Chapter 161
As usual, Blue Duck was at home, feeling heartbroken while scrolling through the timelines of Steel Blue fans on SNS.
★
“Yoon-bl is sick today, so she couldn’t attend the eventㅠㅠ She went to the hospital…”
“HaㅠㅠㅠㅠThose Color bastards made her work so hard, of course she’s sickㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“Are you crazy, making her work until she’s sick during a title activity? What the hell!”
“Ah, shit. Today was the first event, Yoon-bl must be so upset. She’s such a loving fan.”
“Cheong Cheongㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please get well soonㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ For now, forget about the damn schedule and focus on your healthㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Our little kittenㅠㅠㅠ”
Blue Duck nodded vigorously in agreement.
Knowing Yoon Cheong’s personality, she wasn’t someone who’d miss a schedule for a little sickness. She must be really sick, and that worried her.
I mean, a girl with such a strong sense of responsibility must have been in a terrible state to miss a schedule.
Praying that it wasn’t anything serious, Blue Duck kept checking the timeline.
She wanted to see if there were any new updates.
But there wasn’t any more news about Yoon Cheong, only countless previews of other members’ events.
Since it was the first event schedule, it was clear that all the fans had gathered.
Since it was a local event schedule and not a broadcast schedule, it seemed they were more lenient about bringing cameras.
“Today is really live preview day.”
Even though Cheong couldn’t come…
The other members seemed to be diligently handling the schedule.
They must be very worried too.
Hang in there, kids.
Blue Duck swallowed her tears, then suddenly panicked as SNS exploded.
“What, what’s going on?!”
★
“Some crazy guy suddenly rushed onto the Steel Blue stageㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“No, seriously, this is so over the top;;; A guy in a staff vest suddenly rushed the stage and waved a knife at Ryu Bo-ra”
“Crazy.”
What the hell is happening?
Blue Duck’s hands started trembling at the sudden news.
★
“But Seo Baek-young beat him down.”
What?
★
(Video)
“Steel Blue subdues the crazy guy live”
(Video)
“When our little animals get mad, they turn into predators;;;;;”
Huh?!?!?!?
One hour later.
A video was posted on OTube.
▶ [Steel Blue subduing a crazy guy waving a weapon live]
The video even had subtitles.
[OO City FunFun OO Festival]
[The hottest group, Steel Blue, is performing their latest title song]
[But then!]
[A shadow suddenly appears…?]
[☜If you look here, you can see a man in a staff vest suddenly appearing at the edge of the stage]
[Everyone assumed he was a staff member and didn’t stop him]
[But this man suddenly rushed onto the stage]
[And then swung a knife at Ryu Bo-ra who was at the edge of the stage]
“Crazy.”
Blue Duck swore while watching the video.
No.
What the hell was everyone doing…?!
Why didn’t anyone stop that guy?
[Fortunately, Ryu Bo-ra fell back and avoided it]
[But the man swung the knife again]
[At that moment!]
[Someone rushed in and pushed the man hard to the side!]
[That person was…!]
[The member standing right behind Ryu Bo-ra, Seo Baek-young]
[The man lost his balance and stumbled]
[Seo Baek-young didn’t miss the chance and kicked the man’s hand]
[The man dropped the knife]
[Other members ran over and pulled Ryu Bo-ra back]
[Kim Geum picked up the dropped knife and threw it far off the stage]
[At that moment, security personnel rushed onto the stage]
[The security personnel immediately subdued the man]
Blue Duck’s mouth dropped open.
[It seems like a long time, but it happened in just a minute]
[The security personnel were all stationed below the stage, so their response was slightly delayed]
[Please refrain from reckless criticism]
“Crazy….”
Blue Duck checked the announcement from Colors that was posted just in time.
Fortunately, none of the members were injured, and they were all currently resting.
Also, Yoon Cheong had missed the event due to a severe fever, but she was now being attended to by medical professionals and resting.
