Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Moon-dae, sitting in the next seat, was already looking at her with a faint smile.
“Hello.”
“…!!”
A conversation! Her first conversation with Moon-puppy at close range!
Gasp.
Because of the sudden surge of tension, her mouth, which had been working perfectly fine until a moment ago, opened half a beat late.
All those years of experience at fansigns were useless…!
“H-Hi, Moon-dae.”
“Um, Noona?”
Crazy!
A complex mix of emotions dominated her—she wanted to hit herself for speaking informally right off the bat, yet she wanted to praise herself for hearing him call her 'Noona.'
“That’s right!”
“It’s nice to meet you. …Would you like this?”
“……!?”
Moon-dae quickly pulled something from under the desk and held it out.
…It was a lollipop.
And it wasn't just some mass-produced item from a convenience store. It was large and cute, adorned with pretty animal decorations, giving off the distinct vibe of a specialty shop.
“Is this for me…?”
“Yes. I found them to be quite tasty.”
“…….”
Setting aside whether it suited his character or not, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
Why… why are you the one giving me something…
Given Moon-dae’s situation, he probably hadn't even received his first settlement yet and shouldn't have any money, so why did he prepare something like this?
Buying a hundred of those must have cost a fair bit of money, too…
She was about to be swept away by her emotions while holding the candy, but fortunately, Park Moon-dae didn't give her a moment's rest and immediately spoke again.
“Is that for me?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… yeah!”
She realized she had reflexively pulled out a flower crown, knowing it was Moon-dae’s turn.
She had even prepared a script to ask him, saying she wanted to see him use a flower crown instead of the chicken feet item from his self-introduction video… but there was no need for that. Park Moon-dae immediately grabbed the flower crown and gallantly plopped it onto his head.
“……!”
“…Noona, you’re going to take pictures, right? Don’t worry, I’ll keep wearing it.”
Park Moon-dae smoothly signed for his dazed fansite master.
“Your name?”
“Uh… my name is…”
In her flustered state at the unexpected situation, the fansite master only realized after the signing was over that she had given her real name instead of her account handle.
I was going to get it addressed to my account name…!
But even that thought evaporated at Moon-dae’s next words.
“Thank you for coming. …I wish I had a more entertaining personality, but I’m not much of a talker… Is there anything you’re curious about?”
“No, well…”
No, Moon-deng-deng! Your personality is plenty entertaining!
She wanted to answer like that, but seeing the staff member approaching to shout, “Please move along,” she reflexively asked a question quickly.
It was because she had witnessed the staff being strict with the people ahead of her.
“W-What’s your MBTI?”
“I’ve never done it, so I don’t know, but I’ll try it and let you know.”
With that fruitless exchange, she was about to be forced away from the desk by the staff’s gesture…
No, she should have been forced away…?
“Just a moment.”
She was still sitting in front of the desk.
It was because Park Moon-dae was intentionally holding her album down with one hand, resisting!
Uh, uh, uh…
Park Moon-dae asked again as if nothing had happened.
“Since I couldn't answer the last one, let's count that as a mulligan. Is there anything else you're curious about?”
The fansite master’s brain kicked into high gear instantly.
It was part of the conversation log she had originally prepared.
Moon-dae, do you remember when we met while you were doing your ad verification tour in the Welsh Corgi suit?!
But her mouth… moved faithfully according to instinct and the public interest.
“B-Besides chicken feet, if you had to pick just one favorite food, what would it be? I know you eat everything well, though!”
Park Moon-dae chuckled.
“I like anything made of chicken.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I’ll treat you to some next time. What do you like, Noona? Chicken feet?”
D-Did he just say he’d buy me something again? And that chicken feet comment was a joke, right? Ugh.
But since time was running out, the fansite master hurriedly blurted out an answer.
“I like chicken too!”
“It seems our tastes are similar. That’s good.”
The fansite master’s follow-up—that she liked Moon-dae even more—was blown away by his sweet reply.
All the prepared flattery was blocked by the idol’s preemptive strike…
“Move! Along, please!”
“Mm.”
At the staff’s second attempt, Park Moon-dae finally let go of the album and sent the fan on her way.
She barely managed to snap out of it and, fueled by pure desire, reached out a hand and shouted.
“A handshake, please!”
“Ah.”
Park Moon-dae immediately raised his hand, but instead of a handshake, he interlaced his fingers with hers. Then he smiled and gave them a squeeze.
“……!”
“Get home safely.”
“……Uh-huh.”
Oh my god.
Oh my god…!
She floated back to her seat like a ghost.
Then she slumped down and thought.
