18
“You want me to wear this?”
“You said you were a bit concerned about coming out without a hat.”
“No… How can I wear this?”
When Doun tried to give it back, Samin looked around and launched into an explanation.
“This is new. It still has the plastic wrap, and you can adjust the size a bit in the back, right? Is it because you don’t like the color? I knew you wear black hats so I brought this. There are blue and black ones.”
“No, the color isn’t the problem, the embroidery is too…”
“I was against the cursive font since it’s divisive, but I had to accept the vote results. This hat has a lot of stories behind it, you know.”
Doun nodded at Samin’s words but then came to his senses and answered. The important thing wasn’t the font style of the embroidery.
“I haven’t joined the guild, so how can I wear this?”
“Ah. Was that the problem?”
Samin quickly removed the plastic wrap and stared intently at the embroidery with the guild name.
“Should I put some blue tape over this?”
“…No.”
Just imagining it was bizarre. Wondering if he even heard his answer, Doun pulled back Samin who had gotten up saying he’d go find some tape.
“It’s fine.”
“…Will you wear it?”
Samin abruptly held out the hat in his hand. Doun looked at it with a somewhat complicated expression and shook his head.
“I appreciate you finding it, but I just won’t wear it.”
“There’s one way you can wear this.”
“…What is it?”
Now he was almost looking forward to what nonsense Samin would say. Doun acknowledged that he had already half given up and waited for Samin’s answer.
“Join our guild. Then you can wear this hat.”
“Hey. Min-ah…”
Choi Jiyoon watched Samin with a troubled expression.
‘That crazy bastard! Yesterday he was saying not to pressure him, and now he’s chanting about joining again! Seriously!’
Complaints she couldn’t voice out of consideration for Doun began piling up in her chest. At this rate, she might die of anger-induced illness faster than dying while conquering towers.
“I’ve been thinking…”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t the other guild members besides you not really welcome me…?”
His tone sounded somewhat uncertain. Samin placed the hat on his thigh and crossed his arms.
“I definitely predicted our hyung would say something like this. After talking with you a few times, I think I’m getting to know you.”
“…?”
“Let’s see. It’s 11:10 now, so we still have plenty of time. Just wait a moment.”
“What are you trying to…”
Doun couldn’t hide his anxiety and began observing Samin. He seemed to be touching his phone, but since he couldn’t peek at the screen, he looked at Choi Jiyoon as a backup plan.
Surprisingly, the moment their eyes met, Choi Jiyoon shook her head with an expression completely devoid of motivation. Her face said just give up, which startled Doun.
“Curious what I’m doing?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hyung. Have you ever been to a celebrity fan signing event?”
“What?”
“Or like a fan meeting or something.”
“What are you talking about right now?”
Going from talking about hats to suddenly mentioning fan signings and fan meetings. What was all this about?
Doun kept sighing and, frustrated, slightly removed his mask. When his delicate lower face that had been hidden under the mask was revealed, Samin gulped.
“If you look here, this is our guild’s group message room.”
Samin showed his phone directly to Doun.
[Notice: !!Absolutely no profanity!!]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): Unfairly, only guild master]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): is meeting with Magnetic-nim]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): and won’t even answer when we ask]
[Guild member Hong Chan (Reject): Woo woo condemning the evil guild master! Woo woo!]
[Guild member Park Sangyeon (UpKite): Hehe jealous of my handshake right]
[Guild member Hong Chan (Reject): Who with what merchant?]
[Guild member Park Sangyeon (UpKite): Hehehehehehehe]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): Huh? UpKite-nim by any chance?]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): With that person?]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): You shook hands?]
[Guild member Seong Suyeon (Detroit): If you call Sangyeon by his nickname he gets sulky and absolutely won’t answer…]
Doun nodded after seeing the group message room where messages were tangled chaotically. He didn’t know why Samin was showing him this, but the guild members seemed to get along well.
“Now. Let me show you what message I just sent…”
Samin scrolled down to show the message he had sent.
[First come first serve for three people who want Magnetic hyung’s autograph 🙋. But if hyung says no, you might not get it hehe]
“Hey. You crazy bastard!”
Doun turned pale and looked up. He hadn’t expected such crazy behavior without consultation. Just as he was about to grab Samin’s collar with a face full of betrayal, the phone screen came closer to his eyes.
“Oh my. Grab my collar later and first look at our guild members’ replies below.”
The messages appearing on the screen he was forced to see even though he didn’t want to were like pandemonium.
[Guild member Seong Suyeon (Detroit): 🙋🙋🙋 (hand raised emoji)]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): Gasp me]
[Guild member Hong Chan (Reject): Foot]
[Guild member Park Sangyeon (UpKite): Me!!]
