translation by mourningmoor
MuteSeven.
A 7-member boy group ambitiously launched by HS Entertainment, supposedly a big-name rookie set to dominate this year.
Well, that's only because HS is pouring money into them to make them look like that, but in reality, they’re the first offerings I’ve chosen in this world.
I’ve marked them, after all.
At that moment, cutting through the crowd, Kim Wooyoung approached.
"Seeing you again?"
The sly grin as he approached gave off a rather delinquent vibe.
In music show interviews or behind-the-scenes stage footage, he’d pretend to be a loyal, large-breed dog.
But this guy, no matter how well he acts, snaps back to reality the moment he sees Kang Ichan.
Which makes him the most genuine one among them.
The guy, now right in front of me, tilted his head slightly and greeted me.
"Been doing well?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, when you see someone, at least greet them properly."
"Hi."
"Ha, you little punk."
Kim Wooyoung twisted his lips, crafting a fierce glare filled with contempt as he looked at me.
"Stop stuttering and get it together."
《An idiot like you. Stage fright, camera fright, a mess of every phobia—there's nothing you'll ever do well, not even if you died and were reborn.》
As expected, his pathetic face matched his lowly, dazzlingly vile thoughts perfectly.
How annoying. I decided to turn off my Heart’s Resonance for now.
Even after switching it off, his vile voice continued to echo in real-time.
"If you make the shoot take longer, it's gonna piss me off, so just do it right. Don't drag us down with you."
His words weren’t worth responding to, but I figured I’d throw in one remark.
"Didn't you see?"
“Hmm?”
“I’m asking if you didn’t see our stage.”
I made sure not to show any emotion. Feeling anything toward someone like him would just be a waste.
“You watched it just the other day, didn’t you? On M-Start.”
For a moment, Kim Wooyoung’s expression froze solid.
Looks like he saw it.
“Did I… make a mistake or something?”
His eyes waver, and the corners of his lips tremble.
Ah, now this is getting fun.
I had planned to just say one thing and leave it at that, but in the end, one line wasn’t enough for this guy.
“You’re the one who made a mistake, aren’t you? You tripped over your steps yesterday.”
This time, I gently curled my lips into a delicate smile for him.
“All by yourself, too.”
Aren’t you even sorry to the other members? Causing trouble and all.
That last bit, I whispered ever so softly—so no one else could hear.
Then, I lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Well then, good luck.”
* * *
The poster shoot went off without a hitch.
MuteSeven’s seven, Mobius’ six, and L.I.T.’s five.
Eighteen men bustling in front of the camera, syncing their movements—it was quite an amusing experience.
Not to mention, the MuteSeven guys putting on their well-rehearsed docile big-dog act once the cameras started rolling played a significant part.
"Thank you for your hard work."
They say the foundation of an idol is "greeting," and sure enough, every single one of them was busy bowing at a 90-degree angle.
Even amidst all that, whenever Kim Wooyoung’s eyes met mine, his gaze turned fierce.
How can someone so blunt even think of being an idol?
Snicker, I bowed at a 90-degree angle toward Kim Wooyoung as well.
Here you go. Go fuck yourself. You punk.
Well, that was roughly the mindset.
"Thank you for your hard work."
When I greeted Gyuhyung and Hyerim, Gyuhyung just smiled, while Hyerim waved her hand.
"No, it wasn't. The clothes were all chosen by the program team, and even the accessories were specified."
Today's shoot was exactly as Hyerim described.
The clothes were from a clothing brand that sponsored the program, and even the rings, necklaces, and earrings were chosen by the production team.
While Hanjoon freaked out at the idea of wearing accessories, I accepted it with ease.
Of course, I was a bit disappointed because there weren't any accessories that matched the style I enjoyed during my days as a grand wizard.
"Noona, where should I go to find rings or earrings?"
"Are you interested in accessories?"
It's not so much that I'm interested, but more that I need it.
"Yes, I'm interested."
Especially, wearing a ring on my finger helps prevent my mana from leaking out carelessly. For example, when I lightly touched Kim Wooyoung, the ring helps to protect my precious mana from being absorbed by him.
"Preferably, a silver ring would be great."
Silver is easier for me to engrave magical seals on.
"Then I'll narrow it down by the time the next schedule is over. We can go later this evening."
"Yes, thank you."
While I was greeting Hyerim, Jaewon trotted over.
"Hyung, I want to go too."
The youngest, with his face right in front of mine, was smiling brightly and acting cute.
Then this time, Roa approached.
"If you allow me, I'll go too."
Right, he wouldn’t miss this.
Jaewon, Roa. So, next is Siu's turn?
"I... can I go too?"
As expected, it was Siu.
At this point, these three should probably be grouped together and form a unit. Their heights are all similar, after all.
"What about you, hyung?"
