translation by mourningmoor
I was curious.
Whether it’s the Demon King or me, we’ve only been in this world for about eight months.
I have the three divine powers, so I’ve managed to endure this much, but how on earth did the Demon King manage to learn this world’s language, knowledge, and even driving skills and mechanical operation?
It doesn’t seem like he’s just pretending to have amnesia.
I was indeed curious, but I didn’t want to show it.
There was no need to satisfy my curiosity anyway. Once I leave this industry, we won’t have any reason to see each other again.
But it was also awkward to just ignore such a trivial question.
On the other hand, I couldn’t exactly flatter him by saying, “Yes, as expected of my role model, Yoo Noah sunbaenim.”
Well, personally, I don’t care if there’s a personality controversy, but if that happens, it might harm L.I.T. I can’t let the kids suffer because of that.
So, I need to adopt a suitable character to deal with this guy, but what would work?
“No, it’s not that I’m curious…”
Then, one fact came to mind.
Kang Ichan’s public image.
He’s not particularly warm to anyone—not to L.I.T members, Kim Jeongsoo, Ga Yuna, or even PD Pyo Cheonhee. His stoic expression and occasional blunt remarks often appeared on NewTube videos, and surprisingly, the reactions were positive.
That’s how he earned nicknames like “Cool Ichan,” “Cold Ichan,” “Elsa Ichan,” and something like “North Pole…” I can’t remember the rest.
Anyway, the point is, there’s no need to be friendly just because the other person is Yoo Noah.
“It’s just that you don’t seem very focused while driving.”
It might earn me some dislike from ARCHE’s fandom, but that’s something I can handle.
“I may live a thin life, but I don’t want to live an excessively short one.”
* * *
Kailua Beach, Oahu Island, Hawaii.
A two-story wooden building painted white came into view. The roof was green, and the walls were adorned with traditional Hawaiian patterns.
In front of the building was a narrow dirt road for cars, and behind it seemed to be a garden with a lawn.
The filming lights were on, and people were bustling about, so I guessed that was the filming location.
“Let’s get out.”
After getting out of the car and grabbing my luggage, I hesitated, staring at the filming site.
It felt like stepping into an unknown dungeon to hunt monsters.
Who knows what kind of eerie humans, like the Cocoa Witch and the Trash Demon King, might be gathered there?
A foreboding feeling tightened around my throat.
That’s when it happened.
Writer Jeong Haeseong, who spotted me from inside the building, raised her hand energetically.
“Ichan-ssi!”
She waved her arm so vigorously it looked like it might fall off.
Anyway, she’s a woman full of stamina.
Then, the eyes of everyone gathered at the filming site turned toward me.
Except for one person, I didn’t know any of them.
And even that one person wasn’t someone I had spoken to privately. We had only exchanged brief greetings as the PMA host and a participating artist.
But this guy. He approached me as if we were close.
“Kang Ichan-ssi.”
Kim Hyunsoo, with his signature eye smile, approached and extended his hand.
“It’s so nice to see you here. How have you been?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
I heard somewhere that he’s Kim Jeongsoo’s older brother.
But there’s no resemblance between the two. In fact, at the awards ceremony, they acted like they didn’t know each other.
Moreover, Kim Jeongsoo said his brother is a “hypocrite.”
Kim Hyunsoo, smiling brightly, grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.
“Congratulations on sweeping the Rookie Awards.”
“Ah.”
L.I.T had become slightly famous after sweeping seven or eight Rookie Awards.
Come to think of it, I remember another thing Kim Jeongsoo said.
His brother only interacts with “celebrities.” Mixing with people of a different level is a “waste of energy,” or something like that.
So, I guess I’ve now reached Kim Hyunsoo’s “level.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I smiled slightly and bowed my head, then greeted the other cast members who were looking at me.
They must be famous people, but I couldn’t even tell who was who.
Though I think I’ve seen one or two of them on TV variety shows.
Then, a tall middle-aged man approached.
Most of the cast members are famous actors, and he certainly looked the part. His physique was good too.
“Is this that guy? That Light or…”
“It’s L.I.T. Cha Juhyuk sunbaenim.”
Kim Hyunsoo immediately corrected Cha Juhyuk’s mistake. Cha Juhyuk nodded and offered me a handshake.
“Ah, right, L.I.T. My daughter really likes you. In her room…”
Cha Juhyuk gestured toward Yoo Noah, who had somehow ended up behind me.
“Your photo is hanging next to his.”
Then, he burst out laughing while looking at Writer Jeong Haeseong.
Here, “he” refers to Yoo Noah, and “you” refers to me. He looks like he’s barely in his fifties, yet he dares to call me “you.”
My mood was already ruined from the start.
He really has no sense.
