Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 24

24. To Make a Living

As soon as Rembrary released his emotions and closed the door, the blood that had been pooling, following the shape of the shadow, began to bubble up.

‘Evil energy…!’

This is what happens when divine power clashes with evil energy.

So, is this shadow an evil spirit after all?

‘If it’s an evil spirit, what kind of evil spirit is it?’

Like I initially thought, an evil spirit that came from another world?

Is this evil spirit suppressing Woo Yeon-woo inside his body?

Or is it just an evil spirit that Woo Yeon-woo had from the start?

Or maybe…

Even while contemplating, Rembrary gathered divine power in his hand.

No matter what kind of evil spirit it is, he just needs to purify it.

However, the moment Rembrary gathered divine power.

The bubbling reaction suddenly disappeared.

The shadow twitched greatly once and then became completely still.

‘Huh?’

The bubbles were still forming, but they were smaller than before.

This reaction was what appeared when it wasn’t an evil spirit.

‘Why?’

Rembrary frowned.

Why did the reaction suddenly change?

Rembrary thought for a moment and then, holding divine power in his hand, touched the shadow directly.

The shadow rippled slightly once.

But that was it. There was no further reaction.

Even pouring more divine power didn’t change anything.

Rembrary took his hand off the shadow.

‘There was a reaction, but it suddenly disappeared… and it doesn’t seem to be affected much by divine power.’

He could roughly guess how things were going.

Both of them.

It was clear that both an evil entity and a non-evil entity were behind the shadow.

The non-evil entity was probably Woo Yeon-woo.

The evil entity that reacted at first…

‘It must be the power that pushed me into this world.’

A demon king? Or a high-ranking demon?

Either way, the probability of it being an ordinary evil spirit was low.

It seemed that the evil entity was holding the ‘real Woo Yeon-woo’ captive in the shadow.

If it were an evil spirit, there would be no need for it to have Rembrary take over Woo Yeon-woo’s body and hold the ‘real Woo Yeon-woo’ captive.

The fact that the reaction appeared and disappeared, and that it wasn’t affected even when pouring divine power, was probably because the evil spirit was using the ‘real Woo Yeon-woo’ as a shield.

‘This is troublesome.’

It would be easy to solve if it were just an ordinary evil spirit.

It’s an evil spirit that’s hiding behind his shadow and even using Woo Yeon-woo as a shield.

It was difficult to neutralize it no matter how much divine power he poured.

After thinking for a while, Rembrary came to a conclusion for now.

‘Let’s treat the hand first.’

There was nothing he could do about that evil spirit or Woo Yeon-woo right now.

First, he had to take care of Jung-seo, who was waiting in the living room.

Rembrary cleanly healed the wound on his hand and then thoroughly wiped away the blood in the basin.

He put the blood-stained towel in warm water.

After finishing the cleanup and opening the door, he saw Jung-seo sitting on the sofa.

He was looking at him with his arms crossed.

As Rembrary approached, Jung-seo firmly

“Tell me.”

instructed.

Rembrary first showed his palm.

Seeing the palm without a single scar, Jung-seo frowned in surprise.

“There was… here a moment ago…?”

“You misunderstood.”

“There was definitely blood a moment ago…?”

“It was fake blood.”

“What? Fake blood?”

Rembrary made up a pre-planned excuse.

“We filmed in a graveyard. Before the filming, the stylists gave me clothes with various concepts, and it was one of the props that came with it.”

“Why did you bring that prop?”

“I thought it looked interesting, so I asked for it.”

It wasn’t a complete lie.

In reality, the stylists had brought fake blood, talking about putting blood on the corners of the mouth or on the clothes.

After trying it here and there, they took it back, saying it looked too artificial.

It was a lie he made up, recalling that incident.

After all, Jung-seo didn’t know their contact information or names, and Jong-woo didn’t come in when they were getting dressed.

So there was no way for Jung-seo to verify the truth of this statement.

“……”

Jung-seo looked doubtful, but eventually

“Okay.”

muttered and got up from the sofa.

In fact, he hadn’t seen the wound on his hand because of the blood.

There was no way he could have thought that his hand would have healed in such a short time, so even if he was suspicious, he had no choice but to believe Rembrary’s words.

“But try not to do things like this in the middle of the night if possible. It causes misunderstandings.”

“I understand.”

“I have to leave early tomorrow morning, so go to sleep quickly.”

Rembrary called out to Jung-seo, who was about to return to his room.

