I’m a Genius Idol but my Passive is Sunfish Chapter 88

She thought it’d be like a concert; just show up around the right time, stroll in leisurely, casually watch some celebrities, and leave….

 

But what even is a group leader, why do they write a number on your wrist the moment you arrive, and what’s with the attendance check every two hours?

 

Baepsae, who got on the last train the previous day because Nara pestered her saying she needed to get an early number to sit in the front row, stayed up all night with her eyes wide open.

 

Because fandom of singers with more seniority entered first, Baepsae and Nara practically entered last.

 

“Baepsae-nim, aren’t you going to put on makeup?”

 

“I didn’t bring anything….”

 

Nara, who was drawing eyeliner in the next seat, held out her pouch.

 

“Use mine!”

 

“Then just one sheet of oil blotting paper….”

 

She’d already thought something felt off when they agreed to meet by taking the last train, but she assumed idols just had to film at dawn because scheduling was hard. She’d gotten all dolled up thinking about seeing her bias, but her makeup had been completely swallowed by oil, leaving no trace.

 

Baepsae, reluctant to use someone else’s cosmetics, roughly wiped away the fatigue of the all-nighter with oil blotting paper.

 

‘Was one sheet too optimistic….’

 

She’d only wiped her forehead, yet the sheet had already turned translucent. Quickly crumpling it up and pretending nothing happened, Bapsae quietly held out her hand, asking for just one more. Just then, a few people who looked like staff appeared carrying boxes with DASE’s name written on them.

 

Nara-nim handed the whole pack of oil blotting paper, telling her to use it freely. Baepsae took it and pointed ahead.

 

“Nara-nim, what’s that?”

 

“Is it a slogan?”

 

The Naings, busy fixing their appearances, craned their necks to watch the staff.

 

“Please pass them back one by one. Thank you.”

 

Opening the rather large box, it contained a lunch box and various snacks.

 

“Kyaa! Look at this!”

 

Nara screamed and started taking pictures with her phone.

 

[For my Naing♡ Thank you for coming! We’ll try our best!]

 

It was a sticker with a cute message written over DASE’s WANT ME group photo.

 

‘Is this the return gift I’ve only heard about!?’

 

Just moments ago, she felt like dying, tired, and wanted to go home. But with just one sticker attached to the lunch box, Baepsae felt a thousand years of fatigue vanish.

 

She gently peeled off the sticker and stuck it on the back of her phone. Seeing the entire gymnasium buzzing, it seemed other fandoms were in a similar situation.

 

* * *

 

Youngsam and an announcer-turned-MC hosted the ‘3rd Lunar New Year Special Idol Star Athletics Championships’. With their opening remarks, the program recording began.

 

— Idol athletes are entering. Please welcome them with warm applause.

 

The Blue Team entered with a blue flag. As Boys World, standing at the front, waved towards the fan seats, loud cheers rang out.

 

— Next is the White Team’s entrance.

 

A total of twenty idol teams participated in ISAC, divided evenly into the Blue Team and White Team. As Youngsam’s voice resonated, Yulmu, holding a white flag, stepped forward.

 

“Let’s go~”

 

The jersey-style sportswear was a new product from a brand known for aggressively marketing with idols and providing generous sponsorships.

 

Unlike the Blue Team, who wore matching tops and bottoms, the White Team wore white tops and black bottoms. Thanks to his excellent physique, Yulmu, holding the flag at the front, looked like the captain of a national team.

 

“Are you nervous? You can’t stay still.”

 

“I’m just wondering where the fans are.”

 

Baekya glanced at the densely packed fan seats.

 

“There! I found them!”

 

Cheong shouted, pointing to a corner of the gymnasium.

 

[AIM is all hype. Unbelievable!]

[DASE’s facial features are clearer than my future!]

 

DASE’s banner was visible next to AIM’s banner. Baekya smiled brightly upon spotting the Naings.

 

At that moment, the fan seats were in an uproar seeing Cheong pointing at them and the members smiling towards them.

 

“Ahhh! They looked over here!”

 

Nara excitedly slapped Bapsae’s arm. Bapsae muttered blankly,

 

“Crazy… Baekya just smiled while looking at me.”

 

— Yes. Representatives of the male and female athlete teams from each team, please come forward.

 

Four athlete representatives stepped onto the podium. The oath proceeded, led by AIM’s Yeonha.

 

“We, the athletes participating in the Lunar New Year Special Idol Star Athletics Championships, will abide by the rules of the upcoming games.”

 

With a final pledge to bring joy and emotion to fans and viewers, the athletics championships began in earnest.

 

The first event was the Acupressure Mat Hacky Sack. DASE’s participant was Jihan.

 

“Give me your shoes. I’ll hold them.”

 

To prevent cheating, the game was played barefoot. Baekya, holding Jihan’s socks and shoes, clenched his fist and showed a fighting pose.

