Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Hey, Bring a Lie Detector Over Here
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Overwhelmed.
Even with my eyes wide open, staring in disbelief, the stage was on a scale too massive to take in easily. In the darkened stadium, the faint silhouettes of fifteen thousand audience members were visible beyond the dim glow.
Soon, the intro to <From Ever>—the song that first put Ever's name on the map worldwide—kicked in as the concert version, bathing countless lights and the fans' lightsticks in a pale purple hue.
One by one, Ever's members emerged. The crowd erupted in cheers, singing along perfectly to the fanchant.
Confident expressions, as if the protagonist's role in any novel, movie, or genre belonged to them by right.
The stage was as vast as the venue itself, yet it never felt empty or lacking for even a moment.
"You can never surpass me."
Expert facial expressions blending seamlessly with the song that embodied Ever's identity, top-tier performances dominating the stage, vocals, and crowd interaction skills to boot.
Special effects, dazzling outfits, priceless fan sing-alongs.
Their dances and voices grew even louder, as if feeding off each other's energy, and the fans screamed their throats raw in response.
But what caught my eye most was Chaewon's expression—singing with a radiant smile, clearly loving every second on stage.
As soon as the cool, commanding concept song wrapped up, out came her signature innocent grin.
It was a loving gaze and cheers that perfectly explained why Chaewon adored her fans so much—and why Forever loved her right back.
"...This is why people go to concerts."
"That's why I told you to come sometime."
"...It's not like I didn't want to go. If you'd just given me a heads-up, I could've postponed my flight a day."
"...Fair point. We're even, then?"
"Even."
We bumped our clenched fists together, making up clean and simple.
We pulled out the earphones we'd stuck in each other's ears and started chatting according to the mission card.
"How much practice went into prepping for this?"
"Checking sound, stage routes, lighting, choreography? Maybe a day or two. We hardly ever rehearse on the actual stage—mostly in setups that mimic it, but even then, we don't get much time."
"So you have to perfect the whole show in just a day or two?"
"Yep. Even in practice, it feels different from the real stage, and unexpected stuff pops up sometimes, so you cover on the fly."
Industry behind-the-scenes that anyone unfamiliar would find fascinating.
She started with tales of a member who'd gone too hard on day one and crashed the next, then moved to their Asia solo concert in their third year, the second-half world tour, year-end award shows, and more...
She shared just enough juicy bits from various stages to make for good footage.
"Hearing all this makes me see you in a new light. How do you even survive that schedule?"
"Professionalism and love for the fans. Forever's watching, right?"
After watching all the footage the production team had prepped, she hammed it up with an auntie-like gesture, blatantly playing to the camera—peak idol Chaewon.
I couldn't help but chuckle at how perfectly in character it was and turned off the tablet screen.
"Talking like this makes me curious about your side too."
"My side?"
"You don't know how I spent my time, and I don't know how you did either."
"Isn't it obvious? The life of a high schooler dreaming of college."
Home, school, academy, back home.
Especially in my Bundang neighborhood and the high school I attended, the academic pressure was no joke—tons of kids grinding their teeth through studies.
I wasn't gnashing my teeth that hard, but I stuck to self-set weekend study hours and piled on activities just to pad my student record a line more.
Lives like that are everywhere—in daily life, dramas, movies, docs—so you don't even need to be a high schooler to get it, but...
"I told you, right? No matter how obvious it seems, if you don't say it, they won't know."
A slightly annoyed... but hoping I'd get her heart expression.
Her face and words, reminding me why we'd pushed through those brutal teen years, left my mind blank for a second.
"...You're right. I almost made a huge mistake there."
This is why they say you should date a girl properly.
I nodded with a smile.
"Well, I'd always done decently in school since I was a kid, and everyone kept saying stuff like 'Keep this up and you'll make SKY.' Naturally, my eyes turned that way."
"I know. As your elementary and middle school classmate, I'm the one who best remembers your name always topping the school rankings."
"Honestly, as my grades solidified into SKY territory, friends, teachers, relatives—they all had sky-high expectations. 'Hey, you can really do it.' But my twisted personality hated rising to it."
"...Really?"
"Might sound arrogant, but studying for SKY wasn't some burning goal—it just happened as I kept at it steadily, close enough to touch, so I prepped casually. Not like I went all-in."
Born introverted and stubborn.
Yet super aware of others' eyes, always striving to meet expectations. Deep down, I didn't want to chase them.
By high school after middle school graduation, that awareness blurred, and I stopped bending over backward for unwanted hype...
As a test-taker, getting into Korea's top university was possible.
I wanted it, and so did everyone around me, but our expectations differed.
I wouldn't have minded failing much, but they acted like failure was unthinkable...
They cheered assuming I'd nail it, no question.
Bottom line: that pressure weighed on me.
"...Anyway, I got in on the first try somehow, but looking back, I was immature. And you helped a ton."
"...Me?"
"You lived so hard. Watching you gave me a lot to think about."
During her peak busy schedules, she'd said sleeping four hours was a luxury—her biggest wish was a solid snooze.
I'm a heavy sleeper too, and knowing Chaewon was the same, hearing her get just four hours made me think it must be brutal.
"If a superstar idol grinds that hard, how's it okay for me—just studying—to slack? Chatting with you on KakaoTalk and calls always motivated me."
"...I see."
"I was too shy to say it then, but I can now. Han Chaewon, you're amazing."
I smiled and flopped back down.
Chaewon, beaming from the praise, lay beside me. We both stared blankly at the ceiling.
"What if we'd gone to the same school?"
"Well, we'd probably have stuck together again."
"I'd be bad at studying, so I'd stay quiet by your side during exams."
"Like middle school, grinding away next to me?"
"Yeah. I'd do whatever you said and just dream of hanging out after tests."
"...Yeah. Could've been like that."
I answered, eyes drifting shut.
Occasional footsteps, the rustle of comic pages from someone nearby.
Kids quietly playing board games at Munch, people whispering conversations.
The sauna heat was relaxing my body and mind, drowsiness pouring in.
"I love my life now, but I sometimes wonder what it'd be like going to school with you."
"Really?"
"Especially back then, around high school age, lots of same-age fans cheered me on. Made me think that every time."
"Can I be honest?"
"Sure."
"I think you'd have ended up in entertainment anyway, even from high school. Not necessarily as an idol. We did all those weird improv skits together."
A rustle from beside me.
Eyes closed, but I could tell she'd turned toward me.
Her gaze felt heavy on my face.
"I can't picture you just sitting still studying. You're too big for school—you're meant for more."
"...Should I be flattered?"
"A little sarcastic, yeah."
"Ow."
"Ouchie—."
Way spicier cheek pinch than expected.
"But were you popular?"
And the out-of-nowhere follow-up.
Instinct kicked in.
Ah, another trial had arrived.
"...Not unpopular."
"...Oh my, quite the heartthrob, huh?"
"No, but why bring that up all of a sudden...?"
"Fans are probably dying to know. Asking for them."
"This is a daily vlog—what does that have to—."
"So, how much chocolate did you score on Valentine's and Pepero Day?"
Her grip on my cheek tightened.
Worried it'd pop right off, I shook my head...
Ow. Just me hurting.
"You might not know, but only couples really do Valentine's and Pepero Day."
"Then how do non-couples exchange feelings? I'm curious."
"...Never been in a couple, so no clue."
"Sneaky escape artist, huh?"
Not fully satisfied, but her tone said it was acceptable enough.
Finally, her pinching hand let go.
"Hey, bring a lie detector over here."
Ah, so that's what fueled her persistence.