<Episode 20>
“Shinhye immediately called me and excitedly asked if I could really get her an autograph. When I asked if she could grant me one favor in exchange for Kang Min Hunter’s autograph, Shinhye loudly declared that she would do anything, no matter what it was.
That had been two days ago.
[Everything’s being prepared smoothly, hehe (photo)]
After hearing my request, Shinhye didn’t even hesitate before enthusiastically agreeing. True to her overflowing motivation, it looked like she intended to prepare for it in earnest too. I smiled while looking at the photo she had sent me.
“…I hope this works.”
Kang Min Hunter.
Even after becoming a hunter, he still laughed brightly and gathered people around him just like during his glamorous idol days. But whenever he was alone, the look in his eyes was unbearably hollow.
The moment he stopped being an idol, he convinced himself that the people who loved him had disappeared, and that all the effort he had built up over countless days had collapsed in an instant.
But that was only half true.
There were certainly people who envied and resented him for becoming a hunter instead of staying an idol. But there were still many people in the world who loved him. Not necessarily “Idol Kang Min,” but simply Kang Min himself… people who cherished and supported him as a person.
My friend Park Shinhye was a perfect example.
She changed her phone wallpaper to photos of Kang Min Hunter practically every other day, and whenever we met, she would always brag at least once, saying, “Isn’t our Minie so amazing?”
Watching her search for every tiny article about him and save screenshots one by one, I found myself genuinely thinking, ‘So it’s true that fangirling requires stamina.’
As I looked at Shinhye’s message saying preparations would probably be finished within a week, I took out a card I had bought in advance.
Recipient: Kang Min Hunter.
Sender: intentionally left blank.
I carefully slipped the stiff paper I had prepared into the envelope. I smoothed the corners and pressed down on the envelope again to make sure it wouldn’t wrinkle.
For some reason, imagining Kang Min Hunter receiving this and wondering about it made my heart race.
Just then, Hanyang peeked over my shoulder and asked,
“What’s that, nya? An invitation?”
“A small trigger for the success of our mission. You’ll find out soon enough.”
I lightly waved the envelope with a smile. Hanyang narrowed his eyes and stared straight at my face. Apparently, he was frustrated that I wouldn’t explain properly.
“Curious? If you’re reeaaally curious, I can tell you.”
“Hmph, forget it, nya. I’m not interested in human games, nya.”
As if offended by my tone, Hanyang whipped his head away. Watching him, I let out a small laugh.
‘I hope Kang Min Hunter likes it.’
What I really wanted to tell him wasn’t anything grand.
Just one simple truth:
That there were still people who liked him. That even if he wasn’t an idol anymore, no matter what kind of work he did now, there were still people who supported him unchanged.
Wouldn’t showing him the sincerity of people like Shinhye become the comfort he needed most?
Thinking that, I quietly stared at the invitation.
Now all that remained was inviting him.
***
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To pick up the bungeoppang. It’s my turn.”
Ignoring Suhyeon’s complaint from behind ‘You ate it yesterday too, didn’t you?’ Kang Min quickly moved his feet.
‘She really doesn’t understand the true charm of Spicy-Meco Bungeoppang.’
Ever since eating the Spicy-Meco Bungeoppang on that bench, his life had completely changed 180 degrees. He had become someone who couldn’t live without it.
The rich, sweet taste of the batter spreads through his mouth, followed by the spicy, stimulating heat afterward. Not only did it taste incredible, but the stress-reduction effect even eased the suffocating tightness in his chest.
Just as he was about to receive the Spicy-Meco Bungeoppang he had reserved like usual///
“Kang Min Hunter, please take this!”
“What’s this? An invitation?”
When he opened the neatly enveloped card, he found an unfamiliar address written inside.
Surely she wasn’t inviting him to her house? Leaving their leader behind and all?
He looked at her suspiciously, but Haneul noona winked and told him she had prepared a birthday party for him and that he absolutely had to come.
‘A birthday party? Out of nowhere?’
His birthday was indeed coming up soon, but he wasn’t the type to make a big deal out of birthdays. On top of that, the address was somewhere he’d never seen before.
Maybe his teammates had prepared a surprise birthday party?
‘They’re not the type to do something like this, though.’
Even while thinking that, when the date written on the invitation arrived, he diligently got ready and headed out.
