This Time, It's for Real — The Spirit Idol
"Hmm..."
I let out a low hum as I woke up to the morning news. The Hero Party had officially announced their raid on Morgan. Japan was shocked, while China was envious — though, of course, it was all just nationalistic hype. In reality, though, it wasn't the same thing at all.
'That was just a blatant advertisement.'
They weren't content with TV and the news. The headlines were plastered across every newspaper too. The Hero Party, desperately drawing every eye to themselves, was working overtime to grab attention. Amid it all, Se-ah — wearing her beanie — burned with determination, as if she could show everyone what she had up her sleeve.
"Normally, when one side pushes forward like this..."
Then the other side would chime in with something. I picked up my phone, lost in thought for a moment, and searched for 'Yuseong Group'.
One after another, articles about the Yuseong Group loaded up. Roughly half of them focused on Yoo Jihye, the connection between the Hero Party and Yuseong Group...
['Premature Raid Announcement — Experts Raise Concerns.']
"Ah, as expected."
Counter-articles started popping up too. "Why poke a perfectly fine raid boss?" "Have you forgotten the sins of the past? This time it might be different." "If the Hero is lost, who will bear the blame?" They were filled with petty, almost elementary-school-level quips, but public opinion wars were basically just a collection of those.
In the comments, it was the same — reporters taking bribes, the eldest son backing them, and so on. The articles dripped venom. But from the Yuseong Group's perspective, and especially from the eldest son's viewpoint, there was little harm in it. After all, articles came out every day, and this one would likely be buried anyway.
'If the Hero Party slips up, they'll look like a visionary leader. A great play for the eldest son.'
The eldest and youngest sons had moved. So how would our Jihye react amid this storm?
Would she quietly wait for the storm to pass? Or would she fight for her will even in the eye of the hurricane?
In the midst of such pleasant worries, Jihye's solution emerged.
"I'll be doing a fan meeting."
"......?"
She was literally shifting the battlefield.
...
"Someone could say this."
The Hero Party's raid announcement. Was there really an issue big enough to win this?
Jihye had delivered a bold, challenging conclusion.
"People aren't interested in that."
"Now she's saying weird things again."
Being uninterested in the Hero Party in Korea was like a South Korean not knowing SON in soccer. The most basic common sense — if you didn't know it, you could never be a spy.
Yet Jihye shook her head, insisting she was different.
"Of course the Hero Party is famous. Especially famous in Korea."
But that was only 'famous' — not 'close' at all, was it?
"In simple terms, the Hero Party is like a famous idol overseas."
People would admire their achievements. Everyone would hate them.
When you looked at the history they wrote, your heart would race.
But... it was too far. It only felt distant.
Just because they were Korean. Because they were Korean.
They were a party born and raised in Korea.
It was just the level of admiration for a 'great Korean who became great.'
Without that 'nationalistic sentiment,' what was left of the Hero Party?
"Power? Wealth? Connections? Well, whatever. Because to the public, those things are 'matters that don't matter anyway.'"
Once, there was a saying that the public was like pigs. It was often taken as an insult, but precisely... they became as irrational as pigs. A small incident or one news article would turn their heads, and they'd be drooling at the nearest meal.
Of course, some of them were starving pigs, but changing society was maybe once in a hundred. The other ninety-nine were mostly swayed by the hungry pigs' appetites.
"No noble purpose. No sense of beauty. Not even the honor or value they had. To the public, those are 'matters that don't matter.'
"That's why Jihye decided.
Right now. This very moment was the right time.
"Do you know? There's a threshold for stimulation?"
Nationalistic coin for the Hero Party.
Good. Really good. But could it even last long?
Nationalism was just another form of stimulation. After a while, even a week later, interest would plummet geometrically.
And — we were waiting for that gap.
"The situation is too perfect. It feels like it was made exactly for us."
The eldest son's interference? At first, the Hero Party was running rampant. Interference? They would have supported them instead.
National interest? After months of herding, they'd become an idol group that people knew.
