Chapter 140
“Ban Yo-han. I never knew you turned into such a madman when you drink.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Pouring drinks on someone’s head—what country’s law is that from?”
“I must have lost my mind for a moment.”
“Do you always act like this? Are we going to have to prepare for a scandal about your personality later?”
“I swear this is the first time, but I have no excuse.”
After washing my sticky face and briefly shampooing my hair, this was the situation I returned to.
All the food we had scattered around was gone, leaving only bottled water. Someone must have cleaned up while I was away.
From the lingering smell in the living room, I could guess what we had eaten.
The cold winter air was flowing in through the wide-open windows, likely opened to ventilate the room, and would soon carry away the remaining smells.
The chill in the air wasn’t just because of the open windows.
‘This atmosphere is brutal…’
Seo Moon-gyeol, Gyun Seong-ha, and Kang Ji-woo were sitting in a row on the sofa, while Ban Yo-han, who was guilty, was kneeling on the floor in front of them.
Both Kang Ji-woo and Ban Yo-han had completely sobered up. Unfortunately, Kang Ji-woo’s unusually sensitive reaction killed the mood.
Kang Ji-woo, noticing me standing idly in front of the bathroom door, coldly ordered Ban Yo-han.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“I’m sorry. I committed a grave sin by getting drunk and causing trouble.”
It didn’t seem like a simple ‘sorry’ would suffice.
Part of me expected him to complain about being overreacted to for a simple prank, but he was surprisingly obedient.
“No. It’s annoying, but it’s okay.”
Due to the cursed filtering still stuck on my tongue, I responded politely.
And to be honest, saying it was okay after what had happened was partly true.
Because, as soon as I grasped the situation, I had immediately poured a whole bottle of soda over his head. Splash!
As I’ve said many times, I am not someone who just takes a water—or rather, soda—shower without retaliation.
Even if I can’t deal with rotten pumpkins, I can at least pour soda on someone.
As a result, Ban Yo-han, who hadn’t even washed yet and was held by Kang Ji-woo, looked worse than I did.
“Why did you do it?”
“He seemed like he wanted to try it.”
So, he poured it on my head because it looked like I wanted to drink, but he couldn’t just give me a glass in front of Kang Ji-woo and the other members?
‘No matter how smart you are, you become an idiot when you’re drunk…’
Knowing that this was a drunken prank took away my will to fight.
I looked down at Ban Yo-han, who was sitting with his head lowered like a wet rat, and eventually sighed.
“Go wash up first.”
* * *
While Ban Yo-han was washing up, the other members kept asking if I was okay and if my feelings were hurt.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Getting drenched in soda was a new experience.”
That sounded like I had experienced other things before.
‘…That’s what your face says.’
Seeing Kang Ji-woo’s fleeting expression, I regretted my impulsive words a little.
And the impulsive reaction…
It was the same with how I dealt with Ban Yo-han.
‘Even though he couldn’t think straight because he was drunk, pouring a whole bottle on him was a bit much. He was drunk, but I was sober.’
I couldn’t help but remember the jerk who poured water from a bottle over my head while spouting nonsense in the past…
‘Ah, let’s not think about it.’
Pressing my temples, Ban Yo-han emerged from the bathroom.
Maybe because I repeatedly said I was fine, Kang Ji-woo, who looked a bit relieved, spoke with his rare leader’s authority.
“Come here and sit down.”
With a towel wrapped around his wet hair, Ban Yo-han obediently sat to the left of Gyun Seong-ha, who was sitting to my left.
“Well, this turned out for the best. Oh, I’m not saying it’s good that Raon got drenched.”
More unusually, Ban Yo-han, who would normally have snapped at being called “that guy,” was quiet.
It wasn’t just me who found it odd that we were suddenly in this chilly situation during what was supposed to be a fun party before our first holiday since we started preparing for our debut.
Gyun Seong-ha, who had been restless, and Seo Moon-gyeol, who had been watching my expression, also seemed to find it strange that Kang Ji-woo was angry while Ban Yo-han was subdued.
No one could have predicted that something like this would happen over a simple prank.
‘Maybe I should’ve handled it more calmly without breaking the mood…’
No, it was good that I didn’t hold back.
‘If I had held back, it would have lingered in my mind. Every night I’d want to hit him with a pillow or kick him in my sleep.’
Anyway, thinking back to the situation earlier…
Ban Yo-han said some nonsense, poured a drink over my head, and I retaliated by pouring soda over his face. Then Kang Ji-woo scolded us…
‘Why did Kang Ji-woo get so angry?’
It’s not like we made a mess with food…
‘He’s not particularly angry at me, though.’
Considering the amount of drink spilled, I poured several times more than he did.
