The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 120

[First question coming out!]

[♪♩♬♪♩♪♩―.]

[Correct answer―.]

[Corrrrect!]

Familiar shouts could be heard from inside the van heading to KNet headquarters for pre-recording.

For some reason today, Seong-hwi wasn’t sitting in the back seat like usual, but had positioned himself next to me.

In that state, he was loudly playing 〈Weekly Idol〉 hot clips.

“Ahaha, the more I watch it, the funnier it gets. Brother, can you believe that this kid is the same person as the one deep sleeping behind me right now?”

“They look exactly the same, so what.”

“The junior who used to speak so gently at the dorm suddenly transforms into someone bold, which is pretty entertaining in its own way. But I think I’m most comfortable with his usual appearance.”

Seong-hwi glanced back briefly, then focused his gaze again on Chae Ha-ru who was filming a bare-handed eating show.

I had also watched this video so many times through NeoTube that I had memorized the title.

[This man who’s more serious about Korean beef than anyone else…… ☆ Why not be serious about me too? ∥Weekly Idol EP. 384 ∥ Weekly Idol EP. 384].

I don’t know who manages the NeoTube channel, but their skills at creating provocative content are heavenly class, starting from the preview.

The current trend was to create short 5-minute hot clips for people who don’t have time to watch the full version.

I wondered who would watch so many times this video that had little content and only contained part of one game.

When I checked with my phone, Chae Ha-ru’s bare-handed eating show was currently recording an incredible 330,000 views.

―Ah, Mother, now I think I understand what you said back then. No matter what strange things they do or how much of a fuss they make, as long as their face is handsome, that’s jackpot ↑2.8k

―LMAO I thought he was the most rational member within CENTIX, but after today’s clip and the previous ISL2 steak!! clip, the image inside me has completely flipped, Ha-ru T_T ↑1.4k

―At this point, I’m starting to get suspicious. Rave, you’re feeding our kids properly, right?? You’re not sending them to broadcasts in a starving state so they eat with their bare hands like this, right?? ↑990

└Looking at the other members’ reactions, it seems like Ha-ru just bulldozed through like usual lol ↑101

└Ma, Rave has no pride but they have money! ↑77

└If you buy some pride with that money, where would it hurt, Hyeong-seok ↑23

└Don’t hide, Hyeong-seok! ↑85

Looking at the real-time comments, it seems everyone found it quite entertaining.

Following the best-case scenario everyone had hoped for, it appears that general viewers other than MILLENNIUM who had been following us from the beginning also accessed the video through some unknown attraction.

The #trending videos hashtag also did its part thoroughly, accelerating CENTIX’s overall promotion.

―These days, male and female idols alike are busy managing their image in front of cameras, but these kids seem like they don’t care about that at all, which is nice to see lol

└The hundred-year-olds probably want to eat one more piece of meat rather than spend time on image management LOL

└You can tell just from their reality show, these crazy guys won’t even wake up other members who are oversleeping on filming days

└Huk, they’re raising them tough…

└Lol. That’s why they keep showing their true selves, that’s our kids’ charm point

―It’s interesting because they’re not just trying to be funny, but they’re actually good at games while being funny too lol I don’t usually like idols, but I watched without realizing how time passed

└Teacher, teacher, our kids are also amazing on stage, would you like to try a taste?? In times like these, how precious are idols who are good at variety shows and excel at their main job? Try it, won’t you??

└What are these friends’ names?

└It’s CENTIX, CENTIX!! Here’s their recent debut show video, so please watch this and taste the kids’ live skills before you go (link)

└Even as a guy, they definitely sing well and are handsome. Though being a limited-time group is a bit concerning lol

└Uh-oh, mentioning limited-time is banned

“Right, Hwi. What place was our GrapeFruit chart ranking today?”

“This probably got updated again. Wait, let me check.”

CENTIX, who set a monster-like record of 730,000 initial sales.

If this number hadn’t been counted during the previous week 1 activities, then starting from today’s KNet 〈Music K Showdown〉, those album sales would be included.

Along with albums, the important indicator is the music score.

We need to not fall behind in the music score, which is calculated based on rankings from the largest domestic sites, to reach the coveted 1st place candidate position.

[HOT 3rd place: Chronic / CENTIX(CENTIX)]

From the moment 〈Chronic〉 broke through the concrete layer filled with formidable music powerhouses, it had been climbing the stairs step by step with tremendous momentum.

The last time I personally checked was 8th place.

At some point, it had reached right below Zefa and Comet.

“……Those two are amazing too. Are these guys still 1st place? Why don’t they come down, aren’t they sick of it?”

“Just wondering.”

“What, Brother?”

“We won’t run into Zefa at the broadcasting station today, will we?”

“Ah, don’t worry. Even if we meet, I’ll try my best to hold back my anger this time.”

“I don’t trust that at all.”

“Hey, Brother Si-hwan, have you been living fooled all this time?”

Yeah, I’ve been living fooled.

I’m always unable to take my eyes off you guys.

‘Cer, are you sleeping?’

{Hnn……? Did we already arrive?}

‘No, not yet.’