In conclusion, everyone was safe.
“Oh… no.”
Gulping.
Despite the absurdity of the situation, a mix of emotions began to rise.
That crazy bastard…! How dare he come at our Bo-ra…!
And at the same time.
Our members are so cool…!
Blue Duck logged onto her usual community site.
As expected, the whole world was buzzing about Steel Blue.
“Steel Blue really fought back when they said they would.”
(Video)
“They’re seriously protecting the members bravely.”
“No, I’m seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s so infuriating and scary, but Steel Blue members are so cool.”
“Wow, what’s with Seo Baek-young…???? She’s really cool.”
“Seo Baek-young isn’t just pretty… Her personality is also super cool….”
“No, the members must have been really scared too, but they responded so calmly. It was really impressive.”
“Seo Baek-young, a Taekwondo black belt.”
(Screenshot)
“An old interview brought back.”
“She said she practiced Taekwondo for a long time, and it really paid off this time.”
“No, this isn’t just about practicing Taekwondo for a long time. It’s about being super brave.”
└2222 Seriously, this is unbelievable.
“Her nickname was ‘White Dog,’ but she was really a brave dog.”
“The other members were also amazing….”
“Reasons why all Steel Blue members are awesome.”
(Video)
“Yeon Juhong is only 18, but she pulled Ryu Bo-ra behind her and hugged her tightly to protect her.”
“Kim Geum quickly regained her composure and threw the knife far away where there were no people.”
“Thanks to that, they were able to subdue the attacker without any major accidentㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“The three of them worked perfectly together;;;”
“It was really a stroke of luck, a stroke of luck…”
“But there seem to be a lot of stage intrusion incidents.”
“This wasn’t the first time; it happens more often than I thought…”
“I was surprised when I searched for stage intrusions.”
ㅇㅇ “It happens more often than you’d think.”
“But why wasn’t Yoon Cheong with Steel Blue today???”
“For those who might ask, here’s the explanation in advance.”
(Screenshot)
“She had a fever of 39 degrees early this morning and was hospitalizedㅠㅠ”
“Fortunately, her fever has dropped a bit now, and she is resting.”
“It seems like she overworked herself with the schedule…”
“All the fans were worriedㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“Oh myㅠㅠ It seems like Steel Blue had some bad luck today… I’m just glad they got through it safely.”
└”For real;; It seems like they had their share of misfortune to hit it big.”
Meanwhile.
Steel Blue, in the eye of the storm.
“Is everyone okay?!”
“Wow, you’re out of the hospital?”
“Cheong Cheong, are you feeling better?”
They gathered again at the dorm.
Seo Baek-young, Yeon Juhong, and Kim Geum were casually watching TV at the dorm.
The TV was broadcasting the news about the Steel Blue stage intrusion incident.
[…the brave girls protecting their fellow member. Thanks to these everyday heroes, we…]
“I’m fine. But did everyone get properly checked at the hospital? You didn’t just leave in a hurry, right?”
“The CEO already made sure of that. We stayed at the hospital all day. Everyone’s 100% fine.”
Kim Geum flexed her arm, showing off non-existent muscles.
There’s nothing there, really.
“What about Baek-young? You didn’t hurt your foot?”
“Yeah. I really don’t have a scratch.”
Despite Seo Baek-young’s claims, I checked her body. I looked at her foot, her hands, and her arms.
Fortunately, she really didn’t seem to be hurt.
“Seriously… unnie…!”
Once I felt relieved, my pent-up emotions burst out.
“It’s really a relief…. I’m so glad….”
I hugged the three members.
I hugged the members who protected Ryu Bo-ra in my place, since I wasn’t there.
“Cheong Cheong, you were very scared, right? But what can we do? We’re tough, so we don’t get hurt.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
“True that.”
“But next time, just run away. Fighting a crazy person like that… It’s so dangerous. Next time, just… carry the members and run.”
“Isn’t that harder?”
