Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: The First Fan Signing
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The car glided through the fans gathered on both sides. A police car was also present to prevent any accidents.
“I mean… they can’t even get in, so why did so many people come…?”
“I know, right? We’re grateful, but still.”
“Should we check the headcount and let in more people to fill the empty seats?”
“Don’t say such crazy things. Have you ever heard the word ‘pandemonium’?”
“Hey, Hyung. I’m not that ignorant, you know? Just kidding.”
Choi Yoo-jun and I sighed as we looked at the thousands of Answer fans gathered outside the Gangnam-gu Art Hall where the fan signing event was to be held.
*Bzzzt. Bzzzt.*
A call came in from an unknown number.
“Yes, this is Min-jun from JD Enter.”
-Ah, hello, Manager!
It was the voice of an unfamiliar man in his twenties.
“Yes? Who is this?”
-This is Jo Woo-bin, the vocalist from the band Earl Grey. We met at the university festival.
I thought they were going to let their lives go down the drain, but they actually called. The leader was the guitarist, though, so why the vocalist?
“I remember. The leader was the guitarist, right?”
-Yes. That’s right.
“Are you calling about the offer I made last time?”
-Oh, yes! We all agreed that we should at least hear you out properly before making a decision.
It seemed the guitarist, who I felt had nothing but crap in his head, was still clinging to his pride.
“I’m busy with a schedule right now, so I can’t talk for long. Let’s set up a meeting for later.”
-Oh! Yes! Thank you! Thank you!
With Lee Yoo-ah’s international debut confirmed right after Answer’s, the guitarist must have found it hard to handle the wavering resolve of the other Earl Grey members.
If I were to produce them, I plan to make them thoroughly commercial, yet a positive influence. Whether I’ll have the time for that, I don’t know.
The Answer members opened their windows and waved.
“Woooow!”
“You’re so pretty!”
The members of Answer waved, their faces filled with emotion.
Ro-si, with her timid personality, still seemed a bit withdrawn when facing fans, but I figured that would improve once she started acting.
“…My heart is racing.”
Yi-na said, taking a deep breath as if inhaling the fresh air of a forest.
“It still feels like a dream. To know there are fans out there who will cheer my name.”
“Seol-aaaaah! You mean that fan?”
“Ahaha.”
At Seul-bi’s words, all the members laughed brightly.
Unlike the Answer members, however, I was worried about those fans. People who think they’ve made an impression can mistakenly believe they have a personal connection with the artist, and you never know what they might do.
*Tiring.*
[Sudden Quest ‘First Fan Signing’ updated.]
A bad first experience can lead to harmful prejudices. Prevent the members of Answer from turning to the dark side.
Risk Factors: 15/15
Success Reward: ‘Instant Application (B)’ x1
Description: Allows you to apply ability points without training.
Failure: The beginning of hatred. Answer will experience negative growth.
The quest window always popped up just when I was about to forget it existed, making its presence known. It was annoying, but this reward seemed incredibly useful.
Does this mean I have to stop 15 risk factors?
That’s way too many.
The Answer members arrived in front of the waiting room.
“I’m going to personally conduct a basic bag check before letting people in, so get ready.”
“Should I go too?”
“Then who’s going to watch over Answer?”
“Ah.”
“Aha! Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!”
The members of Answer went into the waiting room, and I entered the art hall where the event would be held.
The hall was packed with 300 chairs, but the structure felt secure with 20cm-high tiered steps for each row and steel safety barriers in front of the seats.
It seemed well-suited to prevent any sudden incidents from overexcited fans, and more than a dozen security guards were already in place.
This place was fine.
Next, I headed to the entrance queue.
My sense of pride at seeing hundreds of fans who had won a spot at the signing event was short-lived…
“Hah.”
Seriously, if you’re coming to meet someone you admire, shouldn’t you at least wash your hair?
I frowned at the sight of a participant in dreary clothes with greasy, matted hair. It looked like they hadn’t washed it in at least three days—maybe even seven.
