Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 265

I woke up from a deep sleep and opened my eyes to find myself on an unfamiliar sofa.

“……?”

Trying to grasp the situation, I couldn’t think to sit up or remove the light blanket covering me. As I just stared blankly, the people who were busy with their tasks noticed that I had woken up and spoke to me.

“Awake?”

“You sleep so deeply, you wouldn’t notice even if someone carried you away.”

“Damian Raon On, it’s the year 2087, and you are the only survivor on Earth.”

“Ah, teacher! Don’t joke like that. He almost believed you.”

“Still, you must have slept well. You look much less tired than yesterday.”

Hearing my members and staff joking around, I realized what had happened.

“!”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Thinking about how I got from the practice room to here, the waiting room for the music show, made me dizzy.

Seeing my stunned expression, Gwak Sang-hyun explained.

“You said before that it’s no big deal if you sleep like the dead, right? So, we figured you’d wake up eventually. We tried waking you up a little at first, but then just left you and carried you here.”

“Uh, well….”

No matter how much fatigue had piled up from the comeback stage for the music show, the radio schedule, the meeting with the True gang, and the intrusion incident at the dorm and office…

Even so, I couldn’t believe I had forgotten the basic rule of not using forced sleep recovery mode during activity periods.

I must have been so out of it from the events of the night that my sharp mind had gone completely numb.

When I checked my info window, my fatigue level had dropped to exactly 50, the minimum for waking up.

“I’m sorry… Ow!”

As I apologized and hurried to get up, I almost rolled off the narrow sofa, but Seo Moon-gyeol, who was standing next to me, caught me and sat me back down.

“Are you okay?”

“Sorry. I’m awake now.”

I untangled the blanket from my body and placed it on the sofa.

“What time is it….”

I stopped speaking when I saw the white light seeping through the blinds of the waiting room window.

The dry rehearsal, which started early in the morning, must have been long over.

“The PD understood that you weren’t feeling well and let you skip the dry rehearsal. Dae-hyun stood in for you. The PD even told us not to worry and to let you rest well.”

It wasn’t hard to guess that our manager must have explained to the PD and the broadcast staff not only that I wasn’t feeling well but also mentioned the incidents that happened in the early morning.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but who could I blame?

This was undoubtedly my fault.

I should thank the PD separately for resolving the issue, which could have made me look like an unreliable and irresponsible rookie.

“I’m really sorry.”

When I apologized once more, no one criticized my behavior, which could have easily made me look unpleasant.

“No worries. It happens.”

This left me feeling even more conflicted.

It seemed like they already knew and understood my personal circumstances, which I had never directly mentioned.

‘…This is driving me crazy. Why am I so twisted?’

It was supposed to be a good thing that they understood and moved on.

So why did I feel so bad about it?

When my members or Gwak Sang-hyun acted similarly yesterday, I didn’t feel this way.

…Am I discriminating against the staff now?

Am I on the verge of being an arrogant celebrity, about to make headlines?

But I believed that Kang Ji-woo, who would shout “Stay humble!” and hit me on the back of my head with a frying pan at the slightest hint of arrogance, would never let that happen.

Then what was it?

I wondered if I had fallen victim to Zero again, but that didn’t seem to be the case, making it all the more frustrating.

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like I was just a trashy person who couldn’t accept others’ consideration…

‘Well, it would be strange to feel good after seeing a corpse the day before. Plus, I saw Oh Hyun-jin and the True gang’s faces.’

Anyway, I decided it was okay as long as I didn’t outwardly express this irrational displeasure.

I concluded my self-reflection and rationalization.

“Anyway, since you woke up just in time, let’s start with hair and makeup.”

“Yes. I’ll quickly wash my face and come back.”

“Okay. Hurry back. Dae-hyun! Please take Raon with you and go together.”

“Yep.”

Though Gwak Sang-hyun spoke casually to consider my feelings, he seemed a bit urgent.

Later, I heard that the managers and members were worried about what to do with me until just before I woke up.

To clear my head, I washed my face with cold water and received a briefing on the situation from my new manager, Im Dae-hyun.

“After you get your makeup done, we have to go straight to the pre-recording.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t forget to apologize to Im Dae-hyun, who had taken my place in the rehearsal.

