Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 83

83.

The biggest drawback of being a celebrity is, of course, the issue of privacy.

It’s debatable whether they should be considered public figures, but generally, it’s not considered a problem if a celebrity, usually classified as a public figure, has their private life known to the public.

“Wow, seriously, Ji Dong-hwa.”

That’s why…

“A counterexample to ‘dukke-mot’ [someone who gains popularity despite initial expectations] has appeared, seriously. Ji Dong-hwa, seriously.”

Without a mask or sunglasses…

“…Aren’t those Blossoms?”

Walking around, you can hear…

“Lee-deun… can I get a signature?”

It might be an unavoidable phenomenon to hear these voices from everywhere.

“…Dong-hwa hyung [older brother/male friend], it seems like more people gathered than expected.”

I nodded. I never thought so many people would come that we couldn’t even move, but it’s clearly my mistake. Is it a blunder to ignore the 7 PM time slot? I didn’t know there were so many people in Hongdae [a vibrant district in Seoul known for its arts scene and nightlife] on a weekday afternoon.

“The manager is going to be a little upset, isn’t he?”

“…It’s better than someone dying, though.”

We barely managed to break through the crowd and quickly escaped into a cafe. We’re waiting here until Yoon Sung-ho and his friend arrive.

“But did you predict or foresee that Gods’ official holiday was today?”

“…I predicted it.”

Though it may be humble compared to prophecy, it’s true. I myself am just an incredibly ordinary human, so I have to put in this kind of effort.

* * *

Yoon Sung-ho was excited about going out after a long time. He was getting out of the disgusting, lonely dorm where he only had one person to rely on.

“Ho-yeon, aren’t you excited to meet my friends?”

“No.”

Ho-yeon, who was walking next to him, shook his head firmly. He’s a friend whose emotional changes converge to 0, so I can ignore him.

“…The people we’re meeting today, are they Blossoms?”

“Yeah! Yesterday, suddenly a friend named Dong-hwa from there contacted me!”

Yoon Sung-ho said that with a bright smile. He had asked Ji Dong-hwa for advice several times, and finally, today he heard that they would hang out together.

Maybe it’s easier to confide in someone who’s moderately close rather than a very close friend. He even blurted out that the other members were going out to play these days.

Moreover… even where they were going.

‘Thinking about it like that, I feel a bit brainwashed.’

Yoon Sung-ho himself couldn’t understand why he had revealed all the information. He had only talked to Ji Dong-hwa a few times via text or phone, but as he answered Ji Dong-hwa’s questions, he kept blurting things out.

‘…Well, maybe it’s just my imagination.’

Yoon Sung-ho just shrugged it off. Cheerfully.

“But, Sung-ho.”

Ho-yeon asked quietly in a low voice.

“I feel awkward.”

Really, Ho-yeon, this friend is really good at everything, but he’s a little… not good at talking…

Yoon Sung-ho laughed because he was dumbfounded that he couldn’t get used to it, even though he felt like he should be used to it.

“Don’t worry. There’s a guy here who’s maxed out his sociability.”

“…I trust you.”

“Actually, I’m… a little puzzled too. I think he wants to be friends with you!”

Yoon Sung-ho, who hadn’t yet noticed Ji Dong-hwa’s personality, easily misunderstood Ji Dong-hwa’s suggestion of ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to bring just one close friend and hang out together?’ as Ji Dong-hwa wanting to make more friends.

When in reality, Ji Dong-hwa himself would never do that.

And 10 minutes before the appointed time, on the way to the cafe where they were supposed to meet.

Yoon Sung-ho and Ho-yeon stopped in their tracks.

* * *

“…Why, no mask…”

Yoon Sung-ho, who arrived at the cafe, and a tiger-like human I was seeing for the first time were looking at us as if we were dumbfounded.

I could see people passing by occasionally filming with their phones through the cafe window. If it were my usual personality, I would have been stressed, but I stayed still because my mental health wasn’t more important than someone’s life.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dong-hwa from Blossoms.”

I bowed to Ho-yeon, whom I was meeting for the first time. Then, for some reason, Ho-yeon, who seemed flustered, darkened his expression and muttered.

“…Same age.”

This tiger bastard… has he given up on language for communication with humans? There’s no consideration for trying to make others understand.

But it’s not an incomprehensible statement.

“…We’re the same age, but it’s our first time meeting.”

“Sad.”

…What the, no, it’s rude to think that way upon first meeting. I think he’s a human I have a hard time understanding for the first time since Seok-joon.

“Hehe, Ho-yeon is a bit like this.”

Yoon Sung-ho smiled and defended him…

“…Same age?” Ho-yeon muttered.

Perhaps it can be interpreted as, ‘You’re the same age as Ji Dong-hwa, but you’re still using honorifics. Is Dong-hwa never going to drop the formalities? I’m a little sad.’

…To shorten that to ‘same age,’ two words, is quite excessive.

“Yeah, we’re the same age, but I haven’t dropped the formalities yet. Dong-hwa has a polite personality. There’s no need to be disheartened, okay?”

It’s amazing that Yoon Sung-ho understands that and answers him. What have these two gone through together that they can communicate with something beyond language?

“Nice to meet you! I’m Ryu Lee-deun. Please take care of me.”

