Chapter 79

From the beginning, the reason I joined this company was likely due to Seolhyang’s doing, so I decided to accept it without resistance.

Alumni connections, personal connections, blood relations—they’re the best.

[That’s a relief.]

Just then, Ggotbi’s relieved voice reached my ears.

Seeing her call now, when preparations must be in full swing, it seemed Ggotbi was a bit nervous too.

Come to think of it, this new song is going to be debuted at the concert, right?

“Are you nervous?”

[A little. Hehe, concerts are always like this.]

“Don’t worry. I’ve seen a lot with Ayu, so I know. Among idols, there’s no one better than you, Ggotbi. Even in Blackstar, you’re the prettiest.”

[Yes, saying I’m pretty. Everyone else is pretty too.]

“No, you’re the prettiest. Have confidence. When you sing, you’re an angel, an angel.”

[Haaah!]

Since Ggotbi tends to be self-deprecating, I showered her with compliments.

In times like these, it’s all about instilling excessive confidence.

[Stop, stop. My makeup is going to get ruined.]

“Ah, sorry. But I mean it.”

[……Thank you, Oppa.]

Hearing Ggotbi’s voice thanking me, I smiled.

“I’ll make sure not to be late.”

[Okay.]

Hearing that, I ended the call and stretched.

Thanks to the call with Ggotbi, the thoughts crowding my head had eased a bit.

“Let’s get to work.”

Let’s finish today well and go see Ggotbi’s concert.

—

After the call with Hachan, Ggotbi and Yoo Ah were fanning their flushed faces.

Knowing she was embarrassed, I deliberately complimented her more, which made me feel a bit guilty, but still, my lips kept curling up.

“Yoo Ah, what’s got you so happy? Are you that excited for the concert?”

At that moment, Jui, another Blackstar member getting her makeup done, chimed in.

“Ah, yeah.”

“By the way, who were you just talking to on the phone?”

Jui subtly probed Yoo Ah.

“That Oppa, right? The one Yoo Ah often talks to.”

“Ah, no! No! Just a friend!”

Yoo Ah shouted in panic, and Jui laughed before getting scolded by the stylist and quickly fixing her expression.

“Unnie, listen. Yoo Ah keeps secretly calling some Oppa every night. Isn’t that suspicious?”

“That’s right. Very suspicious. If Jaehoon Oppa finds out, it’ll be chaos.”

Mentioning the agency president, the stylist joined in teasing, turning Yoo Ah’s face as red as a tomato.

Everyone here had worked with Blackstar for years, so they could talk freely, and Yoo Ah quickly became the target of their jokes.

“No, really, it’s not like that!”

“Your intense reaction makes it even more suspicious. But then again, Yoo Ah has been working too hard lately. Still, if the fans find out, I can’t cover for you.”

“Really, really, it’s not like that.”

Yoo Ah, unable to touch her made-up face, was at a loss.

Looking in the mirror, she saw her face was bright red.

To anyone, it looked like she was flustered and guilty.

This made it seem like she really liked Hachan.

‘No, no, it’s not like that.’

She mumbled in confusion.

Hachan is a kind and good person.

After returning from the hospital, he would answer her calls even late at night, talking in a sleepy voice.

Every time, her heart would flutter, but it was surely because she felt sorry for him.

And above all, Yoo Ah knew Ayu liked Hachan.

Liking someone your friend likes.

She felt ashamed of herself for pretending to like Ayu as a defense mechanism, so she couldn’t possibly like Hachan.

‘Am I weak to men?’

But she had never been this flustered before.

In this industry, handsome men were a dime a dozen.

She had seen countless idols within the agency fall for each other, but she never thought much of it.

Pretending to like Ayu might have been a temporary defense.

But now that she stopped pretending, and her self-defense mechanism was a bit loosened, she ended up like this.

‘So embarrassing.’

She only thought of Hachan as a good person, not in a romantic way!

Definitely.

Definitely.

“Yoo Ah, something’s burning, huh?”

“That Oppa must be coming to the concert today, right?”

“No! No, well, he is, but it’s not like that!!”

Definitely.

—

People were pouring in.

I stood there, dazed like a fish swept away by a wave.

“Domi Oppa, I think I’m going to fall!”

At that moment, Ayu suddenly charged into my chest with her head.

I let out a strangled scream and barely managed to keep from falling, then flicked Ayu’s forehead.

“Everyone else is standing in line properly, why are you causing a scene?”

“They’re pushing from the front! Heehee!”

Despite getting flicked, Ayu rubbed her head against my chest, grinning.

It seemed Ayu was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing Blackstar’s concert.

She’s cute when she’s like this.

As I thought that, our line started moving quickly.

It seemed we’d be able to enter soon.

“Oppa, what should I do? I’m so excited I think I’m going to go crazy!”

“Hey, your hair is turning red! Ayu, calm down!”

“Heeheehee.”

What am I going to do with her?

