The Unicorn's Horn
"……."
Ju Seo-hyeon stared at the unicorn horn in her hand, eyes wide with shock.
"Haha. Looks like Seo-hyeon was startled when the unicorn horn suddenly started glowing. As I explained earlier, a unicorn's horn lights up when a virgin holds it. Just like this. It might be a little embarrassing from a woman's perspective, but when it comes to proving purity, nothing is more definitive than a unicorn's horn."
"I-I see."
Ju Seo-hyeon held the unicorn horn, completely at a loss for what to do with herself.
Mirine, who was conducting the interview, took the unicorn horn from Ju Seo-hyeon. The moment she touched it, the horn turned black again.
Deception is working perfectly.
I had used my Unique Trait, Deception (SS), to fool the unicorn horn's virginity-detection function. As long as Ju Seo-hyeon, Yuria, Mi-ryeong, or Elena held it, the horn would glow regardless of whether they were pure or not.
Mirine doesn't have the ability to see through my Deception (SS).
The Unique Trait Deception (SS) turned out to have a surprisingly wide range of applications.
Mirine continued the interview. She placed the unicorn horn in Mi-ryeong's hand and asked,
"Mi-ryeong, don't you want to date?"
"Date? Hmm. I used to be interested… but right now I want to focus on idol work. Dating can wait."
"Wow. That's some serious confidence. Dating isn't something you can just do whenever you feel like it…"
"I trust my face and my body."
"……Well, with looks like yours, no man would stand a chance."
Mi-ryeong waved the unicorn horn proudly. It was shining brilliantly. Next, the horn was passed to Yuria. Of course, it glowed in her hand as well.
"Fans say that among the members of Pobitz, Yuria feels the most mysterious. Almost not human, if that makes sense…. Some fans even think of you as a goddess. You are human, right?"
"Fans thinking of me that way… is a little shocking. I am human."
"I would have believed you if you'd said you were a goddess. Yuria, what's your hobby?"
"My hobby is…."
Yuria glanced in my direction. Then she smiled softly.
"I don't really have anything I'd call a hobby… but if I had to pick one, it would be cooking. I love it when the person I care about eats the food I make. It means I'm the one managing the 'food' part of the three necessities of life — food, clothing, and shelter."
"Oh…. Cooking for someone you like…. May I try to guess who that person is?"
"It's so obvious there's nothing to guess."
"Right. Since Yuria lives with the members of Pobitz…. The ones eating your cooking would be the other members. Members — how is Yuria's cooking?"
Ju Seo-hyeon, Mi-ryeong, and Elena answered the question.
"It's delicious. Dangerously so…."
"Once you start eating, you can't stop. It's like a drug? Wait — she didn't actually put real drugs in it, right?!"
"I have tasted the cooking of a chef with imperial kitchen credentials. Yuria's cooking far surpasses that chef's."
Listening to their lavish praise, I quietly smacked my lips.
My palate, spoiled by Yuria's cooking, could no longer be satisfied by anything else. Even when I ate something that was ordinarily delicious, most of it just felt mediocre. Stimulating food like pizza or fried chicken was the exception, though.
"Tia, please hold the unicorn horn."
Elena took the unicorn horn without the slightest hesitation. It sparkled and shone.
Come to think of it, I might not have needed to step in at all. Elena possessed illusion arts far superior to my Deception (SS).
"I am pure. A body that knows no man."
Elena lied without so much as wetting her lips. Mirine laughed awkwardly at her words.
"You're very direct. Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Why would I be embarrassed when I've done nothing wrong? Don't tell me you're doubting my purity?"
"No, no. With the unicorn horn glowing right in front of me, how could I doubt it? Whew. Tia is hard to deal with."
"You're not going to ask me about my hobby?"
"I was about to. What's your hobby?"
"Wine. The only thing that soothes my weary heart is a glass of grape wine…."
"……Yes. I see. Let's see, the next question is…."
I turned my head to the side. I sensed a presence near the window.
A paparazzo is secretly taking photos.
I suppressed the twitch at the corner of my mouth.
Right now the members were holding the unicorn horn. In other words, the paparazzo was playing right into my hands.
Photos of the Pobitz members holding the unicorn horn would be released by this evening at the latest, and they would become a hot topic.
Naturally, every other idol girl group will be dragged onto the judgment seat.
Just as the Pobitz members had done, they would have to prove their purity. And if they refused? They would be branded as non-virgins and forced out of the entertainment industry. Avoiding the proof itself would mean they weren't virgins.
Heh. More than half the girl groups will go under, won't they? It'd be nice if Pink Love was among them. Then we'd become the top girl group without lifting a finger.
Once the interview wrapped up, I took Pobitz to handle the next schedule.
