Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 3

3. Noise Marketing

“These sheep are my parents?”

Rembrary mumbled blankly.

“They don’t look alike at all? How could this face come from those faces?”

Rembrary’s outrageous remark convinced the young man with glasses and CEO Lim.

‘He really did lose his memory.’

From calling his parents sheep to muttering, ‘How could a handsome son like me come from ugly parents?!’

It was an outrageous remark that he couldn’t have made without losing his memory.

Woo Yeon-woo was eccentric, but he loved his parents dearly.

It was true that Woo Yeon-woo’s face was very different from his parents, but he would never say such a thing if he were in his right mind.

“Jong-woo.”

CEO Lim, sighing, instructed the young man with glasses.

“You said he hit his head?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“…Take him to the hospital quickly.”

* * *

So, that young man with glasses’ name is Jong-woo.

Rembrary made sure to remember the young man’s name.

Until he found a way to return to his original world, he had to live in this world with this body.

To adapt as best as he could, he had to memorize everything he saw and heard.

When Jong-woo took Rembrary to a strangely shaped white building called a hospital, Rembrary keenly observed his surroundings.

Then, he discovered something amazing.

There was a thin, large square box hanging on the wall, and his appearance, or rather, the appearance of the body he was in, was coming out of that box.

The music he had heard on stage was playing in the box.

The young men who had been on stage with him were dancing enthusiastically.

Only he was standing there blankly.

When that scene ended, the screen suddenly changed, and a man and a woman were seen standing on a platform.

Both were wearing flashy clothes and had something bizarre on their heads, and they were awkwardly smiling and talking.

– Yes, that was Wild Animal’s performance.

– Haha. The choreography is unique… isn’t it?

– Yes. It was unique… wasn’t it?

Even while talking, they glanced at the papers in their hands and in random directions instead of looking at each other.

‘Is that some kind of video orb that broadcasts video recordings?’

As he blankly looked at the box, he strangely felt the gazes around him.

Rembrary took his eyes off the box and looked around.

The people sitting nearby were glancing at him.

Someone quietly said,

“Isn’t that him?”

It wasn’t addressed to Rembrary, but he smiled and answered.

“I am him.”

But Jong-woo, who suddenly rushed out, covered Rembrary’s mouth, preventing him from saying anything more.

“No, he’s not Woo Yeon-woo, but a friend who looks like Woo Yeon-woo. Haha.”

Jong-woo told an obvious lie and dragged Rembrary somewhere.

He wondered where he was going, but it was in front of a door not far away.

“Go in. …Mr. Lee Jong-woo.”

The person standing in front of the door looked at Rembrary with curious eyes and said, Jong-woo smiled excessively kindly and pulled Rembrary back.

As soon as he entered the room, the door closed.

Inside the room, there was a large desk, and a long coat rack was opposite the desk.

A white gown was hanging on the coat rack.

A person who appeared to be the owner of the gown was sitting in front of the desk.

“Welcome, Mr. Woo Yeon-woo. What’s wrong that brings you here?”

The person asked as soon as the two entered, and Jong-woo took Rembrary to a small, round chair next to the desk and answered instead.

“He bumped his head hard in the bathroom this morning, doctor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And ever since then, he’s been… well, I don’t know if you saw the news, but this needs to be kept secret…”

“I spoke with CEO Lim, so you can rest assured.”

Jong-woo let out a sigh of relief and continued his explanation.

“He lost his memory after hitting his head. I thought it was a joke, but he really can’t even recognize his parents’ faces.”

The person, who had looked tired, finally raised his eyebrows seriously and asked.

“Mr. Woo Yeon-woo. Exactly where did you hit what in the bathroom?”

“I hit my head on the toilet…”

“There are many places in the bathroom.”

“I hit it on the marble bathtub.”

As Rembrary made it up as he went along, Jong-woo lamented from the side.

“Look at this. We don’t even have a bathtub, let alone a marble bathtub, in our dorm, doctor. I think he’s in a very serious condition.”

“No bathtub in the bathroom?! Is that true? If there’s no bathtub in the bathroom, why is it even called a bathroom?”

Rembrary asked in surprise, and the woman’s face hardened as she muttered,

“Oh, dear.”

“It seems he also has some symptoms of pathological lying or memory distortion.”

* * *

The examination lasted nearly three hours.

Rembrary learned that the gaunt person was a doctor, and the person standing in front of the door was a nurse.

Moreover, he learned that there were no priests here.

The hospitals here were not affiliated with temples, and treatments were performed directly by doctors, not priests.

It was shocking to Rembrary, who had thought that doctors diagnosed illnesses and treated minor colds.

It was strange enough to be in another body.

A world without priests.

But whether Rembrary was surprised or not, the examination continued.

Finally, the examination was over, and Rembrary re-entered the room he had first entered.

The doctor, who had been waiting with strange papers plastered on a square white board, spoke with a serious face as Rembrary and Jong-woo entered.

“He’s very healthy.”

Jong-woo was startled and asked.

“Healthy?”

He pointed to Rembrary’s head with his hand.

“Even here?”

“Yes. There are no bruises. The same goes for everywhere else.”

Jong-woo’s eyes widened.

“Is it possible to lose your memory even if you’re perfectly fine?”

“The human body is complex, so it’s not entirely impossible, but…”

The doctor glanced at Rembrary, who was poking at the skull model on the desk, and answered.

