The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 128

“Sorry, sorry! I got so eager to surprise you that I rushed and caused this disaster!”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just something that can be wiped up.”

“Ugh, that cake was from a really delicious place too!”

Manager brother looked at the cake remains with an expression like he’d lost the whole world.

Between the flowing cream, the ‘CENTIX’ letters revealed themselves particularly pitifully.

He probably wanted to celebrate our successful completion of our first activities in his own way.

Of course, the result was a complete disaster.

Chae Ha-ru, who brought a handful of paper towels from the kitchen, waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey, it’s fine. Like Brother Si-hwan said, the floor can be wiped up. We can always buy another cake later.”

“You kids! Why are you being so mature!”

“You know, right? You definitely have to buy another one.”

“Ah, I got it.”

When he mentioned getting it from a delicious place, Chae Ha-ru’s crazy button got switched on again.

Meanwhile, Seong-hwi, who was wiping his hands with wet wipes, grinned and scratched his head.

“Wow, I feel bad for no reason.”

“About what?”

“Actually, when we were heading to our schedule earlier, I heard it might rain so I brought an umbrella, but I got annoyed carrying it and didn’t bring it. So I just tossed it somewhere in the entrance.”

We slowly turned our heads.

Everyone’s gaze landed on the black umbrella clearly visible between the piles of shoes.

It was positioned exactly where even a child could see someone would obviously trip over it.

Manager brother’s tearful eyes looked coldly at Seong-hwi.

“You could have put the umbrella away properly before leaving!”

“Ahaha, brother, I’m obviously sorry, but if we’re being fair, you should have watched your step too.”

“It’s too factual for me to argue, you brat!”

“I’m kidding, kidding. When we go buy cake later, I’ll come with you. I’ll put the umbrella away properly, sorry sorry.”

After that commotion passed, manager brother brought up the most important topic.

“Congratulations again on finishing your activities safely, guys. You’ve all worked so hard preparing various things for months, and I’m so grateful you followed along well.”

“Not at all!”

“Brother worked hard too.”

“Such warm kids! Anyway, the CEO gave you guys about 4 days to rest up. Since this is your first vacation after debut, I hope you go home to see your parents and sleep well to recover your condition. As I mentioned in the group chat, the year-end season is coming, so there will be many major award shows to prepare for, and we need to fill up our energy before then.”

First vacation.

I thought of the one-room apartment where Cerberus and I used to live alone.

When I returned from the bustling 〈ISL 2〉 filming site, I felt an even deeper sense of bleakness.

Thinking about the current atmosphere of CENTIX’s dorm… I had a feeling it would be lonelier than back then.

Cerberus, in his own house set up in the living room corner, barked shortly in agreement with my thoughts.

{I don’t want to go back, Master!}

‘You get lonely too?’

{No, not that! I just really like my bed here and the exclusive snacks, that’s all!}

‘Honest guy.’

I suppose it’s one thing for me, but the other members probably miss their families’ embrace plenty.

Looking at the kids’ faces, they were already excited about seeing their parents after a long time.

But that smile was only temporary.

“…I have something I want to say.”

Soon Kang Seon-woo, who had become serious, raised his hand and spoke.

“Going back to our families is good, but I think it would be better if we all went somewhere together as members.”

“Oh, me too!”

“I was thinking the exact same thing.”

“Like Brother Si-hwan said, we’ve been working so hard we had no time to play! Going on a group trip would be really fun!”

Kang Seon-woo’s suggestion to enjoy vacation together as all CENTIX members received enthusiastic support.

We had run non-stop for months filming 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉.

Even after being selected as final survivors, we burned through our energy going back and forth between practice rooms and recording studios for a quick debut.

We could only rest a little right after schedules ended, meaning we’d never experienced the concept of vacation itself.

In that sense, the suggestion to go somewhere together was bound to shake the hearts of these energetic young men.

I was fine with it though.

“But won’t you guys be okay not going home?”

“Hey, we have a whole 4 days of vacation. We can go on a 2-day, 1-night trip together and then drop by home afterward. No rush. Plenty of time.”

I asked again thinking they’d still want to return home, but a reasonable answer came back.

With tacit unanimous agreement achieved, what naturally followed was the destination.

“I’d love to go on an overseas trip if possible…”

“That’s nowhere near enough for 2 days, 1 night.”

“Then how about Jeju Island? I’ve never been to Jeju Island before.”

“Is there anyone here with a license?”

Among the four over twenty, Ma Si-hyeok was the only member who had gotten his license.

When everyone turned sparkling eyes on him, Ma Si-hyeok hurriedly waved his hands and backed away.

“I got it early this year but I’ve never driven a car since. I’m a complete paper license holder. No way, absolutely not.”

“Ah.”

“Can’t help it if it’s a paper license.”

“We can go to Jeju Island later after you practice driving more!”

Jeju Island also quickly dropped from the candidate list, and the options became quite narrowed.

“Personally, I want to go to an amusement park. But unless we reserve it in advance through a broadcast program, if all six of us go together, won’t people around definitely recognize us?”

