Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 99

< 99. Behind Story >

A chill ran down my spine, as if someone had dumped ice water on me. It felt like an icy finger tracing my neck.

Jongwoo swallowed hard, gripping his phone tightly. Another unsettling detail belatedly surfaced in his mind.

The ringtone I hear when I call Jungseo… it wasn’t this one.

I know it for sure because I call Jungseo more than anyone else in the group.

The ringtone was different.

Then whose ringtone is this?

Jongwoo bit his lip and whirled around.

“Ugh!”

No one was there. The ringtone seemed to be coming from nearby, but the space was empty.

Jongwoo hurriedly hung up. The ringtone stopped immediately.

Jongwoo took a step back, his shirt soaked with cold sweat.

‘What on earth is going on?’

At that moment.

Jongwoo’s phone began to ring.

He checked the caller ID. It was Jungseo.

But is this Jungseo… the real Jungseo?

His hand trembled. He wanted to throw the phone and run.

However, he was the manager in charge of five members, including Jungseo. If this really is Jungseo’s phone… and if something happened to Jungseo…

His trembling finger slipped and pressed the call button. Jongwoo brought the phone to his ear and stammered.

“H-hello?”

A voice, neither distinctly male nor female, whispered from the other end.

– Are you scared?

“Ughhhhh!”

Jongwoo threw the phone and bolted out the door.

Afraid of being grabbed if he hesitated, he screamed and ran down the stairs to the parking lot.

Just as he was about to get into his car.

Someone grabbed his shoulder firmly.

“Ughhhhh!”

Jongwoo screamed and fell forward, covering his head and trembling. A blunt voice cut through his fear.

“Are you crazy?”

That impudent old man’s tone…! Jongwoo looked up.

It was Rembrary, holding a bag of bread tightly.

“Yeonwoo? Yeonwoo, is that really you?”

Rembrary frowned, his jaw tightening, giving Jongwoo a look that said, ‘Is this guy really lost it?’

It’s really Yeonwoo! Judging by that rude attitude, it’s definitely Yeonwoo!

Relief washed over Jongwoo. “Aigo, aigo,” he sighed.

“Jongwoo, you really look like a crazy person when you act like this.”

“I… I can’t believe I’m glad to see you.”

“?”

At Rembrary’s heartless words, Jongwoo rubbed his face and stood up.

“Something happened.”

“What happened?”

“I saw something that wasn’t there.”

“Something that wasn’t there?”

“I bought pizza for you guys and went to the dorm, but no one was there. I called Jungseo and heard a ringtone, but I couldn’t see the phone. When I hung up, I got a call and heard a strange voice.”

Tears welled up. Jongwoo rubbed his eyes and cursed softly.

“It’s because I’ve been having a hard time because of you lately, you bastard.”

Rummaging through his pockets, he asked, “But why the bread bag all of a sudden?” His eyes widened. “Im Yuhan sunbae [senior colleague] bought me the bread… why do you look so surprised?”

“The phone!”

“Huh?”

“Damn it, I dropped my phone and ran.”

Realizing his phone was gone, Jongwoo’s face paled.

Rembrary watched him, then dropped another bomb.

“Ah, Jungseo and the others were home the whole time. I was the only one who came out, and sunbae came and went in front of the parking lot.”

Rembrary took out his phone and dialed Jongwoo’s number.

Jongwoo waved his hands, but Rembrary showed no fear.

After a moment, a giggle came from the phone.

“Where are you?”

The eerie laughter cut off when Rembrary mixed divine power into his voice.

Jongwoo asked blankly, “Who did you just talk to?”

Rembrary shrugged and walked ahead.

The phone was neatly placed in front of the dorm door.

***

The pizza was never found. Jongwoo went back to change his phone right away.

The members, clueless, asked, “What’s wrong with him?” Rembrary said he didn’t know.

But Rembrary’s expression was serious as he entered the bedroom.

He lay on the bed, recalling the letter with the box cutter.

He had dismissed it as a human act, but after today, he was suspicious.

Songwoo’s experience was clearly the work of an evil spirit. He didn’t know where he had encountered it.

Could the previous incident also be the work of an evil spirit?

If so, could there be an evil spirit wandering the apartment?

He had made a promise with Yeomra [the King of Hell]. Rembrary decided to text Manager Sa about this.

***

The next day.

Jongwoo took a sick day, likely due to yesterday’s shock.

Manager Sa said Jongwoo was resting due to a cold, but Rembrary didn’t believe it. He probably went to exchange his phone.

When he handed it over yesterday, he acted as if he had received some giant cockroach.

Anyway, thanks to Jongwoo’s sick day, Manager Sa came to the filming set.

The VJ was stunned to see Manager Sa, but the order was the same.

The VJ handed Rembrary today’s script in the car and explained the setting.

“The flower of infidelity is exposure. Today, Woo Yeonwoo discovers Jang Taeri and Shin Joowoon on a date. It’s a heartbreaking scene, so he’s very sad. He looks at them sadly, then turns and walks away.”

