I’m a Genius Idol but my Passive is Sunfish Chapter 66

* * *

 

Around that time, Boksoong’s peach.

 

Attending the schedule for a collaborative stage at S Entertainment, he was at another company’s practice room. He never dreamed he would meet this guy here.

 

“We meet again. We’ve seen each other before, right?”

 

Standing in front of Baekya was Harang—the very person involved in that unfortunate incident, the trainee who’d been expelled right before debut—holding out his hand.

 

‘When on earth did he debut?’

 

For Baekya, who didn’t even have enough hours in a day with just promotions and dance practice, Daehwan’s massive project had been added on top. With barely enough time to sleep, let alone monitor performances, there was no way Baekya would know about Harang’s debut.

 

The only fortunate thing was that Baekya had a good sense for detecting danger.

 

“W-well….”

 

A situation where the sole witness to someone’s private life and the person caught red-handed were face-to-face. The gaze looking at him was much sharper than before; Harang was undoubtedly still suspicious of him.

 

‘Pretending to know him won’t do any good.’

 

Baekhya was clumsy and insignificant at everything he did, treated like an extra by his members—but as someone on his second life, he at least had decent social instincts.

 

“Nice to meet you?”

 

The awkward lift at the end of his sentence gave him away. His instincts were fine, but his acting was trash.

 

“Going to pretend you don’t know me? Alright, then. But I guess you haven’t taken acting lessons yet. Seems like you need some.”

 

Harang snorted as if mocking Baekya.

 

‘…Did I just get looked down on?’

 

Anyone with a brain could tell. He’d felt something off about Harang’s condescending tone since earlier, and now it was clear—Harang didn’t like him.

 

‘But why? What did I even do?’

 

He was alone without Namkyung or the members. It was frustrating having nowhere to complain.

 

‘This is why I didn’t want to do it. Damn you, Yulmu-cha.’

 

The blame naturally shifted to Yulmu.

 

Harang had already turned his back as if he had nothing more to say, so he couldn’t continue the conversation either. Baekya pouted and took out his phone. Just then, a number appeared on the group chat room.

 

[Yooyeon: Baekdo, are you doing okay?]

[Yulmu: Why don’t you ask me?]

[Yooyeon: Hyung takes care of himself well~ Baekdo has no social skills so it’s a big problem ㅠ]

[Yulmu: That’s true lol]

 

‘I have no social skills? Because I am letting them off easy, these humans are really…’

 

Trembling at the real-time gossip happening right in front of him (virtually), Baekya typed on the keyboard.

 

[Me: Wanna die?]

[Yulmu: Wow~ What’s with that personality? lol]

[Jihan: Han Baekya when are you coming?]

[Me: Don’t know… Someone come get me]

[Yooyeon: Ah why is this so funny lol Why act like that when you went because you said you wanted to]

 

“Ha!”

 

I said I wanted to go? Me?

 

Baekya shuddered at Yooyeon’s remark that crossed the line. To clarify once again, Baekya absolutely did not want to do this.

 

The recording with Daehwan tomorrow was already one of his worries, and now he had one more worry because of Harang who openly disliked him.

 

[Minseong: Focus on the task at hand^^ That way it ends quickly haha]

 

The group chat paused briefly at the leader’s boomer-like remark. Baekya sometimes felt a sense of disconnect with Minseong’s actual personality, which was quite different from his first impression.

 

The three broadcasting stations seemed to have coordinated their schedules for the exact same day. Seeing no contact from Cheong, it seemed he had already started practice, and Yulmu replied with an emoticon of a puppy cowering in a corner of a room.

 

‘What is this….’

 

Baekya just fiddled with his phone with a disgruntled face. Harang glanced sideways at the phone from next to him, but the sunfish didn’t notice at all.

 

Just then, Blonde 1, a member of BB9, and Blonde 2 from a rookie group that debuted during AIM’s promotion period, approached.

 

“Hello.”

 

“Nice to meet you~ You were already exchanging greetings.”

 

Finally, with the arrival of another Blonde 3, all participants for the S Entertainment collaborative stage were gathered in one place.

 

“I think we can decide the song among ourselves to fit the theme.”

 

Harang asked for opinions, checking if anyone had a song in mind. Although he was a fresh rookie who had debuted just a month ago, he led the meeting skillfully, proving his long trainee life.

 

“Wow~ As expected of a leader, your hosting skills are no joke.”

 

Harang smirked at Blonde 2’s flattery.

 

“I’ve been a trainee for a long time, so I’m sick and tired of these group project meetings.”

 

“If it’s not rude, may I ask how many years you did it?”

 

“About 6 years.”

 

Everyone gathered was astonished by the considerable experience.

 

‘Tenacious.’

 

Baekya clicked his tongue looking at Harang.

 

No, but wait, that guy was speaking informally and ignoring me earlier, but he’s acting normal in front of the Blondes?

 

Baekya pouted with a sullen expression.

