The Secret Behind the Hood
I felt dazed, a strange sense of confusion washing over me. How did she know my name? Yujun. That was definitely my name. It was possible I’d misheard, but there was no other word that could have sounded like that. Had I ever told Su-a my real name? Whenever I attended fan meetings or fan signing events, I always went by the nickname Su-aKongtteok. It was the same for my fan-dedicated social media accounts and my fan café handle. In this day and age, if someone really wanted to dig up a name, they could find it somehow, but...
“No way.” The thought of Su-a scouring social media just to find my name was absurd. My delusions were getting out of hand. “It must have been a mistake.”
I pulled out my smartphone and opened my gallery. It was time to add a new photo to the [Jju-aJju-a♡] album, where I kept only the most legendary shots of Su-a. In my recent items was a picture that was legendary among legends: a selfie taken with my ultimate bias, just the two of us. Su-a was looking at the camera with a beautiful smile. And there I was, next to her, pathetically distracted by something other than the lens. Her breast was pressed against my arm. The way it was squashed, slightly flattened by the pressure, was captured perfectly in the frame. Just looking at it made me vividly recall the soft, supple sensation I’d felt at that moment. I decided right then that this photo would never be posted on social media; it would stay in my private collection forever.
“Hehehe.” I couldn’t help but let out a stupid laugh, feeling so good. And that was the moment.
—Click!
The sound of a camera shutter echoed through the empty hallway. My eyes darted toward the source of the sound. Behind me. Someone was standing around the corner of the corridor. They were wearing a black cap pulled low and a mask covering their face—a person who looked like they were practically advertising, “I’m a suspicious character.” They were scrambling, looking as if they hadn’t expected the camera to make a sound.
“Hey, you there.”
—Clatter!
As I called out, the intruder, who had been frantically trying to turn off their smartphone, dropped it on the floor.
“Did you just take a picture of me?”
I approached the intruder cautiously. In a hallway where there was nothing else and no one but me, if they were taking pictures, I was the only possible subject. Above all, seeing them so flustered only confirmed my suspicion.
“!”
As I got closer, the intruder turned around and started to run away.
“Hey, wait!!”
I chased right after them. I didn’t care about the photo itself, but I needed to know *why* they took it. The world was a dangerous place these days. What if they used it for something malicious?
Their long, light-brown hair, tied back, swayed like an animal’s tail. The intruder was a woman. While some men these days grew their hair out, the peach-like curve of those buttocks, revealed explicitly by the leggings she wore, was unmistakably feminine.
“Why is she so fast...!”
It wasn’t just that she was fast; she navigated the twists and turns of the building as if she knew the layout perfectly. I was quite familiar with this place since I came here often for La Stella’s fan events, but she moved as if she had a map of the cultural center etched into her brain.
“Ah...!”
I lost her. When I rounded the corner, the intruder had already vanished.
“Haa... haa...”
Gasping for air, I scanned the areas where she might have fled. It was a fork in the road. To the right, stairs leading to the second floor. To the left, the exit leading outside. She must have run outside. There was no way she’d head up to the second floor when the exit was right there.
“What the hell is this...”
She definitely took my picture. If not, why would she run? But why? I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want a photo of a 27-year-old virgin. As I was dusting off my shirt and cooling down from the sweat, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
I glanced toward the staircase. Could it be that the intruder had hidden on the second floor and was coming down, thinking I had already left? With that thought, I checked the face of the person descending the stairs.
“Oh...?”
“Huh? Su-aKongtteok-ssi?”
No way. The person who came down from the second floor wasn’t the intruder, but my ultimate bias.
“What are you doing in a place like this?”
Su-a approached me with a friendly expression. Seeing Su-a right after a fan signing event...! This was precious. She had changed out of the outfit she wore for their second single concept—the white shirt, black tie, and black pleated skirt—and was now in casual clothes. That attire was...
“...Huh?”