After introducing ourselves, we sat down at the cafe and talked for a while to break the ice.

…I thought I would be tired, but I wasn’t as tired as I expected. All the conversations were taken care of by social butterflies Yoon Sung-ho and Ryu Lee-deun.

“Wow, so you only have two weeks left until your comeback, but you were able to come out today?”

“Dong-hwa somehow persuaded the planning team members to let me take a day off.”

That’s all a result of fabricated lies. Even if I skip the tedious process, getting a day off in the afternoon two weeks before the comeback was quite a cumbersome task.

“Blossoms will completely dominate this time too, right? I’m jealous, so jealous.”

I quietly watched Yoon Sung-ho speak and analyzed him. …Fortunately, there’s no jealousy mixed in, so that’s a relief for now.

“Gods has done relatively well among the rookies, right?”

“That’s true, but, um, that’s, well.”

Yoon Sung-ho stopped trying to say something and glanced at me.

…What are you looking at?

Anyway, what he probably wants to say is…

“We did it all ourselves.”

Ho-yeon answered while holding and folding a straw—I can’t understand why he’s folding it, but it seems to be a kind of performance art.

“Ho-yeon! If you say it like that…”

“It’s not wrong.”

This time, Ho-yeon put the bottom part of the straw into the top part to make a circle and wore it as a bracelet.

…What is that? Maybe it’s because I’m used to Seok-joon, but I feel like my reason is shaking as I face an unfamiliar and incomprehensible existence.

“…Ho-yeon, even if you’re members of the same group, if you argue about things like that…”

“Only you.”

Oh, what a touching conversation. It seems like he’s expressing that he only considers you as a member.

Amazing. Is this a typical form? Well, this kind of public dispute is inevitable in a group of more than five people. There are even cases where they fight over contributions when cleaning a school classroom. To think I’m observing another aspect of human psychology like this, it’s quite interesting.

“…Does Gods have a bad group atmosphere?”

“…It’s not good. There’s a bit of us floating around.”

Yoon Sung-ho said in a lowered voice, taking a sip of his iced Americano.

“Outcasts.”

Ho-yeon is turning the hand with the bracelet around and around, speaking in the same volume as usual.

“If there are two or more, it’s not being an outcast, no, Ho-yeon! Please! Watch! Your mouth!”

Yoon Sung-ho, who heard that, was startled and patted Ho-yeon’s shoulder.

Hmm, it’s definitely not something to say in a public place. It’s also a topic that’s easy to get caught up in rumors.

“Enough with the depressing talk! Let’s go play now. Dong-hwa, you should drop the formalities with us now too! It’s easier to be comfortable when you’re playing if you drop the formalities.”

…A sudden development. I don’t know what the logic is, but I nodded for now. At that moment, Ho-yeon’s expression brightened slightly, and he said.

“Same age.”

…What on earth does that mean?

“So why did you call us all the way to Hongdae, you pretty boys~ Your dorm is closer to Gangnam [an affluent district in Seoul]?”

There’s a reason for that, but it’s not something worth mentioning, so I just smiled and answered.

“I’ve never been to Hongdae in my life.”

This is the truth. Hearing those words, Yoon Sung-ho nodded as if he had understood something on his own.

“So that’s why you left your mask behind!”

This is a lie. It’s just because I needed to receive enough attention.

* * *

Gods’ leader, Lee Ji-hyun, was in a good mood right now. Because the two annoying guys who were subtly out of place but popular had gone out together. Thinking that on days like this, she should go out and play with the members.

Gods’ power structure was divided into Lee Ji-hyun and four subordinates versus two people, but it was more similar to unilateral bullying. Even at the company, except for the manager, who was Chae Ha-min’s uncle, they weren’t very interested in the Gods members’ affairs.

Most of the Gods members are still young. They’re all only in their early 20s at most, and among them, Lee Ji-hyun was a gold spoon [born into wealth] who had a lot of money thanks to her excellent family. So, it wasn’t very difficult for Lee Ji-hyun to win over the young ones.

On the other hand, those two guys. Those two guys had an attitude that they didn’t care about money or power, and one of them was someone you couldn’t even tell what he was thinking, and the other was someone who would secretly come and ask you not to wander off.

That’s why Lee Ji-hyun was bothered by those two guys.

Yoon Sung-ho was bothered because he was a rolling stone [someone who doesn’t stay in one place or with one group for long], and she didn’t like that he was unnecessarily handsome and popular. Pretending to be unnecessarily nice was a bonus.

Ho-yeon, that guy came in earlier than Yoon Sung-ho, but he joined the debut group later, so he was also a rolling stone, and it was also disgustingly annoying that he was pretending to be nice to Yoon Sung-ho. She couldn’t understand why they were treating her like a bad guy when they were so good.

That’s why today, on this day when she was freed from all! the annoyances! Lee Ji-hyun was so happy.

That’s why she shouted to the members who were sleeping in the dorm.

“Guys! Let’s go out and play today!”

She thought to herself that alcohol was perfect for days like this. She was originally going to go out to eat, but it’s even more fun now.

“Let’s go to Gangnam!”

With that, Lee Ji-hyun moved her steps to the club run by her father. To see the benefits of her father, who was the source of all her power!