Rosemary
"Do you even love me?"
"What? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Then why on earth—!"
"...?"
"Why can't you love even my cancer cells?! Why are you forcing me to get surgery?!"
"T-That's obviously because..."
"Shut up! Stop making excuses!"
Beep.
The man and woman filling the screen vanished, leaving only my distorted reflection on the TV's black screen.
Heavy, ragged breathing. My shoulders heaved with anger.
"...How dare that hack writer do this to our Cheri."
I punched my innocent knee in frustration.
The female lead delivering third-rate acting in a third-rate script was none other than Lee Cheri.
She was my unchanging ideal type, and the former leader of the once-popular girl group, Rosemary.
"Sigh... How did it come to this?"
Though her beauty remained as radiant as ever, now that her popularity had faded, she was reduced to scraping by with terrible acting like this.
It was only thanks to diehard fans like me that she managed to stay on television at all.
Public interest was powerless against the passage of time.
I let out a soft, bitter sigh at the harsh reality.
Fools.
There are some things you should never forget.
How dare those so-called fans forget the star they once adored?
"Right, Cheri?"
I turned my gaze to the glowing monitor.
On it was a fresh internet article.
A wide grin spread across my face as I read the massive headline.
No matter how many times I read it, I felt like I was walking on air.
How long had I counted down the days for this moment?
During the six years they were gone, I hadn't missed a single day of activity on their fan cafe.
Starlight Rose.
Even within the fan cafe, my position was rock-solid.
The rank of "Golden Count," earned after attending dozens of fan signings.
It was a tier belonging to the top 1% of the cafe.
I smiled proudly at the glittering badge displayed next to my username.
It filled me with overwhelming pride every time I saw it.
At that moment,
"Whew, whew..."
It was starting again.
My chest tightened, and it became hard to breathe.
It had been like this for years now.
"C-Calm down. Whew..."
I took slow, deep breaths to steady my respiration.
Lately, these bouts of shortness of breath had become more frequent.
The culprit was the belly fat spilling out of my T-shirt.
I clutched my flabby, jiggling stomach and lamented.
Damn it.
I clenched my fists in frustration.
It might sound like an excuse, but my physique wasn't due to a lack of effort. Despite trying everything under the sun to lose weight, I had never succeeded.
Drinking nothing but water for weeks.
Running for three or four hours a day.
My weight always remained exactly the same.
And it wasn't just my weight.
In every aspect of life, my efforts never bore fruit.
Studying, sports, dating, you name it.
I had never experienced a single breakthrough or improvement in my entire life.
Consequently, at twenty-seven, I had no friends, let alone a girlfriend.
Every single day felt miserable.
By now, I had no desire to try anymore, nor did I want to meet anyone.
I had only one purpose left in life.
"You guys... whew... are different, right?"
The only ones who gave me strength.
Unlike the shallow people who judged others solely by their looks.
The lovely members of Rosemary always welcomed me with bright smiles.
"You're mine. ♥"
In her interviews, Lee Cheri seemed to speak directly to me.
Her captivating eye smile was always directed my way.
She whispered that it was okay to be flawed.
I grinned.
I had waited a whole six years.
During that time, my entire life had revolved around Rosemary.
Now that the wait was over, it was my turn to express my feelings first.
"Just wait a little longer..."
Surely, they would recognize my sincerity.
"Chu~ into your heart~♬ Believe in destiny, chu~♬"
In the small theater rented for the fan signing, Rosemary's past hit song, "Chu to You," was playing.
In my hand, I held the ticket I had just received.
Number 78, near the very end of the exclusive 80-person paid fan signing.
A bright smile spread across my face.
Why was I happy about a late number?
Heh, you clearly don't get it.
The later your turn, the more time you get to talk to them without the staff rushing you!
"Hehehe..."
Just thinking about talking to Cheri made me chuckle...
Ah, I need to be careful.
I wiped the smile from my face and pulled myself together.
Back in school, I had been bullied relentlessly because of this laugh. Yet, whenever I got excited, it slipped out habitually. I couldn't let Rosemary hear it and be disappointed.
A moment later.