[Guild member Park Sangyeon (UpKite): Ah…]
[Guild member Kim Minhyeok (Ppomi): Why are magic stone prices like this lately?]
[Guild member Kim Minhyeok (Ppomi): Eh Magnetic?]
[Guild member Kim Minhyeok (Ppomi): Me me me me Min-i hyung me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): Ah Ppomi get out~~ you’re late~~]
[Guild member Kim Minhyeok (Ppomi): No, Reject raised his foot!!!! Let’s only count people who raised hands!!!!!!!!]
[Guild member Kim Chansol (Bright Sol): Even excluding Reject, you’re out. You should have been quicker? How can this be called Yeoun?]
There was no chaos like this chaos. Doun bit his lips tightly as if disgusted while watching the screen where messages were still accumulating in real time.
“See? The fuss they’re making trying to get your autograph?”
“…”
“The people currently going around the tower will go crazy when they see the messages later too, right?”
“What fuss…”
Being openly praised made his face flush. Why did people like him when he hadn’t done anything for them? When they didn’t even know each other.
“Isn’t life too short to live looking only at things you like? If a person is born, they should hold an autograph session at least once.”
“You…”
“Huh?”
“Have you held one?”
Doun asked while trembling with clenched fists. If he answered wrong here, he was in for a beating. Samin nodded and grinned.
“Of course. I’ve held them once or twice? I gave out so many autographs back then that our guild members won’t take them even if offered. Oh, someone asked me to sign a guarantee, but I said that wasn’t allowed.”
He couldn’t tell if it was true or a lie. While Doun sighed deeply, rubbing his throbbing temples, the drinks they ordered were delivered. Thankfully, Choi Jiyoon handed over the drinks, so Doun bowed his head.
“Min-i is crazy but he’s a good kid…”
Saying that, Choi Jiyoon took a big sip of her iced americano, probably because her throat was dry. At her expression that was softer than before, Doun, who had been looking for a chance to speak, muttered.
“That sub-guild master position, that’s all a misunderstanding. I’m not thinking about it, but he just said it on his own.”
“Ah. Of course I know. That bastard Kyung Samin spouting nonsense isn’t just a day or two thing. I didn’t misunderstand anything like that. Don’t worry, Doun-ssi.”
Choi Jiyoon, who had finished half her iced americano, smiled brightly. What sin could Magnetic have? If he had any sin, it would only be taking first place with his excellent abilities.
“Ah, don’t just talk between yourselves, answer me too. Hold an autograph session. Please? First place is obviously me.”
“No… Where is there such unreasonable pestering?”
Doun took a small sip of the iced americano in front of him. The bitter, cold liquid went down his throat, and strangely his heart felt complicated.
For unknown reasons, strange guild members who wanted autographs from him even though he wasn’t a celebrity, and a crazy guild master. And himself, who was flustered by such people’s reactions but also didn’t dislike it.
It was a maddening combination with no answer.
“Our guild members would be happy even if you just drew one line for them.”
“Where are such people? I won’t fall for your words anymore.”
“Come on… Don’t be like that. Just three people.”
Calming his troubled heart, Doun said to Samin who kept pestering.
“I don’t have an autograph.”
“Ah…?”
At the unexpected answer, Samin fell silent.
* * *
Actually, he had intended to show how much the guild members liked Doun, but he hadn’t known that Doun didn’t have an autograph.
‘I should have thought of other schemes!’
Samin drove while blaming himself for his complacency. The two were heading to the restaurant they had reserved that morning.
Doun’s autograph session ultimately became a thing that never happened. It was because Doun really disliked it, and Samin belatedly realized that the autograph could be misused.
**[Chat┃’That bastard’ properly caught celebrity disease (312)]**
Acting like he’s something special with his #1 ranking pride, now he’s giving out autographs lololololol kinda disgusting
The situation expected when autographs spread was vivid enough to picture immediately. He kept overlooking that while Doun was a role model and celebrity-like figure to him, he might not be to others.
‘No, bastards who hate our hyung aren’t even human.’
Samin glared while chewing over biased thoughts internally. While there were many people who missed, admired, and liked Magnetic, there were still many who showed envy, jealousy, and inferiority complex.
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Did I upset you earlier with my weird nonsense?”
Samin, who had entered the parking garage, carefully asked Doun while turning the steering wheel. Doun, who had refused the hat with the guild name embroidered on it until the very end, chuckled and answered.
“No. Listening to it, I think I’ve built up immunity, so I wasn’t upset.”
“Right? You’ve grown fond of me after seeing me continuously?”
Samin said teasingly. By his calculations, this should have been the timing when Doun would ignore him or look at him as if he was pathetic. But.
“I guess so. I must have grown fond of you.”
At Doun’s unexpected answer, Samin’s heart was beating crazily fast. Fast enough to worry it might burst.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
