#15
Last night, even as I drifted helplessly into sleep, I recalled something that had been nagging at the back of my mind. It was none other than researching Imun and the group he belonged to.
He is a close friend after all, and it would be rude to know too little. After finishing this self-justification, I casually picked up my phone. Since he said he was a singer, searching on YouTube seemed like the right approach.
Is this what it feels like to dig through the web for a friend’s embarrassing past? I was snickering at the thought of finding something to tease him with when my brow slightly furrowed.
There were more albums than expected. While scrolling through album cover photos with my thumb, I clicked on a music video. My smile, which had been so high, instantly dropped.
“What… what is this?”
[100 million views · 3 days ago]
A music video uploaded 3 days ago… 100 million views? Thinking I might have misread the number, I rubbed my eyes vigorously, but the view count remained unchanged.
Stroking my startled chest, I tried to understand the situation. I vaguely recalled hearing news that YouTube was increasingly used for information searching these days. But the uneasiness remained.
Shaking off the bad premonition, I entered a search site. I had only typed “Im” of Imun’s name, yet “On The Sky Imun” already appeared as a related search term, which didn’t seem normal.
Extremely tense, I pressed the search button. Sure enough, extraordinary article titles poured out in rows. A chill ran down my spine instantly.
[On The Sky’s Imun, Ranked #1 Male Idol Who Suits Black Hair Styling]
[World-renowned luxury brand S. L.’s Choice, On The Sky’s Imun]
[On The Sky’s Imun, #1 Again… Dominating Boy Group Brand Reputation]
…
[On The Sky’s Imun Makes Surprise Appearance on Streamer Gangha’s Broadcast]
While scrolling down with a blank face, I flinched when I saw a news article mentioning my name.
What on earth is going on? After carefully reading the article with trembling hands, I let out a sigh of relief. I was only briefly mentioned as a topic—the news was primarily praising Imun.
It seemed that Imun was not just an ordinary idol. With an even more serious expression, I checked other articles. As if the agency had distributed promotional materials, the content of all the articles was generally similar.
[…The power of On The Sky, which firmly held the #1 position for 5 weeks across all three broadcasting stations during their last promotion, is anticipated. If they receive the grand prize at the end of this year, On The Sky will earn the title of three consecutive years of grand prizes. They are scheduled to make a comeback with a new song on the 25th, two days from now… and the MV pre-released on YouTube from the first day…]
“You’re not just any idol!”
Grand prize for 2 consecutive years…! Grand prize for 2 consecutive years…! Grand prize for 2 consec… utive years…!
The unbelievable fact rang in my head like a bell. After being frozen while holding my phone for a moment, my wandering eyes slowly regained focus.
I went back to YouTube and searched for On The Sky. Now that I knew the truth, the thumbnails reeked of massive capital investment from the start.
They do look good, I’ll give them that. Beginning with a video I played in a daze, I was completely caught by the magical YouTube algorithm.
From music videos to stage compilation edits to fancams. The videos of Imun seemed endless. Just as I was about to click on another video, mouth still open in surprise and unable to close it—
“Junnie, if you’re up, come out for breakfast!”
“Huh? Huh?!”
I hastily answered my grandmother knocking at the door and dropped my phone with a start.
I had clearly planned to watch for just a moment, but in the blink of an eye, several hours had passed. It felt like being possessed by a ghost.
Realizing the entire morning had slipped away, I was lost in a daze before belatedly letting out a silent exclamation of shock.
I’ve been playing games with him all this time?!
Imun’s identity was shocking in itself. He was on a completely different level from the Japanese idols I’d seen on TV or the Korean idols in my old memories. The fact that he was a popular idol was surprising enough, but he seemed to have both looks and talent.
That sensual, breathtaking gaze. Dance moves that were powerful yet delicate. A radiant smile that could melt your heart.
I vaguely understood why Mari liked Korean idols. He deserves to be number one at this level. While savoring the image of Imun in the video and reaching for my phone again, a conversation we’d had suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘Are you very famous?’
‘I’ll… buy you five hundred copies of your album.’
“Aaaaargh!”
After rolling violently on the bed, unable to bear the shame, I mercilessly kicked the innocent blanket. “Seo Imuuuun!” He had definitely pretended to be sulky on purpose. The more I tried to forget, the more vividly the embarrassing memories returned, and as I was writhing in agony, the door burst open.
