Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

Kim Miji nodded and suggested, “For now, it would be best to go with the story that the noise marketing was orchestrated by the company.”

 

The CEO sat up straighter and asked anxiously.

 

“Should we make an official announcement that it was orchestrated by the company?”

 

That would seem too pathetic. Instead of Haeun, who couldn’t say it himself, Kim Miji answered.

 

“An official announcement? No way.”

 

Kim Miji wore a look of mild contempt, one of the most expressive faces she could make towards her superior. Even if the company issued a statement like, ‘That cutesy rejection incident was planned by the agency to break away from the image, and we apologize to the angry public…,’ it would neither satisfy nor stop the complaints. In fact, it would likely not even capture much attention.

 

The CEO looked embarrassed but he cleared his throat and mumbled, “That wouldn’t be quite right.”

 

Kim Miji responded nonchalantly, “It might be okay to release a speculative article or two about the company’s noise marketing, but beyond that, it’s best to say nothing and focus on their activities.”

 

The CEO nodded seriously. Haeun quickly bowed his head again when he sensed Kim Miji’s gaze on him. Kim Miji warned him in a grave tone.

 

“Next time, don’t ever do anything we didn’t tell you to.”

 

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

 

Haeun thought he should probably say something like ‘I won’t do it again’. But he’d never said such a thing in his life, so he repeated his parrot-like apology.

 

Adding anything more would have been meaningless. Kim Miji continued, staring at Haeun as she spoke.

 

“Anyway, with the next album, you’ll need an image transformation. Not just what you’ve been doing before, but a real, proper sexy concept. You guys aren’t kids anymore, so you can’t keep wearing school uniforms forever.”

 

“Yes….”

 

“That’s why I think a little devil concept could work, but your current image is the complete opposite, so this approach won’t do. If you change direction too ambiguously, people will say you’ve lost your touch before you even get a chance to shine.”

 

“Yes….”

 

Haeun’s responses grew more mumbled, as he didn’t even want to answer. Perhaps thanks to his innocent appearance, no one seemed to notice his lack of enthusiasm. The criticism continued, saying that if they should do it properly if they were going to take on a new concept. She also commented that an awkward attempt would make them seem more like delinquents than sly little devils.

 

Haeun lowered his head further to hide his displeased expression. Kim Miji finally concluded her remarks.

 

“From now on, don’t do anything like that and stick with the angelic image.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Even if it doesn’t seem like much, it’s crucial to keep your existing fan base from turning away. Many of them feel sorry for you, so while the company takes the blame, you need to hold onto your fans. Go take a photo with Il-hyun and post it on SNS.”

 

Haeun nodded, still feeling the weight of the criticism but understanding the importance of maintaining his current image for the sake of his career and the group’s future.

 

After finishing her words, Kim Miji started looking at her phone again. Haeun was curious about the arguments and debates happening on that screen regarding his rumored lack of character.

 

“Can I see it too?”

 

Haeun asked bluntly, unable to suppress his curiosity. Kim Miji looked at him with an unreadable expression. It wasn’t that she was angry at the kid who had just been scolded for suddenly asking to see the phone screen; rather, she looked at him as if she felt sorry for him.

 

“It’s better if you don’t.”

 

She shrugged lightly. Just that gesture gave Haeun an idea of how much he was being criticized. 

 

‘They’re making such a fuss over nothing…’ 

 

Haeun forced a smile and stepped back.

 

There was a hand that gently pulled Haeun back. It was Il-hyun.

 

“Then we’ll be leaving now.”

 

Il-hyun left a polite farewell, and Haeun, without resistance, was led out by his hand. As they closed the door, he felt a reluctance to turn around and face Il-hyun standing behind him. He was already dreading what he might say, knowing it wasn’t the company’s noise marketing stunt.

 『”Il-hyun’s favorability has dropped by 2 (｡ﾉдヽ｡)ﾟ』 

Of all times, the system decided to send this notification. It was now an established fact that Il-hyun was displeased. Haeun wondered how he would react. He found it harder to deal with genuinely good-hearted people like Il-hyun than someone who’s openly mean like Seongjae or someone with a bad personality like Junwoo.

 

‘I just have nod along to whatever he says.’

Haeun turned his back and stood firm. Il-hyun sighed softly and seemed ready to speak. 

 

‘What would he say? Would he scold me?’

 

“Are you okay?”

 

However, contrary to Haeun’s shallow expectations, Il-hyun was the kind of person who would first ask if his member was okay, even in such a situation.

 

“…Okay, I guess.”

 

He could barely respond. It wasn’t easy to make someone as unprincipled as Haeun feel this guilty. Should he apologize to his face right now? While he was contemplating, Il-hyun continued.

 

“I’m relieved that the situation hasn’t gotten as bad as it could have.”

 

“Yeah.”

