“Baek Doha is really managing his image properly these days, isn’t he.”
“He even changed his number, didn’t he?”
“Changing numbers is nothing unusual.”
Are they acquaintances? If that’s the case, it’d be awkward to face them.
“He used to practically live at clubs, but now he’s like a completely different person. He didn’t even acknowledge people.”
So they’re flies. The feeling came strongly that he shouldn’t get involved with them. But at the same time, he was curious about which group they belonged to and what their faces looked like.
Gossiping in a place where anyone comes and goes? And knowing about that private life means they’re birds of a feather. Isn’t that spitting on their own faces?
“After that dating rumor with Somi? Semi? Whoever, it’s been quiet, right?”
“As if a dog would quit eating shit. How many months could it last?”
He could hear them giggling among themselves, finding something so funny and entertaining.
Yeah, go ahead and gossip. Gossip. Gossip and tear apart to your heart’s content. Whatever.
He felt like his ears had been dirtied for nothing, so he was picking at his ear with his finger when it happened.
“I’m most annoyed by that Lim Sehyun showing off. He’s totally putting on a show to get more camera time.”
“His hypocrisy is insane. Anyone would think they’re the only ones with fans.”
“Seriously, OnX is totally overinflated this time. Isn’t their luck ridiculous?”
When he heard insults about himself, he’d just thought ‘Ugh, whatever.’ But when words about Sehyun flowed out, his nerves were scratched for some reason. Anyone else aside, insulting Lim Sehyun who’s more sincere about group activities than anyone is crossing the line. That kid is fundamentally different from twisted people like you.
“Hey hey, did you watch Signal’s video yesterday?”
“Ah, that was hilarious.”
The two people’s topic moved on to Deep Signal, their next target. Should I thank them for not just picking on one but disliking everyone all around?
“Signal, those guys are just lucky. Honestly……”
The gossip was endless. They were earnest as if they could only raise their own position by putting others down.
Doha leaned against the wall quietly listening to their conversation, then raised the phone he was holding in his hand. The vibration had stopped at some point. Sorry to grandfather, but it seemed difficult to answer the phone right now.
“What time is it?”
“Huk. We need to hurry.”
He heard the two people below moving busily. Then he should disappear quickly too to avoid an awkward situation…… but why don’t I want to move? Because I don’t understand why I should hide when I’ve done nothing wrong?
With a clattering sound, the two people came up the stairs, and inevitably their eyes met.
“Uh, uh.”
When the sensor light that had been off suddenly turned on, he could clearly see the two people startle in surprise.
“B-Baek Doha?”
Doha quietly observed them. He wasn’t particularly good at memorizing people’s faces, so it wasn’t easy, but he could tell they were members of D.N.X.
“Is it fun?”
Doha’s stiff voice echoed through the emergency exit stairwell.
“Huh?”
“Is talking about others fun, I’m asking.”
When he expressed his displeasure precisely without beating around the bush, they showed troubled faces. When they can’t say a word to my face like this.
“N-no. We were just……”
He’d worried what if they brazenly argued back, but they didn’t seem to be that shameless. Then Doha’s phone vibrated again in his hand.
Doha, who had been staring at the two people, sharply withdrew his gaze and pressed the call button.
“Yes. Grandfather.”
As soon as Doha answered the phone, the two people seized the opportunity and hurriedly opened the door and disappeared. Clunk. The sound of the door closing rang out unusually loudly.
Watching the two people flee with their tails between their legs, Doha shook his head. Soon his grandfather’s voice came through the phone.
It felt like his ears that had just been dirtied were being purified.
“Me? I’ve been eating well.”
Really, all kinds of bastards exist in this world.
* * *
Hating someone requires quite a bit of energy. It has similarities to affection. First, to hate someone, you need to know them. But Doha didn’t want to give those people at the emergency exit even that meager attention.
This world is overflowing with people of that level. And due to the nature of being a celebrity, receiving affection or hatred from someone was also common.
Thinking rationally, those flies should just be waved away and dismissed.
But strangely, he couldn’t stop his gaze from going there.
On the stage of the studio full of brilliant lights, the groups participating in Battle Crown were each gathered and sitting, waiting for the results announcement.
