Fan Meeting in the Midst of Madness
My whole body felt heavy. Cold and exhausting.
Nothing surrounded me.
The suffocating pressure was so intense it made my breath catch. Instinctively I tried to reach out with both hands, but it was like my limbs were bound—I could barely move a single finger.
".....?"
I barely managed to roll my eyes around.
*Where...*
At first I thought it was just dark.
But no. It wasn't simple darkness.
A place where darkness and coldness mixed, pressing down like a vice.
Not even the light from the sky could penetrate. Only something that could barely illuminate its surroundings.
Fuzzy silhouettes fluttered and writhed. Far in the distance, something red flashed like a single dot.
*That...*
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.
Soon the truth of those red dots emerged.
"....Fuck."
Monsters.
The red dots were all monster eyes.
Their movements were so dense I couldn't even take them all in at once. Some of them looked like they'd be tough for me alone to handle.
*Still...*
I could do it.
With that amount, I could handle it.
I calculated the gap between me and the opponent. Purely instinctual.
That's why it was even more puzzling for Sunu.
".....Ugh...!"
My heart was being squeezed.
An overwhelming pressure I couldn't shake off.
If this wasn't from those insane quantities of monsters...
*No way...*
The faint light beams illuminating the monsters flickered on and off.
The steady, even rhythm of them appearing and disappearing wasn't just waves— it was unsettlingly consistent.
*No way...!*
My heartbeat raced faster and faster.
My blood accelerated throughout my body.
My vision slowly rose.
Before I knew it, right above the abyss. What was leading these creatures...
"Oppa, are you okay?"
"───Haaah?!?!!"
"Hiyah!? Uuuuh... Oppa?"
".....Haaaaaaaah."
What was that?
...
..
.
"While I was resting my eyes, I wondered where you went, and it turns out you were sleeping in the staff waiting room?!"
"You're tired, what do you want to do about it... But this tastes great. Do you have a few more?"
I tore open an energy bar and bit into it.
The first big bite released its intense sweetness and nutty flavor. It felt like chewing solid energy.
*I didn't expect it to be this tasty.*
I didn't think I liked it this much before.
Once it was all gone, I peeled open the packaging of the energy bar Hye-won had given me.
"...Did it really take that much out of you? Eating too, and earlier when I was sleeping I was even sweating cold sweat."
"I really was tired."
I thought even if it was bodyguard duty there wouldn't be much to it.
Awakeners who were normal couldn't act cocky in front of us in the first place.
So I figured I'd just stand around and watch the line or something.
But I never imagined I'd see a crazy person shitting in the stands...
"Ah....."
The fact that it happened in the standing area was the problem.
If it had been seats, I could have just taken the place and left. But standing areas didn't have that option.
The feeling of [I have to watch until the end] and the physiological urge to [poop] fought each other.
In the end, the result was [I'll poop even if I watch]...
"...Do you want to see those guys peeing their pants in front of the people they like?"
"Human madness often transcends reason..."
"And their stubbornness was insane. Without you, I might have gotten my ass kicked."
"Ahah... haha... haha......"
After pulling out the guy who was about to shit and shoving him into the bathroom, the line was...
[You got the seat because of me, so give me compensation right now!]
No, honestly it was even worse.
They said I'd been discovered shitting in public and were talking about mental damage compensation or something.
After dealing with all that, they said if I gave up one seat in the front row, they'd let it slide.
*Just thinking about it now makes me angry.*
I should have just let him shit on the spot.
Then I wouldn't have had to deal with this.
If the gas-passing or shitting guy hadn't gotten angry and Hye-won hadn't stepped in, they might have turned the exit into the entrance instead.
A second asshole isn't necessary, right?
Talking shit through your mouth means it's your ass.
─Rustle
"Hmm...?"
"Huh? You already finished them all?"
I opened my eyes to see the energy bars were gone.
I silently turned to Hye-won and conveyed my silent request, and this time she shook her head, refusing.
"That was all I gave you."
"Is that so....Ugh, I'm still starving."
"Please hold on a little longer. After the fan meeting, we're all going for a group dinner."
"A dinner? Definitely meat, right? Can I look forward to beef?"
"I've prepared everything at home, so don't worry!"
"Home? Not a restaurant?"
A dinner at the boss's house.
Hye-won said this with a smile, clearly enjoying the blow to the employees' mental health.