It was TKT Broadcasting, the station that had aired Music Kingdom, where Pobitz had debuted yesterday. TKT was an idol-friendly network — more than half of its programming was related to idols.
The program Pobitz was scheduled to appear on today, Idol Show, was a broadcast made for idols. With a guaranteed minimum viewership of 30%, there was an unwritten rule that every debuted idol had to appear on Idol Show.
Calling it a custom didn't make it a bad thing. Idol Show was idol-friendly, and it had no ugly rumors attached to it.
Together with Samara, I watched Pobitz film their appearance on Idol Show.
"They're incredible. Most newly debuted idols are so nervous they make all kinds of little mistakes… but Pobitz has none of that."
Samara said.
"Well, Ju Seo-hyeon is so tense she's gone stiff."
"Not enough to ruin the broadcast. How should I put it… Seo-hyeon has such a dignified image…. The fact that she's overly nervous actually makes her feel more approachable."
"That's true."
Normally, Ju Seo-hyeon gave off the vibe of a strong older-sister type. Intimidating, you could say. An ordinary person would find it hard to approach her. But watching her flustered by even the MC's questions, there was something oddly endearing about her.
If you actually talk to Ju Seo-hyeon, she's not that difficult… wait. Or is that just me?
The recording paused midway. Nothing had gone wrong — it was simply break time.
I was about to head over to Pobitz with Samara when the PD came looking for me.
"Producer Seong. Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, of course."
I went into the conference room with the main PD.
"We have to get back to filming soon, so I'll cut straight to the point. I'd like Pobitz to appear again next week."
"Next week as well?"
I looked at the main PD with genuine surprise. Today's appearance had, in truth, been secured by using the agency's influence to push out the idol originally scheduled to appear. From the main PD's perspective, that couldn't have been pleasant.
"Yes. Filming today confirmed it for me. Pobitz is going to be huge. While we're at it, I'd like to run a Pobitz special through next week."
"Not a bad idea. Just don't do any devil's editing."
"Hahaha. We don't do that kind of thing!"
Two consecutive weeks on a program with an average viewership of 30%. From Pobitz's standpoint, there was nothing bad about it.
"Today's episode airs in three days, right?"
"Yes. Look forward to it. We won't disappoint you."
"I'll trust you. But the schedule is pretty tight, isn't it? On Earth, they usually film two or three weeks in advance, don't they?"
Unlike Earth's variety shows, the ones in District 6700 were recorded three or four days before airing.
"It can't be helped. In District 6700, speed is everything. Fall even a little behind and the losses are enormous. Still, variety is relatively fine… the drama industry is… ugh. That place is genuine hell. By any chance, are any of the Pobitz members interested in acting?"
"Acting…. It's not something I haven't considered."
Yuria and Elena would do well if I put them in front of a camera.
"I wouldn't recommend it personally, but if you're interested, please let me know. I have some connections on the drama side, so I can introduce you."
"Haha. I'd appreciate that."
After the Idol Show filming wrapped, we headed to another studio. There were two commercial shoots on the schedule.
By the time we finished every appointment, it was around one in the morning.
I checked the side mirror and clicked my tongue. A white mid-size car belonging to a paparazzo was doggedly tailing us. It looked like he was going to follow us all the way to the dorm.
What a nuisance.
Once we arrived at the dorm, I sent Pobitz inside first.
"Samara. You tired? Go home."
"…Yes. Good work today."
"Want a ride home?"
"No. I'm going to stay at a motel nearby tonight. We have a schedule starting at five in the morning anyway…."
"Do that."
"Producer Seong is…. Never mind. I'll be going."
Samara had already figured out the relationship between me and Pobitz. We were constantly stuck together — it would have been stranger if she hadn't noticed. Since she was tight-lipped enough for Lilith to trust her, I didn't need to worry about it.
Samara isn't the problem.
I turned my head to the side. The white mid-size car was visible. I drove out, parked at a suitable distance, then returned to the dorm and watched as the paparazzo fumbled equipment out of his car. Camera gear that looked expensive at a glance.
A camera like a space telescope?
What the paparazzo planned to do with that camera was obvious.
Voyeurism.
He's crossed the line.
I smiled coldly and approached the paparazzo. I grabbed the shoulder of the man pulling out his camera. He turned around. A scruffy beard covered his face.
"…Pobitz's manager?"
"Mister. When someone's cutting you some slack, you need to know when to stop. Know when to stop."
I put force into my hand.
His expression twisted in an instant.
"Gyaaaaaaagh!"
"Quiet."
Sealing the vital points — body locked, voice silenced.
I struck his pressure points. Unable to move or speak, the man frantically rolled his eyes.
"You crossed the line, so you die."
I loaded him into the driver's seat.
I had already decided how to kill him.
He would drive the wrong way down the road, crash into the river with the car, and drown.
"So long."