Yungyeom’s hosting flowed smoothly, and the studio atmosphere was good. However.
“Now, before the final results announcement, let’s hear each team’s thoughts. First, the dark horse of this competition, right? D.N.X!”
The camera’s red light turned on toward the D.N.X members. Those two bastards who’d just been trashing OnX in the emergency exit stairwell were standing in the center.
“Yes! D.N.X leader Jun here.”
He showed the camera the most benevolent and humble smile in the world.
“Honestly, it would be a lie to say we don’t want to win…… but the other seniors and juniors showed such formidable stages.”
He paused briefly and glanced over at OnX next to them. When their eyes met, he even gave a sly eye smile.
“We learned a lot watching the other teams’ stages. We think it’s an honor just to be standing here together.”
“……”
Doha barely suppressed a laugh from bursting out. Wow, worthy of an acting grand prize. The bastard who’d been spitting and cursing about them being overinflated and lucky in the emergency exit earlier had completely flipped 180 degrees in front of the camera and was spouting praise. Hypocrisy was overflowing so much the floor was about to get slippery.
‘What an eyesore.’
I don’t know why I want to smack the mouths of these flies who smile brightly in front of cameras pretending to be good.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
Haram, who noticed Doha’s unusually venomous mood, glanced at him and whispered.
“It’s nothing.”
It really is nothing, but resentment keeps building up.
‘You must be having so much fun, huh?’
Doha glared at them crookedly with his arms crossed. He couldn’t manage his expression. No, he didn’t want to. Looking at those detestable faces made his stomach churn.
Perhaps because Doha’s gaze was so blatant, the pupils of the D.N.X member being interviewed shook subtly. Every time he made eye contact with Doha, he flinched and avoided his gaze. It seemed the incident at the emergency exit earlier was bothering him.
“Hyung.”
Then Sehyun, who was standing next to him, poked Doha’s side. Doha only turned his head to look at Sehyun.
“Relax your expression. The camera’s catching you.”
Sehyun whispered like a ventriloquist, barely moving his lips. At that, Doha gently relaxed his furrowed brow that had been tense.
‘But why am I obediently listening to Lim Sehyun?’
It feels like I’ve become a marionette that smiles when Lim Sehyun says smile, cries when he says cry? Something feels off, but Doha had already melted into the physiology of idols and broadcasting.
Is this why the surrounding environment is important? I’ve completely assimilated.
‘You’ve completely lost your initial resolve, Baek Doha.’
Here, Baek Doha’s initial resolve refers to the dynamic mindset of voluntary withdrawal, or dismissal due to controversy, or if not that, settling for being a storage member at least. Anyway, being this diligent is definitely not it.
While having these useless thoughts, OnX’s interview turn came.
Yungyeom, standing next to Doha, greeted him with a fresh smile.
“OnX is also a strong candidate for victory.”
His pleasant voice tickled his ears.
“Leader Doha-ssi, which team do you think will win?”
It was a question he’d routinely asked the previous teams. Normally he would have said something modest like ‘Everyone did so well that it wouldn’t be strange for any team to win,’ but at that very moment, his eyes met with the emergency exit flies.
Doha thought for a moment. This wasn’t a problem to be swayed by emotions alone. Let’s think carefully. Each group’s stage and response, and the technical scores……
After finishing his serious deliberation in that brief moment, Doha opened his mouth.
“Well.”
As Doha paused, Yungyeom brought the microphone closer as if interested.
“To be honest……”
Doha raised his gaze and stared straight at the camera lens.
“There’s no particular team that comes to mind other than us.”
They say blood is thicker than water, and now that their efforts so far had flashed through his mind like a panorama, he couldn’t help but think he wanted to win if possible.
Does modesty feed you? You just need to honestly say you’re greedy.
In a competition program, Doha’s answer wasn’t particularly surprising or radical. Rather, it’s a place where being confident is a plus factor. But the members looked at him in surprise precisely because the person who said this was Baek Doha.
At the members’ reaction, Doha was rather bewildered.
‘Why are you so surprised? When you act like that, you make me look weird.’
The members and Doha stared blankly at each other.
