Chapter 157
– “Do you have any items left with me?”
I barely succeeded in contacting Som.
“I’m not asking this just for my own benefit. Didn’t you want me to win the Rookie of the Year award too? If Bo-ra gets hurt, it’ll all be for nothing.”
We were arguing over the item that could protect Ryu Bo-ra.
I asked Som to come up with a way to protect Ryu Bo-ra, even if it was expensive in terms of points.
Or at least a way to find the culprit.
However, Som flatly refused.
If it wasn’t directly related to me, it was difficult.
Giving an item that could find clues about the culprit was the best he could do.
But that wasn’t enough to put my mind at ease.
– “No. That doesn’t mean I can make the impossible possible.”
Som laughed, baring his big teeth.
– “You’ve grown a lot, Baek Nokha. Trying to make a deal with me.”
“I’ve always been like this.”
– “Well. That’s what you think.”
Som spun around me in a circle.
– “The one I have a contract with is you. That means you’re the only one I can directly intervene with. Your members are beyond my reach.”
“From the moment we debuted, we’ve been tied together as a fate community. We’re like people on the same boat.”
– “That’s just your opinion. This world sees you and your friends as separate souls.”
Som slowly approached right in front of my eyes.
– “To think I’m sitting here explaining such an obvious thing to you. You can’t imagine how busy I am.”
“I know. Didn’t you also make a contract with Dahin?”
Flinch.
For the first time, I saw Som flinch.
– “Yes. I have many humans I’ve contracted with besides you.”
“Are there more?”
– “There are.”
“Can you tell me? I want to cooperate. Since we know each other’s circumstances, cooperation would be easier, right?”
Som hesitated for a moment, then his fur stood up.
– “Sorry, but that’s not possible, Baek Nokha. My contractors are cautious.”
“…’Contractors’? More than one, I see.”
– “I’m very popular.”
As if telling me to do better, Som puffed out his belly.
“Anyway, is there really no way?”
– “The extent to which I can physically intervene is limited to you. Sorry, but your buddies are none of my concern.”
Som said this as he sat on my head.
– “If you really need my help, why don’t you suggest that Ryu Bo-ra make a contract?”
“That’s not an option.”
– “Why not?”
“Wouldn’t you ask for something like a soul? What would you demand from Bo-ra?”
– ….
Som seemed to be furious at my words, as he started pounding my head vigorously.
Although it felt like a lump of cotton hitting, so it didn’t really hurt.
– “Do I look like a maniac who demands human souls…? That’s your misconception. Where did you get such a ridiculous idea…! Have I ever asked you for a soul?”
“Then what do you want?”
Stop.
At my question, Som stopped moving.
– “You are very good at leading questions, Baek Nokha.”
Som fell off my head and flew back in front of me.
– “Don’t forget that I’m being generous with you.”
“…Well. Seeing how you treat Dahin, it does seem that way. Why are you so harsh on her?”
– “She’s too incompetent.”
It’s not that she’s incompetent, she’s just normal….
How could someone who hasn’t been in the entertainment industry for long be good at anything?
– “I need to go now. Don’t call me for things like this, I’m busy.”
Som opened his mouth wide.
Then, once again, I felt an overwhelming drowsiness.
Damn Som.
When he found things troublesome, he would make me fall asleep.
– “And Baek Nokha. You have a tendency to try to handle everything on your own. But, your members are stronger than you think.”
Our members?
Of course, they’re strong.
There was no way I didn’t know that.
– “Sometimes, you should trust your members and take it easy. Who knows, maybe your members… might solve the problem for you instead?”
***
Today was the first day of the second week of music broadcasts.
We were gathered in the waiting room.
Even though we were nominated for first place, none of us could smile comfortably.
“…So. That was the message from the CEO, telling us to be careful.”
At my words, the members all fell silent.
“Are you saying that it’s not just some stalker fan, but an actual criminal is targeting Bo-ra?”
Yeon Juhong was the first to respond.
“We still don’t know the culprit’s identity. And we don’t know for sure what their intentions are. Even with the threatening letters, it’s hard to take them at face value.”
“They could be disguising themselves to avoid being traced.”
The manager added to my explanation.
“Anyway, the police and the company are doing their best to find the culprit. So, there’s no need for everyone to be overly anxious. But we do need to be cautious for the time being.”
“Never go anywhere alone.”
I took a deep breath.
“Always move in groups of two or three. And stick with the security guards.”
“But don’t we have a lot of individual schedules coming up?”
Seo Baek-young asked worriedly.
“…Yes. Honestly, that’s my concern too.”
Once this album promotion was over.
To fill the gap until the next album, the members were set to do individual activities.
Seo Baek-young was going to participate in an idol dance survival program.
Kim Geum was filming a girl group rapper growth variety show on Mnet.
Yeon Juhong had an increasing number of schedules collaborating with the brand she was currently an ambassador for.
And the problematic Ryu Bo-ra….
“Bo-ra… Are you really not going to act? If you’re turning down casting offers because of this…”
She had turned down numerous offers for dramas and movies.
“No. I’m rejecting them because I don’t want to act. Not because I’m afraid of some crazy person.”
Ryu Bo-ra seemed the calmest among the five of us.
She was the one receiving the threats, yet I couldn’t understand why she was so composed.
No, if I were the one receiving the threats, Ryu Bo-ra wouldn’t be this calm either.
She was probably relieved that she was the one targeted instead of someone else.
And that made me even angrier.
