Trapped in the Idol Universe
Chapter 151
“Damn it, shi!”
“Gasp. It’s Roi...!”
Unlike Bi, who had pulled Yeon-woo, Hojin’s emotion flickered between joy and sorrow when he drew Roi.
“No, isn’t this way too unfair?!”
Bi, excited, slammed Yeon-woo’s photocard onto the floor. If only Tae-eon had appeared instead, he wouldn’t be this furious. But of all people, irritating Park Yeon-woo shows up again?
To Bi, Yeon-woo represented envy and jealousy— the one who stole his first friend, the one hogging all of Roi’s attention. As Bi glared at the photocard and clenched his fist, Hojin panicked and hurriedly picked up the cards.
“Bi, come on, you can’t just throw it. Yeon-woo would be upset if he found out.”
As Hojin carefully brushed the dust off the card, Bi, watching him, let slip his true feelings.
“If you feel so sorry for him, why don’t you swap—”
Thud—
But before Bi could finish, Yeon-woo’s photocard had already fallen to the floor a second time.
“I like mine.”
Yeon-woo was discarded twice in one go. Fearing Hojin might snatch it away, Bi then quickly hid Roi’s photocard inside his shirt.
Watching this, Bi thought to himself: The rich get richer, huh.
“Tch. My luck sucks. I almost treated it like a lucky charm.”
Reluctantly picking up Yeon-woo’s card, Bi dusted it off and tossed it into his shopping bag. Though he’d thrown it in anger, he felt too guilty to throw it away... and, if push came to shove, he intended to return it. Somehow, he thought Yeon-woo would happily take it back.
“Or, how about going over there to try and trade?” Hojin gestured toward the park opposite the pop-up exhibition hall. Even before the pop-up store had opened, the park—always crowded—had become packed due to . People who, like Bi, hadn’t drawn the photocards they wanted had gathered to find trade partners. A sort of secondhand marketplace.
“No way. I won’t humiliate myself like that. I’m a celebrity, after all.”
Pushing up his glasses with his middle finger, Bi took small revenge on Hojin, who had alone drawn Roi’s photocard. Hojin, distracted by the crowd in the park, didn’t seem to notice.
“I got what I came for.”
Though disappointed, Bi decided to content himself with the Roi keyring he’d actually paid for. It was also a sold-out, highly coveted item.
“Let’s just grab something to eat—”
He was about to suggest moving when—
“Kyaaaah!”
A scream, almost a shriek, erupted from the park. The crowd surged in that direction. Had this not been near the pop-up store, Hojin and Bi might have suspected a Blood Fiend attack, but they both knew what that scream meant. They’d seen this scene several times while waiting in line.
“Someone else must’ve pulled a Roi photocard. Right, Bi... hey?”
Hojin, still smiling, turned in place, looking for Bi, who had vanished.
‘Where did he go?’
Bi, standing beside him just moments before, had disappeared entirely. Hojin blinked in confusion—unless he’d teleported, he couldn’t have vanished so cleanly. Then a familiar shout came from the park.
“It’s me! I’m Park Yeon-woo, aegghh!!”
Even without following, Hojin knew that voice was Bi’s. He knew Bi had claimed he wouldn’t stoop to trading, but of course it was just talk. Hojin chuckled quietly, shaking his head.
And he thought: I knew Roi was popular, but this is almost top-idol level.
Imagining Roi revealing himself to everyone tomorrow made Hojin’s heart race with excitement.
‘If it’s this intense now, how much bigger will it get once he’s officially unveiled?’
Korea had produced five S-ranks before, but the atmosphere was undeniably different this time. Watching the fanatical crowd in the park, Hojin thought: Maybe people’s perceptions of Awakeners will change starting with Roi.
✧
At last, the long-awaited Final Survival had arrived. The live broadcast, watched by the entire nation, was to take place at Gocheok Dome.
Just like the previous day, Roi’s devoted followers appeared as if on cue, all wearing red T-shirts—Roi’s symbolic color, owing to his fire attribute. And with the recent “Godgong” controversy stirring the country, Gocheok Dome was...
[Title: Live Gocheok Dome Status]
(Goceok Dome Photo.jpg)
No two reds under the sky are alike
└ Dress code is R2
└ That’s it, lololol
└ Not a line, the way into the dome
└ It starts at 7, and they’re already doing this?