The place listed on the card was a café near a university district. Looking it up online, he saw reviews saying the desserts were delicious.
‘Could the desserts be for awakened people?’
After parking nearby and walking toward the café, little puffs of breath escaped from his slightly parted lips.
“It should be around here…”
While turning his map app this way and that to figure out his location, he suddenly stopped upon spotting a café in the distance.
The wooden sign he had seen in the reviews for “Café Delia” was visible.
But around it was something strangely out of place.
“…My face?”
Printed boldly across the banner hanging outside the café was his own face.
There was even a life-sized standee standing beside it.
It was unmistakably familiar.
Just like the birthday cafés fans used to prepare for him.
Unable to get any closer, he stood there at a distance staring at the café.
Suddenly, his heart started pounding like crazy.
“Kang Min Hunter! Over here!”
Right then, Haneul noona came out of the café and waved both arms at him. In her hand was a pale pink balloon.
“Noona, what in the world is this…”
“Shhh! You’ll understand once you go inside.”
“Kang Min Hunter is here!” she announced toward the café interior before grabbing his arm and pulling him along.
That faint strength somehow felt overwhelmingly powerful, and he could do nothing but be dragged helplessly forward.
And finally, inside the café…
[Min-ah, thank you for being born!]
[0216 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kang Min]
Together with banners covered in giant smiling photos of himself, people waved pink balloons around.
Cheers rang loudly enough to deafen his ears.
Goosebumps spread across his body, his skin tingling.
Still unable to process what was happening, he looked around blankly.
“When the fans found out your birthday was coming up, they prepared this birthday party for you.”
“…My fans?”
His first thought was suspicion.
‘Did these people actually come for BeYou instead?’
Maybe the other members were coming too…
But the phrases written across the banners and pickets all pointed solely toward Kang Min. Toward him alone.
‘I still had fans?’
Before he could even voice the doubt aloud, the crowd pushed him toward the prepared seat, leaving him no choice but to watch the events they had prepared one by one.
The first event was a video they had made.
“–Is this how you film this thing?”
As the video started, a youthful-faced Kang Min filled the screen.
It was a self-cam he had filmed during his trainee days to monitor his practice progress.
Messy hair. Training clothes. Rough breathing.
The video showed him repeatedly practicing choreography to a pop song.
Subtitles appeared beneath it.
[A pure child who held onto his passion]
The screen changed, revealing him taking deep breaths backstage. It was the day of their first performance after their debut.
As the members trembled nervously, it was his role… the one who had trained the longest, to comfort them.
The footage showed him gathering the members together, quietly shouting “Fighting!” and patting their backs.
Soon, the cue signal dropped, and the members climbed onto the stage with determined expressions.
Kang Min waved one last time before stepping onto the stage last.
[Sometimes reliable like the eldest brother,]
Under dazzling stage lights, he stared at the camera with slight nervousness.
As soon as the intro to the song they had practiced hundreds, thousands of times began playing, a natural smile spread across his face, and the performance began.
A short montage of stage highlights passed by, followed by screams loud enough to split ears.
[Like someone born to stand on stage,]
Next came the moment when first place was announced.
When BeYou’s name was called, he turned toward the members with a radiant smile.
Among the crying members, Kang Min took a deep breath and accepted the microphone.
The faces of fans crying in the audience flashed briefly across the screen as well.
[We’ll always support the shining you]
Suddenly, the video switched to a news broadcast.
[Kang Min of group ‘BeYou’ awakens as an A-rank Hunter]
Above the bold headline stood him in hunter gear, wearing a somewhat awkward expression.
He simply stood there amid the endless camera flashes.
[Our proud Minie, moving forward toward a new challenge]
The scene changed once more, and an older, more mature version of him filled the screen.
It was footage of him being interviewed right after clearing a gate.
He looked completely different from his perfectly styled idol days.
There was blood splattered across his face, and his hair was disheveled.
Behind his interview, the cheers of civilians could be heard.
Kang Min glanced behind him briefly before shrugging with a smile.
[No matter what form you take, we’ll walk beside you]
The screen slowly faded to black, and one final line of text appeared.
[To my forever idol, Kang Min! Happy 22nd birthday from the bottom of our hearts!]
Before the lights even came back on after the video ended, he lowered his head deeply.
The area around his eyes burned as though scorched by fire, and his stomach churned so violently that he couldn’t think at all.
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