Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Safely Through the Fan Signing! (2)
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‘Finally, the fan signing event is starting.’
Clutching my trembling heart, I made my way into the signing venue.
The moment I opened the door, I saw fans smiling and waving at us.
After exchanging brief greetings and eye contact with the fans, I took my place at the table with the other members.
Flashes went off here and there.
Cha Jae-hyun picked up the mic and spoke.
“Two, three—I'll be your shining moon. Hello, we are Manwol's Boys.”
We finished our greeting and sat down. As I pondered what to say, Baek Si-woo quickly grabbed the mic.
“Ah, the lights suddenly went out and startled me. You all waited a long time, right? We missed you too.”
Cheers erupted from the audience.
Taking in the sight of those fans, I picked up the mic and spoke.
“I missed you all so much.”
The fans cheered again the moment I finished.
Wondering what to say to the fans who must have been inconvenienced by the sudden venue change, I tried a little humor.
“Maybe the lights got scared and turned off because of your huge cheers.”
Fortunately, the fans laughed.
Just then, Song Yu-bin hesitated before speaking up.
“I heard the venue change caused a big delay. What time is it now? Hmm?”
What was he getting at? Everyone looked at him curiously.
“What time is it exactly? Jjajangmyeon o’clock—who ordered?”
A brief silence fell. Then the fans burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“So funny!”
The members cracked up too, roaring with laughter.
“Oh man, my sides!”
“Yu-bin’s killer joke. It’s so killer, it’s clogging my nose.”
“I ordered jjampong, not jjajangmyeon? I’m team jjampong.”
The members were giving their all to breathe life into the dying joke.
And so, the fan signing began in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
My seat was second to last. Baek Si-woo sat to my left, Song Yu-bin to my right.
‘A bit of a pressured lineup.’
After seeing Baek Si-woo’s surprisingly relaxed ad-libs and expressions for a rookie, fans might be disappointed when they reached me.
Still, if I gave it my all, they’d cut me some slack. You can’t spit on a smiling face, after all.
While the members signed, I chatted with the fans.
“Who came from the farthest away?”
Fans shouted one by one.
“Me, from Daegu!”
“I came from Busan!”
Then it happened.
“Me, from Jeju Island!”
If they came from Jeju, that meant by plane or ferry.
It was touching that they traveled so far just to see us.
“Where’s the fan from Jeju Island?”
As I looked around, the Jeju fan raised their hand high.
I gave them an eye smile and said.
“Hwanja opsseo.”
Baek Si-woo, sitting next to me, looked puzzled and asked.
“Hwanja opsseo? Come alone?”
“No. It’s Jeju dialect for ‘welcome.’”
“Really? Where’d you learn that?”
In case of emergencies, I’d studied regional dialects a bit. Never thought I’d use it here.
Fans mimicked my “Hwanja opsseo” and laughed.
Finally, a fan reached my spot. I flashed a bright smile at the one sitting across from me.
“Hello.”
“Hello!”
They’d all invested so much time, so I had to make sure they left satisfied.
“What’s your name?”
“Yoon Jung-ah.”
“Yoon Jung-ah, such a pretty name.”
I read the post-it the fan gave me.
[What animal do I look like?]
I quickly scanned the fan’s face. Big, slightly droopy eyes. Kind, soft impression.
One animal popped into mind.
- Sloth
“Do I look like a sloth?”
The fan pointed at themselves with a beaming smile.
I’d worried they might hate it, but they seemed to love it.
The next fan came up.
“What’s your name?”
“Park Ha-eun.”
“Park Ha-eun, that yellow dress suits you perfectly.”
“Eek! Really? I’m gonna sleep in this. Might wear it forever.”
“No way. You have to wear all your other pretty clothes too.”
While signing, I read the post-it.
[Exam tomorrow—what number should I pick?]
Coming to a fan sign before an exam? I was grateful but worried.
“Exam tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Super sad about it.”
What to do? Their score might hinge on my choice.
After some thought, I wrote.
- 5!
“I’m trusting you, Eun-ho!”
“No blaming me if the score’s bad, okay?”
“Yeah! I’ll come back to tell you the results. Bye!”
Hoping for a good score, I waved as they moved on.
Turning my head, no fan had come yet.
Whenever there was a lull, I tried chatting with the audience fans.
“What’d you have for breakfast?”
Voices rang out from all over.
“Suyuk!”
“Jeyuk bokkeum!”
“Samgyeopsal!”
“Kimchi jjigae!”
“You gotta eat hearty before a fansign. Koreans run on rice power, right?”
Then, a fan I’d been talking to for a while finally came to me.
I quickly set down the mic and greeted them.
“Hello.”
“Hey. Eun-ho.”
The fan across from me leaned in close over the table.
“What’s your name?”
“Guess.”
First fansign ever, and they wanted me to guess?
‘Playful one, huh?’
Wondering how to play along, I cautiously said.