This is insane, seriously…
How could he be so calm and so good to her?
Even his vocal projection was so good that they could converse perfectly without having to shout.
I knew he’d be sincere since it’s his first fansign! But to be! This good!
Preparing herself for Moon-deng-deng to be the indifferent type was a complete waste of time…!
She wanted to throw everything aside and let out a roar, but she endured it with superhuman patience and picked up her camera instead.
The flower crown. I’m definitely going to be the one to get the best shot.
Her fighting spirit exploded. She silently adjusted her camera settings.
Through the viewfinder, she saw Park Moon-dae wearing the flower crown.
But at some point, he had also put on a pair of rabbit ears, a staple fansign item. The perky white ears rose above the yellow flowers.
“Oh!”
It suited him!
Later, Park Moon-dae even received a plush doll that looked exactly like him. The fansite master reflexively estimated its size with a hawk-like gaze.
Is that a custom 20cm doll?
Moon-dae seemed to hesitate for a moment, pondering where to put it, but the doll soon ended up perched on his shoulder.
Cute!
All three items suited him incredibly well. From all directions, fans with cameras were calling out Moon-dae’s name, urging him to look their way.
“Moon-dae-ya!”
“Moon-deng!”
“Park Moon-dae, over here!”
Using the gap while the next fan was bringing their album, Park Moon-dae found her camera with uncanny precision and made eye contact.
It was, of course, a skill honed from his previous life.
Whoa.
But that moment passed in an instant.
Thanks to being startled by Park Moon-dae’s accuracy in finding her camera, the fansite master only realized the reason after watching a few more fans get their signatures.
He’s using as much time as possible…
He was stubbornly holding out so that the fan getting his signature could use up all the scrap time before the next person’s turn came.
It was a choice clearly made considering he was at the end of the line.
Our Moon-deng… was born under an idol star… I will accept no counter-arguments…
The fansite master was moved, thinking this was the professional attitude of someone who should be an idol for a thousand years.
Through the viewfinder, Park Moon-dae was now firing a money gun he had received. Watching him amidst the fluttering fake bills, she really wanted to stuff his pockets with actual cash.
Don’t ever retire; just walk the path of wealth for the rest of your life.
She thought warmly as she watched Keun Se-jin and Park Moon-dae throw the fake money that had fallen on the desk at each other.
The problem occurred after that.
The fan who moved to get Moon-dae’s signature this time presented… a yellow Welsh Corgi hat.
I guess he’s going to swap them out now.
It was a bit of a shame, but she had taken enough flower crown shots to be satisfied. She waited for Moon-dae to put on the Corgi hat, licking her lips in anticipation.
As expected, Moon-dae took off the flower crown and rabbit ears and put on the hat.
But it didn't end there.
Once enough time had passed for a few shots of him in the hat to be taken, Park Moon-dae put the flower crown and rabbit ears back on top of it.
“…!!”
In that moment, Moon-dae’s words echoed in the fansite master’s head.
—Don’t worry, I’ll keep wearing it.
…And true to his word, Park Moon-dae did not take off a ‘single’ item until the fansign was over.
“…….”
“……Sigh.”
The car moving after the fansign was quiet. It was because the guys, exhausted from chatting with 100 people in a row, had all passed out.
Thanks to that, I could check the internet in peace. I let out a small sigh.
…Well, I did everything I could.
Though, in good conscience, I couldn't say I did 100,000 won's worth of work per minute.
I briefly recalled a few people.
—Can I poke your cheek…?
—Moon-dae, three types of aegyo! Fast!
—Is it okay if I put this on you?!
—A wake-up call! Can you just say a wake-up call once?
Well, most of them were requests I had anticipated through prior research. Thanks to that, I think I cleared them safely without getting flustered.
It was a bit embarrassing… but manageable.
Occasionally, someone would show up trying to pick a fight, perhaps because they didn't like Park Moon-dae much, but even that was okay.
It’s not like they tried to bash my face in with a fist.
On the contrary, I was more flustered by the people who had paid money to come and were trying to impress Park Moon-dae instead.
Why would the ones giving the money go that far…?
I reflexively thought of the student who came wearing a Welsh Corgi mask and did an acrostic poem with ‘Park Moon-dae,’ but then I remembered what I was originally going to do. Monitoring the reaction.
“Mm.”
Let’s turn on the smartphone.
First of all… TeSTAR’s first fansign made it into the real-time trends on social media.
I expected this to some extent.
Even though it was private, there were so many interested people that posts were going up almost like a live broadcast.
—The kids' fansign service is insane. They talked more than I did;; I got interrogated on my whole life story by Cha Yu-jin.
