Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 72

Rembrary stared at Im Yu-Han, eyes wide.

Im Yu-Han realized his mistake but soon wore a resigned smile, as if there was nothing he could do. He’d wanted to tease a bit because he enjoyed it, but now that it had come to this, there was no choice. It was a shame, but he didn’t dwell on it.

However, the answer he received slightly deviated from Im Yu-Han’s expectations.

“That’s right, it was written on the shampoo like that.”

“?”

“It said it was baby powder scented. You smell like that, senior.”

“Hmm…”

Im Yu-Han narrowed his eyes and stared at Rembrary. *Did this guy not hear what I said about being like a dog a moment ago?*

If he had heard, he should have been surprised.

People who were prejudiced because of Im Yu-Han’s innocent and delicate appearance were all like that. If she smoked, they acted as if the sun rose in the west, and if she uttered harsh words, they suffered as if red hail had fallen [an unexpected and unpleasant event].

And then they were disappointed on their own. If they said they didn’t like smokers or people with foul mouths, it would be understandable. That was their prerogative.

But being disappointed was incomprehensible. *’What did you expect on your own that you’re disappointed in me?’* she wondered.

But… what’s with him? Is he more concerned about the baby powder scent than my cursing?

Im Yu-Han was pleasantly surprised. Maybe this man in front of him didn’t judge people by their appearance and arbitrarily define their image.

“Senior, do you use the same shampoo as Sig?”

Or is he just an idiot?

* * *

The entertainment program that CEO Im decided to push Wild Animal into to promote their new song was a talk show. A talk show famous for being very strong and direct with its words.

A talk show that openly spread rumors and told provocative stories, saying, *’Why bother coming here if you’re going to beat around the bush?’* and even received warnings from the Korea Communications Standards Commission [South Korean government agency regulating broadcasting content].

It was a talk show that could be a make-or-break for an idol group that had just started to gain popularity, so Jong-woo was very worried even while listing the schedule on the Wild Animal website.

In fact, about two weeks ago, the talk show had already wanted to invite Yeon-woo as a guest.

The theme was ‘Hot Issue Hot Star.’ It seemed they were trying to do a talk show by gathering gossip makers who often caused controversy, but Jong-woo had cut off this offer on his own.

At the time, he was very busy with filming and preparing for the new song, and it was obvious what would happen if Rembrary was let loose here with this theme.

Rembrary would stir things up like a wolf let loose among sheep, and after the broadcast, the public would be surprised that Rembrary was even crazier than they thought.

Jong-woo wanted to prevent this. But CEO Im was releasing the members as a group on that program…

Three days before attending the talk show, Jong-woo finally called Rembrary separately and firmly made him promise.

“Yeon-woo-ya. That talk show is famous for being harsh.”

“Jung-seo told me. They say strong things.”

“That’s right. You don’t know what they’ll attack you with or how.”

“You don’t have to worry. I don’t care what the other person says.”

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about myself, who will lose my mind listening to your words.”

When Rembrary looked at him with narrowed eyes, Jong-woo sighed and repeatedly urged him.

“Oh, Jung-shin’s fans will be waiting with bated breath for you to make a mistake. Be careful what you say no matter what. No, it’s better if you don’t open your mouth at all. Yeah. It’s better to just keep smiling.”

He didn’t particularly have any intention or desire to show off his entertainment skills on the show. Rembrary readily agreed.

It wasn’t difficult at all.

“But what if they ask me questions specifically?”

“Then look at me. If it’s a question you have to answer, I’ll give you an OK sign. Never answer anything I say no to.”

Not satisfied with that, Jong-woo went around asking the staff to write down five expected questions each, and he himself also made some example questions by referring to talk shows that idol groups had appeared on before.

He collected them, wrote down the answers in advance, and made Rembrary memorize them.

He listened to Rembrary’s opinions on parts where Rembrary’s opinion was essential, but he refined them as much as possible to avoid any issues.

Still, Jong-woo couldn’t rest assured until the day of filming.

* * *

Anyway, since the program schedule was set, they had to go.

On the day of recording, the members were excited about going on an entertainment show for the first time in a while, so they stopped by the shop and got makeup that ‘looked like they barely had any on.’

Rembrary, who was in charge of visuals, especially received elaborate makeup and wore a suit sponsored by a luxury brand.

There were many brands that wanted to sponsor the entertainment show outfits because as soon as Rembrary came out, GIFs and captures would be circulating one after another.

The stylist even considered the concept of Im Seo’s role in the upcoming , and dressed Rembrary as a very neat and intellectual elite.

“Let’s do well.”

Jung-seo encouraged the members and then entered the studio.

He greeted the MCs [Masters of Ceremony], staff, PD [Program Director], and writers in advance, saying please take care of us.

Since they were the only guests from Wild Animal, the group’s image could really change depending on what they decided to do. He had to make a good impression on them in advance.

Fortunately, the atmosphere at the time of greeting was not bad.

“Oh, you all look much better in person.”

“I liked your new song this time. Even the B-sides are all good.”

“I don’t listen to idol songs at all, but I listened to all of your songs this time.”

“It’s about time you guys take off. You’re a group with both talent and visuals. I’ll support you.”

Everyone was kind and friendly, and the members were relieved.

They also received an example script of how things would roughly go, although they didn’t know if they would actually do it this way.

They were given a short time to memorize the script for the sake of reality, but they were given enough time to grasp the flow by reading it over and over again.