“For now, I’ll be stuck at the dorms outside of group schedules, so don’t worry.”
Ryu Bo-ra smiled brightly, as if she knew exactly what we were worried about.
“If I run into him, I’ll smash his head in…”
“Bo-ra… Please, no violence….”
…Was that smile a sneer at the notion that such a person wasn’t even worth considering…?
“Even for self-defense?”
“What if you get hurt, you idiot? Just run away.”
Kim Geum said, her face pale with worry, trying to stop Ryu Bo-ra.
“If you were in my shoes, could you just let that bastard be? He’s ruining people’s lives because he messed up his own.”
“…Now that you mention it, I’m getting angry too… No, no. Getting hurt isn’t an option!”
Ryu Bo-ra scoffed.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I think I know who it is.”
“You think you know?”
Ryu Bo-ra’s face turned more cynical than anyone else’s.
“There’s been one person sending me threatening letters consistently since my child actor days.”
“…!”
What?
“Things had been quiet for a while, but I guess his illness flared up again. Don’t worry about it.”
“You should’ve told us if this had been happening…!”
Kim Geum looked at Ryu Bo-ra in shock.
But Ryu Bo-ra remained unflappable.
“Even if I told you, there’s nothing we could do. It’s not like I did nothing. I reported it to the police and everything. But they said they couldn’t punish him because he hadn’t committed an actual crime. Just fined him a few times and that was it.”
Ryu Bo-ra’s eyes, as she spoke, were truly.
“At first, they pretended to listen. But later on, they said that celebrities deal with this all the time. That it’s because I’m pretty that these guys cling to me. That I should just endure it.”
They looked so cold and sad.
“If you look up the incident records, you’ll probably find his information. He’s been reported many times.”
“It might not be the same person-”
“Black stationery with red writing, right? Saying he lost his livelihood because of me?”
It was accurate.
When I couldn’t answer, Ryu Bo-ra scoffed as if she expected it.
“I know who it is. And even if I know, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
We were all speechless.
Just as Ryu Bo-ra said, there was nothing we could do for her.
Knowing that it wasn’t someone from Midbless, and thus not related to any grudge from this situation, was a relief.
But…
I was momentarily at a loss for words, shocked at how much worse the situation was than I had anticipated.
It turned out that these serious threats were not new, but had been ongoing for a long time.
The fact that Ryu Bo-ra appeared unbothered made me feel even more desolate.
I couldn’t help but wonder how much she had endured all this time.
“So instead of worrying about this, let’s focus on our stage. Today, we’re nominated for first place.”
“That’s right. Don’t worry, everyone. Let’s go.”
I stood up, pulling my bewildered and angry members to their feet.
We couldn’t afford to dwell on these emotions for too long.
Now that we knew the general situation.
I just needed to solve the problem.
That’s all there was to it.
I repeated this to myself several times.
“Can I ask you all for a favor?”
Ryu Bo-ra spoke to us quietly.
“I know you’ll worry about me, but… I want us to perform well on stage together. I don’t want our stage to be overshadowed because of me. We’re professionals.”
“…Bo-ra is right.”
“Unnie…”
“Fine. If that guy shows up, I’ll help beat him up. Is that okay?”
“…Yes. That’s enough for me.”
We tried to lift the mood.
“Alright then… let’s do our cheer.”
“Everyone, put your heads together!”
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
“Steel Blue, Steel Blue, Steel Blue!”
We all put our heads together and shouted our cheer, steeling ourselves.
Now wasn’t the time to be trapped in anger.
Anger could come later.
First, let’s solve the immediate problem.
Let’s do well on the stage right in front of us.
We couldn’t disappoint the people who were waiting for us.
***
“Finally, it’s Steel Blue’s turn.”
“Ha, I’m already thrilled thinking that our kids will be legendary.”
Blue Duck and Prism Homma continued their friendship from the Han River and came to the public broadcast together.
Next to them were Enthusiast Hong, Deputy Kim, and PeF.
Having become friends through social media, they all gathered harmoniously in one place.
They were all there to witness Steel Blue’s first win.
“Gasp…!”
Finally, the members appeared on stage.
In the darkness, the members began to form their choreography.
Before the song officially started, the members smiled and waved slightly at the fans.
“Are they in a good mood because they’re confident of winning first place today…?”
“I heard they were in a great mood during the pre-recording too!”
“That’s true, but… somehow today…”
“They seem to have a determined look, don’t they?”
Actually, that was even better.
The fans felt a new excitement seeing the determined looks of the members.
At that moment.
The intro began.
When I’m at your fingertips
I am alive
When you cut and paste me
I am here
Yeon Juhong’s intro began.
The fans’ eyes widened at the much more powerful live performance than usual.
Our youngest…!
Today, for you
What kind of Doll should I be?
What do you want to see from me?
Then Seo Baek-young continued.
Even among the fans, Seo Baek-young was often praised for her charismatic presence as the eldest.
But today, her strangely fierce smiling eyes were touching the fans’ hearts even more.
‘What on earth happened to our kids…?’
Whatever it was, this stage was already legendary…!
As the fans’ excitement grew.
I can be any I-Dol
Maybe like a Paper Doll
Ryu Bo-ra’s part followed.
As always, her radiant face made the fans’ eyes sparkle.
However,
In that moment when no one noticed.
PeF thought to herself.
It’s strange.
Today, Bo-ra is smiling more brightly than ever….
Even if I’m on paper or beyond the screen
I want to make your dreams come true
I want to be on your side
Why does my heart ache like this?