I flinched for a second. Su-a was wearing a hoodie. It was the same black hoodie the intruder had been wearing. But since that hoodie was sold as official La Stella merchandise, it wasn’t strange for someone else to be wearing it. I had one too, and plenty of people had worn them today. The hoodie was the only similarity; Su-a’s overall look was completely different from the intruder’s. She wasn’t wearing a hat. Her hair wasn’t tied back. She wasn’t wearing leggings, either. It was as if she weren’t wearing pants at all, revealing her healthy, toned thighs beneath the hoodie. It was a classic case of the “no-pants” look.
I wanted to take a picture. I wanted to permanently save Su-a’s “no-pants” look in my album. But suddenly pulling out a camera would be rude, so I held back.
“Su-aKongtteok-ssi?”
Su-a, who had reached me, tilted her head and looked up at me.
“Ugh... Waaaaah...!”
I let out a ridiculous shriek and hurriedly stepped back.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
I was dripping with sweat because I’d just been running. I couldn’t let my bias smell my disgusting sweat. ...Unless it was the other way around. I would gladly smell Su-a’s sweat any day. No, stop it! What kind of perverted thoughts are you having? Protect our idol!
“Ah... do I smell weird to you?”
This time, Su-a took a few steps back. She sniffed her own hoodie, as if checking to see if she smelled bad herself. “I was practicing choreography until just now, so I’m a bit sweaty... I’m sorry if I smell.”
“No!”
I immediately denied it to Su-a, who looked apologetic. “If it’s your sweat, I’d welcome it anytime!”
The words slipped out before I could even process them. ...You crazy bastard. What kind of sexual harassment are you saying to Su-a? I was doomed. She would definitely despise me. No matter how much of a die-hard fan I was, what idol would like a fan who openly expressed a desire to smell their sweat?
“...”
Su-a was silent, perhaps taken aback. I kept my mouth shut and bowed my head. I didn’t have the courage to look her in the eye. I waited for her reaction in the long silence. When she finally responded, it was nothing like what I had feared.
“...Do you want to smell it?”
A shy suggestion. To smell. To sense a scent with my nose. What? Given the flow of the conversation, it meant “Su-a’s sweat.”
“Yes?” I looked up in surprise.
“...Really?”
At that moment, Su-a’s small fist tapped my arm.
“...Pervert.”
Su-a narrowed her eyes. It seemed I’d reacted too quickly. I should have at least pretended to hesitate, but I hadn’t even thought about it; my eyes had just lit up. “Su-aKongtteok-ssi, I thought you were a good person...”
“Ah... th-that... it’s not... I-I-I’m so sorry!”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just apologized. Should I have dropped to my knees and kowtowed? Even if I hadn’t said it directly, she must think I’m a disgusting otaku. Even if Su-a had a kind heart, there was no reason or need for her to embrace a human who stared with sparkling eyes at the thought of smelling her sweat.
Then, Su-a let out a giggle. “I’m joking, I’m joking. Why are you reacting so seriously? I know well enough that you’re a good person, Su-aKongtteok-ssi. You were just being considerate because I was worried about smelling sweaty, right?”
Half right, half wrong. It would be a lie to say I didn’t have a shred of desire. I tell myself to “protect our idol,” but how many fans haven’t had a delusion involving their favorite idol? Going on a date. Being in a relationship. Having sex. ...Though the post-nut clarity hits hard. I’m not the only one who has those kinds of thoughts, right? Of course, it’s a problem if you don’t keep those thoughts to yourself and start spewing them as garbage posts on social media. I don’t do that. I just occasionally substitute Su-a for an AV actress when I’m... you know.
“Y-yes. Yeah, that’s right.” It wasn’t a lie, since it was half right.
“But what brings you to Building B, Su-aKongtteok-ssi?”
The venue for today’s fan signing was the Cultural Center’s Building A. It was a bit of a distance from Building B.
