The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 65 - Fan Meeting (1)

 

Fan meetings.

 

By definition: events organized by actors, singers, etc., to show appreciation to the fans who support them.

 

And today was the day Victory was holding theirs.

 

[Sh*t it’s fan meeting day today ㅠ]

I got brutally rejected lol Not even on the 3rd list ㅠㅜ Only 5 people for the 3rd round??? ffs

 

?[I’mANike]: WF Entertainment, wake up!

 

?[Cheong-ryang and Haneul]: Wake up! Wake up!!

 

?[CheongRyangMyMan]: You’re rich, and you booked Y University Centennial Hall??

 

?[BigdolMajorShareholder]: Still proud tho haha Compared to our boys’ first ever fan meeting tears

 

?[BabyNike]: Where was their first fan meeting?

 

?[BigdolMajorShareholder]: Yeouido Plaza lol

 

?[BabyNike]: Is this for real?? That crazy Gaechul bastard… omg;;

 

Fans who failed to get tickets were venting on the community boards…

 

[Guys (0 people), just wait right there haha]

WF Ent looks super serious about today’s fan meeting. I’ll go mess them up kek

 

?[LoveMyBoys]: The one who gets messed up will be the poster

 

?[DaebakMuseExists]: Apparently so

 

?[BigdolLet’sHitItBig]: Hey, are you going to the fan meeting today? Me too, I’m seriously excited ㅠ

 

?[ㅇㅇ]: exicted(X) excited(O)

 

?[BigdolLet’sHitItBig]: shut up

 

Those lucky Nikes who did get tickets were buzzing—nervous but full of anticipation.

And among them, one Nike arrived particularly early at Y University Centennial Hall…

 

“Th-this isn’t a dream… right…?”

 

It was [BigdolForever (@ILOVE_Victor_)]. Clutching Victory’s official lightstick, she took a deep breath. She never imagined the day would come when Victory would hold a fan meeting in such a massive venue!

 

‘WF Entertainment is the best…!’

 

She covered her mouth with both hands, overwhelmed—when someone greeted her.

 

“Hello there?”

 

She blinked in confusion. She’d supported Victory since their debut, but she’d never really interacted with a male fan before. But—

 

“Huh? Oh—oh?! It’s you from back then…!”

 

Well, there was one. Not that they were friends or anything—just someone who’d shared a very memorable moment as a fellow Victory fan. Kwak Yoon-hoo, the CEO of WF Entertainment himself, smiled kindly at her.

 

“We cheered together during Victory’s <Micho Macho Micho> comeback stage, right? You’re here for the fan meeting today?”

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

With eyes full of awe, she stared at him. If WF had managed Victory poorly, she would’ve chewed him out right on the spot. But WF was clearly working their asses off to help Victory grow. Just look at that special merch booth in front of the concert hall!

 

‘It’s not open yet, but still…!’

 

She needed to get in line; a few early birds had already started queuing up. Just as she was about to bow to Kwak Yoon-hoo and ask him to keep taking good care of the boys—

 

“Here. Take this.”

 

Kwak Yoon-hoo placed a paper bag into her hands.

 

“Since we met by chance, please take this. It’s a full merch gift set.”

 

“…Wha—!”

 

She raised a hand to her mouth, staring at him as though she were witnessing a miracle. Was she a war hero who saved the nation in a past life? How else could she deserve this kind of blessing?

 

“CEO…!”

 

With a trembling voice, she declared with all her heart:

 

“I will devote myself to Victory forever!”

 

“Haha, thank you.”

 

He smiled and walked away. The moment he disappeared from view, she peeked into the merch gift set he’d given her—

 

“Crazy…”

 

She stood there, completely speechless.

 

***

 

“The merchandise is getting a great response,” Team Leader Hong reported.

 

“That’s good to hear. And you didn’t forget we’ll be releasing the remaining stock online after the event, right?”

 

“Of course not, CEO.” Hong Ha-jin paused. “It’s just… there’s something I’m a bit worried about.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Are you really going to be the MC for Victory’s fan meeting?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I smiled confidently.

 

“Don’t worry—I’m actually pretty good at it.”

 

“It’s not your speaking skills I doubt… I just don’t know why you’d insist on doing it personally…”

 

“I’m a Nike too.”

 

“…Sorry?”

 

She looked like she didn’t hear correctly. I simply continued smiling.

 

“Who would pass up a chance to see their favorites up close?”

 

“…Well, that is true, but…”

 

But you can see them whenever you want…

 

Her face said exactly that.

 

I pretended not to notice.

 

“Anyway, make sure everything runs smoothly.”

 

“Yes, CEO.”

 

Not long after she left—

 

“CEO, please head to the stage now.”

 

Showtime.

 

I took a steady breath, grabbed the mic and cue cards, then stepped onto the stage.

 

“Huh? Wait, isn’t that…?”

 

“Isn’t that the CEO of WF Entertainment?”

 

“It really is!”

 

“Whoa! First time seeing him in person!”

 

“Same!”

 

With all eyes on me, I greeted the fans brightly:

 

“Hello, amazing Nikes who love Victory! I’m Kwak Yoon-hoo from WF Entertainment, and I’ll be hosting today’s event. I hope every fan here who loves and cherishes Victory has the best time ever!”

 

WAAAAAH!!

 

The cheers hit me like a wave, and I continued with a laugh.

 

***

 

“By the way— I promise, I won’t give Victory any hints or pressure them to answer anything a certain way.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes! And if a question comes up about me, I’ll shut my eyes tight and cover my ears completely.”

 

Kyaaaa!!

 

Backstage, six pairs of eyes were glued to the monitor.

