Chapter 216. Welcome. It’s Your First Time at a Fan Sign Event, Right? (4)
—
**The next day, at the venue for Kairos’ second fansign event.**
Joo Eunchan rubbed his cold hands together nervously as he recalled the memory of the previous dawn.
*“-…Teach me something out of the blue?”*
*“-You’re good at dealing with fans at fansigns. Just give me some tips.”*
Despite Hajin’s sudden request, Yugeon didn’t offer much resistance or show any signs of reluctance. He simply scratched his head in slight embarrassment.
*“-I mean, there isn’t really anything special… I just do it.”*
Even as he said this, Yugeon seemed to be contemplating if there was anything worth advising. Honestly, Eunchan felt a little grateful that Yugeon was thinking that much for him.
But Yugeon didn’t stop at just thinking—he actually taught Eunchan a few methods!
“Chani. Are you ready?”
As Eunchan went over the methods Yugeon had taught him, Hajin approached and slung an arm over his shoulder.
“Don’t be too nervous today. The hyungs will be right next to you.”
“Yes. …Thank you, hyung.”
Today’s fansign event was scheduled to proceed in the order of Hajin, Eunchan, Haru, Siwoo, Yugeon, Doha, and Taehyun.
To ease Eunchan’s nerves, he would sit next to Haru, whom he was close with, while Hajin and Siwoo would be on either side of him to handle any unexpected situations.
As a side note, Yugeon-Doha-Taehyun had originally been Doha-Yugeon-Taehyun, but since Yugeon and Taehyun tended to bicker over trivial matters whenever they were together, Doha had been assigned to mediate between them.
“Alright, guys. Let’s go in.”
At Ji Suho’s call, the members stepped onto the stage of the fansign event. With the sound of clicks, countless flashes went off, and they could hear the cheers of the fans who had been waiting for them.
Eunchan took a deep breath.
Now, it was time to put what he had learned into practice.
—
“Eunchan-ah, hello!”
“Hello. …Huh?”
“I came yesterday too. Do you remember?”
The first visitor at Eunchan’s fansign, which had become a hotspot of sorts, was an office worker fan whom he had met at the fansign yesterday. He remembered her mentioning that she had taken time off work just to see him. Instead of answering verbally, Eunchan was about to nod in response to her question of whether he remembered her.
At that moment, he recalled Yugeon’s first piece of advice.
*“-First, make eye contact.”*
*“-Eye contact…?”*
*“-My manager at the café I used to work at taught me that. Look people in the eye when you talk to them.”*
Following that advice, Eunchan stared intently into the fan’s eyes, which were notably shaded with deep shadows. The fan seemed a bit flustered and leaned back slightly. Eunchan, in line with what Yugeon had taught him, leaned forward, matching his eye level with the fan’s as he nodded.
“Yes. You said you took time off to come, right? I remember.”
“Oh, oh. Y-yes.”
Even though the fan’s voice trembled slightly, Eunchan recalled Yugeon’s second piece of advice.
*“-And… I think I just used to hold hands first.”*
*“-Hold hands?”*
*“-When you work, you sometimes shake hands with adults you barely know to ask for their support. Don’t you think it’s only fair to hold hands with the people who paid to see you?”*
Although this was a thoroughly capitalistic way of thinking, Eunchan, who had grown up as the youngest son in a family of businessmen, somehow found it understandable.
*‘It gave me strength when someone held my hand when I was struggling. Wouldn’t it be the same for the fans?’*
The most fundamental principle of give-and-take was established: returning the love he had received.
However, there was one thing.
Although Yugeon, Kairos’ certified king of fan interactions, naturally intertwined fingers with a fan without any particular gesture, Eunchan’s thoughts were a little different.
*‘But what if holding hands with me makes them uncomfortable? I’m not used to this kind of physical contact either.’*
*Hold hands? ▶ But the other person might feel uncomfortable ▶ So what should I do?*
After thinking for a moment, Eunchan, still maintaining eye contact with the fan, cautiously asked.
“Um.”
“Y-yes?”