“And I’m sorry. You had to fill in for me at the rehearsal because of me.”

“No, it’s okay. I heard everything about what happened yesterday.”

I smiled at Im Dae-hyun, who seemed to know everything just like the staff earlier.

I returned to the waiting room and sat down at the dressing table, where various makeup tools were laid out.

“Please take care of me.”

“Ji-woo and Seong-ha struggled a lot to reduce the swelling around their eyes, but Raon, you don’t seem to have that problem.”

Despite the makeup staff’s words, Gyeon Seong-ha, whose swelling was still slightly visible, grumbled loudly as he faced the affection meter.

[I was crying because of him, and my eyes were all swollen, but he looks so clear and fresh even though he just woke up. Gyeon Seong-ha is feeling aggrieved. Gyeon Seong-ha’s affection +0, current affection +55]

Aww, did my dear cry because of me?

I wanted to tease him like Kang Ji-woo would with our puppies, but I held back considering that he carried me here while I was asleep and that time was of the essence right now.

Instead, I tried to check my phone to see the reactions to what happened yesterday.

“Oh, the battery’s dead.”

The battery, which was already low even in the early morning, had completely run out.

“Give it to me. I’ll plug it into the charger here.”

“Thanks.”

I handed my phone to Seo Moon-gyeol, who had reached out.

Ban Yo-han, watching this, spoke up.

“It seems like you got a lot of calls while you were asleep.”

“Really?”

“It could be from fans, but it could also be from people you know, so check it later.”

“Got it.”

It wasn’t possible to check it now.

‘I’ll look at it after the pre-recording.’

* * *

“Gasp… Huff…”

Maybe it was because I hadn’t eaten a single meal, but shortly after the rehearsal started, I began to quickly feel exhausted.

Even though the blessing, which could help temporarily improve my condition even if it couldn’t directly reduce my fatigue level, was still unusable.

Despite the stamina stats I had built up in the meantime, I had to catch my breath, feeling like I was going to pass out after each rehearsal and main stage recording.

Every time that happened, a lot of concern flew toward me.

I couldn’t hear them well.

‘Hmm, my condition is wrecked.’

Perhaps because of what happened in the early morning, I somehow managed to finish the “Again” stage recording safely, seeing the Aeri fans cheering louder than yesterday, almost to the point of bursting their voices.

It felt like I squeezed out all my remaining energy.

“Aren’t you overworking yourself?”

“Your stamina must have dropped a lot preparing for the comeback. Just eat a little and rest until the live broadcast.”

“Okay.”

Back in the waiting room, I turned on my phone, which had been charging, and checked the messages I received.

There were a few calls and messages from my family, one from Muk Hye-sung, and quite a few texts and messages from acquaintances, including Go Kyung-yoon.

The rest were all from unknown numbers, so I deleted them.

The messages from my parents were about checking on me and asking me to call when I had time.

They probably heard about yesterday from the company.

[I’m okay. Don’t worry. I’m busy, so I might not be able to call. I’ll contact you later.]

I sent a similar message to Muk Hye-sung, who was out of town for a schedule, and replied sincerely to the remaining messages.

After resting in the waiting room for a while, it was time for the live broadcast.

“Let’s move.”

Aware of what could be said if I failed to manage my expressions or made a mistake like a voice crack after what had happened, I performed more carefully than usual during the recording stage.

“Good job, everyone!”

During the schedule, I received a lot of attention, concern, and care from our staff, broadcast station employees, fellow entertainers, and even fans of other groups.

However, the thought that became more and more clear in my mind was, ironically, that I wanted to be alone.

* * *

That night.

After finishing his schedule and returning home, Muk Hye-sung slightly frowned as he saw a familiar figure sitting in front of the front door.

Muk Hye-sung, half-convinced that the person was a persistent fan who wouldn’t go away even after time passed, strode towards his home.

However, his fierce demeanor completely softened upon recognizing the familiar, handsome face that was partially visible.

“What are you doing here?”

At Muk Hye-sung’s question, the person sitting there faintly lifted their head.

The figure, hunched pitifully in front of the dimly lit front door, was none other than his cousin, On Raon.