"Now that all the Nature members are famous celebrities, if they say something weird while drinking, it's perfect for starting rumors. On the other hand, having a dinner at the boss's house, and it being the same female boss, there won't be any rumors, right?"
"If you were a girl, what does that change? I'm a guy."
"Isn't it okay? The viewers and fans all call Oppa 'noona' or 'princess'!"
"Fuck. For real."
So when was the last time those drag queen bait questions would keep coming?
Now they're even getting doxxed everywhere and getting roasted with [K-Managers take the stage] and I even hear the cat sounds. What a joke.
But... it's all just a joke anyway.
"You know how reporters write their articles, yet you say that?"
Those people in that circle are always grouping up and turning women into lesbian couples or something.
And yet you have this mindset that since you're a man with drag experience, it's fine? Where does that logic come from?
"Actually, the story about them hasn't come out yet..."
Hye-won nodded in agreement with my words.
"But I don't think there's a problem."
"What?"
Hye-won's meaning remained the same.
The reason was simple.
"Because you've shown a lot so far."
".....???"
"Whether it's vlogs, fan reactions, or whatever—you're seen not just as a 'man' but as a 'good Oppa.' More than 'FM Coach-nim,' it's 'So when is Oppa debuting?'"
"So the real last one, fuck. Ah..."
Love is only love if there's a love line drawn.
Vlogs, using Nature like catching mice the whole time, and even gaining popularity in another direction to cover everything up or whatever.
I didn't even realize it, but my identity was slowly turning into a safe human condom.
*No, yeah. That's possible.*
But.
Seriously, I know it's kind of a weird question...
"I don't think you have any intention of covering me, do you?"
"Eh?"
"You don't think I'll overpower you?"
"..........."
Hye-won was speechless for a moment.
She stared at me quietly, blankly, and finally...
"──Pfft!"
"Oi!"
She spat it out?
"Puht! Hic, ah, wait.....aha ha!"
"....Why are you laughing?"
She suddenly started laughing.
Hye-won was laughing so hard she couldn't even catch her breath, giggling and whooping.
"I asked seriously..."
"Seriously... pfft! Ah, did you set out to kill me with laughter? Puhahaha!"
".........."
"Hah, haaa... Ah, yeah. I get it. Just say it, just say it."
Staring at Hye-won seriously without answering, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said.
"What if Oppa covers me? We'd all go down together. But Oppa wouldn't do that, right?"
"How can you be so sure?"
"If I think about the time of the NTR Party..."
".....Sigh."
I had nothing to say.
*No. Still...*
It could be different now, right?
Back then I didn't have the heart, but now I might.
Especially since they're all younger, and all virgins. Is there a more heart-pounding situation for a man than this?
Plus, with the alcohol making a few screws loose, maybe I could even create something.
"It's fine. Oppa wouldn't do something I dislike, right?"
"...I'm a human condom."
Should I like this or not.
In the end, leaning against the wall and rubbing my hungry stomach, Hye-won stood beside me and asked again.
"Is it possible you won't be able to do the dinner together today?"
"Suddenly? There's no schedule anyway, it's fine."
"No. I'm not asking about the schedule... I was worried if something happened."
"Happening? Why?"
"You suddenly ask questions you've never asked before?"
"......."
Questions I've never asked before.
*If it was normal...*
Hye-won might have nodded in agreement to the dinner announcement and moved on.
No, she'd probably have moved on. Even if she asked questions, it would have ended at the reporter story and not gone into my story.
But even so, since she brought it up...
─....Thump!
"....Ugh."
I quietly looked away from Hye-won.
Something felt off. I felt very off.
My stomach hurt. My heartbeat seemed faster than usual.
A faint fever also seemed present, like I had a cold or flu.
My condition was strange. It wasn't good.
*Should I rest...*
My physical condition seemed okay.
Leaving my throbbing heart behind, I returned to the stage for now.
The fan meeting wasn't over yet, so I stood below the stage as a bodyguard.
And at that moment, I realized.
[With this hand, we'll gather everyone's hearts~~]
"....Ah."
The Nature trio.
Usually I thought nothing of it.
[[[We will love you!]]]
"Crazy."
Their clothes were too thin.
They looked quite lewd.
Stimulating...
"Oppa? The meeting isn't over yet?"
"....I'm going crazy too."
Even after four times in the bathroom, I don't die.
---
[Heart Gathered] [All Hearts Within Reach]