When the scheduled time arrived, the three members of Rosemary stepped onto the stage. The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.
Naturally, I joined in.
"Wooooo! I love you, Rosemary! I love you, Lee Cheri!!"
Three dazzling goddesses stood under the stage lights.
Lee Cheri (27, Main Vocalist, Leader)
Scarlett (26, Rapper)
Choi Seoyeon (24, Dancer)
Six years had passed, but their beauty remained unchanged. If anything, they looked even more stunning with an added touch of maturity.
The most popular among them was, of course, the leader, Lee Cheri. Even now, most of the banners held up by the fans bore her name.
"Holy crap, is she even real...?"
"Her proportions are insane. Look at her legs."
"Oh my god. Did you see her smile at me just now? My heart almost stopped!"
Doll-like features and a cold gaze.
Combined with the occasional eye smile, she possessed a charm that drove men wild with anticipation.
The men around me gasped in admiration at Cheri's beauty.
...Tsk. Pathetic losers.
I frowned as the guys around me kept bumping into my shoulders. In the fan cafe, these guys wouldn't even be allowed to sit at the same table as me. To put it simply, the difference between us was like royalty and commoners.
I wanted to say something, but I decided to hold back. Now was not the time to waste energy on them.
"One, two, three—hello! We are the girl group Rosemary~ Chu♬"
"Waaaaah!!"
Ah, what a thrill.
How long had it been since I last heard Rosemary's signature greeting?
As the cheers died down, the leader, Lee Cheri, stepped forward and took the microphone.
"Starlight Roses! I'm so sorry we kept you waiting. I missed you all so much... You know how I feel, even if I don't say it, right?"
With her cute, sweet voice and a playful wink, who could possibly blame her?
"We'll start the fan signing now! Let's catch up properly face-to-face, okay?"
"Yes!!"
It was almost time.
Soon, I would be standing right in front of them.
Holding back my rising breath, I kept my eyes locked on Cheri's radiant smile.
"Next person, please."
After waiting for about an hour, my turn finally arrived.
"Don't be nervous. Whew..."
The three members of Rosemary sat at the table in front of me.
Every single one of them was blindingly beautiful.
Clutching my pounding chest, I slowly stepped forward.
At that exact moment,
"Oh! You come to all our events! I remember you!"
Rosemary's youngest member, Choi Seoyeon.
A high ponytail and a bright, dimpled smile.
In short, she was the vitamin of the group.
"T-Thank you!"
"Hehe, no, thank you."
Ah... so lovely.
Choi Seoyeon's voice was brimming with aegyo.
My knees nearly buckled as she signed the T-shirt I had brought.
But I had to keep my composure. She wasn't my main target.
"Yo, long time no see."
Scarlett, the Korean-American rapper.
Despite her petite and cute appearance, many men were captivated by her powerful rapping.
"H-Hello, Scarlett. It's an honor that you remember me."
"Yep, here you go."
Scarlett scribbled her signature with a chic, aloof attitude, immediately shifting her gaze to the next fan.
She was the classic tsundere character found in every girl group.
Her prickly attitude was so cute I wanted to pinch her cheeks, but once again, I had to hold back.
She wasn't my goal either.
And finally.
The moment I had anticipated for six long years arrived.
"Good to see you, Lover-nim."
Lee Cheri smiled warmly at me. I felt like my heart was about to melt.
Her beauty was as breathtaking as ever.
Her softly waved black hair,
the slight upward curve of one corner of her lips,
and even her haughty gaze that felt like it could devour me.
She was truly a master of fan service. Cheri waved both hands, showing how glad she was to see me.
"What's wrong? Are you nervous?"
"H-H-Hello... whew..."
Damn it.
My breath caught again.
"I knew you'd come! You're the best, Lover-nim."
"Y-Yeah! Of course I had to come, whew..."
The more I spoke, the dizzier I became.
At that moment,
"Can you give me your hand for a second?"
"...Huh?"
Cheri suddenly pulled my hand toward her.
The moment her soft, white hand touched mine, my brain short-circuited.
What was she doing...?