“Is it okay if I hold your hand?”
Eunchan, with a touch of awkwardness and embarrassment, extended his hand. The fan, as if entranced, nodded and offered her hand. Eunchan clumsily took her hand, which was still slightly cold from waiting outside for a long time.
As he opened the album to sign, it occurred to him that he hadn’t opened the pen cap. He was about to unconsciously open it with his mouth when Yugeon’s third piece of advice came to mind.
*“-And another thing… If I can do it myself, I sometimes ask the other person to do it.”*
*“-Even if you can do it yourself?”*
*“-If the other person just stands there idly while I do something, they’ll get bored. You have to give them something to enjoy.”*
This was also a capitalistic mindset of providing a service to the customer, but Eunchan interpreted it a bit differently.
*‘Come to think of it… Since I don’t talk much, it seems important to interact closely with fans so that they have fun.’*
Having reached this conclusion, Eunchan, while still holding the fan’s hand and maintaining eye contact, leaned forward and handed her the pen with the cap still on.
“Um, noona.”
“Y-yes. Why?”
“Could you please open the pen cap for me? I’m holding your hand….”
“Oh! Y-yes, sure. I’ll do it.”
Startled by Eunchan’s request, the fan quickly opened the pen cap from the hand that was holding it.
After bowing in thanks, Eunchan carefully filled the album with his autograph.
The fan, who had been quietly observing, spoke up to Eunchan.
“So… you know, Eunchan-ah. Listen while you write.”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
“The truth is, until the beginning of this year, I was really depressed. Work was tough, my self-esteem plummeted, and I gained a lot of weight….”
Though her voice trembled slightly, she spoke urgently as if wanting to convey her feelings before time ran out. Eunchan quickly finished signing and looked up.
It felt like a story he needed to hear carefully.
“I didn’t want to meet people. I was scared, so after work, I would just stay at home…. Then I ended up watching *Miro Maze*.”
“Oh…. Yes, yes.”
“But seeing you guys, who are much younger than me, working so hard towards your dreams, it was so impressive. I kept following you, and eventually, I became a fan. I… Ah, ugh. Why am I so nervous today?”
The fan, who had been reciting her lines as if from a script, suddenly lost her train of thought and exhaled sharply.
Seeing her like that, Eunchan suddenly realized something very obvious.
*‘Fans get nervous, just like I do.’*
Unlike the fan who had harshly criticized him yesterday, the fan in front of him was trembling just to say these few words to him. Watching her, Eunchan couldn’t help but feel….
“Noona.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“…….”
“So go ahead and say what you need to. I’ll listen to everything.”
Because it was a group fansign event, they couldn’t spend too much time on one person. Soon enough, the security guard behind her would instruct her to move on.
Eunchan was determined to hear everything the fan had prepared to say before then!
He shook the hand he had been holding firmly as he urged her.
“Hurry, noona! Time’s running out.”
“Ah, yes. So, anyway, after I started liking you guys, I wanted to live my life with more effort. I started working out, I bought your albums, and I worked really hard at my job so I could come to the fansign. Thanks to you, I feel energized every day now, really! I wanted to tell you that yesterday, but I was too nervous….”
“We need to move on now~”
Just as she was about to finish speaking, the instruction to move on came. Eunchan handed the album over to Haru and hastily delivered his response.
“…Me too. I felt the same way.”
“You too, Eunchan?”
“Yes. I was scared of dealing with people, so I would just stay in my room….”
Huh? But when was that?
Eunchan had started speaking, recalling that he had experienced something similar, but even as he spoke, he couldn’t remember exactly when or what had happened.
*‘Was it back when the thing with Han Sungwoo hyung happened?’*
Even as he harbored doubts, Eunchan made sure to convey his final words to the fan as she stood up to move toward Haru.
“But I’m not like that anymore. Thanks to Destis.”
“…….”
“It’s because of you, noona. Thank you. …I really wanted to tell
you this.”
“…Yeah. Let’s keep seeing each other for a long time, Eunchan-ah!”
“Yes. It’s a promise.”
