The Taste of Female Idols
The day of Yoonah's concert—the one I'd been waiting for forever—finally arrived.
They said if you come early, you could check out the venue, so even though the concert was still hours away for the younger age groups, I headed out in the early morning to take a look around.
But damn, what the hell? There were already so many people milling about, chatting away.
"What’s with all these crowds?"
Fans had shown up ridiculously early, and there were tons of them wandering around. Goods were on sale everywhere, and people were buying them up without a second thought. As I chatted idly to myself about all this while taking it in, a fresh wave of emotion hit me. Fans of all ages, from kids to folks my age and older—the crowd was diverse.
I wandered a bit more and approached the concert entrance, where staff were bustling in and out. I'd figured I'd get stopped if I tried to go in casually, and sure enough, they blocked me right away.
"You can't just come in here."
I could've stopped time and slipped past, but there was no need to waste it on something like this. Instead, I pulled out my phone and called Yoonah, who'd arrived super early.
"Jisoo! Have you arrived?"
"Yeah, but I can't get in."
"I'll come out right now! Just wait and come in with me!"
Her voice was bright and bubbly. The call ended, and not even a few minutes later, I spotted someone dashing out toward me.
Damn, Yoonah looks pretty as always today.
"Jisoo!"
"Whoa, Yoonah, your voice is too loud."
I glanced around subtly as I spoke, and she finally realized her mistake, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"Sorry... This is my friend," she said simply to the security guard.
We headed inside together, and instead of any hassle, we got envious looks from the staff. It felt kinda proud, you know?
"I figured you'd pop up out of nowhere like last time," she said with a grin.
"Were you hoping for that?"
"Hehe, maybe a little?"
I couldn't let down those expectations.
Time Machine activated.
Returning to the designated time.
I closed my eyes for a second and opened them. Yoonah, who'd been right beside me, was gone, and I was still standing outside the concert hall. Looked like I'd rewound to the moment of arrival.
Time Manipulation activated.
Honestly, using time manipulation just for a surprise might be a waste when I had a full 70 minutes. Cutting it down to 10 felt inefficient no matter how you sliced it. But Yoonah wanted it, so I had to deliver.
"Hmm, this is where I was, right?"
I slipped past the ironclad security and staff at the entrance, heading inside.
"It's a maze like last time."
With 70 minutes on the clock, I could wander forever if I wanted, but I hustled to find her quick. I wanted to see that shocked look on her face.
"Hmm, this place feels suspicious."
It wasn't exactly a scavenger hunt, but I zeroed in on the sketchiest door and pushed it open.
"Wrong room."
No Yoonah—just a bunch of young girls chatting. They looked way younger than me, all cute as hell. Rookie girl group, maybe?
"Plenty of time left anyway... Should I take a quick bite?"
My powers had extended to 4 uses now, so regression wouldn't be an issue. I stepped inside slowly, eyeing them up.
"But these girls look kinda young... No way they're total minors, right?"
I stepped back out and checked for a nameplate. Waiting rooms always had them. Sure enough, there was a small one by the door. I snapped a pic with my phone and searched the group name.
"Ah..."
And yep, they were Mi-ja, underage idols. I quietly closed the door and kept looking for Yoonah.
No matter how trashy they might be, I wasn't low enough to go after Mi-ja. Their oldest member was just 19.
"Never imagined idols younger than me back in the day."
When I was obsessed with idols in my teens, they were all older than me. Even Yoonah, my fave, was older. Now idols younger than me—way younger, Mi-ja level—were popping up, and it made me feel old for no reason.
"Where the hell is Yoonah...?"
I trudged through the concert hall interior until I spotted a door with obvious bodyguards outside. No mistaking it—that had to be Yoonah's waiting room.
I brushed past the guards and opened the door.
"There you are."
Glancing around, luckily no other members were visible. Yoonah knew about my powers, so fine, but the others didn't. Popping out of thin air before the concert would just freak them out unnecessarily. Better hold back.
Time Manipulation deactivated.
I wouldn't do anything harsh to Yoonah without permission. It was the kind of thing that could happen, but I didn't feel like it anymore. Maybe I was starting to want to cherish her a bit more.
"Yoonah."
I grabbed her shoulder firmly.