I’m a Genius Idol but my Passive is Sunfish Chapter 68

Baekya approached Blonde 1, who was sprawled out in the middle of the practice room. Among these people, Geumil (Blonde 1) from BB9 was the best. They were Imjingak peers in a way, same age, and communicated well in many aspects.

 

“Want some water?”

 

“Ah, thank you.”

 

Geumil got up and took the water cup.

 

“Do you practice in places like this every day? But why is your dancing….”

 

“Wanna die?”

 

Flaring up, the clumsy one quietly clenched his fist.

 

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

 

Geumil clicked his tongue, saying Baekya looked gentle but had quite a temper unlike his appearance.

 

“Do you get any sleep?”

 

“Don’t know. Feel like dying.”

 

Having practiced Walking Dead so much lately, zombies appeared even in his dreams. This was a symptom all DASE members were experiencing. Apart from it being hard and Daehwan being uncomfortable, the song work itself was quite fun.

 

Perhaps the title of genius composer wasn’t just for show; Daehwan perfectly reinterpreted a song over 20 years old into a modern style. With lyrics only adding Jihan’s rap part, preserving the original song’s feel, it received a standing ovation from ID’s representative producer, PD Myung.

 

“Heard you’re doing something with AIM sunbaenims.”

 

“How did you know?”

 

“Rumors are everywhere.”

 

Geumil shook his phone.

 

“Articles went out saying we’re doing a special stage too.”

 

With an excited face, Geumil pulled up the article and showed it to him.

 

[Winter Fairies’ Winter Song Hot Rookie Collab! Legendary Visual Stage Incoming]

 

“……Why is the title like this?”

 

“Why? I like it.”

 

Baekya quietly looked away, feeling like he saw something he shouldn’t have. Just then, a shadow fell over Baekya and Geumil lying down. It was Harang.

 

“Let’s start practicing again.”

 

Having actively expressed opinions from the first meeting, Harang was assuming the role of the implicit leader of this project team before anyone knew it.

 

Since Baekya inherently disliked attention and preferred to go with the flow, Harang’s attitude didn’t bother him. Rather, it was comfortable having someone step up like that.

 

However, this thought didn’t last long.

 

“Wait a moment. That’s not the arm angle.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Do you know how many times we’re restarting because of you right now?”

 

When the Blondes made the same mistake, he brushed it off lightly, but whenever Baekya made a mistake, he would cut the music and humiliate him.

 

DASE members tended to encourage him saying it was okay even if he got it wrong, but Harang was the opposite. He tried to crush Baekya’s spirit whenever he had a chance.

 

Since it was a project group, there was a lack of understanding for each other and, above all, no consideration. It seemed everyone was only greedy about securing their own parts.

 

Of course, it was expected, but actually experiencing it was more stressful than thought.

 

“Hey~ Harang hyung. We agreed not to put too much effort into the choreography.”

 

At least Geumil stepped up to defend Baekya, but Harang didn’t bend.

 

“That’s why it’s more of a problem. Isn’t it a bit much to not be able to handle choreography at the level of a preschool dance? If it were me, I’d be embarrassed.”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

The members knew well from the Sunfish Rebellion incident, but the resident sunfish had a tendency to flare up occasionally. And the last line just now triggered his sudden acceleration switch.

 

“The next practice is the last one, what are we supposed to do if you’re still confused about the moves.”

 

At the neurotic muttering clearly meant to be heard, Baekya’s expression also started to rot.

 

“Aren’t you crossing the line a bit with your words?”

 

This stage was supposed to downplay the choreography and focus more on the song. Yet from part distribution onward, Harang had picked at everything Baekya did.

 

Even the move he’d just nitpicked wasn’t actually a problem at all.

 

He didn’t know what grudge he held from a past life to act like that.

 

Anyway, because of that, two hours had passed since meeting, but they could count on one hand the number of times they completed the song.

 

“Doesn’t it occur to you that we’re not making progress because someone keeps cutting in the middle?”

 

Invisible sparks were flying between Harang and Baekya.

 

“H-hyungs, why are you being like this….”

 

Geumi and Geumsam, reading the room, tried to stop Harang. Baekya also roughly swept up his bangs and said to Geumil.

 

“Let go.”

 

“…I’m not holding you, Baekya.”

 

He was just standing next to him.

 

Unlike the Blondes holding Harang, Geumil’s hands were free.

 

“A-anyway!”

 

A drop of cold sweat ran down the back of his neck, but frowning again, Baekya declared he had to say his piece.

 

“I’m not taking this lightly just because it’s a project group. I’ve always been slow at memorizing choreography. I know that’s nothing to brag about. But you’re holding only me to such a strict standard—it feels unfair.”

 

His words came out faster and clearer than even main rapper Jihan’s, with perfect diction. At Baekya’s unexpected side, Geumil applauded inwardly.

 

“Once we get through this stage, we probably won’t ever share a stage again, right? So even if you don’t like me, just put up with it. I’m putting up with it too.”

 

Baekya grumbled quietly, asking if he thought others were staying silent because they liked it. Harang, speechless at the runaway sunfish locomotive, could only glare at Baekya with his mouth stupidly agape.

 

“Any words to say?”

 

Since the atmosphere is already ruined, say it if you have something to say, the brave hamster didn’t hesitate to provoke.

 

Kids these days must eat something good growing up, Baekya was the smallest here too. Seeing the tiny one glaring his eyes wide and challenging a duel, the Blondes were also dumbfounded.