I can’t imagine his usual favoritism towards the youngest member extending to a situation this serious.
‘I don’t get it.’
Is there some unresolved issue between the two of them?
Or maybe…
“Like I said earlier.”
Kang Ji-woo’s firm voice interrupted my thoughts.
“We exceeded expectations with our recent activities. Right?”
“Yes, right.”
“I think it wasn’t just because our five-member team worked well together, but honestly, I think more than 90% of our success was due to the former Pick Heart members.”
Realistically, he’s right, but he could have been a little more considerate of the fragile mentality of the person next to him…
“Yes. So?”
‘…Is he okay?’
## Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer – Chapter 140
Contrary to expectations, Gyun Seong-ha had a very calm expression.
I realized.
There was no way he hadn’t thought about this issue by himself…
“Of course, I’m not trying to belittle your efforts or the results you achieved out there.”
“I get it. You’re saying we shouldn’t rely on that forever, right?”
Ban Yo-han stepped in to summarize.
“Exactly. No matter what, what’s really important is from now on. I think now, just before our vacation, is the time we should be most alert, don’t you think?”
Who was it that was whining to the fans during the live broadcast about having no authority?
Anyone could see you’re the leader. And a very strict one at that.
If you personified the expression ‘soft strength,’ it would be Kang Ji-woo.
“I was originally going to talk about this after our vacation, but given the situation, let’s do it now!”
Even if he said it with a bright smile…
“So, what exactly do you want to do right now?”
Seo Moon-gyeol asked calmly.
“I want to set rules for our group activities from now on, things that we must stick to.”
A chilly breeze blew into the living room.
I hesitated whether to close the window because of the cold, but Seo Moon-gyeol got up first and shut it tightly.
Kang Ji-woo, signaling his thanks with a glance, continued speaking.
“I’ve always said it: let’s not lose our initial mindset.”
Indeed. If you had to pick the three things Kang Ji-woo said the most, it would be initial mindset, sincerity, and doing our best.
It’s not just empty words; the fact that he himself is always sincere makes it even more remarkable.
“What exactly is this ‘initial mindset’?”
Ban Yo-han, who had been downcast for a while, now seemed a bit more lively and asked.
“That’s a very good point.”
Kang Ji-woo snapped his fingers with a clear sound and continued.
“But right now, it’s also an unnecessary point.”
“…”
So cold.
“While there’s no agreed definition of what the initial mindset is, it’s not like we don’t know anything about it. Isn’t that enough?”
“Well, yeah. I get what you mean.”
Looking at them, they seemed rather uneasy.
Even though they seem like that, they’ve known each other for more than half their lives, so they’ll handle it well.
‘Then why do I feel so uneasy?’
It’s probably just my imagination.
“But we’re human, so our minds are bound to change over time. Whether a little or a lot.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why I think we need unchanging guidelines.”
Is it really necessary?
“I don’t think we need them…”
“Hmm?”
Their puzzled gazes focused on me.
“No, I mean, Ji-woo hyung won’t change. Because of you, we won’t slack off.”
“I agree with that.”
Kang Ji-woo smiled shyly at my and Gyun Seong-ha’s words.
“Thanks. But you saw me get drunk and drink earlier, didn’t you? I wasn’t supposed to drink… I’m not that strict. I might loosen up faster than you guys.”
Hmm, a loosened up Kang Ji-woo…
It’s still hard to imagine.
“And now’s the only time we can talk about this.”
“That’s true.”
Now is the best time to raise our awareness like this.
“So, let’s each say one thing. One thing we want everyone to stick to in our group activities. As long as the reason is valid, anything is fine.”
“…”
“Haha, it’s a bit sudden, right?”
“To be honest, yes.”
I answered on behalf of everyone.
A somewhat heavy silence ensued.
Kang Ji-woo, who brought up the topic, seemed to have already thought it through, but for some reason, he kept his mouth shut.
Surprisingly, the first to speak was Seo Moon-gyeol.
“I want us to set high goals and not be satisfied with just enough. So that we won’t have any regrets when we look back later.”
Hearing those words, I recalled the resolute look in Seo Moon-gyeol’s eyes when he said to just be free right before going on stage.
Just like I felt back then, Seo Moon-gyeol would have gone higher alone if it weren’t for us. He’s not particularly considerate of others in that way.
I wondered if Gyun Seong-ha, having such a lofty person nearby, might have felt genuinely troubled.
At that moment,
[A new rule has been added to the group ‘ORCA.’]
‘?’
[Rule 1: Do not stop striving for improvement (Target: ORCA)]
[If this rule is violated, the proficiency of all skills will be reset as a penalty.]
‘What the…?!’