 

“You can do it!”

 

“What, are you going off to war?”

 

Yooyeon laughed, teasing him.

 

“Ugh… Just looking at that hurts.”

 

Green acupressure mats were laid out like grass in the center of the stadium. Seeing them, Minseong frowned and shuddered.

 

Participants from each team stepped onto the acupressure mats one by one. As soon as they took a step, they twisted their bodies and fell over, causing laughter to erupt from everywhere.

 

“Let’s go quickly too!”

 

“I am going.”

 

Cheong pushed Jihan’s back, urging that there was no time to dawdle. Told to hurry up and get his feet used to it like other players, Jihan also took a step.

 

Unlike other players who flailed their arms and groaned with every step, Jihan’s face was extremely calm. Baekya, frowning, asked in puzzlement.

 

“…Does it not hurt?”

 

“Nope.”

 

What is he, an A-X mattress or something?

 

Watching Jihan’s steady, comfortable posture, Baekya was flustered.

 

‘Did the special training actually work…?’

 

A few days ago, at an entrance exam academy in Gangnam, Baekya had rolled around on a mat with Yulmu.

 

Since they had decided on the events beforehand, the members focused only on their assigned events. In Jihan’s case, it was a series of crazy training sessions like jump roping on acupressure mats.

 

At the academy, Baekya thought Jihan couldn’t say it hurt because he was suppressed by Teacher Juyoung’s charisma, but that wasn’t it. Looking at him now, it seemed like he just had the constitution for it.

 

‘How healthy is he?’

 

Don’t they say feet are the second heart? Suddenly curious about his own body condition, Baekya took off one shoe and pressed firmly on the acupressure mat.

 

‘Eh. It’s okay?’

 

It didn’t hurt as much as he thought. However, the moment he put both feet up and tried to move.

 

“Ack!”

 

The sunfish jumped out of the water.

 

Struggling and hurriedly coming down, Baekya kicked off his shoe and grabbed Yooyeon’s arm, staggering.

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Ughhh… Hey, shoe. Shoe please….”

 

[Warning!]

[Stress index is at ‘Caution’ level. 56%]

 

I almost died just now.

 

— First game start. Hacky Sack on acupressure mats. Participants, please stand on your respective lanes.

 

— If you look ahead, you can see the electronic display. Please kick the shuttlecock according to the count shown on the screen.

 

It was a game where the last team surviving wins. With the whistle signaling the start, the count filled the electronic display.

 

“Does he not feel pain?”

 

Baekya stared intently at Jihan, alone in his concern.

 

As it was the first match, everyone focused on watching the players, and the number was passing 10. Most players failed to kick the shuttlecock more than twice and were eliminated en masse.

 

Players hurriedly leaving the acupressure mats only found peace after stepping down onto bare ground.

 

— Amazing! Especially the White Team! Is that DASE’s Mr. Jihan? His expression doesn’t change at all!

 

— An incredible poker face.

 

Indeed, compared to other participants who grimaced every time they kicked the shuttlecock, Jihan’s expression was surprisingly unchanged.

 

The number was already passing 15. Only two players remained. It was Mayoung from the Blue Team’s Rose Day and Jihan from the White Team’s DASE.

 

The MCs joked that since both belonged to the same agency, it was turning into an intense family feud.

 

Just then!

 

Mayoung kicked the air, and the shuttlecock fell to the floor.

 

— Yes! Blue Team Mayoung eliminated! White Team wins!

 

“Waaah! Wa!”

 

“Stop~”

 

Excited Cheong tried to barge onto the acupressure mat with his shoes on but was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by Minseong.

 

At that moment, Jihan snatching the shuttlecock and smiling was caught largely on the electronic display. Baekya felt like he was watching a scene from a youth drama.

 

The second match followed.

 

Having seized victory in the first match, the White Team’s morale seemed to pierce the sky.

 

— I think the next match is a representative event that cannot be left out of an athletics championship.

 

— That’s right. It might be the most representative game to check the team’s harmony and unity.

 

Unlike the previous game, the entire team participated in this event. Staff distributed cotton work gloves to each team.

 

“First, we need to place the strong and big kids up front. Since the ladies might get hurt, let’s put them in the middle.”

 

The leader of VICTORY, now in their 6th year, stepped forward actively.

 

They were the only group on the White Team to have participated in both the first and second championships, so both seniors and juniors instinctively followed their lead.

 

“I think it would be good if AIM sunbaenims, Yulmu, Yooyeon, and Cheong stand in the front. What do you think?”

 

He had guessed he wouldn’t be picked for ‘strong and big’, but when he wasn’t actually called, Baekya felt a little disappointed.

 

‘I’m strong too.’

 

Clenching his fist, Baekya flexed his arm to make a bicep.

 

“…What are you doing?”

 

“Hyung, touch this.”