Bare-Face Certification
The fan service video from the concert blew up, flooding the comments section.
The live performance clip on VOD had already surpassed a million views.
The fans' reactions were beyond hot—they were explosive, as you can see.
Our comeback stage was a massive success.
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
I was sitting at my desk, secretly reveling in the joy, when I spotted a girl in the corner of the classroom wearing the exact same expression.
It was Ga-young.
She'd been staring at her phone for a while, her lips twitching upward in a grin.
The screen showed my performance video playing.
Her face looked even happier than mine.
Good thing she liked the show.
Which means she's probably grateful to me for the ticket.
In return, maybe she'll finally leave me alone from now on.
That had been my goal in giving her the ticket in the first place.
"Hey."
Speak of the devil.
Ga-young had snuck up right beside me before I knew it.
I turned to her with a face full of eager anticipation.
"What?"
"...Thanks for the ticket. I got another precious memory thanks to you."
She clutched her phone to her chest with both hands and expressed her gratitude.
I scratched the back of my head nonchalantly and replied.
"Eh, no big deal. As long as you had fun."
Inside, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Now I can get back to my peaceful school life.
But just as I was relaxing...
Ga-young didn't return to her seat. Instead, she plopped down in the desk right in front of mine.
The original owner, who'd stepped out to the bathroom, stood there blankly in the distance.
"Did you do the math homework?"
"Huh...? No."
As if I would've.
I'd been running performances until late last night.
"Take it out."
"What?"
"Your math textbook. I'll teach you."
Normally, I'd snap at her and be done with it.
But it seemed like this was her way of showing thanks.
I appreciated the sentiment, but I politely declined the offer.
"I'm good. I'll just take the deduction like usual..."
"You gonna regret slacking on your grades like that later? Take the help when I'm offering."
She forcibly opened my math textbook and started pointing out the homework sections.
This was awkward.
All I wanted was for her to lose interest in me.
"This one's simple—just apply the quadratic formula. Give it a try."
"..."
"Why aren't you solving it?"
"I don't know how..."
"What don't you know...?"
"All of it..."
After confirming my math skills, Ga-young went from surprised to outright horrified.
Talk about embarrassing.
Just dragging myself to school while handling my schedule is exhausting enough.
Where would I find time to study?
"Even middle schoolers could solve this... Aren't you neglecting your studies too much? You're not even in the arts track."
Ga-young stared at my face intently.
Worry and pity filled her eyes.
"Let's start learning bit by bit from now on. We're still first-years, so it might not be too late."
"No need..."
"I'm fine, so don't refuse."
No, I'm not fine.
If she went back to being pushy like before, I could ignore her.
But approaching me with kindness like this? I couldn't even do that.
I learned for the first time today that kindness can sometimes be scarier than hostility.
"I'm so tired..."
Thanks to Ga-young's excessive attention, I couldn't catch a wink at school again today.
Of course, you're not supposed to sleep in class anyway.
Still, it left me mentally and physically drained once more.
The silver lining? No performance scheduled today.
"I'm home."
I dragged my weary body into my private apartment.
This wasn't the dorm I shared with the members—it was my personal place.
I came here occasionally on off days to recharge.
My little secret hideout, you could say.
I dropped my bag in the corner and sank into the sofa.
I usually left it empty, so the interior was spotless, like a model home.
I lounged on the sofa, enjoying a leisurely break.
How much time passed like that?
Suddenly, my stomach growled.
I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Nothing inside.
Just a few rolling water bottles.
I'd forgotten to go grocery shopping.
And I wasn't in any shape to head back out now.
No choice—delivery for dinner it was.
...Calories were a bit of a concern.
But I hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch, so it should balance out.
If I was still worried, I could do some push-ups before bed.
"Decision made!"
I opened the delivery app and scrolled through the restaurants.
Then I spotted a mouthwatering tteokbokki place.
Spicy food is the best when you're beat.
I ordered the tteokbokki, sundae, and fritter set, then hopped in the shower.
By the time I was clean and out, the delivery was at the door.
How long had it been since I last had street food like this?
Today, I decided to eat my fill without a care for calories.
Just as I was about to dig in with my chopsticks...
Ring♪
My phone rang.
The caller was none other than Manager Unnie.
"Hello?"
"Siyeon-ah, you prepping for the live?"
"...Huh?"
"Ah! You forgot, didn't you? I knew it."
I pulled out my notebook with the schedule and checked today's entry.
There, in tiny letters at the bottom: 'Live'.
Oh, right—today was the day.
Idols do live streams periodically for image management.
I did one every month, and this was it.
"Do I have to...?"
"Of course. There are fans waiting for your stream. The announcement's already up."
If the notice was posted, no backing out now.
An idol who flakes on fans is the worst.
"Got it. Prepping right now."
"What's the concept?"
"At home, so something casual..."
My eyes fell on the tempting spread in front of me.
Perfect for casual.
"Mukbang this time?"
"...Mukbang? Hmm, sure. You eat so satisfyingly anyway. Text me when you're ready."
"Okay."
I threw on some clothes and sat at the computer.
Unnie handled the program remotely, so I just had to chat on cam.
Soon, my face appeared on screen.
The chat was buzzing with messages.
"Hello, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting—the food arrived a bit late..."
"No, really! Look, I haven't even taken a bite yet."
I started chatting naturally with the fans.
A live broadcast.
In some ways, more nerve-wracking than a concert.
Pros of live streams: Anyone can join.
Cons: Anyone can join.
99.9% of viewers are fans, so it's mostly positive.
But every now and then, someone drops a brain-freezing comment.
The key is expression management.
Unnie handles moderation if needed.
I kept my cool and continued the stream as usual.
With so many viewers, the chat scrolled by in seconds.
I picked out standout comments and replied quickly.
"I did dry my hair, but I rushed it, so it's still a little damp. The shampoo... don't wanna sound like an ad, so it'll stay a secret."
The chat ignited over whether I was wearing makeup.
A few viewers even started debating.
If this kept up, the conversation could derail.
I quickly intervened.
"No spamming, please. And yes, this is my bare face."
That only fanned the flames higher.
Maybe 5% believed me; 95% didn't.
Seeing that sparked my competitive side.
I'm not the kind of idol who lies to fans.
I grabbed the cleansing wipes from the table.
"If you can't believe it, I'll prove it right now."
I meticulously wiped my face all over with the tissue.
Of course, no change on my face, and nothing on the wipe.
Suddenly, people started exiting the stream.
Not many, but it bugged me.
Did I mess up somehow?
**
The next day.
My phone rang urgently early in the morning.
Unnie's voice came through, brimming with excitement.
"Siyeon-ah! That live yesterday—was that on purpose!?"
"...What's with the morning energy?"
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.
Already half-asleep, and she was spouting nonsense.
"Calm down and explain. What's up with yesterday's live?"
"Your live's blowing up online!"
"...What?"
I swallowed hard.
Was it some bad rumor?
But her next words were the complete opposite of my fears.
"Two cosmetic companies requested you as ad model—big corporations!"
"Huh?"
Totally unexpected.
I'd just proven my bare face on a whim.
Never dreamed it'd lead to this.
...Live streams are OP.