On top of that, they seemed psychologically unstable, constantly darting their eyes around and looking suspicious.
I’m sure that person had their reasons, but their appearance could make the Answer members uneasy.
My expression soured on its own.
“Ooh.”
At that, the waiting fans began to murmur.
Was it because my face was pretty well-known too?
Then again, they were Answer fans, so it would probably be stranger if they didn’t recognize me, since I showed up so often.
I approached the fan with the greasy hair who seemed somewhat anxious. They were heavyset, looking like they weighed well over 100 kilograms.
“Uh… what is it?”
As I got closer, their expression became wary, and they quickly shoved both hands into the front pocket of their hoodie.
I didn’t know what was in that pocket, but I couldn’t just let it go.
Imagining the unpleasant smell that must be coming from their greasy hair, I took short, shallow breaths.
“I just wanted to say that plain hoodie looks good on you.”
“R-Really?”
The way they grinned foolishly made me think they’d be easy to persuade.
“Yeah. A lot of hoodies these days have hoods that are just for decoration, but the one on yours has a really nice shape.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. It’s the kind of fit you’d see on those characters who hide their true power.”
“Umhuhuhu.”
Ugh. What kind of laugh is that?
Still, it was a relief. The fact that they could laugh meant that even if they had anxiety, it wasn’t severe.
As if picturing some anime character, they pulled their hood over their head. Thankfully, when they took their hands out, the front pocket was empty.
I held back a ridiculous laugh and gave them a thumbs-up.
“Good!”
“Umhuhuhu.”
[1 risk factor has been eliminated.]
[Remaining Risk Factors: 14/15]
…When am I going to get rid of all of these?
The rental fee for the venue was expensive, so we only had it for four hours. We had to start the fan signing in 25 minutes at the latest.
It seemed like I needed to take some drastic measures.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Answer’s manager.”
“We knooow!”
When I raised my voice, the fans shouted back just as loudly.
“As we announced, we will be conducting a bag check for the safety of everyone attending the fan signing. If you have any items you’d rather not have checked, please use the lockers provided.”
“No way! We’re not kids!”
“That’s right! At other fan signs, they just say they’ll do it, but they never actually do.”
“What are you doing in a society where human rights are so sensitive?”
“Hey, do you know how much money I spent to get here?!”
“This is a clear abuse of power.”
A few people started to stir up the crowd.
“We clearly announced this on our website. For those who still object, you can get a refund now.”
“Isn’t this going too far?”
“The lockers are free of charge. You can put any unnecessary items in there. And please remember, there are many fans waiting outside right now, hoping for a chance to get in.”
All of my relevant traits activated, and my third eye became extremely sensitive.
Soon, I could see people with stable, blue auras and others with unstable, red auras.
Among them, I singled out a person who was being particularly loud and whose bag was exuding a sinister energy.
“As long as I don’t open the bag myself, no one will know what’s inside.”
The person I pointed at flinched as if I’d struck a nerve and grumbled as they headed to the lockers.
A dozen or so people with unstable red auras put their belongings into the lockers.
What on earth did they have in their bags?
[7 risk factors have been eliminated.]
[Remaining Risk Factors: 7/15]
I got rid of a lot at once, but can I finish this in time?
As I actually started checking the belongings of the first person in line, two more people left the queue and went to the lockers.
[Remaining Risk Factors: 5/15]
I quickly continued with the bag checks.
But I didn’t find anything else unusual. There were still five I hadn’t found, but I couldn’t just block fans from entering. After all, only I could see the risk factor notification.
I had to ensure the fan signing was a success no matter what, so I couldn’t get bogged down by this.
I instructed the security staff and Choi Yoo-jun to be especially wary of anyone with suspicious items. With me on the front line as well, we should be able to handle any problems as they arose.
After letting everyone in, I returned to the waiting room to talk to Answer.