“Wait, Jung-seo.”

“What.”

“How did you open the door?”

“The bathroom door, it locks, but it just opens from the outside. It’s broken.”

“!”

* * *

The next day.

The same routine began.

He hurriedly gets into the car with a breakfast consisting of chicken breast, three cucumber slices, and grapefruit juice.

While Jong-woo drives to the shop, he eats the food in the car, half-asleep.

When he enters the shop, he quickly gets his hair and makeup done.

After that, to the broadcasting station.

But there was something different from usual.

Jung-seo kept glancing at Rembrary, as if he was concerned about what had happened at dawn.

Rembrary pondered whether he could return to his original world by using the evil spirit hidden in the shadow.

Moreover, now that he knew that the ‘real Woo Yeon-woo’ was hiding in the shadow, he had to give up his position unconditionally.

That way, the ‘real Woo Yeon-woo’ could return to his original body.

‘It needs to be easy.’

However, there was one more difference from usual.

As he was about to get out of the car and walk, several people with cameras pointed their lenses at him.

Some people only had cameras, and some had slogans with the names of other idols written on them.

Those people were pressing the shutter towards him.

Some people were holding up their cell phones.

Of course, these people had been there before.

But they didn’t pay much attention to whether he passed by or not, and only checked whether the singer they were waiting for was coming or not.

Today, they were looking at him and whispering names like ‘Woo Yeon-woo’ or ‘Cassy.’

As he was glancing around, Jong-woo

“This way.”

said, and instead of entering the entrance, he stopped the members in the middle of the road.

Why is he stopping them here?

Looking at him with a puzzled expression, Jong-woo pointed to somewhere near the entrance of the broadcasting station with his finger.

Three very lovely-looking women, dressed like twins, were awkwardly making V signs.

In front of them, people with large cameras were even sitting down, having taken their places.

“What is that?”

When Rembrary asked quietly, Jong-woo told him in a very small voice, “Photo zone.” and then instructed.

“Do you see the position they’re standing in now?”

“Are you talking about in front of the reporters?”

“Yeah. After they leave, go to that spot, stand in a line, and then pose for the reporters for about 30 seconds? 40 seconds? And then come inside the broadcasting station.”

What?

What kind of behavior is that, Rembrary wanted to ask, but just in time, the three women dressed like twins stopped posing and were going inside.

Jong-woo pushed the members, thinking this was the time.

Rembrary was standing at the end and followed the members in a daze.

Perhaps it wasn’t their first time, the members posed for the reporters while looking awkward.

They twisted their fingers, put their arms around each other, or smiled brightly and made V signs.

What are they doing now.

Rembrary glanced at the members in embarrassment.

Is this also a type of photo shoot?

‘Ah, Jong-woo told me to pose.’

He didn’t know what it was, but he had to endure like that for 30 seconds.

As someone who had experienced two photo shoots, Rembrary struck a pose, recalling the previous photo shoot.

In a pose that the photographers liked.

* * *

‘Ugh! I thought he was being normal these days!’

Rembrary confidently strikes a pose at the photo zone on his way to work.

Seeing that, Jong-woo clasped his hands together and was shocked.

He thought he was admirable for striking a pose with a sense of what to do.

The pose he struck was too high-fashion.

The pose itself looked quite cool, but that wasn’t a place to take high fashion photos.

It was a photo zone on the way to work where you had to send hearts or draw a V sign.

He was the only one striking a photo shoot pose there, so everyone who was watching was embarrassed.

The members also looked pale.

On the other hand, the reporters were having fun and kept pressing the shutter.

Jong-woo groaned and rubbed his forehead.

Do you lose your sense of shame when you lose your memory?

Looking at Rembrary, who was imitating a vampire, Jong-woo’s face flushed with heat.

“Wow. Does he have a sense of entertainment too?”

Fortunately, to people who didn’t know the situation, that also looked like talent.

The manager of the team who was waiting to stand in the photo zone next, smiled and praised Jong-woo.

“You’re Woo Yeon-woo’s manager, right? People are talking about him a lot these days.”

He was a manager he had greeted a few times while going back and forth to music shows recently.

Jong-woo

“Haha, yeah.”

said, forcing a smile, and as soon as the Wild Animal members entered the broadcasting station, he hurriedly ran behind the reporters towards them.

* * *

“How was it just now?”

As he asked while entering the waiting room, Jong-woo’s expression became strange.

“Was it strange?”