I turned my head and looked at Hanjoon.
Hanjoon, who had been drinking water from a bottle that Gyuhyung handed him, furrowed his brows.
He then asked in a voice full of irritation, as if it was a bother.
"Do we have to go?"
Yeah, this is the Hanjoon I know.
"If you don't want to, don't."
"I'll go."
And of course, it's just like Hanjoondeng to lower his tail so quickly.
* * *
The next schedule was a short promotional video shoot.
The video filmed in the company’s recording studio was to be edited quickly and released on the official account at midnight tonight.
Having rushed through the schedule, we were able to leave the company around 7 PM.
[There are quite a few good places in Itaewon too. Don't go too far, just pick one nearby.]
Hyerim gave us addresses for five different places.
They were all places just two blocks away from the company.
While Roa was taking the paper and diligently typing the addresses into the map app, Jaewon made an unexpected suggestion.
"Hyung, instead of that, let's take the subway and go somewhere else."
The subway? What does he mean by that.
As far as Language Purification goes, it's a mode of transportation that runs underground, but I couldn't help feeling curious.
I also wanted to see just how far science, without magic, has developed in this world.
"We should go out while not many people recognize us, so we can enjoy ourselves comfortably."
But going that far with these guys wasn't something I was particularly excited about.
"If we get famous, we won't be able to go anywhere like this."
But this little mischievous rabbit, his eyes widened and sparkling.
At times like this, it's always the artistic rabbit who raises his hand first.
Just as expected, Roa turned off the app and flashed a bright smile while nodding.
"Sounds good."
So, next up is Siu, of course.
Siu, who had been biting his lip and looking around for a moment, quickly agreed.
“I... I’m good with it too.”
Now, all of them were eagerly waiting for my approval, their eyes sparkling.
“I just need to buy a ring, and earrings.”
“Yeah, I’ll get a ring and earrings too.”
“I’ll buy earrings and a bracelet.”
“I’ll get a bracelet too.”
This time, they answered in reverse order.
Then, all of them turned to look at Hanjoon.
Receiving the gaze of the three with an indifferent look, Hanjoon opened his mouth with a slightly flamboyant, or perhaps a bit shameless, expression.
"I'll get tteokbokki."
Then he rolled his eyes, checking my reaction.
"...Eat it, and add thirty more minutes on the treadmill tomorrow."
Now he's starting to get the hang of it.
Yeah. Under those conditions, it's not bad.
"Alright. We'll do as Jaewon said. Just make sure you don't cause any trouble."
I pretended to give in and accepted their suggestion.
* * *
The place we went to was packed with so many people that it almost felt suffocating.
Following Gyuhyung's advice, we each put on a mask and even flipped our hats down low before we could finally step out onto the street.
Around the subway station, posters for L.I.T. made by Blade Entertainment’s PR Team were plastered everywhere.
There were two types of posters.
One was a group shot of five men dressed in black hooded cloaks, their bodies draped in shadows, set against a gloomy, depressing background.
And the other one was a concept photo with a bright yet somehow aloof group shot.
Now that I understood the worldview they were trying to build, I could see what the photo was meant to represent, but...
The problem was that I didn’t remember taking the first photo at all.
“I’ve never taken a photo like that…”
“That's the promotional poster taken before you had the accident, hyung-nim.”
Roa added further explanation.
“The vibe back then and now is completely different, hyung-nim.”
Looking at it like this, Kang Ichan really was a dark person.
The change before and after the accident is so drastic, no wonder people have those reactions.
Maybe that’s why the current me stands out even more, but.
"Hyung-nim, let's go."
At Roa's call, I finally pulled my gaze away from the photo and hurried to follow the kids, who had already gotten quite far ahead.
Shopping with the kids turned out to be unexpectedly fun.
It was the first time in 300 years that I had done something like this with peers.
300 years ago, I suddenly recalled the memory of running a day's journey with my classmates to see the fairy festival at Parapara.
The fruit wine I drank back then was incredibly delicious.
"Kang Ichan is still a minor, so he probably can't drink alcohol."
After licking my lips, I finished paying and slid the rings onto my fingers.
With five rings—one large enough to almost cover a full finger, another a bit more ornate, and then a thin, delicate one—I left the mall feeling quite satisfied.
But then, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
Across from the mall, my attention was drawn to a photo taking up the entire wall of a building.
ARCHE
Between ~ You and me, the space in between.
The flashy billboard was filled with a picture of seven men striking alluring poses, accompanied by two lines of text.
From the looks of it, they seemed to be an idol group, but they were on a completely different level compared to the ones I had seen so far.
"Especially that one."
One of them stood out in particular.
"Why does he look familiar?"
It couldn't be. An acquaintance from this world?
No, there's no way.
I tried to push away the strange unease crawling up my spine and quickly ran toward the four of them waiting for me.