The Unsold Idol Returns to the Music Show (4)
The members of Gold Sun walked into our waiting room.
Hair dyed in flashy colors, blond included. Tanned skin. Sloppy outfits dripping with gold chains. A few even had piercings through their lips or around their eyes.
Anyone looking at them would think, Yeah, we're thugs.
"Woo-hyo~! Seniors, you look so fucking hot~!"
…was what I expected them to say.
"One, two, three. We are Gold Sun! Sepia seniors, please take care of us!"
Instead they lined up neatly and bowed with perfect manners.
Looks like the rumors were true—their concept and their real personalities were completely different.
Still, I didn't want to look at their faces.
"Ahaha…. Nice to meet you~."
We greeted them with polite business smiles and a light wave of the hand.
Whether we liked them or not, when a boy group visits a girl group's waiting room, getting too friendly is a bad idea. Fans can start drama over it.
The girls already knew to be careful. They kept a proper senior-to-junior distance, offering just enough encouragement without crossing any lines.
All except one.
"Wow! It's really Gold Sun? No way!"
Se-a bounced on her feet, calling out every single member's name one by one.
"Oh! That's right."
"Thank you, senior!"
"We're so grateful you remembered us!"
The Gold Sun members whose names she called returned the thanks with stiff formality. The one who looked like the leader stepped forward and bowed deeply to Se-a.
He was two years older than her—same age as Eunchae.
"Thank you so much for knowing us, Se-a senior! We'll work hard from now on!"
"Ehehe~. Let's all work hard together~!"
They even shook hands naturally.
Se-a's face completely lit up.
Work hard… honestly, that wasn't something we had any right to say.
If Peerless had exploded with 570,000 first-week sales, these guys were on a completely different scale just for being a boy group.
Gold Sun's new album had already cleared two million first-week sales.
Us……. Let's not even go there.
"I've listened to every song on the new album~. And I never miss a single live stream whenever you turn them on~!"
Se-a pulled out her phone and started showing them the photos she had saved, gushing like a fan at an idol fan meeting.
"Wow. Really?"
"We're honored that Se-a senior knows us!"
The only silver lining was that they were treating it as pure business.
Still, it made me uneasy.
Harin looked just as displeased and muttered to me.
"Manager."
"Yeah."
"Shouldn't we… do something about that?"
"Leave it for now. No fans are watching us here."
If this had been somewhere fans could see, I would have cut it off immediately. Luckily the waiting room was empty except for staff.
"Let's take a picture~ Picture!"
Se-a flipped her phone to selfie mode and started snapping photos of herself surrounded by the Gold Sun members.
Se-a right in the middle.
Seven thug faces clustered around her.
That looked dangerous…. If she posted that on SNS….
I'd have to warn her later.
"That was Gold Sun! Thank you!"
After a few more exchanges centered around Se-a, Gold Sun left their album behind and headed off to another waiting room.
Se-a hugged the signed album to her chest and rolled around on the sofa.
"Se-a."
"Yes! Oppa!"
"Come here a second. We need to talk."
"About what?"
She even brought the album with her when she walked over.
"You like Gold Sun?"
"Yes! I'm a total fan now. Didn't you see SNS? After that one clip went around, hundreds of thousands of people said they stanned them."
"Yeah, I know that…. Haah…. You're an idol too. You need to keep some distance…."
"It's fine~. I know where the line is. Taking pictures and getting autographs is okay, right?"
Hearing it like that, it almost sounded harmless.
They hadn't exchanged personal numbers or anything….
"Just don't post the photos online."
"Of course not! These are for my private collection. Why would I throw something this precious out there?"
"Nngh…. Fine. As long as you get it."
I gave her the warning…. But did she really understand?
She had better understand.
I'd have to keep a closer eye on her for a while.
"You girls should start making the rounds soon too…. Where's Eunchae?"
I turned around and realized only three of them were left.
Harin answered while organizing the albums.
"Eunchae said she went to the bathroom."
"……The bathroom?"
I didn't go looking for Eunchae on purpose.
A broadcasting station has more than one or two bathrooms, and I couldn't exactly walk into the women's restroom anyway.
There was something that worried me a little…. but she really might have just gone to the bathroom.
Still, just in case, I wandered the hallway near the restrooms.
"……."
Damn it.
I needed to use the bathroom myself first.
I'd been running around since dawn without stopping once.
I deliberately chose a bathroom tucked away in a corner where no one would look for me.
It was incredibly shabby. The cleaning clearly hadn't been done properly; neglect was written all over it.
