Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 40

40. Meeting an Anti-fan

“I’m going to find the person who wrote that post on Tuesday and make them fix things.”

Jung Seo raised her eyebrows at Rembrary’s matter-of-fact words. He was right, but wasn’t the difficulty of doing just that the reason things had turned out this way?

However, Rembrary’s expression was full of confidence, as if failure was impossible. He was certain that he wouldn’t fail in reality either.

“And if things go well, ask the CEO for about three days of vacation. More would be better, but it has to be at least three days.”

“Three days?”

Jung Seo opened her mouth.

“Could it be about my mom…?”

Rembrary nodded.

Jung Seo bit her lower lip tightly and ran her hands over her face. She had thought about going with him if she got a holiday, but she had been anxious even without that. She had been holding back from pushing, considering she was asking for a favor.

“Thank you.”

“Hmph.”

“But why three days? Does it take that long to heal?”

Jung Seo glanced at her palm. It wouldn’t take even 20 seconds—no, not even 10 seconds—to heal the bite marks. Did it take longer the bigger the affected area was?

“It’s not that. If you take just one day off, and I visit your mother that day, and a miracle happens that day, wouldn’t it be too obvious?”

“Ah.”

Jung Seo understood Rembrary’s words. Rembrary seemed to want to hide his abilities, so it was understandable that he would be cautious.

“Besides, when your mother gets better, you’ll want to spend time with her, too.”

“!”

Jung Seo was momentarily speechless at the unexpected consideration.

It was consideration that anyone could have shown, but it felt even more touching coming from the self-centered Rembrary.

“Yeonwoo-ya.”

“Huh?”

“I… I’ll make you tomato juice again tonight.”

“?”

* * *

It was the day of the third competition.

Rembrary and Kesey, who had been called to the agency in the early morning for more practice, hurriedly stopped by the salon and rushed to the studio.

“Isn’t it too inefficient to call everyone in so early when the waiting time is so long?”

“I agree, Yeonwoo-ya, but don’t say that when you get there.”

“Of course, I won’t. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Kesey, who was next to him, answered instead.

“You’re not an idiot, but you have no common sense.”

Then, upon receiving Jongwoo’s gesture, he quickly shut his mouth.

Kesey grumbled,

“I was just stating a fact as a fact. What am I, Hong Gildong [a Korean folk hero known for his righteous rebellion]?”

But he didn’t argue further.

“Kesey.”

“What.”

“You’re a scoundrel.”

“Hey!”

“Woo Yeonwoo, don’t be sarcastic in such a gentle voice.”

While they were bickering in turn, the car arrived in front of the broadcasting station.

Rembrary was walking into the broadcasting station when he spotted Believer 2, whom he had healed, and waved slightly.

He used to only show up when there was a music show. Maybe it’s because he’s healthier, but now his range of appearances seems to have widened.

Believer 2 was excited to see Rembrary acknowledge him and jumped up and down, then quickly ran to Rembrary and handed him an energy drink and a thermos.

“This is a cold drink to give you energy, Oppa [term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends]. And this is green tea in case your throat hurts. It’s warm.”

“Thank you. You are truly considerate.”

“Hehe. Of course. I’m your number one believer, Oppa.”

“You’re number two.”

“Pardon?”

Believer 2 seemed slightly shocked by his new identity, but he quickly recovered and handed the drinks and snacks he had prepared to Kesey and Jongwoo as well.

“But Oppa, is there a promotion system? Can’t I go from 2 to 1? It’s such a small difference, I’m so bummed.”

“It’s first come, first served.”

“Ugh. That’s too bad.”

“Instead, if you develop your combat skills, I will make you a holy knight.”

“Pardon?”

Believer 2 didn’t understand Rembrary’s words, but Jongwoo pulled Rembrary away, so they couldn’t talk any further.

Jongwoo took Rembrary to the waiting room, clicking his tongue.

“Be nice to your fans. Seeing them smile and 맞춰주는 [matching up] to your concept, they must have had a tough time in society.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean they are nice.”

Rembrary nodded, holding the cold drink and the warm drink that the fan had given him, one in each hand.

Even if Jongwoo didn’t say it, he was planning to use his divine power on his believers first and foremost.

Rembrary came from a place with many believers and many temples. Competition between temples was fierce, so in order to attract people to the Redrin Temple, he had to take good care of his believers. Rembrary was more accustomed to taking care of his believers than Jongwoo thought.

Meanwhile.

The group arrived at the waiting room and put down the drinks they had received from the believer first, then went outside to greet those who had arrived earlier.

After that, it was the same waiting time as before.

“Sun Woo-sil and Woo Yeonwoo both tied for first place in the last competition. Since Sun Woo-sil is the senior, she will probably go last as a reward for first place.”

The staff came in to tell them the order, Jongwoo busily went back and forth between Kesey and Rembrary’s waiting rooms, Sun Woo-sil came to visit with a camera, pretending to be friendly, and Kesey, who had even punched someone, suddenly acted nice when the camera was rolling, but overall, it was a long time of quietly waiting. Being the nineteenth in order made it feel even longer.

Rembrary watched the other contestants’ performances on the monitor in the waiting room.

Kesey, who was tied for last place and debuted a little later than Yuli O, performed first, and as expected, he performed the dance and song excellently.

On the other hand, Yuli O, who was second, attempted a sexy dance like Rembrary, but although the atmosphere was sexy, she couldn’t dance, so she looked like an emperor penguin trying to court someone.