 

‘Is he discriminating against people or what.’

 

Blonde 3, unaware of Baekya’s dissatisfaction, continued to ask questions.

 

“Have you been at this company the whole time?”

 

Harang lightly shook his head and looked at Baekya. At that momentary eye contact, Baekya’s lips, which had been sticking out the door, instantly returned to place.

 

“Ahem. Hmm.”

 

The sunfish cleared his throat and hurriedly managed his expression.

 

“No. I was at ID for quite a long time.”

 

“ID?! Then why….”

 

Blonde 3 quickly shut his mouth, but there was no one who didn’t understand what the omitted words implied.

 

“Exactly. I moved because I was desperate to debut, but I didn’t know DASE would come out first either.”

 

That was a total lie.

 

At first, he couldn’t understand why Harang was saying that while looking at him, but Baekya, knowing the truth, felt a silent pressure in Harang’s gaze.

 

Talk and you die, something like that?

 

‘Yeah, yeah. I don’t want to be involved with you anymore either.’

 

Having witnessed not only the secret dating scene but now also the scene of identity laundering, Baekya felt like dying of discomfort.

 

‘I wish we could just pick a song quickly and split up.’

 

However, the Blondes seemed to still have many questions.

 

“Then did you two originally know each other?”

 

“No. He joined after I moved companies so we’ve never met.”

 

It was a statement contradictory to the attitude of pretending to know him upon sight, but Baekya roughly agreed.

 

“Yes. We met for the first time today.”

 

Baekya straightened his sitting posture, thinking the conversation was winding down. But Harang didn’t stop there and continued to mention DASE.

 

“Still, I’m close with the other members. I have peers in Rose Day too.”

 

Harang began showing off his connections with ID people in front of the Blondes.

 

‘Am I here representing DASE at the rookie boy group friendship convention or what?’

 

He came dressed comfortably expecting to be worked to death for choreography practice, but it was all useless. It felt like today would be wasted just like this.

 

‘Aren’t other teams busy? Is only DASE busy? Am I the only one not sleeping?’

 

He started suspecting that the saying ‘year-end is the busiest time for idol groups’ was all a lie.

 

“We still contact each other often these days. Minseong is my trainee peer, you see.”

 

I see~ You were the same age as our house boomer, no, I mean leader~

 

Baekya nodded and reacted roughly. Since Harang probably spent more time at ID than Baekya had known the members, he had nothing else to say.

 

‘Ah… I want to go to the dorm.’

 

After a small reaction, the sunfish just picked at his nails, hoping for the conversation to end.

 

“How about AIM sunbaenims?”

 

Blonde 3! Please stop!

 

At the question mark killer worse than Cheong, Baekya’s face was turning pale. He didn’t know why they were asking Harang such questions leaving him, who belonged to ID, aside, but the sunfish was gradually finding this seat painful.

 

At the chatter showing no signs of ending, he impulsively brought up the status window.

 

‘Fine. Let’s just do a draw.’

 

Han Baekya had grown a lot. Bringing up the status window effortlessly even in front of people.

 

Thinking himself that he had become quite bold, he shouted for 5 draws in his heart.

 

‘Please. Let a useful skill come out this time, please.’

 

A moment later, the four letters Baekya considered most ominous in the world floated in the air.

 

[Skill Acquired!]

 

Having been betrayed so many times, his hands and feet trembled just seeing those letters now. It seemed Blonde 1 next to him could hear his heart beating crazily, as Baekya felt him glancing over.

 

“Haha.”

 

I am fine.

 

Baekya forced the corners of his mouth up into a smile to reassure Blonde 1. Then he began to slowly read the second line of the status window.

 

[<Hello! Cleopatra (S)>, <Concept Master (A)>, <Clumsy Clumsy (C)>, <Soul of K-Pop Ghost (C)>]

 

“Heup!”

 

Startled by the S-rank he saw for the first time, the Sunfish shouted. He covered his mouth belatedly, but everyone’s gaze was directed at him.

 

“I, uh, got a cramp in my leg.”

 

Baekya stood up saying he would go to the restroom for a moment.

 

“Will you be okay? A cramp in the leg….”

 

Ah, right.

 

Baekya, who stood up too fine for an injured person, relaxed his left leg and tapped his thigh.

 

“I guess I was too nervous. I’m fine, so please continue your conversation.”

 

Harang looked suspiciously at the sight of him limping on his left leg while standing and then limping on his right leg while walking out. He had a look of disapproval wondering how someone like that debuted at ID and was thriving.

 

Meanwhile, the sunfish who came out of the practice room was stomping his feet in excitement.

 

“S-rank? Really?!”

 

Overjoyed by the unbelievable skill rarity, Baekya was at 100% happiness. So that was why his dance skill had been downgraded last time—this was today’s payoff.

 

“Phew. First, calm down.”

 

Regaining his composure, Baekya opened the skill detail window.