└ Crazy lol—it’ll be past nine by the time you get in
└ No no, it’s the Star Hero Final + the historic day Godgong debuts officially as S-rank
└ I know, it’s too small, sob
Gocheok Dome was at a standstill, clogged with spectators and vendors from all over the country, along with fans gathered for the final. Nearby public transit was almost nonfunctional; crowds flooded every subway station like tidal waves. Even the police dispatched for crowd control were helpless.
“Bro, this isn’t working. Link arms.”
“That’s a bit—”
“I hate it too, you know? But we have to get in.”
If they lost balance now, they’d be swallowed by the mass. Besides, Roi had personally asked Bi to look after Hojin. Bi had the duty to get Hojin safely inside the arena. Ignoring Hojin’s reluctance, Bi firmly linked arms.
“Just stick close to me.”
Bi scanned the surroundings with a determined expression, then began weaving through the crowd. In this jammed space, it was hard to see how it would work, yet Bi twisted and turned his body and slipped forward. Thanks to that, the two emerged from the bottleneck and stepped into the stadium.
“Bi, how are you so slippery, like an eel? You amaze me.”
“An eel....”
Of all things, he likened him to an eel. Bi felt a bit offended but conceded that no better analogy existed.
“Have you been to places like this often?”
“Sort of.”
In fact, until last year, Bi had been a devoted fan of the girl group “Sweet Sugar.” A first-tier group any K-star would know, and Hojin wouldn’t be an exception. Bi had followed them to concerts domestically and abroad, so his fan experience was anything but shallow. In other words, cutting through a crowd like this was a piece of cake for him.
“Sweet Sugar? I know them too. They sang ‘Heart Beam,’ right?”
“Yes.”
Bi, slightly embarrassed, adjusted his glasses and answered reluctantly.
“Then why don’t you like them anymore?”
At that innocent, merciless “muggle” question, Bi’s briefly healed heart shattered once more. After all, he’d dropped the group over a dating scandal involving his ultimate bias.
‘Such clueless muggles.’
Fuming! Bi and Roi’s earnest senior shared that clueless streak.
“You’ll get hurt if you find out.”
Bi spun his head sharply, signaling Hojin to drop the subject. Then he surveyed his surroundings. Everywhere he looked: red T-shirts. Roi had been popular even before his identity was revealed, but now it felt downright ferocious. Watching the red-clad butlers filling the stadium, Bi felt oddly proud.
‘So this day really has come.’
The first elemental S-rank. And among offensive types, indisputably the best fire-attribute Awakener. He’d recognized that greatness and kept close—well, that was his delusion; really, Roi had chosen him. But Bi firmly believed he’d seen Roi’s potential first. And recall the absurd power displayed in the third survival round: with just a light touch on the ground, that force. If Roi went all out, Bi couldn’t even imagine the scale.
‘What we did in the school auditorium was just children’s play.’
Roi loved attention; surely he’d prepared something exponentially grander this time. And, as Bi had predicted, Roi did deliver something truly astonishing: a disguise.
✧
Bright lights and a massive LED screen. The screen carried a countdown: ten seconds to live broadcast, overlaid on a new Mandu (dumpling) commercial by Maru Group. Coincidentally, Seo Han Gyeol was the model, doubling audience engagement. As Han Gyeol took a delicious bite of the dumpling—
“Kyaaaah!”
The arena erupted in cheers.
“So popular...”
Thanks to Roi, Hojin—who had spent some time beside Han Gyeol—felt a strange emotion. In person, Han Gyeol was far more childish and audacious than his media image. Yet watching him savor a frozen dumpling as if it were a 500,000-won gourmet dish created a jarring disconnect.
“He doesn’t actually eat like that.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Huh? Nothing.”
Bi tilted his head, then asked,
“Do you think he’s eating it because he wants to?”
“Mmm... looks tasty.”
Bi pushed up his glasses and quietly raised one corner of his mouth. Maru Group, as expected, had done well. Rumor had it advertising slots sold out and achieved record sales, with pre-show and mid-ad slots especially coveted. Seeing Maru Group nab that spot made Bi inexplicably proud.
‘The chairman must’ve splurged.’
As Bi worried about Jun-dragon’s wallet, the ad ended and the screen switched. The lights dimmed, and the screen displayed the logo.
[ST☆R Hero : Final]
Then pans of the audience awash in golden starlight, the roar of the crowd. With majestic opening music, Han Gyeol appeared on stage, face alight, announcing the start of the Final Survival.
“Another level of survival entertainment. A war of the chosen stars! We begin the final stage now!”
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