Chapter 7: Interest and Sincerity

Others felt the demonic charm as well.

[Did you see the Pantheon Sun-woo post? Did you see his eyes?]

└ [Yup, it’s insane. He was looking at me.]

└ [No, you’re wrong. He was looking at me. Seriously.]

└ [Lol, it felt like eye contact at a fan sign event? The photo was taken so well.]

└ [His gaze is one thing, but the atmosphere is bizarre. It’s somehow very unsettling and scary, yet I can’t look away.]

With a faintly red aura behind him, he sat loosely in a wooden chair, staring somewhere with a dazed expression.

It was an incredibly intense image for a profile photo.

[Someone here mentioned a demonic charm. I think that’s the right word.]

└ [It really is a demonic charm. It feels like I’m being bewitched.]

└ [He’s not just handsome; the atmosphere feels like it’s sucking you in.]

└ [He looks exactly like he did at the festival?]

└ [Yeah, did they capture that vibe on purpose?]

The shoot, as well as the post-processing, took a minimal amount of time.

Thanks to that, Sun-woo’s photo was uploaded to the Pantheon official account two days after the festival, while the Nanta video was still fresh in the minds of idol fans.

[Origin reacted quickly this time.]

└ [Fr lol. It seems they’re finally doing their job.]

└ [But I want to see more.]

└ [Right. Photos aren’t enough. I want to see more of him.]

[Maybe some self-made content or a YouTube variety show?]

└ [It would be great if he appeared on something like ‘Agola.’]

└ [Oh, that’s a good idea. They scout trending idols quickly over there.]

└ [Please let me see Sun-woo just once ㅠㅠ]

Fans weren’t satisfied with mere fancams and photos; they wanted to see Sun-woo in actual action.

They were curious.

What would Sun-woo do next?

The Demon God felt the same.

“The next activity, I see.”

Despite the quite positive reaction to the photo, there was no sign of his power returning.

This much was not enough.

He had to engage in full-fledged activities as an idol.

‘Then, what must I do to become a top idol?’

To become the top in any field, one needs talent, effort, luck, and many other things.

The Demon God searched for ‘idols’ using Yoon-seo’s phone.

He used a typing method where he pressed consonants and vowels one by one with only his right index finger. This alone allowed him to gather quite a lot of information about idols.

One thing, in particular, was certain.

“There are truly many idols.”

Apparently, idols were a specialty product of this country.

The quality was high, and the quantity was immense.

While dozens of teams debuted anew each year, a similar number of teams disbanded.

And only a tiny fraction of them made their names known.

Even fairly excellent teams disappeared without ever being recognized.

There was even a team whose debut article was their only article.

Furthermore, was making your name known the end of it? No, it wasn’t.

Settlements weren’t made properly, and solo concerts were a distant dream.

A significant number of teams found it difficult to maintain activities even if the public knew the group’s name.

“What kind of hell is this? I see why the God of the Throne bestowed being an idol as a punishment.”

To give happiness to someone, an idol had to grit their teeth.

Becoming a top idol meant rising to the peak of the numerous teams that were gritting their teeth like that.

“It is not something that will happen at once. I must take it step by step.”

Step by step.

What should that first step be?

However, even so, the Demon God’s confidence was not going anywhere.

He was the one who had vied with gods.

Even as a human, he possessed a top-tier body, and if his power gradually returned on top of that, there was nothing more to say.

“It is only a matter of time.”

The corners of the Demon God’s mouth curled up.

“Sun-woo hyung, come out! The kimchi stew is done and it’s delicious.”

Yoon-seo’s shout announcing mealtime reached him.

“I’m coming.”

When he stepped into the living room, a truly delicious smell filled the air. Yoon-seo had a hobby for cooking and would prepare meals even without being asked.

“Excellent.”

The Demon God sat at the dining table and naturally put the phone into his pants pocket.

“Um, Sun-woo hyung…?”

Yoon-seo hesitated with a troubled face.

“What is it?”

“Th-that…”

“That? Speak clearly.”

Yoon-seo pointed to the Demon God’s pants pocket.

“The phone, it’s mine.”