CherryLover♡
Small, cute letters were written on the back of my hand. A personalized message written just for me by Cheri's delicate hand. My face flushed red with pure ecstasy.
"Ch-Cheri? Thank you! I-I'm going to get this tattooed!"
"No need to thank me. What's a little thing like this between us?"
...What? Between us?
My jaw dropped.
A sudden rush of endorphins surged through my entire body.
I knew it.
She definitely saw me as someone special.
"Ecstatic" wasn't enough to describe it.
I wanted to express this joy somehow.
I could no longer suppress the feelings I had bottled up for so long.
"Cheri! There's... something I want to say..."
"Yes? What is it?"
Her clear, round eyes stared up at me.
I swallowed hard against my nerves and blurted out.
"I... I love you!!"
The person next to me flinched in surprise.
A sudden silence fell over the venue.
Ah, I had gone and done it.
I shut my mouth tight and anxiously watched Cheri's reaction.
What could she possibly do?
Someone like me was bound to be beneath her notice.
After a brief daze, Cheri let out a soft chuckle.
"Pfft, cute."
"...Pardon?"
Still holding my hand tightly,
Cheri looked up at me.
"Of course. You're mine, Lover-nim."
Her soft breath,
her warm body heat,
and her sincerity toward me.
It was all conveyed perfectly through her touch.
As I stood there, utterly speechless,
"I'll see you again soon, okay?"
She capped it off with a crescent-shaped eye smile.
I felt like I owned the entire world.
Once again, I realized.
The reason I lived.
The reason I was born into this world.
Yes,
if heaven existed, it was right here.
Behind the venue,
inside an abandoned building.
"I... I love you, whew..."
Crouched on the stairs, I stared at the writing on the back of my hand and whispered. My legs were shaking too much for me to leave, so I had been sitting here for the past hour trying to calm my racing heart.
The lovely members of Rosemary. To think they remembered me even after six years...
How could they be so kind?
They were surely angels disguised as idols.
"Whew..."
This wouldn't do. At this rate, I might actually collapse from hyperventilation. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to distract myself.
"Ahem, looking at Cheri's photos should help calm me down..."
Click, clack.
Just then, the sound of sharp heels echoed from below the stairs. Judging by the sound, it wasn't just one person. They were in a spot hidden from my view.
Who is that...?
Interrupting my post-reunion bliss. I didn't care who they were. Aside from Rosemary, real-world women were just insignificant creatures who had zero interest in me anyway.
Just as I moved toward the railing to check,
I heard the distinct flick of a lighter.
Soon, the smell of cigarette smoke drifted up.
"Whew. Fuck."
A harsh curse, completely unfitting for such a sweet voice, echoed.
"What's wrong, Unni...?"
"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? Did you see that fat pig panting like a dog?"
"Ahaha! Cheri Unni, sorry to hear that!"
The voices sounded strangely familiar.
Voices I had heard almost every single day...
No, wait. What did she just say?
Cheri Unni?
Driven by a sudden, creeping dread, I rushed to the railing.
No way. It couldn't be.
There was no way it was the woman I knew.
Trying to quiet my racing heart, I carefully peeked over the edge.
At that moment,
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Slender figures revealed by form-fitting outfits.
Breathtakingly gorgeous features.
Standing right there were the three members of Rosemary.
Each with a cigarette dangling from their lips.
What...?
I froze solid.
Cigarettes...?
My heart began to pound furiously. I had accidentally ended up spying on the members of Rosemary smoking.
W-What should I do?
Should I run away right now?
"Cheri Unni, who are you talking about when you say 'fat pig'?"
"Seoyeon, isn't it obvious?"
"Pfft! Was his username 'CherryLover' or something? That smelly-looking guy."
A jolt of electricity shot through my brain.
Before my mind could even process the situation, they spoke again.
"Huh? What about him?"
The youngest member of Rosemary asked.
"That shit was so gross-looking. Ew."
The rapper of Rosemary sneered.
"Sigh, I thought that fucker finally died or something over the last six years. God damn it."
And then, my one and only love spoke.
All the strength drained from my body, and the phone slipped from my hand.