“Listen to her.”
“Okay.”
I let go of the members.
There was still something left to check.
“Is Ryu Bo-ra okay?”
“Yes. She’s with her family now. It seems her family was really shocked.”
With her family?
Since she’s a minor, it’s an obvious outcome, but it left an uneasy feeling.
Even though the other members didn’t know the details, I tried not to show my discomfort, but I caught Seo Baek-young’s eye.
Seeing her expression, she seemed to be sharing the same concern.
“Seriously, what a mess because of that crazy person.”
Kim Geum shook her head.
“So, she went home?”
“She doesn’t live far from here. It’s about a 10-minute drive. She decided to stay there until today. She was really adamant about coming for tomorrow’s schedule. No one can win against her temper.”
“She could rest. The shock must be tremendous.”
“Have you ever seen her listen to me…?”
“She doesn’t really listen to anyone….”
*Sigh*
I sighed.
“Do you guys need to see your families?”
“They came yesterday and just left. They seemed a bit relieved after watching the interview.”
I hugged Yeon Juhong tightly.
Although the other members were also very commendable….
The youngest member stepping up to protect her sister is really no small feat.
“Huff. Cheong Cheong, you must have been really scared. Right?”
“Do you know… how scared I was. I kept thinking why did I have to be sick yesterday and couldn’t be there… Those thoughts kept coming to my mind.”
“What are you talking about! We were glad that at least Cheong Cheong wasn’t there. You’re not fit for such situations because your health is weak.”
… I want to say I’m not weak.
But I couldn’t say anything since I had just been bedridden.
“How did Bo-ra seem?”
“She seemed a bit shocked, but she looked better than I expected. But still…”
Kim Geum scratched the back of her head.
“She’s become so quiet, and that’s a bit worrying. We should probably get her some counseling or something.”
“That’s a given. All of you are going to get it.”
“Ugh.”
The members reacted as if they were facing a bothersome task.
But I couldn’t yield on this.
The mental impact of such an event is huge.
“Anyway, let’s continue this conversation when Bo-ra gets here.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it’s a relief no one got hurt.”
“What happened to that bastard?!”
Yeon Juhong asked with flashing eyes.
“He’s under police investigation. He’s the one who sent the threatening letters. He’s been stalking us all this time. He’s managed to evade the law so far, but he won’t get away this time.”
“I really hope he gets severely punished.”
“No matter what, I’ll make sure of it.”
I promised the members, no, I promised myself.
Having caught that crazy bastard, I had no intention of letting him go.
So, what was it like outside the eye of the storm?
Outside, another kind of storm was brewing.
★
“Today again, being blown away by Steel Blue… God’s gift…”
“Baek-young, my love, is seriously guilty. She’s seducing everyone who watches the video.”
“Seo Baek-young should be sued, seriously, for stealing my heart and breaking the hearts of 50 million people.”
“Recruiting someone to sue Steel Blue and lock them in Everblue prison (1/9999999)”
“An idol who practices the lyrics with her whole body, what do you think?”
“What’s the killer point about Baek-young this time?”
“During an old Steel Blue self-cam, there was a time when they watched a horror movie together and filmed their reactions.”
“But Seo Baek-young was the most scared among them.”
“She was so frozen she couldn’t even speak, and fans nicknamed her a secret scaredy-cat.”
“But this time, without a second’s hesitation, she threw herself to protect Ryu Bo-ra.”
“Steel Blue is… family….”
“She’s truly the elder sister, really… So cool.”
“There wasn’t a second of hesitation.”
The fan reactions weren’t the only ones going wild.
The video was on the news.
It was in the newspapers.
It appeared on all kinds of media and became a real hot topic.
It even spread to international media.
The OTube video that initially went viral already surpassed 10 million views.
Thanks to that, both their album and songs were climbing the charts again.
They were already maintaining the number one spot, but the current trend was skyrocketing.
They were on the verge of being called the national group.