I stepped inside carefully. No sign of anyone.
Of course. Who would come to a place like this?
"……."
Ssshhhhh.
I finished my business and washed my hands at the sink.
The mirror reflected the toilet stalls behind me.
One stall was locked.
…Is someone in there?
I ignored it and started walking out of the bathroom…….
"Guess they're gone."
A voice came from that stall.
I didn't stop walking. Stopping would only make me look suspicious.
I kept going and stepped all the way outside first.
……I couldn't have misheard that.
It was a woman's voice.
I looked at the sign on the door I had just come out of again.
MEN, with a little gentleman icon next to it. I hadn't gone into the wrong one.
And yet I had clearly heard a woman's voice.
More than that.
It was a voice far too familiar to my ears.
No way….
It couldn't be.
I quietly slipped off my shoes.
In my socks, my footsteps made no sound.
I carefully stepped back into the bathroom.
"…That's enough, right? I'm letting go now?"
A soft, whispering voice.
She was trying to keep it quiet, but I was far too close.
I slipped into the stall right next to hers.
Afraid the door would make noise if I closed it, I left it open and didn't shut it behind me.
"…Why did you even come all the way here? Are you crazy?"
"……."
No doubt about it.
It was Eunchae's voice.
Why her whispering voice was coming from inside a men's bathroom… the reason….
There was one possibility so disgusting I couldn't pretend I didn't understand.
Venus.
So they had tracked her all the way here.
What the hell for….
"You came to check if I'm keeping the contract properly? …You can check that during the performance later. We haven't even changed into our stage outfits yet…. ……No. I did put them on. I am wearing them."
I couldn't make out the man's voice clearly.
He was saying something, but it was so quiet I could barely understand a word.
Whether it was Bu Ra-jang, Baek Pan-su, or both of them, I couldn't tell.
"…You want me to show you? Right here? ……God, you're such a pervert. …Fine. Who said I wouldn't show you?"
Click. Ssssss.
The sound of a button popping open and a zipper sliding down.
In my memory, Eunchae had been wearing jeans until just a moment ago.
"Why am I the pervert? You're the one who told me to come all the way… into the men's bathroom. And you're the one who told me to… show you this……."
I couldn't grasp the full situation perfectly.
But one thing was certain: Eunchae had unzipped her pants.
She had unzipped them and was letting him check her underwear.
"…Satisfied now? Then…. No. Why are you trying to pull them down? You already checked the panties. I'm wearing exactly what you sent me."
"………."
Still no clear sound from the man.
Just how close was he pressed up against her?
"…What? The other members? …Are you insane? How am I supposed to check that? …I told them all to put them on this morning and I checked myself. Yeah. …Mm. No, I don't have any photos or anything…. Crazy. How am I supposed to take something like that."
"………."
"The other members don't matter…. That's just your perverted taste. ……Me. I……. I only took those because you forced me…. …No I didn't? What do you mean I enjoyed it. Don't say weird shit. Seriously."
"………."
"I'll say it again. Back then I was just acting to keep you happy…. What's so great about doing it with a disgusting guy like you. Did you actually believe that? No wonder people call you a loser."
"……."
"I never liked you, okay? I was just pretending. This is so annoying. This is exactly why you shouldn't try to please losers…. ……Watch my mouth? This is just how I am. I talk to the manager the same way."
……That part was true.
"I did everything the contract said. Happy now? We're done here. ……Today…. Since you said you wanted to check. Fine. Checking is probably included in the contract. Only that far. So we're good now, right? What, do you need to check the top too?"
"……."
"Ah. …Really? Fine. Only this far."
Ssssss.
Sss. Ssssss.
The sound of the sweater she was wearing sliding against fabric.
Sss.
"…Done? You said to wear them as a set. You already checked the bottom earlier. …The size fits fine, right? You can just look with your eyes, you don't have to……. …You just want to touch them, don't you?"
Fuck. Wait. No way.
Coming all the way to the broadcasting station just to feel up Eunchae….
"Get lost. We're done, okay? I showed you. My part is finished. It has nothing to do with you anymore. Touch… kh…. With those filthy hands? I still have to go on camera later. You want me to walk out in front of the fans with my chest all groped? Are you crazy?"
Good. That's right.
Eunchae snapped at him with pure venom in her voice.
No matter how much that bastard blackmailed her, on a day this important she had no reason to put up with—
"No…. Eut. They're not hard, okay. ……Nipples. Why do you need to touch them to check. I said no. Seriously. They're not hard—aah…. …Eut."
Huh…?
Eunchae's voice started turning strange again.