The Idol Obsessed Over by Her Uncle Fan Wants to Run Away (3)
This feels bad.
"…That's the story, basically."
I'd thought Hogu-oppa calling me out alone for once meant something fun. Instead he went on and on about stocks and the company's situation and the CEO, and then the punchline was that I had to go on a date with some middle-aged guy.
What the hell is this?
"Are you listening?"
"Yeah. I'm listening."
Ah. Mistake.
I let my irritation slip out at him for no reason.
Need to fix my tone. Change the subject first.
"…I thought it was going to be something big~. Calling me out alone like that, I figured you had some huge announcement."
"Something huge?"
"Harin unnie and…"
The moment Harin's name came out, Hogu-oppa's expression changed.
I knew it. Hmm.
"You're dating her, right?"
"Yeah."
He answered cleanly, without hesitation.
I'd had a weird feeling since yesterday, but it was still just speculation. Hearing it confirmed like this…
It hits a little different.
Still, I shouldn't show it.
"Wow~. You just came right out with it? I thought you'd try to dodge."
"Doesn't seem like I could hide it. You already figured it out anyway."
"Eunchae unnie and Se-a don't say anything, but they all know. How could they not? Harin unnie's walking around with hearts in her eyes."
Hearts in her eyes.
Stuck to him like glue, broadcasting that he's hers now and nobody better touch him.
Of course Harin's sweet, so she'd never say it out loud, and work-wise she hasn't changed much from before.
The only reason I can even sit alone with Hogu-oppa in a café right now is because this is "work."
Otherwise Harin would have been giving us the side-eye hard.
Since I had the chance, I used it to ask other things too.
"Who confessed first?"
"…Harin."
"That's actually surprising."
Harin unnie going first… Hmm.
Did something change in her?
Normally she never would have confessed first. Even if she did, I figured it'd be after she retired from idol work.
That's how serious she is about Sepia's activities.
Of course none of us in Sepia aren't serious about the work, but Harin takes it to another level.
And that Harin… confessing out of nowhere in the middle of a busy schedule?
Something major must have happened. Whatever it was.
Next question, then…
"How far have you gone?"
"…What?"
His pupils shook.
"With Harin unnie. Come on? How far?"
"…Not that far yet… Wait, why do I even have to answer this?"
He's flustered. Good.
Judging by the reaction, they haven't gone all the way. Hmm.
Should I push more?
"Have you kissed?"
His face went bright red.
Cute.
"…Not yet."
They're not kids.
…Though me feeling a little relieved hearing that is pretty childish too.
Still… it'll be soon enough.
It's not like they've only known each other a day or two.
If that pretty Harin unnie just leans in a little, this sucker will fold instantly.
It's kind of annoying.
"Sure, sure~. Whatever you say. So you and Harin unnie just happen to end up alone together, right? Pure coincidence, right? Just lucky, right? You hit the jackpot, huh?"
"…"
…The silence told me he really was planning something for tomorrow.
Now I was actually getting mad.
Eunchae unnie goes home.
Se-a hangs out with her friends.
Harin unnie and Hogu-oppa get to be alone together…
And I have to go meet some random middle-aged guy for reasons I barely understand?
Thinking about it like that pissed me off.
Bzzzt.
"Oh? My yogurt's ready. One sec~."
Luckily the alert went off and I jumped up fast.
If I'd stayed any longer I might have actually snapped at him.
Calm down. Settle your heart.
Smile. Smile.
I picked up the yogurt cup.
The one Hogu-oppa bought me.
When will I get to eat something like this again?
"This yogurt's pretty good. You should get one too, oppa."
I got my head straight and sat back down naturally.
After that we only talked about work.
Hogu-oppa explained everything carefully, but I couldn't remember the guy's face at all.
A man in his fifties showing up to a fan meeting in a suit isn't that common… but with more than one or two fans, he wasn't memorable enough that his face stuck with me.
A guy in his fifties. Yeah, figures.
My first date partner just happens to be… No. Don't think of it as a date. It's work. Work.
"…You understand why we're doing this, right? It's not like variety show filming…"
"Yeah. I know. Basically you're telling me to go do secret sales. In a word. And for secret sales, a date is pretty wholesome. Actually it's so wholesome it looks suspicious. I was sure it'd be some weird old guy in a hotel somewhere…"
"Hey, hey. People can hear you."
Hogu-oppa frantically checked around us.
I just casually took another sip of yogurt.
Being in the entertainment industry, you hear things.
I heard about some member from Girl Next Door or whatever who got pregnant doing sexual entertaining and got kicked out.
Rumors about weird old men calling girl group members for perverted parties float around pretty regularly too.
Even that music show producer we worked with last time had bad rumors… which is partly why I worried about Harin unnie.