“What, what! What happened?!” “It’s nothing!” My scream must have been loud enough to be heard in the living room. I awkwardly smiled at my grandmother who had rushed in startled, and subtly pulled at my hair.
***
Inside a room decorated in gray tones. The space furnished with only the essentials needed for living was neat but had an air of bleakness. A large bed and a gaming computer were the only items that hinted at the owner’s usual lifestyle.
The blackout curtains, contradicting their purpose, were slightly open. It was because the man’s night had been quite busy.
When the man, who had been sleeping despite the sunlight falling on his face, finally couldn’t bear the brightness and turned over, his phone vibrated loudly, grating on his nerves.
There weren’t many people who would contact him at this hour. He frowned and stubbornly continued sleeping for a few minutes, but eventually sighed and opened his eyes with difficulty due to the persistent vibration.
As expected. His manager’s name was displayed on the phone. The man checked the time first with narrowed eyes.
Despite having plenty of time until his schedule, he could roughly guess why his manager was contacting him so early. No sooner had he reluctantly answered the phone than a stream of nagging poured through the receiver.
“Seo Imun, you! What on earth did you do yesterday?”
“Haha. Well… um… It just happened?”
“Sigh, come to the company as soon as you wake up. Director Kwon is calling for you.”
“Yes, understood.”
He yawned nonchalantly and slowly got up. He knew he’d get an earful from the man who was like a viper, but he wasn’t particularly worried. Since the director had been pestering him to do more individual activities every time they met, he might actually like this situation.
Imun, who was blinking blankly and chasing away sleepiness, recalled Hajun’s words and chuckled.
‘So, I decided to tell you! It hadn’t even been a few minutes since I made that decision when your call came in right then! So… it just happened?’
“It really was ‘just happened’ and got resolved.”
Who would have thought that the issue he’d been racking his brain over for days would be resolved so sloppily? It had been difficult to suddenly reveal that he was an idol to someone who firmly believed he was a college student. Despite the burdensome lie that had grown too big to handle, he had been afraid that Hajun might despise him.
But in the meantime, Hajun’s misunderstanding had worsened to the point where it could no longer be postponed. He had resolved to solve it as soon as possible, and it was truly fortunate that things had worked out somehow.
As he was leaving the room, recalling Hajun’s very flustered face behind the monitor, cheerful greetings from two members flew in as if they had been waiting.
“Hyung, you’re up?”
“You got up well on your own today, that’s unusual.”
The eyes of the members sitting on the sofa were full of mischief. Saha, who looked like he might burst into laughter at any moment with twitching lips, and Sura, who was snickering with an ambiguous smile. Judging by the expressions of the two members, it seemed they had already heard all the rumors about him.
The reason they were giving him such heated looks from the morning was probably not much different from the manager’s. Swallowing a spontaneous sigh, he approached the sofa.
“Where’s Rai?” While looking around the living room for the remaining member, Saha couldn’t hold it in for even that brief moment and burst into laughter. “Puhaha, ah, idol singer, ack!” The moment Imun quietly flicked his forehead, Sura boldly held out his phone.
“Hyung, what is this video?”
As expected, Hajun’s streaming broadcast appeared on the screen. When he unplugged the earphones and raised the volume, last night’s conversation instantly filled the living room.
[“What… what is this? Who is that man? Is his name… Imun? Why suddenly his video… No… way. Come on.”]
[“…Hyung, I’m sorry. Actually, I was… going to tell you… I’m… an idol singer. …Hyung, are you okay? …Hyung? Hyung, snap out of it. Hyung, hyung!”]
Sura mischievously zoomed in on Hajun’s increasingly pale face. “Don’t mess around.” Imun gave a short warning and took the phone.
As he had thought when he saw Hajun yesterday, he had an appearance that was much more eye-catching than he had imagined. He had the look that would have succeeded even if he had been an entertainer rather than a streamer.
Before checking the broadcast with his eyes, he rewound the video to the point where Hajun was confessing to him. So this was his expression. Since his voice had been trembling more than usual, he had wondered, and indeed, Hajun seemed very nervous.
It was just funny how both of them had deceived each other so completely. As he was imprinting Hajun revealing his identity into his mind for who knows how many times, Saha’s laughter tickled his ears again.
“Puhaha! Saying ‘I’m an idol, an idol singer,’ puhff, this is really funny!”
As Imun silently watched him clutching his stomach as if he’d reached his limit, Sura quickly diverted the attention.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
