translation by mourningmoor
An unexpected event occurred.
For a superstar and senior artist like ARCHE to visit the waiting room of a newly debuted idol group.
Right away, Gyuhyung was caught up in a whirlwind of excitement.
“Hey, guys.”
Gyuhyung opened the waiting room door with an overly excited expression and called us.
Even his voice was thick with excitement.
“Members of ARCHE want to meet you guys for a bit, is that okay?”
“Eh? ARCHE sunbaenims?”
Jaewon was the first to jump up from the sofa.
Then, Roa, who was getting his outfit checked by Hyerim, chimed in.
“Ugh, wait a minute. Let me finish putting this on.”
Though no one said much, even Siu couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
The only one not showing much reaction was Hanjoon.
This guy doesn’t usually get excited, unless he's angry.
With his usual stoic expression, Hanjoon asked Gyuhyung.
“Why do they want to meet us?”
It was a very practical question.
Why would a superstar group like ARCHE visit a rookie group that just debuted? Why?
It surely wasn’t to build friendly relations, and we haven't made any mistakes. We're not personally involved with them, and we don't even belong to the same agency.
But why do they want to meet us?
“There’s no reason for them to want to meet us.”
“They saw your cover stage on M-start and were really moved, apparently. They want to meet you in person to say hello. Since the other teams aren’t performing today, they probably just want to greet you guys.”
“Ugh, ARCHE sunbaenims are so sweet, aren’t they?”
“Seriously. What are we, to deserve this?”
Gyuhyung’s explanation seemed to have convinced the maknae line, as they quickly nodded, their eyes sparkling.
Seeing Siu’s lips curl up in excitement, it was clear he was full of anticipation.
Hanjoon, however, was the only one who looked unimpressed.
But are we really in a position to be picky about this?
“Don’t overthink it. They’ve already come to the door and are waiting. Can we really turn them away?”
Gyuhyung quickly shook his head, saying it was impossible to refuse.
“If we leave them standing outside too long, it’s only going to make things worse for us. So let’s greet them quickly and then send them off.”
Hanjoon, who looked a bit dissatisfied, reluctantly nodded. Meanwhile, the maknae line was bouncing around in excitement.
Actually, I had been a little curious myself because ARCHE’s comeback stage was on the lineup for today.
There was one person in ARCHE who had caught my eye, but I had no way of confirming it.
Since our promotion periods were different, we’d never run into each other on music shows.
But now, with our extended promotion period, ARCHE’s ‘comeback stage’ and L.I.T’s ‘final stage’ overlapped, and that’s how we ended up meeting.
I just wanted to take a quick look and confirm the identity of the person who caught my eye.
As Gyuhyung quickly stepped out of the waiting room, the sounds of bustling activity soon followed.
“Guys, say hello. These are ARCHE sunbaenims.”
Gyuhyung stepped in with a big smile, and behind him, the members of ARCHE, carrying something in their arms, followed.
“The sunbaenims brought snacks for you guys.”
The maknae line was already bowing at a 90-degree angle. Siu was also busy greeting them with a bright, excited face.
The snacks ARCHE brought were being received by Gyuhyung, Hyerim, and the older members, who were moving them onto the table.
Ah, it’s all so hectic.
The small waiting room was already packed with five members of L.I.T and seven staff members. But when ARCHE’s seven members entered, carrying snacks, it felt like a marketplace. And even outside the waiting room, there was a lot of commotion.
I absolutely hated this noisy atmosphere.
At that moment, my eyes met with one of ARCHE's members.
No, wait. All of ARCHE’s members were looking directly at me and walking over.
I had been sitting at the far end of the room, but now I stood up.
“Wow. You look even better in person.”
The first person to extend his hand to me was a guy with red hair and a friendly face.
“I’m Younghoon from ARCHE. Nice to meet you, junior. I look forward to working with you.”
Then, a blonde-haired guy with pretty eyes and a charming smile stepped closer.
“Nice to meet you, Ichan. I’m Jino from ARCHE.”
Why do they keep introducing themselves to me?
One by one, the six members of ARCHE, who had approached and showed blatant interest, finally stepped back. The last member walked up.
Yeah, it’s this guy. The one who had been bothering me like a thorn in my side ever since I first laid eyes on him.
He wore a black suit with the blouse buttons undone halfway, revealing half of his chest. His black hair and red lips made a striking contrast. His eyes were arrogantly sharp, and his smile, cold.
He walked slowly toward me, tilting his head slightly.
Then, without a word, he scanned me from head to toe, rolling his eyes.
Finally, a deep smile curled at the corner of his lips.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Ah, shit. This is bad.
* * *
Ah, damn. This is annoying.
Throughout the rehearsal, that bastard's gaze never left me.
Sitting in the audience, he kept grinning and watching, and eventually even waved his hand.
They say he's the celebrity's celebrity, but because of his actions, it's no surprise that all attention was focused on me.
