translation by mourningmoor
“The mages who turned to the Demon King faction said it. The master of the Magic Tower is a reclusive sociopath.”
A reclusive sociopath.
Well, it’s not wrong.
What slightly bothers me is that the description is similar to the Demon King’s.
“Whatever.”
I waved my hand and got straight to the point.
I wanted to wrap this up quickly and leave.
“I came today to tell you that, thanks to you, I’ve completed the 5th Circle.”
Noah twisted his lips into a smirk.
“You sure know how to make a big deal out of saying thank you.”
“If I’m grateful, I’m grateful. And let’s try not to mess with each other’s people, okay?”
We know each other better than anyone. That’s why it’s uncomfortable to peek into each other’s thoughts.
Earlier, I must’ve made Yoo Noah really uncomfortable by reading Younghoon’s mind.
“You don’t like it either when it happens to you, right?”
I feel the same way.
Yoo Noah calling Jaewon, calling Roa.
I hate the fact that he’s even trying to step into my territory.
“Stay away from my kids. Let’s keep it professional.”
For a moment, a red glint flickered in Yoo Noah’s black eyes.
“That’s disappointing, Jesquière.”
The red glint darkened, as if he was genuinely disappointed.
“Your kids? In this world, the only ones from the same hometown are you and me. We’re not just in the same industry—we’re practically partners.”
There he goes again.
It’s not wrong, but it’s not like the Demon King and the Archmage can just buddy up and form a guild or something.
So I decided to ignore it.
“Enough nonsense.”
I casually averted my gaze and warned him in a firm voice.
“Don’t mess with me. If you don’t mess with me, I won’t mess with you.”
“Hmm.”
But this guy.
He’s not even listening.
He frowned, looking bored, and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ll think about it.”
Then, with a shameless face, he brought up the party again.
“For now, just attend the party.”
“Hey!”
I was trying to indirectly say we shouldn’t get involved, and now he’s telling me to attend some party.
“You know it, right? Loner Noah, the lonely psychopath, has no one to invite.”
Now he’s outright self-deprecating while giving me an evil smile.
“Just help me out this once. Who knows? Maybe I’ll leave the L.I.T kids alone as a thank you.”
* * *
In the end, I ended up attending ARCHE’s variety show filming.
Because Yoo Noah, that bastard, went public with it without consulting me.
How could a lowly junior refuse an invitation from a senior like him? So I had no choice but to agree.
“Welcome, hoobae-nim.”
The filming location was the ‘party room’ in Troifle, where Yoo Noah lives.
That building that resembles the Magic Tower.
The one I could see from both my company and my dorm.
From the entrance, it’s dazzlingly similar to the Magic Tower.
And this ‘party room’—isn’t it just like the reception room in the Magic Tower?
“Hello, sunbaenim.”
Since the cameras were rolling, I greeted him politely and stepped into Troifle’s ‘party room.’
Well, it was a variety show filming disguised as a party, so there wasn’t much to do.
The main focus was on ARCHE, and there were fourteen people in total.
I didn’t have to worry about screen time.
I just had to sit where I was told, eat the food they gave me, and stay quiet. After all, I was the youngest among the guests.
Then Younghoon said something.
“I get why Ichan hoobae gets along with Noah.”
They were talking about how they became close.
“Both of you are socially inept.”
Then Jaeyun chimed in.
“Right. They’re really similar. It’s like seeing Noah-hyung back in the day.”
“Yeah. It’s only recently that Yoo Noah started acting more human. Before, he was a workaholic and a total recluse.”
Acting more human recently? What a joke.
“So, how long have you two been close?”
Yoonseo, the eldest of ARCHE, asked.
He seemed genuinely curious.
Honestly, Yoo Noah and Kang Ichan have no connection.
So there’s only one answer I could give.
“We’re not close.”
At my answer, Jino, who had been busy eating cake, coughed awkwardly.
“Not close?”
I had no answer to the question of how long we’ve been close.
I couldn’t avoid the prying questions one by one.
So I had to completely change the direction of the conversation.
“Yes, we’re not close at all.”
Yoonseo, who had asked the question, looked at Noah in disbelief.
“You’re not close with Ichan?”
“Hmm, I think we’re close, but I guess hoobae-nim doesn’t think so.”
It was a strange answer.
But funnily enough, everyone at the table accepted that answer.
“Then how did you bring him here?”
“I threatened him.”
Yoo Noah gave an evil smile.
Jino immediately looked at me for confirmation.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, sunbaenim threatened me.”
He threatened me. I’m the senior, and you’re the junior. Plus, I’m max level, and you’re a noob. If you don’t want to quit being an idol, do as I say. That’s what it was.
But everyone just nodded and accepted the situation.
And then they said.
“He threatened you again?”
Again? Yoo Noah, what kind of life have you been living?
Was he worse than the Demon King?
