I’m a Genius Idol but my Passive is Sunfish Chapter 61

In contrast to Nara, who was a resident of Incheon, Baepsae lived in Seoul. Despite it being the weekend, she’d gone through subway hell, and the concert hadn’t even started yet—she was already half-dead.

 

‘This is the first time I’ve had to line up from the stairs just to tap my card at the ticket gate.’

 

Even rush-hour commuting wasn’t this brutal….

 

Ever since she started liking DASE, Baepsae had been experiencing new things every day.

 

No one had told them to, yet everyone was standing in perfectly organized lines.

 

‘This is the attitude of the people leading the amazing K-pop fan culture!’

 

Secretly admiring the sight, Baepsae finally passed through the ticket gate after a long wait. As soon as she exited, she ran straight toward Gate 3.

 

“Hah. Hah.”

 

Barely making it by the appointment time, Baepsae looked around for Nara. But a problem arose here.

 

It was autumn, the season of trench coats. Everyone gathered at Munhak Stadium was wearing a trench coat and holding a sports towel, except for her, it seemed.

 

‘Is there a dress code or something…?’

 

While Baepsae was flustered, Nara spotted her first.

 

“Baepsae-nim!”

 

Nara, who said DASE was her second time fandom, quickly found Baepsae thanks to her years of experience.

 

Actually, Baepsae didn’t remember Nara’s face very well. It might sound like an excuse, but they hadn’t met since the fan sign event…. Plus, unlike herself, Nara’s messenger profile picture was a photo of Jihan.

 

“Did you run here? It’s okay to take your time.”

 

“No, I couldn’t make you wait. But what is that towel?”

 

Baepsae’s gaze went downward.

 

“Towel? Ah~ this?”

 

Nara proudly unfolded the narrow, long object in her hand.

 

“Ta-da! Isn’t it pretty!”

 

[Jihan I Love You]

 

Also known as the ‘I Love You Slogan’.

 

Of course, it wasn’t actually a towel; it was an item called a slogan among fans, with a confession to Jihan written across one side.

 

“Didn’t you bring anything, Baepsae-nim?”

 

“Huh? Ah, I….”

 

Baepsae fiddled with her empty hands.

 

‘Should I hold one too…?’

 

While she was briefly contemplating, a scream full of excitement was heard from right next to them.

 

“Kyaaa! So pretty!”

 

Both of them turned instinctively. It seemed the people next to them were also DASE fans, as they were holding a slogan with a familiar name. The round font on a pink background caught their eye.

 

[Peach Baekya]

 

At that moment, Baepsae’s pupils dilated. The Peach Slogan didn’t end there.

 

When flipped over, Baekya’s face appeared. A peach with a leaf pin in its hair was printed on it. The photo of him poking his cheek with a shy look was something she had never seen on any fan site.

 

And the small peaches floating around it. Wasn’t this truly an incredible item!

 

“Ex-excuse me.”

 

Instinct took over reason, and she stopped them.

 

“Where can I buy that?”

 

Fan 1 and Fan 2 were wary of her slightly crazed eyes. However, upon spotting the ‘I Love You Slogan’ in Nara’s hand, they lowered their guard a little.

 

“Are you DASE fans by any chance?”

 

“Yes! I like Baekya!”

 

So please, tell me where I can buy it, Baepsae pleaded emotionally for the source.

 

Seeing how desperate she looked, Fan 1 readily shared the purchase location.

 

“This is Baeksang-nim’s Peach Slogan. But….”

 

“…But?”

 

Whenever a ‘but’ was attached like that, ominous words usually followed.

 

“The pre-order period is over, so it will be hard to find now.”

 

Thud. Baepsae fell to her knees once again.

 

Her cartilage never had a day of rest. Startled, Nara helped Baepsae up.

 

“Ba-Baepsae-nim, are you okay?”

 

“Peach Slooogan…”

 

She didn’t even know such a thing existed. She thought she had become quite a pro fangirl, but the road ahead still seemed long.

 

A while later, having regained her composure, Baepsae and Nara entered the stadium.

 

“I’ll help you look for anyone transferring a Peach Slogan too.”

 

Not sure if there will be any, though.

 

Nara patted Baepsae’s back and handed her a piece of chocolate.

 

“Thank you, Nara-nim….”

 

Seeing Baepsae seem to regain her energy compared to before, Nara felt relieved, too.

 

“But why do you have so much luggage?”

 

Baepsae asked if she was going on a trip somewhere after the concert. At that, Nara shook her head.

 

“I’m originally a bit of a bobusang style.”

 

(TL note: Bobusang (보부상) refers to traditional traveling merchants in Korea’s Joseon Dynasty who carried goods on their backs, essential for commerce by distributing goods and connecting regions, and today the term is revived in fashion for large, utilitarian “carry-it-all” bags, reflecting a blend of historical importance and modern practicality. )

 

Honestly, even a peddler would carry less—but Bapsae kept that thought to herself.

 

Like Doraemon, there was nothing missing from her eco-bag. Water, chocolate, and a portable battery were standard, but the identity of the huge black pouch she just pulled out was the highlight.

 

“What is that?”

 

“Ah, this? It’s binoculars.”

 

“…Why do you have binoculars?”

 

Bapsae stared between Nara and the binoculars in disbelief.

 

“Technically, concerts aren’t about seeing faces—you’re supposed to come to cheer. But still, you get greedy, you know?”

