I’m a Genius Idol but my Passive is Sunfish Chapter 113

***

 

The dawn of June was colder than expected.

 

‘Should I have worn a padded jacket…?’

 

Baepsae, who was sensitive to the cold, was shivering in the chilly dawn air.

 

“Na-Nara-nim. The moon is really pretty…”

 

“Baepsae-nim, are you okay?”

 

“Yes… but when are we going inside…?”

 

Baepsae gazed wistfully at the broadcasting station right in front of them. It felt like a feast she could see but never reach.

 

It had already been five hours since she began her homeless stint—no, her all-nighter—on the asphalt ground of Sangam. The reddish sunset had long since faded completely, replaced by the moon.

 

“Once the supporters arrive, they’ll check the rankings and ‘Fix’ the line. Then we’ll get in pretty quickly!”

 

“Supporters…?”

 

At Baepsae’s questioning look, the idol industry veteran gave a kind explanation.

 

“People who help with fan club activities are called supporters. They come when there’s a music show recording to check rankings, set up the lines before entry, and basically manage the fans. You’ll figure it out naturally once you experience it today.”

 

“I see… but what is ‘Fixing’?”

 

“It means locking the order. Right now, we do a roll call once every hour, right? Once the supporters arrive, check the rankings, and ‘Fix’ the line, you can’t move from that spot until entry.”

 

Attendance procedures varied by agency. Some required fans to send selfies every hour as proof of attendance, while others simply admitted people according to the registration list, making things considerably easier.

 

‘The world of music show recordings is difficult.’

 

Baepsae nodded vaguely and looked down at the number written on her wrist.

 

[64]

 

It was a stroke of genius to get a room near Yeonnam-dong since her company was there. It was relatively close to Sangam.

 

The number on Nara’s wrist was [63].

 

Nara, an Incheon resident, had reportedly left as soon as she submitted the form and waited for Baepsae at a cafe near Sangam. Apparently, she’d been confident they’d get selected.

 

‘What an incredible person…’

 

If Nara had taken her number first, she could have entered earlier. She was an angelic person who had waited just so she could get her number together with a music-show newbie like Baepsae—a true fan mate.

 

Just as Baepsae looked at Nara with a surge of gratitude, fans around them began folding their mats and standing up.

 

“What? Are we going in now?”

 

Baepsae, who had been lying down, sat up and looked at Nara.

 

“The supporters must have arrived. Let’s go.”

 

Nara put on her shoes and gathered her belongings.

 

The two quickly rolled up their mats and ran toward the open area in front of the station. It was amazing how many people suddenly appeared out of nowhere; a massive crowd was gathering.

 

“Excuse me… what number are you?”

 

“Number 87.”

 

“Ah. Thank you.”

 

Nara, taking care of Baepsae, moved a little further forward.

 

“Excuse me, what number are you?”

 

“Number 62.”

 

On their second attempt, they found their spot. Nara and Baepsae showed their numbers and squeezed in between the fans.

 

Glancing ahead, they saw the fan representative and the supporters talking.

 

A moment later, a voice rang out asking everyone to take out their identification and the required items for ranking verification.

 

Baepsae took out her albums and digital download proof from her bag and held them in both hands.

 

“What do I do? I’m so nervous.”

 

A moment ago she’d been freezing while lying down and staring at the moon, but now she didn’t even feel the cold.

 

“If we get first priority, do we enter in this exact order?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then what happens if someone is missing even one item?”

 

“They get ‘Second Priority’ and stand behind number 300. They enter last, regardless of the number on their wrist.”

 

“How cruel…!”

 

Baepsae’s eyes widened.

 

After all this suffering, she could still end up entering last!

 

Although she had checked more than three times before leaving the house, Baepsae felt the need to inspect her items once more out of paranoia.

 

“Has it started?”

 

Looking ahead, the supporters were still talking.

 

There were three DASE supporters in total at Sangam. Deciding to check in batches for a smooth process, they requested that everyone form three lines of 100 people.

 

“Take your time, Baepsae-nim. We just need to stay where we are.”

 

“Y–yes.”

 

Baepsae’s hands were busy searching her things. Just then, a slender voice spoke to her from behind.

 

“Um… is this your first time at a music show recording?”

 

“Us? Ah, I’ve been a few times, but my friend is new.”

 

“I overheard you talking, and it was so cute… If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I come to recordings all the time.”

 

The nameless Naing who claimed to be a regular had a yellow blanket draped over her shoulders as proof.

 

It was a dainty blanket with a chick pattern. Judging by that pattern, the probability was high that her bias was…

 

“Is your bias Cheong…?”

 

“Oh my! How did you know?”

 

“Your chick blanket…”

 

Just as Baekya fans were divided into hamster, squirrel, peach, and Maltese factions, Cheong fans had their own camps.

 

Wolf vs. Snake vs. Chick.

 

Naing #65 seemed to be the latter.

 

“Could I join too…?”

 

Naing #66, who had been buried in social media with her earphones in, cautiously joined the conversation.

 

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

 

Nara welcomed #66 readily.

 

“Thank you. I applied with a fandom friend, but only I got selected… I like all of them, but Baekya is my bias. Yooyeon is my second favorite.”

 

Baepsae shouted in joy.

 

“Whoa! Ah, that slipped out… Sorry. Baekya is my bias, too.”