“It’s faster to take the Building B gate to get home.” That was the reason I had been walking through the empty hallway. I was heading to the bus stop in front of the Building B main gate. The city bus that took me home stopped there.
“I see.” Su-a nodded her head exaggeratedly. So cute.
“So, Su-a-nim, you were practicing choreography?”
“Yes.” If I looked closely, a few strands of her hair were damp with sweat and stuck to her cheeks. A faint flush was visible on her face, too. It was incredible that she was practicing choreography right after finishing a fan signing event.
“This choreography is so difficult that I was practicing on my own. I have to practice whenever I have a spare moment so I don’t become a burden to the other members.”
This was exactly why I loved Su-a so much. People looked at the multi-talented Su-a and talked about talent or genius, but her versatility was the result of this kind of effort. She could have rested after finishing an event, but she knew her own shortcomings and kept trying and trying. Because I had been supporting her for a long time, I knew this side of her well.
“Please don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I’m not pushing myself.” Su-a smiled brightly. “I’m doing this because I love it.”
If I could see emotions as colors, a golden halo would be radiating from behind her like sunlight right now.
“Was I cool just now?”
Seeing her look so proud of herself was truly adorable. These moments of vanity that popped out every now and then were one of her charms. On YouTube, you could easily find videos titled [Su-a’s Vain Moments Compilation] or [Su-a’s Cutesy Moments Compilation]. The person who uploaded them was “Su-aKongtteok.” Ahem.
“Still, thank you for worrying about me.”
“That’s all a fan can do.” Yes, that’s all a fan can do. Support and worry for their idol. Hoping that it gives them even the smallest bit of strength.
“Stay still for a second.”
“Yes?”
Su-a pulled a handkerchief from her hoodie pocket. It was pink with a cute embroidered rabbit character. Oh my god. That was the one I’d gifted her at the last fan signing! I’d heard her say on W-Live that she liked rabbit characters, so I’d barely managed to buy it as a limited edition.
“That is...”
“Hehe, this was a gift from you, Su-aKongtteok-ssi, right?”
She remembered! She was using it! It was another moment where I fell for her all over again.
“Excuse me.” Su-a stood on her tiptoes. She stretched her arms high and wiped the sweat from my forehead with the handkerchief.
“Whaaa?!” I stepped back in surprise. She was wiping my dirty sweat with a sacred handkerchief. No, no, this shouldn’t be happening.
“Shh, stay still.” Su-a made a stern face. Because of her lovely appearance, it only looked cute. Still, I stood still as she commanded. I was her loyal slave, after all.
“Was there something urgent?” Su-a asked as she wiped my sweat.
“Ah, right!” I had briefly forgotten about the intruder. She might have run outside, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that she was still inside.
“There’s a suspicious person, so please be careful.”
“A suspicious person?”
“A woman took a picture of me a while ago and ran off.” I explained what had happened earlier. Me walking through the empty hallway. A woman who snapped a photo of me. I couldn’t be 100% sure she was photographing me, but given the circumstances, it was certain.
“Whoa... really?”
“You never know, so please be careful, Su-a-nim.”
“Yes, I will.” Su-a tucked the handkerchief back into her hoodie pocket. Ah, that contaminated thing.
“Thank you so much for coming today, too.”
“I’m the one who’s grateful.”
“Well, I have to get going now.”
“Ah, yes, yes. I’ve kept you too long.”
Su-a waved at me and trotted down the hallway. I admired her retreating figure.
“Huh...?!” I was horrified as I watched her walk away. Every time the hoodie fluttered, I could see her white sports panties. The round curves of her buttocks were revealed explicitly, and her perky lower cheeks were completely visible. I’d thought it was a “no-pants” fashion. It really was just no pants.
“W-wait...!” Before I could call her back, Su-a’s back had already disappeared.
“Ugh... uh...” I stood in place, staring blankly at the hallway she had passed through. The sight of her plump buttocks clad in white panties was vivid. ...It was the best panties, no, the best fan signing event of my life.