“These are the people who got you here, and among them, they’re your most passionate fans. They must have spent a lot of money to win a spot at this fan sign, so you have to give them your best fan service.”
“How?”
Ro-si asked, looking worried.
“There are 300 people sitting in their seats right now. When you first go in, there will be a photo time. Make eye contact with everyone, from the front row to the very back. It’ll be great service.”
“Ah, okay!”
“If you do it randomly, some people will be missed, so make sure you go in order from front to back. Think of it as making eye contact with each and every person.”
“Okay, okay!”
The members of Answer were full of energy.
“You have to finish each autograph within 30 seconds. I’ll move people along from behind when the time is up, but make sure your answers are short. If you think one or two extra seconds won’t matter, the time will fly by. I know it’s a shame, but the venue is booked for another event right after us, so please stick to it.”
“Yes, PD-nim!”
“Even when you receive gifts, always be careful when opening them. I checked everyone’s belongings before letting them in, but let’s be cautious anyway.”
“Okay! We feel safe with you here.”
“Shall we get going, then?”
“Yes!”
I entered the event hall with the members of Answer, who looked full of excitement.
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers and applause erupted for Answer.
“Seol-ah-ssi!”
“Pfft! He didn’t do the ‘Seol-aaaaah!’ today.”
Yi-na said to a smiling Seol-ah.
In truth, shouting someone’s name so loudly at a paid event like this was a major disruption.
“I must ask again that you refrain from personal call-outs. Everyone here has spent a lot of money and effort to be here, so I sincerely ask for your cooperation!”
I spoke politely, and the fan who had shouted Seol-ah’s name replied with a short “Okay” and quieted down.
“How can our Oppa speak so well? The more I see him, the cooler he gets!”
“Shh. Speak quietly.”
Yi-na and Seul-bi muttered.
“We’ll have a short photo time now.”
The Answer members waved and made eye contact with the fans.
Watching the members of Answer change their poses over time to allow for a variety of photos, I thought about how much they had improved.
“Wow! We made eye contact!”
“An amazing shot! She looked at me!”
“Ugh, I could die happy!”
“So touching! She actually looked right at me!”
“Seul-bi Unni smiled at me!”
The fans who made eye contact with the Answer members and got their pictures muttered to themselves, overcome with emotion.
The joy of having the star you admire look at you and smile was something no one would take lightly.
After the photo time ended, Answer took their seats.
I had the members sit in order of popularity: Seol-ah, Seul-bi, Yi-na, and Ro-si.
This was to lessen the sense of deprivation they might feel when a fan’s gift passed them by and went to the next member.
If the most popular members, Seol-ah and Seul-bi, were at the end, Ro-si and Yi-na would have to taste the bitterness of watching fans’ gifts pass right before their eyes.
For Ro-si, who still hadn’t fully regained her self-esteem, it could be a major source of hurt and frustration.
The fan signing began.
It started with the first fan, a shy-looking woman, sitting in front of Seol-ah.
“Unni, you’re so pretty. And you’re such a good singer.”
“Thank you. Have you eaten?”
“Yes! I had jajangmyeon.”
“Ooh. That must have been delicious. I just had a salad.”
“Please move to the next person.”
Choi Yoo-jun managed the event from below the stage, while I moved around right behind the members. Of course, there were also a good number of security guards scattered around to help things run smoothly.
After about 30 people had gone through, a fan fumbling with a pair of thick, horn-rimmed glasses tried to get on the stage. I stepped in front of the stage, looked at him, and shouted.
“Let me repeat myself. Filming from the waiting area is permitted, but once you are on the stage, filming is strictly forbidden. That! In! Cludes! Camera glasses!”
The man in the horn-rimmed glasses flinched and quickly put the glasses in his pocket.
[Remaining Risk Factors: 4/15]
I watched the Answer members as they talked with fans and signed autographs.
While waiting for the next fan, Seol-ah’s eyes met mine, and she gave me a dazzling smile.