 

“Whoa… CEO-hyung talks insanely well.”

 

“Right? When CEO Kim Sang-cheol— I mean, Gaechul— showed up, all he got were boos.”

 

“Hey, Haneul! To be fair, that guy had a face worthy of booing!”

 

“Don’t make fun of how people look.”

 

“I’m not making fun of people—just him!”

 

Cheong-ryang and Haneul squabbled as Lee Nak-hwa grimaced.

 

“Muse-hyung, isn’t this bad? What if he steals our spotlight?”

 

Shin Yoo-soo snorted.

 

“Come on. Who’s thinking about being overshadowed? We should be grateful he’s keeping the mood light.”

 

“But stiiill—!”

 

Not only was Kwak Yoon-hoo as handsome as any idol, he had a smooth voice and charisma on top of it all. What if the Nikes started stanning him? That fear wasn’t totally baseless.

 

“Plus… he’s rich.”

 

As Lee Nak-hwa muttered that, everyone suddenly fell silent.

 

The day had come when idols were threatened… by their own CEO.

 

“Pfft.”

 

Ji Ye-chan let out a laugh.

 

“Instead of worrying, why don’t we ask the CEO to jump with us for one song?”

 

“Sol.”

 

Kang Ye-seong cut him off right away.

 

“Don’t drag the CEO into pointless things.”

 

“Pointless?!” Ji Ye-chan looked genuinely offended.

 

“What other entertainment CEO on earth performs on stage with their idols? It would go viral instantly!”

 

“Then our name would skyrocket too,” Haneul chimed in.

 

“And new fans would flood in,” Shin Yoo-soo added.

 

Kang Ye-seong paused.

 

…They weren’t wrong.

 

“What’s there to hesitate over?”

 

Ji Ye-chan slung an arm around his shoulder, grinning.

 

“Let’s just do it.”

 

Maybe… it wasn’t a terrible idea?

 

As Kang Ye-seong wrestled with the thought—

 

“Oh! Looks like we’re ready. Everyone, let’s call out the stars of today’s show! We’ll bring Victory on stage by age—starting with the youngest!”

 

“Yesss!”

 

The fans roared:

 

“Lee Nak-hwa! Shin Yoo-soo…!!”

 

One by one, the members appeared on stage. And finally—

 

“Muse!!”

 

Pop!

 

Confetti burst as Kang Ye-seong stepped out. The six of them joined hands at the center, and with his brightest smile, he shouted:

 

“Hello everyone! We Get Victory! I’m Muse, leader of Victory!”

 

The fan meeting had officially begun.

 

***

 

“Kyaaaaaaa!!”

 

With Muse’s greeting, the Nikes shook their lightsticks and screamed at the top of their lungs.

 

“Victory!”

 

“We love you!”

 

“Forever!”

 

“Together!”

 

As if rehearsed, the entire audience chanted the slogan in perfect harmony.

 

Victory’s eyes shimmered with emotion.

 

“You all look really touched,” I said.

 

“I’m so happy!” Cheong-ryang shouted, gripping his mic tight.

 

“Me too. And honestly, I think our Ryang might cry. This could be his first time crying in front of fans,” Ji Ye-chan said playfully, raising his hand. “Alright, our Victory fairies! Wasn’t it tough getting here today?”

 

“It was! I came all the way from Haenam!!”

 

“Haenam! A fairy from the southernmost tip of the peninsula! Come on up!”

 

“Kyaaaaa!!”

 

The fan from Haenam rushed up—then froze, hand slapped over her mouth, overwhelmed at the boys just centimeters away. The members approached gently, took her phone, and helped her take a selfie.

 

“So jealous…!”

 

“Sol! I came from Jeju!”

 

“I’m from Udo!”

 

“Ulleungdo!!”

 

Island names started flying everywhere. Before this turned into a geographical war, I stepped forward and raised my mic.

 

“Everyone, please calm down. There’ll be plenty of chances for photos later.”

 

“Yes!!”

 

Once the cheers finally settled, I continued:

 

“Alright! Time for our first segment.”

 

The first segment: Tell Us the Answer, Victory!

 

Nikes had written down questions they were dying to ask. We’d pull them at random, and the boys would answer on the spot. I drew the first slip…

 

[You trash, what do you think of the righteous sects?]

 

We were already in trouble with the very first question. Now what?

 

If I put it back, a thousand Nikes would laser-beam me with their eyes—and the members were looking at me expectantly. Even the camera zoomed in on the slip. I quickly slid my hand out of frame and announced:

 

“First question! ‘Hey guys, what do you do before bed? Not that we’re stalking your late-night selfies or anything! Totally not!’”

 

Nice save.

 

As the boys answered, I scanned the audience.

 

Exactly one thousand fans here today. Among them was Han Yeong-won.

 

“I shower before bed. I like going to sleep feeling refreshed,” Kang Ye-seong said.

 

“Oh, right. Muse and I share a room, and did you know he smells like rosemary after he showers?”

 

“Kyaaaah!!”

 

That shriek? Yeah. That was definitely Lee Man-deuk.

 

The Nikes burst into laughter at his shriek. Not that he cared—he was probably too busy engraving into his brain that Kang Ye-seong smells like rosemary after showering.

 

Seriously. That clingy mage.

 

“Okay! Second question!”

 

Trying to keep the good vibes going, I smiled and drew another slip. Han Yeong-won’s question was already used, so the next one had to be normal. Each fan only got one chance to ask Victory a question, after all.

 

That was what I thought. What I briefly forgot was—

 

[Will you walk the path of the Evil Sect with me?]

 

Han Yeong-won has the Soul Dominion Art.

 

Oh, for f—

 

You’ve got to be kidding me.