“For now, yes. No injuries have been identified.”

The doctor looked at Jong-woo and asked.

“Should I refer you to another department?”

It was a tone suggesting a mental problem.

Jong-woo waved his hand to stop him and took Rembrary to the dressing room.

Then, he watched Rembrary change clothes with a miserable expression.

“Huh?”

Then, he suddenly noticed something strange and asked.

“Yeon-woo, didn’t you have a scar here?”

“A scar?”

“On your side. A surgical scar. From a car accident.”

“Do you think I would only remember a scar while losing my memory?”

“That’s not it, but…”

Jong-woo blinked and muttered.

“They said it was a scar that couldn’t be removed even with surgery…”

‘My divine power must have naturally healed the wound.’ Rembrary was startled inside, but he pretended not to notice and quickly changed his clothes.

Jong-woo kept glancing at Rembrary’s side.

Between losing his memory and the scar disappearing.

He wondered if he was a twin or someone who looked alike.

But that was absolutely impossible.

The dorm was strictly controlled, and Rembrary had been dragged straight from the dorm to the members.

Besides, the important thing now wasn’t the scar. It was that head.

“Yeon-woo, stay here. Don’t go anywhere else, okay? Here.”

Jong-woo took Rembrary to the company’s overnight room, told him not to go out under any circumstances, and then went to the CEO’s office.

CEO Lim was pacing anxiously in the room, and as soon as Jong-woo entered, he asked.

“How is it?”

He had received the examination results in real-time via text message from Jong-woo, but he seemed to want to hear it again.

“He’s very healthy.”

“Even his head?”

“If you’re talking about external injuries… yes. His brain is also clean.”

CEO Lim let out a sigh of exhaustion and muttered.

“I’m going crazy.”

“Park Teacher told me to go to the psychiatric department…”

As Jong-woo cautiously brought it up, CEO Lim waved his hand.

“Absolutely not.”

“But if it’s really a mental problem…”

“If we say he lost his memory because he was injured, people will at least feel sorry for him. Mistakes will be covered up, and the people who were cursing him will even feel sorry.”

“…”

“But if his memory disappears for no reason? Then, do you know what people will say? They’ll say he’s crazy. Do you know the rumors in this industry? It’s an industry where rumors spread that you attempted suicide just by having a scratch on your wrist!”

CEO Lim writhed, making a groaning sound.

He sat down on the sofa as if collapsing and grabbed his head.

“Besides, you know how exclusive Korea is when it comes to mental illness?!”

“That’s true.”

“There are only two mental illnesses that the public can accept in celebrities. Depression and panic disorder.”

Jong-woo was silent.

It was an unfortunate reality of the entertainment industry.

It might be different if a huge star had a mental illness.

But it was definitely a disadvantage as the starting point for an unknown idol.

CEO Lim added in a calmer tone, as if he thought his words were a bit harsh.

“If we reveal that he has a mental illness after his face is already known, it will be a hindrance even if he quits being an idol and gets a job later.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s not like he’s become violent or uncontrollable to the point of harming anyone, right?”

“No.”

After thinking for a long time, CEO Lim sighed and said.

“Let’s keep the memory loss a secret for now. And put out an article saying he was standing still because he wasn’t feeling well.”

“Will people believe it?”

“We have to make the announcement even if they don’t believe it.”

“Yes.”

“It’s not a good thing, but the name ‘Wild Animal’ will be etched in people’s minds. Let Yeon-woo rest for now, and let’s at least get the other members out there. I guess we’ve done some noise marketing.”

“Yes.”

“Contact Yeon-woo’s parents honestly. He’ll still get paid even if he’s not active… although there’s no payment or anything because we’re in the red. Anyway, tell them not to be too disappointed.”

It was the best CEO Lim could do, even though he felt sorry for Yeon-woo.

He sighed and instructed Jong-woo to leave.

But just as Jong-woo was about to leave,

A loud music sound flowed from the cell phone that was carelessly stuck in the back of his pants.

It was the song of another idol who had debuted around the same time and was enjoying great success.

CEO Lim’s eyes turned cold, and Jong-woo quickly took out his cell phone and answered the phone as he left.

“Yes, this is Lee Jong-woo from LLL Entertainment.”

CEO Lim lay sprawled on the sofa.

Jong-woo had left, but the sound of him talking on the phone in the hallway could still be heard.

CEO Lim took out a candy, thinking he wanted to smoke the cigarette he had quit.

“Yes.”

“…”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Y-Yes… Yes?!”

But Jong-woo, who had been answering the phone cautiously, suddenly shouted.

CEO Lim stopped peeling the candy wrapper, wondering what was going on, and raised his upper body.

The door burst open, and Jong-woo came in.

Jong-woo was still holding the phone to his ear.

He wondered why he was coming in like that without even hanging up, but Jong-woo deliberately spoke loudly in an explanatory tone.

“You’re saying our Yeon-woo is a complete hot topic on SNS [Social Networking Services] and online communities? Because of the words he shouted, ‘I don’t know how to dance’? You’re saying you want to interview him because of that? And take interview photos too?!”

Jong-woo cast a silent gaze at CEO Lim, asking, ‘What should I do?’

CEO Lim quickly gestured and mouthed.

Say yes! Definitely say yes!