Rembrary turned the first page and asked, “Then is a script necessary? Can’t I just stare and come back?”

“Ah, he turns away sadly, then turns back and has a war of nerves with Shin Joowoon.”

“They’re cheating, but they have no shame.”

The VJ laughed.

Rembrary examined the script.

1. Taeri has no taste.

2. Yes, I’m shameless.

3. Isn’t that what love is all about?

4. What can you do for Taeri?

5. Please apologize to your father.

Something was strange.

Rembrary mumbled the script, found line 5, and asked, “What is this? Why suddenly ‘father’?”

“Ah, I told you. We’ll set the initial character settings, but after that, they’ll gradually change based on the personalities and chemistry of the cast members, and audience reactions.”

“I heard something similar…”

“After seeing Jang Taeri and Woo Yeonwoo talking in the teaser, a surprising number of people thought it was a father-in-law versus son-in-law dynamic. So that setting was added.”

Rembrary’s eyes widened. Father-in-law and son-in-law?

“Are we going to meet Taeri’s father later?”

“Maybe or maybe not, but anyway, line 5 was added in relation to that.”

The VJ seemed about to say more, but the car arrived.

The VJ checked his watch and said, “I have to go,” and opened the van door.

As Rembrary got out, he heard, “Wow, Yeonwoo,” “It’s Yeonwoo.”

“I guess they’re filming something. That whatchamacallit. That really weird variety show.”

“Oh, I guess so. I saw Jang Taeri and Shin Joowoon eating together earlier.”

Some people seemed to know what Rembrary was filming.

The VJ pointed and said, “It’s that way,” then, “I’ll start filming now,” and picked up the camera.

Rembrary stood awkwardly and walked in the direction the VJ had pointed.

Before, the location was set, and he would check that Jang Taeri and Shin Joowoon were there before filming.

Today, he was just given a direction, so it felt awkward.

Fortunately, Shin Joowoon and Jang Taeri appeared not far away, eating on the terrace of a log cabin.

Rembrary’s eyes scanned the food. It was something he had never seen before.

He felt a little upset. It looked delicious. Very much so.

Rembrary recalled that only the two of them had gone to a restaurant during the previous filming, and he felt sulky.

That dissatisfied appearance created a plausible picture.

It looked like he was angry at seeing his lover being affectionate with someone else.

The VJ was impressed, thinking, ‘Woo Yeonwoo is better at acting than I thought.’

Similar exclamations erupted from the surroundings.

“I heard Woo Yeonwoo was bad at acting. But he’s good?”

“Yeah, even in God CCO, it’s because he barely has any lines, but when he does, the atmosphere is no joke.”

“Really? Wow, I wasn’t going to watch it because of the rose bouquet duck butt, but I should watch the rerun.”

The murmuring sounds could have distracted him, but Rembrary seemed unaffected. As the script said, he turned away, then frowned and turned back to Shin Joowoon and Jang Taeri, striding towards them.

Shin Joowoon noticed Rembrary first and looked surprised.

“Huh?”

“Why?”

Jang Taeri turned and looked surprised to see Rembrary.

The expressions were realistic, and the onlookers were impressed.

This variety show has cast members who aren’t actors, but they’re good at acting! they thought.

But Jang Taeri and Shin Joowoon’s expressions were genuine. They didn’t know Rembrary would appear.

Besides, they had finished all the essential lines, so they thought the filming was over.

Moreover, the VJ was hiding, so Shin Joowoon comfortably spoke to Rembrary as he approached, just like when he had taken him to the restaurant before.

“Piggy. Did you come looking for something to eat again?”

Jang Taeri was annoyed that Shin Joowoon called Rembrary a pig, and retorted, “He’s not!” and tapped the seat next to her.

“Yeonwoo, sit here.”

People were surprised by the affectionate appearance and whispered.

“I heard it was a love triangle, but they’re not fighting?”

“It’s a triangle, but is it a round triangle?”

“Wow, he’s sitting down so confidently…!”

Rembrary was also flustered and looked back and forth between Shin Joowoon and Jang Taeri. What’s going on? What lines did they get that they’re both acting like that all of a sudden?

He was bewildered and stood there blankly for a moment, then Shin Joowoon smiled crookedly and teased him.

“Are you really a glutton? You’re amazingly good at finding places to eat. You know, your belly fat is going to get as big as Taeri’s head?”

“Well, if it’s as big as my head, it’ll be a very lovely belly fat.”

It was the first time Rembrary was filming with both of them.

So he misunderstood again. Shin Joowoon and Jang Taeri must have a concept of being a quarrelsome but close couple!

And Shin Joowoon is deliberately showing off that he’s closer to Jang Taeri?

I guess so!

Rembrary, who made a clever judgment, smiled coldly and recited his lines.

“Isn’t that what love is all about? If you can’t even do that much, you can’t call yourself a lover.”

“?”

“Can’t you do it, Shin Joowoon?”

“…Well. I don’t really want to stick Taeri’s head to my belly.”