Even other artists, who had never once greeted me, started showing interest and coming up to me first.
It was the same within L.I.T as well.
After finishing the stage and returning to the waiting room, the maknae started whining again.
"Wow, Channie-hyung. I never thought you'd keep something like that a secret. You think if we said we're close to Noah sunbaenim, they'd be a bother?"
If I hear it two more times, it'll be the tenth.
"I swear, there's no secret between us members."
This is funny. No secrets, huh?
And in my case, it's not even a secret. That bastard made up a lie.
But whatever. The others, regardless of my intentions, were staring at me with envy-filled eyes.
Roa, who had been glimmering with excitement and twitching his lips, finally spoke up.
"So, hyung, how are you close to Noah sunbaenim? That sunbaenim is famous for not making close connections with fellow celebrities."
I said there's no close connection. That bastard made it up on his own.
"That bastard..."
As soon as the words "that bastard" slipped out of my mouth, Roa and Jaewon's eyes widened. It was as if I could hear them thinking, "No way, you don’t call Noah sunbaenim 'that bastard,' do you?"
I let out a quiet sigh and properly called the name according to the laws of this world.
Still, I can't bring myself to call him sunbae, no matter what.
"Is being connected to Noah really such a big deal? What’s so great about it?"
For a moment, Roa and Jaewon’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"Heoeoeoeol."
"He must be crazy. This hyung."
Hearing Roa’s "Heol" and Jaewon’s "He must be crazy," I had to endure about ten more minutes of their nagging.
* * *
The leader of ARCHE, Noah.
So, that bastard is the "Demon King," huh?
I couldn’t ask outright, but I was certain.
The way the air felt when I faced him was exactly the same as back then.
And he's the only one whose "emotional presence" I can’t sense.
The deep, well-like, pitch-black eyes, and the eerie red glow that had flowed through them.
If that’s not the Demon King, then who else could it be?
“It’s been a while...? What a load of nonsense.”
I muttered as I left the waiting room and headed toward the bathroom, recalling the moment when I faced the Demon King just now.
[It's been a while.]
[……?]
His appearance had completely changed, but the atmosphere and feeling were almost identical to back then.
Damp, sticky, gloomy, and a reckless aura seemed to be oozing out.
[You’re not telling me you don’t remember me, are you?]
[Remember... should I?]
It wasn’t that he didn’t remember, it was that he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
He just wanted some time to sort things out.
But then, the youngest suddenly chimed in.
[Sorry, sunbae. This guy got struck by lightning, and now he’s having some memory issues.]
[Ah, that accident?]
At Jaewon's words, the Demon King's lips curved up slightly as he faintly smiled. When he mentioned "that accident," there was more weight in his voice.
It meant that he knew more about the accident than anyone else.
[Even so, I wouldn’t think you’ve forgotten me, right? Hoo, bae, nim?]
That was as far as it went.
The guy, who had been smiling coldly, suddenly turned around with a bright smile and addressed the rest of the L.I.T members.
Then he began spouting compliments, saying the M-start stage was fantastic, and the dance break choreography was legendary. He sure knew how to flatter.
With his sultry smile and charming words, he captivated everyone—a perfect display of the Demon King’s mind-control magic.
As his brief visit ended and he was about to leave the waiting room, he glanced back.
[See you again.]
"See you again? What do you mean see you again? Next time I see you, I’ll... destroy you."
Yeah, it’s true that I should destroy him... but I don’t know if that’s possible right now. My mana isn’t enough to raise my magical power that much yet.
I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
The worst situation had unfolded.
I was about to go a long way, and yet, from the very start, I was facing the worst opponent.
The feeling of helplessness crashed over me.
"Should I find another way?"
Lost in thought, I reached the bathroom door.
At the end of the hallway, I saw a shadow standing with its back to the light.
A slender, tall silhouette, a sinister atmosphere, and the shadow... it was definitely the Demon King, no, that bastard, Noah.
The bastard, with his hands shoved deep into his pants pockets, slowly approached with a faint smile.
"Hoobae. What are the chances we run into each other here?"
Hoobae? So in this world, that means I’m in the superior position?
And with the way he was grinning, it was clear he was enjoying this moment.
"Let’s be friends. After all, it’s fate that we’re meeting like this again."
The Demon King, now right up to my face, tilted his red lips while his black eyes glinted coldly.
How dare he, the Demon King, try to go up against a 9th-circle Grand Mage?
And this bastard is even taller than me. Damn it.
"Ha, should I kill this bastard?"
I didn’t hold back my true feelings, letting the words slip out audibly.
Then, Noah threw a bomb of laughter at my face.
At the burst of laughter, I frowned, and he curled his fist to cover his lips, finally speaking.
The sound of him stifling his laughter with suppressed giggles was unpleasant.
"Hold on, hoobae. If you kill me here, you’ll have to go to prison."