Of course with her current boyfriend Hogu-oppa around, it probably wasn't an issue…
Ah. Maybe the reason they started dating…
I'm starting to put it together.
Hogu-oppa protected Harin unnie. And so…
And to me… he tells me to go on a date with some old guy.
Wow. Comparing it like this just makes me feel more pathetic, doesn't it?
I've gotten those kinds of offers plenty of times too… and I turned them all down because of someone.
"You probably don't know this, Hogu-oppa, but I've been approached a few times about meeting people who'd offer me a sponsorship."
"…What?"
…Ah. Mistake. I said it out loud?
"There was even a guy who said he'd give me five million won every time if I just met him on weekends."
Since I've already gone this far, should I dig the knife in deeper?
Hogu-oppa's expression darkened fast.
Hmm.
So it does bother him?
"…Did you?"
His quiet question made me feel a little better.
"Of course not~. Why would I? With someone I don't even like. I'm more of a pure-hearted romantic than I look."
A pure-hearted romantic.
That was the thing I most wanted to say.
Not that it means anything now…
"Right…"
"Huh~? What, are you jealous, oppa? Wow~. And you've got Harin unnie."
"Why does the conversation always go there? I'm saying it because I'm your manager and I'm worried."
Because he's my manager. Hmm.
So that's the line.
I felt some relief that I wasn't being completely thrown away.
At the same time I felt the wall I couldn't cross.
Hogu-oppa belongs to Harin unnie.
And me… I'm just someone who works with him.
"I should hurry up and disappear so you and Harin unnie can have time to progress things. Right?"
"No. Again… Hey. That's not it."
I got spiteful again and just said whatever came out.
"Ah. And. So you don't cause any accidents during activities. Make sure you use a condom."
"Pffft—!"
I finally made him spit out his coffee.
Cute.
Maybe right now…
Should I just say it now?
Before tomorrow makes it a done deal?
Today? Right this second? Drag him somewhere and jump him?
If I give him my first time… maybe I'd have a chance?
I stewed in the thought forever, then called out without meaning to.
"…Hogu-oppa."
"Yeah?"
Looking at his face pulled me back to reality.
…What a ridiculous idea.
Hogu-oppa isn't some easy pushover either.
And dealing with the fallout from Harin unnie… I can't even begin to imagine.
I have to give up.
My first love.
But still… you never know?
If they break up, maybe I could take him then.
Until then.
"Treat Harin unnie… well."
Only until then.
And the next day.
When I arrived at the meeting place Hogu-oppa had given me, I couldn't help being a little surprised.
"It's nice to meet you, Sarang."
"…Yes. Hello."
I bowed my head and scanned the man in front of me.
In his fifties, supposedly. An old guy. An uncle fan who chases after me as a fan, supposedly.
So of course I expected a balding, shabby, pot-bellied middle-aged man.
Clean suit. Shoes polished. A body that clearly saw some exercise. Face… not exactly baby-faced, but he must have made some women cry when he was younger.
In short.
Better than I expected… not bad.
"Would you accept this first?"
"Pardon?"
A bouquet of flowers.
I took it for now. Smelled nice.
"…From the start?"
"A welcome and a greeting. Once you take it, you can leave it in my car for safekeeping."
Beep-beep.
The car behind him blinked and unlocked.
I don't know cars well, but… even at a glance it was an expensive-looking yellow foreign coupe.
What is a middle-aged guy doing with a coupe.
"You once said during an old live broadcast that you wanted to ride in a coupe after seeing a photo, didn't you, Sarang?"
…Did I… say that?
"I got the exact same model as the one in that photo."
So he really is a hardcore fan.
He remembers things I don't even remember.
"Shall we?"
He opened the passenger door himself and bowed at the waist like a butler.
People walking by looked our way because of it.
With big sunglasses and a hat on, they wouldn't recognize me.
But being the center of attention wasn't a bad feeling.
"…Thank you."
I carefully climbed into the car under his escort.
So this is what good ride quality means.
I never knew, always riding around in tinted vans.
Thud.
The door closed, and the man returned to the driver's seat and sat down.
The temperature was fine thanks to the AC already running, and the diffuser scent was nice too.
The scent… I remembered it. The exact fragrance I said I liked back when I first debuted.
"You haven't had lunch yet, have you? I've reserved a good place."
"…Yes. Thank you."
Please don't let it be some cheap meat joint or soup place.
I snuck a look at the navigation — a restaurant with a foreign name I'd never seen. Location was near the shops we go to. …So Cheongdam.
A little bitter feeling rose.
This is the kind of thing… I wanted to do with him.
And right now he's probably… with Harin unnie…
A thought I didn't even want to imagine brushed through my mind.
Focus on the work.
I have to spend today with this man anyway.
"Sarang. I should introduce myself properly. I'm your fan. Han Myeong-su."
Fan service. Just fan service.