 

“No? Then let’s just practice again.”

 

Baekya unintentionally seized the initiative. The atmosphere that was precariously maintaining peace went completely to hell.

 

It was a thousand reliefs there was no making-film shooting, no, maybe if there were cameras, it wouldn’t have come to this state….

 

Geumil squeezed his eyes shut predicting his future. It seemed this special stage was doomed.

 

* * *

 

D-DAY.

 

Today was the day of the Gayo Daejejeon for S Entertainment, which held its award ceremony first among the three broadcasting stations.

 

“Eugyak!”

 

From early morning, Baekya suffered the terrible misfortune of falling off the bed. He’d definitely heard the alarm in his sleep, but the moment he opened his eyes, the status window in front of him shocked him so badly he jolted upright.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Jihan, a towel draped over his head, walked over and helped him up.

 

“No this, what is this…!”

 

It must have hurt quite a bit as Baekya rubbed his tailbone with a grimace, but he didn’t stop pointing his finger in the air. Jihan, looking at him strangely, clicked his tongue.

 

“Wake up quickly.”

 

After ruffling the bird’s-nest-like mess Baekya’s hair had become overnight, Jihan went off to wake Yooyeon.

 

It was a dim, awkward dawn before even the sun had risen. Rubbing his eyes, Baekya slowly reread the quest in front of him.

 

[A new Quest has arrived!]

[Q. Genius Idol (1): Win three or more Rookie Awards]

 

“Crazy…….”

 

A Genius Idol quest appearing in a game about surviving as a genius idol.

 

It didn’t specify a failure penalty, and the quest title—usually playful whether main or hidden—felt unusually heavy, but he knew instinctively.

 

‘…Am I going to die?’

 

It was the first appearance of the ruined game’s Main Quest.

 

‘But win three or more Rookie Awards?’

 

Where is your conscience, XX.

 

The sensitive hamster’s personality had become much sharper while proceeding with the special stage. Sitting on the floor, Baekya began counting on his fingers with a serious face.

 

‘Let’s see. The award ceremonies DASE agreed to attend are…….’

 

The half-asleep hamster suddenly started acting strange. Jihan, who’d come back over, waved a hand in front of Baekya’s face, interrupting him.

 

“You sleeping?”

 

Lately Baekya had been grinding his teeth in his sleep like he was full of anger—was this another kind of sleep-talking? Jihan looked suspicious.

 

“…I’m not sleeping.”

 

“Then what are you doing.”

 

“Calculating survival probability.”

 

Definitely sleeping.

 

Up to here was what happened in the morning.

 

“Why is he shaking like that?”

 

“I don’t know. He doesn’t look good.”

 

Minseong quietly asked Jihan. The sound of the two of them bickering from early morning had carried all the way outside the room.

 

Even in the car heading to the broadcasting station after stopping by the shop, and even after arriving at the station, Baekya couldn’t stay still, making Minseong look worried.

 

“It’s because of the special stage~ Since we are rookies, it’s natural to be nervous!”

 

Yulmu, on the other hand, brushed it off lightly. A blue ribbon tied around his wrist, now draped over Baekya’s shoulder, stood out.

 

“We can’t lose our house hamster, so we’ve got to mark him~”

 

Baekya, who would usually bare his teeth and reject strongly, was unusually docile. Even while Yulmu was tying a ribbon around Baekya’s neck, the sunfish’s mind was still sold elsewhere.

 

“W-what. Why is he like this?”

 

Only then sensing something strange, Yulmu scrambled away from him with a fearful face.

 

“He is definitely acting strange.”

 

“Hamster is sleeping with his eyes open right now. His face looks stupid.”

 

Yooyeon and Cheong chimed in one by one.

 

“I can hear everything.”

 

Baekya warned, groping the ribbon tied around his neck.

 

The conclusion he reached after deliberation was ‘For now, it’s fortunate’. S Entertainment’s Gayo Daejejeon was the only one among the three broadcasters that didn’t give awards. Under the theme ‘Music Becoming One’, it was scheduled to proceed only with real-time popularity voting divided into Blue Team and White Team.

 

AIM and DASE were assigned to the Blue Team side by side. This blue ribbon the members had on their bodies one by one was an item Blue Team performers must wear.

 

“Yulmu-cha, stop doing weird things.”

 

Baekya pulled on the clumsily tied ribbon. But instead of loosening, it felt like his neck was tightening.

 

“Keuk. What, why won’t it untie?”

 

Flustered, Baekya pulled the other string. The more he did, the tighter the sunfish’s neck became.

 

“Cough cough.”

 

Cheong screamed at Baekya coughing and clutching his neck.

 

“Oh my god! Yulmu killed the hamster!”

 

“N-no! I didn’t intend to…!”

 

Startled, Yulmu rushed over and examined the ribbon he had tied.

 

“W-what? What did you do?”

 

“Look who’s talking right now!”

 

Baekya, feeling suffocated, was putting his fingers between his neck and the string to secure space. Members quickly gathered around Baekya’s reddening face.

 

“Aack! Is the hamster dying?!”

 

“Don’t say ominous things!”

 

As Cheong made a huge fuss, Baekya snapped back, saying he’d jinx him.

 

“Move aside.”

 

Yooyeon shoved Yulmu away and only ended up tangling the ribbon even more, while Minseong shouted that they should just cut it off and called for a scalpel.