“Yours? Does that not mean it is mine?”

“!”

By the Demon God’s common sense, it was so.

“W-what do you mean? Please give it back!”

Of course, the common sense of the human world was different.

Faced with the risk of his phone being extorted, even the timid Yoon-seo shouted urgently.

“Asking for it back? How bewildering.”

Still, the Demon God returned the phone to Yoon-seo.

He had lived with Yoon-seo’s phone attached to him for a while.

Human civilization had truly advanced, and there were quite a few things that were fascinating even to the Demon God’s eyes. In particular, YouTube and short-form videos were so entertaining that he lost track of time.

“I should get one of those objects for myself as well.”

“Whew…”

Taking a breather, Yoon-seo asked anew.

“Hyung, you don’t have a phone?”

“It is an object I have seen for the first time.”

Yoon-seo tilted his head.

“First time? You mean you didn’t open a phone line in Korea? But you could just use roaming?”

“What are you talking about?”

The conversation was still going in circles.

But before Yoon-seo could ask more, he felt something strange in his pants pocket and was startled.

“What is this! Why is this in my pocket!”

Inside the pocket where he was about to put his phone, he found a black ghost doll.

The very doll taken from Photographer Maeng Young-jin’s studio.

“I don’t remember putting this in here? No, wait, this belongs to Sun-woo hyung in the first place, doesn’t it?”

“The shadow has crawled out quite arrogantly.”

The Demon God took the doll, placed it on the floor, and gave it a forceful finger flick.

With a thud sound, the doll flew into the room. The Demon God followed it inside and came out a moment later.

“Hyung, what did you do?”

“I tied it up.”

When Yoon-seo looked, the doll was indeed tied tightly to the bed leg.

Since it was a ghost doll tied up like that, it looked a bit pitiful.

“Sympathy is forbidden. It needs more discipline.”

“Yes…”

The Demon God had given warnings about the doll at the studio, but Yoon-seo had understood it as a joke to set the mood.

‘Sun-woo hyung unexpectedly has a cute side that empathizes with dolls… He even gave it a name like Shadow. I should just go along with it.’

Yoon-seo only thought this about the scene just now.

“Shadow! You need more discipline!”

“Yoon-seo, stop with the useless talk and listen to my question.”

“…….”

Yoon-seo pouted and bit his lip slightly.

“Listen, this is an important question.”

“Uh, okay, yes.”

“Yoon-seo, are those who saw me through the phone now my believers?”

“Fans?”

The Demon God’s confidence had a basis.

Did they not want him this much after just a few photos?

The next activity.

The Demon God naturally thought of a fan club.

The day of being worshiped seemed to be approaching right before his eyes.

“The thing is… one can’t say these people are Sun-woo hyung’s fans yet.”

To his surprise, Yoon-seo shook his head.

“What? Do they not want to see me this much?”

“For now, it’s more like interest rather than fan love.”

“Interest?”

“Yes, like being slightly drawn to someone? But to be called a fan, that idol has to really enter deep into their heart.”

The Demon God pondered Yoon-seo’s words.

Come to think of it, a cult was the same.

Bowing only on the surface did not reach the Demon God. Only sincere worship became the Demon God’s power.

“So fan love is sincerity.”

“Ah, exactly! For once, you understood immediately!”

The Demon God realized that fans were not easily obtained.

In his life as a Demon God, how much did he have to care for his believers? Feed them, clothe them, house them. Was that the end? He had to listen to their worries and boost their spirits too.

“This means there is quite a lot of work to be done in the future…”

Yoon-seo nodded vigorously.

“Sun-woo hyung, you finally seem to have a sense of what idol life is! Listen, in meetings with fans, you communicate in a friendly way. There’s a special bond only between idols and fans. And…”

Yoon-seo added with a more serious expression.

“Idols can also be dreams and hopes for fans. They can be a support system that helps them endure hard times, and sometimes they can be role models.”

Finishing his explanation, Yoon-seo checked Sun-woo’s reaction.

“Right, it is what I have always done.”

“?”

“I shall be busy even in the human world.”

“??”