“I’m also worried about that, so I couldn’t easily suggest it.”

“Amusement park… the last time I went was in middle school.”

“Wow, me too!”

“Mine was 6th grade elementary school.”

Amusement park.

It seems the kids haven’t been in quite a while either, but it wasn’t comparable to me.

Well, unlike others, I spent the last 50 years in that hellish hell. If I really think about it… the last time I visited an amusement park was a whopping 58 years ago.

{Master! What exactly is an amusement park?}

‘It’s a fun park with flying rides and rides that drop you from high places.’

{That sounds like there was plenty of that in hell too. Didn’t Master ride on the back of that escaped manticore from the cage for about 10 minutes flying around? Oh, and there was that time you fell from the clock tower top while swinging your sword to fight the harpies.}

‘That was work I had to do in hell. I wasn’t doing it to have fun.’

{Hey, Master looked happy at the time though.}

‘Our Cerberus, you can’t get presbyopia already.’

It seems from hell hound Cerberus’s perspective, my memories of suffering in hell were recorded strangely.

Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to let him taste a proper amusement park from the real world.

Everyone seemed positive about the amusement park, but soon Seong-hwi clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair.

“Ah, I was excited thinking about riding roller coasters after so long. But like Ha-ru just said, if we all swarm there together, we’ll definitely be spotted. We could split into groups of 2 or 3, but if we split up to play, what’s the point?”

“Neverland or Notte World would probably be too much.”

“Tsk…”

Thanks to manager brother confirming the kill, the excited atmosphere seemed to deflate slightly.

I watched Yu Ha-woon muttering “I really wanted to go to an amusement park” to himself and quickly searched my memory.

There were definitely differences between pre-reincarnation Korea and post-reincarnation Korea.

So I wasn’t sure if the information I heard in my previous life would still be valid.

But I had to try, didn’t I?

‘There was definitely something I heard in my previous life. Where exactly was the location.’

After searching several places on my phone.

Fortunately, it was a place that existed in this world line too.

“There’s an amusement park in Wolmido that’s not huge but still has most of the standard rides. They say if you go on weekdays, it’s not that crowded with people.”

“Wow, really?”

“Brother, show us your phone quickly.”

The kids semi-forcibly confiscated my phone and quickly read through the blog post I had pulled up.

“It’s real. They have a Viking, Hyper Drop, and bumper cars too.”

“Bumper cars! Bumper cars! Bumper cars!”

“Time to show off the skills of CENTIX’s only license holder.”

“Where did Brother Si-hyeok, who said he absolutely couldn’t drive until just now, go?”

“Bumper cars are a completely different realm.”

They were all shouting about bumper cars instead of getting hooked on other rides.

They may have grown physically, but their mental age still seems to be lagging behind.

I’d better avoid those guys as much as possible to prevent getting my skull rattled.

In the midst of all the commotion, Chae Ha-ru also carefully considered conditions other than the amusement park.

“It’s a 2-day, 1-night trip, so just going to an amusement park would leave us with extra time. But if it’s Wolmido, it’s by the sea, so we can solve dinner there too, and there’s plenty to see, so it’s good. Brother Si-hwan, if you tell me the exact location of that amusement park, I’ll check what else is nearby.”

“Thanks, Ha-ru. In this chaos, you’re the only one keeping me breathing.”

“Just leave it to me.”

Thank goodness there’s one rational character on the team.

Imagining leading 5 Kang Seon-woos by myself made my stomach convulse.

Once the destination was roughly decided, manager brother put his hand on my shoulder and winked.

“I’ll look into accommodations for you. But how are you guys getting there? You guys could take the train, but I’m worried. Should I drive you?”

“If brother drives us, we’d love that, but it feels bad making you go such a long way.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I have lots of people I know in the Incheon area anyway, so I can spread the word that I’m coming to hang out.”

“We’re sorry to trouble you, brother.”

“You’re monster rookies causing a sensation in Korea, so a manager should do at least this much!”

The embarrassing modifier I’d been hearing from Chae Ha-ru’s mouth until recently appeared again.

I gave an awkward smile and focused on the members.

“Grilled shrimp, grilled clams, mixed sashimi, seafood stew… there’s so much to eat, isn’t there?”

“Brother Seon-woo, they say you should wet your stomach with warm soup first before eating greasy stuff.”

“Si-hyeok’s right, now I’m craving spicy fish stew. Are there no spicy fish stew places?”

“Wait, most restaurants probably sell all of this as a set.”

“Everyone, are you discussing the menu without me?”

“Oh, Ha-ru! Right, you’re the food expert, come plan out the whole course. Seon-woo and Ha-woon and I roughly thought of about 8 menu items.”

“I’ll plan it properly from breakfast to late-night snacks.”

The topic had already shifted to food, so everyone’s eyes had been spinning for a while.

I thanked Chae Ha-ru for maintaining his rationality just a minute ago.

I sighed and picked up my phone again.

‘If I just sit here, we’ll end up spending 24 hours just eating instead of going to the amusement park.’