“Ichan, you’ve been through a lot.”
Yoonseo even patted my shoulder and handed me some food.
It was his way of silently cheering me on, telling me to eat well since I’ve been through so much.
The filming went smoothly like that.
Being young and lacking social skills actually made things easier.
I didn’t have to step up and do anything; I just had to do what I was told.
In the end, I even performed a duet stage with Yoo Noah, as the PD requested.
The busking scene from <Hotel Ohana>, which had recently aired, had become a huge hit.
After diligently completing the mission, I quietly stayed in my seat.
And just like that, the filming ended.
While everyone was busy saying goodbye and thanking each other, I approached something I’d had my eye on for a while.
“What are you looking at?”
After staring for a while, Yoo Noah came over.
Then he stood next to me and looked at what I was looking at.
“Doesn’t it look familiar?”
“The painting?”
“No, the seal.”
A huge landscape painting hung on the wall of Troifle’s party house.
In the corner was a seal that looked oddly familiar.
Where had I seen it before? I definitely recognized it.
Noah also stroked his chin with his right hand, lost in thought.
Then he shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve never seen it before?”
“No. It’s the first time I’ve seen it. Is it by someone famous?”
He tilted his head and looked at the painting again, then shook his head.
He didn’t know.
“The filming’s over, and everyone’s going for a second round of drinks. Wanna come?”
You’ve already filmed, so what else do you want?
“No.”
“What if I threaten you?”
“Cut it out.”
I said it without even turning my head, my eyes fixed on the painting.
But Younghoon, that bastard, was sneaking up on me again.
“…Hey.”
“Wow. Telling him to cut it out. Hoobae-nim, you’re so cool.”
With a sly smile, he casually approached and nudged my shoulder with his.
“You’re the first one to talk to Yoo Noah like that.”
Yeah, I can talk to you like that too. So please, shut up. And stop touching me.
I turned to look at Younghoon with a cold expression.
But regardless, this guy, who has zero sense of awareness, kept blabbering on in his own world.
After rambling for a while, he circled back to the original point.
“So. Hoobae-nim, you’re not coming?”
He begged me to come, saying it would be fun, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I thought about it for a brief moment.
Should I turn this guy into a cockroach or a Welsh Corgi that looks like me?
But I didn’t have to.
Yoo Noah stepped in, sensing the danger.
“He’s not going. He can’t. He has to go to the practice room. The fan meeting is coming up soon.”
Then Younghoon, looking disappointed, raised his index finger at me.
“Just one beer…”
“He can’t drink. He’s a total lightweight. In Hawaii, he got wasted after one beer, and everyone had a hard time. Let’s just leave him.”
Yoo Noah grabbed Younghoon’s shoulder and turned him around, then looked at me.
“Hoobae-nim. You can get back on your own, right? You’ll just whoosh and fly away?”
Then he smiled, his eyes narrowing.
“See you later.”
As I watched Yoo Noah hurriedly leave the party room, I muttered coldly.
“What a bastard.”
Even though we’re from the same hometown and share a secret, he’s still someone I can’t trust or feel any affection for.
“What do you mean whoosh and fly away? I’m taking a car.”
I turned my gaze back to the painting.
“I’m taking a car, you know?”
A dense coniferous forest and a cold lake. The shadows of trees reflected on the lake and two moons.
And the familiar seal.
I took out my phone and took a picture of the seal.
* * *
The fan meeting setlist and detailed plans were finalized.
The MC, just like during the first fan signing event, was decided to be announcer Do Junwoo.
And Möbius and Dinaple were set to appear as guests.
It was more like a stage to buy time for costume changes.
The kids were also satisfied when they saw the setlist.
“So, excluding the guest stages, there are fourteen songs? Including two unit songs?”
Jaewon asked with wide eyes.
Then PD Pyo nodded.
“Yeah. Isn’t it good?”
“Yes, it’s great.”
Jaewon nodded in satisfaction.
So far, eleven songs have been released under the name L.I.T.
Along with those eleven songs, Lim Cheol’s <In My Dreams> was included in the setlist.
It was a stage made possible because of the fans’ desperate requests, and PD Pyo met with Lim Cheol, who gladly agreed.
“At this point, we could even include it as a remake in the next album.”
“Actually, Lim Cheol-nim suggested it first. He said to include it in the next album.”
“Wow. As expected of a legend. So cool.”
Jaewon became a fan of Lim Cheol after the last concert.
He even sang, saying he wanted to be on stage like that even at Lim Cheol’s age.
“Now, the issue is the units.”
PD Pyo paused for a moment and looked around at us.
“No matter how we split it, it’s going to be a charming combination, so it’s hard to decide.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Splitting L.I.T into two units felt a bit off, but it also had a unique appeal. No matter who teamed up with whom, it would work out well.
“How should we split it?”