Oh Jung-shin, who was said to be a member of a famous idol group, was especially amazing. He showed off a shocking performance, and at the end, he even floated his body in the air and spun around.

But the contestant Rembrary paid the most attention to was Beta.

He was not only skilled, but also because of what Jung Seo had said: that he was in the same agency as Maeng Woo-shin.

‘I should go say hello later.’

As he went on stage when it was his turn, Rembrary thought.

* * *

As everyone at LLL Entertainment had expected, Rembrary’s sexy dance was like stiff gymnastics.

He sang well, but his performance was so bad that it was buried, and even his singing couldn’t capture the sexy atmosphere.

The last 30 seconds were even worse. Contrary to the dance teacher’s calculation that he could get by if his partner danced well, his dancing skills looked even more pathetic compared to Yuri Hye.

When Rembrary came down from the stage after finishing his performance, Jongwoo couldn’t even bring himself to say he did well, even as a platitude.

“You worked hard.”

Instead, he praised his efforts.

“Hey, can’t idols dance?”

Sun Woo-sil, who was waiting backstage, teased Rembrary with a giggle.

“Are you good at dancing, senior?”

“Of course, I’m good at dancing.”

Sun Woo-sil, who went on stage next, really danced well as she claimed, so Rembrary returned to the waiting room without saying a word.

And after the competition and recording were all over.

While everyone was walking around and greeting each other, Rembrary quickly went to find Beta.

He didn’t need to become close friends, but he needed to get close enough to be introduced as a fan of Maeng Woo-shin.

Jongwoo would be angry, but…

“You worked hard today.”

Rembrary went to Beta’s side, exchanged greetings, and then, instead of leaving right away as usual, clasped his hands together and exclaimed.

“Beta-ssi [honorific title], you were amazing today!”

“Your 말투 [manner of speaking] is weird.”

“I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage. Really. You were the best.”

But even though he said the stage was the best, Beta’s expression became ambiguous.

He had an expression like he had seen something very funny.

As Rembrary was puzzled, Beta finally grabbed his stomach and laughed, teasing him.

“Haha. So you like this kind of thing?”

The meaning of what Beta said was misinterpreted by Jongwoo, who hurriedly dragged Rembrary away.

“Yeonwoo-ya, come on! I told you not to reveal your fetish!”

“I was just complimenting the stage…”

“If you never say anything, and then suddenly come up to someone on the day they dance in hot pants the size of your palm and praise their stage, what do you think that sounds like!”

“Ah, so I was very 멋있었구나 [cool/stylish] today?”

“…Tell me honestly. You went up to him because of his knees, didn’t you?”

“Knees?”

“You like knees, don’t you?”

Absolutely not.

He had only recited it before because it was a characteristic of unicorns.

Rembrary frowned and retorted,

“No.”

Jongwoo repeatedly urged.

“Don’t you go down Kesey’s route too. Got it?”

* * *

At the same time that Rembrary was at the Sing Survival competition venue.

Jung Seo went to the agency’s legal team and received a list of things she could and couldn’t say when she met the person who wrote the post.

“This is a small recorder. Take it with you in your inside pocket, just in case.”

The employee gave her various items and told her the precautions, then asked worriedly.

“But are you okay? Wouldn’t it be better to just sue?”

Jung Seo had the same thought, but she answered from the opposite perspective.

“The situation is a bit ambiguous. It’s certain that the person who wrote the post was hurt. Even if that person is punished, the anti-fans might not believe it, saying it’s the power of a lawyer or the power of money. So, completely…”

“Completely?”

She didn’t know what or how Rembrary was going to solve it, so it was difficult to answer beyond this. Jung Seo thought for a moment, then smiled faintly and changed the subject.

“I’ll tell you later.”

The employee was still uneasy and asked worriedly again.

“Just in case, why don’t you go with Jongwoo-ssi [honorific title]? It’s a bit much to go alone. You, of course, won’t be shaken and will respond well.”

“I’m not going alone.”

“Oh, really? Then?”

“I’m going with Yeonwoo.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to go alone?”

Even though she said she was going with him, the employee’s expression became even more serious than before.

Jung Seo smiled silently and put the things the employee handed her into a paper bag and took good care of them.

“I’ll read it with Yeonwoo and respond well.”

And on Tuesday.

Rembrary, Jung Seo, and Jongwoo made an appointment to meet the person who wrote the post at a quiet restaurant.

The person who wouldn’t even come out when the employee said they would meet to apologize surprisingly agreed when Jung Seo asked to meet in person.

Jongwoo parked the car in front of the agreed-upon restaurant and looked at Jung Seo and Rembrary worriedly.

“Are you sure I really can’t go in with you?”

“You make a fuss every time the company tries to approach them. It’s okay.”

“See that glass window over there?”

Jongwoo clicked his tongue but obediently pointed to the large glass window with his finger.

“I deliberately reserved that seat. Go sit there and never close the curtains. I’ll be watching, and if the atmosphere seems strange, I’ll go in.”

“If it looks like a fight is going to break out, I’ll put a napkin on top of the cup.”

Only after hearing those words did Jongwoo nod in relief.

* * *

Rembrary and Jung Seo went inside the restaurant and took their seats first.

Then, they deliberately ordered drinks and placed one of the cups near the glass window.

The person they were supposed to meet appeared nearly 20 minutes after the appointed time.

The young man, who was limping slightly as he approached, had a kind face, unlike someone who would write such a post.

“You came as a pair?”

The young man seemed momentarily flustered, as if he didn’t expect Rembrary to come too.

But he soon smiled as if it didn’t matter and went to sit across from them.