The Taste of a Female Idol
The concert wrapped up in overwhelming success. Even I, with my personal closeness to Yoonah and long since quit as a fanboy, felt that electric thrill after such a long time. The fans must have been over the moon—hell, it was almost heartbreaking to think about.
I wanted to rush over, pull Yoonah into a quick hug, tell her she'd killed it, and pick up right where we'd left off earlier... but no dice. Unfortunately, I couldn't see her today.
I knew it was unavoidable—hell, somewhat understandable—but yeah, I was a little salty about missing out on Yoonah time today. Of course, I wouldn't let it show to her, not when she had work piling up. Our friendship was personal, not something to throw a fit over.
Even expecting as much, heading home without even a next-meeting promise felt bitter and chilly.
"Eh, whatever. It is what it is."
"Aww, poor Jisoo. That must've sucked."
Maybe it was okay to whine just a little like this? I mean, doesn't everyone need to vent sometimes?
"I called you out and everything—sorry it turned out like this."
"No biggie. Work comes first, obviously."
"Your lips are totally puffed out like a pout, though."
I lightly tapped her lips. "Not even a little."
"They're totally sticking out!"
We messed around with bold touches, playful as ever. Rolling left, rolling right—at this point, wasn't it at least a solid flirt? Front flips today? "So, you free tonight? Since we're already hanging, wanna stick around longer?"
Chin in hand, locking eyes, she flashed that pretty smile. "Yeah, totally free today."
"But... feels like there's more to this meetup than just a date."
We kept joking, but she'd been fidgety from the start, unease flickering through. Restless, like a fan with something on their mind. No matter how I sliced it, she had words stuck in her throat, delaying them.
"Ah... n-no, nothing like that..."
She wasn't the actress type—straight-up with friends, emotions plain on her sleeve. I'd noticed it before.
"Aww, really nothing?"
"Um..."
Whatever it was, it weighed heavy—she kept agonizing. "If it's nothing, cool. Whatever."
I shrugged, trying to pivot to some bullshit small talk. But then:
"Ah, well... actually, I kinda have a favor to ask."
She'd been wearing that uneasy look. Figured. I shrugged like go ahead, and she scooted right up beside me.
"There's this rookie girl group that just debuted."
She dropped her voice low—not everyday stuff, clearly.
"Oh, you mean those cute ones from your concert last time? The openers?"
I'd thought about hitting on them, but they were all underage, so I backed off. Still, those adorable faces popped into my head. They'd even served as backup to flaunt my Yoonah connection.
"Yeah, exactly. One of them, Yesuh—she got roped into something bad this time."
Bad how? Some infamous variety show gig? But even then, entertainment stuff was limited in what I could do.
"Like..."
Not some sleazy broadcast, or she'd have spilled sooner. "What the hell is it? Spill. If I can help, I will—max effort."
It dragged on, frustrating me a bit. How delicate was this thing?
"It's... honestly, the kind of shit I don't even wanna say out loud."
That bad? Oh shit, no way... "Don't tell me it's that dirty underbelly of showbiz I think it is?"
I tilted my head; her eyes met mine, trembling.
"Y... yeah... pretty much that."
My head spun. No fucking way. From what I'd checked back then, they were all clean—minors, no dirt.
"For real?"
"......Yeah. Our group got tons of hype early on, blew up huge—no issues like that."
True, they were the buzz girl group back then.
"But apparently, this shit happens way more often than I thought. I was naive, thinking it skipped us."
Self-recrimination poured out. Fair—the industry's filthy. But a spotlight star like Yoonah? She'd dodged it naturally, too busy rocketing to world-class status to notice elsewhere.
"That's not your fault, Yoonah."
"I ignored it, so yeah, it is."
Her sweet heart shone through. I'd reassure her it wasn't her blame, but she'd just keep beating herself up. At this point, best to look ahead.