—I never thought the day would come where I’d be the one saying ‘Oh, really?’ instead of the idol…
—Ah, the TeSTAR members were all so nervous lol. So cute! (Short greeting video)
—Hey, who gave A-hyun the monocle? Just… thank you. May your family be blessed for three generations. (Photo)
—Look at Cheong-woo in a durumagi. He needs to star in a 50-billion-episode historical drama right now. T_T (Photo)
Most people were enjoying the good atmosphere of the first fansign, and the fans who couldn't go were excited by the real-time updates despite their disappointment.
Suggesting we ban post-it notes was a good choice.
Since there were many Idol Inc. viewers, the level of attention on the group was fundamentally high.
It was right not to give anyone the opportunity to fabricate and post whatever they wanted.
Thanks to that, there are no useless rumors on the surface.
Instead, what I did seemed to have become quite a topic, as I made it onto the trends individually.
[#6 Moon-puppy’s Talent Show]
……Let’s look at the post with the most likes.
=========================
: Ahhh, everyone, look at Moon-puppy’s talent show. He stacked everything the fans gave him on his head lol. Isn't he just like a puppy who’s formed an attachment to his belongings? T_T (Photo)
=========================
A photo edit of Park Moon-dae continuously stacking various props on his head and body as the fansign progressed caught my eye.
…I think I was wearing about five things layered at the end.
It’s a miracle they didn't fall off.
I slightly regretted if I had overdone it out of useless bravado because I was too conscious of the 1.32 million won, but I’m glad it at least gave people a laugh.
Hmm, let’s look at more popular reviews.
—Park Moon-dae is seriously a madman. Wow, the staff told him to move me along, but he didn't and kept his fingers interlaced with mine until the end. Wow, I almost proposed.
—Did I mention Moon-dae even helped me pick my dinner? Lol. I really thought he was my own puppy.
—Fansign Review (7) Finally, Moon-dae!
I suggested playing rock-paper-scissors where the winner gets a wish, and I lost.
But Moon-dae took a quick look, changed his hand, and let himself lose T_T. I thought my heart was going to drop.
—Giving Moon-dae… the Moon-deng plushie… was the best moment of the year… Moon-dae said it was squishy and was so fascinated by it. He even took it with him himself. Aaaah (Photo)
“…….”
That… doll they call a plushie felt good to the touch, so I ended up kneading it like a stress ball and brought it to the car by mistake.
It’s currently tucked away in my bag.
I felt somewhat strange.
Shouldn't the person receiving it be the one who’s moved…?
I mean, why is the person who gave the gift, which they even custom-made, the one who’s moved?
Anyway, it was something to be grateful for, so I moved on to the next post. It was the most shared one.
—Ah, Moon-dae prepared candies for everyone since it was the first fansign T_T. No, when did our puppy grow up so much to do something like this T_T. Noona will keep this as a family heirloom! (Photo)
…I just brought them so they’d have something to snack on in case they got bored sitting there after the signing was over.
For some reason, not a single person ate them.
Regardless, it was a good thing since they were happy, but the comment that had just been posted underneath was the problem.
└Ah… I wondered what the fuss was about, and it was just candy? I thought he gave something amazing…
└? Do I know you?
└No, but I’m just commenting because it’s pitiful lol. You probably spent a ton of money buying stocks and stuff, and you’re moved by a budget idol who just gave you a single lollipop… T_T. Please have some self-esteem.
└What a weirdo; blocking you~
Hmm.
I manipulated the tabs to look around the internet.
Upon checking, similar anonymous accounts were starting to post nonsense on every popular community thread. Given the timing, it felt organized.
—Is it just me, or does this feel a bit selfish? It’s the first fansign, but he’s the only member who prepared something like that;
—It feels sketchy, like he’s trying to be cost-effective with just a lollipop. I wonder if he’s mocking the fans.
—He only gave them to the people who came to the fansign, right? lol. The idol himself is stepping up to create a hierarchy among fans based on how much money they spent… sigh.
—What’s the point of stacking fansign items like that? It’s not even pretty… He debuted at #1, but his actual popularity within the team isn't that high, so it feels like he’s being really conscious of it.
I knew it.
How do these bastards always have the same pattern?
However, seeing as the crude remarks weren't working as well now that the hellish Idol Inc. was over, they seemed to be testing the waters and poking around more subtly.
In fact, now that the audition is over, I could just ignore these guys.
But the problem is that they’re raining on the parade of people who were having fun.
Let’s settle this quickly.
Tsking, I opened TeSTAR’s social media account.