When Rembrary asked repeatedly, Jong-woo mumbled.

“I can’t praise you. I can’t say you did anything wrong.”

“?”

“Well. If your mental strength can handle it, then that’s fine… What can I do.”

Jong-woo’s self-deprecating words were hard to understand.

Rembrary frowned, but as soon as he entered the waiting room, Jong-woo became very busy, so he didn’t ask further.

“Hey, guys. I have to get the cue sheet [rundown of the show’s segments], so stay here. Say hello later, and if someone comes to greet you, receive them politely. If you’re going to the bathroom, remember to say hello at once.”

As Jong-woo left, the members sprawled out on the sofas here and there.

They seemed to be tired already from getting up early in the morning to prepare.

However, even in the midst of this, Cassy was staring intently and texting someone busily on his cell phone.

He looked much happier than usual, smiling as he texted and occasionally twisting his body.

Rembrary carefully observed Cassy, who was giggling and occasionally twisting his body.

Jung-seo stared intently at Rembrary, sprawled out on the sofa.

How long had they been quietly like that, without anyone saying a word?

About 20 minutes later, Jong-woo reappeared.

But unlike when he left, he was very flustered.

“What’s wrong, hyung [older brother or close male friend]?”

The leader, Jung-seo, got up and asked.

Jong-woo stretched his lips and asked back.

“You guys know the Happy Talk corner, right?”

As soon as he heard those words, the other members who had been sprawled out got up one by one.

Rembrary also knew what that corner was, as he had been there last week.

It was an interview where the hosts went into the waiting room with microphones.

Jong-woo showed him the broadcast screen, saying he had to monitor it, and when he saw it on the broadcast, there was a short interview between the songs.

Hye-gyeol, with his good sense, quickly

“Wow, hyung, could it be?!”

clenched his fist.

“Yeah, I just met the Power Idol writer, and they said they’ll do our side this time!”

As soon as Jong-woo finished speaking, small cheers erupted among the members.

“Costumes, costumes! Clothes!”

Jong-woo hurriedly urged the members.

And he nagged about this and that while they were putting on their costumes, one of which was about the animals that ‘Wild Animal’ was in charge of.

“This is our mascot, so be sure to introduce it while talking about animals. Got it? They asked us to prepare the introduction phrase.”

“Ah, do we have to, hyung? But that’s childish.”

“It’s childish, so other people don’t do it! So we have to do it!”

“……Ah, I don’t know.”

“Yeon-woo. Woo Yeon-woo.”

“Why are you calling?”

“The animal you’re in charge of isn’t a unicorn, but what is it?”

“···Sloth.”

“Yeah. Don’t bring up the knee story again. Seriously.”

“I understand.”

“Just match the other kids. Got it?”

As he was urging them several times, someone knocked on the door.

When he opened the door, the MC [Master of Ceremonies] of this program was standing there with a bright smile and asked.

“Are you ready? Is it okay to do it now?”

Behind the MC was a person holding a camera with the words ‘Power Idol’ on it.

“Yes. We’re ready.”

As Jong-woo quickly checked the members and said, the host

“Okay, then I’ll come back in.”

said and quietly closed the door again.

After a while, there was a knock on the door again.

Jong-woo quickly went to the wall next to the door and stood there.

As the members all stood up together, Rembrary stood up following them.

The MC who opened the door and came in, unlike before

“Yes, this week’s Happy Talk protagonist is… the talk of the town, Wild Animal!”

was talking cheerfully to the camera.

“Cassy and Woo Yeon-woo of Wild Animal are a big topic in the Sing Eum Eum Eum program, right? So! I! Came to visit a little, even though it’s a different broadcasting station program. It’s a secret from the PD [Program Director]! Is it okay to interview now?”

The last question was directed at the members.

The members smiled and

“It’s okay.”

said in unison, and the MC smiled brightly and handed the microphones to the members.

“Then please introduce yourselves one by one!”

The first person to receive the microphone was Tae-in.

Fortunately, if it went in this order, Rembrary would be the last.

Jong-woo told him to do it similarly to the other members, so that was good.

He had to follow along appropriately, Rembrary thought, and looked at Tae-in.

At that moment.

Tae-in imitated the roar of a tiger, and then, in a voice about twice as loud as usual, rubbed his fist against his cheek and said.

“I’m Tae-in, who’s in charge of the tiger in Wild Animal!”

Rembrary was horrified.

‘Do I have to do it like that?’