 『”Il-hyun’s favorability has dropped by 2 (｡ﾉдヽ｡)ﾟ』 

Does his favorability drop every time I speak?

Ha-eun squinted as he glanced at Il-hyun’s face. He appeared calm on the surface, but Haeun, constantly hearing notifications of dropping favorability, felt uneasy. It was like having something stuck in the throat while trying to eat.

 

Il-hyun gave a slightly weary smile and muttered.

 

“It was pretty tense earlier.”

 

Despite his smiling face, Haeun felt increasingly uncomfortable, like sitting on pins and needles. And, as he expected, Il-hyun’s face turned stern.

 

“But, Haeun ah. It’s a good thing that the situation didn’t get worse, but there’s something that I am wondering about.”

 

Il-hyun might be kind, but he wasn’t someone to be taken for a fool. As expected, his questioning was more burdensome than the CEO’s.

 

“Why did you do it?”

 

“…”

 

“I really thought the CEO had ordered you to do it, but that’s not what happened. If you had some reason, you should’ve told me.”

 

The atmosphere grew heavier even though he didn’t raise his voice. What kind of excuse should he come up with this time?

 『”Il-hyun’s favorability has dropped by 2 (｡ﾉдヽ｡)ﾟ』 

“It’d be pretty disappointing f you didn’t think of the other members at all.”

 『”Il-hyun’s favorability has dropped by 2 (｡ﾉдヽ｡)ﾟ』 

It was hard to believe that this wasn’t some sort of malfunction. Haeun lost track of how many times Il-hyun’s favorability had dropped by 2 points. Haeun opened his mouth in a panic.

 

“No, I didn’t mean to.”

 

He opened his mouth, but he had nothing prepared. Desperately, he tried to recall the speech patterns of ‘Bak Ha’ from the game, thinking frantically about what to say.

 

‘Like the CEO said, I was feeling nervous. I wasn’t in good condition and I think that made me lose my mind. It wasn’t intentional. It was a mistake. I’m really sorry. Uh, I shouldn’t say I’m really sorry but just sorry.’

 

Haeun’s mind was quick to think when cornered. Thinking that it would be alright to say, he lifted his head to speak.

 

But, it seemed he had hesitated for too long.

 『”Il-hyun’s favorability has dropped by 2 (｡ﾉдヽ｡)ﾟ』 『Due to a drop in favorability by more than 10 points in a short period, a special event is triggered! (υ´-ω-)ゞ』 

Immediately after hearing the system’s thunderous voice, there was a sound like a spinning wheel.

Ding!

With a cheerful sound effect, the system read out the notification.

 『Sometimes, actions speak louder than words! The ‘Oh no, I’m feeling faint…!’ event has been selected! (ﾟДﾟ|』 

“S-sorry, I… uh!”

 

Just as he started to utter a pathetic apology, he felt his balance slip. Not only did his mouth move on its own, but his body did too. His legs suddenly lost strength, and he stumbled.

 

Il-hyun’s expression quickly shifted from sternness to concern as he reached out to steady him.

 

“Haeun ah, are you okay?”

 

This sudden event, though it felt contrived and frustrating, was perhaps his only way out of this sticky situation. He leaned into Il-hyun’s support, feeling genuinely dizzy from the whirlwind of emotions and actions.

 

Haeun staggered like a newborn fawn, ultimately losing his balance and collapsing into Il-hyun’s arms.

 

“…….”

 

An uncomfortable silence followed. Il-hyun instinctively supported Haeun, who had fallen into his embrace like a tragic heroine. The two found themselves awkwardly entangled in the middle of the company’s hallway.

 

Whether it was coincidence, fate, or the game’s meddling, no one was around. While it was a relief, Haeun also wondered if having a witness might have broken the awkwardness. Il-hyun must be in a state of helplessness because he wanted push away Park Ha, but did not knowing how.

 

He looked up and looked at Il-hyun’s expression. His face looked more like a concern, even though he thought he would be openly displeased or at least uncomfortable.

 

If it were him, he would have been annoyed by now and suspected him of faking it. Despite the sudden proximity, his genuinely worried expression proved he was indeed a mature and kind person.

 

Haeun tried to straighten himself up somehow.

But instead of standing upright, Ha-eun found himself feeling increasingly dizzy. 

 

It wasn’t just the act prompted by the system…..but I am genuinely feeling sick?

 

In the game, Park Ha often struggled with health issues from the beginning. He would inevitably collapse after each performance if he didn’t take his medicine. However because the situation went differently from the game’s storyline, Haeun thought that his condition had improved. 

 

He had let his guard down… Or maybe, even if he hadn’t, could he have prevented this?

 

“Haeun ah, are you okay?” 

 

Il-hyun’s worried voice reached him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Through the haze, a bittersweet thought crossed his mind.

 

‘Damn, is this some kind of flag or what?’

Hey guys, this is Flo!

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