Eunchan nodded with a smile. The fan also smiled and moved on to sit in front of Haru. A new person took a seat in front of Eunchan.
He could hear Haru chatting away next to him.
“Phew, noona! I thought my neck was going to fall off waiting for you.”
“Haru, hello. No, I came over right away?”
“I’ve been waiting since you were talking with Hajin hyung earlier.”
Even as Haru chatted with the fan in a familiar manner, Eunchan no longer felt any sense of crisis or anxiety.
He realized that what the fans wanted from him was just Joo Eunchan himself, and that he only needed to engage with them sincerely in his own way.
It was at that moment that a scene came to mind from deep within Eunchan’s memory.
*“-Maknae. Eat something, will you? Please?”*
*‘…Huh?’*
*“-I won’t ask you to go out. I won’t tell you to do anything. Just eat something, okay?”*
*‘What is this? When did this happen?’*
The voice echoing in his head was undoubtedly that of his hyung, Eunseok. Some scenes, like a very old memory, faintly emerged and then vanished like a candle flame flickering in the wind.
“Hello.”
“Hello~ Is it okay if I speak casually since I’m older?”
“Oh, yes. Please feel free.”
But before he could even begin to recall what those memories were, Eunchan had to greet the next fan who sat down in front of him.
And as he did so, certain fragments of time, perhaps from the distant past, or perhaps from the future—or perhaps even from the present—slowly faded beyond Eunchan’s consciousness.
He didn’t even dream that they might be foreshadowing some future event.
—
Kairos’ original content, *Today’s Kairos*, was uploaded every Friday at 8 PM on the official Kairos iTube channel.
Besides the pilot episode, “Hidden Camera,” the recent “Reality-Dorm Edition” series had played a significant role in attracting new fans by showcasing the members’ dorm life.
*“-The extreme introverts, Jeong Seo Team (Jeong Siwoo-Seo Taehyun), never come out of their rooms, while the Gunju Clan is always in the living room or visiting the other hyungs’ rooms. It’s so freaking funny. Joo Eunchan, are you an extrovert?”*
*“-No, look at Kang Hajin mixing all the side dishes in the fridge into rice just because the maknaes said they were hungryㅠ That’s like a dad-style bibimbapㅠㅠㅠ”*
*“-The way they keep wearing those animal pajamas is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋDoha, your legs are too short for thoseㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”*
The “Reality-Dorm Edition,” which aired in about five episodes with a hot response, sadly concluded in line with the first week of Kairos’ music show promotions.
While fans were disappointed because the content, which showed the members in a comfortable, unpolished state, had been popular, it was also true that many were eager to see something different.
So, most Destis eagerly anticipated what the next episode of *Today’s Kairos* would be on the second Friday of their music show promotions.
*“-I want to see the boys in a cooking competition wearing pâtissier outfits ㅠㅠㅠ”*
*└ “So the punishment is who has to eat the food, right?”*
*└ “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋToo meanㅠㅠ”*
*“-Rookie tradition, ghost experience, let’s go!”*
*└ “Ah, for realㅋㅋ”*
*└ “Let’s go, let’s go”*
*└ “Let’s go”*
*“-How about something like Manito or Mafia…ㅎ My favorite content was when five of them did it in *Kailog* ㅠ”*
With various fan requests swirling, Friday finally arrived.
After enjoying Kairos’ second-week music show stage and the ensuing fansign event recaps, Destis flocked to Kairos’ iTube channel to check out the newly uploaded video.
*Today’s Kairos EP.08 ∥ Sakim High School ‘Those Guys’ Descend… I’ll Be Late, So Who Wants to Be Leader? Chaotic Class President Election Strategy.*
The thumbnail featured none other than Kang Hajin, neatly dressed in a school uniform with round glasses, pointing fingers at Jeong Siwoo, who had a lollipop in his mouth and was wearing his shirt loosely!
All Destis instinctively knew upon seeing it.
*‘Finally…!’*
Today was the day when Kairos’ official leader, shrouded in mystery, would finally be elected.