 

This was also news to her.

 

She had seen posts about cheering hard to boost the kids’ morale….

 

‘I came to see faces, though.’

 

Even though she was on the third floor, the big screen had been enough—until now.

 

“…Are those professional-grade?”

 

“Yes. Professional.”

 

Seeing how serious they looked, Bapsae got serious too.

 

“The screen is big too, wouldn’t looking through that make you dizzy?”

 

At that, Nara, who was attaching a selfie stick to the binoculars, paused and answered.

 

“It’s okay. I won’t use them for the screen. And Bapsae-nim, I don’t trust cameras.”

 

You know well from watching music shows, but bad camera work isn’t just a one-time thing, Nara said with distaste. Of course, Baepsae agreed.

 

“And at the very end, after the ending stage, all the performers come out and do a lap, you know? That’s when these really shine.”

 

“Wow, I see… But why are you attaching a selfie stick?”

 

“Ah, this is great and all, but it’s a bit heavy.”

 

Nara explained that connecting it like this allowed the selfie stick to act as a support, so her arm wouldn’t hurt.

 

‘Jihan Nation… just who are you….’

 

Baepsae learned yet another thing like this.

 

Nara advised her that it wouldn’t be bad to get one if she could.

 

‘Apparently it’s cheaper if you order overseas.’

 

While they were waiting for the concert to start sharing such trivial conversations, the lights illuminating the audience seats slowly dimmed.

 

“Hello everyone~”

 

On the screen, the MC for the day could be seen coming up onto the stage. A second-generation idol who made quite a name for himself as a variety-dol. Yeongsam, who actively resumed activities after being discharged from the military, was hosting today.

 

“K-pop idols all mobilized! The K-Concert with the Korea Tourism Organization and Incheon City, starts right now!”

 

With the tremendous shouts of 40,000 people, the stadium went dark.

 

* * *

 

– AIM KCON Cue Sheet! Pluto, Black Sign, Small Universe (Cue sheet photo.jpg)

└ Isn’t DASE on there?

└ I picked this up too haha, but I think I saw the juniors are doing No Game and WANT ME~

 

DASE was ninth in the order. It was quite late for a rookie group. Even BB9 and Blossom, who debuted with DASE, were fourth or fifth.

 

“Guys, let’s check the movement path one more time before going up.”

 

The leader called the members together.

 

There were two teams left until DASE’s stage. Since the team currently on stage was performing their last song, it meant only one team remained.

 

“Perform ‘No Game’ on the main stage, move to the extended stage while doing the ment. ‘WANT ME’ on the extented stage.”

 

The path wasn’t complicated. Since there were two routes leading to the extended stage—left and right—the only request was to split into groups of three after discussing it among themselves.

 

“The maknaes go right, we’ll go left.”

 

“Got it~”

 

Cheong replied, flicking Baekya’s sailor collar.

 

“Hey, Spicy-baby, you okay now?”

 

“….”

 

What even was that supposed to mean?

 

Baekya looked up at Cheong with a sulky expression.

 

“Not spicy baby, but weak-to-spice. And I’m not weak to spice.”

 

“Really? But everyone except you ate it just fine. So yeah—you’re spicy-baby.”

 

Cheong teased him with a smug grin. Finding the exchange hilarious, Yooyeon was clutching his stomach laughing.

 

“Stop teasing him. We have to go up on stage.”

 

Jihan, who had been secretly laughing, stopped Cheong pretending he wasn’t.

 

“Just wait until we get down.”

 

Gritting his teeth, the hamster vowed revenge on the wolf cub. Meanwhile, the concert staff announced that DASE’s turn was approaching.

 

“DASE, get ready.”

 

The members followed Namkyung and the staff inside the stage area. Once the previous team’s stage ended, the ‘No Game’ performance would start immediately along with the MC’s short introduction.

 

“Okay! Next up is, ah~ this group is here. A group that became a hot topic with various issues in the entertainment industry as soon as they debuted.”

 

Yeongsam introduced them as the group that recently returned as dolls and stole not only fans’ hearts but his own as well.

 

“DASE! Let’s meet them right now.”

 

As the introduction ended, the members ran to the center of the stage. On the darkened stage, various fan lights gathered in the audience seats were clearly visible.

 

‘Wow, pretty….’

 

Baekya, in formation, stared at the twinkling light sticks as if possessed. Then, he suddenly remembered an interview of an idol member he had seen sometime.

 

[The emptiness felt when returning home after finishing a concert was too hard. So for a while, I was too scared to stand on stage.]

[I couldn’t go up on stage because I felt like those lights would all disappear someday. I suffered from stage fright for quite a long time.]

 

Back then, he hadn’t understood. He’d thought it was just the words of a successful, popular idol taking things for granted.

 

But now, seeing all those light sticks gathered together, he felt like he finally understood—at least a little—what that ‘emptiness’ meant.

 

‘Red is AIM, blue is Boys’ World, I guess.’

 

The red waves and blue waves occupying half of the 3rd floor each like the Taegeukgi symbol were overwhelming.

 

‘Are our fans somewhere over there too?’

 

Since DASE didn’t have an official fan club or lightstick yet, it was hard to recognize them, but he could feel them through the cheers he heard now.

 

Baekya clenched his fist and firmly resolved.

 

‘I absolutely won’t make a mistake today.’

 

[Tremendous Will!]

[A new Quest (Event) has arrived!]