“Kim Bit-na?”
“Why?”
“You’re sparkling so bright.”
The fan started cracking up hysterically.
Relieved they seemed pleased, I picked up the pen and opened the album.
“Now tell me your real name.”
“Why? You just named me. I’m gonna be Kim Bit-na from today.”
“Shall I sign it as Kim Bit-na?”
“Yeah.”
Most people use their real names, but this one was a bit out there.
While signing, I checked the post-it.
[Swear at me harshly lol]
Ah…
How could I curse at a fan who came all this way?
I looked up, troubled.
“Cursing’s tough—anything else you wanna hear?”
“Why? I’m fine with it.”
“But you came so far.”
“Nah. I asked for it.”
Did I really have to?
As I stared, the fan nodded with a grin.
After agonizing, I wrote.
- Dummy
Wondering if it was okay, I glanced up. The fan’s smile faded as they read it.
“Eun-ho. Do I look dumb?”
“Huh?”
“You said I sparkle earlier—was that a lie? Do I look like a dummy?”
Hard to tell if they were joking. How to respond?
Forcing a smile, I said.
“No. Just kidding.”
“Right? Don’t call noona dumb. Remember my name next time? Kim Bit-na!”
Just then, a staff member called out.
“Next, please!”
“Kim Bit-na! The name you gave me—don’t forget!”
“Next, please!”
The fan moved on.
Next to me, Song Yu-bin was flailing his hands nervously.
‘This is really tough.’
Yeah. Dealing with people is hard like that.
I greeted the next fan with a bright smile.
[Favorite color?]
What color clothes did I have the most at home? I thought and wrote.
- Blue. It’s refreshing.
After that, I kept replying to post-its with questions.
[MBTI?]
- INTP (from an online test…^^)
[Most reliable member?]
- True leader Jae-hyun hyung.
[Best-looking member?]
- Yu-bin. High nose bridge.
[Oppa, you know your voice is amazing, right?]
- Thanks for listening so kindly!
Some were balance games, like psychological tests—fun stuff.
[Dog vs Cat (why!)]
- Cat. Cuter.
[Pizza vs Chicken]
- Regular at Chicken Country Pizza Princess.
[Mincho fan vs Anti-mincho]
- Extreme mincho fan
[Bu-muk vs Jjik-muk]
- Jjik-muk
Some were tough to answer.
[Capital of Tunisia?]
- No idea... ㅠㅠ
A few had math problems or hard current events quizzes—couldn’t solve in time, so I wrote I didn’t know.
I also threw in various aegyo to leave a good impression.
I didn’t want fans feeling like they wasted their time.
“Kyaa! So cute.”
“Bye. See you next time!”
The fansign went smoothly like that, and before I knew it, end time approached amid all the chatter.
“Alright, let’s hear some closing thoughts?”
Members took the stage one by one for ending ments.
Fans cheered wildly after each one.
Finally, my turn. I said what I’d prepared in my mind while they spoke.
“For our first fansign, I was super nervous coming in.”
I took in each fan watching me from the seats as I continued.
“But you joked around with me, asked fun questions, so I relaxed and enjoyed it.”
Talking face-to-face, I could feel skin-deep how much they loved us.
“Thanks for the long trip. We’ll show you even better sides ahead. Get home safe.”
As I finished.
Crash, thud—
Glass shattering from beyond the wall, followed by something heavy falling.
The sudden noise made fans murmur anxiously.
“What was that?”
“What’s that sound?”
“From next door, I think.”
Then.
[Sub Quest Success!]
A system window popped up announcing quest success.
‘No way.’
Was that the lighting accident from the quest? Since we avoided getting caught in it, the ‘success’ notification appeared?
Staff exchanging words hurried out—probably to check the small hall.
As the mood grew chaotic, members quickly wrapped up.
“Thanks so much today!”
“So happy to see you all. Catch you next time. Bye!”
And the fansign ended.
* * *
After telling the members and manager I was heading to the bathroom, I cautiously made my way to the small hall.
Inside, staff stood on stage with grave expressions, talking.
One glanced my way.
I ducked reflexively.
I’d entered through the back door to avoid notice, and the dark back row seats hid me well.
‘Better safe.’
Hunched low, I surveyed the hall.
‘What happened?’
The scene was devastating.
A fallen lighting rig and glass shards littered the stage. The mounting plate’s bolts were loose—or it had torn right off—and lay flipped.
Dozens of ceiling lights had crashed down at once.
‘If that hit straight on…’
If we’d held the fansign here, we’d all have been on that stage—disaster.
Shrapnel could’ve hit the seats, injuring fans too.
‘Thank god we moved.’
Sighing in relief, a thought struck me.
‘Oh, right—the reward window popped earlier. Wonder what I got.’
I muttered softly.
“Open inventory.”
And what I saw was…
[Idol Buff Set Box★]
A new item had arrived.