The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 140

“I think I’m getting a little addicted now.”

“……Si-hyeok.”

“Yes?”

When I called his name, Ma Si-hyeok turned his head with his eyes wide open.

The railroad crossing toy in his hands was operating while making a loud noise.

At that, Chae Ha-ru’s back, who was lying face down on the sofa, reflexively flinched.

“How about playing with something else instead of that?”

“Ah, but this is something I haven’t seen in Korea, so it’s unique and nice—.”

“Brother Si-hyeok…… that sound is too loud……”

“Ah.”

Hearing Chae Ha-ru’s crawling voice, Ma Si-hyeok hurriedly pressed the crossing’s control button.

I chuckled while looking at the bizarre sight of gacha toys lined up in a row that didn’t match his build.

‘It was harder than expected, but the reaction was good.’

While contemplating how to best utilize our free time in Japan, what came to mind was ’emptying gacha shops.’

If we went to famous crowded tourist spots, crowds would definitely swarm us immediately, so I didn’t have much desire for sightseeing.

Still, since we came all the way to another country, I wanted to communicate with fans through K-Live, so this was the option I found.

Since just chatting for several hours would be boring, I thought it would be better to have something to do with our hands.

But there was an ominous anxiety that came over me every time Ma Si-hyeok and I emptied the machines in the gacha shop.

Because there were unexpectedly too many variety of items.

And that anxiety was fully revealed during the live broadcast.

“Now that I’m saying this, Si-hyeok, if you hadn’t been there, I really would have been assembling alone until 4 AM.”

“Brother, it would have been scary if your roommate was Hwi. That guy has no hand skills.”

Thanks to Ma Si-hyeok’s delicate handiwork, the so-called ‘SiSiz’ K-Live was able to end within two hours.

On the plane back to Korea, I had worried ‘did I take too much of a risk?’ with all sorts of concerns.

But when I checked the community today, fans were lining up to praise how the broadcast was unique and refreshing instead.

―202X1211 K-Live SiSiz completed the Dorucon, everyone please use it lots ^.^*

└LOL oh I was thinking it would be nice if this came out as merch and it came out perfectly, a collection of Ryu Si-hwan’s unique expressions that I wanted to collect

└A comprehensive gift set of Ryu Si-hwan’s rarely seen confusion, urgency, contentment, and fatigue

└Lmao who wrote ‘the body has descended’ in the scene where silver appears, so funny

└He came to end this war…….

└Ah LOL he did come to end it, we were on the verge of being forced to stay up all night without sleep

└But couldn’t you just sleep if you were sleepy……? Genuinely curious

└Would you want to go to sleep if your ultimate bias was making those expressions while rustling and tearing open capsules?? That’s job abandonment, job abandonment

―I was just moved that our kids probably had a hard time but still turned on a broadcast to play and communicate with us, especially Si-hwan…… He must have really struggled preparing two stages in a row, but during his free time he thought about what to do for K-Live first

└I agree, I got a bit emotional at this part too. If it were me, I wouldn’t have cared about lives or anything and just slept for 24 hours straight to catch up lol

└His mindset itself is different, just amazing

└The gap difference is intensely embedded from the fact that the place they went to do something together was a gacha shop lol, and imagining silver following along behind them makes me even crazier

└Now that you mention it, really, two sturdy young men over 180cm must have crouched down like babies putting in coins lol so cute

―I’m planning to send an even bigger gift to Ryu Si-hwan (birthday soon) who enjoys the fun of unboxing even these small things (link) (link) We’re preparing lots of things, so if your wallets allow, please participate in the support. There are special gifts too!!

└This has been up since late November, are there still any Mills who haven’t participated?

└I went in and it already says the target amount was reached lol. Still, the special gifts look pretty so I sent 50,000 won and came back hehe, the printed photos will be delicious

└By the way, everyone’s passion is amazing. Debut and year-end events all overlapped so it must have been hectic, but they’re even carefully taking care of Si-hwan’s birthday…… He’s not the general leader for nothing

└Can you feel ‘MILLENNIUM’s power’?

While reading the reactions, I was startled by a topic that kept popping up.

‘That’s right. My birthday is coming up soon.’

As some people said, I hadn’t realized that my birthday was approaching.

While digesting a packed schedule from the debut show to music broadcast activities, and the year-end stages we had to prepare after a short break.

It was a time when just thinking about music all day made time fly by, and it seems fans were anticipating my birthday even more than I was.

‘Looking at them saying there are multiple projects, it seems like something unimaginable is coming.’

This feeling was a first for me.

It was the first time in my previous life and this reincarnated life that I was facing a situation where someone was pouring all their energy into my special day.

I spent time preparing for the next event, KBC Song Festival, while harboring such a fluttering heart.

“……”

It seems like my first birthday in this life will be an unforgettable experience.

* * *

Morning of the 18th. After finishing the individual practice I had scheduled for the morning, I got on the elevator to return to the dorm and witnessed staff holding identical coffee cups from all directions.

“Si-hwan, happy birthday!”

“I’ll enjoy the coffee~.”

“Happy birthday! Thank you for the coffee!”

“Ah, haha…… Thank you for congratulating me.”

Everyone even threw congratulations and thanks toward me.

That’s when I started to get a sense of it.

‘Is the first project a coffee truck?’