 

Except for Nara and Baepsae, they were all meeting for the first time, but the four chatted endlessly as if they were childhood friends reunited after years apart.

 

Knights united through DASE.

 

After mastering the fan chants at lightning speed by looking at the sheet given by the supporters, the four of them were confirmed as ‘First Priority’ and were finally facing entry.

 

“Sniff. I can finally see the ‘NAN’ stage with my own eyes.”

 

Eight hours into the all-nighter.

 

Finally heading into the broadcasting station, Baepsae entered Mnet with a pounding heart.

 

Just when she thought she was heading slowly up the stairs into the recording studio—!

 

“We’ll wait here for a moment.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

With the door right in front of her, Baepsae stopped once again.

 

‘Seriously, why are we waiting again inside?’

 

With vacant eyes, Baepsae looked back and forth between the supporters, Nara, and her new friends.

 

“The wait is a bit long, isn’t it? It’s always like this…”

 

This was the price of seeing your bias…

 

#66 comforted Baepsae.

 

Still, flashing lights and the sound of audio leaked through the slightly open entrance of the recording studio.

 

BAM—!

 

“Kyaa!”

 

As a short snippet of the instrumental track, presumably ‘NAN,’ played, the Naings waiting in the hallway let out stifled screams.

 

And then, more endless waiting.

 

A while later, voices inside mentioned ‘fan club entry’, and everyone turned expectantly toward the supporters.

 

After speaking with the staff, the trio finally approached the waiting Naings and made the official announcement.

 

“We will now begin entry.”

 

The Naings stood up with a stir.

 

“Absolutely no running. If you’re caught running, you’ll be removed immediately.”

 

Because the area contained heavy equipment and needed to accommodate 300 people, the supporters repeatedly emphasized safety.

 

“Nara-nim, are we really going in this time? For real?”

 

“Yes, this time it’s for real.”

 

“Sniff. Finally…!”

 

Baepsae was truly on the verge of tears. After a grueling nine-hour wait, the entry felt overwhelming.

 

The supporters’ threat about running worked perfectly; the Naings who crossed the threshold of the studio didn’t run at all. They just walked very fast.

 

“Baepsae-nim! Come quickly.”

 

“What? Yes!”

 

Baepsae entered as the 64th person. she almost lost her soul at the sight.

 

Her eyes shook at the stage, which was much closer than she had imagined. She quickly followed behind Nara. Even though she was in the 60s, she felt like she was in the 2.5th row.

 

‘Crazy. What is happening?’

 

It was said to be closer than the Idol Athletics Championship, but nobody mentioned it would be right in front of her nose like this.

 

Exaggerating only slightly, Baepsae’s hands began to tremble at a distance that felt as close as a fansign.

 

‘This is insane. Am I going to pass out when Baekya comes out later?’

 

Dried roses and a broken statue. A dreamy white moon glowed on the massive LED screen in front, and translucent cloth hanging from the ceiling swayed in even the slightest breeze.

 

Since it was the first reveal of the comeback, she could feel how much care had been put into the stage set. Giving it a passing grade in her heart, Baepsae looked around the studio in wonder, as it was her first time there.

 

‘There seemed to be so many people, but we got in surprisingly quickly.’

 

The staff was closing the doors, meaning fan entry was complete. She was zoning out while watching the closing doors when, for a split second, a red and a platinum-blonde head passed through the gap.

 

“Whoa!”

 

It was only for a moment, but it was definitely Baekya. She knew because her heart was pounding like crazy.

 

***

 

Current time: 5:03 AM, Baekya Time.

 

Boksoong, who had accidentally fallen asleep while waiting for the recording reviews, woke up at the same time as Baekya’s birthday.

 

“Gasp, the pre-recording!”

 

Boksoong hurriedly turned on her social media and refreshed her timeline.

 

[En-Ca ‘NAN’ Pre-recording Review]

Did 1 practice run and 2.5 recordings, total of 3.5 times. Costumes were the khaki uniform versions they wore in the Vampire Castle self-produced content, except Yulmu wore a long(?) uniform.

└ The camera work seemed pretty good. You’ll see when it broadcasts, but Baekya, Minseong, and Yooyeon sing the highlight parts, and all three have different vibes. Jihan & Cheong’s rap part is absolute bliss. When the two stood back-to-back and stared into the camera, I actually got intimidated for a second.

└ Personally, the stage set was well-made. The statue from the MV is broken, and because of the moon and roses, it feels more like looking at male gods than vampires.

└ Baekya came up first to greet us and wait for the members, but he must have been a bit shy. He kept glancing at the stairs where the members were coming up, then said, ‘I’ll go bring the members’, and ran away.

└ Then he came back up with Cheong, and his face looked more comfortable than before. When Cheong asked Baekya if he was a baby and why he couldn’t stay alone, the Naings went wild.

Baek: It’s not like that.

Cheong: It’s okay, Baekya is a scaredy-cat.

Baek: Hmph… You, go back down!

Baekya kept trying to push Cheong toward the stairs, but you could tell Cheong was having the time of his lifeㅋㅋㅋ

└ And Yulmu came up greeting us so loudly. Even though the mic wasn’t on, I swear the Naings at the very back heard him ㅋㅋㅋ Seriously, what kind of vocal projection is that?

Yul: You shouldn’t tease our Dangbaek~ You’ll get bitten, you know?

Baek: Are you saying you want to be bitten?

Yul: No way~ I hate, hate pain~