And not just any awakened idol group. Not even most members were awakeners. Only a few were, and the whole group — even the managers — were spirit contractors. We were the first.
"Training center results are starting to show."
"Ho...?"
Names on the training center were linked to ranks.
"Overall grades are D to C. Some are even B."
They gathered people.
They steadily promoted Nature.
And finally — it was time to reap the harvest.
"I'll be hiring a fan club."
"...So what does that mean."
Following Jihye's sketch — Nature, the training center, and the fans.
I quietly imagined it in my head and murmured, "Is this the Huang Chao from some TS game?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"No, forget it. If you don't know, you don't have to."
I understood what Jihye wanted. So I would work my best from the hired side — and win.
"...Do I have anything to do?"
Now that Ah-young was handling the manager work, I was basically just a coach moving around.
If there was something I wanted to do, would there even be a chance?
"Um... are you planning to dress up again?"
"Why live at all!"
"It was a joke, a joke!"
"......Keep teasing me?"
There was a limit to how lightly you could brush off teasing.
I clicked my tongue lightly, leaned back against the seat, and Jihye gave me a strange look and asked, "Recently, another spirit has appeared, right?"
"Eh? Yeah... that's right?"
A sudden question.
"I asked Ah-young to take photos of the site reports, and among the photos..."
Jihye held up her phone and showed me one.
"...Why is that?"
It was a photo of Nox.
Jihye stepped closer to me and said, "Last time with Hecate, and now this new spirit too."
An idol.
You don't want to make them idols?
Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in.
A weird familiarity. I quietly sighed and leaned back.
"You said you wanted to make spirit contractors into idols before. Now you're turning the spirits themselves into idols?"
They weren't evolving; they were deepening.
No, if they were deepening in evolution, that was just another way to say it.
"I said it before too. How fickle spirits are. Hecate is a bit weird, so that's why, but Nox — would she enjoy dancing and singing on stage in front of everyone?"
[.........]
"......Nox?"
[Papa... if Nox becomes an idol, will you watch more...?
Spirits and spirit contractors were connected by a line.
So as long as I could feel the spirit contractor's emotions, I could feel the spirit's too.
And now that Nox's feelings were fully mine, the words came out.
"Even if you weren't an idol, I'd watch you every day."
[Yes~ Papa loves me!]
There was a secret corner of dependency in her.
I gently stroked the Nox inside my chest, and Jihye sighed lightly as if she understood.
"Hecate and Nox, right? I thought we'd make a duet group, but it's a shame it didn't work out."
"Don't feel sorry."
"...Huh?"
Hecate suddenly popped out.
"This body will be an idol."
"But what about Nox-nim...?"
"Nox. Listen well to this body."
[...Hecate unnie?]
Hecate whispered to me, to the Nox inside me.
"If this body becomes Spirit King, I could even give birth to Sunwoo's child."
[───???]
"Pffft──?!?!"
What kind of nonsense is this, Hecate?
Shocked, I even gagged, but Nox and Hecate continued talking without me.
"Increasing spirits is a right of the Spirit King. Meaning it's possible."
[Spirit King...]
"To become Spirit King, you need faith. Belief. Worship. And the way to gather it effectively is..."
[Idols...?]
"Look at this body. Why would this body want to be an idol? Do you think this body would enjoy dancing and singing on stage like the others?"
[No... but...]
"It's all for becoming Spirit King. You should get why this body is doing it now?"
[...Yeah. I'll be Nox. Nox will be the idol!
After becoming an idol, I'll make Papa! I'll make a child with Papa!!!!]
"...Should I report to the police?"
"Ehehe, seriously."
The birth of an idol group under Spirit affiliation.
By the way...
[First, please do the fan meeting!]
"......Huuuum."
Whether Chaos or whatever, a fan meeting came first for now.
While I did that, I decided to protect Nature as a bodyguard too.
Meaning this room was only for bodyguards.
"Why are you here?"
"...Sunwoo...?"
Nari.
She had become a bodyguard.