I had planned to go back to my room to shower, but I just grabbed a hat and mask and came back down to Rave Entertainment’s main office lobby.

Then, as if expecting me to come down, the manager who had been waiting rushed over.

“Perfect timing, I was about to call since you woke up!”

“I did some individual practice and came back. Brother, did you already drink your coffee?”

“Of course, since I come to work early in the morning. Go out and take a look. I’ll take pictures for you so don’t worry.”

“……I’m a bit doubtful of your photography skills, brother.”

“I’ll do my best!”

When I pushed through Rave Entertainment’s dazzling front door, an enormous coffee truck immediately greeted me.

I was momentarily stunned looking at the large menu board densely packed enough to make my jaw drop.

“How many is all that?”

“From the size, it looks like about 70 menu items. Plus the side truck is doing snack menus separately.”

“……Wow.”

70 drink menu items alone, and next to it a side snack truck was giving off delicious smells.

Many staff and people involved were already lining up to receive coffee with [Si-hwan, thank you for being born♡] written on it.

My face was fluttering on the truck’s top and large banners, so it would definitely have tremendous presence even from far away.

I was still in a dazed state as I kept bowing my head and went in front of the coffee truck to take verification shots.

Rather, the manager taking pictures for me seemed more excited than I was.

“One close-up shot coming in!”

“Brother, I’m completely bare-faced right now.”

“You were bare-faced during K-Live too, so what! It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re handsome enough right now.”

Only after taking nearly 100 consecutive shots could I receive a warm americano and 6 hot dogs.

“Ah, and Si-hwan. The gifts fans sent arrived early and are being stored in the company basement. I’ll take the coffee and hot dogs to the dorm, so do you want to go see them first?”

“I’ll go see them.”

“Kid, you look quite happy right now?”

“Haha.”

I smiled awkwardly at the manager’s teasing words.

It seems a smile had naturally bloomed on my face without me knowing.

When I went down to the company basement, a staff member who had received advance notice and was waiting greeted me.

“Happy birthday, Si-hwan. It seems fans really went all out preparing this time. You might be surprised when you see it.”

“Just how much could it be……”

“Haha, to move all of this to the dorm, we’d need about 10 people?”

I couldn’t tell at all whether it was an exaggeration or not.

However, it didn’t take long to learn that the staff member’s words were true.

The moment I saw the gifts that filled an entire basement warehouse, my mouth fell open again.

“……Wow.”

The banner on the coffee truck was child’s play compared to this.

From the [☆12.18 Ryu Si-hwan Birthday☆] banner decorating the mountain of gift boxes to the [Happy that Hwan-father came] stickers individually attached to sky blue wrapping paper.

Everything was overflowing with sincerity.

“If you look closely, there are many expensive gifts too. Electronic devices and such were separately set aside by the delivery driver, so please check them.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you……”

“You have plenty of time, so take your time looking.”

The staff member stepped aside for a moment, smiling as if my dumbfounded expression was relatable.

I walked toward where the largest gifts were neatly stacked.

I had no idea what could be inside, so I was just standing there with wide eyes, feeling only my pounding heart.

Then a medium-sized box positioned at eye level caught my sight.

[I hope the future we’ll create together reaches you too]

[Ryu Si-hwan Worldwide Support: Photos, Fan arts, and Messages]

From the introduction and photos carefully attached to the cover, it seemed to be a memory album that fans from around the world had worked together to create.

Starting with my photos from 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉, to hand-drawn fan art, and message books with personal words of encouragement for me.

It was like MILLENNIUM had decided to make my eyes well up with tears.

‘……I’ll have to read through each one carefully later when no one’s around.’

If this floating state continued, my tear ducts, which usually weren’t easily stimulated, would be greatly moved.

If the members were next to me in such a situation, I’d definitely become a lifelong laughingstock, so I should definitely look at it alone.

Besides that, there were all sorts of luxurious contents from various electronic devices the staff mentioned earlier to luxury brand clothes and accessories.

This was the first time I’d felt so overwhelmed.

On one hand, I wondered if it was okay for me to receive gifts worth hundreds, no, tens of millions of won.

‘……The fans wanted to convey their feelings to me this way.’

I quickly shook my head, realizing that such thoughts were a nuisance to MILLENNIUM who loves me.

If I had known they would pour this much passion and capital into it, I should have sung high notes with the intensity to tear my throat during the KIMA stage.

Rather, I felt that the passion we had shown was far lacking.

‘Let’s prepare better for the remaining year-end stages.’

What harsh practice and difficult choreography to memorize.

Compared to the strength MILLENNIUM has delivered to me now, these are insignificantly light topics.

Even if my head splits and my body breaks, I will definitely make them feel rewarded for becoming CENTIX fans.

I came out of the warehouse carrying about five or six gifts including the memory album.

“It seems we’ll really need the 10 people you mentioned earlier.”

“Hahaha, it’s hard to carry them yourself, right? I’ll contact them right away so the remaining gifts can be sent up to the dorm. It’s cold outside so please go in quickly. Ah, happy birthday once more!”

“Thank you.”

Even while riding the elevator to the annex building where our dorm is, my head felt like it was in space, not on Earth.

It would probably take considerable time to escape from this euphoria.

“Guys, are you awake—?”

The moment I barely managed to open the dorm door while holding the gifts.

An unidentified white object blocked my vision.