{Then why did you wake me up…… Haaah.}

‘Just in case we meet that red-haired person today, give me a warning beforehand. Before Seong-hwi goes wild.’

{Ah, that human who had the rotten smell we saw last week? Are we meeting him again today?}

‘It’s not certain, but I’m worried. Looking at our pace today, we’ll probably make it to 1st place candidates, so if we create unnecessary noise, it’ll be a headache.’

Cerberus nodded slightly and yawned widely again.

It seemed like he went to sleep early in the dorm living room yesterday, but he must be quite tired today too.

{Got it, Master. Ah, I’ve been getting tired lately from using this soul separation frequently.}

‘This also consumes stamina every time?’

{Of course! I’m also a living being, a living being. Whether maintaining invisibility or separating body and soul like this, all ability manifestation uses stamina. That’s why, huaaah. I always sleep like this to store energy.}

‘I thought you started sleeping more after coming to the real world.’

{I originally liked sleeping!}

Still, I felt reassured having my Yorkshire Terrier who came with me from hell watching my back.

I didn’t let my guard down until we entered KNet headquarters and reached the waiting room.

But Baek Joo-won’s red hair never caught my sharp vision.

“Whew.”

“Brother, is something wrong?”

Ma Si-hyeok, who was changing into stage clothes, quickly rushed over when he heard my sigh.

I sighed again seeing his in-ear dangling loosely because it wasn’t properly inserted.

“When are you and Ha-ru going to learn to put in your in-ears properly?”

“Ah, sorry! It was fine earlier—.”

“Leave it, I’ll do it for you.”

While organizing the wires, Ma Si-hyeok repeated the same question.

“Is something wrong, Brother?”

“Nothing major. I was just nervous about possibly running into Zefa, worried about preventing Hwi from falling for provocations like last time.”

“Ah……”

Ma Si-hyeok’s mouth quietly closed for a moment.

After thinking about something carefully, he muttered in a much lower voice than usual.

“Honestly, even though I want to understand, I can’t comprehend it. If they were people with different interests, I’d think they wouldn’t know each other well. But Hwi and Senior Baek Joo-won were in the same agency looking toward the same dream, weren’t they? So why would he treat Hwi like that……”

Ma Si-hyeok must have been troubled since hearing Seong-hwi’s story.

He had also endured bullying and even violence for no reason during his school days.

But that happened between completely different people within the space called school.

From Ma Si-hyeok’s perspective, he couldn’t understand why trainees dreaming of becoming idols would do meaningless things to each other.

I neatly organized the in-ear wire and patted his broad shoulder.

“Si-hyeok, it’s exactly as you said. There are many people in the world with different interests. Similarly, even when people are entangled in similar situations, their personalities, tendencies, and character are all different. Even when looking toward the same place, the methods they choose to reach there are different. Some people wouldn’t hesitate to crush others for their own future.”

“Like Senior Baek Joo-won.”

“Yeah. What I want to say is, there are many different kinds of people like that in the world. You don’t have to try to understand them all. You don’t need to struggle to consider other people’s positions. No matter how you think about it, that person will act according to their own will. So don’t think too seriously about it. Hwi knows this better than anyone.”

“What are you two whispering about so intently? Was this another Brother Si-hwan wise saying production time?”

Seong-hwi, who had somehow approached silently behind me, grinned.

“I can’t just keep receiving help from Brother Si-hwan forever, honestly. So I organized my thoughts in my own way. Of course, I still get angry just seeing that bastard’s face, but I know I have a team to be responsible for now. I understand well that I can’t act however I want.”

“It’s good that you understand, but—.”

“Hey, Brother, please trust me for real. Anyway, I set a clear standard for myself like this. In the future, even if I encounter Baek Joo-won, I won’t react to petty provocations. Except for one exception.”

“Why are you making me anxious again?”

“You’ll understand when you hear it.”

Looking at the sparkling eyes of this crazy narcissist, I didn’t feel convinced at all.

“I can let it slide if he mocks me. But if he touches our members or touches CENTIX, then I won’t hold back. You can approve of this, right, Brother?”

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

When I cut off my words to answer decisively, Seong-hwi blinked several times.

“If he touches the team or touches the other juniors, then I won’t stay still either.”

“Brother, you’re so cool!”

“See, see, I was right, this was another teacher Ryu Si-hwan wise saying time. But Baek Joo-won is even more crazy than Brother thinks, so a situation where even Brother has to step in might really come?”

“Don’t say ominous things again.”

“Ahaha, okay, okay.”

Seong-hwi pushed our backs while laughing until his eyes became crescents.

“Haah, my allies are so reliable. Now, let’s hurry and go out. Today’s the day we get 1st place, so everyone prepare your acceptance speeches in advance. Especially Brother Si-hwan. You’re the leader, so you absolutely have to take the microphone.”

“Didn’t I tell you before not to say ominous things and not to count your chickens before they hatch?”

“Honestly, with this level of winning rate, isn’t drinking kimchi soup legal?”

“This, this time I agree with Hwi, Brother Si-hwan.”

“Right, right. My roommate speaks well.”

I stared at the grinning faces of the two same-age friends and burst into honest laughter.

“I really can’t win against you guys.”