After touching up their makeup and hair one more time. Finally, the recording began.

“The name you see as soon as you turn on the internet, let’s bring in Wild Animal!”

The members were in front of the set, and when the main MC shouted, they bowed and entered the set, and the assistant MCs, who had been greeting and talking with them all along, made surprised expressions and applauded.

One of them even pretended to wave a glow stick that he had somehow gotten.

Rembrary sat in the position that the FD [Floor Director] had designated as the best spot for the camera.

The first order was a simple greeting.

After that, the main MC asked the members to introduce themselves, and the members did the animal impersonation introductions that Rembrary had a hard time with.

Rembrary also waited for his turn and imitated a sloth.

“Aeeee. Aee. Aeeeee.”

The MCs and even the staff, who were saying flattering things like cute and cool, burst out laughing, and the atmosphere became very friendly.

As Jong-woo had promised in advance, Rembrary kept his mouth shut from then on.

How’s the atmosphere these days since you’re suddenly getting popular, Yeon-woo is often the center of attention, but it’s fortunate that the album is doing well, how do the members react when Yeon-woo becomes a hot topic, do the members fight in the dorm, is Keshi’s dating rumor real, etc.

Even when light questions and shocking questions came alternately, Rembrary’s mouth remained tightly shut.

It was the same even when the MCs deliberately looked at Rembrary and asked questions.

Rembrary sat there with his unique benevolent smile, and the other members answered perfectly in his place.

Jong-woo was relieved, but the staff watching this scene whispered among themselves.

“Isn’t he being too insincere?”

“I think he’s been told to keep his mouth shut. That manager is constantly watching him.”

“He’s been told to keep his mouth shut.”

“Still, the person people are paying the most attention to is Wooyeon, but if he stays quiet there, will he get any screen time?”

To the talk show producers who were expecting Woo Yeon-woo’s popularity, Rembrary being quiet was not good at all.

Eventually, the PD sent a signal to the MC to ‘increase the intensity.’

The main MC noticed the PD’s wink and threw a question that wasn’t in the script.

“You were recently a hot topic for the cat kiss incident.”

Since a similar introduction had come out once before, the members looked at the MC with puzzled faces.

However, the question that followed was different from before.

“Why did you bring a cat to do it?”

Before, they asked about the circumstances before and after the incident and then praised him for being amazing. This time, they were specifically digging into the kiss.

Moreover, this question was one that Rembrary couldn’t keep his mouth shut about.

But it was also one of the example questions that Jong-woo had picked out in advance.

Rembrary answered within the range that Jong-woo had allowed.

“I had to kiss, but I didn’t want to do it with my own mouth.”

Weak… Even while thinking that, the MC chuckled and asked again.

“Why a kiss specifically? Why did you have to kiss?”

“Kiss is the key to miracles.”

“Wow. Woo Yeon-woo is surprisingly innocent.”

“No, that’s not innocent. Even my ten-year-old at home wouldn’t say that.”

The MCs jokingly criticized him and urged Rembrary to tell the truth without lying.

Since there was no agreement from here on out, Rembrary looked at Jong-woo.

Jong-woo sent an OK sign to continue speaking for now.

If he denied it here, he might really be seen as deliberately pretending to be innocent. He had to continue naturally with whatever it was.

Since Jong-woo said it was okay, it must be okay. Rembrary answered honestly with peace of mind.

“It’s thanks to Hye-gyeol. Hye-gyeol told me.”

“That a kiss is the key to miracles?”

“What did she tell you and you believed it?”

“That’s, Hye-gyeol told me…”

Rembrary, who was speaking, hesitated and closed his mouth with a smile when Jong-woo sent a signal to shut up.

The timing was too subtle.

What did Hye-gyeol do? The MCs and even the staff thought for a moment, *’I’m curious!’*

However, since Rembrary wasn’t going to tell this story any further, the assistant MC took advantage of this momentum and asked another question to get Rembrary’s screen time.

“I heard you’re a believer in premarital purity, why did you have that ideology? Is there a reason?”

“The lyrics of your solo song are a hot topic, and I heard you wrote those lyrics yourself? I was completely surprised. But why did you write such eerie lyrics?”

“People say that when they close their eyes, they can hear Yeon-woo’s voice, so they call it eargasm, do you know that?”

These questions were all questions that Jong-woo had expected, so Rembrary answered easily this time as well.

When the MCs didn’t easily get Rembrary to open up, they attacked the members again, asking who they were close to, tell them honestly, they were all close, but to pick just one person.

In the meantime, a staff member who had received orders from the PD deliberately approached Jong-woo and subtly made him go outside the filming set.

It was too obvious that Jong-woo was controlling Rembrary to keep his mouth shut, so they temporarily removed the nuisance.

Jong-woo was furious at this blatant interference, but he couldn’t push the staff away and enter the filming set right away because it was clear that harsh rumors would spread among the production team, so he couldn’t do anything.

In the meantime, the MC quickly asked Rembrary about the drama.

“You’re filming a drama, is there anything uncomfortable?”

Rembrary was briefly flustered by Jong-woo’s disappearance, but the members couldn’t answer about the drama filming site instead. The MC was aiming for that too.

In the end, Rembrary answered carefully in his own way.

“It’s okay. Everyone is kind.”

“Still, there are so many people gathered, isn’t there anyone who makes you uncomfortable?”

“Ah. There’s someone who got investigated for sponsors with me, so it’s awkward to see their face.”

“!”