently turned on at some point.
Go Young-in hadn’t expected a response, but it still made him feel oddly awkward.
That crazy status window... does it seriously think repeating this crap will make it meaningful?
The thought of having to keep acting like this made him want to sigh right then and there. Go Young-in let his newly exhausted body sag for a moment, then straightened his posture.
Focus. There’s something more important right now.
He intended to figure out what sort of image Zero One currently had, and what incidents had happened around this time.
But before that...
Article 14 | A perfect idol periodically makes time to communicate with fans.
Yeah, damn it. This matters more. Perfect or kind, whatever—the important thing is not to be a scatterbrain. Who the hell’s going to do the whole “kind leader” act?
Go Young-in picked up his phone and quickly sent out a Bubble post he hadn’t yet delivered.
Hmm... by this point it was practically another self. Had he sent that a little too cheerfully?
Every time he tried to keep up communication like this, he found himself worrying if he was doing it right. Would they like it? He wasn’t good at saying embarrassing things like this to begin with, and it felt oddly like he was pretending to be someone else.
No, but it’s not like I can curse at the fans.
He muttered the excuse to nobody in particular.
For some reason, the feeling it left behind was strange. Tingly, almost, but with a weight settled deep in his chest.
It even overlapped with the faces of fans who had once turned their backs on Zero One in disappointment.
While he was lost in thought, one shoulder suddenly went heavy.
Go Young-in turned his head on reflex. Kyeon In-woo had draped an arm over his shoulder and was grinning at him.
The guy who had been indifferent up until a moment ago somehow looked absurdly pleased now.
What is wrong with him?
Article 2 | A kind idol leader talks with the members often, even if only briefly.
No, seriously, what is this? No matter how he looked at it, hadn’t that status window bastard just made up these clauses however it pleased?
What kind of leader had to do this sort of thing? It had clearly slapped the word kind in front of “idol leader” just to give itself an escape hatch.
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
What was wrong with this guy’s eyes? Where on earth was he getting that from?
Kyeon In-woo tipped his chin toward the phone in Go Young-in’s hand.
“So. What are you working so hard at?”
“Bubble.”
Article 2 | A kind idol leader talks with the members often, even if only briefly.
“Even if only briefly,” huh.
Go Young-in grumbled inwardly and chose his words as carefully as he could.
“I send it every morning. As a morning greeting too.”
“Oh, that.”
Kyeon In-woo opened the Bubble app on his own phone and shoved the screen toward Go Young-in’s face.
With a puzzled frown, Go Young-in looked down at it.
Why was he smiling like he’d just won something? What was he supposed to do about that?
...
He was insane.