“Before you leave, give me an autograph. For my daughter. Okay?”
“Yes. Sure.”
I answered briefly and stared straight at Writer Jeong Haeseong, the mastermind behind all this.
I wanted to ask if this was Ganghwa Island, but I held back for the sake of L.I.T members.
“You must’ve had a hard time coming here.”
“Ganghwa Island is really far, writer-nim.”
But I couldn’t just let it slide, so I forced a smile and added a comment.
It was a smile, but not a friendly one. Writer Jeong Haeseong clapped her hands and laughed exaggeratedly.
“This is it. This is what I wanted to see. Kang Ichan’s ‘Arctic Cat’ image.”
Arctic Cat.
Yeah, fans created the term “Arctic Cat” after seeing my cold face. When I’m forced to smile in situations where I don’t feel like it, I only curl my lips while my eyes remain icy. That’s how I got the nickname.
You know, like =ㅅ=, that kind of vibe.
So, the image Writer Jeong Haeseong wants from me is the “Arctic Cat.” That means I don’t have to force myself to smile.
After laughing to herself, Writer Jeong Haeseong suddenly frowned.
“But Ichan-ssi, your clothes… you must be really hot.”
Are you kidding me? I just came from Korea, where it’s the middle of winter, to tropical Hawaii. Of course, I’m hot. If you had told me the filming location was Hawaii, I would’ve worn short sleeves.
This time, I smiled even wider, with the corners of my eyes slightly raised.
I wanted to add “screw you,” but I held back.
“Yes, thanks to you, writer-nim.”
Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, Writer Jeong Haeseong awkwardly smiled and glanced at Yoo Noah.
“Yoo Noah-ssi. Can’t we do something about this?”
Why are you asking Yoo Noah?
“I’ll buy him some clothes while shopping.”
“Alright, then you two can go to the market together.”
Why are you deciding things on your own?
“Ichan-ssi? You’ll be staying for 10 days, no, exactly 11 nights and 12 days, so buy plenty of clothes. Focus on shorts and T-shirts.”
All of this was being filmed, and everyone was watching my reaction with interest.
I really didn’t like it. But, for the sake of L.I.T members, I decided to endure it again.
With an expressionless face, I only curled the corners of my lips into a soulless smile and nodded obediently.
“Yes. Sure.”
In the end, I was forced to go to the market with Yoo Noah.
There, I bought three pairs of shorts and three T-shirts, and even a Hawaiian shirt. Well, “bought” isn’t the right word—Yoo Noah forced them on me.
“It’s a gift. It’ll be nice if we match. We’re both in charge of the hall.”
He even went on about how I’m cold, so I should wear blue, and he’s warm, so he’ll wear red. This Demon King bastard.
But I had no choice but to accept all of this.
Because I had become curious about Yoo Noah.
Just a moment ago, right after arriving at the filming site.
The VJ’s car was a bit late, so there was a brief moment without cameras.
[What did you mean by “if you want to live, you’ll have to keep being an idol”?]
[Finally, you’re curious?]
Instead of answering, Yoo Noah just smiled, which made me furious.
[If you don’t want to answer, get lost.]
Then, Yoo Noah quickly responded.
[You weaken without mana, right? Even using something like ‘Heart’s Resonance’ requires mana.]
[…So?]
[The easiest place to get mana in this world is the idol industry.]
I already knew that.
Before debuting, I wandered around doing good deeds and trying to win people’s hearts to gather even a tiny bit of mana. That was the only way to scrape together enough to make a single Charming Potion.
But after debuting, everything changed completely.
Because fans were pouring mana into me.
At music show stages, fan sign events, or other filming locations, thick mana was swirling around.
With the mana I accumulated, I grew my magical power to protect the members and helped L.I.T win Rookie Awards.
But now, I don’t need to do that anymore.
[If I’m short on mana, I just won’t use magic. Honestly, once I leave this industry, I won’t have much use for magic anyway.]
[That’s not true. You’ll need to protect yourself.]
[If you just leave me alone, nothing will happen.]
Yeah, if the Demon King just ignores me, nothing will happen.
In this world, the only threat to me is the Demon King.
But at that moment, Yoo Noah’s expression twisted strangely.
[Jesquière. Don’t make me laugh.]
And he laughed. A scoffing laugh.
[You really don’t know, do you?]
His narrowed eyes were filled with disbelief.
[You really don’t know.]
Then, he threw his head back and laughed.
At this rate, the Demon King bastard might laugh his belly button off.
He even had tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
[Even the great Grand Mage is no exception. When your magic power falls below the 3rd Circle, your insight and intelligence drop too.]
Then, he quietly added.
[Try being a good kid. Who knows? Maybe I’ll give you some valuable information as a reward.]
In the end, I was forced to wear those ridiculous clothes.