Since it was something he had always done, it was a relief that it wasn’t particularly difficult.

“Then, how does an idol come into contact with prospective believers? Must I go out to the streets?”

“Busking? Uh, that’s good too, but. First of all, the company plans what kind of activities you’ll do. The CEO and the Team Leader are probably having a meeting about it right now.”

The CEO, whom the Demon God had yet to meet.

And the square-jawed Team Leader he had become somewhat familiar with.

“Does the Team Leader have such an ability?”

For some reason, he didn’t feel much trust.

If he had the ability, why was Pantheon in this state?

“Both the CEO and the Team Leader are capable people. Um, they are that kind of people, but—”

“What is it? Why does your voice get smaller at the end?”

Yoon-seo hesitated to reveal the relationship between Izm and Origin. He was afraid that if he said they weren’t on good terms with a large agency, Sun-woo hyung’s motivation would drop.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Are you planning to lie?”

“Th-that is…”

Fortunately, Yoon-seo’s phone rang at that moment.

“It’s the Team Leader!”

Yoon-seo held up the phone to show him.

[Team Leader Oh Dae-ho]

And not long after answering the call, he cried out in a surprised voice.

“You said we got scouted by Agola?”

Agola.

The YouTube variety show that was quick to pick up on idol issues, as mentioned by the idol fans.

Before he knew it, the next activity was calling the Demon God.

***

[Idol Gola-bogi]

Abbreviated as ‘Agola,’ it was a YouTube variety show hosted by entertainer Jung Hee-gon.

Jung Hee-gon, who originally specialized in idol programs, started the YouTube variety show after a period of rest.

Agola had a point of difference from other idol variety shows.

It was the scouting centered on rookies and unknown idols.

It reflected Jung Hee-gon’s will to give opportunities to idols.

“This video is good, isn’t it? This one.”

Jung Hee-gon was watching a video with the program PD and writer.

“Oppa, do you really like this kid? You keep watching the video over and over.”

“It’s not that I like him, but the video is good.”

At the writer’s question, Jung Hee-gon replied while leaning back in his chair.

“I admit the video is good for now. But we’ll have to see once we bring him in.”

“I think so too. You can’t tell from just one good video. He became a big issue in the community, but there are many cases where they can’t live up to it when actually invited.

Their performance might be mediocre, they might make a slip of the tongue, or the feeling might be different when they stand close to the camera.”

The writer, as well as the PD, added their thoughts.

“This kid was filmed from a distance right now.”

“He’s not even performing.”

The two had been working on idol programs with Jung Hee-gon, so they had seen many idols.

The idol world was not soft enough to achieve anything with just a temporary issue.

“That’s true, isn’t it? We’ll only know once we bring him in and make him do at least one song.”

Jung Hee-gon agreed.

“Moreover, we invited three teams at once this time. It won’t be easy to stand out.”

“Hee-gon oppa, why did a person who likes giving idols opportunities invite so many? It’ll be hard to even get one cut.”

Jung Hee-gon stroked his chin at the writer’s question.

“What can I do? There are three teams whose videos became issues this week.”

Coincidentally, there were as many as three teams whose videos were climbing.

He didn’t feel like choosing among them and inviting only one.

“This kind of thing is volatile, so you have to shine the light when the issue is fresh. You know the steam runs out if even two weeks pass.”

Broadcasts, especially on YouTube, moved very quickly with issues.

Even if you thought it really blew up, it was forgotten in an instant if you couldn’t keep it going.

Jung Hee-gon smacked his lips.

It’s unfortunate, but this shoot is going to be crowded.

It would be nice if I could give everyone an opportunity, but I don’t know if it will turn out that way.

“Who will make their face known to the subscribers? Do your best, you guys.”

As Jung Hee-gon thought of the three teams in his head.

He cast his gaze on the protagonist in the video.

– Follow me.

The protagonist was shouting boldly.

.

.

A short while later.

In the dance practice room of Origin Ent.

“This won’t do.”

In front of the Demon God, who had practiced the choreography of the previous album’s title track ahead of the variety show appearance, everyone was shaking their heads.

It was an emergency.