As I tried to think of ways to calm her down, I wondered how Ayu ended up liking Blackstar.

From my perspective, she just started liking them at some point, and since I didn’t know if they were Returners or even female, I never asked.

It wasn’t uncommon for boys her age to get into idols.

Now that I think about it, I’m a bit curious.

“Ayu, how did you end up liking Blackstar?”

“Huh? Because they’re pretty?”

It was a simpler reason than I thought.

“Well, that’s part of it, but it’s mostly because of Yoo Ah.”

“Ggotbi?”

“Yeah, unlike me, she’s a Returner but still lives so diligently. At that time, I was a bit lost.”

At that time, Ggotbi’s self-defense mechanism was her way of enduring her life.

But that image seemed to have given Ayu strength.

“So I kept looking for her, and before I knew it, I became a fan.”

“Now I like all the Blackstar members! Jui, Seon-yul, Chae-eun, Mimi—I like them all!”

For Ayu, Ggotbi seemed like a kindred spirit.

In reality, Ggotbi served as a sanctuary for many Returners.

Many people, like Ayu, found strength in her.

‘I should tell Ggotbi about this later.’

Even though Ggotbi endured tough days with her self-defense mechanism, those days weren’t entirely in vain.

“You really like Ggotbi a lot.”

“Ah, Domi Oppa, are you jealous?”

“Yeah. It feels like my younger sister was taken by an idol.”

“Don’t worry. You’re still number one to me! You should say that too!”

“Okay, okay.”

As I gave a half-hearted response, it was finally our turn to enter.

Heading to our seats with an excited Ayu, Ggotbi had reserved front-row seats for us.

“Wow, wow! This is my first time seeing them from this close!”

Ayu, excited beyond belief, tugged at my clothes and squealed.

At this rate, she’s going to tear my clothes off.

Of course, Ayu wasn’t the only one excited.

The entire concert hall was buzzing with excitement.

‘The energy is incredible.’

So this is what an idol concert is like.

Glancing back, I saw an endless sea of people holding glowing light sticks.

Performing in front of this must be something else.

Amidst the noisy hall, as I tried to calm Ayu down.

Thud!

Suddenly, the lights in the venue went out.

Everyone held their breath, and all eyes turned to the stage.

The first track from Blackstar’s debut album started playing.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

“Blackstar! Blackstar! Blackstar! Blackstar!”

Amidst the roaring cheers, the stage lights came on, revealing the five members of Blackstar in their starting poses.

The cheers echoed through the concert hall.

“My heart towards you~”

As the first verse began, Ggotbi started dancing.

Dressed in black and white, her voice captivated everyone as soon as she sang the first line.

Her voice was truly a divine gift.

With the music, it was nothing short of art.

Soon, the other members joined in, and I experienced the power of a live concert for the first time.

‘This is no joke.’

So this is why people chase after concerts.

I could understand the overwhelming feeling just from watching.

As the first song ended and the crowd erupted in applause, the stage lights shifted to a more comfortable color.

Staff quickly handed out handheld mics, and after catching their breath, the members looked at each other and spoke in unison.

“Black!”

“Staaaaar!”

As Blackstar gave the signal, Ayu and the crowd shouted back.

Seeing this, the members smiled brightly, and Chae-eun stepped forward first.

“Thank you all for coming to the concert! Our first song was ‘My Heart Towards You’ from our debut album. Did you enjoy it?”

As she asked, everyone shouted in unison, “Yes!”

Meanwhile, I glanced at Ggotbi, who was looking around and seemed to spot me and Ayu, giving us a slight smile.

With her makeup and outfit, she looked even more like a celebrity than when we first met, and seeing her smile at us felt strangely surreal.

“Oppa! Yoo Ah smiled at me!!!”

“Well, of course. We’re acquaintances.”

“I’m going to die!”

“Stay alive until the end.”

As I looked at Ayu with some concern, the members took turns speaking, and the concert continued.

The entire performance was incredibly fun.

Blackstar’s songs were already famous, and thanks to Ayu being a fan, I had heard many of their songs before.

Plus, knowing Ggotbi made it even more enjoyable.

“Thank you all so much! See you next time!”

After a 90-minute concert, everyone started leaving with a sense of regret.

By the end, Ayu was crying.

Seeing this, I wiped her tears with my sleeve, and Ayu sniffled.

“You still have the energy to cry after all that screaming?”

“I’m completely drained now. Haa, it was so good. My legs hurt, but should we go somewhere to rest?”

“Talking like we just started dating.”

“Just hold my hand.”

As I stared at her, Ayu slowly twisted her body and avoided my gaze.

“Maybe… maybe more.”

“What more?”

At that moment, my phone buzzed with a message.

[Oppa, I’m at entrance 9. Come this way.]

It was a message from Ggotbi.

It seemed she had finished up after the concert.

“I’m so tired. I can’t even go see Ggotbi.”

“Suddenly, I have energy.”

Showing her the message, Ayu’s eyes lit up.

What incredible stamina.